Christmas the World over

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Part of The Carolinian

Title: Christmas the World over
extracted text: Today is Christmas. The Spirit of the Nativity has come again. And to feel the warmth of Christmastide is to wander in imagination down the gloomy avenues of time, along the magnificent halls and buildings spawned by our own ma terial and atomic progress, down past the ruins of wars and military conquests, to the quarrels over ca nals and butchery of thousands of innocent men and women in Hun gary, past the horror dangled by ambitious nations and farther into the old fallen glory of Greece and the crumbling grandeur that was Rome, until we stand before the portal of that stable in Bethlehem where Jesus, the Redeemer of the World, was born. Almost two thousand years ago, amid the vast confusion of a proud Roman Empire, at a lowly stable in Bethlehem, a Child was born in a cold wintry December night. There, in the stable outside the little hill side city, in the company of angels and silent beasts, the Eternal Word was born to a Virgin Mother. God Himself became man. God Who could have transformed the thou sands of whirling and twinkling stars into his golden mat and pillow pre ferred to see the light of day over a bundle of straw. There, as His vi sitors, were the shepherds and royal teachers of Persia. In the wooden crib, the cradle of God, Mary bent in adoration at the Infant Child who was dressed in swaddling clothes. At her side was St. Joseph, humble as he al ways was, looking with joy at the Son of God, who was to be his Son. On that silent night, thousands of centuries ago, the great became small and the small became great. God became man, and the dust of man was united to the Eternal Word. The night, it was of true happiness and joy for men of good will. And so the centuries passed. In the cold catacombs beneath the marble palace of an insane Empe ror, who sang and danced to the laughter of the white-togaed fools, there is silence. There is whisper. Christ is born again and the cold tomb of a Martyr becomes again His crib. All through the world candles are burning. The Nativity has come again. Stand ye all nations of the world and hold the fire of your passion. Let us join ourselves in celebrating this season of all sea sons with peace and good will. And so, the books say . . . The Spaniards commemorate the benighted wandering of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph on Christmas Day by processions through the dif ferent villages accompanied by children carrying images of the Holy Couple. The procession then winds its way into a church where a manger is built in one of the side dtfjristmas altars. Here, the procession is stop ped and after some prayers have been recited, a little boy, dressed like an angel, rushes in to lay an image of the Child Jesus in the Crib. Candles are lighted and Christmas songs are chanted to welcome the newborn Babe. In contrast to us who hold our dances before the Midnight Mass on Christ mas Eve, the Spaniards, young and old, rich and poor, indulge in dan cing after the Midnight Mass. This custom can be traced back signi ficantly to the days when Spain was under the Moorish Rule. The Spaniards eat their dinner at home and continue celebrating well into the early hours of Christmas Day. To the Italians, Christmas is a holiday which must be observed with great holiness. Characteristic of this Italian attitude, solemn cere monies are held during the season and masses are heard at midnight in the churches. As in most homes in the Philippines, the Presepio or Crib is a colorful feature in Italy. Candles are lighted around this Crib and flowers are utilized by the Italians to decorate the manger. The children then chant carols and recite Christmas verses before this Crib while their guests prayerfully kneel. Page 2 THE CAROLINIAN During the nine days before the Feast in Italy, the mountaineers from Calabria and Abruzzi descend from their high abodes into Rome, marching from city to city where a shrine of the Madonna has been built. Upon reaching the Shrine, these people, otherwise known as "Pifferari" mountaineers, pictures quely attired in their homespun cos tume, play on their bagpipes and flutes to herald the birth of the Holy Babe. While it is customary for us to give and receive gifts during or be fore Christmas, the Italians reserve their gifts for the Epiphany — the big day for Italian children. Here, the Befana, their version of old Santa Claus, flies through the window of the Italian houses with a bagful of of the people are building fireworks, going to picnics and fiestas and boating excursions. Flowers are abundantly used for decorations and trimmings. A Presepio is a feature in most Brazilian homes and church es. The most colorful part of the season is the Midnight Mass which is celebrated "with an out-of-door procession of the priests to the church." Papa Noel, a Brazilian version of Santa Claus and Italy's Befana, is the favorite of the children. Christmas and Epiphany are gift giving occasions in Brazil. To the English, Christmas is a ceremonial home festival. It is one of the grandest celebrations in England. Family reunions, gifts, de corations, singing of Christmas cacarols. In China, they have another way of celebrating Christmas. Here's