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Christmas in Canada is a
pot-pourri of gustoims reflecting
the unique personalities of the
provinces which Make up the
Canadian mosaic. -
The Pacific coast is particularly
Christmas-oriented.
Imagine a Carol Ship
silhouetted in lights, bearing a.
Christmas tree at the masthead
and carrying bell-ringers and
children's choirs, Followed by a
flotilla of brilliantly lit fire boats,
tugs, fishing boats and private
Yachts it leads the Yuletide fleet
that welcomes inbound ships and
sends a message, of 'goodwill
echoing across the dark waters to
crowds waiting, around huge
bonfires on the shore.
This delightful event is held
every year on' the evening's'. during
the week before Christmas in the
harbor of the cosmopolitan Pacific
city of Vancouver..
The unique. Carol Ship, like a .
gigantic Christmas parcel
glowing with „lights, annually
draws huge crowds of visitor's
from all over British Columbia
and the western U.S.
Windows along Vancouver's
Robson Street (often called
Robsonstrasse), crammed with
ethnic delights, exotic gifts and
pungent culinary masterpieces,
heighten the festive flavor of this
glamorous Canadian city.
At the world-famous Empress
Hotel in Victoria on' Vancouver
Island, the "Spirit of Christinas
Past" stalks the halls - as
costumed troubadours serenade
guesfi with madrigals. And, once
again, the ancient aiiii-Tiotiorable
procession of• the Boar's Head
rends its traditional way accom-
panied by liveried lackies, cheeky
page boys, and the inevitable
jester in age-old. motley.
The Elizabethan custom of
tossing holly sprigs on a, blazing
lute log to symbolize the erasing
of last year's .mistakes and
indikretiorts still takes place 'at
many hotels.
Other hotels in the Victoria and
Vancouver areas 'else introduce
ihe Elizabethan note with
carollers, boar' head's, surprise
gifts, special entertainment for
children, and menus printed on
scrolls tied with gay ribbons.
Indeed, the hotels have created
such a jolly, oldtitne Christmas
atmosphere that families which
traditionally stay home on Christ-
mas now eat out. For this reason,
it is an absolute Must to make
your Vancouver and Victoria
Christmas dinner reservations
in advance to get in on all the
fun,
Yuletinie ski buffs are well
catered for in the VahOotiVer area
at Grouse Mountain, Mount
Seymour, and Whistler Mountain
'in Garibaldi Park (only 70 • miles
from the city). Special inter-
denominational skiers' services
are held on the valley floor at
Whistler in a beautiful A-frame
church, built with funds
contributed by, the. skiers,
In Alberta's Rocky Mountains,
//Off Springs Hotel and Jasper
Park Lodge have special
Christmas programs. An Olde
English. Christmas dinner and
Boar's Head ceremonial .proces-
sion are scheduled for the Banff
Springs. Both resorts feature a
visit by Santa and special
children's activities• as well as an
exciting variety of winter fun:
tobogganing, skating, skiing and
snowshoeing. Jasper Park Lodge
guests can' participate in sleigh
rides to massive open-air fire-.
places for winter barbecues.
'Carol singing, Christmas and
New Year's parties are' also
featured.
The Christmas season in
Toronto gets off to a spectacular
start in, mid-November.; with the
mile-long Santa Claus= parade,
one of the largest anywhere.
.7. The simple pleasures of the
pioneer Canadian Christmas are
revived Nov; 30 - Dec. 23 at
Toronto's Mackenzie House,
former mid-nineteenth century
home of the city's first mayor.
Decorations are traditional --
paper chains, ,rosettes, candles
and other trimmings adorn
mantles, archways and
staircases.
The "Kissing Bough", fore-
runner of the Christmas tree, in
England, glows with candles and
gay home-made objects to delight
young and -old. The nostalgic
aroma of fresh evergreens and
crackling wood -fires completes
the' festive picture.
In the basement, hospitable
Torento ladies in period' costume
prepare cookies and fruit loaves
on a wood-burning range. Cm-
berry' punch and piping hot
mulled cider are served to
visitors.
In French-speaking "Qnebec,
Christmas, is 'a deeply religious
event, the most colorful and
memorable in the 'entire year.
Festivities are held in • the
evening, and are centered on the
"reveillen", " or Christmas,
banquet. Its preparation st, arts
week's 'and sometimes months in
advanee, for it is .a genuine family,
reunion and many family
members are invited. It is not
unusual to invite as many as 30 or
40 relatives to 'such a party.
