Many Christmas Traditions
Come With A Foreign Accent
Krom Atlantic shores to
Hawaiian coastlines, the
world's Christmas joys and
customs enrich the holiday
season in the United States.
In the Southwest. Mexican
traditions create seasonal
fiestas. To begin the
Christmas season, a mari
achi brass band sometimes
plays at Roman Catholic
Mass in Albuquerque. N M.
Near Las Cruces, N. M.,
American Indian dances
mix with Spanish religious
processions, the National
Geographic Society says.
Three centuries ago
Canadian Frenchmen
known as Acadians grew
fond of a German cookie
called Lebkuchqn. They
added a dash of this and that
and made it their own.
Acadians Save Cookies
In 1755 the Acadians were
banished from Canada.
They lost a homelandr but
they saved precious tradi
tions. including their Ger
man holiday cookie, which
they continue to enjoy in
Louisiana.
In rural Alabama even
WONDKK OFC.'IIHIS IMAS shines in > oinineves al a Mora
vian Christinas K\e lo\eleast in Old Salem. North ( arolina.
Tilt' lo\efeast, a shaimu ot a simple nival with music and
meditation, is one oflhe maiix customs Irom other lands th.it
hriuliten the holiij^ix^scason tlnounhoiit the I niled States.
county sheriffs break the
law on Christmas Eve.
Forbidden firecracker
blasts rock the night. The
earsplitting custom recalls
noisy Spanish and French
celebrations during the
rowdy early days of Dixie.
A century and a half ago
German immigrants
brought a treasure trove of
yuletide delights-Christ
mas trees, lights, bright
tinsel decorations, fancy
cookie cutters, spices,
chocolates, marzipan, and
dozens of other decorative
and tasty holiday items.
Among Scandinavia's con
tributions are dovelskatter,
or "devil's cats." These
special buns served by
Swedes on candlelit St.
Lucia day in mid-December
recall an ancient belief that
evil spirits roamed the earth
about the first day of winter.
A Christmas Eve love
feast bridges the present
and past in Old Salem A
tranquil fold of the past set
in the heart of modern
Winston-Salem, the restored
town recaptures the sights
and sounds known to hardy
Moravians who built it on a
wilderness hillside begin
ning in 1766.
Decorated the Lawns
The Moravians who came
to America from lands now
forming part of Czechoslo
vakia introduced the custom
of decorating their lawns
and the outsides of their
churches and houses during
the holiday season. The
custom soon spread
throughout the country.
Santa Claus, or Saint
Nicholas, arrived in the New
World in the 1600s with
Dutch settlers who called
him Saint Nickolaas and
Sinter Klass.
Nativity scenes came
from medieval Italy, but
they can also be found today
all over the United States.
including Hawaii's Waikiki
Beach where figures of ihe
Three Wise Men may be
decked out in leis of orchids
Holiday dinners in the 50th
state are often far from
traditional Big favorites
are turkey teriyaki with all
the .Japanese trimmings and
shv i n'v Korea 11 beef koggi _
vsmsmms
A Word To The Wise...
Selecting Safer Toys
Awareness on the part uf holiday buyers ean help elim
inate needless accidents with tlimsy or poorly constructed
toys. These guidelines will help responsible Christmas
shoppers make safe selections:
Be sure tlie toy is suitable to the child's age. and ability
and that the instructions nr.- easy to follow
Toys that release small objects if broken are dangerous
Tiny toys or dolls with button eyes, or pieces that ean come
loose easily, should b.> avoided as Kilts for younirci chil
dren. A small child could choke on am of these.
Be on the alert for sharp edges and corners or pointed
objects.
Small fingers could be trapped in small, tight spaces
Check for these.
Most toys,-games and dolls are packaged by the time
they reach the store. Examine the open .sample carefully
before making your selection. You'll be happy you did!
