TRADITIONS OF CHRISTMAS

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVI, Issue 23083, 23 December 1944, Page 4

TRADITIONS OF CHRISTMAS

Survivals From Long Ago WRITTEN FOR “THE TIMARU HERALD” By BARBARA HARPER In the life of man, traditions are like bridges, to be crossed and recrossed, sometimes we know not why. But there they stand, emblems of the past, memorials to those who built them, now often forgotten. Sometimes they have been built of such material that they do not survive the passing and changing of time; they collapse, into oblivion. But many remain. Christmas comes, the feast day of the Birth of Christ, upon Whose teachings and way of life so much of our civilisation has been based; our civilisation, which continued to arise and crumble, arise and crumble, in its knowledge, ignorance and searching. No festival is shrouded in such mysteries, legends and traditions as Christmas. First, from the very essence of its meaning, it is a time of giving—giving tokens to those we love, giving thought to the future. “Last Christmas—.” “Next Christmas?” A bridge we cross so happily, singing, feasting and giving. In early Roman times the priests placed boxes in the churches. In them the parishioners placed their offerings of money for the poor. Our Christmas gifts came to be called Christmas boxes. On the following day the boxes were opened, and it consequently was called Boxing Day. In all European countries the legend of Father Christmas or Santa Claus climbing down chimneys to bling gifts to little children exists, but little seems to be known of its derivation. Carolling, which primarily meant dancing and singing, was handed on from pagan ritual to the Christian Church]. During the Middle Ages dancing and secular singing were practically abandoned in the churches. But still, in the Cathedral of Seville, the choristers perform a castinet dance round the lectern thrice a year. Many of the peoples of Europe have collections of ancient carols, mostly associated tfith the Babe of Bethlehem. Nearly as ancient is the custom of singing carols as an excuse for asking alms. With some, this custom still exists. ...

There are lines of Virgil’s which give proof of the Christmas tree, as we call it now, being used by the Romans when they celebrated their saturnalia. During the reign of Queen Victoria it was introduced into England from Germany. And . mistletoe, so often adorning Christmas cards and the thresholds of homes, was the sacred plant of the Druids. During our hundred years of existence in New Zealand, we have not sought to create a summer Christmas, but still abide by our forefathers’ customs—roast turkey and Christmas pudding on the hottest summer’s day.