HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1970-12-25, Page 7CHRISTMAS EDITION, 1970
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS
AGEING 01'I' THE STORY OF TIRE \:vTIVI'I'1', youngsters play
the role of angels in the Christmas pageant at tit. Croix, Virgin
islands. Traditional wherever the holiday is celebrated, the Christ-
mas pageant has history in religious drama. Photo h,) Henle—
Photo Researehers: from editors of Encyclopedia _llnerioana. •
Pageant Has History
In _Medieval Dramas
As young actors and ac -
.tresses of this community
rehearse their roles for their
special Christmas play or
pageant, they take part in a
custom treasured through
the ages.
Since the Christmas story
first was told, mankind has
sought and found countless
ways to create it again and
anew, in song and story, in
art and drama. The modern
Christmas pageant, a fea-
ture of church observances
in communities near and far,
may well trace its history to
early religious dramas — the
mystery, miracle and moral-
ity plays of the Middle Ages.
Where did church drama
actually begin? One possible
source is the tradition of the
Christmas crib or manger
scene, but scholarly research
indicates that medieval re-
ligious drama probably had
other, separate origins, ac-
cording to the editors of En-
cyclopedia Americana.
Easter Plays Came First
Representations of the
manger scene began with the
use of doll figures, and his-
tory offers no evidence that
people were ever substituted
for the dolls. Living "actors"
did, however, play a part in
some early elaborations of
church rituals.
In the 10th century, spe-
cial chants written to accom-
pany church music on festi-
val occasions began to take
the form of simple dialogues.
These were little more than
dramatic inserts iir the
church services, but here, re-
searchers believe, religious
plays had their start.
Easter dialogues and play-
lets probably came first, with
Christmas plays developing
as a natural result. Other re-
ligious dramas or mystery
plays soon followed, until
there were series or cycles of
plays devoted to telling the
entire story of the Scriptures.
Covered Many Subjects
Mystery cycles of the 16t11
century included as many as
40 dramas, which might be
presented over a period of
several days. The cycles de-
veloped in virtually every
European country.
Typical plays dealt with
such subjects as "The Crea-
tion of the World and the
Fall of the Angels," "Noah
and the Flood," "The Annun-
ciation," "The Passion of
Christ," "The Death of Pi-,
late," "The Resurrection and
Ascension," "The Harrowing
of Hell and , the Coming of
Antichrist."
Along with the mystery
cycles were miracle and mor-
ality plays: Miracle plays re-
counted the miracles of the
saints, while the moralities
presented allegorical mes-
sages of moral instruction,
with characters personifying,
for instance, Vice, the Devil
or specific vices such as Glut-
tony, Pride, Anger, Hatred,
We thank you for your continued good will.
Oesch. Shoe Store Nete's Howe
Zurich
what Are the .Fats
About Christmas?
Everybody thinks that
space travel is something
very new, but an elderly gen-
tleman in a rather unique
"space -suit" set the pace
years ago. _His name: Santa
Claus.
Now is the season when
he's taking off again, for it's
Christmas.
How much do you know
about Christmas and Santa
Claus? Here are some ques-
tions, developed with the
help of the editors of the
Encyclopedia International,
to test your knowledge, The
answers are at the bottom.
I. The first Lmou1 Christ-
mas card. 11 115 de..ignell 111
1813 I an Englishman
named:
(.1) Charles Dickens
(II) Sir Ilenrl Cole
(C) .1o11n l:alclpt llot•sle)
The first Christian \atic-
ity feast, celebrating the
birth of Christ. occurred
in the fourth 1./'Iltllrl 1111:
(:1) .It(l1IIitl•) 6
(B) Jul, 1
(C) December 23
3. Christmas dill not !termite
a legal holid:l,.in the U.S.
unlit:
(:1) The Puritans 111.1'114'11
ill \4'1% England
(11) 1856
((;) Santa's Helpers 1 n-
ion 1(1'111 on slril.r.
I. '1'114. origi11:11 11411114' o1' the
genilema11 1(4' Lin % 1od:1(
as tiatta Clan. 1(11s:
(.i) Kris Kringle
(13) l:lemeni (:. '!'11/4114'
(C) tit. "Nicholas
1. ICI is correct, Artist
Horsley designed the first
known Christmas greeting
card for his friend, Sir Henry
Cole, a wealthy London gen-
tleman. Charles Dickens had
his share in Christmas 1843,
too, His book, "A Christmas
Carol," was published that
year.
2, A) is correct. At first,
January 6, the Epiphany, was
observed as the feast of
Jesus' baptism, with a sec-
ondary emphasis on His
• birth. It was not until the
PAGE SEVEN
5th century A.D. that Christ-
mas was generally celebrated
on December 25.
3. (B) is correct. New Eng-
land states outlawed the cel-
ebration of Christmas until
the middle of the 19th cen-
tury.
4. (C) is correct. Kris
Kringle is the German name
for Santa, while Clement C.
Moore contributed to the
image of Santa Claus with
his poem, "A Visit from St.
Nicholas," in 1823. St. Nich-
olas was a real person, a
fourth century bishop, and
the first Santa Claus,
Ted WS"'
Ar dig
CHRISTMAS SEASON
',hanks to the support of friends old and
new, everyday business is a special pleasure.
Best wishes for the holiday season.
RICHARD BEDARD
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
RR 2, Zurich
rp'iy'iyy\?yJ<�
•>.<„4':89',1':
Jood tidings are
coming your way from
the bottom of
our hearts on this special
day, and with our wishes go
our thanks for letting
us serve you.
HENSALL DIST1CT
Brucefield
482-9823
HENSALL
262-2608
0 -OPERATIVE
Zurich
2364393