CHRISTMAS FARE 361 



porpoise, marsouin, is a corruption of the German name 

 Meerschwein. 



I have pointed out above the origin of heavy feeding 

 at Christmas. Whether it is necessary or not to continue 

 that precise mode of celebration, the sentiments of peace 

 and goodwill which belong to Christmas, the meeting of 

 kinsmen, and, above all, the dedication of many of its 

 customs to children, are things to be cherished and 

 treated tenderly. The 25th day of December was fixed 

 by the Church for the celebration of the birth of Christ, 

 but it is fairly certain that the period of the year indicated 

 in the Gospel as that when the shepherds were watching 

 their flocks and saw the star of Bethlehem, was not 

 December, but October. It is also certain that the 

 children owe their share in Christmas to the combination 

 with it of customs proper to the Epiphany, which 

 celebrates the bringing of gifts to the child Christ by the 

 wise men of the East. It appears that the greatest and 

 gayest of the feasts of pagan Rome the " Saturnalia " 

 was held at the end of December, and that the early 

 Church in this, as in many other cases, adapted a pagan 

 custom to its own uses, and fixed the feast of the 

 Nativity at this date expressly in order to take over, 

 as it were, the gaiety of the Saturnalia. The brilliant 

 foliage and berries of the holly-tree were used for 

 decorations at the Saturnalia, and thus became a Christ- 

 mas emblem. The fun and frolic of the Saturnalia were 

 transferred to the name of Christmas, and thus it comes 

 about that the Yule Log and the Lord of Misrule and 

 the Abbot of Unreason, and also snapdragon and clown, 

 harlequin and columbine, are found in full swing at 

 Christmas-tide. Later St. Nicholas, who took the place 

 of Neptune, and was the patron saint of sailors, became 

 associated with Christmas celebrations as Santa Claus or 

 Father Christmas. His regular day was at the beginning 



