v r/A?‘ =9. sees-res... - s____ _ _ ' l .Z§m it “Good King Wenceslas ” "Good King Weneeslas looked out On the Feast oi‘ Stephen Vihcn the snow lay round about, Dfl-‘P. Ind crisp, and even. Brightly shone the moon that night Though the frost was cruel, WM" l P00!‘ man came in sight, Gathering winter fuel, “In his Master's steps he trod, Where the snow lay dinted; lleat was in the very sod Which the saint had printed. Therefore. Christian men, be sun- Wealtli or rank possessing ‘ Ye who now will bless the poor 51111" Yourself find blessing." Allow for Guests’ Comfort‘ Dilbmia I-ias Raw Christmas Dinner - Persians Send Mountain Rams as Gift of Fun biakcr. j Y By A Woman Explorer its ca"; a.’ Suez is apt to ' l...'vc_\' all incident out li thc lmrckiiit; Lil-ass." i".lllqllLl, in Pcrsia - ‘the official; “Us resplendent anon.» bccaitc .1 personage Aral i) in‘ passing through. ‘ilic whole of thc "h colony. in it.‘ vii-r best frocir {mug game \"l L" ‘is oi l‘ the tabla a scr- "llCll as n peeled "JJZliiCLi egg, a fur glare filled '-."-n'.l c1‘ something dcunp and fta "y. anti gt 15in; what they are L-g: the feel cf tiicni. When the latightci- was verging on hyetxg". Lowsing to the sensations producczl by clutching soinctliitig uarni and wcoly which squclclicd-— u nt-ignificcnt sei'\i;or in scarlet and geld announced that the religious magnate. corrcs}. nri ng to our arch- bishop, had scat his cxccllciicy a present. - The personage demanded its im- mediate production and the l-iorriiied “HQLS of the domestic were lost in Kin babel of anticipation. l; was pro- duced and it consisted of lialf a d02- rn livtiy mountain rants. who charg- ctl inw the room \\'.tli thc object. of getting iih much fun a: possible out of thc’r Christmas party. Ours simply (iiauic x before" the oimlatiglxt. ltluch later the more timid wet co!- lcctrvzi from thc fiat mild roof. “lure they had been in close communion with the chimney pots! c I ir-iiivziilmr it \ u. s playing that v Considcratc Arabs In the east evcry great festival is cciiiicclcil not only with feasting but ivith sacs. lcr. I spent one Christmas iii tlic tents of an Arab tribe who wnx- sufficiently heretical to recog- nize their guest's right to his own 1iarticulai~ brand of religion. Conse- quently they helped me to celebrate the worslfp of an unknown deity by driving three bullocks up to the door (I my tent and killing them there. Shattered by this incident. which lzitrl occurred while I was trying to '.va;;h in a rtlassful of ntuddy ivater, ticrfumezl with sprigs of mint, I could hardly face the subsequent feast, which consisted of two sheep rcasicd whole and stuffed wltna. Ilocl: of lttlc birds. 'I‘hc Sheik, siirrrisccl at znv lack I lppctite, informed m: that he could devour a. well-groin: lamb at a sitting, and. id ordcr to encourage me, lie did so. Subctitule Feastcr In Albania you can appoint some- one c159 to cit for you and in Abys- sinia, wlzcr: I span; s hectic Christ- mas aznrng the Copts, I was obliged to dctal someone with a stronger head lliazi mine to respond in kind to the innumerable toasts. 'i'hat was perhaps my oddest Chrtstmas dinner, for most of it was ravr! In the morning tlicrc had been a tiroccssion, during which the tal- vnis 0f Moses, supposed to have been stolen with the Ark of the Covenant from the Holy of Holies in thc Tcm- ple cf Jerusalem 3.000 years ago by Nicnclik, first Jcivish Emperor of Ethiopa. son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. were carried in pro- cession round the village of mud and wattle huts which was once tlr splendid capital of the Sliebans. The prica-ks walked under fringed velvet umbrellas, anemone-purple and poppy-red, and realistic banners depicted the tortures of ancient mar- tyrs, but, all thc saiitt; were black and only the. devil ma: white. The Christmasfcast began at mid- day, when the whole population of the town g1“ PYCCl in the market square, each group with a monstrous Jar of tedj, the potent native beer, in the centre of it. Front the palace of a local chief- tain came o, procession bearing the skinned carcascs of oxen slung by the lioofs from poles decorated with Strips of embroidered velvet. The slaves bore the meat oi each