Page Eighteen
MfRRY CHRISTMAS
lK< óJMxit a| |xi«ndòiup a lui ijaud vs\ît
The Nyssa Gate City Journal, Nyssa, Oregon
Thursday, December 21, 1972
the creche around the world at Christmastime... MERRY CHRISTMAS!
is adored
all over
the world
Of all the traditional ac
tivities of Christmastime,
none is more enjoyed than
the preparation of the little
Christmas crèche, the mini
ature Bethlehem stable
Not only in the United
States is this tradition hon
ored
but all over the
civilized world From the
Bethlehem "cave” of the
Syrian youngsters to the
Jeslickv in Czechoslovakia,
to Mexico where the people
are setting up their Posada,
all are sharing in a cere
mony of reverence and
love
In the crèche are all the
Nativity figures the Holy
Mother. Mary; Joseph, the
Wise Men. the shepherds
and their flock ... the cat
tle. the donkeys, the sheep,
the lambs and all the crea
tures which inhabited the
stable area
all gathered
around the Baby in the
manger
Throughout most of Eur
ope from earliest Christian
times the custom of re
creating the Nativity scene
has spread Often the
figures were delicately
carved of wood, precious to
the owners and handed
down from generation to
generation A tender link of
devotion.
In Ireland, on Christmas
Eve candles are lighted and
placed in every window of
the hous«. doors are left
ajar No couple with a baby
seeking shelter will be
homeless The candlelight
shines forth all night long;
only those named Mary can
snuff the candles out
la Belgium Christmas is
a time of gifts and joy. The
children leave tidbits in
their shoes for Santa's rein
deer. then hang up their
stockings In the morning
the tidbits are gone; toys
are in the shoes
The old cathedral in Ant
werp calls the faithful to
worship with its resounding
bells Hundreds of singing
children carrying emblems
and streamers throng the
streets, along with priests
and dignitaries in gold-
embroidered robes
In Finland the people pre
pare for Christmas many
weeks in advance Tradi
tionally. suspended from
the ceiling, is a straw
framework decorated with
paper stars; when lighted
from below by the glow of
the firelight and the tree
candles, the effect is
striking and mysterious.
Straw is piled upon the
floor, and as with the earli
est Christmas, a manger
bed is prepared for the
children
One is about the Karkant-
zari, monsters who wander
about on the 12 days after
Christmas and try to make
mischief A priest dips a
cross entwined with sprigs
of basil into a copper vessel
of Holy Water and then
sprinkles the rooms of the
house, this is supposed to
make the mischief-makers
disappear.
I d Sicily the Christmas
scene is picturesque Moun
tain musicians playing mel
ancholy melodies upon vio
lin and cello are in contrast
with those of other Euro
pean countries A midnight
mass is held on Christmas
Eve. following which a pro
cession led by the priest,
carrying a waxen image of
the Child, slowly winds
through the town Then
there is a display of hope
for the world fires are
lighted, church bells are
In Greece, when the rung, and rockets roar up
country is not under mili to the sky
tary law, December 25th is
a happy day for the people
Families get together, par
ties are planned, and there
is much merrymaking
Greek mothers usually
make their famous fried
cakes. Greek grand
mothers gather the children
around and tell them the
old folk legends
Rather tlmn be caught up
in the many meaningless
chores of ('Jiristmas, why
not let some of them go un
done and concentrate your
efforts on the true meaning
of Christmas. You’ll find
you've created a warm feel
ing of family closeness and
love. When Christinas morn
ing comes, voull he able to
meet it with a new joy in
having found the way to ex
press the real meaning of the
Lord’s feast.
tKat ô C KxLstmao .. . m J« I Kant <xn mantf
STOUT APPLIANCE
The first crèche, accord
ing to earliest records, was
made in 1223 In Italy
presepe is the name for the
crèche There have been
many wonderful presepi In
Rome there is one in the
Church of Ara Coeli con
taining a Bambino said to
have been carved from an
olive tree from the Mount
of Olives.
The presepe which is con
sidered the most famous
Christian Crib in the world
is also in Rome, housed in
the Basilica of Saints Cos-
mas and Damian The scene
covers an area of 45 x 21
feet and shows the manger
scene, the palace of Herod,
and farmlands and villages
in living, realistic pano
rama that actually reflect
the customs of the 17th cen
tury Hundreds of wooden
figures have been hand-
carved by famous artisans.
In Spanish, posada means
an inn or lodging place, but
it has come to mean more
specifically the inn of the
Nativity story.
THE PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA
John F. Marsh, Sales Manager,
Larry Miller
Jim Barnes
C »CW UK
To our friends and patrons . ..
we wish you a season full <>f all
the joy s of (Kristinas.
Palmer Equipment Co.
Wishing you all the joys of the Season —
And Employees
Good health, good friends, good cheer!
Farmers Insurance Group
ORE-IDA FOODS, INC
ONTARIO, OREGON
Let the spirit
of Christmas be your guiding light
now and throughout the coming
year May you find happiness.
Let the joyful songs of Christmas ring out
for all to hear and peace and good will
abound through out the world this year.
FEED SERVICE, INC.
DR. DAVID SARAZIN
As we make joyous preparations for the
holiday season, we'd like to take this
opportunity to greet our many good friends
and patrons. We sincerely hope your
Christmas is filled with the best of everything.
Nyssa Auto Parts