Clinton News-Record, 1974-12-24, Page 18ZAMPOGNA AND CENNAMELLA are played by Italians dressed a$ shepherds in front of
the Christmas manger at the Piazza Nrivona in Rome. Similar to a bagpipe, and made
of sheepskin, the zampogna was used in the 11 ay, of ancient Romans, The cenna-
meLa is a small flute. In a custom now fast - disappearing, bagpipers from mountains
of the Abruzzi and Latium come to Rome to play traditional nines at the start of
the Christmas season celebration, usually on November 29. the day eommencing
the Novena of the Immaculate Conception. Photo courtesy Italian State Tourist Office.
Yule Greetings Derived from European Languages
The word "Christmas" means the celebration of Christ,
short for Christ's birthday.
"Noel" similarly is a shorthand word, coming to English
through French from the Latin "Natalis," short for "nata-
lis dies" or natal day. With a capital letter "Natalis" refers
to Jesus' natal day.
The Italian "Natale" and Spanish "Navidad" (or Nati-
vidad) follow the same pattern. But "Weinachten," the
German word for Christmas, means Holy Night or Blessed
Night and refers to the Nativity only by implication,
"Yule" is an Old English or Anglo-Saxon word for
Christmas, and there are similar words with similar
meanings in German and the Scandinavian languages.
Originally it probably referred to a pagan winter festival
and became associated with the Nativity with the onset
of the Christian era.
• , ;
"4"MVIZMMMMMTIZSTEtirAMCaMMIACKAWZIMMZMIDaMMZKIViat424MMIMA,4MMMe.t5Z sic ••.11fA
LEONE & JACK
RIDDELL
& FAMILY
merry Christmas
Our wish is that this season
be filled with inner peace for you
and yours,
, JACK RIDDELL
MPP ,FOR HURON
•,alionmemommi
(he spirit of
Christmas is in the
air, ringing
out joy and good
will. We take
this time to extend
to all greetings and thanks.
From the ;toff of
SCRUTON'S 1.vroasERVICE
and SCRUTON FUELS
23$ Albert St. N. CLINTON •—,4112.-76111
Groves & Son
10 HURON ST. --CLINTON
Please stay tuned. We're
channeled to transmit wishes to
you for the happiest Yule, yet! For
patronage you've shown . . . thanks.
CLAYTON, JANE", "'TER',— DOROTHY
'Electric
--PHONE 482-9414
a
BALL-MACAULAY
BUILDING CENTRE
TOWN oF CLINTON
PROCLAMATION
re, In accordance with the wishes of a great..
many citizens, and following on established
precedent,
with hearthside warmth. TO ALL
CHRISTMAS
May the peace and serenity
of this holiday season fill you GREETINGS
•
•
FROM CLINTON TOWN COUNCIL
Don Symons — Mayor Harold Lobb — Reeve
Frank Cook — Deputy-Reeve
COUNCILLORS
Ruth Roy . Burt Lobb James Hunter
Roy Wheeler
Don Hail Ernest Brown
MUNICIPAL OFFICE
Cam Proctor — Town Clerk Margaret Maguire — Deputy Town Clerk
Tom Twyford — Custodian
PUBLIC WORKS POLICE DEPT.,
Doug Kennedy Chief — Lloyd Westlake
Joseph Whelan Constables Don Armstrong
Harold Gibbings Wayne McFadden
Clarence Perdue
Doug Riley
Don Shtopshall
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RECREATION STAFF
Arena Mgr. -- Clarence Hellen'
Staff
Jim Strong
Gary Fleet
Danny Colquhpun
PAGE 213.---,q4INTON NEWS-RNCORD.,. ItMSPAY, DECEMBER 24, 1974
Italy Celebrates Religious Christmas
Festivities Representing Many. Origins
Throughout the land, the season
spreads its warmth and happiness
with our message of sincere gratitude.
FROM THE MANAGEMENT AND STAFF
OF
McKerlie Automotive Ltd.
