The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-03-01

with 70 out OF Its possible 30 days.
May comes next, with % and an adj
ditional Sunday not otherwise cele-
brated. thus actually tying November
I'm the number of days closed TO bust
ness. March, on the other hand, is
the longest all around sbusiness
month. having only 10 holidays. Thus
at least two-thirds of every month in
terferes with the free play of inter-
national business.
Even such generally observed festi-
walls as. Christmas and New Years
Day can't be depended upon by the
banker without consulting the inter-
national calendar.
New Years Day is the only holiday
universally observed. But. alas, II
falls on IL different dates in different
parts .of,the glstA. and some. countries
observe more .tfAn one OF. them. An
exhaustive study of these New Year
celebrations would give one a pretty
fair knowledge OF the ancient history
of the AYorld. Curiously enough, one
of our own states, Massachusetts, does
not maize this a legal holiday, though
her citizens generally observe IL.
Where Christmas is Not Observed.
Christmas Day, due to its religious
significance, is not so generally OBJ
served as New Years Day. 1t has.
moreover, only three different dates.
1T was>not generally observed on De-
cember % until the fourth century.
Tie. early church. lacking any au-
tkentic knowledge as TO the date OF
Christ's birth, celebrated IL without
uniformity In May. April and Janu-
carw The Armenian Church still OBJ
serves January 6. Why the Deem
.aysss uat6 was finally selected IS uneer-
~taiAx SeNe see in. Ii a displacement
e6.tfe. Roman SaturDalia; others, de
clare II a. survival Of ths. Feast Of the
Winter Solstice. and stN otheEs Ssolet
to ITS .catncideDce with. th4 old Gee
man Yuletide Feast. CRunEes where
the old style calendaE .presails STILL
cehebrate.January Z.
!, I'm the Puritan days Scotch Presby-
aerians and English Non-Conformists
rejected christmas Day altogether as
~.savoring of papistry." and In New
sEngsand Thanksgiving Day was de-
.vised 70 replace It,. Ii seems a cugi-
Gus thing that there are today Christ
tian countries where II is not OBJ
served legally. Such are Norway.
Panama. Peru. Portugal and the
South African Union.
The last named. however, still OBJ
serves the old English institution OF
Boxing Day on December %. This
was the day when the English gentry,
having had their own Christmas cele~
bration the day before, turned their
attention TO the poor by presenting
them with Christmas boxes. The day
later became the day for general CIV
ing OF Christmas gifts.
Portugal Drops Traditions.
The only country on earth a study
OF whose holidays reveals little OF its
political. racial or religious origin 10
Portugal. The first attempt to estab-
fish a republic In Portugal was made
on January 81, 1891. This is reflect
ed in Its calendar OF holidays. which
runs: January 1. dedicated 10 uni
versal DrotnernoOd; nua Oh, ueo-
icated 10 the memory OF all those who
fought and died 10 establish the re-
public In Portugal: May 3. In men,
DRY OF the discovery OF Brazil by the
Portuguese; June 70. municipal hsli-
day ut Lisbon; June "a. municipal
holiday at 0porto: October 5. the
date OF the establishment OF the Por-
tuguese republic. December 1. Flag
Day, to. commemorate the independ-
ence OF the country: December -.
Family Day"
These brief notations on holidays
touch only their distribution end
dates. Back OF these lies a wide
filled with quaint and curious In
nation relating to the manner Of
ebrating them
~ !;