A CHRISTMAS CUSTOM

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21355, 24 December 1934, Page 8 (Supplement)

A CHRISTMAS CUSTOM

The Yule Log When we examine the old Christina? customs we find that by far the greater number of them were more fitting for the cold northern countries than for the warmer south, in which it is our privilege to live. Even in Rome the weather at the time of year when the festival occurred the nights were long and black and the days cold and sleet filled. The summer of the southern hemisphere is the winter of the northern hemisphere and we must remember that when we think in terms of surf-bathing and eating' of icecreams on Christmas Day, tin; people of Europe are warmly clad and closely muffled if they stir outside for skating, ski-ing, or other winter sports. So in old pagan times the fires were kept burning while the year changed and turned from dark winter slowly towards the new spring and the warm summer. It was the duty of the servants to keep the fires going for the lord of their estate; so the custom grew of setting alight the largest, thickest, most knotty stump or log that could be found. Those servants who found the largest for their master were the most fortunate, for it was usual for them to be given free drinks as long as the log kept burning. The longer the log 'burned (or "teened," as they say in the north) the longer the servants had ale to drink. It was the custom, in the old days, and still is in many parts of England and throughout Scotland, to save the brand from the last year's log to light the new one. This brand is very carefully guarded alt through the year and the business of Yule log burning is a very important rite. In Lithuania Christmas Eve is referred to as Log-evening and in some of the northern lands the burning of this Yule Jog (or Yuul Clog) is talked of as much as our celebrated hang-ing-up of stockings. Heap on more wood—the wind is chill; But let it whistle as it will, We'll keep our Christmas merry still.