Holiday Decorations by Lee James 1899
THERE is a time and a season for all things, as we are told, and the time and the season to decorate our firesides and homes is at Yuletide, when with holly branch and mistletoe we make our Christmas green; with flowers we make it bright and fragrant; with presents we make it bountiful, and with the spirit of peace on earth, goodwill toward men, we make life worth living.
The Christmas holiday, then, is the time for all kinds of home decoration. At this festive season of good cheer and feeling, no home can afford to be without a touch here and there of greens and flowers.
Let it be a small branch of holly, or a sprig of mistletoe, or a bit of evergreen—whatever the decoration may be, the home will seem the brighter and better for it. And so will the dinner be enjoyed the more heartily if the table be decked with fruits and flowers. For the dinner, like all Christmas dinners, is soon over, but the remembrance of the scene will remain with us for many a day.
There is more in this matter of Christmas decoration than most people think. From an historical point of view the use of green leaves and branches in our homes and churches dates back to pagan days. In truth, an interesting paper might be written on the folklore which, in one form or another, has clustered round the holly and the mistletoe.
And so, before taking up the practical side, brief reference may be made to some of the curious facts and fancies relating to the subject. Every one now knows that our Christmas is an old pagan festival that has been changed so as to be in harmony with Christian ideas and beliefs.
We know also that Christianity made slow progress among the people of Europe and of England for centuries; that pagan rites continued to be celebrated in modified form, and that some of the festivals essentially pagan hold their place to this day with European peasantry.
The principal evergreens and branches used to decorate pagan temples and houses had, or were supposed, to have, certain mystic properties. Thus, the holly and mistletoe were set up not only to bring good fortune, but to find favor with the gods in whose honor they were used.
Pliny tells us that holly was planted near dwelling places to protect the house against lightning. Mr. Conway says that the holly "was to the ancient races of the North a sign of the life which preserved nature through the desolation of winter, and was gathered into pagan temples to comfort the sylvan spirits during the general death."
The other evergreens used at Christmas—ivy, laurel, bay, arbor vitae, rosemary, and mistletoe—are all associated with superstitious fancies. The mysterious origin and surroundings of the mistletoe have invested it with an uncanny reputation.
When the mistletoe was found growing on the oak. its presence was attributed to the gods. and. as such, was treated with the greatest reverence. The mistletoe is supposed to be the celebrated "golden bough" which j£neas used when he went to the Elysian regions.
According to one medieval legend, the mistletoe, which now exists as a mere parasite, was once a fine forest tree, and its present condition is due to its having been used to make the Cross. However, this did not seem to deprive the mistletoe of its supernatural strength and power, for it has been much employed in folk medicine.
A piece of mistletoe hung round the neck was regarded as a safeguard against witches and other evil spirits; in Sweden the peasants make a fingering of this plant in order to protect the wearer from sickness. Several old English writers mention the use of mistletoe. Culpepper says that it is "good for the grief of the sinew, itch, sores, and toothache, the biting of mad dogs, and venomous beasts"; while Sir Thomas Browne alludes to its virtues in cases of epilepsy.
There are various accounts of the mistletoe, and of the strange proceedings during the gathering of it. When its berries were ripe, the Druids invited the people to a great feast, and the oldest Druid priest, dressed in white, climbed up the tree where the parasite grew, and cut it down with a golden sickle, while the other Druids sang and prayed. On account of its connection with Druidic rites, the mistletoe was excluded from Christian churches.
Finally, a note of warning. It is an old English superstition that, all Christmas decorations should be removed before Candlemas Day. If this be not done, there will certainly appear as many goblins as there are leaves remaining in the house. Hence, at Candlemas it was customary in England to replace the Christmas evergreens with sprigs of box, which were kept up till Easter Eve.
THERE is a time and a season for all things, as we are told, and the time and the season to decorate our firesides and homes is at Yuletide, when with holly branch and mistletoe we make our Christmas green; with flowers we make it bright and fragrant; with presents we make it bountiful, and with the spirit of peace on earth, goodwill toward men, we make life worth living.
The Christmas holiday, then, is the time for all kinds of home decoration. At this festive season of good cheer and feeling, no home can afford to be without a touch here and there of greens and flowers.
Let it be a small branch of holly, or a sprig of mistletoe, or a bit of evergreen—whatever the decoration may be, the home will seem the brighter and better for it. And so will the dinner be enjoyed the more heartily if the table be decked with fruits and flowers. For the dinner, like all Christmas dinners, is soon over, but the remembrance of the scene will remain with us for many a day.
There is more in this matter of Christmas decoration than most people think. From an historical point of view the use of green leaves and branches in our homes and churches dates back to pagan days. In truth, an interesting paper might be written on the folklore which, in one form or another, has clustered round the holly and the mistletoe.
And so, before taking up the practical side, brief reference may be made to some of the curious facts and fancies relating to the subject. Every one now knows that our Christmas is an old pagan festival that has been changed so as to be in harmony with Christian ideas and beliefs.
We know also that Christianity made slow progress among the people of Europe and of England for centuries; that pagan rites continued to be celebrated in modified form, and that some of the festivals essentially pagan hold their place to this day with European peasantry.
The principal evergreens and branches used to decorate pagan temples and houses had, or were supposed, to have, certain mystic properties. Thus, the holly and mistletoe were set up not only to bring good fortune, but to find favor with the gods in whose honor they were used.
Pliny tells us that holly was planted near dwelling places to protect the house against lightning. Mr. Conway says that the holly "was to the ancient races of the North a sign of the life which preserved nature through the desolation of winter, and was gathered into pagan temples to comfort the sylvan spirits during the general death."
The other evergreens used at Christmas—ivy, laurel, bay, arbor vitae, rosemary, and mistletoe—are all associated with superstitious fancies. The mysterious origin and surroundings of the mistletoe have invested it with an uncanny reputation.
When the mistletoe was found growing on the oak. its presence was attributed to the gods. and. as such, was treated with the greatest reverence. The mistletoe is supposed to be the celebrated "golden bough" which j£neas used when he went to the Elysian regions.
According to one medieval legend, the mistletoe, which now exists as a mere parasite, was once a fine forest tree, and its present condition is due to its having been used to make the Cross. However, this did not seem to deprive the mistletoe of its supernatural strength and power, for it has been much employed in folk medicine.
A piece of mistletoe hung round the neck was regarded as a safeguard against witches and other evil spirits; in Sweden the peasants make a fingering of this plant in order to protect the wearer from sickness. Several old English writers mention the use of mistletoe. Culpepper says that it is "good for the grief of the sinew, itch, sores, and toothache, the biting of mad dogs, and venomous beasts"; while Sir Thomas Browne alludes to its virtues in cases of epilepsy.
There are various accounts of the mistletoe, and of the strange proceedings during the gathering of it. When its berries were ripe, the Druids invited the people to a great feast, and the oldest Druid priest, dressed in white, climbed up the tree where the parasite grew, and cut it down with a golden sickle, while the other Druids sang and prayed. On account of its connection with Druidic rites, the mistletoe was excluded from Christian churches.
Finally, a note of warning. It is an old English superstition that, all Christmas decorations should be removed before Candlemas Day. If this be not done, there will certainly appear as many goblins as there are leaves remaining in the house. Hence, at Candlemas it was customary in England to replace the Christmas evergreens with sprigs of box, which were kept up till Easter Eve.
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