Evening star., 1924-12-21
YULE SPIRIT FILLS
DIPLOMATIC HOMES
Children in Embassies and
Legations to Celebrate Day
With Native Customs.

Ambassadors and Ministers and other
representatives, of foreign governments
IN Washington. together with every
other household head IN the District OF
Columbia, are making preparations to
surrender their comma anding positions
the night of December "a and the fol-
lowing morning TO Santa Claus and the
many children from all lands under the
sun.
New converts to the religion of Santa
Claus have been made since hts last
visit The Greek Church. represented In
at least six OF the leading legations
here, has officially adopted the Grego-
rian calendar, which means that Christ
mas for the little foreigners Will be De-
cember Is and not January s. Likewise
the Latins have taken over the day in
its Eng ish and Teutonic conception,
whereas through the centuries the
birthday of the Savior was deemed a
day of prayer and of spiritual gifts
alone. Even the little children in nom
Christian households VIII not be over
looked by Old Man Santa
Polish Legation Rites.
National traditions are as a rule OBJ
served in the various embassies and
legations (but to the children It all
leads to one thng). and nowhere are
these SO marked and beautiful as In the
Polish legation, where Minister and
Nine. WrobleWska have three young
sters all deeply imbued with the Christ
mas spirit. Young Frederick. aged IL,
is master of ceremonies. and when the
first star appears In the dusk of the
short December day he solemnly lights
a taper, and the entire household, in
Guiding the Minister and Nine. Wro-
hiewska. the members OF the staff and
all the employees of both mansion and
legation who are gathered in the dining
room, chant the fine old hymn, Come,
all ye faithful, let US hasten TO adore
Him." and pay homage at the holy crib
erected in the outer hall. After this it
Is a case of ''let JOY be unconf1ned.' and
there is banquet at which all the DELI
cacies of Poland are served and there
is a general exchange OF gifts. The
small boy Adam, who Is 4, and his sister
Mary. who is Z. with their big brother,
distribute the gifts and have the most
wonderful time themselves.
Dinner TO staff.
At the British embassy, the feast
will be Il stately affair since there are
no children in the home and the eve will
be the scene OF the Ambassadors din
ner to his staff. But in the Chiffon
residence, there will he a great cele-
bration for Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
O'Brien, the grandparents Of the lit
tie Chiltons, are there and nothing
Will be spared TO make the occasion
notable. Mrs. Chiffon, being an
American, mingles the customs of the
Old and New World in the Christmas
celebration, but at the home of the
military attaChe and Mrs. Graham
Charlton, the feast is observed after
the most ancient British traditions.
. Col and Mrs. Charlton have been on
the Pacific Coast, the former making
some special studies and they have
fastened eastward In order to meet
their 11-year- ld-son, Wingate, who
crosses the Atlantic in order to pass
the holidays with his parents and lit
tie sister Moira- This dainty little
lady, Just six, and one OF the most at
tractive youngsters IN the foreign set,
has been with Mrs. Brooks during the
absence of her parents in the West, but
she will be safely at their home in JEFF
ferson place when Col. and Mrs. Charl-
ton come from New York with Wingate.
This sturdy boy is at Eton.
Lithuanian Yule Rites.
There are two children in the lega-
tion of Lithuania on Sixteenth street
adjoining the Spanish embassy,
where the Minister and Nine. Bizaus
Kiene preside, and their Christmas
will be most colorfui and after the
ways of the those ancient people on
the Baltic Sea. This republic is
among the last countries OF Eastern
Europe to be converted 10 Christian
ity, so there is hint of the old pagan
ways In some OF their observances
Though giving allegiance to the
Roman pontiff, the Lithuanian rite
Is entirely distinct and the legation
since it's establishment in 1921 has
maintained it's own chaplain, Lithu-
anian priest who is studying at the
Catholic University. But the little
folks are not interested In this phase
of the celebr alton, but in the long
day of wonders which begins at dawn
on Christmas eve. Gifts are found In
unexpected places by the youngsters,
Droma who is four and Aida who is
two, and there are sweets and. toys
and mechanical contrivances coming
to light during the entire day. The
supper to the staff ends the merri-
ment and at midnight there is mass,
which all the household. even the
tired little girls attend. On the day
itself, these small Lithuanians have
q crowded calendar and will see
many visitors and make many calls.
4 Christmas tree is not among their
treasures IN this section Of the world,
but festoone of greens, brilliantly
lighted, make amends for this.
suu Believe In Santa.
Two small Italians who are pass
ing their second year In Washington
are Maria Angelica and Lodovico.
children of the Italian air attache
and Donna Emmie Calderara. They
have become familiar with American
customs and have taken Santa Claus
60 hoi Isl
asm, and, though Maria is almost 10
and informed of the true state of
affairs about this marvellous bene-
factor, she delights In sustaining the
faith of her small brother and In aid
ing her parents and grandmother, the
Countess GAMBIA Ghiselli, who is a
member of the family. In making
ready for merry feast. The military
attache and the Marquise de Ber-
nezzo have a pretty little daughter,
Augusta, who is familiar figure In
Christmas parties for the Juveniles.
The Teutonic nations are we'll rep
resented in the Juvenile world, the
children of the charge d'affaires and
Nine. Edgar Prochnik being the
youngest, though the two conselors
OF the German embassy, DR.. Karl Won
Levinski and Herr Dickhon, have
young folks in their homes. Valerie
Stirling, Edgar L. G. Prochnik, jr.,
and little Patricia make the Austrian
home very lively all through the hol-
iday season. Nine. Prochnik, who is
O. native of Minnesota and a grand
daughter OF Massachusetts,, combines
the customs of old Vienna with the
best Puritan traditions in her Christ
mas celebration, and the home is the
scene of many little parties during
the octave OF Christmas and. New
Year. The small Dickhoffs have an