Newspapers / Salem College Student Newspaper / Dec. 7, 1989, edition 1 / Page 4
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page Features Moravian Traditions Continue by Steffan Hambright and Hope Lamm Old Salem is famous for its special traditions and preservation of an historic way of life. No other time of the year shows this more clearly than the Christmas season. Beginning in late November there is a special, festive feeling in the air. Traditions are upheld with reverence and love, and visitors are welcomed into the celebration with open arms. The Candle Tea is when the congregation opens its Church to the community and shares the Moravian customs and traditions. The Advent Wreath is another Moravian symbol. While it has no Moravian background, it has become apart of Moravian Christmas celebrations in homes and churches. It consists of a large wreath with four beeswax candles A red ribbon is attached to the greenery and runs to a center rod which is topped by a smal Moravian star. The wreath is filled with tiny toys, God's creatures, and other ornaments symbolizing the interests of the particular family that owns it. The Advent season begins on the first Sunday in December. The Moravians begin their celebration ' 2> 5* by Anne Tucker Over Thanksgiving break, my mother asked me to make out a Christmas list. I hadn’t really thought about it, but I was able to come up with a few things any way. Let's see. There's that pair of red python boots with matching gold-studded belt and the Christian Dior faux jewelry ensemble. But there was one thing missing, the biggie, that so tremendously terrific and wonderful present that I wanted. rhe>-kind of gift that every time /ou see it your eyes gleam and your palms sweat. I started a new list just so I would put it at the top, the ultimate in toy technology, the Fisher Price McDonald's Drive Thru. When 1 imagine all of those fun filled hours of scooping fries and pumping soft-serve, it sends chills down my spine. It's the same kind of tingly sensation you had when you were a kid. Of course, the entire year revolved around Christmas, when, for a few blissful hours, the whole house was transformed into fantasy on the first Sunday of Advent by lighting the first candle which represents the birth of Christ. The second candle, which is lit on the second Sunday, stands for love. While the third candle illustrates joy, the fourth candle, lit on the fourth Sunday of Advent, depicts the second coming of Christ and their hope for eternal life. The Moravian Christmas Cookies are a tradition brought over from the original German Moravians. They are one of the most popular attractions for visitors of Old Salem during the Christmas season., The brown ginger cookies are exceptionally thin and fragile. Each cookie has the same basic recipe, which includes molasses, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger; but each one adds his or her own special touch or ingredient. In many Moravian churches and homes one might find a putz, which is a homemade representative of the nativity scene. Putz is a German word meaning "to decorate." In early days it was used to teach children the story of the birth of Christ. It can be as simple or as elaborate as one wishes. The symbols and traditions of the Moravian Christmas are what make it unique and truly heartwarming. The Moravian Star is one such symbol. It originated in Germany around 1850, however it is not known when it was brought to the United States. It is different from a regular five-pointed star in that it has many points. It is customary for Moravians to hang the star the first Sunday of Advent and let it remain until Epiphany, January 6, the traditional time of the coming of the Magi. Other traditions include the Lovefeast and candlelight service. A lovefeast is a religious service in which the congregation gathers together to share singing and a simple meal. This meal consists of a sweet bun and Moravian coffee. At the closing lit candles are distributed to everyone as they sing the closing hymn. All of these traditions add to the beauty of the Moravian religion and history of Old Salem. They ser*’c to remind us of the true, joyous meaning of Christmas. Tucker's Corner ^ ^ toyland. I can remember that revolutionary mini-bake oven (which was actually a light bulb in a box). I used all my cake mix in one day, so I had to resort to preparing such gourmet delight as toasted Cheerios, Raisin Bran, etc. The same year I got the Frosty the Snowman Snowcone Machine which looked like the coolest thing ever on television. But, I was disappointed to find out you had to be Butch the lumberjack to crank the thing. We did get to drink the flavored juice packs as a consolation, though. Play-doh was an old standby. And, I was the proud owner of the deluxe hair salon, as well as the full-service fast food eatery. The hair deal went pretty well until the stuff clogged the shafts, so onlv a few hairs would squirt through the plastic heads. Molding beef patties, cheeses, lettuce, etc was fun until oddly enough all those onions and pickles and buns somehow got squashed together into one giant mass of purplish brown goop. 1 got depressed; pretending to cat burnt burgers, so 1 trashed the thing. My sister got this box which came with two Italian T.V. dinners inside. You open them and they’re full of spaghetti and meat sauce. I could sit for hours and imagine myself enjoying a delicious pasta meal. So, you can imagine the dismay I felt when my sister informed me that I had been munching on the pegs to her Battleship game. Anyway, dolls were always fun. Each year, all the girls would wait, with great anticipation, for the new Barbie to come out. The last addition to my collection was "Kissing Barbie." She came with lipstick, lovenotes, and autograph pics, all the essentials. Her dress was an elegant pink chiffon and she had long, luxurious golden hair. It was no wonder that after an exhausting day of shopping, sunning by the dream pool, and cruising in the 'Vette, 1 felt Barbie should get a complete beauty treatment. 1 bathed her in perfumed bath oil, shampooed, conditioned, then proceeded to dry her locks into a molten ball of Brillo. No one had bothered to tell me that Barbie’s silky sheen was really wax. And so, I discovered my first Barbie fashion "no-no." Probably my all-time favorite toy was Baby Alive, the doll that would not only drink a bottle, but eat solid food, too. If you pressed her chin, she would begin to chew- Then, I would ask the baby if she preferred lime, cherry, or banana-flavored mystery packet. You know, she never spit up once. Well, clever me decided Baby getting too old for that much. She is ready for graham crackers and cheese. Right? Wrong, Baby does not feel well after her snack. Too bad Ex-lax doesn't work on dolls. It’s kind of hard being in this awkward stage, that time when you ask for a watch, when yoo would rather have that Fisher Price McDonald's Drive Thru. (By the way Mom, I'm still ticked off about not getting the Barbie Dreah* House.) But, we all have to copx;. And 1 ^ sure, in a few years, after I've had kids, someone will find me upstairs in their rooms scooping fries ana pumping soft-serve.
Salem College Student Newspaper
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Dec. 7, 1989, edition 1
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