Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-15
CHRISTMAS DAY WITH LITTLE
BOYS AND GIRLS IN MANY
PARTS OF THE WORLD

New Year night. and all of the poor
children in the neighborhood are called
in to party in their honor. Another In
teresting custom is that of dipping day.
On the day before Christmas every one
eats in the kitchen, masters, servants and
children. Then the pot in which the ham
and pork the chief dishes, We're boiled, Is
passed around. Every one dips piece
of bread into the pot and eats It, All
must doppai grytan. as they call it.
Christmas eve the gifts are distributed
and delivered from house to house by
joyous parties of masqueraders. The
cathedrals are lighted brilliantly and all
possible merriment INDUCED before the
morrow, when the great dinner is served.
Their chief delicacies are roast goose,
rice sweetened and favored with CHINA
mon and lusk fish heated three or four
days In wood ashes.
Holland would be another interesting
place to visit or peep into. The Dutch
housewives have been cleaning houses
and streets for many days to prepare
for the great day. In the northern part
Of the country the canals are frozen ana
merry parties spend their evenings skat-
ing, while IN the daytime they are used
by skaters in delivering packages. The
towns are decorated in festive bunting
hung about pictures of the queen. In
the store windows are representations OF
Ruprecht.
* =
The Dutch children believe that while
old St. Nick is riding over the housetops
his servant is throwing sweetmeats down
the chimneys to the children. On Christ
mas eve they all sit about the fireplace
and wait for the sweets. Before going to
bed they fill some of their clean klompen
or wooden shoes with sweet hay and car
rots that st. Nick's horse may refresh
himself on his long journey over the
housetops. The celebration is a very
sacred one with the Dutch. and while
the occasion is a happy one it does not
partake of the mirth usually associated
with Christmas.
In Germany the Christmas tree is the
wonderful attraction. Never do they
hang gifts upon it. only giided fruits and
candles. They place their gifts on small
individual tables and display them there.
The royal family makes very preten-
tious arrangement. In the large palace
dining room three tables are placed. The
finest and tallest fir trees adorn them.
They are covered with innumerable white
candles and nothing else. In the after
noon packages containing presents for
the members of the family are brought
in and placed on the table under the
trees, with slips OF paper with the name
attached.
The big table. in the center of the
room is for the children and household,
while the side tables are for the
ing, the members of the household are
given their presents. then the family
goes to a supper of carp cooked in beer
and of mohnpulen, an east Prussian
dish composed OF poppy seed, white
bread, almonds and raisins stewed in
milk. Then they all go back to the room.
where the exchange Of the family pres
ents is made. Objects never missing are
the Nuremberg ginger cakes with the
Inscription 'Weihnachten" and the year.
l. u
France makes Of Christmas a reli-
gious festival rather than a social one.
However. of late years. with the inva-
sion of the English and Americans. the
trimming of Christmas trees has become
quite as annual a solemnity as In Eng
land or the United States. The churches
are wonderful to behold. and the chatter
ing. vivacious French crowd makes its
way to midnight mass as faithfully as
the season comes around. In the south
of France the head of the family kindles
the YuIe log. or buche de Noel, which is
supposed to burn until spring. Paterfa-
milias also lights the Christmas lamp.
which represents the star of Bethlehem.
Then the entire family repairs to mass in
has been SO much the joy Of artists to
put on canvas.
To the far southland old Santa never
ventures forth. He is afraid the warm
sun win melt the icicles of his snowy
beard and that his reindeer might suffo-
cate in the unusual heat. So to the little
boys of the Italian cities he Is an I'M
known parsonage Also an intimacy with
the goodies Of our most American Christ
mas dinner is to them inexperienced
bliss. However. they have their own
way of celebrating. and. although 1t is
little different way. is is no less a pleas
urable ene A little onion seller of the
streets could show one all of the sights
peculiar to the season. The presepi in
the churches and the little shops from
which they are bought are we'll worth in
specting. Along the crowded streets the
little shops are lined with shelves. on
which they display rows of strange east
ern kings. black serving men. animals
camels, elephants ana sheep, And shep-