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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1954-12-23, Page 31nsNern No.; RH OM'tllltMom • �.0 111,1d; 14111.11191111111111 14:111. 1I1I1II1! ,� 1 r I 1111111.1 -11,11„1,11,,I.1„11,..1,1„1,!,1,1 11 1, X11 { 1111111 1w �111������:tII1 �u�1.. ! .!.il 411 tit dill MIN How to Fake Caro Of Xmas Lift Plants With the approach of the Christmas holidays matey of us will receive plants for gifts, Into our homes may come a gay poinsettia, a jolly little Jerusa- lem Cherry, a festive azalea, a cyclamen with its fluffy orchid• like blossoms, or any one of sev- eral others. If we have a friend who has separated a treasured Christmas Cactus this year, we may even get one of these fa- vorites, Where do these plants come from? we ask, What kind of care should each one have? The poinsettia was discovered in 1828 growing wild in a Mexi- can valley by a man named J. R. Poinsett, who was minister plenipotentiary to Mexico. He was so delighted with it, he sent roots . to Bertrams' garden in .Philadelphia, Later Professor Graham of the Botanical Gar- dents at Edinburgh named it for the discoverer. This symbol of Yuletide deco- ration is of the Splurge family; cousin to the Crown of Thorns plant some people raise in their homes, and to the familiar Snow on the Mountain in our. gardens. Its other nameis Painted Leaf. The gorgeous 'blossoms" are not flowers, b u t simply colored bracts writes Millicent Taylor, Garden Editor of the Christian Science Monitor. Its tropical origin tells us that it likes warmth, sun, no drafts, It will appreciate tepid spray. ing of the leaves (not the color- ed bracts) every day or two. In warm climates where it grows outdoors (Hawaii, Florida) it is a handsome shrub from two to 10 feet high. The Jerusalem Cherry is not a cherry at all, but a cousin of the eggplant and the "Irish" po- tato. A native of the OId World -.- probably Madeira — it has been naturalized in Florida and other subtropinal climates. It is sensitive to dry air, to gas, and to heat. It must have a cool room, 00 degrees, sun, and likes a daily syringing of its leaves. The azalea comes to us from eastern Asia -- China,' Japan, Korea - and some varieties are native to North America. The word is Greek for dry, from the mistaken notion once held that the plant liked dry sites. Its shallow roots, in fact, mean that it needs regular watering. Give It a south window, but also cool- ness -- 45 degrees at night, 55 by day. It likes acid soid, and is a member of the Heath family. Our cyclamen originally came from the Mediterranean regions. Its ancestors may have origi- nated in Greece or Syria, flow- ering in spring as they do there still. Its name in the Greek, Kyklaminos, was known in an- cient times, and describes its roundness, the whorl of its basal atoms. It is fond of sunlight, but must be cool, and moist -- a mem- ber of the primrose family. ater it from the bottom, gen. orously, but don't let it get sog- gyThe Christmas Cactus isn't a cactus at all, and should not have cactus treatment. It grows wild in the Amazon valley, perching high up in the crotches of hard - i <7 �,/�p y lrrz s � AG` v ;�`y' •%lfw,. d 'i F..t,.+Y•?stF ,G,fi ,;.+.,....1^.Ja,..K;.'�uF "Gloria in Excelsis Deo"—Classic example of the Christmd's Crib • is this detail from the Praesepe, or Manger, which is erected each year in the apartments of Pope Pius XII, in Vatican City. Carefully detailed, the figures are scaled in size to those of St. Joseph and the Madonna, which are about one foot in height. Manger Scene Comes Alive — Story of the Birth of the C;irist Child is reverently re-enacted in the village of Rivisondoii, Italy, annually during the Christmas season on the night of the Feast of the Epiphany, Jan. 6. This was the traditional date to celebrate Christmas until the Fourth Century, when the celebration was assigned to Dec. 25. In the re-enactment pictured above, the infant is the son of a real carpenter, cis was the Holy Child. Joseph is played by a 60 -year-old shepherd, ,,and a 29 -year-old woman plays the Madonna. AVOIMMX heist r as Manger Is Italy's Cherished Gift to the ;` odd In France it's the "Creche," in Spain the "Nacimiento," in Germany the "Krippe" and in English-speaking lands "The Crib." But, by. whatever name it is known, the representation of the stable in Bethlehem on that first Christmas Night originated in Italy, St,: Francis of Assisi is said to have constructed the first Praesepe, or Manger, about the year 1223 in the little village of G;reccio, near Assisi. Over the centuries, the Crib was adopted by peopleri: of other countries in southern Europe, and then its use spread to Germany and England. Pageants came into being, their ..purpose to vividly present the story of the Nativity at a time 'When:written accounts were scarce, and the majority of people alliterate. To this day some villages in Italy present the ages -old eg 'Omer on January 6th, Feast of the Epiphany, when tradition says ;.sat the Magi, bearing gifts, came to adore the Infant. Pictured at left and below is the First Christmas as