The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-02-07

with rs out of it's possible 30 days
May comes next, with % and an ad.
ditional Sunday not otherwise cele-
brated, thus actually tying November
in the number of days closed to bust
ness March, on the other hand, is
the longest all around business
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, it
| falls on II different dates in different
parts of the globe, and some countries
observe more than one of them. An
exhaustive study of these New Year
| celebrations would give one a pretty
fair knowledge Of the ancient history
| of the world. Curiously enough, one
| of our own states, Massachusetts, does
not make this a legal holiday. though
her citizens generally observe it.
| 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.
The early church, lacking any au-
thentic knowledge as to the date of
Christs birth. celebrated it without
uniformity in May, April and yanu-
ary. The Armenian Church still Oh
serves January 6. Why the Decem-
Der cate was finally selected is uncer-
tain Some see in it displacement
of the Roman Saturnalia; others de-
clare it a survival of the Feast of the
Winter Solstice. and still others pc nj
to its coincidence with the old Ger
man Yuletide Feast. Countries where
the old style calendar prevails sill
celebrate January l. sssGs$ s q r.
In the Puritan days Scotch Presny-
terlans and English -Conform;sts
rejected Christmas Day altogether as
"savoring of papistry." and in New
England Thanksgiving Day was de-
vised to replace 1t. 1t seems curl
! Gus thing that there are today Christ
tIan countries where 1t is not OBJ
served legally. Such are Norway.
Panama. Peru. Portugal and the
South African Union.
The last named. however. still Oh
serves the old English institution OF
Boxing Day on December 26. 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 nay
later became the day for genera CIV
ing Of Christmas gifts
Portugal Drops Traditions
The only country on earth study
of whose holidays reveals little of 'ts
political. racial or religious origin is
Portugal The first attempt to esthb-
fish republic in Portugal was made
on January 81. 1891. This is reflect
ed in its calendar of holidays. which
runs: january l. dedicated to l'ni-
| yerSal brotherhood: January III. ded-
icated to the memory of all those who
fought and died to establish the re-
public in Portugal; May j. in mem
ory of the discovery of Brazil by the
Portuguese: June 10, municipal Eoli-
day at Lisbon; June "a. municipal
holiday at OpOrto: October 5. the
date of the establishment Of the Por-
tuguese republic; December l. Flag
Day, to commemorate the independ-
ence of the country; December %.
Family Day"
These brief notations on holidays
touch only their distribution and
dates. Back of these lies a wide field
filed with quaint and curious infor-
nation relating to the manner Of eel
ebrating them