Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-23
LEGENDS CLUSTER
AROUND THE YULE.
The BevelS of Christmas as They
We're Enjoyed by Our Ancestors
in the Merry Days Of Long Ago.

/ I.ol now Is come our joyfulst feast,
/ Let every man be jolly
Each room with ivy leaves Is drest,
And every post with holly.
Now all our neighbors' chimneys smoke,
And Christmas blocks are burning.
Their ovens they with bakt meats
choke.
And all their spils are turning.
The celebration Of Christmas, con-
sidered by the Puritans popish and
ldolatrous, has for many centuries been
| so universal that II may prove Of in
| terest to contrast the rites ceremonies
and quaint beliefs Of foreign lands with
I those OF matter.Of-fact America.
Many curious customs have become
| completely obsolete and live only IN
| tradition. but II Is surprising to find
I what singular supersttions still exist
among credulous classes, even In the
/ light of the nineteenth century,
In the Holy Land at this season the
/ place OF greatest interest Is naturally
/ the Church Of the Nativity at Bethle-
| hem, erected on the supposed location
where Christ was born. Il Is said 20 be
| the Oldest Christian church in exist
ence, having been built more than ff-
| teen centuries ago by the Empress Hell
! ena, mother OF Constantine. Repairs
were made later by Edward ~. OF
| England, but 1t is now again fast fall
ing to decay. The roof was originally
| composed OF cedar OF Lebanon and the
walls were studded with precious Jew
| els, while numerous lamps Of silver and
| gold were suspended from the rafters.
| The Greeks, Latins and Armenians now
I - tafsat Of a go.
/ and jealousy guard its sacred pre-
| clncts.
Immediately beneath the nave OF the
! cathedral Is commodious marble
! chamber. constructed over the spot
/ where the far-famed stable was said
| 10 have stood and reached by flight
Of stone steps. worn smooth by the
| tread and kisses Of multitudes Of wor-
| shippers The manger is represented
| by marble slab a couple OF feet in
| height, decorated with tinsel and blue
satin and marked at the head with a
| chiseled star, bearing above 1t the in
| scripti0n In Latin. Here was JESUS
| Christ born Of the Virgin Mary" AT
| the foot are several affairs. on which
| incense Is ever kept burning and from
| which mass is conducted, while a score
| OF hanging lamps shed fitful light
over the apartment
| Many theories have been advanced as
10 the explanation Of the mysterious
star in the east which guided the
wondering shepherds. but 1t Is now
thought TO have been Venus at the
| height Of its splendor.
| The early Christians decorated their
churches with evergreens out Of respect
TO the passage Of Scripture in Isaiah
THE glory Of Lebanon shall come unto
thee; the fir tree, the pine tree and the
box together TO beautify the place Of
my sanctuary" and the pagans be-
! lieved them to be omens OF good. as the
spirits OF the woods remained In their
branches
Holly is known in Germany and Sean
/ dinavia as "Christ's thorn" and Is en-
! blematlc everywhere Of cheerfulness,
forgiveness, peace on earth and good
will to men"
The oak mistletoe or "mlssel' was
held In high generation by the ancient
Druids, who, regarding its parasitic
| character as q miracle and a symbol
Of Immortality. worshipped II in their
| temples, and used II as a panacea for
| the physical ailments OF their follow
ers. When the moon was six days old
II was tremendously cut with a golden
sickle by the chief priest of the order
and received with care into the spotless
robes Of the company, for II II fell TO
| the unholy ground its virtues were con-
sidered lost.
Then, crowned with oak leaves and
| singing songs OF thanksgiving, they
bore the branches In solemn procession
| 10 the affairs where two white oxen
were sacrificed TO the gods.
The custom OF kissing under the
mistletoe" dates back TO the days OF
Scandinavian mythology, when the god
of darkness shot his rival the immor-
tai Apollo Of the North. with an arrow
made from its boughs, But the sup
posed victim being miraculously re-
stored to life. the mistletoe was given
into the keeping Of the goddess OF af-
fection as a symbol OF love and not
Of death. TO those who passed beneath
II. A berry was required 20 be picked
with every kiss and presented TO the
maiden as a sign Of good fortune, the
privilege ceasing when all the berries
were gathered
In "Merrie England Christmas was
the chief event Of the entire year and
was sometimes celebrated for nearly a
month. The tables Of the wealthy lit
orally groaned with plenty. but the
poor without their gates were not for
gotten, for
Old Christmas had come for TO keep
open house.
He'd scorn TO be guilty Of starving a
mouse,
That remarkable compound known rs
AArrHn aHat Il.
or wine, sweetened with sugar and ia
yored with spices, and bearing upon its
surface floating bits OF toast and roast
cd crabs and apples The huge bowl.
gaily decorated with ribbons, was
passed from hand 10 hand around the
table, each guest taking portion Of
it's contents, as sign of joviality and
good-fellowship.
But the triumph Of the pastry cooks
art was "the rare minced pie the use
OF which is OF great antiquity. The
shape was formerly a long, narrow
oval, representing the celebrated man
ger at Bethlehem and the fruits and
spices Of which II was composed were
symbolic OF those that the wise men
OF the Orient brought as offerings 70
their newborn King, while TO partake
OF such a pie was considered a proof
that the eater was Christian and not
jew.
Candles were first used TO demon
strate the power OF Christianity over
the darkness Of paganism and were
sometimes arranged in triangular form
10 symbolic the Trinity.
Christmas carols are commemorative
Of the angels song 10 the shepherds on
the plains OF Bethlehem and are seldom
heard in America, save by the supplied
ohoirs OF Episcopal churches. The
English waits" or serenaders. who
sang under the squires' windows in
hopes OF receiving a Christmas box"
unconsciously add touch OF romance
and picturesqueness 70 the associations
OF the season. For upon the frosty
evening cir arose such strains as
Awakel glad heart. arise and singh
II is the birthday OF thy King.
Or
God rest you, merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ, our Savior,
Was born upon this day.