The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1897-12-18
CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS.
Ancient Celebrations and Boisterous Mer-
ry-Making.

Ancient Celebrations and Boisterous Mer-
ry-Making.
II is said that the American customs of
celebrating the greatest of all festival
days Christmas, are descended from or
are suryyals of the old world customs
which existed in England couple OF
centuries ago. says the Washington Post.
Yet when these latter are examined into
it REQUIRES wide stretch of an unusually
elastic imagination to link the ways oil
the present day with those OF the Seven
teenth or even the Eighteenth century
Ii seems probable that the folks OF hall
dozen generations ago crowded more
merriment into the Christmas season
than we of this age do, and they went
about it with tue same prearranSeu S\S-
tematic care that Il commercial prince
now dryOtes to some great financial coup.
But the fun was Of bOiStcrOuS kind.
quite inconsistent with the crowded way
of living these days. If one of the old
merryuakers 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 il 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 deyOlvcd the responsibility
| of carrying into the dining hall the great
boar's head. What Il bleak Christmas
| it would be nowadays if glft-maklng were
secondary to bringing in a boar'S head.
| The old-time Christmas began week
| hot th. arrival of tho IaV 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 mistlc-
| 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 hddlcrs, who
| filled the forests with the joyful melodies
| of Christmastidc. 1t was the Pagans
who first used holly and mistletoe for
| obscrvanccs, 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
| tions. 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
| 1ocked in crowds to join the professions,
in which the Druidical priests We're the
| foremost actors. The train was headed by
| the bards singing canticles and hymns.
\ herald preceded three Druids, fur
niShed with implements for the purpose
of cutting the mystic plant-upriSht
hatchcts of brass, fixed to slaves. Then
| followed the prince or chief Of the
| Ilp, IL. I'll L II ]
| followers. The chief mounted the oak.
| with a golden sickle dctaching the mis-
| tlctoc. and presenting it to the priests,
| who received and bore the branches
| away with deep reverence. On the first
| day of the year. the branches. after rest
.rGs on the Druidcal affairs in the inter
were distributed among the pconIe
sacred and holy plant. the DruidS
Iflg. The mlStletoc for the new year"
ANY were the superstitionS attaching
he plant. Among the lattcr-day
rms associated with it. when suS-
ticd in bunch in the servants hall.
the tradltionary and favorite OBJ
lNancc of kissing the maids under its
- inches. the superstition prevailing that
maiden who missed being heartily
Ied under her mistlctOo at Christmas
III forfeit her chance of early matri-
Fy. ana certainly not be married in
ensuing twelve months.
mediaeyal observance which always
wed the gathering of holly and mistlc-
was the cutting and hauling home Of
! ulc log. The favOrite Yulc log was =
Es-grained block of elm. or the rugged
Of a tree of fantastic and grotcs5me
H. and this was drawn home to the
hen. or great hall. with the same
N-maklng that attended the gathering
lhe holly. Before the crOwning event
llindlinG the Christmas log from tho
rom ing F,f
before. there were sports in plenty
performed.
hines these logs were directed to be
Idcd by the lords Of the Htaf0r. Tn,
shlnS of Christmas logs WAS q form
tenure; thus the ccllarist of ST Ed
dSbury held under the abbey the
Tor OF hIrdWick, and was bound by
conditions of his title to provide an
lily four Christmas stocks. each OF
ht feet in length
orln2rly the members of the family
guests sat down in turn ON the Yulc
the throne OF The master of the rcvclS
Z 1ulc song and drank to n merry
lstmaS and happy Now Year AZ parr
heir feast. 1ule dough or iuTc Cakcs
? consumed. These bore impressed
res III the shape of an image some
they were made III the form Of an
mt: nor was the manager overlooked
mother employment for the log. ere its
ihSi diipIl. was provided by the old
istmas gamhol of drawing dun out
he mlre, the ancient Institution often
htIoned. The Gulc stock. drawn into
middle of the floor, became Dun. the
horse for the nonco; the cry was
ed that he had stuck in the mirc
@ OF the company. with or without
|es advanced to cXtrcatc Dun. After
ious real and feigncd exertions they
ed for more help. until all present
mixed up i'll the rough and tumble
ton. The fun arose from the horse
of the jewellers. falling about. and
irving to roll or drop the log on each
'rS toes. This was kept up with
rty enjoyment until the fun being cX-
tted, dun was drawn out.
lc carol singers ana waits We're a
lar feature OF the day. The former
ted the homes of the rich ana filled
wintry air with their musc. while
waits" performed on musical instru-
Is. and were largely employed for tn"
StmaS plays and kindred amuScmcntS
Sc who were not employed went from
to house dressed in grotesque COS
IS and received gifts Of money for
performances.
be regular Waterman also went about
lting out Christmas verses. and every
WAS expected to show appreciation by
ping Il coin into the box carried by
rhymer for that particular purpose.
course the Christmas dinner was the
NJ feature Of the day. and the BIC
,wner was expected To entertain all
is tenants and nei@hbors from day
k to midnight. The first dish to j."
,d on the table was tn" boar's head,
great state and ceremony marked
service Musicians and trumpet"rS
the procossiou in which there wcr"
tsmen with long spears and pages
drawn swords. Carols were intoncd
he procession moved into the dining
in and psalms were Chanted, for in
te ingenious way the nlden-time people
connected tn" bears head rciiciouSiy with