guest in turn, who, with his own knife, sliced off the portion he wanted and. proceeded to eat it with guttural sounds indicative of appreciation. "Buy meat makes warriors—only women eat cooked flesh," is the slo- gan of peasant Abyssinia, but on that occasion the ted} proved too istrong even for the warriors. At. first the square resembled l field of narclssi, for every man were n syastlcss white robe. By the time the caresses were stripped to the bone it looked more like o. battle- field, for every Cilfilmllil/u-Slk‘ yards oi’ white woolen stuff worn as a. shawl and potticoat combined-Aves splash- cd with crimson. All Proetrate Vihen the Aladdin jars were cnip- ticd it. might have been a. crop movm for harvest, for every man was pros- trate and apparently remained so for 24 hours, Unfortunately my guide was among the revellers and I had to buy him a. pair of brand new charms to put in his shoes “to keep his fest 0n the right path" before he would contemplate continuing the Journey. In the unregenrste days of Papus before Australia. took it in hand, I went to o. Christmas feast near the Stanley range. 'I‘he missionary who had intended to supervise the gtunbols of hsi flock was down with fever, but he had taken the precaution of doling out sufficient red flannel to every savage to provide a decent covering. "Kills, you know,“ he rambled.“- ter his sixteenth dose of quinine. "Thatsthe ideal You'll think your- self in the Hlghlmdsl" But the converts had no desire to emulate the clans. It was torridly hot and every man wore the skin that heaven had given him, richly tatoccd of course and adorned with dog's teeth and s neat waist-belt of string. The red flannel had come in very useful. It mad: truly magnificent turbans out of which leaked strands of fiercely bushy hair, by whole vol- ume maniiosd is measurcd- in New Guinea, the whole silt-mounted by lobtter claws and s ‘couple of blrdl ~l$€9$ “Day Before" Dessert Half pound marshmallows, half pound graham cracker crumbs, half cup walnut meats, half cup sweet cream, half pound dates. Cul: marshmallows into quarters snd drop into cream. Cut dates into length wise quarters. Chop walnut meats coarsely. Combine ingredients thoroughly and shape in pan two inches deep. Set aside in cool place until wanted. Slice, served with Whip- ped cream. Cranberry ?udding 2 cups flour half cup molasses, hall teaspoon soda, 2-3 cup sour milk, 1 1-2 cups cranberries, 1 beaten egg. Mix flour, salt. and molasses; add soda. dissolved-in milk, the beaten, egg and chopped cranberries. Steam rue CHARLOTTETOWN qtnvRbl/xh v E TIDE: lune IVE CHRISTMAS. DESSERTS in mold for 1 1-2 hours and serve with the following sauce: Put cup bf sugar into n. bowl: break into it an egg. Beat thorough- ly. Add cup oi’ salding milk. stirring briskly. Flavor with nutmeg and serve warm. Snot Pudding 1 cup chopped suet, 2 3-4 cups flour, 1 cup molasses, 1 cup sour milk, 1 cup raisins, 1 teaspoon soda, half teaspoon each of cloves, allspice and cinnamon, 1 1-4 teaspoon salt. Add soda. to sour milk and combine with suei; and molnssns. Sift together all dry ingredients. Flour raisins. Combine all ingredients. Steam in a messed mold 3 hours. Serve with lemon sauce. Frozen Christmas Delight 1 can apricots, 4 cups sitgar, 2 cups water, 4 lemons, 3 oranges, ‘l cup pine apple Juice. 1 cup cherry Juice, 1 pint cream. Boil sugar and water ten minutes. Press apricots through a sieve, add fruit Juices and the cooled syrup. Freeze the mixture, adding cream (Whipped) when partly frozen. rlum Budding 1 package lemon Jello, 1 pint bait. ing water, dash of salt, three-quart- ers cup each o1’ chopped raisins, chopped cooked prunes, chopped nut,- meats, and grapenuts, quarter cup clwllbcd citron, quarter teaspoon cloves, quarter teaspoon cinnamon, Dlmolve jello in boiling water. Add salt. Chill. When slightly thickened add other ingredients. Tum into 8 individual molds and chill till firm. Serve with whipped cream flavored _ with nutmeg. n CHRISTMAS LORE st We are indebted to so many folk and nations for our Christmas fes- tivities that we are pleased to bring them to remembrance at this glad time of the year. We have not al- ways celebrated Christmas on thc twenty-fifth