* ' ' . I
THE WAYNESVILLE MOUNTAINEER
Christ's Birth Celebrated
In Six Different Months
While December is now the
month in which Christ's birthday
is celebrated by Christians all over
the world, research and study show
that Christ's nativity has been
celebrated in January, March.
April. May, September and October
by various peoples.
And although few people know
it. it was for the purpose of sub
stituting a Christian festival for
pagan ones of Romans and Druids
that celebrations of Christmas in
December were popularized.
No historian pretend^ to fix the
actual date of Christ's birth or the
date at which Christmas became
a general festival.
About all that is known is that
during the fourth century the feast
Of the Nativity was observed in all
western world churches at differ
ent dates.
t'^onfuslon resulting from
ccletn|^>ns in seven months of the
year caused the western church
authorities to meet in 340 to set
I
a definite date for the celebration.
The eastern churches did not co
operate until the sixth century
when December 25 was set as the
day to i?e observed.
The question has arisen innum
erable times as to why December
was selected as the month for re
joicing The answer is that this
month was chosen in order that a
Christian festival could compete
with those of the pagens, because
December was noted for its feasts
and holidays in nearly every civil
ized land.
Greeks, Romans. Saxons and
Scandinavians all took part in the
cc lebration of these festivals which
had originated before the birth of
Christ.
From the Saxons came the cere
mony of burning the Yule log. The
Saxons burned great bonfires in
honor of their god Thor. From the
Romans came the giving of* pres
ents. for this custom has been trac
I
ed to the Roman Saturnalia.
It may seem strange to claim that i
tl.e pagan riotousness might be the I
forebear of the Christian holiday
of goodness and love, but inter
mingled with that which was ob
jectionable, were things that have
gene straight to the hearts of peo
ple throughout the Christian world.
I M/ Many thanks for giving us
V /I the opportunity to serve you
^ / in 1956. Hope we continue to be so
| ~ J favored in 1957. Happy holidays!
- * L
BALENTINE'S SUPERETTE
Way,ne.sville v
?
Chicago Recalls
Christmas, 1804
Surely there will never be an
other Christmas celebration like
the one in Chicago in 1804.
Captain John Whistler (grand
father of the painter who painted
the famous 'Whistlers Mother")
was in command of the garrison at
i Fort Dearborn and he decided that
there should be a great feast?com
plete with music, dancing and a
' splendid Christmas tree.
Soldiers'from the garrison went
a-hunling in the woods just north
of the river and came back with a
fat buck deer, some rabbits, a rac
1 coon or two. a few wild tut keys.
; Added to the roasting pig (con
! trihuted by somp festive-minded
1 citizen" and the magnificent Christ
mas pudding, these morsels provid
ed abundance for all. Everybody
?the civilians and the military?
drank a toast to Thomas Jefferson,
the President of the United States.
The punch was "dizzy" and there
were fifes and drums and a couple
of fiddles to play for the dar.cing.
I It was getting late when a watch
er in one of the blockhouses gave
a warning shout that Indians were
appioaching. but they turned out
to be friendly Indians who came
bearing gifts to the feast. They
watched the white folks dance, and*
when the whites were exhausted,
the redskins took the floor and be
gan a wild, whooping dance of
their own which climaxed Chi
; cago's unique Christmas celebra
1 tion in 1804
Nearly half of the foreign stu
d"iits in the United States come
here on their family's funds. The
remainder receive financial assis
tance from private organizations in
the United States. About ten per
cent receive aid from United States
and foreign governments.
. ' . "Ifcl^ (RM|? ~ ; rr , I
'T
a oenu menni^
Ckni4tnaa4...
I
TOWN OF WAYNESVILLE .
J. H. WAY, MAYOR .
*
? G. C. FERGUSON, CITY MANAGER
ALDERMEN:
HENRY GADDY ? HENRY MILLER ? JOE LINER
,
??WRWh ? ? ^ ?*s*r 'W I??? I? II IMPII 111? l| II ?
EVERYBODY WORKS HARD at the postotTiee
during the Christmas rush, hut carriers especially
have to bear a heavy load. Here William P. Boyd.
Jr.. rural carrier on Route 2, Wajrnwvillt, looks
for a spot to deposit the stark of parrels in his
,#rnts. tMountaineer l*Uoto>.
Christmas Does Not Change
With Passing Of Centuries
"How I long to see just on1,
more 'old-fashioned Christmas'."