Larry Gibbings, Bryan Marriage
Al Sharp, Wayne Hodges,
Dennis Hutton, Steve Gibbings
86 Albert St. Clinton, Qitt...
The celebration of Christ-
mas in Italy, perhaps more
than in any other country,
illustrates the multiple ori-
gins of the festivities we
observe in modern times,
Christmas in Italy is pri-
marily a religious festival,
highlighted by the Christ-
mas Novena a series of
church services on nine
nights preceding Christmas
and culminating in a Mid-
night Mass on Christmas
Eve.
A feature of the obser-
vance is the display, usually
from Christmas Eve to Epi-
phany (January 6th) of
the creche or Persepio (the
word means manger or
stable) , a Nativity scene
with more or less elaborate
landscaping and figures of
sheep, cattle, and shep-
herds, as well as Mary,
Joseph and the Christ
Child. At Epiphany, figures
of the Three Kings with
their retinues, bringing
gifts to the Child, are added.
These Nativity scenes
originated in the thirteenth
century with Saint Francis
of Assisi, who decided to
make the Christmas Eve
Mass a re-enactment of the
birth of Christ, and for
many centuries they re-
mained essentially an eccle-
siastical presentation, with
local churches vying for
the most decorative creche.
In more recent times, Nativ-
ity scenes have moved in-
to private homes as well.
In the early years of the
Christian faith, persecution
made public observation of
Christmas impractical, and
it was not until several
hundred years had passed
that the birth of Christ was
given an official date for
celebration. It is by no
means certain that Decem-
ber 25th is the actual anni-
versary of the birth of Jesus,
but it was an appropriate
date for the observance.
It coincided with the Winter
Solstice celebrations of long
standing throughout the
northern world, with the
Roman Saturnalia, and
with the Jewish Hannukah,
Festival of Lights, providing
a firm historical base, fa-
miliar to everyone in the
I hereby declare
Thursday, December 26
as
BOXING DAY
and call upon alrcitiiens to
observe it as such.
(Signed)
DON SYMONS, Mem
TOWN OF CLINTON.
'5•
BALL -AIACAULAY
LIMITED
' 527-0910 262-2418
Seaforth Clinton
482-3405
eH nsall
then-known world, for a
major festival,
EARLY CUSTOMS
It is not surprising, there-
fore, that many customs
derived from earlier cele-
brations have become a part
of the Christmas observ-
ance in Italy, The coming
of the Winter Solstice,
marking the beginning of
longer days, was observed
in pre-Christian times by
the decoration of houses
with greens, and this cus-
tom, taking on added signi-
ficance as a symbol of the
rebirth of hope in the com-
ing of Christ, is observed in
Italy with sprigs of holly
and mistletoe.
Similarly, the seasonal
giving of gifts, already
traditional in the Roman
custom of giving branches
picked in 'the grove of the
goddess Strenia was appro-
priately converted to the
giving of "Strenne," Christ-
mas or New Year's presents,
following the later tradition
of the gifts of the Magi to
the Christ-Child and sym-
bolizing the gifts to man-
kind brought by Jesus' birth.
CHRISTMAS TREE ORIGIN
The Christmas tree,
which originated. in Ger-
many, has come slowly into
popularity in Italy, espe-
cially in the north, but it
had its forerunner, espe-
cially around Florence, in
the Ceppi, or Christmas pyr-
amids, composed of shelves
of various sizes fixed to a
pole. (The word "ceppo"
means tree trunk and, by
usage, a Christmas gift) ,
On the shelves were placed
Atilitivietiiiermvimiitiftivztmogilgtcewmaftasiz(vatrAtmoxwzrAtvsziotur ..mwisacvAtm.ix'wosftv,r(: ttsk,:tm;Att4.4;r4r,:c:tn • •
decorations of greens and
small toys and presents.
It is possible that the
ceppo may have been a
replacement for the Yule
log, But the burning of the
Yule log, another custom
of pre-Christian origin, is
not unknown in Italy, where
there is the pleasant legend
that the Virgin Mary enters
the homes of the humble
at midnight, when the
household is at Mass, to
warm her newborn Child
• before the blazing log.
ITALY FOCAL POINT
The fact that Italy con-
tained the capital of the
Roman world and, as a
logical result, the head-
quarters of the Christian
Church, has given Christ-
mas In Italy a particularly
rich observance,
4