19661222_Cariboo Observer-5.pdf - the Quesnel & District Museum ...

1 4 - THURSDAY. DECEMBER 22, 1966 - THE QUESNEL CARmoO OBSERVER
Trees Live and Bloom
In Legends of Yuletide
Almost every kind of tree
has a legend relating it to the
Nativity or the life of Christ.
The cherry tree, says "The
Cherry Tree Carol," bent down
its boughs for Mary to pluck
the fruit.
The Glastonbury Thorn
blooms at Christmas because,
legend says, St. Joseph of
Arimathea, on his arrival in
England, drove his staff into
the ground, while he was carrying
the Holy Grail, the chalice
used at the last supper.
The staff took root and grew
into a thom tree.
As the Christmas
bells gladden your
heart, we wish
you a Happy Holiday.
Don Randall
CARIBOO
Power Saw Service
Community Greets Cliristmas
With W>rsliip an d R
llltislnilion jrom Ihe Bellm.inii Archht
66. Mat Page 27
TOYS FOK THE CHILDitEN, A CAILY-DEC.OKATED TREK
• • iti-^i., — and uiiii fun iiin fur lor all. aii. This i ms family family Holiday
srene, recorded ahoni 1850, represents many of the Christmas traditions most beloved today.
holi
It is more than "an old-fashioned Christmas," for such customs as exchanging gifts and bringing
greenery indoors during the winter holidays originated in ancient times. "Modern" Christmas
«elebrations combine traditions of many nations and eras, says the Encyclopedia Americana.
In Iceland
Since trees are scarce in Iceland,
families must use their
ingenuity in creating a Christmas
tree. A pole with branches
of greenery tied to it is the
solution in many Icelandic
homes. And the valuable real
trees are saved for industrial
use. ^ ^ ^
CHRISTMAS CHE]
wHere's hoping Santa's reindeer
delivery comes through with your special
wishes, including all of the joy
and cheer that goes with Christmas.
233 Vaughan
PALM DAIRIES
Len Gray - Agent
992-6312
Omens Dim Yule Spirit
"Merry" Christmas? Not always,
according to some ancient
beliefs once associated
with the day.
Take, for instance, the old
belief that cattle and other
stable animals were giyen the
power of speech on Christmas
Eve.
Any person who heard the
animals speak would die within
a year, so superstition said.
Somber omens of death were
read into still other Yuletide
legends. When the Yule log
burned, bystanders were told
to watch the shadows on the
walls. If the shadows of any
persons appeared to be headless,
this supposedly meant
death for those persons, again
within a year.
Salt was also said to have
the power of forecasting life
or death, when used in connection
with Christmas. The
test could be made by leaving
a small mound of salt on the
table on Christmas Eve. If the
salt melted during the night,
that, too, meant death within
12 months.
If the salt remained unmelted,
the forecast was for a
long and healthy life.
ejoicm
By ANNA MANG
"Deck the halls with boughs of holly; 'tis the season to be
jolly." Christmas is for joy and laughter; Christmas glows
with merriment. Throughout this community, families are
putting the finishing touches on plans for holiday get-togethers.
Hideaways bulge with mysterious packages; kitchens
are fragrant with the scents of special treats; homes are bright
with gala decorations. Schools and clubs prepare their annual
Christmas programs. Holiday party plans go forward. It is,
indeed, the season to be jolly.
"Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright." Christmas
is for prayer and peace; Christmas gleams with the light
of the Star that shone so brightly, nearly two thousand years
ago. And throughout this community, the deep spiritual significance
of the holy season spreads comfort and cheer. In
churches, the hours of worship reflect the coming joy as, during
the weeks before Christmas, the story of Christ's coming
is the subject of study, sermon, song and prayer, all building
toward the special services of Christmas weekend.
Uniting in Joy and Prayer
Christmas is a joyful season; Christmas is a prayerful season.
Since the earliest celebrations of this Christian holiday,
it has ever been so.
The twin spirits of Christmas — festive celebration and
reverent worship — are woven together in all the lore of the
season. History says that when the time now celebrated as
Christmas was designated, in the fifth century A.D., early
Christian leaders felt that the traditional winter merrymaking
of pagan festivals such as the Roman Saturnalia
might be hallowed by association with the Nativity.
Thus, pagan peoples who had once looked to mythical sun
gods as the source of the rebirth of life began to turn to religious
observances of the Saviour's birth. Christmas lights
symbolized faith, hope and life eternal.
Today, the glow of the tiniest candle — or the twinkling of
the smallest electric bulb — still reflects, however humbly, the
People Plus
ProblemsAdd
Holiday Lore
Friends who visited the Robert
Reilly home last December
got a real Christmas surprise.
In this Grants Pass, Ore.,
household, the Christmas tree
"gre>y" out of the ceiling — or
at least, was suspended there,
upside down.
Will it start a trend? Will
more and more families hang
their Christmas trees from the
ceiling? Only time can tell!
Christmas customs start
with people and, often, with
problems. In the case of the
upside-down Christmas tree,
the problem was, "Where to
put the tree?" and the humorous
solution was reached when
the family just couldn't decide.
