Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-25

Nowhere on earth does Christmas have
such a feeb strnificauca as In the tiny
syrian city OF Bethlehem. for tt was here
thar Jesus was born. IN Bethlehem the
festival has retained its purely religious
character. and the customs and ceremonies
associated with it's ceishrauon are distinc-
lively Christian and Oriental In America
The religious ceremonial observance OF
Christmas LH overshsdowed By holiday
customs which ara the uneaI descendants
II reuuonic myths. The Christmas spirit
is a Christian spirit and there is no need
to expel santa Claus on the ground that
he vas 1nce a pagan. Nevertheless it Is
Interesting to observe how the birthday
Of Jesus is celebrated In HIS native town.
Today IL Christmas to but few Of the
people VI Bethlehem for a majority OF the
Beihiehemites arg communicates Of the
Greek ORTHODOX Church. whicn holds to
une Julian calendar and which vii cello
brate Christmas twelve days hence.
But today s Christmas wherever the
Gregorian calendar is IN use, and il Is
Christmas TO ne Roman Catholics and to
the PrutestanLs Of Bethlehem There are
I perhaps LO0 Catholics and 100 Professionals
among the natives OK the town. To them
Christmas is a day OF rest and enjoyment,
celebrated by the OF liberal
Quantities OF the peculiar vine for which
Bethlehem is famous among Syr.ans and
infamous among Europeans and Americans.
II Is a gala day and the truly beautiful
girl u Bethlehem wears her tiara OF
gold coins. her necklaces VI silver, five
tranc pieces. and her bracelets OK bronze
money. FOR every girl wears her dowry
N money most plainly to De seen. From
The top OF her jaunry little bonnet tails
o. hnHH
women would wear h.. but over her
shoulder, which veil proclalms that Seth
.ehem is the town Jf her nativity 1t was
such a veil that Ruth wore when she won
the heart Of Boaz. who was mayor OF
Bethlehem, something over 2-G5 wear ago.
The celebration which today engrosses
The Latin church population Of Bethlehem
will on the Greek Christmas be extended
10 the entire city. for Launs a. well a.
Greeks join in the popular observance Of
old Christmas. The Latin Christmas which
We observe in America. is however. the
occasion OF the most beautiful ceremonial
ce- ebration OF all the year in Bethlehem.
a city where ceremonials never cease and
where religious alteration is literally per
DetlaL As in all the Catholic world Christ
mas is ushered in by the solemn and in
spring midnight mass. On the day before
Christmas the Latin Patriarch Of Jeru-
salem. who Is the head Of the Franciscan
order in Palestine. the order which has
charge OF al the sacred Latin shrines in
the Holy Land. escorted by the consul gen
eraI OF France, leads the professional from
jerusalem over the six miles roadway. by
the covenant Of st. Elijah and the tomb OF
Rachel to Bethlehem. The procession is
made Up OF all the Latin priests and MONKS
from the various churches and covents OF
Jerusalem. II is met in tire market pace
of Bethlehem by the franciscan monks
who guard the latin interests in the Church
OF the Nauvity and who are the priests OF
the parish church OF st. Catherine. which
IS under the roof OF the great Church or
the Nativity.
There is a boys choir made up Of sturdy
ruddy-faced boys Of Bethlehem who are
the worthy SUCCESSORS Of David himself in
Psalmodys The bands play and the choir
hehHnts as the solemn professional forms at
10 O'Clock at night and marches into the
Latin chapel OF the church. Here are
gathered all Of the native Catholics Of the
city, most Of whom are women. The
women chatter and gossip and laugh and
seemingly have none OF that sense OF pro-
priety which western Catholics possess 10
so marked a degree. The chatter is DER
mitted % go On for awhile and then one or
two sturdy Franciscans rush into the
crowd in the church and chastise the Of
Tending frivolous women by beating them
with the cords OF their robes.
In Palestine the Catholic churches for the
most part initiate the Greek customs and
have no seats in church, so that the wnr-
shippers either stand or kneeI. In none OF
the churches in the Holy Land does the
D rnua-uuu~fr, -, 80 49,.
10 keep quiet But is must not be Inferred
that they are not devOut for. on the con-
uary, the greater portion OF the disturb
ance is caused by an excess OF religious
fervUr. Thus high emouonalism finds ax-
preston in shouting and in swaying the
body to music, just as perfervid religious
excitement affects southern negroes at Il
Baptist camp meeting in Georgia