Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-25
CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL
Its Observance by People of
All Chimes.
WINTER SUN" CHIN A
WIVES OBTAINED FROM CHRIST
MAS TREES IN RUSSIA.
Religious Ceremonies More Common
in the Latin Countries Than
in the North.

The festival of Christmas is by no means
| of Christian creation
| Christmas. under one name or another, is
| and always has been universal. Whenever
| and wherever primitive watched with
| apprehension the days growing longer and
| the sun sinking lower and lower toward
| the horizon, and wherever he noted with
| hope and joy that old Sol begins to rise
| again and shake off the evil spirits of cold
| and darkness, then and there has Christ
mas been celebrated.
| From Iceland, in the frozen north, to
India, in the burning south: from China,
in the orient to the Moqm country in our
| own southwest has the winter sostice,
| which Is about Christmas time, been sea-
| son of gladness, for the great sun has con-
| quered his enem es, the evil spirits.
| The Moqui Indians, from their valley
| home with vague fear that the sun might
| not be able to rise before 1t sinks below
the skyline forever. watch Its December
| decline until the golden orb fits Into
| tain notch cut into the summit of
| tain range. Then next day, when the OBJ
| Ject of their worsh p Is seen to be little
| higher than that notch. Their rejoicing be-
| gins. The sun god is safe. When the priest
| proclaimS the glad news religious rites
celebrated and mystery play, illustrating
| Old Soils conquest of the demons is per-
| formed
| In the Far East.
And then In China the same old festival
called the winter sum-" or the tree spr-
its" or the forest dragon" or young
| heavens observed just as relgiously as
! In Christian America It was handed
| Down to the present Monaghan race by the
| dark-skinned aborisines that disappeared
from the Flowery Kingdom thousands of
| years ago
| not date from the birth of Christ The truth
| Is that the early missionaries, finding the
| pagan institution too closely entwined in
| the hearts of the heather, were wise
| enough to let 1t remain, but to add to It
a new and higher significance as fit time
| to celebrate the birth of our Savior What
| matter about the exact historic date on
| which the momentouS event occurred IN the
stable at Bethlehem so long as some day is
set apart for Its sacred commemoration?
| Well. to the Chinese Christmas is the time
| when vagrant spirits are abroad. To pro-
| tect their homes the Ceestals tack ghost
| papers to the doors and station ghost chas-
| ers and catchers on the roof. Meanwhile
the people attest their Joy by decorating
their houses with artificial flowers
Tiger-hunting and elephant PROFESSIONS
ere features Of Christmas celebrations In
India: The natives Of Chos Island have
| a pole adorned with fruits and flowers
that corresponds to the white folks Christ
mas tree 1t Is carried by the tenant farm
ers to his landlord, and expresses the CIV
er's wish for bountiful harvest.
Wives on Christmas Trees.
or all Christmas tree customs, one of the
strangest prevails in parts of Russia A
gift tree is set up in the village. on the
branches Of which roost young unmarried
women, cloaked and hooded and yelled so
| that their identity is concealed The SWANS
are admitted one by one, just as they are
in our familiar American game of "Spat
In, Spat Out Each as he enters lifts q
| veil-of course at .randon-and the face
thus disclosed belongs to his future wife.
he nP
couple, the penalty for breaking the en-
| gagement being a heavy fine to be paid
into the village treasury.
Another Russian custom is a procession
OF children dressed in fantastic animal
costumes. One boy holds aloft a star-shap-
ed paper latern to represent the Star of
the East" another carries on his back a
miniature theater, on the stage of which
puppet performances like Punch and judy
shows are given at every farmhouse where
| the motley pageant halts.
The modern Christmas tree comes to us
from Germany, the Yule log from Scan
| d1navia; Santa Claus from Holland and the
| Christmas stocking from France; but the
| Christmas turkey-ah! that is Americas
| contribution to the worlds stock of Christ
mas cheer. But there is part of the
| world where the people are afraid to eat
| turkey. In Armenia it would be too much
! like treason to their cruel ruler, the Turk.
! If they do venture to eat the fowl. they
call it Egyptian hen" Down in Egypt
| they name 1t Indian hen'-thus both Ar
/
| from Moslem vengeance.
In Southern Europe.
In Latin countries Christmas is more
| purely religious holiday than in the Teu-
tonic north. In Italy. the home of the
| Christmas pantomime, 1t is celebrated with
pageants and mystery plays representing
the birth of Christ, movable figures being
| used
| Spanish youug form a procession,
| headed by a youth armed with mitre and
crosier. Two angels accompany him. and
| troop OF devils bring up the rear. At each
| house they visit the leader catechiees the
frightened children on their rel gious knowl-
| edge. Those who answer the questions sat
| isfactorily are rewarded with nuts and ap-
pies; the goddess little ignoramuses are
chased by the devils.
The French child is apt to find under his
pillow when he awaSes on Christmas morn
! ing beautiful cake, frosted and nodded
into image of the Savior. He Is left to
| infer that some good angel put it there a
| reward for his goodness.
Christmas IS not home festival in
| France. Parisans spend their holiday on
the street, in the cafes or at church Christ
mas is the one day of the year when the
churches are thronged. The little ones are
/ put to bed very early Christmas eve with
| the promise that Pierre Noel Che French
| Santa) Will bring them something nice in
| the morning If they are good. Then the
parents go to some boulevard cafe to put in
| an evening of pleasure.
| Until recent times the French shipped
their mistletoe to England, but did not OBJ
| serve the pretty custom themse yes. OF
late years, however. they have borrowed
| the rite from their neighbors across the
| channel.
Real White Christmas.
| But 1t is farther north, where the fireside
is more of a family institution, where
| Christmas is seen in all its glory. In Hol-
land Santa Claus comes not with reindeer,
| but with a team of white horses, and the
! expectant children fill their shoes with
| oats for the comfort of the seeds, expect
| ing to find i'm the morning the fodder re-
| placed with candy and toys-and they are
| not disappointed.
| The Norwegian Santa Claus Is called Mis-
! sen. He is q good-hearted but choetic little
i body. md tf the fa nliiu Lea nutGiae the