Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 December 1905 — CHRISTMAS TREES. [ARTICLE]

CHRISTMAS TREES.

From Time Immemorial Part of the Holiday Celebration. From time immemorial a tree has been a part of the Christmas celebration. It may be seen outside the traditional mangers In the missals and early paintings of the preraphaelite Italian school. In the tree or near it are seen angels in flowing robes singing out of a scroll of illuminated paper the “Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men” or “Glory, Glory. Halleluiah!” The correct German Christmas tree always has an angel or a Christkind on the topmost branch, with a tinsel star at the end of a staff, like a pantomime fairy, and If the tree belongs to a very orthodox family there ts usually at Its foot a small toy group representing the Saviour’s birth In the stable at Bethlehem. The lights on the tree are said to be of Jewish origin. In the ninth month of the Jewish ydar, corresponding nearly to our December, and on the twen-ty-fifth day, the Jews celebrated the feast of dedication of their temple. It had been desecrated on that day by Antlochus. It was dedicated by Judas Maccabeus, and then, according to the Jewish legend, sufficient oil was found In the temple to last for the seven branched candlestick for seven days, and It would have taken seven days to prepare new oil. Accordingly the Jews were wont on the 25th of Klsleu In every house to light a caudle, on the next day two, and so on till on the seventh and last day of the feast seven candles twinkled in every bouse. It is not easy to fix the exact date of the Nativity, but It fell most probably ota the last day of Klsleu, when every Jewish house in Bethlehem and Jerusalem was twinkling with lights. It Is worthy of notice that the German name for Christmas Is Weihnacht (the night of dedication), as though It were associated with this feast. The Greeks also call Christmas the feast of lights, and, Indeed, this was also the name glveu to the dedication festival, Cbauuka, by the Jews.—New York Mall and Express.