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lEGENDS cwsm ammo IHE cnmsmas cusmms .Q‘h THE PORCUPINE ADVANCE, TIMMINS, ONTARIO Yule Log of Olden Times and the Sym- bolism and Treasured Traditions Attached to it and to Other Customs of the Christmas Time. A seasonable glimpse into the past brings visions of the Merrie Yuletide of Old Englandâ€"the season of joyous celebration in which legend and super- stitlcn played conspicuous roles. “ Héldi'ng 'cemral blace 1n the festivi- ties was the Yule log of treasured tra- dition, symbolizing warmth and light as eésehtial characteristics of the sacred holiday. The Yule log custom dates back several centuries in the life of the Eng- lish people. Charles Lamb wrote that a “large, heaped-up, all attractive fire" was the most indepensable feature of the cold Christmas season in the British Isles. In keeping with this spirit the use of a blazing log was a recognized habit of the Kingdom. The fire was built upon a wide open hearth, afford- ing brilliant background for the general festivities of the household. In preparation for the holiday season the choosing of the Yule leg was an event of much importance and one which called for painstaking procedure. Size was a necessary factor. The feel- ing prevailed that the larger the log the better the celebration. Huge Logs Were Used. For this reason the dimensions of the central timber was restricted only by the width of the fireplace. In the bar- onial homes and spacious farm houses of Old England the hearth stoes were vast and spacious, permitting the use of huge logs which would dismay the modern householder In many in- stances entire tree trunks were utilized. These were ehorien months ahead of time and allowed to become well sea- soned before the time of the Christmas festivities. The work of bringing home the chosen log was an event of prime sig- nificance, [attended by much form and ceremony. The method of tranport was primitive and impressive. Ropes at- tached to the heavy timber were drawn by enthusiastic volunteers, each of whom considered it a privilege to have a share in the auspicious enterprise. The eagerness of the neighbourhood to participate in the work was encour- aged by a belief that every helper was safe from witchcraft for the 12-month period which followed. By working at the same task each year the superâ€" stitious were supposed to achieve per- petual immunity. The passage of the log thro h the forest was attended by due mage. Each passer-by who met the ceremon- ial procession on the trail or highway doffed his cap and paid his respects with profound reverence. Upon arri- val at its destination the log was dragg- ed into the great hall or living-er and set in the fireplace with appro- priate pomp land rejoicing. “Welcome Yule” was a favourite song for this par- ticular phase of the festivities and the singing was accompanied by the Was- sail and drinking of spiced ale in huge tankards. The wassail was a merry- making ceremony of special Yuletide popularity, and its proper observance extended to the point of pouring some of the ale over the roots of orchard trees to insure prosperous crops during the following year In some cases cider supplanted ale in the ceremony of “Wassailing the Trees.‘ Customs \Vere Quaint Many quaint and curious customs grew up in connection with the Yule log festivities. Some of these were conâ€" tradictory. One custom demanded that before the leg was lighted it should serve as a throne for the prettiest girl present while the merry-makers drank her health. As opposed to this practice was the tradition of warning children not to sit on the log for fear that they might become infected with itch. Still another curious procedure sometimes observed was to chalk the figure of a man on the log before lightingâ€"a cere- mony which suggested the human sac- rifices of an ancient past. A prevalent custom was the use of the log as a place for arranging presents for the children of the household. Setting fire to the log was a formal rite which was exercised with impres- sive dignity. Common supersition de- mamdcd that the log must be touched by no hands that were not freshly washed in the belief that contact of unwashed hands would cause the fire to burn with dull and unsatisfactory glow Kept For Another Year. One of the prevalent customs called for the preservation of a remnant of the log to be used a year later in kind- ling the Christmas fire. In many com- munities the remnant would be kindled afresh on Candlemas Eve, allowed to blaze for a few moments, and then saved as a household charm against fire and calamity. Tradition interprets the practice of igniting the new log with a sliver from the old as a relic of an ancient custom of maintaining per- petual sacred fires. The burning of the huge timber oc- cupied many hours and the long even- ing was devoted to the festivities of the Christmstide. A quaint super- stition attached to the celebration was that bad luck would ensue if a squint- eyed person or one with uncovered feet should be allowed to enter the hall while the fire blazed. The Yale log tradition had many variations, all pertaining to the use of fire as a. central feature of the holidays. In some sections of Old England the slnglc log was supplanted by a. bunch of faggots gathered from the ash trees of the neighbourhood. The custom orig- inated in an ancient. legend which related