CHRISTMAS DAY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16918, 24 December 1925, Page 7

CHRISTMAS DAY.

HISTORY OP THE OLDEST FEAST,

Christmas ! ' The word stands for all that is l>ost in life, even if its inspirations and aspirations are not strictly and universally lived up to by complex and erring humanity. * For nearly two thousand years its angel-borne message has travelled down the ages. “Peace on earth, goodwill to men.’' . Cynical souls may sncoringly pick out thoso years when the all-gracious message of heaven was flatly contradicted by the horrors of war. Yet the season of tenderness and love even tempered the savagery of the war god’s wrath. Tho influence of Christmas, during tho cruel years of tho recent war horrors, was responsible for the alleviation of suffering and distress among the dependants of soldiers, and even for softer feelings towards our enemies. Without tho softening balm of Christmas, the war could have boon worse. But Christmas is such a truly beautiful time because it is essentially tho children’s season. Evoryono with a grain of softness in her heart tries to do something to help towards making at least one child happy at Christmastime.

ENGLAND’S GREAT FEAST. England, according to the beloved novelist, Charles Dickens, is the land where Christmas is the great feast. No matter how bad Charles Dickens’ characters were, they'nearly all had their hard crusts cracked at the magic word of Christmas. Tho story of Tiny Tim and Scrooge is Dickens ’ great moral Christmas lesson to all miserable old. skinflints. Alas, there are many' to-day who aro unrepentant Scrooges. Tho prettiest custom for children, the Christmas tree, although so much an English habit that it'has como to this and other lands <jf the Dominions, > is not of English origin, nor is it a very old custom of England. It was introduced by Albert, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria. Ho brought the custom from Germany, to entertain the young royalties of England, and so delighted were the English at the pretty innovation that thoy took it to their hearts and have adopted it as. their 1 own. TESTIMONY OF FAITH. Christmas is a purely Christian feast, the word being a contraction of “Mass of Christ;’’ yet, strangely enough, most of its time-honored customs are survivals of pagan and heathenish superstitions. St. Augustine, who brought Christianity to England, must have been a wise old father of the Church, for he adapted wherever practical the pagan rites to Christian symbols. Chiistinas-tiino is often referred to as Yule-tide. Yule was the time when pagan warriors ceased strife, in tho depth of winter, sat abound huge fires, and related, to tho youth and their womenfolk the stories of their prowess during the fighting season. From this comes tho custom of burning tho Yule log. Father Christmas, or Santa Claus, is also a foreigner. Tradition has not definitely placed, him. as Russian, Belgian, or French, but ho was St. Nicholas, the good saint who looked after the happiness of little boys and to whom all French and Belgian maidens prayed for their ‘dowries, for without a dowry po maid was likely to marry. St.> Nicholas, or. Santa Claus, is quite wonderful poTSon, because, as all [ jjuMOphisticated little boys and girls V'know, ho can circle tho earth and slide down chimneys, and fill millions of small stockings with goodies all in the spaqe of twenty-four hours. Eating and drinking have always played a great part in tho celebration oJf the English •Christmas. The Italians, indeed, have a proverb about it. “Ha piu di fare che i forni’di Natale in Inghilterriy”— (He has- more to do tHan.the ovens in England at ChristV mas). Early English monarchs had an exalted idea of the- importance of their feasts,; and some of them,'if they had not the money to ■ meet the exponse, did not scruplo to borrow.it. A rude plenty characterised tho table. Pork, beef, lamb, venison,' poultry, game, eels, and herrings, served in huge quantities, were washed down with hogsheads of wine. Then, as now', a superior quality of wino was sometimes reserved for the - head table. Thus wo find King John —tho year before Magna Charta was •wrung*from him —ordering “20 hogsheads of wine, costly, good, and new,’’ for his guests, and ’.‘four hogsheads of the best wine for our own drinkIDg.”

