The Pensacola journal., December 10, 1915, Image 7

About The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985

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How Our Christmas Customs Game
a About . - Tlieir Curious Mixture r ;
of Paganism and Religion.
Copyrigtit, 1915. by The International Snydicate. .
HE origin of Christmas and by
'whom It was celebrated is to a
certain extent shrouded in mys
tery, and it Is by no means cer
tain that December the twenty-fifth is
the correct anniversary of the nativity
of Christ. This uncertainty is due to
the fact that in the early days the cele
bration of birthdays was regarded as
heathenish, but after the triumph of
Christianity the prejudice died out and
; the date of the Saviour's birth became
a matter of ecclesiastical Investigation.
it is recorded that Pope Julius had 8t.
. Cyr 1J , make strict inquiry as to the
date, when it was learned that a num.
. ber. of varying days were kept in differ
ent section. These included January
'the -sixth, which was kept as a Joint
commemoration of the Nativity and
Baptism tf the Redeemer. March
twenty -ninth, April ' twentieth ' May
twentieth and September twenty-ninth
were respectively accepted in different
places. : Pope Julius finally decided on
. December the twenty-fifth as the cor
rect date, and the first, mention of its
celebration as the birthday of Christ
occurs in a , Roman document known
as the . Philocallan Calendar, dating
from tfceyear IM-s'. It-is the opinion!
of several Church historians that this
day was set apart because it was the
date of the Winter solstice the day
on which for centuries before the
Christian Bra pagan Europe had held
its chief festival.
Some of our present day Christmas
customs are the evolution of a mixture
of the Roman Saturnalia and Druid
: rites, with a smattering of ceremonies
- " ' ' ' -rm " ' : : -
iir -7?''? v n iH5s ; . fettle
L III Is' : ZSrr 1 X 1 ,r l It'. " SVjwl- 11 i.
Hothe Men Who Are Fighting Spend
Christmas, and How for a Time the
Soldier s of the Warring Nations For
- get That They Are Enemies
" ": " " Copyright. 1913. by The International Snydicat.
TTEACB on .earth, good will to
M men," is heard all over Chrls
II tendom on Christmas morning,
U and the spirit of charity it
taauhes is not without its v influence
even among those who may seem' to
hats each other.
The Christmas of it 15 will find
Europe as it did In 19 14 an armed
jamp, the only difference between the
pays will be that millions of killed and
wovhilGd have been offered up as a
iiacriCco to the 'lust of power during
the year and yet whatever bitterness
and hatred there may be among those
'engaged in this terrible conflct, . if
there , Is any personal bitterness or
hatred, will probably be forgotten and
the day celebrated as it was last year
by the men themselves declaring a
truce and fraternising with each oth
er on the ground before the trenches.
While much has been written of life
ia the underground dens where men
bae burrowed like rats into tbe earth
to escape th guca cf the enemy and
yet be Mo to pick off this same enemy
at wl)5, these ssoounta show that there
is Utttir ILat U picturesque or romantic
Gnristniaa Otis
practiced by the ancient Germans and
Scandinavians a strange 'medley of
the Christian .and pagan which go to
make up the festivities of the modern
Christmas.
; " The Yule IiOg. f ; '
The Yule log, so famous in the Eng
lish Christmas celebration, is of Scan
dinavian origin, and r la , the modern
idea of the huge fire klndll at the
feast of Juul at the .winter solstice in
honor of their god Thor. In the days
of feudal lords of Engl&njl the cere
mony of bringing in the huge, gnarled
oak was carried out with great cere
mony. Men went into the woods and
hauled it ' in, singing carols as they
dragged it through the wood.- When
they reached the entrance to the great
ball a quartette of minstrels hailed it
with music. Early the next morning
It was lighted and If It burned well it
was, and is still, regarded as an omen
that prosperity will reign over - the
family during the -coming year. In
rural France- and among the southern
Slavs the Yule log is one uf the solemn
ceremonies; of : Christmas. In these
countries, especially among the Slavs,
the log is believed to possess the same
magical properties as it did in the
pagan daysl ' . r, '.. ..." .
Decorations With Evergreen. ...
The custom of decorating our houses
and """Churches with evergreen at
Christmas comes from the old Roman
feasts, especially the Saturnalia, when
all Roman houses were turned Into
"bowers of green" another evidence
of ther anxiety of the Church to please
their heathen converts"-by permitting
about trench warfare.
Last winter
nerve, racked men lived for days n
muddy ditches wondering how much
longer it would last this awful
slaughter of men, this terrifying com
bat, of long opposing lines of heavy
artillery and howitzers, the shrieking
ot shell, the whistling of shrapnel and
the tearing roar of guns, the. savage
efforts to take and retake trenches
with always the slaughter of brave
men. ;
Gifts For Men In The Trenches. .
