Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-22

Perhaps no feature of the community
Christmas tree festivities which are
planned by the War Camp Community
and welfare organizations, and which
Will last an entire week, will appeal
more to the children of the District than
the ceremonies scheduled for the even
ing OF Christmas day at 7:30 O'Clock. At
that time there will be given by various
groups representation of old English
Yuletide customs that is expected to be
strikingly accurate and picturesque.
Special efforts are being made to have
big turnout OF Washington's school
children of all ages ard, in fact. OF all
| the city's young people on this occasion,
when they will have chance 10 see
how their ancestors observed the feast
in merry England and how greatly
changed are some and again how little
changed are others of the rites and Gus
toms that are universal now.
The citizens of medieval England did
not have n good time any too often.
but. to quote from the words of that de
Flightful poem, christmas in Ye Olden
Time" which is familiar TO 50 many
boys and girls:
England was Merry England when
Old Christmas brought his sports again.
Passing of "Wassail Bowl
One of the principal features OF an
old English Christmas was the pass
ing of the "waSsail bowl" A group
of dancers and merrymakers gathered
around the sixty-foot Christmas tree
provided for by The Star and installed
on the Capitol plaza, will go through
this ceremony Christmas night, and
it won't be any empty bowl. either.
that they will place to their lips. The
big receptacle used will contain a
Knowlton, one of the participants.
the wife of Capt. G. W. Knowlton.
L. S. A. The punch in this case Will
have to meet with the approval of
Senator Sheppard. William Jennings
Bryan ct al, but it will be both
punch had in it a good deal of the
stuff which inebriates as well as
cheers; it's basis was old ale favored
with sugar. nutmeg, spices and
roasted apples. In the modern YER
sion apple juice will have to be sub
stituted for the ale. but the apples,
etc. will all be there and the whole
''wassail'' comes from the Anglo
Saxon "Was-hael." or. freely trans
lated, Here's to your health and
tween friends. The big two-handled
flagon or bowl, decked with ribbons
and sprigs of rosemary, was an in
variable feature of English Christ
masses and sometimes of other feasts.
among the company, and our modern
loving-cup ceremony is its direct de-
Scendant.
po,-,- 1,ad proypinept FEATURE
Another scene will show the bring
ing in of the boar's head. always
prominent ceremony in the middle
variably the first dish of the Christ
mas feast, and was carried by the
master cook of the castle or manor
house, accompanied by musicians.
pages and men-at-arms; The head was
garnished and garlanded with rose
mary and laurel. and in the mouth
was always a lemon. This custom
really goes back to before the Chris
tian era and comes from the Druids,
about whom nearly all school children
know. The boar was the animal en-
blematic of Freya, goddess of peace
and plenty, and the lemon placed in
the mouth was a Morse symbol OF
plenty. Queen Victoria for fifty years
always had the boar's head included
in the Christmas menu for Windsor
The familiar Christmas waits" will
sing around the big tree the night of
the 25th. In old French. the language
used by the Normans in England for a
man or guard These medieval watch
men had to call out the hours and the
weather, and after midnight on Christ
mas eve they would vary the program
by singing appropriate Christmas
songs and playing on various inStru-
Ne
or early morning singing was taken
up by bands Of men and boys, who
sang carols, hoping to be remembered
with coins or with food and drink.
Then there were the morris dan
GERS" who helped make things merry
at the old English Christmas time, and
the ancient, peculiar and significant
evolutions that these young people
performed will also be shown around
the big plaza tree, together with other
venerable English dances and Gus
toms. A special box has been built
for the members of the British en-
bassy for this performance. In case
of Indictment weather the program will
be postponed until the 26th, or. If
necessary. the 9th, those two even
ings having been left vacant for such
an emergency.
Sir Walter Scott's Poem.
Here is some more of the poem,
christmas in Ye Olden Time written
by that delightful author and student
of antiquities. Sir Walter Scott:
On Christmas eve the bells were rung,
On Christmas eve the mass sung;
That only night in all the year
Saw the steled priest the chalice rear.
The damsel dolned her kirtle sheen;
The hall was dressed with holly ereea.
Forth TO the wood did merry men go
To Gath.r in the mijt,S.S-.