Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-25
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

banks OF the Colorado River. some 200
miles from thu county seat. The val
ley is reported to contain hundreds
of thousands OF fertile acres merely
awaiting the application OF water to
make them produce.
Q. What produces the gloss on mo
hair?-R. A.
A. The gloss on some rnohair is
sometimes due to the process of man
ufacture. AS goats grow older the
hair becomes coarser and gradually
loses it's luster. The best grades Of
rnohair are obtained from kids. young
wethers and does.
brated?-J. A.
A. 1t is not definitely known when
Christmas was first celebrated. The
institution Of the festival is attributed
to Telesphorus, who f1ourished in the
reign OF Antininus Plus G31-16l ADJ.
This, however, is not historical. 1t
has often been objected that December
Is cannot be the true date Of the
birth OF Christ. for it is then the rainy
season in Palestine and shepherds
would scarcely have been watching
their sheep by night in the fields. The
reason for the final choice of Deem
Der 25 cannot now be determined. A
widespread feast Of the Great Mother
may have influenced the decision, also
the desire to place d Christian feast
in opposition to the Roman feast OF
SOL invectus" at the Winter solstice.
At the Winter solstice the Germans
held their great Yule feast in com
memoration of the return of the fiery
sun, and many of the beliefs and
usages of the old Germans and RU-
mans relating to this matter passed
from heathenism to Christianity and
have survived to the present day. As
Christianity spread, the feast OF the
Winter solstice. the time when the
day begins to increase and light to
triumph over darkness, was changed
into the Feast of Christ, the Light OF
Life.
Q. How do we get the name Santa
Claus?-N. 0.
Myra, Asia Minor, about 800 AID, is
the patron saint Of sailors, thieves and
children. His name has been cor
rupted to Santa Claus. the bearer OF
gifts to Children on Christmas eve.
@. What time is meant by Christ
mas eve?-B. Z. P.
evening of December "a. The word
eve" in general means the evening
before. from the Jewish mode of reCk-
oning the day as beginning at sunset,
Q. What does Kris kringle mean:
M. L. W.
A Originally it meant Christ Child.
1t is from the German dininutivc
form Christkindel. It is commonly
used now as Santa Claus.
O. Who originated Santa Claus
A. The American Santa Claus
is a corruption of the Dutch San
Nicholas. G. H. McHughes says:
Santa Claus. the name derived from
Saint Nicholas thro' the familiar use
of children in Teutonic countries.
crossed to America. The direct route
followed by him is somewhat open
10 question. On the way he traded
his gray horse for reindeer and
made changes in his appearance"
@. Is it true that a Christmas
dance is performed in a church in
Spain?-J. H. x.
A One beautiful feature of the
Mesa de Gallo" in the great Cathe-
dral Of Seville is a strange mystical
dance or Interviewing Of steps by
the choir boys, who thus dance be-,
fore the high altar. This reverent
dance, which is given but twice q
year, is marked by the chanting OF
the choir boys, who carry tall light
ed candles as they cross and recross
up and down the wide choir steps. one
of the occa sions is the celebration
of midnight mass on Christmas eve.
G. How much money is spent year
ly for Christmas trees?-H. X.
A. 1t is estimated that about 81
100000 is spent annually for ever
green trees at Christmas time.
(Only q feU of the questions handled
By The Star Information Bureau arc
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inquirers. Whenever question OF
general interest is used in the paper
the identity of the inquirer is not re-
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The Star Information Bureau, Fred
eric J. Hdskin, director, Washing
ton ID. O.