'The basic principle of the
reveillon is that the quality and
quantity of food, wine and
delicacies must surpass whatever
is consumed , on other less
important holidays.
The feasting commences
around two or three a,m., after a
special Midnight Mass and the
gift giving around the Christmas
tree, It can last until the first rays
of dawn. There are countless
dishes, all served to the'
accompaniment of witty conver-
sation, gay laughter, and
boisterous singing. A wide
variety of home-made and
imported wind's are served in
generous quantities to young and
old. •
Among the smaller ethnic
groups, Canadians whose origins
go back to the Ukraine, Poland
and other parts of eastern
Europe, the custom of spreading
a thin layer of straw under the
cloth on the Christmas table as a
reminder of the stable where
Christ was born is still retained.
StraW is often strewn under the
table and candles and nuts are
hidden in it for the children.
Christmas decorations in these
homes usually include a sheaf of
wheat to symbolize a bountiful
year ahead.
In many Canadian churches
and homes, the most important
and best loved decoration is the
Scientists have establish-
ed that dorriestication of
animals first began in the
Holy Land several thousand
years before the• birth of
Christ.
The ox, ass, camel and
sheep are known as the bib-
lical quartet of animals be-
cause of their frequent
mention throughout the
Old and New Testaments.
All of these were probably
present in the" stable when
Christ was born,
Oxen, when mentioned in
the Bible, may refer to bul-
locks, bulls, cows, heifers or
calves, all of which belong
to the Bovidae family.
The bullock was the young
male ox; bulls were - male
cattle; heifers were young
female cows: the ox, was a
castrated male bovine.
The ox, whose name ' is
synonymous with physical
strength, probably. origin-
. ated in. Asia. and appears to
have been the first domesti-
cated animal owned by
families, in the Holy Land.
He was used for heavy farm
work. Even the poorest fam-
ily 'owned at •least one ox..
The word "cattle" orig-
inally meant "possessions"
in Hebrew and included
flocks 'of sheep, .goats and
other herded animals. '
The Donkey
A Family FavOrite
The donkey, or ass, was
the most valuable aninaal
to the biblical family, and
also the most• economical,
since he ate Only a quarter
as much barley as a horse.
The, host menial of ani-
mals, he was famous for his
stamina and sure-footed-
ness. Humble as his status'
was, he Wouldbeat the cas
eleer on his back, and lead
the long, stately strings of
Camels across the desert.
EVen. poor' families, like
Joseph's .of Nazareth,
could afford orie donkey,
Whidi they trimmed with
blue beads and red wool to
show their pride of owner'-
shill This simple beast wAS
their mode of transport in-
to, Bethlehem and later for
the Plight into Egypt.
The 'Bible Gives Sheep
Deep Sighifitatiee
AuthorltieS Cifae0 to
`what kind of sheep existed
At the timeOf ChriSt, Three
varieties' exist, In Syria and'
Palestine toay„sprung'
train the three Wild Sheep
groups still itddrid in Agfa.
(1)The Asiatic MOUffleils
depicted on Siirrlcrian VaSes
from early ElAbYldhiat
Dosed to baie been doinesti.,
Gated around 3,006 OA
(2), The Egyptian, long.
tailed glee* ate related to
an aridient breed grriWri it
the Vial mountains, iohg
considered the boundary''
line which separates ASid„
creche,, or crib, a realiStic
Miniature tableau of the Nativity.
Other groups which hold their
main celebrations on Christmas
Eve serve a distinctive type of
food •on this occasion. For
example, baked carp is a
traditional dish in families whose
ancestors 'were Czechoslovakian
or Austrian. Codfish, goose, and
a special kind of rice pudding
form a part of the Christmas fare
among Scandinavians. In the
pudding is an almond, and it is .
believed that whoever gets the
almond, is sure to'have•bis wish
fulfilled.
Among . Estonians the
Christmas meal often centers
around roast suckling pig rolled in
cabbage, cooked, in the oven and
served with vegetables and sour
cream.
In. Newfoundland, children and
adults dress up in, odd costumes,
usually old clothes like grandma's
night-gown or dad's old Stan-
from Europe.::
(3) The latge, broad-tail-
ed, curly-horned, creamy,
deep-wooled sheep,, that ap-
Pear in so many biblical
lustrations, came from Kur-
distan at the head of the
Tigris-Euphrates valley,
which was the cradle of
biblical civilization.
