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The Wingham Advance Times, 1934-12-20, Page 3Thursday, Deco 20th, 1934 A .Visit Pani St Nicholas 'Twee the night before Christmas, when all through the- house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chirp ney with care, In hopes that St: Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar -plums danced in their heads And mamma in'her kerchief, and I in my cap;. Hacl just settled our brains for a long winter's nap--- When ap--When out ons, the lawn there arose s,aclr a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was 'the matter. Away to the window I:flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw :up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new - fallen snow C=,ave a lustre of midday of objects below; When what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick I ,knew in ;a moment it must be St. Nick! More rapid than eagles his coursers they carne, And he whistled and shouted, and ed them by name: • u i 1 ,'l/ , errie nolan 1E ‘5313<")"67,016 OG The Yule Log .Center of Festivities --- Cutting of the 1 is„ tletoe by Druid Priests Strange Customs and Sup- erstition-s — Blazing, Hearthstone Were An Esen,- tiai Feature of Chrristna.s Season in Olden Days By FRANKLIN JOHNSON A seasonable glimpse into the past should serve as a throne for the pret- brings visions of the Alerrie Yuletide tiest girl present while the merry - of Old. England—the .season• of joy- makers drank her health. As oppos- ous celebration in which legend and ed to this practice was the tradition superstition played conspicuous roles, of warning children not to sit on the Holding central plate in the festi- log for fear that they might become vities was the Yule log of t'r`easured infected with itch, Still another cur - tradition, symbolizing warmth and. nous procedure sometimes observed Call, light as essential character-istics of the was to chalk. the figure of a man on sacred • holiday. the log before Lighting—a. ceremony The Yule log custom dates back which suggested the human sacrifices several centuries in the life of the of an ancient Bast. A prevalent cus- English ,people- Charles Lamb wrote "Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! • - On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Dander and Blitzen! To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall! i Now dash away, dash away, slash 'a- way all!" As dry leaves that before 'the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle,' mount to the sky, So up to the house tors the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full .of toys aaad St Nicholas too. And then in a twinkling 1 heaed'ton the roof. The prancing and pawing of each Tit- tle hoof. As I drew in my head, and turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas :came* with a bound. He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot , And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And be looked like a peddler just op- ening his pack. His eyes, how they twinned! his dimples, how merry! His, cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry; .His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow. The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath. He hada broad face a little round belly, That shoos., when helaughed, like a bowl full of jelly, He was chubby and plump -a right jolly old elf; And 1 laughed, when 1 saw him, in spite of myself. A wink of bis eye and a twist of his head Soon gave ine to know I had nothing to dread. He spoke not a word but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings; then turn ed with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his dose, And giving a nod, up the ,chimney he rose. that a "large, heaped-up, all attract- ive fire" was the most indispensible Feature :of :the told Christmas season in the British Isles. In keeping with this spirit the use of a blazing lo•g was .a :recognized habit of the Ki.ng- ddorit. The fire was b•uitlt email a wide open hearth, aiffording brilliant back ;grotund. far 'the ,general festivities of tom was the use of the log as a place for :arranging presents for the child- ren of the 'household. Setting fire to the log was a form- al rite w'hich was exercised with im- pressive d'igni'ty. Common supersti- titian demanded that the log must be touched by no hands that were not freshly washed, in the belief that the contact -of :unwashed hands would the hauselioid, cause the fire to 'burn with dull and In preparation for ;the 'ho11cfay sea- unsatisfactory glow. :sena the claiiw:sing a the Tule log was Rept for Another Year an event of much importance and one :One •of .the :prevalent customs call- nvlCch :called ;for ;pains'ta'king prooed- ted for the preservation of a remnant use. Size was a necessary factor. The of the "log to 'be used a year later in feeling 'prevailed •that the larger fhe.!kindling the Christmas fire. In many Flag the better the :celebration. communities the remnant would be Huge :Logs Were €Used ;ikinilled'afresh on Candlemas Eve, al- Fsr this reason the dimensions :of /lowed to blaze for a few moments, :t'heicen'tral firriber'were :restricted on -x: and then saved as a household charm ly by :the width of the fireplace. In' against fire and calamity. Tradition the iraronia! 'homes and spacious farm interprets"the practice p actice of igniting the .-houses sof Old England 'the hearth-i'new'log with a sliver from the old as stones were vast and cape ial:is, 'per !a relic of an ancient custom of main- intitting the use of 'huge 'kgs which; tai.ning perpetual sacred .fires. would dismay the modern household 'The 'burning of the huge timber er. In many instances entire tree occuriied many hours, and the long trunks were tutiiiae.d. 