POINSETTI AS ARF. A CHRIS TM \S HIGHLIGHT
\T CALLAWAY «.\RI)F\S
PINfc MOUNTAIN. Cia - As the season of Christmas
approaches, the Greenhouse at (Vllawav (.ardens in Pine
Mountain. (<a., prepare for llu traditionally beautiful
poinsettias displayHere J:«»i Duffs . a horticulturist at Callaway
Gardens, shows a lev* ot the mam reii, white and''pink
poinsetlias which will fill the Grceni>■"••><.- Conservatory with the
spirit of the season throuiji December. Hours are daily from
7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.in.
Gardening
IinQheJouthj
CMHIS I'M \S i'l i )V\ !■ RS
bv
n: \\k II \M.m\
Uorticulluri •.
( (liii-i!'ns
Christmas is many colors,
but predominately red Hurt
arc red ribbons ami bo'Vs,
candy canes. red nose s.. tin nil
suit »>l Santa. and of coursi : I
dramatic red of poinscttias. ttie
flowpriiip symbol of il.i
season.
Soon thousands of h d
poinscttias will appeal in
churches, homes, offices anc
public buildings, liut few
people. who know their
beauty, .now (In history ml'
these traditional plants
Poinsettiie- were .1
cultivated by the ancient K<
In 11 a n - Ions; be' ore
Christianity came to l Hi
continent Hecause i lit
flowering time coincided with
the Nativity. early. Spanish
missionaries gathered masses of
these red bloomine flowers :..id
decorated churches and
processional routes with them.
In tile early 190(Vs. Joel
Poinsett. the first IS
ambassador to Mexico and a
prominent botanist. was
impressed with this member of
the milkweed family He sent
plants to his home in
(Ireenville. S l ... to cultivate
and further distribute It i
from Poinsett th« plant derives
lis name
Poitisel tias. as we know
them tod,i\ are a tar cry Iroin
t! osi original plants Hie lick'
family of California inn
instrumental 111 hybridizing and
distributing poiHsrtiias
throughout \merica
Because of scientific
breeding and selecting, today 's
poinscttias come in whites,
pinks and reds and arc
relativity diseasi In ■ .
long-lasting and hold their
v'olor long after Christinas
Poinscttias are an cvcllcnt
seasonal buy. with something
for everyone from four inch:
"Pixies" to massive Hanging
baskets
There are other wonderful
plants you need to consider for
the holiday season.
licgonias, the traditional
flower of Scandanavia and
northern Kurope. are steadily
pTTT n:g 111 popularity "irTTfie*
I nitcd States. Otto Reiger, a
I iri'pca.n breeder. produced
th< first Klatior' or 'Reiger'
b • .011 la. by crossi ng
w i nt er flowering fiberous
It. with tuberous
hcgohias. These multi-flowered
a - brids come in the
"Aphrodite series". with
pendulation flowers and
<rit!ii lies. and the upright
type-. Hegonias flower
prolihi'h during the.short days
of winter, hut their waxy green
leaves are lush and verdant year
'round.
i M Iainen are truly beautiful
plants also available now
through February. From a
distance they create the
illusion of fairy moths hovering
above a mass of jade.
lwiUi+<4u»esr a-* succulent,
have likewise become popular
Christmas plants. They come in
many vibrant shades of red,
violets orange, yellow and pink.
Don't overlook the less
traditional plant such as white
Chrysanthemums, Christmas
Cactus, Jeruselum Cherries and
Ornamental Peppers. All add
beauty and charm to any
decor
A few simple guidelines will
hi lp you to get the most out of
holiday plant.
! ir-t. be certain your plant
is properly wrapped when
i aVin'g the florist or place of
purchase to avoid cold weather
and aind damage. Display your
plant in a •-pot where sufficient
light is present to continue the
blooming cycle. Keep the plant
moist to the touch but not
wet Avoid decorative
containers, water the plant
separately and let it drain in a
ink. Finally, keep plants away
Ironi drafts and heat registers
to avoid leaf drop.
Follow these simple
suggestions and enjoy your
plants for weeks to come.
Merry Christmas!
For more information write
Horticulture Department,
Callaway Gardens, Pine
Mountain. Georgia 31822.
