EVERGREENS AT CHRISTMAS. When Rosemary and Bays, the poet's crown, From ev'ry hedge is pluck'd by eager hands The old and pleasant custom of decking our houses and churches at Christmas with evergreens is derived from ancient heathen practices. Councils of the church forbad christians to deck their houses with bay leaves and green boughs at the same time with the pagans; but this was after the church had permitted such doings in order to accommodate its ceremonies to those of the old mythology. Where druidism had existed, "the houses were decked with evergreens in December, that the sylvan spirits might repair to them, and remain unnipped with frost and cold winds, until a milder season had renewed the foliage of their darling abodes."* Gay. R. J. Thorn. Polydore Vergil says that, "Trimmyng of the Temples, with hangynges, floures, boughes, and garlondes, was taken of the heathen people, whiche decked their idols and houses with suche array." In old church calendars Christmas-eve is marked " Templa exornantur." Churches are decked. The holly and the ivy still maintain some mastery at this season. At the two universities, the windows of the college chapels are decked with laurel. The old Christmas carol in MS. at the British Museum, quoted at p. 1598, continues in the following words : by mistake, or ignorance of the sextons; for it was the heathenish and profane plant, as having been of such distinction in the pagan rites of druidism, and it therefore had its place assigned it in kitchens, where it was hung up in great state with its white berries, and whatever female chanced to stand under it, the young man present either had a right or claimed one of saluting her, and of plucking off a berry at each kiss." He adds "I have made many diligent inquiries after the truth of this. I learnt at Bath that it never came into churches there. An old sexton at Teddington, in Middlesex, informed me that some misletoe was once put up in the church there, but was by the clergyman immediately ordered to be taken away." He quotes from the "Medallic History of Carausius," by Stukeley, who speaking of the winter solstice, our Christmas, says: "This was the most respectable festival of our druids called yule-tide; when misletoe, which they called all-heal, was carried in their hands and laid on their altars, as an emblem of the salutiferous advent of Messiah. The misletoe they cut off the trees with their upright hatchets of brass, called celts, put upon the ends of their staffs, which they carried in their hands. Innumerable are these instruments found all over the British Isles. The custom is still preserved in the north, and was lately at York. On the eve of Christmas-day they carry misletoe to the high altar of the cathedral and proclaim a public and universal liberty, pardon, and freedom to all sorts of inferior and even wicked people at the gates of the city towards the four quarters of heaven." This is only a century ago. In an 66 Inquiry into the ancient Greek Game, supposed to have been invented by Palamedes," Mr. Christie speaks of the respect the northern nations entertained for the mistletoe, and of the Celts and Goths being distinct in the instance of their equally venerating the misletoe about the time of the year when the sun approached the winter solstice. He adds, we find by the allusion of Virgil, who compared the golden bough in infernis, to the misletoe, that the use of this plant was not unknown in the religious ceremonies of the ancients, particularly the Greeks, of whose poets he was the acknowledged imitator." The cutting of the misletoe was a ceremony of great solemnity with our an cient ancestors. The people went in procession. The bards walked first singing canticles and hymns, a herald preceded three druids with implements for the purpose. Then followed the prince of the druids accompanied by all the people. He mounted the oak, and cutting the misletoe with a golden sickle, presented it to the other druids, who received it with great respect, and on the first day of the year distributed it among the people as a sacred and holy plant, crying, "The misletoe for the new year." "" Mr. Archdeacon Nares mentions, "the custom longest preserved was the hanging up of a bush of misletoe in the kitchen or servant's hall, with the charm attached to it, that the maid, who was not kissed under it at Christmas, would not be married in that year." This natural superstition still prevails. Christmas Doughs, Pies, and Porridge. The season offers its Yule-dough, or dow, a kind of baby, or little image of paste, was formerly baked at Christmas, and presented by bakers to their customers, "in the same manner as the chandlers gave Christmas candles." They are called yule cakes in the county of Durham. Anciently," at Rome, on the vigil of the nativity, sweetmeats were presented to the fathers in the Vatican, and all kinds of little images (no doubt of paste) were to be found at the confectioners' shops." Mr. Brand, who mentions these usages, thinks, "there is the greatest probability that we have had from hence both our yule-doughs, plumporridge, and mince-pies, the latter of which are still in common use at this season. The yule-dough has perhaps been intended for an image of the child Jesus, with the Virgin Mary." he adds, "it is now, if I mistake not, pretty generally laid aside, or at most retained only by children." 66 It is inquired by a writer in the "Gentleman's Magazine,” 1783, may not the minced pye, a compound of the choicest productions of the east, have in view the offerings made by the wise men, who came from afar to worship, bringing spices," &c. These were also called shridpies. Christmasse Day. No matter for plomb-porridge, or shrid-pie Sheppard's Epigrams, 1651. Mr. Brand, from a tract in his library printed about the time of queen Elizabeth or James I. observes, that they were likewise called "minched pies." According to Selden's "Table Talk," Christ-mass? give me my beads: the word A plot, by its ingredients, beef and pyes. more, Idolatrie in crust! and bak'd by hanches, then Serv'd up in coffins to unholy men ; Defil'd, with superstition, like the Gentiles Of old, that worship'd onions, roots, and lentiles ! R. Fletcher. There is a further account in Misson's "Travels in England." He says, "Every family against Christmass makes a famous pye, which they