how a young missionary relates his experience on his first Christmas in China: "It was the first time I saw the Monsignor in the pontifical robes. He usually dressed very plainly. For an instant I just stood and admired. He looked great, and his majestic figure and long snowwhite beard added not a little to his dignity. We had a deacon, sub deacon, presbyter assistant, master of ceremonies, and a dozen or so mass servers; quite a thing in China, and I believe the angels wept for joy — anyway we had rain the next day. The Sisters and the girls sang a two-voice Mass, and believe me, it sounded grand, at least for the World Over ★**★*★*★*** toys for the children. Dinner is served on Christmas morning im mediately after the Midnight Mass. The Scandinavians prepare themselves elaborately weeks be fore the X'mas season. From the following observation by a writer, we can fairly say that the Scandi navians celebrate the season with the trimmings: "Elaborate prepara tions are begun weeks in advance for the whole house must be clean ed, renovated and gaily decorated; a great amount of cooking of spe cial meats, baking of breads, fancy cakes and cookies, and other na tive foods is accomplished." Simi larly, celebrants in Philippine cities bake cakes, roast some piglets or fry some chickens for their visitors while those in the rural areas bake suman and bibingka as their favorite native delicacy during the occasion. We do not, on the other hand, stock our homes with fancy cakes, cookies or bread, weeks before the season but rather fill the pockets with enough silver coins. Gifts are dis tributed in the Scandinavian regions after family worship and singing of Christmas songs. To the Brazilians, Christmas has the characteristic of a "summer festival" because the holiday falls in Midsummer. The main activities rols, parties and pantomime for the children are the main attractions of the season. This world-wide holi day is celebrated with "a genuine spirit of hospitality and good will" by Sixto Llacuna Abao, Jr. by the Britons. Goose and plum puddings are traditional foods for the English during the holiday. In Mexico, they have the Posadas which usually begin on the 16th of December. Through this Posadas or "resting places" they commemo rate the journey of the Holy Couple, Mary and Joseph, from Nazareth to Bethlehem. In Germany, where the Christ mas tree is said to have first found its home, the celebration centers around the holiday tree. One of the rather peculiar traits among the Germans during the season is the manner in which they place their gifts around the holiday tree. In stead of hanging them, they pile their gifts under it and on nearby tables. The distribution of gifts takes place after singing of Christmas China. At the consecration, just as the host was being elevated, a deaf ening noise proceeded from the rear of the Church. For a second I did not know what to do but then 1 remembered having heard that on festive occasions in China they like to shoot off firecrackers, and they did it fine this time. The noise rose in a crescendo at first, dying down, and again coming out strong at the raising of the Chalice. This is the Chinese way of doing homage to the new bom King. After Mass, the Christians, first the men and then the women, gave us the Kow tow (triple bow) and wished us a merry Christmas. We handed out holy pictures in return. In the af ternoon, there was a little celebra tion put on by the orphans. The Christmas theme revolved around Bethlehem and the Nativity." In Holland, Christmas is largely a church and family affair. The 25th of December is observed by the Dutch with great religious signi ficance. They go to the churches to rock the cradle of the Infant Jesus, which means to attend the Midnight Mass. During the Christ mas Day, quiet family gatherings are observed. Immediately after the Midnight Mass, the members of (Continued on page Yl) Page 3 and refusing to be unanswered. He could lie to her, tell her any thing except the truth. But he did not feel like it. He held his breath. "Maybe someday I will be able to explain ti to you," he uttered. And silence came between them. Deep. Forceful. Overwhelming. Like the glaring silence of her eyes. At the foot of the stairs her face was suffused in the glow of the light shining through the glass of the door. Her eyes once coffee-brown were now transformed into two pools of darkness. "Won't you come in?" she asked. ’’It is late!" He gave a faint smile. "Good-bye—" she whispered. He did not move. He stood there among the still shadows. "Not Good bye, just Good-night..." his voice faltered. She clung to the rail of the stairs, and in a moment she turned her face toward him. She paused and said audibly, "Good-night—." Now the city was as silent as a tomb, shrouded in it memory of gen erations of struggles and heart aches. It was a city clothed in the garment of monstrous concrete and colored with darkness and incan descent lamps. This was Christmas! Time of pronounced laughter of innocent children gazing at the mechanized toys in the display windows. Yet he felt very old, very tired! Very old—barely twentyl This (Continued on page 36). Christmas the World ... (Continued from page 3) the household sit together to eat their breakfast. Bursting of firecrac kers is not allowed; no noise devices either, except