seen by Italian crafts- ®"'yneneactors and artists. "The Holy Night" Virgin and Child, principals of the most joyful moment in the drama of Christianity, form the radiant focal point of 15th Century artist Antonio Correggio's famous painting, "The Holy Night." The original hangs in Dresden, Germany. wood trees like an orchid. You may have discovered, as I have, that it flowers best when used as a hanging plant. Its fountain of crablike leaves and fuchsia -like blossoms show off to best advan- tage from on high, It likes manure water during December and January, and a drink of tepid water every third day. It appreciates a syringing of , its leaves daily, or at least week- ly, like an eastern or western exposure, and a temperature of 60 to 70. Overwatering makes it drop its buds, and it also objects to drafts. 4, .nstas Car 0 8 They Started Christmas cards are so much a part of the modern Yule sea- son that one seldom stops to won- der how the idea originated and by whom. This simple idea of wishing your friends a Merry Christmas brought honor and knighthood to the originator, Henry Cole, a middleclass Englishman. Cole mailed his cards on a De ember day in 1846. The cards depicted a Victorian family as- sembled at the festive board and the traditional Christmas custom of giving to the poor, They also bore a now -classic greeting: "A Merry Christmas and , a Happy, New Year to you." He had a thousand of the .cards struck oft by a lithograph, They were such a success that plain Henry Cole subsequently became Sir Henry Cole. 'rhe cards we send today, how- ever, a far cry from those mail- . d by Cole. The cards you send .and receive this year will be de- signed by famous names in eon - temporary art, . r for cards A Canadian hopping this year may select scenes paint. by such famous people a; Win- ston Churchill, Britain's prime minister and famed amateur ar- tist, and. Grandma Moses, one of America's most famous artists. The demand for cards is so great that many companies spend their entire time in design- ing and producing them for the holiday season. ig Cities Cottied S ail Town Ida It was a small town that first thought of lighting an outdoor community Christmas tree. Pour communities are believ- ed to .have thought of the idea about the same time -- as early as 1913. Two of them, McDonald :and Germantown, were in Pen- nsylvania. Salem, Ore„ decorated a large Sitka spruce Riverside, Calif,, illuminated a large ever- green, an Aracuria. The first national Christma tree was in 1924 and was spore. soteci by the American Felrestry association, The event is now televised every year. oofthert �Cw rest spectacular SuIR outdoor displays are at the White 1!tousc and } ekefeller Centre. '14sac 1�1ew Ydrk diets* is pose sibly the most elaborate in the world. But it was the small towns that first thought of the idea. Today, nearly every commun- ity in the land has some kind of Christmas decorations. Many communities string colored lights across the street and decorate light posts with evergreens. Many suspend bells and stars at street intersections and have dazzling community trees, ftir Iph Rosi To Popularity That reindeer is becoming a tradition. Once upon a time there was a reindeer with a built-in flash- light bulb for a nose. You know, Rudolph, the red -nosed reindeer. From a small beginning in 1938, the little animal with the built. in beacon has become as famil. lar as Humpty-Dumpty and Cin- derella to youngsters every- where, First invented as a sales give- away promotion for Montgomery Ward by Robert L. May, Rudolph was featured in many free book- lets before he became associated w i t h Christmas. Songwriter Johnny Marks liked the title "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Rein- deer," so he wrote a song about it. He was so sure he had a suc- cess that he started his own pub. fishing company, using "Ru- dolph" as his first release. Gene Autry made the initial record - Ing, and that one record sold 2,000,000 copies. Last year, there were 16 dif- ferent recording of the song for sale, ranging from boogie-woogie biv Sugar Chile Robinson to Bing Crosby, and cowboy singers, All 'h orifi L? vis A Simple Ilirol The most beloved carol of the many that are sung in all parts of the *mid is "Silent Night" that simple and tender German sontsg. I'origin was unknown for many., years. Recent research, howevef;;. disclosed that it was written by .Joseph Mohr, an as- • sistant priest in Oberndorf in South Germany. The melody was composed • by a schoolrnaster, Franz Gruber. The poet and the composer were part of the choir that sang the carol for the first time on Christmas Eve in the Oberndorf church in 1818. The night it was sung the small church's organ was out of order and the choir sang to the accompaniment of a guitar. Since then the carol has been sung to the tune of almost every musical instrument in the world and in the languages of nearly all men. Christmas Candles Att Old Tradition "To learn your luck for the year they Hay, Hurn a bayberry dip en Christ - mu day. 0 the flame burn bright and the light shines clear, Goodluck