of December. Until the fourth century Christmas was a movable feast, like our Easter, and for that reason has been celebrated in every month of the year from Oc- tobcr to April, but in the fourth cen- tury the date of the nativity was fix- ed, and since then we have celebrat- ed Christ's birthday on the twenty- fiftli of the last month of the year. Our Christmas carols come to us from far-away Palestine. And in Cornwall, on Christmas Eve, you'll fall in with bands of carollers, men and boys, who go thc rounds of the village, singing Christmas songs and hymns. The folk open their homes to them, and in the cottages they stand under the suspended twigs of the mistletoe and carol and ever-new songs of Peace on Earth iind Good Will to Men. It is a delightful custom, and one we hope may long remain. All over Cornwall you can find Druid monuments, standing alone or in groups, 0r in liiglil mounds, and often, now, these very stones are built into fences, steps and walls. At Carnac, in Brittany, even today, one finds many monuments, similar to those at. Stonehenge. And these are all the remains of the old Druids. who lived there and built these nioii- uments long, long ago. These Druids held the mistletoe sacred, and cut it willi the great re- ligious ceremony, especially when it was found growing on an cak. The mistletoe is an evergreen parasite, found growing on forest trees, more often on the apple, and but rarely on the oak. Golden sickle: were used to cut it. Arid the use of the mistle- toe, at Christmas time, had its origin in thc pagan sun-worship of the Druids, who regarded it as an cm- blctn of the renasccnt life. The mist- letoe was cut at the winter solstice, and the cutting was accompanied with the sacrifice of two snowwhlte buliocks, singing and feasting. A white cloth was spread under tiie tree during the ceremony of cut- ting, so that the mistletoe should not fall on the ground, and only oak mistletoe was used. Other evergreen decorations weveholly, fir andulvy- all symbols of the everlasting life. Yule means, literally, the "revolu- tion of the wheel," and we have eas- ily thc "turn of the year." In Burgundy and some other northern European countries Christ- mas and New Year greetings were always made with mistletoe because 4i’ _-__ Qultiifir ' Christmas in the Heart To Bethlehem our hearts, star-led From wanderings far and wild, Turn to a lowly cattle-sited And kneel before thc Child. ‘We come from deserts, pitileas With lonely human pride; And from the howling wilderness Where dread and hate abide. Touched by His hand we find release From Iieavy griefs and fears: Our Iiearts are lifted up with peace And purified by tears. 'Ah, Saviour dear! Thou Holy Child, What power is Thine to heal Our broken hearts, our wills deflled, When at Thy feet we kneel! New who would Peace to the lyre, The of its reputed medical virtues. Romans ltept. the mistletoe sacred to Proserpine, and so all-powerful was the plant that it was even supposed to be a. passport to the Underworld, and would make ghosts not only vis- ible but obedient. But the Scandin- avians dedicated it to Frcjn, the Goddess of Love, and many curious customs and legends exist showing the hold this belief has on the folk of other lauds. So tho hanging of mistletoe, which we do at Christmas time, llilblffllllc to us from our Etigllsli forebears, and to them, in turn, from the hardy Norseman. who made Britain their home in days long past, and who, at Yuletide, hung the mistletoe in their new home, to remind them of ‘the old. Now, in Scandinavian mytlielogy, Baldur, the son of Odin and Frigga, who is the Scandinavian Apollo, was killed by a mistletoe spear. This is how it all happened: Frlgga, his mother, had made it possible that nothing should hurt him, but Loki, the cvil god, found out, by hook or crook. that this oath of immunity had not been taken by the mistle- toe, which was held to be too weak to hurt any rm, so Loki thrust e u ,,,___. .,, pu-al-mt‘ ¢¢-j\\*“‘“ ‘\ v ‘iii-ii Grant us Thy grace no more to roam, But following Thee alway, Find Bethelelicnt in every home, The whole year Christmas Day. -IIenry Van Duke. Olde Christmas Carol The little Jesus came to town The wind blew