(I'RN)
Foundations Give
Millions Annually
Foundations give over $42
million annually to charit
able recipients }n North
Carolina. Half of these funds
are given to educational
institutions, mainly private
colleges and universities.
Almost a third goes to
medical schools, hospitals,
and other programs in the
health field
The remaining $8-9 mil
lion goes to a variety of
other programs, including
child welfare, recreation,
arts, community funds,
youth agencies, religious
organizations, research in
stitutes, community de
velopment, and the aging
Over $34 million of the
gran's seceived by North
Carolina organizations
comes from foundations
located in North Carolina,
while over $8 million comes
from foundations outside the
state
These figures are based
on a study released today by
the Southeastern Council of
Foundations entitled Foun
dation Philanthropy in the
Southeast This 81-page
report presents the findings
of a research project on the
grant-making of southeast
ern foundations and tjie
"grants to southeastern re
cipients by foundations
located outside the region in
1974
The author of the study.
Charles S Rooks, believes
the patterns exhibited in
1974 would generally apply
to other years as well.
In the Southeast as a
whole, charitable recipients
obtain over S158 million in
foundation grants Region
ally. 42 percent of the grants
goes to education. 29 percent
to health. 16 percent to a
variety of activ ities labelled
welfare and 4 percent each
to arts and humanities, to
religion, and to science &
technology.
\lost health grants go to
programs to educate health
professionals and to hospi
tals In the welfare category
the most heavily supported
activities are youth agen
cies. recreation, community
funds, child welfare, social
agencies, community de
velopment. and delinquency
and crime
The study revealed that
over $20 million, or 13
percent of the total grants,
went to minority group
recipients in the Southeast
The 11 states included in
the study were: Alabama.
Arkansas. Florida. Georgia.
Kentucky. Louisiana. Miss
issippi. North Carolina.
South Carolina. Tennessee
and Virginia
In North Carolina in 1974
the leading recipients of
foundation funds (ranging
from $11,717,083 to $200,000)
were: Duke University,
Wake Forest University,
Davidson College, Univer
sity of North Carolina,
Center for Creative Leader
ship. Johnson C. Smith
University, Pitt County
Hospital. North Carolina A
& T State University,
Guilford College, Tangle
wood Park. Memorial Hos
pital of Wade County,
Alliance for Progress; N. C.
School of the Arts Founda
tion, Meredith College, N. C.
Baptist Hospital. Blue Ridge
Hospital System. Mercy
Hospital. Cabarrus Memor
ial Hospital. Presbyterian
Hospital. Board of Educa
tion - Washington County.
St Joseph Hospital. Warren
Wilson College. Wesley
Long Community Hospital,
Montreat-Anderson College,
V C Hospital Education &
Research Foundation,
YMCA. Margaret Pardee
Hospital, and the Charlotte
Information Center.
Forty North Carolina
foundations were included
in ihe study The largest
grantor was the Duke
Endowment which contri
buted over S2o million
Seven other foundations - Z.
Smith Reynolds. Smith
Richardson. Burlington In
dustries. Winston-Salem,
Mary Reynolds Babcock,
Kate B Reynolds Charit
able Trust, and Cannon and
Mary Duke Biddle - each
made grants ranging from
.$.->0(1.00(1 to SI million Eleven
others made grants of more
than $100.(MM), and the grants
of the remaining 18 founda
tions ranged below the
SUM),(MM) level.
The study also revealed
that at least 21? foundations
located outside the South
east made contributions
totalling over $7 million to
North Carolina recipients.
The leading grantors (rang
ing from SI. 165.000 to
$200,000) were: Kresge
Foundation. Rockefeller
Foundation. Ford Founda
tion. W R Kenan. Jr. Trust.
Lilly Endowment, Alfred P.
Sloan Foundation. Weyer
haeuser Company Founda
tion. Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation. W K Kellogg
Foundation. Russell Sage
Foundation, and Charles A.
Dana Foundation.
The Southeastern Council
of Foundations, headquar
tered in Atlanta. Georgia, is
a professional association of
more than 168 philanthropic
foundations operating in
eleven southeastern states.