that the Bliblical shepherds who came to Bethlehem found the Holy Family suffering from the cold. To provide warmth and comfort for the ”MIC group, according to this unwrit- ten record, the youngest of the shep- herds went forth into the forest and gathered bundles of ash sticks with which they kindled a fire. The selec- tion of ash was due to the belief that the wood of no other tree will burn freely when freshly gathered. A variation of the ash faggot's use involved binding the bundle with nine bands, each of which represented a pair of lovers belonging to the Christmas assembly. The faggot thus bound was lighted with ritualistic ceremony and it was believed that the earliest mar- riage would be that of the pair repre- sented by the band which was the first to be severed by the flames. Kept Fire Alive. A rigid requirement of the celebra- tion was that the Yule log fire should never be permitted to die out while the festivities were in progress. A dead fire was regarded as the essence of ill luck. Precautionary measures in this direction were of the utmost imporâ€" tance and were conscientiously observed. Because of the prevailing reluctance to part with any portion of ' a fire, there came the custom of providing a com- munity blaze for the benefit of all concerned. Taking the form of a huge bonfire in an open space, this blaze was lighted on Christmas Eve and kept burning until the dawn of the New Year. In this way an entire neigh- bourhood provided itself with a type of “fire insurance" that kept the hearthstones blazing in spite of all dif- ficulties. There were other sections in which generosity with fire was the dominant note, and where each householder re- garded it as a privilege to be permitted to contribute to his neighbour's blaze. To such extent was this feeling carried that it was considered unlucky to light a Yule log by any means other than embers or torches carried from the house of a friend. In the past The Advance has given stories of .the origin of the different Christmas customs and usages. It ap- pears that nearly every civilized coun- try has some tale going back to legen- dary days regarding some of the Christ- mas customs. One of these stories is an English tale telling of the origin of the first Christmas tree. According to this ancient tale, many years ago Joseph of Arimathea came from Palestine to England, to tell the people about the life and death of Christ. It was a long and very rough voyage that the people from Palestine had, as they journeyed Legend of the Origin of the Christmas Tree in an open boat the entire distance. Landing on a shore where there were no dwellings, Joseph and- his people took up their travel inland, heping to find- some one to receive them and give them shelter and food. For some days they travelled, but everything was deserted. It, was win- t-er and the people of England were not about the fields. On Christmas Eve their food was exhausted and they were almost perishing when Joseph, in dis- couragement, dropped down on a. rock As he leaned against his staff he exclaimed, “My courage has departed and my hope is as dead as this staff in my hands!” As he spoke, Joseph thrust the staff into the ground and there was a shiver went through it. The dead wood began to grow. Branches appeared from the knots of the staff, and leaves appeared. The dry staff had changed into a noble hawthorn tree. “L: is a sign from God!" exclaimed Joseph. “Let us end our wanderings and settle here!” Strength and courage returned to the party from Palestine. They built a few rough shelters and beside the thorn tree built a. church. For many years the sacred thorn tree blossomed every year on Christmas Eve, and it was ac- cepted as the Christmas tree. People decorated this tree with lighted candles and placed small thorn trees in their homes for the Yuletide. Later. that first church had additions built. to accommodate the people who came to hear Christ, and later became the famous Glastonbury Abbey. EARLY EVIDENCE AT ROUYN OF THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT At Rouyn some days ago there was an evidence of the Christmas spirit of kindness and helpfulness in the case of a. boy charged with the serious crime of forgery. ' The lad, who came from a small town in Old Ontario, and had been working on a steamer on the lakes, picked up a cheque on the boat. He made his way to Clericy where he fell in with bad company, his new com- pan-ions taking advantage of the lack of sophistication of this young boy of seventeen. Apparently. they got the little money the boy had and then they persuaded him to endorse the cheque he had found on the steamer and take fit to a contractor and have I: cashed. The boy was green enough to do this and so he finally found him- self in jail at Rouyn charged with for- gery. The Rouyn authorities, however, showed a. kindly spirit of helpfulness to the misguided young fellow. Arrange- ments were made mr restitution of the money involved, the charge against the hey was withdrawn, and the lad was rent. back to his parents in Old Ontario. having learned a serious lesson both as to honesty and the observance of the iéw and also in regard to the ill eflec that follow keeping bad company. Christmas come but once a year- shop early! Both holly and mistletoe are said to be pagan surviva15. The Christmas spirit, did a lot [or them. Thulsday, Dec. 18th, 1939