Creating Pudding
Many well-established traditions
had their legendary
beginnings in the inventive
reaction of people to problems,
large or small.
Take plum pudding, for example
— as many people do at
Christmastime! The very first
plum pudding was an answer
to adversity, so legend says.
An English king and his
hunting party were lost in the
forest on Christmas Eve, Commanded
by the king, the cook
prepared dinner, using the
foods he had on hand — some
meat from a stag, some bits of
wild game, flour, birds' eggs,
sugar, dried plums, ale and
brandy.
Light that Christ brought to
the world.
Bringing Gifts
At the heart of the holiday
fun and feasting there glows
the spirit of giving. The Wise
Men sought to honor the Christ
Child with rare and precious
gifts — gold, frankincense and
myrrh. Thus, to give of the
best at Christmas is a timehonored
tradition.
All may rejoice in the opportunity
to give generously, to
please family and friends with
"just what they wanted," and
to share with the less fortunate.
Yet the best Christmas gifts
are still those that come from
the open heart as well as the
open hand, and the warmth of
a friendly smile, the words of
a cordial greeting add priceless
meaning to the most elaborate
of gifts.
Singing Carols
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth, peace, good
will toward men."
Across the years since shepherds
flrst barkened to an angelic
chorus, Christmas rings
with the sound of voices raised
in joyful song.
Carol singing at Christmas
is both a tradition and a
source of tradition. Much of
the legend and lore of the season
is known today only because
it has been preserved in
song — in carols passed on
from generation to generation.
In Liberia
Liberians use an oil palm
in place of the traditional fir
as a Christmas tree. The palm
is decorated with red balls,
other palm leaves and ferns.
Yuletide Beauty Is Reflected In
Legends of Flowers and Greens
Flowers
Flowers
bur.st
burst into
intn
bloom
KI^^.,, . weeds at the foot of a statue
and trees and shrubs were
representing the Virgin and
Child. Instantly, the weeds
became scarlet blossoms and
thus, so the legend saySj the
poinsettia was created.
green with new leaves on the
night of the Saviour's birth,
so legend says. Down through
the ages, certain flowers and
greens have held an honored
place in the lore of Christmas
— the holly and the ivy, mistletoe,
rosemary,-the Christmas
rose, the thorn tree.
Ancient peoples believed
that mistletoe had powers to
ward off evil or cure a variety
of illnesses. Druid priests of
Britain, long ago, believed that
mistletoe should be cut with
a golden knife, then hung over
doorways as a protection
Rosemary, the symbol of
constancy, was at one time
widely used in England as a
Christmas decoration. During
the Victorian era, it lost popularity
and is now seldom, if
ever, seen as part of the Yuletide
greenery.
An old story says that the
fragrance of rosemary was
given to it when Mary placed
the Christ Child's garments on
this shrub.
Like mistletoe, the brightlyberried
holly was early credited
with magical and medical
powers. It could even, legend
from evil. The Greeks, too,
used it to ward off evil.
One of many legends surrounding
the poinsettia tells
of a poor Mexican girl who,
having no gift of value, hum- said, tell girls name of
KKT,, l i . vUl ^ l ' - — ^ 1 »«»uc, iiuiii- - - - aaiu, ten gins the n
bly placed some roadside their future husbands.
C M S T # ^
LADIES & TEEN TOGS LTD.
onto rings
his bell
to send
very best
wishes for a
fun-filled
Holiday
to all.
163 Barlow 992-6113
HOrS DEPARTMENT STORE
201 Barlow 992-2144
With thoughts
of the many,
beautiful things
connected with
this season, we
send wishes to
everyone for a
peaceful, blessed
Christmas
RUDGE
ELECTRONICS
143 Carson 992-7133
A Christmas greeting
appears below the angel when you c mplete this puzzle
1. opposite of you
2. opposite of he
3. a Christmas colour
4. to make a mistake
5. organs of sight
6. frozen water
7. a Christmas shrub
8. opposite of wet
9. a present
10. we celebrate His birthday
11. part ofthe forest
12. mischievous child
13. another name for saint
14. a December event.
The cook not only created a
delicious emergency dish, he
also invented plum pudding,
which tradition says must contain
these same ingredients if
it is to be the "real thing."
Lighting the Tree
A pleasant problem with a
happy solution led to the custom
of decorating the Christmas
tree with lights.
Martin Luther, the Reformation
leader, returned from a
Christmas Eve walked under a
starlit sky, inspired by a wish
to reproduce the heavenly
scene for his family.
How to show some small reflection
of the glory of the
heavens on the flrst Holy
SBunsijqo BiuBS 8T duii z\ aa^l IT snsof oi lji3 6 Night? Luther solved the problem
j by lighting candles and
/?jp 8 ^^^^o^ i 301 9 soy?3 g jjg poj g g auj
placing them on the boughs of
SHaMSXV an evergreen.
To our many friends and patrons who have made
this Christmas so grand for us, we wish the Merriest /~>
of Christmas of all.
O
FORSTERS AUTO
SUPPLY LTD.
Ester, Gordon and Peter
To the
entire
Community
we wish
a
Happy
and
Healthy
Holiday
QUESNEL & DISTRICT
CHAMBER of COMMERCE