up, the wind blew down; . Out in the street the wind ivas bold, House Him from the cold? Then opened wide a stable door, Fair were the rushes on the floor; The 0x put forth a horned head, "Come Lllttle Lord, liere make Thy bed," Uprose the sheep were folded near, . “Thou Lamb of God, come enter here." He entered there to rush and reed, Who was the Lamb of God indeed. \ The little, Jesus came to town, With ox and sheep He laid llimdown; peace to the fold, For that they housed lilm from the cold. —Lizzette Woodsworth Reese, rstctstsleststsiststesislsiistssslisml-s si“"~‘~*~.s\,n,. bit of it at Baldur, who at. one: fell aloud. As a pacilication to Baldurk. mother, the mistletoe was dedicated to her, and the kiss given under it is the sign that no longer is it zui instrument of mischief. But. the plant must; not touch the ground, which belongs to him who slew Bal- dur, snd for that reason we hang it up. These early folk were true trcc worshippers. From the earliest. days the boars head was one of the liidispensablr". of the pagan feast of Yule, which is iioiv our Christmas. The custom prevailed to the Middle Ages, anti many towns in England have com- memorated it in such names as "The Boar's Head Inn,“ in Eastclicap. and which was the scene of Fnlslails carousals with Prince Hal and their companions. It was the extlnctlm of the wilil boar from the English forests that led to the disappearance of this favorite dish from the Christmas board. For many years, if you were a student of Queen's Collegc~Ox- ford and Cambridge-you would. on Christmas Day, take part in this feast, in memory of the past. "flit- tables arc laid and the Provost and Fellows go in chanting, "The? Boar's Head is the bravest dish in thc land." Then the trumpeters come to - announce the dish and then tlircc men would bring an immense dish, on which was a hour's hesd, garnish- ed with laurel and mistletoe. The custom started, because centuries ago a student vanquished, single-handed. a wild boar in the near-by forest, so the story goes. But we are indebted. again, to Scandinavia. for this pic- turesque custom, for in their Yule Festival a hour's head was alwayfi one of the gLfts. Hunting the wild boar, its a preliminary to the feast. was great sport, and when the boar was killed its body was slung over the back of e. horse, and carried home to be dressed and cooked. The Norwegians, unlike us, have their anuunl house-cleaning lust be- fore Christmas. And it is a season o! good-will and kindly cheer and the needy are never allowed to B0 sway empty handed. Their generos- ity does not stop with the family "*4 friends, but the cattle ere remem- bered, and each cow is given an ex- tra measurement of meal on Christ- mas Eve. Even the house dos. which is always kept tied, is unlooeed for Christina-l. The season between Christina! M15 New Your is one continual round of merry-making, eating, visitin: and going to church, and instead of I Santa Flsus, u we have, an old mm and women set the part and enter the room where the family and rela- tives are sitting about the huge. OPP" fireplace, on which blazes the Yule log, brought from the woods. The little old Saute. Claus folk jingle s. bell and the whole comllflhll rise in respectful greeting and m?" the woman begins to give out the parcels she has in her basket, resdlni out each name and esch one comes forward 1n turn for his gifts. Then follow music end dim"!!- and finally a good supper.‘ W119" they use roast goose, instead of tur- key, and eat apple fritters instead of plum pudding. At night. when B" are ready for bed, the family l" trclr wooden shoes in a. ring on the floor, ‘ielleving in tho virtue of the circle an.‘ that love will be kefil l" the family til the year. When in Chrlstianis, one new!"- elter Christmas 1‘ saw, one dey- l‘ little sheaf of wheat tied outside 0i n nlgli window, in s high house. This ls n delightful custom met with all over Scandinavia. They do not for- m the little Hrds "that play 1110"‘ their doors," and so provide a Christ-- mas tree for the feathered folk-F- M’. in Christlanson. nrcrir w» ~~ -.,.., Y! '1 ‘vfl ti 1-’, i-sistseseeszstssststsssrslestst-eistses §Ts§“&2%“r" s. n" tssssstssssets stasis-sister s»;