the singing of Christ mas carols. The Catholics in Holland have the Crib as a feature in their homes while the Protestants have the Christmas Tree. Because of their belief that the X'mas Tree has a great pagan significance, the Ca tholic Dutch do not hang their gifts at the holiday tree. They utilize it instead as backdrop of the Crib where the Image of the Infant Jesus is laid upon. Special dish and special bread are liberally served on Christmas Day. Special bread, which they call X'mas Bread, includes raisins, currents, sucade, etc.; for dinner, they have the rabbit or hare as the special dish. December 6th is the favorite Day of the Dutch children. It is the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas and is devoted chiefly to family reunions, surprises and giftgiving. They do not give gifts to each other except on this day. The Midnight Mass is the most important part of the Christmas Day in Central India. Practically, almost everybody goes to the church to hear Mass and take Communion. After the Mass, the Statue of Jesus is taken by a priest and after it has been laid upon the manger, the In dians begin to flock around the Crib and one by one, kiss the feet of the Statue. After the church ceremony, all sorts of noisy devices, bursting of firecrackers and whistling do minate the day. During the Christmas Day, they bring all kinds of presents and food stuffs to the priests and give gifts to each other. They also offer mo ney to the dignitaries of the Popes. Christmas songs are chanted till sunrise. We've heard a lot about Ameri ca — of its many wonderful things, of its skyscrapers that stand majes tically against the blue sky — but we know little of its Christmas. In the following lines, our Moderator compares Christmas in the tropics with Christmas in America. "In America," he writes in one of his articles, "we like to have a ’White' Christmas. In the tropics the wea ther is very warm; here it is usually cold. There, the people dress in gala costumes, white, red and yel(Continued on page 29) Page 17 SPORTS Sunday, August 11th, 2:00 o'clock in the afternoon. That was the exact day, date and time when this year's CCAA Basketball season started with all the glamour "max factor" could offer before some three thousand basketball "aficiona dos" who saw our Warriors clobber the CIT Wildcats, last year's run ner-up in the current league. It had to take three extension periods before the Wildcats succumbed to the supremacy of our mighty drib blers. Johnny Aquino, our bench mentor, considered one of the brainest coaches ever to grace local hoopdom counted on his last year's standouts to tame the Wildcats in their initial engagement. The drib blers who compose this year's ZONE VII CHAMPIONS The USC Warriors, this year's CCAA runner-up, copped the Zone VII cham pionship pennant by trouncing the Rafael Palma College Redshirts of Tagbllaran, Bohol, 124-97 in a free-scoring game at Ly Ben Reyes quintet are: 1. Veteran skipper, husky but baby-faced, "The incomparable" Danny Deen (a foul baiter who has the finesse of Mumar, the grace of a ballet dancer, and the guts of Arsenio H. Lacson). 2. "Jumping Jack" Peping Rogado, hustler, foul baiter, and playmaker all rolled in to one, with a terrific drive from the left center area. 3. Doring Canizares, a lanky nineteen-year-old six-footer, who can dunk and hook the ball left and right at will. A towering colossus in the defense. 4. Coming down from the South, a boy named de la Cruz, the "steadiest" player in the whole team, an eagle-eyed sentinel who can hit with both (Continued on page 37) the UV Coliseum last November 28. This victory gave the Warriors, after losing earlier the CCAA crown to the UV Green Lancers, a free ticket to the National Inter-collegiate basketball loop now un derway in Manila. Julian Macoy USC’S SCORING ACE Seventeen-year-old JULIAN MA COY (see photo) of the USC War riors established a new shooting re cord in local hoopdom by garnering 101 points in the game played by USC against the Cebu Normal School at the Gullas Gym last Sep tember 15 in connection with the Cebu Collegiate Athletic Associa tion tournament. The Warriors tout ed the Normalites, 136-63. Macov's output bettered by 37 points tne Rizal Coliseum standard of 64 set by Anday Manael in a Businessmen Athletic Association competition, but fell short of Lou Salvador's all-time record of 115 points established in 1924. Mr. Macoy, with his 5' 5" asset, tips the balance at the 125-lb. scale. He was formerly the captain of the USC high school varsity team. For this outstanding feat, "Julie", as he is fondly called by his friends, deserves a glad hand. Christmas the World Over (Continued from page 17) low; they are bare-footed and sun burnt; here, the sober color of winter coats cover whatever cheery colors the Christmas season brings. There, birds of paradise, bright with plu mage; here, nothing but the sombercolored and raucous-voiced spar rows; there, bananas and coconuts in full bloom, here, all the trees are stripped naked of all fruits and foliage." "But, both here and there," he concludes, "whether under the tro pical sun or the arctic darkness of winter, the same infant comes to rejoice the hearts of and give grace and peace to all men of good will" } Page 29
Date: 1957
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