The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, December 26, 1968, Image 42
SEC. C—PAGE 10—The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C. Dec. 26th, 1968
Christmas in medieval Eng
land was called Christes
Masse, then Chirst’s Mass, un
til it aquired its present spel
ling. The day is still known
in many European countries as
"Christ’s Birthday” and is cal
led Noel by the French, Nat-
ale by the Italians, Weihnacht
by the Germans, and Yulen
Jul by the Scandinavians.
Most scholars agree that
Dec. 25 is most certainly not
the birthday anniversary of the
Savior, and that He was not
born in what we now measure
as 1 A.D. The custom of cel
ebrating Christ’s Birthday on
Dec. 25 originated in Rome
in the fourth century of the
Christian Era, some say in
354 A.D. The Roman monk
Dionysius Exiguus, who made
the calculations for the calen
dar in the sixth century, prob-
ably misplaced A.D. by at
least six years.
Herod the Great, according
to the current Gregorian cal
endar, died in 4 B.C. He
is said to have put to death
the boy babies in Bethlehem
DIPPING CUSTOM
Long ago, families wel
corned the New Year by obser
ving the "dipping Custom”.
With eyes closed, the head of
the family would open the Bible
and indicate a passage with
his finger. The text, read and
interpreted by the family, was
indicative of the luck, good or
bad, that was in store during
the year ahead.
who were two years old and
younger. The first Christmas
may have been as early aa
6 B.C.
In finally choosing Dec. 25
for Christmas, the early church
fathers probably were not un
mindful that the Roman feast
week of the Saturnalia ended
on Dec. 24, after which some
purification of the soul would
be in order. Worshippers ol
the Persian god Mithras cel
ebrated Dec. 25 as the advent
of the Sun.
The place of Christ’s birth is
much better established than
the time. If you went to Beth
lehem this Christmas and asked
to see where Jesus Christ was
born, the inhabitants would di
rect you to a small grotto, or
cave, beneath the Church ol
the Nativity.
History fixes the year of
the Savior’s birth at 6 B.C.
All the historical quibbling is
of little significance to the real
meaning of Christmas, which
can be read in the face of al
most any child at some mo
ment on Christmas Day.
LIKE THE FOURTH
Observance of the New Year
in China may be compared to
our own Fourth of July, Christ
mas and Thanksgiving rolled
into one. To the accompani
ment of exploding firecrackers,
everyone feasts, gives presents
and cards and make ceremon
ial visits to relatives and
friends. Also, all family debts
are paid.
Mistletoe goes far back in
to history. The Druids called
it "all heal” and believed that
it had miraculous powers to
cure disease and counteract
poisons. According to infor
mation provided by research
ers, the Druids found kissing
under the mistletoe great sport,
but believed it wasn’t proper
unless the sprig had been cut
with a golden knife. Custom
also demanded that one of the
berries on the mistletoe be re
moved each time someone kis
sed beneath it
An ancient Norse myth tells
how the mistletoe got its ber
ries. Balder, the God of light,
couldn’t be hurt by anything
that grew on—or under—the
earth. But his enemy, the evil
god of Loki, found that mist
letoe grew neither on earth nor
under it, but on a tree! So
he had Balder slain with a
spear tipped with mistletoe.
Balder was mourned by all
creatures in heaven and on
earth, including Freyja, the
goddess of love. The tears
she shed, according to the leg
end, became the pearly berries
of the plant, and it is said
that this is the reason that mis
tletoe symbolizes love.
RASPBERRY-PEACH
COMPOTE
2 pkgs. frozen raspberries,
thawed
8 peach halves, drained
3 egg whites
6 tablespoons sugar
Beat egg whites until stiff
but not dry. Gradually beat
in sugar until smooth and glos
sy. Place peaches, cut side up,
in shallow baking dish; top
each with a spoonful of mer
ingue. Bake at 450 degrees
for 5 minutes. Place raspberries
in serving dish; remove peaches
carefully from dish and float
on raspberries.
Christmas
Greetings
With genuine appreciation to our
customers for their generous consideration, we take this
opportunity to extend the season’s greetings and good
wishes to you and yours for holiday joy and happiness.
M. M. MOSELEY DAIRY SUPPUES
To our host of friends and
neighbors, we extend our very best
wishes for a most joyous
holiday, and offer our deep
appreciation for your continued
loyalty and good will.
916 Harrington St.
Phones 276-4901 & 276-5802