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Voium# III
Salem College, Winston-Salem, N. C., Friday, December 11, 1970
Number 14
Moravian Women Initiate Christmas Season
With Candle Tea In Brothers House
By Laurie Daltroff
The Old Salem Candle Tea is
sponsored by the Women’s Fellow
ship of the Home Moravian Church,
which includes all the circles of the
church and the Home Circle. The
Tea started long before World War
II, or as Mrs. Austin Bean said,
“Most of us can’t remember exactly
when it began,” and was first held
in individual homes.
The Candle Tea has come to be
an expected event in Winston-
Salem, the first herald of the Christ
mas season. This is the only money
making project of the Fellowship
and its members have welcomed the
attitude of the community which
makes it possible for them to raise
much money, all of which goes to
mission work both at home and
abroad. This year the Chairman is
Mrs. Williams, and her Assistant
Chairman is Mrs. Austin Bean, who
was Chairman last year.
Every year the Women’s Fellow
ship move into the Single Brothers’
House on the first Tuesday in De
cember and holds the Tea for two
weeks. The first Wednesday in De
cember the women start the Child
ren’s Tea which is held from 8:30
a.m. until 1 :45 p.m. on weekdays.
Schoolchildren of all ages attend in
groups from such surrounding cities
as Greensboro, High Point, Mount
Airy, and Elkin.
After the Children’s Tea, the
Regular Tea begins at 2 pm. and
continues until 9 p.m. People come
to the Tea at the regular time in
individual groups, and no reserva
tions are taken other than for the
children’s groups (school organi
zations may only make reservations
three days in advance, despite the
fact that people try to make them
throughout the year.)
The hostesses for the Tea are all
in Moravian costumes, and range In
age fMiti fitst and second-graders
on up. The white ribbons signify
widows, the blue signify married
MARGARET McCLOY OBSERVES CANDLE MAKING AT MORAVIAN
CANDLE TEA.
women, the pink ribbons signify
single women, and very' wide pink
ribbons signify unconfirmed girls.
One is greeted by these charming
hostesses at the front door and is
ushered into the hall, the Chapel,
where the original organ accom
panies a hostess in leading the
crowd in singing Christmas carols
until the downstairs hostesses are
ready to receive new visitors. The
people are then taken to the first
basement to the Candle Room where
the hostesses demonstrate the art
of making candles and offer candles
and Moravian dolls for sale. The
dolls’ clothes, by the way, are made
from scraps of costumes out of the
costume room.
From the Candle Room the guests
are then taken to the Brothers’
Kitchen and served Moravian coffee
and sugarcake, and are told about
the unique watef system used by
the Moravians. Then everyone is
escorted to the subbasement where
meats were once kept, and ushered
into the glory of the Christmas
Putz (pronounced puts, not puutz).
The Putz is a Salem tradition, por
traying the Salem scene as it was
in the early 1800 era. The Square,
the Graveyard (with snow). Cedar-
hurst—which is the great stone
Bishop’s House by the Graveyard,
and fourth street are included.
After this charming scenario the
conclusion of the Tea is the Na
tivity Scene,, displayed with lifesize,
handcarved wooden figurines, and a
beautiful light arrangement. There,
the visitors are read the Christmas
Story, after which they are ready
to depart the enchanted premises
for a much-improved holiday sea
son.
By the way, the Regular Casidle
Tea charges an admission price
which has never risen with infla
tion : fifty cents for adults arid
twenty-five cents for children.