PURITANS AND MINCE PIES. Turkeys, carp, hops, and beer , Came into England all in one year. This was in 1520. The Yule cake and the Christmas pudding arc said to bo of Toutonic origin. Tho minco pie of Olden times was much richer than that Of to-day, and contained minced bedf Or veal—spoon meat, one described it, in those far-off days, for forks had hot then been invented—in addition, to plums, The.fuct that thdpaste was shaped in imitation of the manger of, the Infant Christ explains tho aversion's with which the Puritans re'«|rded the mince pie. Pui.plums tho prophots ’ sons deny,. ’-And spice broths are too hot; Treason’s in a December pie, And death within the pot. A popular feature of tho Christmas festival in olden times was the display in the churches of tho creche crib, representing the scene in the stable at Bethlehem. In the dim light of a lantern, one beheld a baby wrapt in swaddling clothes, lying on straw in the manger, his mother bending over him in loving adoration, with St. Joseph, shepherds, the three kings, and worshipping angels kneeling by. An ox and an ass completed a tableau . of striking devotional quality, and one that children of all; ages found entrancing.' Tho use of tho crib'dates back, at least, to the eighth century, for at figured in the churches and homes of tho Romans of that period. In 1224, St. Francis of Assisi presented a Bethlehem scene at Greccio with a live ox and live ass as accessaries. In Italy and Spain the crib is still the focus of the Christmas festival, on its religious side, as it is in Catholic communities throughout tho world. CHRISTMAS BOXES. In Franco, outside tho churches, . Christmas is but little noticed, for tho great secular festival there centres about lo jour de l’an, New Year s Day. Whero wo give and receive presents at Christmas, tho French exchange their gifts at tho New Year. And tho gifts which Santa Claus bostows on English and Australian childrOn are sometimes brought to German Children by the 11 Chris* Child, and , to French by “lc petit Jesus. It* ; ; possible that tho devotion of Scots to ’ ;i *ho Guid New Yenf isr, like much hesiAps In Scotland, of French origin. / in. Germany has evor

been a joyous time for children. Tho famous Christmas tree has its home there. Throughout the world to-day Christmas tends more and more to become what-the Germans long ago madq it, a jolly festival for children, in which tho old, as dispensers of happiness, may rejuvenate their hearts by playing at being young again.- The English custbm of “kissing under the mistletoe,” a survival of the folkfestivals of by-gone days, has still its adherents in some Australian homes, but even in England its indiscriminate practice is giving way. Tho spirit of Christmastido is well summed up in‘.tip phrase, “Peace on earth and goodwill towards men.” That, too, was the spirit of tho Roman saturnalia, , which, despito its licentious re veilings, was a very human and lovable festival. The laws which governed tho pagan festival aro as appropriate to Christmas as when they wore framed in the dim past, before tho Christian era began. Harken to them I '

All business, public or private, is forbidden during th 6 feast days, save such as tcn/ls to sport and solaco and delight. Lot none follow'their avocations saving cooks and bakers. All men shall bo equal, slave and free, rich and poor, one With another. Anger, resentment, threats, are contrary to law./ No discourse, shall bo either composed or delivered except it fc -witty and lusty, conducing to mirth and jollity. WHEN ALL WERE EQUAL. There were laws, too, governing the board, showing that• : the masterful Romans had a nice appreciation of what we moderns are pleased to regard as ideal Christian virtues. Every man shall take place as chance may direct; dignities and birth and wealth shall give on precedence. All shall be served with tho same wine; every man’s portion of meat shall bo alike.

When the rich man shall feast his slaves, let his friends servo with him. One sometimes wonders if in this materialistic, selfish, so-called Christian ago the poor and humble share as generously in tho festivities of Christmas as they were wont to do when tho worship of Saturn hold sway in the Roman world. Changing conditions seem somehow to have narrowed the diffusion of happiness to the circle of one’s family and friends. Happily, however, there are yet unselfish people abroad who endeavor at this time of year, individually and collectively, to bring comfoft and good cheer to tho poor and lowly in their humblo dwellings, and to the suffering and afflicted in our hospitals and charitable institutions. Arc we, gentle reader, of the number of this elect band? wmmmmmmmmmmmmmm