The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-25
From the Scrap Book.

From the Scrap Book.
~ COMPARATIVELY few of the MIL
V lions of persons who annually
~ enter so heartily into the festivi-
ties of Christmas give thought 10 the
origin Of the customs they observe.
Young people middle-aged people and OLD
people who take indescrible pleasure III
decorating their homes with holly mlstle-
toe and other evergreens in anticipation
of reign of fun and frivolity, do not
az a. rule. give much thought to the
Nativity. and never for a moment does
any idea concerning the origin OF sucn
decorations enter their heads.
How many good souls there are VINO
delight in the old-fashioned Christmas
customs. and who once year, at least
let themselves out to enjoy the reVels OIL
ST. Nicholas feast in the good old STYLE
who would hold up their hands in horror
were it even suggested that they were
simply initiating the wicked old pa
gans." Almost al lour popular practices
In honor of the birth of Christ have their
origin in ante-C Christian ones,
It is no longer a controversial point that
the Christ -child was not born on the 2otn
or even during the month of December.
We do not celebrate the actual anniver-
sary of his birth, but the significance OF
the event, The observance of our modern
Christmas has it's foundation in a peren-
NAL custom of the ancients, from whom
our forefarthers took their idea of cele-
bration.
Later we find Christmas and Epiphany
being celebrated on the same day, and
still later, various dates-in March, April
and December-were set aside.
It is pretty certain also that the Jewish
feast of the Dedication Of the Taber-
nacles, held toward the end of the year.
influenced the selection of the 18th OF
December as Christmas.
About 800 A. D. a boy was born in
Lycia. His parents called him Nichols,
but ESQ the chronicles tell u.s., though
that was a mans name, he preserved the
nature of a child, for he chose Ito keep
yertues, mekness and simpleness, and
therefore children do him worship before
all other saints"
The modern child's Santa Claus is a
Dutch contraction of "Sankt Nikolaus,"
"sank'ni KLAUS and the saints custom
of giving presents secretly and in the
dead Of night as the development of
deed of charity he performed when he as
sisted by tossing three well-filled purses
into their bedroom long after they had
retired.
Thus, Santa Claus comes about when
the children are asleep and gives them
their hearts desire. st. Nicholas day
was originally early in December, but
later it was COMPOUNDED with Christmas.
There is an old ballad describing the
saint and his customs, thus:
ST. Nicholas money used to give to may
dens secretle,
Who, that he still may use his wonted lib
eralities,
The mothers all their children on the Eve
do cause to fast
And when they every one at night in
senseless sleepe are cast.
Both Apples, Nuttes and Peares they
bring and other things besides,
As caps and shooes and petticotes, which
secretly they hide,
And in the morning found. they say, that
this st. Nicholas brought.
The idea that st. Nicholas was an old
hoard beared man comes from the ancient
representations of Saturn, who was pie
tured a patriarch. and also from the con-
founding of the Christmas Saint with
Father Time, who has always had his
special day, on New Years Eve, a week
after Christmas.
This custom we derive from the Ro-
mans, who on the first day of the Satur-
MALTA gave to the servants and children
dolls, candles and little doll-like pastiss.
the exact significance Of which. it is be-
lieved, had to do with those days when
human sacrifices constituted a feature of
the Saturnalian ritual.
The dolls were given principally to chill
dren, although their significance, it is be-
lieved. was relative to that sacrifice of
human lives to the Internal god which
was practiccd at Carthage.
Hardly was the Saturnalia over when
the Psgnalia began. At this festival an
altar was erected in each persons contrib