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WORLD-WIDE, IT’S MERRY CHRISTMASTIME! THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C„ Dec. 23, 1970—3-C ****************************** Yuletide Customs Spread Around Globe Mistletoe, Santa Claus, letters to Santa, Christmas customs galore — where did they all begin? The customs of Christmas come from many lands and many eras. They evolve from pagan ceremonies into Chris tian rituals. And they stretch from West to East, from North to South, as each country contributes something special and traditional to the celebrations of the holiday. When seasonal gaiety rings out in Canada, the merriment is echoed in Mexico. When North or South Americans gather for Christmas festivities, the people of Sweden are doing the same — and so are the peoples of Holland and France and Italy and Spain and countless other European countries. In the far East, Christian communities spread the customs of Christmas, which mingle with the year-end ceremonies observed by those of other faiths. That the legend and lore of Christmas knows no boundaries is illustrated in the following round-up of Yuletide customs, based on information provided by the editors of the Encyclo pedia International. In Kngland From the north of England comes the happy custom of the kissing bough, A large hoop, twined with greens, is decorated with apples and candles. And in the center there’s mistletoe— signal for exchanging kisses. In Austria Custom of writing letters to Santa Claus may have be gun in Austria, where, long ago, it was an Advent tradi tion for children to write let ters containing lists of what they'd like to receive on St Nicholas’ Day In Italy From Italy comes a most poetic addition to Christmas lore For three weeks during the Christmas season, chil dren traditionally go from place to place reciting Christ mas poems They expect coins in return, to buy holiday goodies. In SvmmIcii An ancient custom that is still observed in some Swed ish households today is that of dipping bread into the pot Each person dips a piece of bread into pork and sausage drippings and eats it for good luck In Hnllaml For St Nicholas season, it’s traditional in Holland to make flat cakes called Klass- jes Once exclusively made in the form of the bishop, St Nicholas. Klassjes now take any form of bird, beast or fish In Kranee At Salers in central France, old-time tradition calls for a king and queen to rule over Christmas festivities. Rulers pay for tYie pHvllege, 'sfnee they are "elected" by bidding at an auction held on the church steps Turkey Terlytkl King Kamehameha IV, who brought so much to Hawaii, also was responsible for proclaiming Christmas a national holiday in 1862 It is reported that even the missionaries were pleased, and each group — Americans, Europeans, and Orientals — cele brated their own idea of Christ mas This independence of ob servance persists, and one of the most popular turkey dishes comes through with a distinctly Ori ental flavor 2 cups soy sauce 1*4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated, or *4 teaspoon ground ginger *4 cup vegetable oil *4 cup sake or sherry (optional) 1 10 to 12 pound turkey, cut into serving sire pieces. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, oil and sherry. Pour soy sauce mixture over turkey pieces in a shallow pan. Allow to stand for 20 min utes or more to marinate, turn ing occassionally. Remove turkey from marinade and reserve mari nade. Place turkey pieces on grill placed about 6 to 8 inches above hot coals. Grill a total of m hours, or until tender. Brush oc casionally with reserved mari nade, as well as turning pieces occasionally. It's different, it’s good, and serves 8 to 10. In Germany A procession which blends pagan and Christmas cus toms is part of the legend and lore of the holiday in Ruppin, Germany. A rider on a white horse, symbolizing the horse of the pagan god Wotan, leads the parade. He is followed by Father Christ mas, who is decked with rib bons and carries candy and fruit. In Switzerland A Swiss custom that dates back to the Middle Ages is to start the New Year free of debts. December 6th, the feast of St. Nicholas of Myra, the first Santa Claus, is the day set to meet all monetary obligations such as rents and mortgages. In Venezuela Hallaca, a native Venezue lan dish, is an awaited deli cacy during the Christmas season. It is made of corn meal with pork and chicken stuffing and numerous other ingredients, and then wrap ped in plantain leaves to form a type of pie • » • In Argentina It's a mid-summer Christ mas in Argentina, and the traditional feast is generally served outdoors. Rosebuds and jasmine deck the table, which has as edible center- piece a whole roast suckling Pig- • • • In Brazil Brazilian lore and legend says that Three King's Day is a time for poetry contests Verses accompanied by gui tars are featured • • • In Chile Unique among Christmas customs in Chile is a grand fiesta that centers around horse racing 'MAS GREETKIK May the season shine with warmth, peace and happiness for you and your family. CLINTON CAFE * D. 0. and Janie Freeman A***************************** * * * * * » * * * * * * * * * » * * * * * » * * * * * * * * * * * nCQT 0^ IN Fit \\< K, THAIHIION HAS II THAT -.heplienl* >lioul«l luk. llicir liimli' In rliun li nn (liri'lmu' duy. Fri-m li .slu-plieril |iiiTiir4-<l In-ri- i» Liking purl in u «pt-riul linlitluy ri-Mirutinn wliirli Inn* li4*«-n a Iradilinn in tin' Inwn nf ltuil\ for ninri' thun II) rt'iilnrit"-. I’lintn- grupli i- frnni tlir F.nrvclnpi'din Inlcrnalinnal. IN MEXICO, C \II.A -DECOR ATED I’INA I A — an earllienwar.- jar filled willi gnndie* — i' a Cliri'-lma* eliullenge fnr tile yniiiig- 'ter*. Hlindfnlded. they attempt In break the piliata, whieh may he Middenly Inwered nr raided nut nf rearh. Sucre-s bring** a 'bower nf toy** and sweet"*. I’hnto frnni Encyelopediu Internalinal. In Colonihiu People parade in masquer ade on Christmas Eve in Colombia. Each masquerader tries to guess the identity of others. When someone guess es correctly, he can claim a small gift from the person who was "unmasked.” * * * In Peru Toro! In Lima, Peru,Christ mas day is not exclusively a church holiday, because it also marks the greatest bull fight of the year. In Costa Kira In the island country of Costa Rica, "portals” are set up in homes. These are elab orate Nativity scenes some times filling an entire room. In Guatemala An ancient custom in Gua temala is to "light the road to Bethlehem” by placing lanterns in windows and doorways for nine nights be fore Christmas. In Panama Children in Panama par ticipate in midnight mass on Christmas Eve by caroling to an accompaniment of casta nets and tamborines. BOXING DAY This is the first work day after Christmas and used to be the day when tenants got their Christmas boxes. In Norway it’s a big party day — children’s in the early afternoon; the grown-up parties later in the evening. Eastside Greenhouse ^ Branson and Willetts AabUl | §36 E. Carolina Are 833*2804 CHINESE < HHIST'I.ANS CEI EIIKA I E “MIEN Dun Jirh, M the Holy Mirth FTolituI, ul 4 hri-lniO'. Mill ''a ill a 4 dan- i» on hand. loo. a** hr i« in thi-> m rne. typical of a laiwun 4 diri'lina**, where he greet' young'll r' enjoying a ride on a merry-go-round. 1‘holn- graph i' from the New Hook of Knowledge. stesMesMc************************************** With good old-fashioned enthusiasm we send Christmas greetings and warm wishes that you and your dear ones may enjoy a bounty of wonderful holiday pleasures. D. E. TRIBBLE & CO. We join Santa in taking this opportunity to wish all of our customers and friends a Merry, Merry Christmas. May your holiday be rich with the joys and blessings of happy family unity and warm friendships. It's been our pleasure to serve you. CLINTON-LYDIA MILLS STORES PHONE 8334)710 PHONE 8334)631