MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF CHRISTMASTIDE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XV, Issue XXV, 21 December 1895, Page 769

MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF CHRISTMASTIDE.

1.0! now is come our ioyful’st feast. Let every man be jolly. Each room with ivy leaves is drest. And every post with holly. Now all our neighbours’ chimneys smoke. And Christmas blocks are burning: Their ovens they with bak't meats choke. And all their spits are turning. The celebrationof Christmas, considered by the Puritans popish and idolatrous, has for many centuries been so universal, that it may prove of interest to contrast the rites, ceremonies, and quaint beliefs of foreign lands with those of matter-ot-fact America. Many curious customs have become completely obsolete and live only in tradition, but it is surprising to find what singular superstitions still exist, among credulous classes, even in the light of the nineteenth century. In the south-western part of England, the peasantry assert that oxen kneel in prayer in their stalls, at midnight, on the anniversary of the Nativity ; while in other localities bees are said to sing in their hives at the same hour and subterranean bells to ring a merry peal. According to legends of ancient Britain cocks crow lustily all night on December 24th to scare away witches and evil spirits, and in Bavaria some of the countrymen make frequent and apparently aimless trips in their sledges to cause the hemp to grow thick and tall. In many localities there exists the beautiful sentiment that the gates of Heaven stand wide open on Christmas Eve, and that he whose soul takes flight during its hallowed hours arrives straightway at the throne of grace. A very pretty custom in Norway is that of fastening a sheaf of wheat to a long pole on the house top for the wild birds to feast on in the early morning ; and in Holland the young men of the town bear a large silver star through the snowy streets collecting alms from the bystanders for the helpless or aged sick. Pines or firs being unattainable in the tropical islands of the Pacific, the inhabitants sometimes cut down a fruit tree, such as the orange or guava, or actually manufacture a tree from wood, covering the bare, stiff boughs with clinging vines of evergreen. In the Holy Land at this season the place of greatest interest is naturally the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem, erected on the supposed location where Christ was born. It is said to be the oldest Christian church in existence, having been built more than fifteen centuries ago by the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine. Repairs were made later by Edward IV. of England ; but it is now again fast falling into decay. The roof was originally composed of cedar of Lebanon and the walls were studded with precious jewels, while numerous lamps of silver and gold were suspended from the rafters. The Greeks, Latins, and Armenians now claim joint possession of the structure, and jealously guard its sacred precincts. Immediately beneath the nave of the cathedral is a commodious marble chamber, constructed over the spot where the far-famed stable was said to have stood, and reached by a flight of stone steps worn smooth by the tread and kisses of multitudes of worshippers. The manger is represented by a marble slab a couple of feet in height, decorated with tinsel and blue satin, and marked at the head with a chiseled star, bearing above it the inscription in Latin, ‘Here was Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.’ At the foot are several altars, on which incense is ever kept burning, and from which mass is conducted, while a score of hanging lamps shed a fitful light over the apartment.

Many theories have been advanced as to the explanation of the mysterious ‘ star in the east ' which guided the wondering shepherds, but it is now thought to have been Venus at the height of its splendour. Candles were first used to demonstrate the power of Christianity over the darkness of paganism and were sometimes arranged in triangular form to symbolize the Trinity. Christmas carols are commemorative of the angels’ song to the shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem and are seldom heard in America, save by the surpliced choirs of Episcopal churches. The English ‘ waits,’or serenaders, who sang under the squire’s windows in hopes of receiving a ‘ Christmas box,’ unconsciously add a touch of romance and picturesqueness to the associations of the season. For upon the frosty evening air arose such strains as — Awake! Riad heart! arise and sing! It is the birthday of thy King. Or— God rest you, merry gentlemen ! Let nothing you dismay. For Jesus Chri-t, our Saviour, Was born upon this day. Most of the old-time favourites are too well-known for repetition. The mere mention of their names recalls the scent of evergreens, the pealing of the organ, the tinkle of sleigh bells and the music of the Christmas chiuies. ‘Hark! the Herald Angels Sing!’ ‘While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night,’ ‘Gloria in Excelsis,’ and many others embody the very spirit of the season, and will live till time shall cease to be. Sing the aomr of great joy that the angels begun. Sing of glory to God and of good will to man ! While joining in chorus. The heavens oend o’er us, The dark night is ending and dawn has begun.

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