Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1901-12-25
moKrs CELEBRATIONS.
Are Similar to the Christmas ceIebrs.
tons.

Are Similar to the Christmas celebrs.
tions.
The United States bureau OF ethnol.
ogy has been making a speciai study OF
Christmas in America. and n surpris.
ing fact ascertained Is that many OF
the aboriginal tribes on this continent.
long before Columbus landed. were &C.
customed to celebrate festivals CORE.
spending TO that of Yuletide. Indeed.
they pursue the practice even to the
present day. and among the Moki In.
dams of Arizona, for example. there
is much merry mumming at or about
December 20. with exchange of gifts
and masquerauing by persons who are
got up IN picturesque costumes to rep.
resent supernatural beings.
The st. Nicholas of the Moki. how.
ever. is the sun god and their Christ.
mas festival Is TO celebrate his com.
mencing return norinward from the
Land Of Shadows. hat Is supposed to
be located In the far south. on the top
of the highest bunding in the town the
priest o, the sun stands and looks
away 100 miles to the southwest.
where the great San Francisco noun.
tain uplifts its rocky mass out OF the
desert. One end of the mountain Ii
prolonged In The biuon mesa and by a
series OF foothills. and between the
end OF the mesa and the second series
of hills there IL n peculiar notch. an
this notch is supposed to be the sun
house-the place where the sun god
has his home.
When the solar orb sinks a night.
fall into that notch It mas reached its
most distant point on the horizon. and
the 2lst day OF December has arrived.
Formal notice of the fact Is given by
the sun priest. and announcement is
made of n general rejoising. Various
divinities. dressed in strange costumes
will appear In the town, and the occa.
sion will be sigualized by a mystery
play. symbolizing the struggle of the
sun god against the powerful devils
which try to keep him back and pre-
vent him from returning TO the north.
The sun god has a number OF dan.
gerous enemies-hostilc deitles-
among whom the most powerful is the
Great Plumed SNAKE. This serpent
mvinity is OF ancient Aztec origin, and
was worshiped all over Mexico and
Central America In prehistoric times.
He was very troublesome In those
days. IL appears, and on n occasion
brough, about a deluge which flooded
the valley In which the ancestors of
&c Mohi dwelt. At length he was ap-
peased by the sacrifice of tue son and
daughter OF the chief Of the town; but
afterwards he afflicted the people In
other ways. 40 that they were obliged
to migrate northward To nrizona.
The Great Plumed Snake figures
Importantly in the Christmas mystery
| MAY uullh 4. Aftn. uaNrl for .. h.oI m
red leather tongue and other incident.
ais to render him more effective. the
whole apparatus being worked by n
concealed man. who causes the head 10
wag and the mouth 10 roar Eventual.
~. however, the serpent divinity IL ap.
peased with prayers and offerings OF
sacred meal. and the performance
winds up with n combat between the
sun god represented by a man with q
round shield painted to look like the
SUM and a number of deviis In suita
r.e costumes. who try 10 push Santa
Claus back and hinder him from start
ing northward toward the land o. tn.
moki. Eventually. OF course. he wins
the fight.
Santa Claus made his FIRST debut on
American soil in the year 1926, the
jovial Dutch Colonists having come 10
settle the New Netherlands. II - re.
corded that In December. 1920. ,.e Pill.
grims arrived at Plymouth. Mass. only
a few Gays before Christmas. and on
Christmas day they began to erect
the first house for common use, to re.
ceive them and their goods" The Pill
grims entertained "A cordial hatred OF
a., English church festivals. and most
of all OF Christmas. the celebration OF
which was deemed by them nothing
more nor less than a popish orgy. Sc
they would have none OF II. and for O
very long period Santa Claus was des
tined to remain a stranger In New
England.
In lo59 the general court Of Massa
chusetts enacted that anybody who Is
found observing, by abstinence from
labor, feasting, or In any other way
any such day as Christmas day, shall
pay for every such offense Ave snill
ings."