A CHRISTMAS LEGEND

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 32, 14 December 1945, Page 10 (Supplement)

A CHRISTMAS LEGEND

All around the wondrous story ol' Bethlehem and the fir.st Christmas night have grown many quaint legends most of them with a charm of their own and all containing some interesting thought. In some part of Russia the peasants have a legend of a woman whom they call the Baboushua. The story runs that the Three Wise- Men passed her house on their journey to find the place where the Child lay. They stopped at ber cottage door and begged her to accompany them in their search. "We have seen His star in the East/' they said. "Come with ii.s for wc/are going to worship Him." But the Baboushka was busy and would not join them. "1 will come some time " she said ? "but not now." And the Wise Men went on without her. Then she was filled with a great longing to be with them but it was too late, and though she followed them she never saw the Christ Child. But } the le£ gend says, she is still living and still searching and it is .she in those * ' Russian houses who fills the child--9 ren's stockings and hangs the lights and the presents on the Christmas trees, and on Christmas morning the children cry 'Behold the Baboushka' and rush out hoping they may see her. For she is always hoping that some day in some home ) she may find amongst the the Christ Child she missed those hundred years ago. | i In another part of Russia a young girl is believed to bring the presents for the. children on Christmas Eve. She is a white-clad maiden known as Kolyada and she drives in a sledge from house to bouse distributing presents in the manner of our Santaj Claus. So do the legends grow in every country and of every kind for out of every great event come stories, and it is small wonder that the stupendous event of Christmas should be. decked with garlands of story and song..