When there is a lull in the fighting
trench life is even worse than when
there is firing, for the monotony of
idleness so works . upon their nerves
that every bush or tree becomes .an
Imaginary enemy, the cracking of a
twig, the Bighing of the wind or the
moan of a sleeping soldier will set
their nerves ajingle "Cheer up, boys,
Christmas will soon be here and we
will have all - sorts of good things!"
cries out one of the men as he looks
at his comrade's wan face, and the
two begin to talk of the coming fes
tival" as the ou3 bright spot in the
: 111 1 11 1 ' i
. 7Z$& ClZsvjfj&5'f 7jrBe ss
the harmless elements of the pagan
feasts to become a part of the celebra
tion of the Nativity , All sorts of trees
and shrubs were used by the Romans
but gradually It became the custom of
Christians to use only the evergreen
and to look upon It as the symbol of
eternal life. Then these plants took
on certain religious meanings until
every branch of Christmas decoration
has some significance peculiar to the
day. . The holly with Its red berries Is
the modern Burning Bush, the Holy
Mother, and the Holy Child. This
shrub is really an evolution in plant
life from the wild myrtle, the oily red
berries of which will burn like candles
a sign that the Divine Fire shall
spread over the world.
The laurel Is the emblem of St.
Joseph, and Is often called St. Joseph's
staff. The ivy is known as the Herb
of St. John a fitting touch to- all
Christmas decorations for John was
the "Disciple whom Jesus loved. The
different pines, cedars and spruce are
green throughout the year emblems
of everlasting life. '
-!:...-" " , Mistletoe. -
The mistletoe that queer parasite
plant so much used ait Christmas, was
the favorite decoration of. the Druids
at their winter solstice festival; in
fact. It was held In a sort of venera
tion by that sect. History, tells us how
It was gathered- with great ceremony
the ! white robed priests cutting" the
mistletoe from the great oaks with a
golden scythe while hundreds of peo
ple, all clad in white garments, chant
ed. The people after obtaining sprigs
of the plant from the priests hung the
branches over the entrance of their
houses as a propitiation and an offer
of shelter to the sylyandletles during
the season of frost and cold. In the
trench fighter's life
, Germans Celebrate. '
Those who are acquainted with the
German people know that wherever
a German happens to be at Christmas
he will find some way to celebrate the
festival, and the German soldier In the
trench is no exception, for he Is al
ready gathering In the pine branches
to decorate his underground quarters.'
Last year, although the weather, was
bitter, the men managed to bring
Christmas cheer into the very theatre
of war by actually setting up Christ
mas trees in the trenches and deco
rating them with bright colored bands
and ribbons triken from the cigars
and cigarettes which had been sent to
them. Every scrap of colored paper
that could be found was utilized, and
according to a letter from a German
soldier to his mother, one tree was
decorated with paper chickens made
from the colored papers that had been
wrapped around the candy "kisses"
sent from home. Boxes of German
'bps ssat & n M - v ?,&$kr&
I sU r Vp,-. , . r-wJszU ; u '-A
&S Gtsnjtt&j? C?rgr2 Fjrni Ae 3 i2. Century
early, days the mistletoe was tabooed
as a church decoration on account of ;
a- custom which sprung up that;
every young woman who came under:
the spray being kissed by a eyoung j
man who happened to catch Jier
there.' The kissing became so general
that the Church feared a return of the
customs of the Saturnalia when riot
and license . ran loose. Early In the
sixteenth century the use of mistletoe
as a Christmas decoration was revived
and soon came to be regarded em
blematic of the mystery of Christ's
birth on account of its springing into
life from a branch and being nurtured
by.no parent-stock. The custom of
hanging mistletoe over the doorway
or to the chandeliers, which often car
ries with it ' the osculatory privileges,
Is clearly a relic of paganism.
The Christmas Tree.
The most widespread and 'most de
lightful of all festal institutions is the
Christmas tree. While many coun
tries have their legends claiming for
them the honor of having given the
Christmas tree to the world, the ma
jority of authorities on the subject
are of the opinion that Germany is
responsible for this never ending joy
to the child and that it is probably a"
remnant of the splendid dancing pa
geants of theMiddle Ages. There is a
pretty legend which ascribes its origin
to Martin- Luther, an tells Ifowafter
wandering about through a pine1 for
est on Christmas eve he conceived the
idea of setting up a pine tree In his
home to . represent the Tree of , Life
and decorating it with candles as an
image of the starry heavens from
which Christ came down. The first
historical mention of the Christmas
tree is, found in the notes of a certain
Strasbnrer citizen of unknown name.
cakes cut into grotesque figures of
soldiers caused the men much merri
ment among the troops when they set
the gingerbread men up in rows and
then knocked them down with tan
dies. Finally, they made a feast of
their targets. In many places the men
managed to serve regular Christmas
dinners where, to use the expression
of a German who spoke English, "they
made pleasant with addresses and
conversation."