will bepulrs through h " the ar, year," This old verse is belived in marry lands around the world and is said to be one of the reason; that candles in homes are tradi- tional around the world. The custom is believed to have started in Ireland. As the Irish put it: "Who knows, on some . Christmas Eve, Jesus and Mary and Joseph may come again, not to Palestine, but to the Holy Isle on the fartherest edge of Eur- ope." And it is the custom that the candle can only he snuffed by one named Mary. Their first use for Christmas is not recorded in the annals of any nation, but that the "Christ Child Candle," burned in the window on Christmas Eve is, ac- cording to an old legend, placed there to light His way if He makes an early visitation and in atonement for the night of His birth when there was no room for Him. Don't Let Fire Spoil Your Christmas The average Christmas . tree can go up in smoke in only a rninute or so and that doesn't leave much time to call for help, A live tree with roots packed in a bucket of earth is the safest. Be sure and keep the dirt mois- tened, .A small tree is safer than a large one and festive • trim- mings can make up what is lack- ing in size. Don't use lighted candles. (This may seem an unnecessary precaution in this day of electric lights, but lighted candles con- tribute to tragic fires every year.) Check the wiring for the tree to see that it's not frayed and is in perfect condition. The switch for turning off and on electric lights should be at some distance from the tree. Don't plug or un- plug lights beneath the tree: Don't leave tree light on when it isn't necessary and especially when the family is away from home. From time to time, •check over the tree to see if needles near the lights are turning brown. If they have, move the lights. Watch the calendar. N e w Year's is the day for the tree to go down. If you should extend the time, don't leave the lights on the tree for more than a half hour at a time. Place the tree well away from stoves, radiators, and other sourc- es of heat. When you smoke, stay away from the tree. Also be sure that the tree is secured in such a way that it cannot fall. Do not put it near a doorway where it might block an avenue of escape, should a fire occur. rote Famous Faun " r 0' 4!t Dr. Clement Clarke Moore was ashamed of his famous poem, "Night Before Christmas" and would not acknowledge that he wrote it for more than 20 years. Today, the poem which be- gins— 'Twas the night before Christ- mas when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse:— is one of the most beloved of all' Christmas writings. Dr. Moore was an aloof pro- fessor of Greek and Oriental lit- erature in the Episcopal Semin- ary in New York. He wrote the poem on Christmas Eve 1822 and read it to his seven children. He had not planned for the poem to go further than his own family, but .a relative who was visiting the Moores put a copy in her diary. The next year the relative's father sent it to a newspaper. Other newspapers printed the jingles and they quickly became known all over the country. The dignified Dr. Moore. was embar- rassed and considered it beneath a man of his scholastic standing to be the author of children's jingles. Twenty-two years later, how. ever, he finally publicly admitted authorship of the jingles and it was published in book form un- der his name for the first, time. ,Nativity Play ith Local Scene Round about 1930 Henri Gheon, well-known French author and playwright, founded a small act- ing group called "Les Compag. nons des Jeux", Rehearsing in the evenings and playing mostly at week -ends, the company per- formed mainly religious plays. Their acting was simple and in. tensly sincere: amateur in the best sense of the word -- using the theatre as an extension of their Christian faith. Since they played in Church halls as well as in Paris theatres, their scenery and effects were of the simplest and their plays, too, had something of that simplic- ity, Gheon himself wrote one of the most famous of these — "Christmas in the Market Place." The play is the Nativity Story acted out by a group of roving a cold Christ - Inasgypsy players on Inas 1 ve and its modern setting and idiomatic language make the story live anew whilst mait.I- taining the balance between the racy simplicity of the gypsy faintly and their personal inter- pretation of their great subject. At the Crest Theatre. under the direction of Basil Coleman we are promised an imaginative pro- duction with a Toronto street - scene as its setting, and carol- singing in which the audience will be invited to join. A cast headed by Barbara Chit. cot., Donald Davis Athelia Bail .and Eric House will include 10 - year -old David Sniderman, who has recently been highly praised for his radio and television work. The play open on Tues.. Dec. 14 and there will be periormanr- es on both Christmas Eve and Christmas night, On December 28th, Frances Hyland and Murray Davis (who has been in England for some weeks) se7 in thc company to play 13eauty and the Beast in Nicholas Stuart Gray's gay ver» sign of the old fairy tale.