HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1969-12-23, Page 19TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1969
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS -- CHRISTMAS
EDITION
PAGE FIVE
A Joyce Christmas
Take these flowers, genuu'd ‘+*ith dew -drops,
As a lovinj gift from me:
May thy heart reflect their brishtness
And thy Christmas joyous be!
Flowers Speak Language of Love
In Modern or Victorian Era
Like holly, ivy and mistle-
toe, flowers share in the leg-
end and lore of Christmas. In
terms of the Victorian era,
the floral legend is an espe-
cially meaningful one.
A Victorian lady who re-
ceived a bouquet from her
admirer could either smell it
or read it as if it were a let-
ter. Often, it was a letter.
Young engaged couples,
strictly chaperoned, found a
way to communicate words
of affection via flowers. Each
flower had a special meaning.
Flowers in sequence could
be used to spell out a fervent
pledge of love. To help in
composing — and translat-
ing — these messages, there
were numerous tiny diction-
aries listing flowers and their
meanings.
The flowering honeysuckle,
for instance, spoke of "bonds
of love." A red rosebud told
a lady that she was "pure and
lovely." Red double pink
meant "woman's love." And
heliotrope carried a bold
message, "I love you."
This Victorian language of
flowers greatly influenced
the design of Christmas cards
of the time — witness the
card illustrated here, from
the Norcross Historical Col-
lection of antique cards.
The lush summer blooms
are typical of the Victorian
admiration of flowers, re-
gardless of the season.
Though sentiments may be
expressed differently, flowers
still bloom on modern Christ-
mas cards. A current card
offers one example. Poinset-
tias flower on a background
of mistletoe, and the message
reads, "Just for you, honey,
all my love at Christmas."
711err.A
ehristmas
Hoping you will have an
old-fashioned holiday
with all its joy,
contentment, peace..
and ,sending you
heartiest thanks!
I�,r
4, .
DOMINION HOTEL
ZURICH
Ross and Marg. Johnston
and Entire Staff
Churches
Celebrate
Holy Day
With special services,
churches of this community
celebrate Christmas — a hol-
iday that is, first of all, a lloly
day. Festivals of light, music
and prayer are dedicated to
the birth of a Holy Child in
Bethlehem, nearly two thou-
sand years ago.
For Christian believers,
each of these — light, music.,
prayer—has a special mean-
ing associated with Christ-
mas.
"And lo, the star, which
they saw in the east, went be-
fore them, till it came and
stood over where the young
child was. When they saw the
star, they rejoiced with ex-
ceeding great joy." Matthew
2:9-11),
The Star that guided the
Wise Men shines as symbol
of Christ, the Light of the
world, and it in turn is sym-
bolized by all the bright lights
that twinkle at Christmas
today.
Candlelight services reflect
the radiance of the holiday,
in Christian observances ev-
erywhere.
"And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude
of the heavenly host praising
God, and saying, Glory to
God in the highest, and on
earth peace, good will toward
men." Luke 2:13-14.
Since the angelic chorus
brought "glad tidings of great
joy" to shepherds watching
in the fields, hymns and car-
ols of rejoicing have told .of
the wonder and glory of
Christmas.
That the words of the an-
gels composed the first of all
Christmas carols is a thought
repeated again and again in
favorite songs of the season.
"Hark! the Herald Angels
Sing" makes this thought its
theme, and another familiar
earol, "It (game upon the
Midnight Clear," is devoted 10
"that glorious song of old,"
on the night when "the world
in solemn stillness lay to hear
the angels sing."
Christmas music in the
churches celebrates the joy
of the Nativity.
"And when they were
come into the house, they
saw the young child with
Mary his mother, and fell
clown, and worshipped him."
Matthew 2:1I.
"And the shepherds re-
turned, glorifying and prais-
ing God for all the things
that they had heard and
seen, as it was told unto
them." Luke 2:20.
Thus wrote two of Christ's
disciples, Matthew and Luke,
telling of the awe and won-
der, the joy and reverence'
experienced alike by wise
men and shepherds.
Especially at Christmas, in
church services and private
devotions, Christians give
prayerful thanks to God, for
the miracle of the manger.
0
Singing Carols
With voices lifted in har-
mony for "Silent Night," "The
First Noel" and other beloved
songs, today's carolers carry
on a Christmas custom that
originated centuries ago.
In the fourth century A.D.,
St. Basil was praised with a
musical poem in honor of the
fight for Christianity over
the Byzantine emperor Jul-
ian. Later in Greece, legends
of St. Basil were set to music
and sung at Christmas and
the New Year.
St. Francis of Assisi led the
villagers of Grecchio in sing-
ing hymns of praise to the
Christ Child when in the 13th
century he created a manger
scene in this Italian town.
Bringing the Tree
Christmas trees were first
introduced to France in 1837,
when Princess Helen of
Mecklenburg married the
Duke of Orleans and brought
with her to Paris the Yule
customs of her native coun-
try.
In spite of this and many
later efforts to advance the,
cause of the Christmas tree,
Parisians still prefer the ear-
lier tradition, which says that
gift exchange time for French
adults is New Year's day.
The beauty and spirit of
the season brings to mind
most wonderful gifts . . . friend-
ship,. loyalty and good will. We thank
you for yours and wish you a Merry Christmas.
M. DEITZ and SON
IiiiiiiiA000 Dial 236-4951 Zurich
SHUR•GAIN
A happy home -- that is our wish for you
and your family at this very
special time of year, And for the real
pleasure of serving you, our thanks!
DONALD OKE LTD.
General Contractor Zurich
"Specializing in All Types of Floor Coverings"
Broadloom Carpeting — Inlaids — Seamless Floors