The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-12-24
YuIetide Festivities III
Other Lands

In England, Christmas celebrations OF
three or four hundred years ago charm us
with their quaint and simple jollity. The
English always remembered everyone from
their neighbors down to their servants
In the country, an English gentleman al
ways invited his neighbors and tenants
to his great hall at daybreak on Christmas
morning. There they were regaled unon
toast, sugar, nutmeg and good old Ches-
hire cheese" The house was decked with
ivy and other greens.
Under. the title2Ofs Christmas box. -
the general English custom. which still
prevails to some extent, a small gift of
money was given to postmen and other
deHVery men the day after Christmas,
which was called Boxing Day
In ll00 Henry / granted charter to
London making it city and the Christ
mas celebration, it is recorded consisted
OF feast for rich and poor. The people
gathered IN the streets around blazing
Donhres singing and dancing, after feast
ing upon oxen, deer, ale and mead. The
! WasSaH bowl, spoken of so often in many
| books describing England at the time of
| the cfuSddeS, was another evidence of the
| eVer-ready hospitality that the English Of
tered to all corners.
In Russia on Christmas Eve everyone
| dresses-or at least they used to, it is
| hard to say anything definite about Boil
| SSheylst Russia-for a gay masquerade.
| Each one was supposed to represent some
animal, the idea Icing to commemorate
| the fact that Christ was born in a stable
among the humblest of the animals.
Peasants among the Bulgarians, Ger
mans and others have a legend that ami
mails are conscious on Christmas Eve.
| Some people believe that lat midnight
the sheep awake and march in a process
| sion, that the cattle kneel in their stalls
| while by holy miracle all the beasts are
| able to converse together. But it is a
mortal SIN for a man to attempt to over
| hear them; sin punishable with sudden
death"
Holland has many festivities. promi-
| nent among them, skating or ice carni-
val. In Switzerland the ski and toboggan
| hold sway
An interesting practice takes place in
Serbia on Christmas Eve The younger
men and boys of the family early in the
morning go to the forest. After crossing
| themselves three times as is the custom
| of the Greek church. or saying a prayer.
they select a tree, then known as the
| Badnyi. They greet it. Happy Badnyi
| to you" Then one throws handful of
wheat which has been brought for the
purpose on it, another chops it down
| very carefully as the tree must fall toward
| the east Just as the sun god rises. 1t is
| first chip that falls is brought home as
| particularly precious.
Then the logs are taken home, one
to each side of the door The mother
breaks on the longer log small wheat
cake of unleavened flour, called pogaCha.
The day passes in preparation for the
feast the following day. At sunset one of
the men. fitted out with new wooden
gloves, brings in the log. As he passes
the threshold the mother throws at him
a handful of wheat from a bowl in which
also the chin has been kept all day.
Then the log is lighted and immediately
the Young folks run out and celebrate
noislly by firing off guns and pistols 1t
is important to keep the log burning all
night
There are no holidays in Scandinavia
to which both young and old look forward
with SO much pleasure as the days Of
Yule. These DAYS, in We olden times, were
also celebrated by the followers Of Thor
and Odin.
Christmas and the days following are
legal holidays in the city and there IS
much merrymaking, but it is not to be
compared to what one witnesses in the
country In many districts of Sweden
and Norway, among the peasants and
farmers. these continue for thirteen days
and are called the ''tretten Yulc days"
thirteen days of Yule.)
The dav before Christmas, in the after
noon. everything is ready for the big
feast. The house has been thoroughly
cleaned and leaves of iuniper and fir are
strewn on the floor. When the work is
finished the family generally go into the
hakehouse. which has been made warm.
and each member takes a thorough wash
from bead to foot, or a bath in large
tub This is the only bath many take
during the whole year.
In some places old-fashioned wavs still
exist. Young men often paint or blacken
their faces put queer crowns on their
heads or hats. wear large stars on their
breasts, and generally carry long wooden
swords One man is furnished with a.
large pouch, and the men then visit each