Christmas Greetings

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21974, 24 December 1936, Page 4 (Supplement)

Christmas Greetings

will bless them all through the year.

Here in the Southern Hemisphere the holly-decked Christmas pudding burning in its brandy, the roaring log fires and the other old accompaniments of Christmas do not mean lust what they mean in; the cold countries of the northern hemisphere. In the south we have kept up some c>f the old customs and find them amusing; but it is much more natural for us to leave our houses

and go picnicking to beach or river unless this day is strangely out-of-season wet and cold. Ice-creams and fruit salads are much more dear to us than plum pudding and mince pies Ice skating and snow-balling are impossible here; but so are sandcastle building and sun-bathing to girls and boys in England. Christmas Day festivities go back in time much further than we are apt to think; the period we measure as the Christmas era is about 19 and a half centuries. But for <to centuries at this time of year the peoples of Europe have made merry and have kept days of thanksgiving and festivity. For it is at this time that the drear, dark winter nights give place to the lengthening spring and summer days; the world begins to live again, and in all northern countries the people feel suddenly more cheerful. '

In ancient times, before the laws of the seasons were understood at all. men believed that they must pray for the turning of the year and give thanks for it as for a miracle when it came. So at the time we now know as Christmas time, all men and women of the north in preChristian times, each year gave thanks and made great merriment over the lengthening light and the rebirth of hope. When Christian knowledge came the knowledge of a life given for human happiness, the rejoicing was greater than ever. Bonfires were necessary for warmth still but now they seemed to throw

out the glow of the Christian belief, the customs of paganism took on a new importance; the festival of the turning of the year became the joyous merry festival of Christmas. Out in the fir woods in Norway and Sweden and all round the coast of the Baltic, the woodsmen brougnt in the fir tree to deck with cheerful Christmas gifts; in all the northern countries lanterns were hung to

brighten the light of the mid-year, and everywhere huge fires were kept going to brighten the houses and to keep the people warm m the bitter cold weather. On the big estates it was the duty of the servants to keep the fires going day and night all through the mon.h of December; and so the custom grew which came to be known as teenL the Yule log"-that is, burning thl Yule log. As the Christmas season drew near the servants would go into the forests to hunt for the best Yule log to be found; the one who

brought back the biggest and knottiest log was the most fortunate and the most envied by all the others. His log was placed upon the great fire and was kindled from a piece of the last year's log. This was a very important part of the custom—to keep a small piece of the Yuie log each year to kindle the log in the next Christmas time. _ In the weeks before Christmas in the north the time is taken up in the houses with making rich puddings and cakes; the meals on Christmas Day are hot and «"mg, the games are vigorous and possible to play only in cold weather; the clothes that are worn are thick and bulky with much fur, velvet and other warm materials; waterproof coats and hats and great high boots are necessary for those who must go

out of doors. The roads are heavy with snow; people who go to Parties may be seen stamping up and down, jumping and shaking themselves on the doorsteps of the houses to which they are invited. And inside they join with everyone in singing Heap on more wood—the wind is chill; , . x ... But let it whistle as it will, We'll keep our Christmas merry still. And here in the south, instead of singing "Heap on More Wood" we all cry, "Oh, for some shade!" and go as quickly as possible to cool rivers for bathing, or, if we are already tanned and fit, to the beaches for salt spray and broiling sun and sand.' It does not make any difference: in the north they make merry with hot I things to eat and strenuous game's to play, in the south we maka merry with cool things to eat and lazy games to play. But everywhere the wish is the same: "A Merry Christmas." An Old German Custom . Christmas in old Germany used to be a family affair. On Christmas Day the mother in every family called her daughters to her, one by one, and the father called his sons to him, and spoke to each one of his or her worst faults and most praiseworthy virtues. The children made promises to their parents to put right their faults and improve their virtues as far as they could. Plum-Porridge The man in the moon came Tumbling down, And asked his way to Norwich; He went to the south, and Burnt his mouth With supping cold plumporridge.

The nursery rhyme says that the man in the moon burned his mouth by eating cold plum-porridge. Plain nonsense, of course. But what was this plum-porridge he ate? No, that is not part of the joke. It was a proper kind of food that the English people and others ate in the old days; indeed, it may be that some of them still eat the concoction round about Christmas time. As far as we can discover it was a soup with plums, raisins, currants, orange and lemon peel, and other dried fruits and perhaps some nuts mixed into it. Guests at Christmas dinner ate this before they began on the goose, the turkey or the duck. .In old books it may be found described as "rich and luscious." It certainly sounds a queer kind of soup, or a queer kiod of porridge to us.