Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-12-23

holiday, and in South Carolina the two
following days are also holidays
In the Scotch monasteries an Abbott
of Unreason" was appointed to direct the
festivities of the holiday season.
In the country districts of Lombardy
cock is borne in the religious process
sions of the people on Christmas Eve.
In many parts of Germany it is believed
that oxen fall on their knees in the stalls
at the moment of Christ's nativity
In Sweden there is a superstition that
the men of the extreme northern regions
become wolves during Christmas week.
In Slesa there is a superstition that a
boy born on Christmas day must be
brought up lawyer or he vii! become
thief.
At Tenby, in South Wales, there has for
ages been enacted at Christmas season
drama known as Old Father Christmas.
The nativity of Christ has been cele-
brated, at one time or another, in every
month of the year, from November to
April
The celebration of Christmas is said by
the church historians to have been for
mally instituted by Pope Telesphorus.
who died A. D. 1873.
Among the English common people
Christmas is lucky when ii falls on Sun
day and unlucky when Saturday is the
day of the nativity.
Christmas is respected by Mohammedan
nations, though not observed. 1t is con-
sidered second in sanctty to the birth
day of Mohammed.
In the fourth century the celebration of
Christmas was fixed by the Latin church
for December .. Before that time it had
been a movable festival like Easter.
The Puritans were greatly opposed to
mince pies and plum porrdge at Christ
mas times. Many illusions in the liter
| allure of the seventeenth century are
made to their hatred for these articles.
On Christmas morning the choir boys Of
| Durham Cathedral, in England, ascend
the lofty tower and sing a Christmas
carol. The effect produced by the music
from such height is assisted by the
dress of the boys, their white robes f1ut
tering in the breeze.
The mistletoe now a favorite plant for
Christmas decoration, was to the Druits
a sacred emblem. 1t was gathered by
! them with very pOmpous ceremonies and
when cut and taken TO their places of
worship, was deemed to possess many
mystic qualities.
In Germany, Christmas trees have been
| known ever since the introduction of
! Christianity. Before that time the dress
ing of a tree with candles and presents
/ was a feature of the mdwinter Druidical
: festival, that in fact the German
! Christmas tree dates back to an era be-
! fore the dawn of written history.
i Our Christmas customs are a mixture OF
Druidical and Pagan obServanceS. The
! use of the Christmas tree has descended
from the German Druids. Dressing the
! houses and churches with green is a relic
/ of Pagan worship in Rome, so also is the
/ sending of presents to and fro.
The yule log in England is relic of
! Druidism; it's name is believed to be a
corruption of the wheel log, wheel in
{ Druidical symbolism IMPLYING the march
of the sun. The lighting of the yule fire
| is reminiscent of the sacred fires kindled
| by the Druids at mdwinter in the round
! towers which yet remain in many parts
of Great Britain, Ireland, France and
| Spain.
Christmas trees were unknown in Eng
land until the reign of Queen Victoria.
/ After the present Prince of Wales had
| become 8 or years old, Prince Albert
ornamented a Christmas tree for the
| amusement of the infant prince. The idea
pleased the people, and as Christmas
: trees were every year made a feature of
the court celebration, the fashion soon
! spread among the English.