Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / Dec. 22, 1965, edition 1 / Page 18
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Page 6 KINGS MOUNTAIN+l£ttAkD. KINGS MOUNTAIN. N. C. Wednesday, December 22, 1965 Santa Claus Legend Began !n Turkey (Ed. Note: Jerry Wilson, serviceman son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Wilson and his wile Kathy are in Turkey. Their Christmas letter details many interesting facts, as well ns that they will spend Christmas in Egypt and the Holy Land.) Christmas Greetings from Tur key—a land that knows no Christmas! Are you awaie of the fact that the Santa Claus legend began in an area which is pres ent day Turkey? Saint Nicholas, born in Parara tin Asia Minor), was Bishop of Myra in Asia Mi nor (near present day Antalya, a Turkish city on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea). It is said that ho secretly helped very poor people by putting gifts of money through their windows tiuring the night when no one could st'c him. As an orphan hkr.self he be came the beloved lather figure to many orphans bc'stowlnt much kindness and charity on the children teaching them the Word of God and delighting them with many little pre.sents. History tells us that he was cast into exile and prison during the persecution of Emperor Dio- cletion and released by Constan tine the Great. He died in Myra about 3.t0 A.D. According to tra- ^ \ dition as early as 450, churches were being built in his honor, and he was well known through out tile Greek Church. In 10S7 his body was brought by Italian merchants from Myra to the city of Bari in Italy where his relies aie still pres(>rved in the churcli of San Nicola By 1200 tills much loved rran had captur ed the hearts and imaginations of all European nations. Now, over 16(K) years later, in 19(15 St. Nicholas is tiepicted as a pudgy, red suited, rosy cheeked, wtiite bearded, rich benevolent old man who lives at the North Pole and travels with eight reindeer (fly ing ones if you plea.se i in a sleigh. As a true Chri.stian, St. Nicholas would no doubt be veiy sorrowful if he thought that to day his image would overshadow the true meaning of Christmas Day. Another three months and an other weekend break for Jerrj’ have rolled around. We spent this one visiting the ancient site of Troy. At the site the ground was strewn on the surface with the relics of Roman Troy. In miKlern terms it was hardly more than a village. There were nine cities of Troy built one upon an other. The high walls of one city stand in part as mentioned in Homer’s Iliad. We learn s-ome history of Troy from the Iliad. Menelaus was the king of the Greek city-state of Sparta. His wife Helen el-oped with Paris, son of Praim. king of Troy. Tills brought on the ten years of the famous Trojan War. After much subduing by the Greeks, Troy still held our city the Greek’s began to despair. They began to make preparations to abandon the seige; some of their ships were withdrawn and lay hidden behind a neighboring island. They then began building an immense wooden horse, which the ysaid was a propitiatory of fering to the goddess Minerva 'fti GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN The blessed wish o( the Christmas season is expressed anew, as we join our heartfelt prayers with yours, that peace and good will may soon endure for all. WEE LANTERN A Christmas Prayer With all th* happy ptaeefulness of o child’s prayer, we greet you during this holy season. Willie s Jewelry oj Cknstmas «Cet us turn our thoughts to the first Christmas and capture in our hearts all the peace, love and understanding of that Day* \^n die true spirit of Christmas^ we wish yon a happy and holy Day and pray that the blessings the season will truly be yours. liMttiiiillaiiiH Home Savings & Loan Association DR. J. E. ANTHONY IVcsidcnt & Director G. A. bridgf:s Vicc-Pres. & Director J. 11. THOMSON Vice-Pres. & Director THOMAS A. TATE Scc.-Trcas. & Director EMILY A. HERNDON Asst. Sec.-Treas. JACOB A. DIXON Mgr., Bessemer City Branch I. G. PATTERSON Director B. D. RATTERREE Director DR. PAUL E. HENDRICKS Director R. S. PLONK Dii-ector FRANCES HERNDON Teller Toller NANCY S. SCISM but in truth was filled with sol diers. The remaining Greeks then went to their ships and sail ed away indicating a final de parture. The Trojans, seeing tire enciti.r.pment broken up and the fleet gone, concluded the enemy had abandoned the seige. The gates were thrown open, and the wliole population rejoiced at the new freedom of coming out of the city an<l passing freely over the battlefield. The great horse was the chief object of curiosity. Every ody wondered what it could be for. Some said to take it into the city as a trophy; oth ers were afraid of it. A priest of Neptune exclaimed "have you not learned enough of Grecian fraud to he on your guard a- gainst it? I fear the Greeks even when they offer gifts.” He struck his lance at the horse’s side and ■a hollow sound reverberated. At that moment a group of people appeared dragging for ward a Greek soldier they had captured. The Trojans promised the Greek life if he answered their questions truthfully. He told them the wooden horse was a propitiatory offering to Miner va and was made so huge to pre vent its being carried into the city for a prophet told them that if the Trojans took possession of the horse they would assuredly triumph over the Greeks. After this the Trojans regarded the horse as a sacred object. They tore down the city gates and took it into the city with song and great festivity. ’That same night the