Wild grapes, wild wheat,
wild asses and. %did sheep
grow in these ,,Me gopOlarni an
highlands today. PeOple can
still live here, near Mt. Ara--
rat • with• almost no effort
and- some theologianS feel
that the site of The Garden
of Eden may Well have been
located in this area.
In Bible times, every Pal-
estinian family bought two
lairibs at Passover time.
They . killed one to eat at
the feast celebrating their
safe exodits froth Egyptian
bondage. The Other, they
kept as a pet for,_their chil-
dren and as a future SoUrce
of wool for their looms and
food for their table. The
lamb slept. With the
drerii ate juicy grasses trent
their hands and drank front
their cup. When the animal'
became full ,grown; they
killed it and put doWh. its •
Meat for the winter, storing
it hi the sweet fat from its
tail; The tail, ,`which Sorne,,
tithes Weighed' as much
thirty -pounds, Wasreal
burden to the animal,
The purity, fneekrieSs arid
loyalty of the sheep for its
shepherd inspired writers
to refer to Jesus AS "The
Lattib of and?'
the theilhettiS found dein,
Perigatien for their lerieli—
rieSS in thiS loyal love frOm
their Sheep and in the peate
and beauty of the paSteral
snitotindingS, WhoSetettolit,
hig ettgotit they kriew lastly matelyr 'acid its the ifititie
fields (old-fashioned "Long-john"
winter underwear), Faces are
covered with veils, some with,
Hallowe'en-type masks,
These"inurnmers”, as they are
called, gb from door to door in
groups of two to ten. Disguising
their voices, they ask to be let in
to perform for the honseholders.
The musician of the group plays
on a pocket comb covered with
cigarette paper . while his
companions sing.
The mummers are rewarded
with candy, and Christmas Cake.
The children are offered a drink
made from a mixture of water 'and
thick, • sweet, syrup while adult
mummers are served homemade
blueberry and raspberry wines.
Thii is the 'joy of Christmas in
Canada where Elizabethan and'
17th century French rituals,
colorful, ethnic customs, and
honored pioneer traditions mingle
in celebration of the holiday
season.
Titp-:.pervit•Ojte
Open .House •
1-10Mt - Of 'KAY DUNCAN DtAttlt
Thurstay,.,,Dets 13th
2 p.m.
vome.
. nook rant ALA:'
EVerSitiit::placing an order hag chance fit ilta
to tiC -411:OrtSg fog the DAD'
WithOUt o1 in Pa yo
.01111M WILL Itt spityp
Biblical group of Domestic
Aniii441A. Poseitt. at the Stable
a.
ANimmintom ISRAVL1 littILICAL 400, the Persian onager
is a rare hreed of wild ass, which, it is believed, Jesus •
rode into Jerusalem oil Palm Sunday..
of their hememade pipes,
to which they sometimes
trained their frisky goats to
dance.
Goats Also on the
Domestic Scene
Practically every faniily
in Bible times owned , at
least one goat. A family
could get almOst their whole
livelihood .froni the prod-
uctS of a goat. Prom, goat
hair, tent and garment
cloth, curtains and • pillows
were Made (i Samuel 19:13).
Water bags, a vital neces-
sity in these desert areas,
'were made of goatskin. Food
products included milk,
cheese arid meat. EVen the
horns of the bearded goats
Were used.
The •nimble, little goats of •
Bible times beldnged to the
Caprinae section of,the
large Bovidae family, wich
included Oxen, antelopes,
sheep and goats,'Goats and
Sheep are closely related
but the pale gnat is beard-
ed, While the rani is. not. A
goat'S horns differ from a
ram's, "and his 'odor is.
stronger,
Frisky goats Were cern..
pared to wicked people, and
obedient sheep to gentle
folk. ..'roast this We get
Christ's parable of the filial
distinction between good' and eVil: "He Shall separate
them one froth ahothdr as
a shepherd diVideth !his
sheep front.,the goats':''
(Matthe* 25:
People would britiOS6'
goat froth the fkiek by
citemiog lot.% theft'torn it
loose irk the tvildethets to
dies bedatiSe they helieVed
they could IMPose their ShiS
arid 'misdeeds on the goat
lit d itS• death *Mild retteeflii • them. This goat Was Called
"SetitlegOat.:"
'HE BRUSSELS POSto tAtEMBER