The Mail-Journal, Volume 6, Number 43, Milford, Kosciusko County, 26 November 1969 — Page 26

THE MAIL-JOURNAL-—Wed., Nov. 26, 1969

History: Christmas Sights, Scents And Sounds

NEW YORK — When next you hear a Christmas carol, see a holly wreath or sniff a holiday aroma that reminds of happy times past, give a thought to the entertaining history of Christmas sights, scents and sounds. One “swinging” Swiss custom, not yet imported to the United States, has to do with the selection of a future mate! If any young boy or girl drinks from nine different fountains on Christmas Eve, while the midnight church bells are swinging and ringing, and then runs to church, the future mate will be seen standing on the door steps. Also joyously affirming that the essence of Christmas is love, a Spanish custom is the Um of Fate. Names of friends are placed in a large bowl and on Christmas Day each person draws the name of the one who shall be his best friend till next December! A Christmas symbol in many regions, the custom of the Christmas tree is said to be of German origin from the Bth century with Martin Luther introducing the tree lighted with candles. The holly wreath, on the other hand, goes back in time to the crucifixion. Christ’s crown of thorns is reputed to have been made of holly leaves. Early Romans, ornamented their temples and homes with the pungent green boughs, decorating as well with the mistletoe they revered as a symbol of peace. Tremendous powers were attributed to the mistletoe by British Druids, and, today, the mightly power of the mistletoe makes kissing acquaintances out of strangers meeting under it during the holiday season of goodwill. Love in legend and love in verse have both been associated with Christmas, but love in a bottle? Yes. In 1775, a young Frenchman’ named JeanFrancois Houbigant decided to put love in a bottle. He developed a mastery of perfumery so great that it made millions for him and his family, shook up the entire French perfume industry, and earned him the patronage of Marie Antoinette and kind words from Guy de Maupassant. To this day —194 years later — thousands of women who receive the new Chantilly Eau de Par-

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AT?-,*- 1K THE CHRISTMAS PICTURE—Eggnog, plum pudding, mistletoe, carollers and family get-togethers are only part of the colorful, cen-turies-old Christmas picture. The story of this holiday spirit has provided great pleasure in both the past and the present.

sum, which comes in a multifaceted bottle shaped like a diamond, little realize that gratitude belongs not only to the donors, but also to a 23-year-old Frenchman who decided he’d try to put love in a bottle. In contrast to the French concept of gift-giving, adopted by many Americans, the Mexican approach is sometimes a game played with great gusto! A large jar of earthenware, called a

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pinata, is filled with gifts and hung from the ceiling or a tree. Blind-folded, the children then try to break the jar with a stick. When someone succeeds, they all scramble for the candy, fruit and gifts inside, filling the air with sounds of their laughter. Not always were Christmas sounds joyous, however, Solemnity distinguished the celebrations, prior to the 13th century. Chants and litanies were

sung in Latin, too theological for popular use. Under the influence of Francis of Assisi, in 1224, carols finally arose written in the vernacular for spontaneous group singing. In England, however, the Puritans condemned such merry celebrations and carried this feeling to America where colonists forbade festivities by law! The first settlers considered them pagan. Christmas again became a time of merriment and gift-giving around the middle of the 19th century when later immigrants arrived. Now, today, many aspects of the Christmas celebration are enjoyed by people of all faiths, and the season includes moments of solemnity as well as festive occasions. Music, too, consists of the great works of Handel or carols adopted from many lands. One of the most popular, perhaps, of all the Christmas carols is “Silent Night” (“Stille Nacht”), written because an organ broke down! Josef Mohr, parish priest in the Austrian Tyrol, 151 years ago, feared his parishioners would be disappointed at the mishap on the day

MEET YOUR FRIENDS at CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

of Christmas Eve. He wrote the words, asked his friend, Franz Gruber to complete the melody, and in a few hours the two men accompanied by a guitar sang the carol masterpiece for the first time on Christmas Eve in 1818. This melody has long lingered on in a world that continues to cherish a parish priest’s love-gift of a song. Poinsettia Shows Season’s Colors Showing the colors of Christmas, red and green, the tropical poinsettia adorns many homes at the holiday season. Though it is now a favorite holiday houseplant, the poinsettia is a relative newcomer to the customs of Christmas. It was discovered by, and later named for, Joel R. Poinsett. When he was serving as U.S. minister to Mexico in 1828, Dr. Poinsett sent a cutting of the plant to a friend. Growers became interested, but it was not until 1906 that the poinsettia was marketed.

Holiday Cleaning Tips

Knowing that Santa can be counted on to do-his-own-thing—-spread cheer all through the house—most women are getting ready for the consequences. For homemakers, traditional holiday joys such as Christmas tree, family dinners and parties inevitably bring spills and spot accidents on furnishings. But these footnotes (smudges) on the Christmas scene need not take their toll of decor or of your spirits, say the country’s leading home care professionals. Fast treatment will keep almost all spots from becoming stains, advise the specialists of Service Master, whose gift of house-wide service lasts throughout the year. In fact, when candlewax drops on the sofa or soda pop spills on the carpet, what you do at home often means more than anything the pro does later on. Tips From Experts Here are tips on how to deal

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with these and other specialized signs of holiday cheer, according to the experts: Keep your cool is the first rule of handling big and little spot disasters. Take command, and scoop up the spillage with tissue or paper toweling. Sticky problems, such as pitch from the Christmas tree, should be scraped up with a tool or spoon, then sponged with a solvent cleaner. Never make the mistake of rubbing fabrics, caution the pros, since this action only disturbs the fibers. Instead, add pressure as needed with the heel of the hand, and work toward the center of the area. Since no one solution will be equally effective on all spots, because of the variety of textures, weaves and dyes in today’s materials, part of your preholiday clean-up preparations probably will include a kit with

different cleaners for treating food, ink, dye, oil, paint, gum and even pet stains Unstable Colors The gay, but unstable colors in holiday wrapping paper and ribbons, or skirting around the tree will leave a stain on sofa or carpet when wet or moist. As quickly as possible, mop up the excess coloring and apply a synthetic cleaner specifically designed for fabrics. Use the sponge-and-blot approach. Lacking a first-aid cleaner, dampen the spot with water to dilute the discoloration and biot as long as moisture remains. To remove candle drippings, scrape off the solid wax. If necessary, slide an ice cube in a plastic bag over the top to harden the wax, then peel off. If some substance remains and the fabric pile is not too deep, hold a blotter over the area, then use a warm iron to remove the spot. Spray on a solvent cleaner to take out the last trace of wax.