Zurich Citizens News, 1975-12-22, Page 16Page 16 Citizens News, Dec. 22/75
Married at St. Boniface Church
Jane Theresa Gelinas and Patrick Gerard Bedard were
united in marriage November 29, 1975 in St. Boniface Roman
Catholic Church, Zurich by Rev. A.J. Durand. The bride is
the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Claude Gelinas and the groom
is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Bedard, all of Zurich.
The bride's attendants were Brenda Gelinas, Cathy Gelinas
and Sally Desjardine. The groom was attended by Ron Desj-
ardine, Aubrey Bedard, Steve Bedour, Jim Wildfong and
Marc Gelinas. Flowergirl was Collette Bedard, niece of the
groom. The couple are residing at R.R.3, Zurich.
E,�wli
Our sincere wishes for
a holiday abounding with memory -
making g+od times. We
extend thanks for your loyalty
and continued confidence.
BERT KLOPP
Co -Operator's Insurance Association
R.R.3 ZURICH 236-4988
`ChristlCind'li' of Swilzerland
Reappears at Hely Season
Christmas has a unique
significance in the German
and French speaking re-
gions of Switzerland be-
cause the "Christkindli," or
Christ Child, is believed to
walk on earth during this
season.
Instead of Santa Claus,
the "Christkindli," repre-
sented as a beautiful, radi-
ant, angel -like being with
wings carrying a magic
wand and wearing a shining
crown, distributes Christ-
mas gifts and Christmas
trees glittering with fanci-
ful decorations.
Although the "Christ-
kindli" is commonly be-
lieved to personify the
Christ -Child, he is some-
times represented as an
angel bearing a light or a
star just as an angel her-
alded the birth of Christ
at Bethlehem. On the other
hand, the "Christkindli"
has some of the character-
istics of a sprite, as sug-
gested by the wand and the
wings, which can be linked
to pre -Christian beliefs.
Some suggest he may stem
from the pagan custom of
representing the New Year
as a radiant and beautiful
child.
Like Santa, the "Christ-
kindli" also arrives in a
sleigh drawn by reindeer,
so there would appear to be
some intermingling of
Christmas legends here.
St. Nicholas is represented
in several ways in different
parts of Switzerland. In
some, he is called Father
Christmas and comes with
his wife, Lucy (representing
St. Lucy whose feast day is
December 13) to distribute
gifts. He wears the tradi-
tional Santa Claus costume,
Climate Key to
Time of
Holy Birth
The evidence that the
journey of Mary and Joseph
from Nazareth to Bethle-
hem took place in the dry
season, that is, before the
onset of winter, depends to
some extent on what we
know about the climate of
Palestine today, which,
scholars believe, is not very
different from what it was
during the time of Jesus.
The annual mean tem-
perature is a pleasant
enough 62.8 degrees Fah-
renheit, with a range from
a high of 112 degrees to a
low in winter of only 12
degrees.
While the lowland plains,
nearer the Mediterranean
Sea, receive heavy rains
from November to April,
winter in the hills can bring
biting frost, bitter winds
and even snow.
Nazareth, the city of
Jesus, was a town of some
note in southern Galilee,
near the western edge of
the fertile plain of Esdra-
elon.
This area provides more
clues to the time of the
journey for scholars who
look to the still fertile and
well -watered hills of Galilee
and into the less favored
hill country of Judea, where
the cultivation of grains,
olives and vines tended to
give way to the grazing of
sheep, especially in the dry
season.
So it can also be assumed
that the holy journey was
during the dry season by
looking to the Bible in
which Saint Luke says
that in the same country
were shepherds looking
over their flocks,
POPE'S YULE
INSTRUCTIONS
Pope Gregory I in his
instructions to missionaries
on Christmas festivities
sent out from Rome in the
year 601: "The people .
should celebrate a religious
feast and worship God by
their feasting, so that still
keeping outward pleasures,
they may more readily re-
ceive spiritual joys."
while Lucy wears a round
cap over her long braids, a
laced bodice and a fancy
apron..
In the central part of
Switzerland, St. Nicholas is
represented more realisti-
cally in his bishop's regalia
complete with mitre and
crosier. On St. Nicholas'
Day, which falls on Decem-
ber 6th, there is a magnifi-
cent parade in which white
bearded masqueraders,
clothed in long white shirts,
carry huge three-foot
mitre -shaped lanterns over
their heads. These lanterns
are perforated in intricate
religious designs, similar to
church windows, and when
the candlelight shines
through them, as their
bearers execute a stately
dance, they are an impres-
sive sight indeed,
In the village of Urnaesch
in the Canton of Appenzell,
the men and boys go "Santa
Clausing." Some wear red
Santa Claus costumes with
jingling bells while others,
dressed and masked as "la-
dies," wear enormous, elab-
orate picture hats decorated
with panoramas of Alpine
scenes. Starting early in the
day on New Year's Eve, the
group proceeds through the
village with an unusual
hopscotch gait, stopping at
each farm to share their
merriment and partake of
refreshments, When dark-
ness falls, they all head for
the Valley to pursue their
New Year revelry.
4,