The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-12-24
1UR COMPOSITE CHRISTMAS
UsToMs. HABITS. supersti-

" USTOMS, HABITS, SuperSt1- N tions, rites, once they become popular. frequently. by new combina- tons and associations, live on long after the people and the nation where they originated have been for gotten. In this way some of our most familiar and cherished customs have come to us.
 Long before the Christian era, at the time of the Winter Solstice, when the days became shortest, there was ] great festival, called the Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, one of the gods of ancient Italy. At this time the in- hab.tants of Rome ornamented their dwellingcs and temples with greer boughs. This custom, coming down through the centuries persists today tn the green decorations of the Christ. mas tide, for Christmas, like other old holidays and celebrations is a strange 0kRtHrs of ancient observances deriv- Sd from many sources
 Old too as the Saturnalia is the custom of exchanging gifts, all classes of the Romans being particular to observe it, their commonest gifts be- ing wax tapers and small clay dolls It is to ancient Germany, however, that we are indebted for the Christ mas tree which is now such an inn Dogtant feature in the American cele- bration of Christmas.
 Most of our Christmas customs are echoes of the medieval Christmas of England where the celebration began on Christmas Eve and continued for nearly two weeks ending on the "Twelfth Day." It was an uninter- rupted round of feasting and joll3ty with class distinctions in a great measure set aside and when:
 "A Christmas gambol oft would cheer The poor mans heart through half
 the year.
 In ancient England, also, the time of the Winter Sclstice was the oc- casion of a great celebration by the Druids in honor of their goc Tutanes which has been identified with the Phonecian god BaaL Driving a pair of bulls into the forest until they came to an oak tree covered with mistletoe, the Druid priests would cut and let fall the mistletoe until the bulls were covered after which they were sacrificed. It is even thought that sometimes humans took the place of the bulls. Following the sacrifice the mistletoe was cut into sprays and distributed among the people who hung them over the en- trance of their dwellings to propi- tiate the sylvan deities. So came the mistletoe to be part of Christmas.
 So too the Yu1e log is a survival of an ancient religious custom, coming from Scandinavia, where, in times long gone past, the people at the same season of the year built huge bonfires at the feast of Juul in honor of their god Thor. The huge Iog dragged from the forest by many hands, commanding much respect, was lighted from a cnarred piece say ed from the one of the previous year and was extinguished in time to pro- vide a portion to light the one of the succeeding season.
 From the same medieval period of England comes the use of the great candles, the games and the num- mers, and the carol singing. Chris tianity finding these customs and ob- servances interw oven with one an- other. with a hold on the affection of the people which it could not over come. as a matter of exped:ency graft ed the rites of the Christian religion onto the old heather ceremonies, and from the result grew the English Christmas out of which has grown our own.
 Tom as we greet our friends with tic medieval English wish for "A "Merry Christmas; as we hang the greens, exchange the gifts, and pile the logs in the fireplace, it will be Interesting to recall from how many people we have received the rites and to think back over the great lapse of centuries in which at this time of the year for some reason or other they Have been observed.