'Tihese were evening was devoted to the festivit- chosen months ahead of time and al- ries of the Christmastide, A quaint lowed to become.well seasoned be- superstition attached to the celebra- fore the time •of, the Christmas fes- tam 'was that bad luck would ensue tivities. iuf `a .squint-eyed person or One with The work of bringing home the chosen log was an event of prime sig- nificance, attended by much form and ceremony, The method of transport was primitive and impressive. Ropes attached to the heavy timber were drawn by enthusiastic volunteers, each of whom considered it a privi- lege to have a share in the auspicious enterprise. The eagerness of the nei- ghborhood to participate in the work was encouraged by a belief that ev- ery helper was safe from witchcraft' for the twelve-month period which followed. By working at the same task each year the superstitious were supposed to achieve perpetual immure- ity. The passage of the log through the f orest was attended by due homage. Each passerby who met the ceremon- ial procesion on the trail or highway doffed his cap and paid his respects, with profound reverence. Upon 'ar- rival at its destination the log was dragged into the great hall or living - room and set in the fireplace with ap- propriate pomp and rejoicing. "Wel- come Yule" was a favorite song kr this particular please of the festivit- ies, and the singing was accompanied by the Wassail and drinking of spiced. ale . in Burge tankards, - The wassail was a merry -making ceremony of special+ Yuletide„ popularity, and its proper observance extended: to the point of pouring some of the ale ov- er the roots of orchard trees to in - e sprang in his sleigh, to his team sure prosperous crops during the fol - gave a whistle, , lowing year. In, some eases, cider nd away they all flew like the down supplatlted ale in the ceremony of of a thistle; "Wassailing the Trees." tit 1 heard hien exclaim, ere he drove Customs Were Quaint out of sight:Many quaint and curious customsHappy Christmas to all, and to all a � grew up in t,onneetion with the Yule. good -night!" log festivities. Some of these were —MOORE, contradictory. One etistom demanded i • i+p�.rmvrm.4Wx4 � 'v _ — ter• Y O �� q unc;:w: i .should b.il t td i enter Ilia hail while the fire b;azc,d. 'r'ltc 'a:tile Iog tradition had many alt p�.rtainin;:; to the use of fire tis a e ntral feature of the - days. In .;,.tire sections of Old rug - land the single log was f;tirlplatited by a bunch of faggots gathered from the ash trees of the neighborhood. This custom originated in an ancient legend which related that the cal Shepherds who carne to Betide - hem: found the Holy Family suffer- ing from the cold. To provide warmth and comfort . for the little group, according to this unwritten re- cord, the youngest of the shepherds went forth into the forest and gath- ered bundles of ash sticks with which they kindled a fire. The selection of ash was due to the belief that the wood of no other tree will burn free- ly when freshly gathered. A variation of the ash faggot's use involved binding the bundle with nine bands, each of which represented a pair of lovers belonging to the Christ- mas assembly. The faggot thus bound was lighted with ritualistic ceremony and it was believed that the earliest marriage would be that of the pair represented by the band which was the first to be severed by the flames. Fire Kurt Alive A rigid requirement of the celebra- tion was that the Yule log fire should never be permitted to die cut while the festivities were in progress. A dead fire was regarded as the essence of i11 luck. Pre cautionary measures in this direction were of the utmost importance and were conscientiously observed. Because cif the prevailing reluctance to part with :any portion of a fire, there came the custom of providing a community blaze for the benefit of all concerned. Taking the form of a huge bonfire in an open space, this blaze was lighted on Christmas Eve type of "fire insurance" that kept 1', hearthstones blazing in spite of difficulties. "There were other sections in whit generosity with fire was the domtit ant dote ,and where each lrousehol!c regarded it as a privilege to be ,p;:; mitted to contribute to his neighbor' blaze. To such extent was this feel ing carried that it was considered on lucky to light a Yule dog by an means other than embers or tort -he carried from the house of a frier .oi:P/4 f ' .... : CC/7-77/YO' rae-/Z-/ arr447V .here has been much discussion as .i -t< -the source from which the Yule lc'.; and its associated ritual were in- _:u h . ti .sed into olden Englan•.. :Arany _ at..'..orities hold that the cu : Lai er- ig.nated amongnrg the Norseri,:., and th.;t the Norse practice was to con- , du.t the cle a . -, .., lacriee. of the god Thor. Mistletoe and the Druids y Mistletoe has been an important cI, s feature of the Yuletide in England for traditional centuries. The ancient In the communities in which this cus tom prevailed the Christmas Eve cele bration gained a touch of outdoo brilliance from the blazing fragment which were carried from one hous to another in every direction. Some authorities: suggest that this practice again carried out the old notion of a sacred fire kept burning perpetually. The ashes of the Yule log had an importance no less vital than the fire itself. Deep-seated belief existed tha the residue of the Christmas blaz contributed increased fertiliyt to the soil aver which it was sprinkled. The ashes were regarded as useful for various other purposes as well, in- cluding the cure of toothache and the relief of cattle front annoying vermin A still further doctrine of the age was that the ashes would protect the house from fire and other misfortune during the twelve months which fol- lowed. There were strict pules as to the disposal of the residue. It was look- ed upon as a sacrilige, for