call Christmas pye. It is a great nostrum ; the composition of this pasty is a most learned mixture of neat'stongues, chicken, eggs, sugar, raisins, lemon and orange peel, various kinds of spicery," &c. The most notably familiar poet of our seasonable customs interests himself for its safety : Come guard this night the Christmas-pie To catch it; From him, who all alone sits there, To watch it. Mr. Brand observes, of his own knowledge, that "in the north of England, a goose is always the chief ingredient in the composition of a Christmas pye;" and to illustrate the usage, quotes, that the Scottish poet Allan Ram"further north," he say, in his "Elegy on lucky Wood," tells us, that among other baits by which the good ale-wife drew customers to her 1640 house, she never failed to tempt them at Yule (Christmas,) with "A bra Goose Pye." Further, from "Round about our Coalgentleman at the opening of the great fire," we likewise find that " An English day, i. e. on Christmass day in the morning, had all his tenants and neighbours strong beer was broached, and the black jacks went plentifully about with toast, enter his hall by day-break. The The hackin (the great sausage) must be boiled by day-break, or else two young sugar, nutmegg, and good Cheshire cheese. men must take the maiden (i. e.) the market-place till she is ashamed of her cook, by the arms and run her round the laziness. were all spread from the first to the last; "In Christmas holidays, the tables plumb porridge, the capons, turkeys, geese, the sirloins of beef, the minced pies, the and plum-puddings, were all brought upon the board: every one eat heartily, and was welcome, which gave rise to the wag all." proverb, merry in the hall when beards Misson adds of our predecessors in his time, that besides the "famous pye" at soup with plums which is not at all infeChristmas, "they also make a sort of rior to the pye, which is in their language called plum-porridge." "Memoran Lastly, Mr. Brand makes this important dum. I dined at the chaplain's table at St. note from personal regard. James's on Christmas-day, 1801, and partook of the first thing served and eaten on that festival at that table, i. e. a tureen full of rich luscious plum-porridge. I do not know that the custom is any where else retained." Thus has been brought together so much as, for the present, seems sufficient to describe the ancient and present estimation and mode of keeping Christmas. cock-crowing, the midnight spirits forsake these lower regions, and go to their proper places; and that the cocks crow throughout the live-long nights of Christmasa circumstance observable at no other time of the year. Horatio, the friend of Hamlet, discourses at midnight with Francisco, a sentry on the platform before the Danish palace, and Bernardo and Marcellus, two officers of the guard, respecting the ghost of the deceased monarch of Denmark, which had appeared to the military on watch. Mar. Horatio says, 'tis but our fantasy, And will not let belief take hold of him, Touching this dreaded sight, twice seen Hor. Do, if it will not stand. Ber. "Tis here! Hor. "Tis here! Mar. 'Tis gone! [Exit Ghost. We do it wrong, being so majestical, Ber. It was about to speak, when the cock crew. Hor. And then it started, like a guilty thing Upon a fearful summons. I have heard, Awake the god of day; and, at this warning, : Marcellus answers, "It faded on the crowing of the cock," and concludes on the vigilance of this bird, previous to the solemn festival, in a strain of superlative beauty: Some say, that ever 'gainst that season comes The nights are wholesome; then no planet strikes; December 26. St. Stephen, the first Martyr. St. Dionysius, Pope, A. D. 269. St. Jarlath, 1st Bp. of Tuam, 6th Cent. St. Stephen. The church of England observes this festival, and the name of the apostle is in the almanacs accordingly. The circumstances that led to his death, and the particulars of it by stoning, are related in the seventh chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. He is deemed the first martyr for the christian faith. The notice of this festival by Naogeorgus is thus translated by Barnaby Googe: Then followeth Saint Stephens day, and than they let them blood, For this being done upon this day, they say doth do them good, And keepes them from all maladies and sicknesse through the yeare, As if that Steven any time took charge of horses heare. Horses. Whether Stephen was the patron of horses does not appear; but our ancestors used his festival for calling in the horse-leech. Tusser, in his " Five Hundred Points of Husbandry," says, Yer Christmas be passed, let Horsse be lett blood, For many a purpose it doth him much good: The day of St. Steven, old fathers did use, If that do mislike thee, some other day chuse. An annotator on Tusser subjoins, "About Christmas is a very proper time to bleed horses in, for then they are commonly at house, then spring comes on, the sun being now coming back from the Mr. The Finns upon St. Stephen's-day, throw a piece of money, or a bit of silver, into the trough out of which the horses drink, under the notion that it prospers those who do it. Heit! Heck! Whoohe! and Geho! The well-known interjection used by country people to their horses, when yoked to a cart, &c. Heit ! or Heck! is noticed by Mr. Brand to have been used in the days of Chaucer : "They saw a cart, that charged was with hay, Whoohe! a well-known exclamation to stop a team of horses, is derived by a writer in the "Gentleman's Magazine," 1799, from the Latin. "The exclamation used by our waggoners when they wish for any purpose to stop their team (an exclamation which it is less difficult to speak than to write, although neither is a task of great facility,) is probably a legacy bequeathed us by our Roman ancestors: precisely a translation of the ancient * Brand. Ohe! an interjection strictly confined to bespeaking a pause-rendered by our lexicographers, Enough! Oh, Enough! "Obe, janı satis est-Ohe, Libelle." A learned friend of Mr. Brand's says, "The exclamation Geho, Geho," which carmen use to their horses is probably of great antiquity. It is not peculiar to this country, as I have heard it used in France. In the story of the milkmaid who kicked Mr. Nichols's Illustration of Anc. Times. + In Lansdowne MS. 226. British Museum. Frere's T. ed. Tyrwh, Chaucer. |