The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesday and Saturdays.) WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1879.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 487, 24 December 1879, Page 2

The Patea Mail. (Published Wednesday and Saturdays.) WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1879.

It is -ilmost. .superfluous and almost pedantic in these. enlightened days to stale that Christmas —the mass celebrated in honor of the birth of Christ — is not I lie correct anniversary of that event, it is, however, a much easier thing to say what is not the season of the year for such a celebration, than it is to say what is the season. It is a well ascertained fact, that shepherds do not, and did not, keep watch over their flocks by night in the rainy season of the year, and it is equally well known that Christmas time is the depth of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The Nativity could not have occurred later in the year than the first half of November, but may have occurred in any one of several [ireceding months; for the Talmudists say that the flocks wore to be taken to the fields in March, and brought, home, in November. There is no trustworthy record of a time when the Oh arch possessed any positive knowledge on this point. One of the earliest Fathers— Clement of Alexandria —writing in the third century, tells us that some in his day regarded the twentieth of April, and others the twentieth of May, as the anniversary of Christ’s birth : hut at the same time he states that no man knew anything about it. J3nt as the early Church felt that some day in the year ought to be observed, there wore good reasons for selecting the twenty-fifth of December. In the first place, Lite Jews had a great feast at that time, iho Feast of the Dedication, a feast of eight days, is supposed to have extended from the seveuteuth to the twenty-fifth ol December. lu the second place, the heathen population of Europe observed great feasts about that time. The Homans, in the Saturnalia, held about the twentieth of'Decembur, commemorated the Golden Age in which Saturn reigned, or as the modern enquirer is inclined to think, they commorated the end of the sun’s retreat southwards, and the beginning of his return to bless the north with spring and summer. The Germans, Saxons, and Scandinavians also observed the Feast of Yale on or about tho shortest day, and by it meant to ccdehrate the “ Ytiling,” or the wheeling hack of the sun from his southern journey. Being sun worshippers, fire, of couse, played an important part in their observances. They brought

. . . “ in great logs and let them lie To make a solid core of heat and hence we have the \ uio-log. As they anticipated Spring, evergreens were used for various purposes. The youths and maidens danced, or wore betrothed, or what not, under the mistletoe, for it was believed that the fruir.-giving Sungod would grant to every true-worship-ping wife a “ quiver full of them.” Hence the modern kissing under the mistletoe. Ollier evergreens were probably laden with gifts as sacrifices, and hence the well-known Christmas-tree. But to return to the question of the fixing" of the Chiistmas feast of the Nativity. The Church found in existence these ineradicable feasts. The wise man says that if we were to tray a fool in a mortar, his folly would not depart from him. In like manner a nation, though it be trayod in a mortar, will not forget its nursery tales, its proverbs, or its festivals. This fact was soon recognised by the Chu'-cli, and the utilitarian minds of the early Bishops at once rose to the occasion. They would fix their own groat feast at the same time of the year. It was then only needful to change the name of the feasts, and the whole difficulty was got over. How little else was changed is witnessed by the rites and observances that have survived to the present day. It is evident, then, that this device rendered it much easier for the Pagan to pass, in name at least, into the Christian, then it would have been had the Church been more particular in fixing the day. No doubt also the preachers of those days did not fail to help the convert by tracing to the nunntcstdeta.il the analogy between the return of the Sun from the winter sol-stice, ami the vising of the “ Sun of Righteousness.” 'The name by which the day after Christmas is generally known may be allowed to claim a passing reference. The name Boxing Day is not derived from any wholesale indulgence in fisticuffs by our ancestors on that day, but from the pn-aclico of going round with a money box to collect gifts. The term Christmas-Box is, of course, derived from the same source. It was formerly the custom to give some present to every servant of one’s friend, to every employee of any establishment with which one deals, to the parish officers, to the scavenger, and the lamplighters; while the shopkeeper, in his turn, had to give to ever}’ servant, male or female, of each of his customers. The Box came round so regular, and the whole custom became such a public nuisance, that less than fifty years ago the Government of the United Kingdom had to lake steps to put it down. Happily in New Zealand

wo inherit from this practice little more than a name. In conclusion, wo wish all our readers a .Muuky CnuisT.MAs. We are sure that the question of the correctness ol the dale will not in the least interfere with the enjoyment of the quod things and the good thoughts that, (he season may bring. If our town rejoiced in a peal of bells, we would invoke them in these famous words King out the slowly dying' cause. And ancient forms of parly strife ; Ring in the nobler modes of lite, WiL'n sweeter manners, purer laws. King out false pride in place and blood. The civic slander ami the spite ; liing in the love of truth and right, Ring in the common love of good. Ring out old shapes of foul disease ; Ring out the narrowing lust of gold ; Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the tnoiisaod years of peace. Ring in the. valiant man and tree, Tin; larger heart, the kindlier hand ; Ring out the darkness of the land, Ring in the Chris!, that is to bo.