Evening star., 1932-12-25
|0LD YULE CUSTOMS
RULE IN MOUNTAINS
KinfoIk Gather in Numbers
for the Big Feast and
"OId Christmas"
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
PRESTONSBURG, KY, December
24-Those Christmas stories that
grandmother loved to tell, about the
killing Of hogs, the cooking. and the
gathering of the kinfolk for the Christ
mas feast, still are being enacted even
today in the Kentucky mountains.
In most of the towns of the Cumber-
land Mountains Christmas festivities
are much like those in any American
city, but If one can ride mule or a
tough horse up the creek beds and
tortuous trails that lead far back into
the hundreds of "coves" and "hollows"
in such counties as Magoffin, Floyd.
Knott and Leslie, one will find that
grandmother's stories are true today.
Back in these hills where the old
Anglo-Saxon stock still is to q large
extent self-dependent, old customs
cling, even though many of the people
have gone to the settlements to school
and learned the ways Of the people
they once termed "furriners."
"vittles" Prepared.
On the day before Christmas eve,
against the arrival of neighbors and
relatives, 1CRS are SlduRnCeIeO, irish
and sweet potatoes brought in by the
bushel. pumpkins sliced and preserves
brought out, all the choicest "vittles"
being prepared with hot biscuits and
hot corn pone to be cooked the day
of the Christmas feast.
On Christmas eve the youngsters
hang homespun stockings on the
smoke -blackened mantelpiece, and then
are hurried to bed
Christmas morning, after stockings
are emptied, sees the arrival of the
guests with yells of christmas gift!'
The first one to shout the words collects
some little gift from the one caught.
AS many as score may crowd into
the living room for the big meal. the
men eating first in true mountain fash
ion and the women waiting on table.
Then the women and children have
their feast. The afternoon is spent in
play or talk, and then comes Christmas
night. where even the original noun
taineers divide sharply in their cele-
bration.
The church members hold their
young folk strictly to simple games and
ban all dancing as an abomination,
though here and there an old fiddler
may perform. The elders sit quietly
and talk or tell tales to the young
children, one of the favorites being that
OF the barnyard animals which bow
down at midnight of ''old Christmas. "
January 8, in obeisance to the new
born king.
Setback" Party.
In some of the settlements one of
the favorite pastimes of the half-groWn
boys and girls is the setback" party.
Boys and girls sit at random in chairs
around the walls and move at the di-
rection of @ leader, endeavoring to shift
their positions to sit eventually beside
the right girl
Kissing games are permitted at some
of the parties, but if Jim kisses Lucy
more than once, a match is regarded
as certain.
Members Of the big church" as
those mountain people Of no regular
church affiliations often call themselves,
celebrate in another way.
Christmas for them. after the family
feast. is an occasion for dancing, and
the dances often are held each night
from Christmas eve until "old Christ
mas The date of "old Christ
mas" which in some communities
MARKS the end Of the seasons festivi-
ties. holds little or no other significance.
as December IS is the accepted date for
the Christmas observance.
Dances in which the younger people
take part are held one night in one
family home, the next night in another,
through the holidays
There's always the old fiddler who
delights to play Big -Eared Mule"
Leather Brltches, Arkansas Traveller" ="
Mississippi Sawyer" and other favor
ties. There's usually the banjo and
the guitar to add to the dance music,
while some Of the better dancers among
the young men swear they will knock
the black outa that tune with the old
hoe down
After a while the musicians swing
into the sweet. sad melodies, and it's
Meet Me in the Moonlight Darlin'"
and Barbara Allen'-which means it's
time to 90 home.