French And English Christmases.
", Along the lines of the Allies the
same scenes were enacted except there
were fewer Christmas trees, the Brit
ish and French contenting themselves
by hanging , branches t evergreen
about the trenches. . The Christmas
box was in evidence as well as the fur
coat, ' warm mittens, "mufflers and
sweaters. . Down in the- French
trenches there were several Christmas
vaudeville shows. It is a weir known
fact that hundreds of French players
are fighting in the ranks of the French
written in the year 1605. . "At Christ
mas." he writes, "they set up fir trees
in the parlours at Strasburg and hang
thereon roses cut out of many col-
oured paper, apples, wafers and
sweets." .
However, in an account of Christ
mas customs written0n l737 by a Ger
man student, he speaks of the candles
which illuminated ' the tree. Here
again we must go back to the pagan
days in Norway when the Yule candle
was burned for the god Thor at the
winter solstice. Later, when these
people bjegan to celebrate the Nativity
the" candles were burned as of old, but
called ; the Candles of Purification.
Quite recently there has been a re
vival of the Christmas candle custom,
andtoday it is no uncommon sight to
stje the windows of houses lighted by
them on Christmas night. The fash
ion of sending bayberry candles is in
vogue, and this year thousands of
these olive green candles will be 6ent
out as gifts. They are made from a
berry which grows on the Atlantic
Coast from Masachusetts to the Caro
linas and have a delicate odor, burn
ing without making ridges of wax
down, the ides.. A bayberry candle Is
said to protect its owner from all
hai'm If it is lighted on Christmas. As
the legfend runs,' its incense will be
wafted , through the air to friends in
distant,ilamis and thus their thoughts
will turn to the far away owner of the
Purification Candle. ".
.. -V.'il -Carols.
Amid so many popular customs at
Christmas there is none more charm
ing than that of the Christmas carols
which celebrate in Joyous yet devout
trains the Nativity . of the Saviour.
The word is derived from the Latin
cantare to sing, and rola an ex
2. yencJi&s" jvZh -
army, and wherever they could be
found ori Christmas day they were
pressed into service to do a "turn,"
and for a time the horrors of war were
forgotten in the peals of laughter
which resounded throughout the long
ditch. "We had plenty to eat and a
good time," wrote a Frenchman to his
mother. "Your cake well, I can't tell
you how ,much we enjoyed it. One of
the men from the old Moulin Rouge In
Paris is in our regiment and he gave
us a fine- show. Two or three times
he ran out of the trenches and waved
his hat at the Germans but .they did
not shoot at him in fact, they did not
bother us at alL I expect they were
celebrating Just as we were."
In the English trenches the men
were fairly overloaded with good
things, and it seemed that every fnan
had his plum pudding, muflins and
Jam, to say nothing of the new, warm
Ori6i
clamatlon of Joy. The practice ap
pears to be as old as-the celebration
of Christmas itself as Church history
shows records of how the bishops
were accustomed to - sing carols on
Christmas Day, also that In the early
days the shepherds left their flocks
and came to Rome to sing and play
on musical Instruments before the
shrines and churches. During the fif
teenth century the carol was at the
height of its popularity as just about
that time a number of beautiful
Christmas hymns were written. In Ger
many the people always went to the
balconies or tops of the churches and
chanted their carols a custom still
carried out In some of the smaller
towns of Germany. In many countries
the carol singing Is done by children
who go from house to house with a
Christmas greeting. . "
The Christmas Card.
The Christmas card is of compara
tively receht origin and seems to be
one of those new methodB of remem
bering friends without going to very
much trouble . or expense to do " so.
The Christmas card, is a legitimate
descendant of what was known about
1830 as "Christmas pieces." They
were sheets of writing paper on which
elaborate drawings were made, some
times headed by copper plate engrav
ings, and used by school boys to show
their parents the progress made In
their chirography. About 1846 a Lon
don publisher put out a number of
cards decorated with . tiny .colored
wreaths of holly with the words "A
Merry Christmas" engraved under
the decdration. Hundreds were sold
arid the Christmas card sprang into
use and has been steadily growing in
favor ever since. It is a sort of at
tenuated present.
Gifts and Feasting."
The giving of gifts originated in the
days of ancient Rome when the clti-
S 'TTNf"
4 Cfiwstmsrs' TrG- zn one
'. jt :
clothing. Hundreds of cases of milk
were sent by friends. An English
dairy made a specialty of sending milk
to the trenches for Christmas and one
might send as few as half a dozen
quart bottles, so even the poorest
woman was Vble to send her son milk
for Christmas.
