For
Kissing
Secular and reli
gious Christmas cus
toms met in the old
English "kissing
bunch.” This ever
green ball had mistle
toe, for kissing, hung
from the center.
But it also contained
small dolls to repre
sent Jesus, Mary and
Joseph, as well as an
array of fruits and
colorful ornaments.
OLD CUSTOM
In ancient times, mistletoe
was used to insure the favor
able outcome of crops. Later,
its charm was invoked to hap
pily guide the destinies of
young lovers. Through the cen
turies, long after the Druids,
who popularized mistletoe with
symbolic rites, were absorbed
by other cultures, the custom
of hanging the mistletoe per
sisted.
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take this opportunity to extend warmest
wishes to our many friends. Hope you are
for tjie happiest holiday season ever!
KEITH’S BODY & FENDER
KEITH
745-3625
MELENDY
Palmer
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Matanuska Valley CredH Bureau j
MERRITT AND PHVLUS LONG j
745-3814 *
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MANY CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS OBSERVED
EVERY YEAR ARE CENTURIES OLD
Of the Christmas customs
observed throughout the Chris
tian world for centuries, among
the most well-known are those
of the yule log, the Christmas
tree, and mistletoe.
The Yule log dates back to
the time of the Saxons and
Goths who burned such a log
at their festival of winter sol
stice on Christmas Eve in Old
English homes. There was a
great ceremony centered about
bringing the log into the house.
It was lighted with a bit of tin
der carefully preserved from
the fire of the preceding year,
l he log was supposed to shine
ill night and if it went out it
was a sign of bad luck. The
Yule log is still burnt in many
farm houses of Northern Eng
IN JAPAN
Christmas is observed wide
ly in Japan despite the fact that
fewer than one per cent of the
country’s population is Chris
tian. Each year, Tokyo’s streets
are bright with holiday decora
tions, and “White Christmas’’ is
almost as popular as it is in
America.
land, and there are many
superstitions connected with it.
If, while the log is on fire, a
squint-eyed or bare foot person
comes into the house it is con
sidered to be bad luck.
Christmas Tree
Many lands claim 'he start
of the Christmas tree. Its use
has long been common in
Germany. There is one story
told of Martin Luther, who on
his way home on Christmas
Eve, looked up at the sky and
was taken aback by its beauty.
Unable to express his emotions
in words to his wife, he went
out and brought in a fir tree.
He lighted small candles and
placed them upon the branches,
saying that this was like the
Christmas sky.
Mistletoe
There are many legends cen
tered around the mistletoe. Its
annual cutting was an occasion
of great solemnity and import
ance among the ancient Brit
ons. This cutting took place
about the middle of what we
now call November. A proces
sion led by a priest in white
robes chose an oak, and the
priest climbed the tree and cut
the desired branch himself
with a golden sickle. The
branch was caught in a cloth
held by beautiful girls. Follow
ing this ceremony, there were
sacrifices to the gods and fes
tivities. Before the people left
to go home, each was given a
share of the mistletoe, which ■
they hung above their doors to
keep away all evil.
In Scandinavian mythology,
the mistletoe is blamed for the
death of a god, Balder. Balder
was the whitest and most be
loved of all the gods. He had
one and only one enemy, the
wicked spirit Loki. Balder had
a feeling that he was going to
die, so he told his mother
Freyja. She in turn exacted an
oath from all created things
that they would do him no
harm, but she overlooked the
mistletoe. Loki learned of this
exception, and by means of a
dart made from the mistletoe
killed Balder. For a long time
following this incident, mistle
toe was considered wicked and
very cursed. Finally Freyja
transformed the mistletoe and
made it once more a symbol of
love.
SAFE HOLIDAY
Christmas is a time to re
member the happy things.
Yet it is sometimes a time of
tragedy.
More holiday accidents
take place during the last 6
hours before Christmas Eve
than during the remainder
of the holiday. The hourly
rate for fatal accidents is S
times greater during this 6
hour period than during the
rest of the holiday season.
These accidents happen on
the highways and in the
homes. If you are driving,
don't get in too big a hurry.
If you are at home, be sure
your tree is a safe one, that
your wiring is adequate. ;
Turn off the Christmas tree I
lights if you leave the house. 1
Frontiersman Classified Get Results!
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A JOYOUS I
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•£/ the joy of Christmas
reach into every heart,
as with scripture, song
and prayer, w.e recall the
wonder of His birth.
VALLEY SAUSAGE KITGHEN
ED and ELEANOR HARTNER
745-3095
Palmer
Many Popular Christmas Customs
Got Their Beginning From Saints
Decorating an evergreen tree.
Carrolling through the streets
On Christmas Eve, Hanging
stockings on the fireplace man
tel. How did these and other
old Christmas customs get star
ted?
Christmas Tree Idea
The Christmas tree dates hack
to the ninth century and Saint
Winifred who was traveling
around northern Germany
preaching Christianity. He
■ame upon a group of people
gathered around a huge oak
tree to offer human sacrifice to
their pagan gods.
According to legend. Saint
Winifred hewed down the oak,
and a tall fir tree appeared in
its place. The miracle was hail
ed far and wide and from that
day on, it became the custom
for the German families to
gather about a tall evergreen
on Christmas Eve.
Martin Luther decorated the
first tree in the Kith century.
He placed candles on a small
evergreen to symbolize the
.,tars.