imprisoned Greek soldiers enclosed in the body of the horse opened the gates of the city to their comrades who had returned by ship under the cover of night. The city was sot on fire; the people, overcome with feasting and sleep, were de feated, and "rroy completely sub dued. As for Helen, Menelaus re covered possession of her. (She supposedly had not ceased to love him even though she desert ed him for another). Upon their reconciliation they left for their native land. Hundreds of years later a new Troy had Biblical signficancc. The Apostle Paul stopped on his missionary journeys. The site itself was no different tha-n otlier archeological sites. Stones, stones, and more stones. The view from the hill overlook ing the wide sweeping plains with the Aegean Sea in the back ground was outstanding. Archeo logical sites arc rather interest ing. If it’s your first one. you trip, took about 100 slides; Jerry and I took about twenty. Tixty was the poorest site we have been to in that it was s.-nall and poorly maintained. However, wherever you are, you cannot lielp being awestruck by the his torical significance of the site. On the return trip, Jerry made an unexpected stop to the side of the road after passing a group of road signs His explanation was that one of tht signs was red and that meant something spiKjial. We would find nothing on the map but Jerry’s curiosity loti us down the road anyway. After about fifteen miles of dirt road, we came to a Turkish vill age which was at the foot of what appeartd to be another ar cheological site. It was. It turn ed out to be Assos which we were unable to identify at the time. After looking it up at home, we learned that it was a city in New Testament times; Paul mentions it in passing in the Book of Acts. All in all it turned out to be a very interesting enjoyable week end! cannot see enough or take too ! many pictures. If .vou have seen several such as Jerry and I, they are ‘‘old stuff.” Skip, the; fellow that was with us on the After three years in Muslim countries I think I will begin something I have been intending to do for some time—tell you a little about their religion. The most known fact of the Islam faith is their prayers and bow ings in the direction of Mecca five times a day. I shall begin by explaining what this means. Their worship is conducted in a mosque (place of prostration literally). In Ytilova the rren at tend the services at daybreak, noon, midaftemoon, sunset, and early part of the night. We live directly across the street from a mosque and we hear the imam (prayer leader) giving the call to prayer over a loud speaker. The men arrange themselves in rows beliind the imam. Before entering the mosque they per form an abulution.. .wash faces and hands up to the elbows and feet up t-o the ankles. Outside of each mosque is a fountain or fau cet for this purpose. Prayer is only valid when this ritual of purity has t>een done There are seven movements and appropriate recitatio-ns with the bowings. No. 1 recitation of the plirase "God is most great” with the hands open on each side of the face; No. 2 recitation of the Fattiha followed bv another passage or passages from the Koran while standing upright: No. 3 bowing from the hips; No. 4 Straightening up; No. 5 sliding to the knees and a first prostra tion with face to the ground: No. 6 sitting back on the haunches; No. 7 a second prostration. The Fattiha, the "Lord’s Prayer” of Islam is: ou$ (Ehrisfmr ©ur utiali—tljat lljf mrtutlng of CJirlatii b» brf{irr. Ita frirttbitliipa atmiigrr anfi hcarta fillti) utitl; iia prarr pitb jjoob r Patterson Oil Co. '^I^appj boUdayt, good ftm tmi ehtm j^jk - <g tmr eustomm uttb «t note ef tbimks for tbek potromuge. Bridges Haidwaie “In the Name ol God, the Mer ciful, the Compassionate Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds, The Merciful One, tlie Com passionate Ont, Master of the Day of Doom. Thee alone we serve, to Tliee alone we cry for help. Guide us in the straight path The path of them Thou hast blcsseti. Not of those with whom Tliou are angry Nor of those who go astray.” Friday is their ’’.Sabbath” or day of solemnised community prayer. It is not a day of rest, and business is to be suspended only during the noon service it self. In addition to the prayert anti bowings of the daily mea ings this service has in ad(llti| an address or sermon. The aclT dress is fixed. It has the praise ol God and a blessing of the Prophet. It oilers a prayer for the Muslim community, a recita tion Irom the Koran, and an ad monition to piety. In a small vill age like Yalova women do not attend the mosque. In larger cities like Istanbul you will .sec a few in the mosque. We have visited many mosques in large cities. May the happiness oj the holidays he with you alwitys- CRI6G GARAGE ...and to ALL a HEALTHY NEW YEAR GRIFFIN’S DRUG YOUR PRESCRIPTION STORE FREE PICKUPS PEUVEPy PHONE 739-4721 • 1,29 MOUNTAIN ST, Sarah Hord Claudette Corn Beatrice Howell Steve Rathbone Kathy Butler Linda Webster Gloria Leftwich Ellis Fincher Wilson Griffin To all of our j ’ friends... may the | peace and joy of j| this beautiful season \ always be yours. ; CITY SERVICE STATION Otis Falls Otis Falls, Jr. ^*^*M***t«^** Sanfo rings his bell io send very best wishes for a fun-filled Holiday to all. LYNCH FURNITURE Haywood E. Lynch Janell Summitt Lester L. Lingerfelt Robert Taylor VC 4> i raai . I ix
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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Dec. 22, 1965, edition 1
18
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