Germans And English Fraternize.
At Beveral points where the trenches
of the Germans and English were not
far apart the Germans began to talk
peace and good will among themselves.
"After all," they said, "our enemies
are but fighting for the land they love
as we are, and why should we not for
get, our differences and on this birth
day of the Son of Man give greeting to
our enemies." This feeling brought
about Christmas scenes on the battle
fields of Europe which seems almost
incredible. A number of English war
correspondents witnessed the incidents
and sent reports to their respective
newspapers.
After the Germans had trimmed
their Christmas trees and set up lan
terns they came out of their trenches
bearing a flag of truce and invited the
English , to stop shooting . and come
over and celebrate Christmas. With
one accord the invitation was accepted
and a truce for the night arranged.
Then officers and men' from both sides
left their trenches and met on "No
Man's Land." where as a rule no man
dares to show so much as the top of
his head. It was decided that each
side would first bury their dead, and
while the English were engaged In
A3
sens offered gifts to each other durlnsj
the January Kalends, but when the
Feast of the Nativity was hallowed by
the Church the giving' of gifts was
changed to Christmas as the appro
priate time for sending presents, for
did not the Three Wise Men. bring:
gifts to the Child in die Manger, and
was not this Child the gift of Ood to
the human race?
Even Saint Nicholas, or Santa Cls.ua
as he Is known in this country, has
wandered away from his own feast day,
December sixth, to please the children
and help their parents to reward the
good boys and girls of the land. He
Is the patron saint of the child and is
supposed to bring sweets to the good
children and rods for the bad ones.
However, during the present age he
seems to reward them alL His part in
the Christmas festival originated la
Holland several centuries ago, when
he became a part of Christmas and it
was the Dutch emigrant who brought
him to the United States.. . The body
of the real St. Nicholas rests in the
magnificent church at Bart. Italy, and
is a famous place of pilgrimage for
children.
It was not strange that at that sea
son when everyone was filled with
good cheer and kindly feeling for oth
ers that the thoughts of those who had
plenty should turn towards the poor
and needy. So early in the days of
these Christmas festivities the custom
sprung ur of sending gifts to those in
want such gifts as would best' minister
to their necessities and happiness and
make them feel that the true Christian
spirit was abroad in the land and that
the message of love and charity which
Christ brought to mankind was not
forgotten, and as far back at the tenth
century ChriBtmas dinners were pro
vided for the poor a forerunner of
the feasts given to the unfortunate
today.
this sad duty a party of Germans
brought over the body of an English
officer who had been killed in front
of their trenches and deposited it rev
erently on the ground before some of
his regiment, after which they went
back to attend to the burial of their
own dead When , this last tribute to
comrades was completed the Germans
brought out cigars and cigarettes and
men who a few hours before had been
shooting at each other danced around
arm in arm wishing each other the
compliments of the season They even
made addresses to each other on the
subject of Christmas which were in
terpreted by a young German soldier
who had lived in the United States.
This particular regiment was com
posed of Saxons big, merry fellows
who made the English laugh at their
pranks. As the day wore on the sol
diers Joined - in a rabbit hunt, and
later there was a football match which
was won by the Germans. After
a while they exchanged hats and fin
ally as a compliment to the Germans
the English sang "Deutschland , Uber
Alles," and the Germans, not to be out
done, gave a rendition of "God Save
the King." After it was all over the
men of both sides declared that they
were agreeably surprised to find their
enemies such a decent lot of fellows.
Toward night the men got back into
the trenches, and early on the twenty
sixth the firing began again.
French And German Meet On
Common Ground.'
The French and Germans, too, ex
changed Christmas greetings, but it
was not as general as the festivities
with the English. At one place where
It is said that the trenches were only
about eighty yards apart the Germans
asked their French opponents to de
clare a truce on Christmas Ewe to bury
the dead. Tbe French accepted, and
came out of their trenches carrying
shovels. The Germans went over the
line offering cigars and cigarettes with
the compliments of the season. , At
first the French feared a surprise, but
after a French corporal had shaken
hands with a big German there were
salutes and good wishes. Then the
dead were burled and . the men re
turned to their trenches. "For a time
all was silent," wrote one of the men,
"then we began to try to kill each
other again, and the man who offered
the first box of cigars to a French
soldier fell dead beside me but, after
all, it was a bit of Christmas." ;t
- During the coming holidays it Is ex
pected that these same scenes will be
repeated, and it may be that in the
meetings a little prayer for the ending
of the carnage may be said and that
ere long the Angel of Peace may
spread her" white wings over the men
in the trenches and make the Christ
mas theme of "Peace on earth, good
will to men" a full reality to aU the)
world. S ,