Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-12-15
CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS.
Ancient Celebrations and Boisterous Mer-
ry-Making.

| Ancient Iebrations and Boiste rous Mer-
ry-M aking.
It is said that the American customs of
celebrating the greatest of all festival
| days, Christmas, are descended from or
are survivals of the old world customs
which existed in England a couple of
centuries ago, says the Washington Post
! Yet when these latter are examined into
| it requires a wide stretch of an unusually
| elastic imagination to link the ways Of
| the present day with those OF the Seven
teCnth or even the Eighteenth century.
1t seems probable that the folks of half
a dozen generations ago crowded more
merriment into the Christmas season
| than we of this age DO, and they went
| about it with the same prearranged sys-
| tematic care that a commercial prince
| now devOteS to some great financial coup.
| But the fun was of boisterous kind,
quite inconsistent with the crowded way
merrymakers could come to life on
| Christmas day and celebrate the festival
| in the way fashion and custom demanded
| in his time, he would probably find him
! self in the lookup charged with rudely
| disturbing the peace.
Noise, buster, feasting, drinking and
horse play were the chief features of the
old-time English Christmas. Gift-mak-
| ing existed as it had for many previous
centuries, but that was merely an Incl
dental feature and not nearly so impor-
| tant as the work of the pompouS butler,
upon whom deVolved the responsibility
| of carrying into the dining hall the great
boar's head. What a bleak Christmas
it would be nowadays if gift-making were
secondary to bringing in a boar's head!
The oldtime Christmas began a week
before the arrival of the day, just as the
shoppers of today rush out with fat
purses to lure the holiday bargain But
purchasing gifts did not bother the heads
or weary the bodies of the old-World
folks.
The gathering of the holly and mistle-
| toe for the decoration of house and
church was their initial task, and it was
| performed by the village en- masSe, head
ed by brave pipers and fiddlers, who
| filled the forests with the joyful melodies
| Of Christmastide. 1t was the Pagans
who first used holly and mistletoe for
| obserVances, and the practice was adopt
| ed by the early Christian churches. The
| Greeks and Romans also used them in
! their religious ceremonies. as did the
| Druids and the Celtic and Gothic ma
| lions. SO the young maid of today who
stands alluringly under a sprig of mistle-
! toe may find satisfaction in knowing
that she is following the precedent of
| centuries.
In Druidical times the simple peasants
| Hooked in crowds to join the PROFESSIONS
IN which the Druidical priests were the
foremost actors. The train was headed by
| the bards singing canticles and hymns.
A herald preceded three Druids, fur
nlshed with implements for the purpose
of cutting the mystic plant-upright
hatchets of brass, fixed to slaves. Then
followed the prince or chief of the
Drulds, accompanied by all his flock and
| followers. The chief mounted the oak,
with golden sickle detaching the mis-
| tletoe, and presenting it to the priests.
| @ho
away with deep reverence. On the first
| day OF the year, the branches after rest
| ing on the Druidical affairs in the inter-
VAL were distributed among the people
as sacred and holy plant, the Druids
crying, "The mistletoe for the new YEAR,
Many were the superstitions attaching
to the plant. Among the latter-day
| charms associated with it, when sus-
pended IN a bunch in the servants hall.
was the tradtionary and favorite OBJ
serVance of kissing the maids under its
branches, the superstition prevailing that
the maiden who missed being heartily
KISSED under her mistletOe at Christmas
would forfeit her chance of early matri-
mony, and certainly not be married in
the ensuing twelve months.
A mediaeyal observance which always
1oloWed the gathering of holly and mistle-
TOE was the cutting and hauling home of
the Iule log. The favorite Yule log was =
cross grained block of elm. or the rugged
| root OF tree of fantastic and grOteS0ue
FORM, ana this was drawn home to the
kitchen, or great hall, with the same
nerry-ma KING that attended the gathering
OF Ine holly' Before the browning event
OF klndling the Christmas log from the
charred remains of its predecessor of the
year before, there were sports in plenty
| to be performed.
Ottlmes these logs were directed to be
provided by the lords of the manor. The
n 'h1-ISf L.
OF tenure; thus the cellarist of st. Ed
mundsbury held under the abbey the
| manor of HardWick, and was bound by
the conditions of his title to provide an
nually four Christmas stocks, each of
eight feet in length.
Formerly the members of the family
and guests sat down in turn on the YuIe
| loS the throne of the master of the reyels.
sang Yule song and drank to a merry
Christmas and happy New Year AS part
OF their feast, Iule dough or Yule cakes
were consumed. These bore impressed
figures in the shape Of an image: some
times they were made in the form of an
! infant; nor was the manager overlooked.
Another employment for the log, ere it's
GONNA grafton, was provided by the old
CHRISTMAS gambol of drawing 'Dun out
of the mire," the ancient institution often
mentioned. The Yule stock, drawn into
the middle of the floor, became "Dun. the
cart horse" for the nonce; the cry was
raised that he had stuck in the mre.
Two OF the company, with or without
ropes, advanced to extricate Dun. After
various real and feigned exertions they
called for more help, until all present
were mixed up in the rough and tumble
exertion. The fun arose from the horse
play of the jewellers, falling about, and
contriving to roll or drop the log on each
others toes. This was kept up with
hearty enjoyment until the fun being ex-
hausted, dun was drawn OUT
The carol singers and waits were
regular feature OF the DAY. The former
visited the homes of the rich and filled
the ,wintry air with their music, while
the waits performed on musical instru-
ments, and were largely employed for the
christmas plays and kindred amusements
Those who were not employed went from
house to house dressed in grotesque cos
tunes and received gifts of money for
their performances.
The regular Waterman also went about
shouting out Christmas verses, and every
one was expected to show appreciation by
| 6rODDlDO q int hn HOY cd NV,