HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-12-23, Page 25THE CITIZEN, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1986. PAGE 25.
Hark the herald angels sing/*Glory to the newborn King...
\Blyth Public School].
Christmas customs come to us
from all over the world
Why do we send cards at
Christmas time or put up a tree?
There are many traditions we take
for granted during the holiday
season, and it is interesting to learn
how some of these customs
originated.
The ancient Druids can be
thanked for the custom of hanging
mistletoe at Christmas. In the
rituals of the Druids, mistletoe was
cut down with a golden sickle in
November. The mistletoe would be
divided up among the people, who
took the plant home to hang over
their doors. The Druids believed
that the plant could work miracles
of healing, protect against witch
craft, and makethe land fertile.
The origin of the custom of kissing
under the mistletoe is not known,
but it may have been inspired by
the plant’s supposed powers of
fertility.
mas cards probably originated
with an Englishman, Sir Henry
Cole, who commissioned John
Horsely to design a card in 1843.
The card featured a family celebra
ting the season, with two smaller
motifs depicting charitable acts;
•
“Clothing the Naked” and “Feed
ing the Hungry.’’ The card was
lithographed and sold in 1846, and
thus the Christmas card was born.
Whether originating in legend or
real life, the customs of Christmas
enrich the season for us all.
Festival of Lights brings
joy to Jewish community
The Germans originated the
custom of placing a tree in the
home at Christmas time. There are
several legends to explain the
custom. One credits St. Boniface, a
missionary to Germany during the
eighth century. According to the
legend, one Christmas Eve the
saint chopped down a sacred oak
which had been used as a site for
human sacrifices. As the oak fell, a
fir tree miraculously appeared in
its place. Another legend says that
on the night Christ was born, all the
trees in the forest bloomed and
bore fruit, even though it was the
middle of winter.
••••••••••
Let us spread His message of love
peace throughout the land. To all men
of good will — a blessed Christmas!
From Piet and Ann Reinsma
and Staff
•Wallace Turkey Products
• BLYTH• ••••••••••••••••••••••
For Jewish children, this is the
season for a favorite holiday:
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights,
or the Festival of Dedication.
This joyful feast celebrates the
victory of Judah Maccabee and his
brothers over the tyranny of
Syrian-Greek rule, over 2,000
years ago.
Not only does the holiday
commemorate a great victory, it is
also a reminder to the Jewish
people of a miracle that occurred
when theTemple was cleansed and
rededicated, after the Maccabeans
had found it desecrated.
According to legend, the libera
tors of the Temple found only one
flask of oil with which to light the
Temple candelabrum, enough oil
for only one day. Miraculously, the
oil burned for eight days. These
days were later declared a festival,
and the holiday of Hanukkah was
born. The First Book of Maccabees
describes this first celebration and
the events leading up to it.
During the eight days of Hanuk
kah, one light of the hanukkiah, a
nine-branched lamp used espe
cially for the holiday, is lit on each
successive night, both in the
synogogue and the home, until the
lamp is ablaze with lights.
In the synagogue, portions of the
Torah are read on each day of the
holiday, as well as psalms of
praise.
In the home, the lamp is placed
in a window to let passersby know
which night of the holiday it is. On
the fifth night, a candle is lit
especially for the children, at
which time they may receive their
Hanukkah “coins’’, small coin
shaped chocolates, wrapped in
foil.
Traditionally, small gifts are
exchanged each night, but in
modern times, gifts are generally
given on one night. Children are
traditionally given gelt, or money,
as a symbol of the coins struck by
the Hasmoneans, the Jews who
fought for political independence
after the liberation of the Temple.
Feasting adds to the joys of the
Hanukkah season. Special dishes
are prepared at this time, such as
pancakes or latkes of all kinds, a
yeast doughnut called soofganiyot,
and shaped cookies.
For the children, the custom of
spinning the dreidel is probably
the most fun of all. A four-sided
top, the dreidel is decorated with
Hebrew letters and is spun for
sums of money, amid much
merriment.
Parites, gifts and games ... no
wonder Jewish youngsters look
forward to this special holiday each
winter!
More importantly, Hanukkah is
the celebration of a victory in the
long struggle of the Jewish people
for religious freedom.
Before the season speeds by,
we'd liketoofferourthoughts
ofthankstoyou,ourvalued
customers.
Joe and Lucy Chatterton
CHATTERTON
AUTO SERVICE
Blyth
5
Martin Luther, a German, is
thought to have first decorated the
Christmas tree. The story goes that
Luther, walkingunder the stars
one night, was inspired to bring
home an uprooted fir tree and place
candles on its branches as a
reminder of the heavens.
The nativity scenes that are so
beloved at Christmas time are a
tradition given to us by St. Francis
of Assisi. On Christmas Eve in
1223, Francis was inspired to
reenact the nativity for the people
of the town of Greccio in Italy. St.
Bonaventure described the event
in his writings: “...they made
ready a manger, and bade hay,
together with an ox and an ass, be
brought unto the place ... The man
of God, filled with tender love,
stood before the manger, bathed in
tears, and overflowing joy.”
It was claimed that the hay used
in the crib had remedied sick
beasts afterward, and many other
wonders were attributed to this
first manger scene. The idea
quickly caught the fancy of the
faithful and before a century had
passed, carvings of the nativity
scene, or creches, were used
throughout Europe during the
holiday season.
The custom of sending Christ-
NOEL ?
Season's Greetings
and Happy Holidays
to one and all!
Doug Kirkby
Ron McCallum
Bill McClure
KMM
Drainage
Walton
iiiiiiiiiiiM'iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiniiuiiiiuniiii
MEW CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
Rejoice at this holy season!
Compliments of
Brown's Tire Service
RR 2, Blyth - 887-6788
May your happiness be so great that you treasure forever
the many wondrous memories of this Christmas and ail its joys, ft
FROM MARG & PAUL BRUNKARD
Hillcrest Restaurant
Londesboro
Dec. 24 Closing at 5 p.m.
Closed Dec. 25 & 26 & Jan. 1
£
£
I
bKil
1