These are familiar words at this
time of the year. Before the Yule
tide season is over, some member
of the family, grandfather or grand
mother. probably, is certain to pass
that remark, as they hate done
each Christmas of the past.
And yet, if we search back into
the records ... to the turn of the
century, say . . we find that, even
then, someone was wishing for "an
old-fashioned Christmas." It is
then that we realize that the cele
bration of the birth of Clirist has
not changed greatly with the pas
sage of centuries. Basically, Christ
inas is the same, year after year, it
is Only the world and tire people
who are not the same.
lie may hot admit it. but when
grandfather first began to raise a
family, he overheard his elders
musing over the changing Christ
mas customs and heralding the
approach to "complete commercial
ism" of the Yuletide celebration.
Even then they were worried.
No one can deny that Christmas
has been greatly "commercialized"
since the days of early America.
Yet, so has the entire nation. In
the days of our ancestors there
were none of the vast trading cen
... ... . . . . . i .
i uts, and. commercial marts that
i we know today. Our very way of
iilt- has been greatly changed with
modernization. Our holidays, and
Christmas is the principal one.
have managed to keep abreast.
SI ill, witnout reservation. Christ
inas is basically unchanged in its
true meaning as a celebration of
the birth of the Christ-Child re
deemer. come to save the world.
No matter how great or how small
the presents piled beneath the tree,
each Christian heart never ceases
to remember that Christmas is
Christ's day.
Christmas Was*
Moveable Feast
In Early Times
Christinas was once a movable
f< asl The eastern branches of the
Christian church usually celebrat
ed it in April or May, Western
Europe sometime in January.
In 337 A.D., St. Cyril, bishop
of Jerusalem, set out to make the
date universal. With the permis
sion of Hop? JaaiUM 4. lie appointed
a commission to determine, if pos
sible. the precise date of Christ's
[': '? ..]
! nativity. The theologians ol the
| Church .finally agreed upon Pecem
j In i 25. and since the year 354 this
date has been celebrated.
Members of the Greek, Russian
and Ukrainian Orthodox churches
iin the 20th century observed the
date of January 7.
Russian People
Also Can Say
'Merry Christmas'
"S Rojdestvom Xristovym."
That's what a Russian would say
lo you if you were in Russia on
Christmas day and lie wished to
extend the season's greetings
The phrase is the Russian's way
of saying: Merry Christmas."
in the past, the Russian's Christ
inas* wis closely associated with
| his church; but now the day is ob
served nqw that the religious life
| lias iieen subjugated in the Soviet,
; one would have to be behind the
| "iron curtain" to know
fiuLiC not always like that.
'''Tm 'other dftys' the Russian C fir ret
inas was much like the Ukrainian.
There was a Santa C'laus known as
j "Oedushka Moroz" and there were
I traditional gifts of red boots for
[children and golden slippers for
{young girls,
in certain parts of the country
the "baboushka" ? grandmother!
I was the legendary dispenser of
i ills. According lo one story, she
repented of unkindness and ever
since has tried to make amends
I > distributing gifts to children at
Christmas.
Holiy Superstition:
It Will Determine
Ruler Of House
Husbands and wives! Attention!
There is an o'd superstition aboW
holly th it will interest you. It was
a belief of the ancients that the
first to bring Christmas holly into
the house, either husband or wife,
wculd be the one to rule the house
hold during the ensuing year.
But don't put too much stock in
the belief. Like other Christmas
leaends, the truth might be lost
in history.
The Druids were great admirers
of the holly plant. They believed
that Its evergreen leaves attested
to the fact that it was never de
serted by the sun, and was there
fore sacred.
Legends have related how the
crown of thorns was plaited from
holly. The leaves of the plant were
white until the Crucifixion, after
which they turned a deep, blood
1 icd.
A holly wreath placed on the
door is believed enough to frighten
away even the boldest of witches.
I n n rry on ^
: UKle NUO
?J
As the years roll by
we realize more and more
how much it means to have
the confidence of folks like you.
k%
It is a pleasure to wish you
a Merry Christmas.
Mr. and Mrs. Jake Schulhofer
WayiH-sville, N. ('.
#
y, fl Joyous
m Mfllfel
to flii
Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Gans
.'.fv-.f;.f :.f;.f'.f .fv.l/;.T. A .-f. .' .;. ?;; ?.? ;-f;-;-f; ;-f."'^:vif -f- ?'???'? ?:? '? ??.*??? ?:? ?? -t- -"f--r- '-f- .>&*'? $ ?*??? r' .f." -t^ -t- -t- 3 f ? ?'? ?' ??