The Citizen, 1989-12-22, Page 27The origins of customs
THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22. 1989. PAGE 27.
MEDDYCHQISTM AS
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 origi
nated.
The ancient Druids can be thank
ed 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 mircles of
healing, protect against witchcraft,
and make the land fertile. The
origin of the custom of kissing
A Dickens
Christmas
ideal
Ask any Canadian for their
definition of the best possible
Christmas and you will get a
variety of answers.
But one phrase will often occur.
“Wouldn’t it be nice,” many will
say, “if we could only have a real,
old fashioned, Dickensian Christ
mas?
Dickens did not invent Christmas
but he did cast a special glow
around it in his imaginative novels.
In ‘A Christmas Carol’ he paints
the pathetic tale of an old skinflint,
Ebenezer Scrooge, who in grasping
for money had lost sentimentality,
and emotion, and charity. Of
course, Scrooge is changed in the
story.
Around the proceedings at Din
gley Dell in “The Pickwick Papers”
Dickens portrays a Christmas
house party with Mr. Pickwick
satisfied, relaxed, and saying,
“This is indeed comfort.”
The only problem is that Dickens
doesn’t say Christmas only lasted
for one day.
What we need is a faith that will
make every day a Christmas day in
our lives. Something positive, and
vibrant, and viable.
Have the
greatest
Christinas
ever!
Thanks for making ours
a real treat!
WALTON INN
1 '* - • ' J
887-9517
under the mistletoe is not known,
but it may have been inspired by
the plant’s supposed powers of
fertility.
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.
Martin Luther, a German, is
thought to have first decorated the
Christmas tree. The story goes that
Luther, walking under 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
Queen St.,
Blyth
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The residents and staff of the Rammeloo Rest Home
would like to wish all of those who helped to make our
Christmas a little brighter Health, happiness and
prosperity to each and every one of you, now and in the
coming year.
MERRYCHRISTMAS&A HAPPY NEW YEAR
FROM
RAMMELOO GUEST HOME
BOX220 BLYTH
Season’s Greetings
from
Ken, Murray, George & Wayne
II AMM S CAR SALES
Blyth
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 holi
day season.
The custom of sending Christ
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 celebrating the
season, with two smaller motifs
depicting charitable acts: “Cloth
ing the Naked” and “Feeding the
Hungry”. The card was lithograph
ed and sold in 1846, and thus the
Christmas card was bom.
Whether originating in legend or
real life, the customs of Christmas
enrich the season for us all.
Thanks for
your Patronage
May the warm
Christmas tradition
grace your holiday
with health and
happiness.
Sue's
Hairstyling
Brussels 887-6072
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Let’s cherish the spirit of Christmas
and the joy of friendship.
orj
DOUGLAS B. PALMER
DC D T F.I.A.C.A.
•Chiropractor •Acupuncturist God^h®8' st’’
•Drugless Therapist 524-4555
O Come Let Us Adore Him
May peace on earth and
good will to all mankind
prevail as we celebrate
the miracle of Christmas