example, to distribute them till after the Yule- tide celebration was completed. To throw them out on Christmas Day was .regarded as unforgivable b - Druids held this green in the utmost reverence, .and treated it as a sacred i- growth. They knew it as "All -heal," s and their creed endowed it with mir- e aculous virtues. The plant was looked upon as a specific against diseases and as an antidote for poisons of ev- ery description. ' The person bearing a spring of mistletoe was considered to be safe from witchcraft and to be able to converse with spirits. t The value of the green was en- c hanced when it was found upon the limbs of an oak. This seldom oc- curred, but when such discovery was made the Druids subjected the grow to consecration with rites of the mo impressive solemnity. One step the ritual was the sacrifice of whi oxen. This was followed by the cu ting of the plant, a function exercise by the Arch Druid himself. .A golde knife was �tsed and the plant was n permitted to totieh the iounci. Ol paintings show the performance the :ceremony on elaborate platform and scaffolds erected to enable th priest to retain full measure of dig pity: while engaged in his task. The reverence of the mistletoe b the Druids has been held to bar thi holiday green from church decora tions. and kept burning until the dawn of ' of a tradition that this would be the New Year. in this an entire "throwing ashes in the face of the neighborhood .provided with a j Saviour." , ecause way itself .1 th st in to l - rt n Ot d of s e 5 JACK HOiRNE.R HAS NEW CHRISTMAS PLUM PUDDING Plum Pudding Made in Few Minutes Is Delicious for Holiday Dessert Jack Horner would have thought Christmas perfect if he had been able spoon cinnamon; 4. teaspoon cloves, Dissolve the jelly powder in warily water. Add salt, chill. When slight- ly thickened add fruits, nuts, grape - nuts and spices. Turn into mold: Chill until firm. Unmold. Serve. with whipped cream, flavored with nutmeg or with foamy sauce. Serves S. In place of the prunes, citron and raisins, 1% cups cooked dried figs may be used. The guide setting jelly powder keeps the flavor of the fres fruit instead of having it steam awa in boiling water. This jelly mixture may be placed immediately in the re- frigerator and does not require a cool ing period as if made with very hot. crater, Foamy Sauce r4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed; /4 cup cream whipped; dash of salt; 1 egg yolk; 1 egg white, stiffly beaten teaspoon vanilla. Sift sugar. Add of the sugar to the egg yolk and beat until dissolved. Add remaining sugar to beaten egg- white and beat until dissolved. Com- bine egg-white and egg -yolk mixtures Fold in whipped cream, salt and van- illa. This makes 1% cups delicious sauce. CHRISTMAS TIME SAFETY FIRSTS Annually, at Christmas time, the daily press carry stories of various accidents connected therewith; all are the lt of carelessness; all might be prevented. A veryresulittle will prevent accidents and inthe following hints, abou "Saftey First" during the Yuletide season, are found the causes of the major nunaber of accidents recorded in other years; "Give your children all the toys they need arid all you can afford but buy wisely. 13e sure that tiny tots aren't given small articles that they can swallow or inhale. Looks out for phis in cheap dolls, "Don't permit old Santa to get too close to fire. Whisker, cotton trim- mings, etc., are highly inflammable. "Dispose of the tree before the se- cond day of January as when it has ried out, it is highly inflammable. "Don't operate electric toys under tree or near cotton, paper or other nflamni,able material, "Don't leave a lighted tree tinw•at- ched, especially if children are near. "When trimming the tree use a step -ladder, not 'a rocking chair or box, "Wrapping Paper and excelsior should be disposed of immediately. "Don't use cotton beneath the tree to get a snow -carpet effect. "Don't set the tree upon flimsy supports. lights. "Don't ,place the tree near open. Don't use candles on Christmas trees. "Don't use a rickety step -ladder," h y' t to take one of the new plum puddings d off for his own little party. And thrifty Mrs. Horner would be delight- f a ed with the attractive plum pudding , i made in a short time and much less expensive than the long -steamed ones. New puddings don't give such a stuf- fy" feeling as the richer suet ones do after a heavy dinner, Yet both grown- ups and the very young people may njoy all the good things that are as- ociated with feasts—raisins, citron, ruts, prones, and spices, The new ruin pudding just bursts with these lavorsorne foods, and they are bound ogether with the flavor of fresh, ripe herri es. A pudding is only as good as the .in- gredients in it, and this is particularly rue of the fine dishes made with ruits and nuts. Grocers take great are in keeping these products fresh, nd away from any strong flavored ood that Might taint them. When to grocer sells fresh good fruits and uta, then the pudding is about ,half lade. The rest is easily managed by ]lowing carefully this recipe that as been tested to give a'tlelicious uni pudding at low cost. I package quick setting cherry jelly owdcr; 1 pint warm water; dash of It; 44 cup of raisins, finely chopped; h cup ked prunes,' ed and nely 'choppecood; cttpescitrottseed, finely oppcd; % cup walnut meats, finely opp'edr 14,'cup grape -nuts; tea-, e s p f t c t 1 c a f tl fo p1 1) sa a4 fi eh ch TE -IB FIRST CHRISTMAS Oncea little baby, lay, Cradled in the fragrant hay, Long ago on Christmas day, In the manger it. was found, And the white sheep stood around, Long ago ort Christmas day. tTir Led on by the shining star, Shepherds sought Him from afar, Long ago on Christmas day, And the wise men came they say, All their loving gifts to pays Long ago on Christmas clay, nonytnotts