Italy Started Carolling
Carolling started in 13th cen
tury Italy. St. Francis of Assisi
encouraged villages to display!
the nativity scene and act cut i
th t Christmas si .ry in 'assion
plays Later carols were com
posed to go along with the
the plays and the custom of
carolling through the streets
got started.
One of the most beautiful
customs involving carolling is
still observed in Austria every
Christmas Eve. Beginning with
the family living the farthest
from the village church, torch
bearing carollers form a pro
cession through the village. At
each he use, the procession is
joined by all the inhabitants.
Eventually the entire village
is part of the procession as it
arrives at the church steps
Children's Patron Saint
Saint Nicholas has been leav
ing gifts for good little boys and
girls on Christmas Eve ever
nal St. Nicholas was a Turkish
since the 4th century. The orig
inal Et. Nicholas was a Turkish
Bishop, noted for his works of
charity, who became the patron
saint of children.
Martin Luther later substi
tuted the Christ Child or
Christkindlein for St. Nicholas
as the bearer of gifts in Ger
many. Later a German colony
led by William Penn settled in
Pennsylvania, and again Santa
changed his name. The settlers
had brought Christkindlein
ivith them but somehow it got
transformed into Kris Kringle..
The Dutch may have nick
named St. Nicholas “Santa
Claus” for short, but his image
as a fat little man with rosy
cheeks and white beard comes
from the famous American
poem "The Night Before
Christmas.”
During the 19th century,
Santa recrossed tne Atlantic
from the United States and be
anie known as “Father Christ
mas" m England and "Pere
Noel” in France.
Dutch Hung Stockings
The Dutch are believed to
have been the first to hang
stockings on the fireplace man
tel. One story says it started
when St. Nicholas came upon a
poor man who couldn't afford
a dowry for his daughters.
Noticing a stocking hung up
near the fireplace to dry. Saint
Nicholas slipped some gold
pieces into it.
In some countries, Italy for
example, the children put out
their shoes instead of stockings.
Christmas Card Custom
One of the more modern
Christmas customs is sending
Christmas greetings each year.
In a little over a century—they
first got started in England in
1843—this relatively new cus
tom has become well establish
ed.
In that year, Sir Henry Cole 1
commissioned an artist named j
John Horsley to design a'
Christmas “greeting” for him
because he was “too busy to:
write to his friends at Christ- -
mas.”
Since then, the sending of
Christmas cards has become al
most universal, although in
some countries, greetings are
sent for the New Year, instead
of Christmas.
This year, more than S1^ bil
lion Christmas cards will be
mailed in the United States,
alone, says Rust Craft Greeting
Cards. This is an average of ap
proximately 18 cards per per
son.
"0 Christmas Tree"
Means Fir to Most
Traditional for trimming,
the fir is the tree most people
think of when they sing “O
Christmas tree, O Christmas
tree, how lovely are thy bran
ches.”
Although there are close to
40 species of firs found in Cen
tral and Southern Europe.
Asia north of the Himalayas,
and North America, the holi
day favorite — the Douglas fir
— is not even a true fir.
Originally named false hem
lock with yew-like needles,
the Douglas fir is neither a
yew, hemlock, spruce nor fir.
But it does have some of the
characteristics of all four ev
ergreens, and its identity con
fused botanists for years.
The Douglas fir's graceful,
upturned growth and ability to
hold its needles when cut have
put it in the top spot for
Christmas use. It also produces
top-quality lumber. The state
of Montana is an important
source of Douglas firs.
Next popular Christmas tree
is the balsam fir. Also called
Canada balsam or Balm of
Gilead, according to The En
cyclopedia Americana, balsam
grows from Newfoundland to
Virginia, west to Iowa and
north and west deep into
Canada.
Balsam retains needles well
and give off a pleasing frag
rance. It is especially well-lik
ed in the Eastern United
States.
Included among the many
other Christmas choices are
the Eastern red cedar, black
spruce and Scotch pine.
Canadian Christmas trees,
from seven provinces, are part
of the holiday scene in many
countries. The United States,
alone, accounts for about 90
per cent of Canada’s annual
production of trees. Still oth
ers are shipped abroad, from
Ethiopia to Venezuela.
When Organ Broke
“Silont Night” was first sung
at Christmas 1818,
The church organ in an Aus
trian village had broken down
— impaired by mice, so the
story goes. Father Joseph
Mohr wrote the poem and his
organist, Franz Gruber, com
posed the music
The congregation, which
had been saddened because
there would be no music for
Christmas, sang “Silent Night”
to a guitar accompaniment.
SECOND USE
Broken Christmas tree deco
rations can still be useful. Cut
cardboard .nto star shapes and
apply fresh, white shellac.
While the shellac is still wet.
place the fragments securely
on the cardboard. When dry.
the shi Hue will hold them in
place
CARD FAVORITES
The Nativity Scene is by far
the most popular Christmas
card l ustration, followed by
winter scenes. In recent years,
the works of great masters
have been featured. One mod
ern-day artist. Grandma Moses
has l eer me famous for Christ
mas illustrations.
* * JK* £
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happiness
X* *
BEST wishes
< * **
‘
OOOD CHEER
RAY’S LIQUOR STORE
RAY BYHAM
t Palmer
worship
Him. so may you
find the
peace and joy of
a holy Christmas.
B & C AUTO ELECTRIC
\ 745-3310 raimer *
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