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IT is on the day before Christmas, and the dear little mountain village is almost buried in sparkling, pure-driven snow-a marvelous vision in white, with its fleckless beauty still accentuated by the sapphire blue of the sky, the healthy sepia-tan of the chalets, and the somber green of the stately pines.

That indescribably sweet perfume of the Christmas season floats through the air, and every bush and tree wears proudly the dazzling decorations which nature has so lavishly provided in her own artistic designs. We behold a new world, gloriously beautiful and humble in spirit at the same time; a world full of mystic charm, as it appears now in the delicate illumination of a crescent moon and its endless company of stars.

Here and there a merry tinkling of bells! Sleigh-riders homeward bound, eager to reach a friendly hearth in time for the celebration of the gladdest and greatest festival of the year-Christmas, when the Christkindli-the Christ-child-walks on earth.

And lo, as we look pensively down the narrow village street, there approaches a sleigh, drawn by six magnificent reindeer. Its occupant, a radiant angel-the Christ

kindli-is the poetic successor of jolly old Santa Claus, who in many parts of Switzerland, and not so long ago, used to be hailed as the generous donor of all Yule-tide gifts. On Christkindli's sleigh, there are Christmas trees of every size, decorated with the many glittering things which are so fascinating to young hearts, and heavily laden with rosy apples, oranges, nuts, and fragrant cookies. A truly appetizing and sensible array! There are packages, too, of tantalizing shape; and with the aid of her helpers, Christkindli distributes trees and gifts.

Christmas trees everywhere not a house is forgotten! And before the youngsters are allowed to play with their toys, the whole family gathers around the tree and sings some carols-heartfelt, joyous offerings to God for his sublime gift to humans. In many a home the story of the Nativity is read from the voluminous old family Bible, and the actual origin of the Christmas tree may even be brought up for discussion by some college-bred member, for no matter how isolated a Swiss village is, there is not one inhabitant who does not regard education as the greatest asset in modern life.

History indicates that it was only in the year 354 A.D. that the Roman Bishop Liberius designated December twenty-fifth as the birthday of Christ. On this day was observed the Roman feast of Saturn, when

were gathered round a huge oak to offer a human sacrifice, according to the Druid rites; but St. Winfried hewed down the great tree, and, as it fell, there appeared in its place a tall young fir. When St. Winfried saw it, he said to the people:

"Here is a new tree, unstained by blood. See how it points to the sky! Call it the tree of the Christ-child. Take it up now, and carry it to the castle of your chief. Henceforth you shall not go into the shadows of the forest to hold your feasts with secret and wicked rites. You shall hold them within the walls of your own home, with ceremonies that speak the message of peace and good will to all. A day is coming when there shall not be a home in the north wherein, on the birthday of Christ, the whole family will not gather around the fir-tree in memory of this day and to the glory of God."

Since the passing of those days, the custom of the Christmas tree has found its way into the remotest corners of the earth. Its significance and purpose have been crystallized in Christian minds and hearts, and yet there remains here and there the observance of certain quaint customs at Christmas-tide.

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A LEAP OF THREE AT THE DAVOS SKI-JUMPS

eandles were not only used for illumination purposes, but they were also exchanged as gifts in token of cheerfulness and good will. The Jews, too, were accustomed to burn candles at that time, which happened to be their Feast of Dedication, and it is thus not improbable that thousands of candles were burning throughout Palestine when Christ was born. Our present-day custom of burning candles on the Christmas trees is therefore of very ancient origin, and members of the Greek church actually call Christmas "The Feast of Lights."

There is a pretty legend which relates that the history of the Christmas tree dates back to the ninth century, when a certain Saint Winfried went to preach Christianity to the people in Scandinavia and Northern Germany. One Christmas eve these people

ON THE VILLAGE RUN AT ST. MORITZ

It is Christmas eve, and after the last candle has flickered out on the tree, some of the simple peasant folk in the sequestered

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A JOLLY TAILING-PARTY ENJOYING THE SEASON OF WHITE IN THE UPPER ENGADINE (SEE PAGE 197)

weather-chart of the year, for the peelings which contain damp salt indicate the rainy months, and the peelings with dry salt stand, of course, for the fair months.

And if any member of the family is courageous enough to consult the oracle as to the length of time which is yet allotted to him on

Christmas eve is, moreover, that time of the year when romance reigns on earth, and while the older members of the family are busily occupied in their own way, an unmarried son or daughter of the house will probably slip out into the clear winter's night, and, while the church-bells are calling to midnight mass, she or he will drink three sips from each of nine different fountainsan easy task in this land of numerous public springs. After completing this curious rite, the supreme moment in the life of the young person concerned is at hand, for, if the spell works, the future mate will surely be standing at the church door, and a regular courtship is usually begun. With the majority of the younger contingent of the congregation attending this nocturnal mass, it is, of course, quite likely that the truly chosen one just "happens" to stand at the door. As everybody of the village is acquainted with the custom, it is readily surmised by those waiting for the service to begin that their

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THE EARL OF LYTTON'S NIECE ON A SNOW-BICYCLE

earth, he will presently take the Bible, and the first Psalm which strikes his eye contains in stanzas the number of years which he is yet given to live.

If Mother wishes to safeguard her chickens from all beasts of prey, she will now proceed to the chicken-coop and clip the wings of the fowls before midnight, but she must be careful not to go within hearing distance of the stable where the cattle are housed, for the hour from eleven to midnight on Christmas eve is the sacred time when the dumb beasts are able to converse together-and disaster is predicted for the inquisitive who takes it upon himself to listen.

The head of the house, too, has his duties. All day he has been busy shoveling snow and tying bands of straw around the trunks of the trees in the orchard; with lantern in hand, he now makes a last round of inspection, for the trees thus equipped in Christmas week are supposed to yield an unusually plentiful crop in the coming year.

MAKING SNOW FIGURES AN AGREEABLE PASTIME

still missing unmarried friends must be "visiting the fountains" prior to their arrival at church.

And is not the Swiss winter season an ideal time? Follow that tailing-party! An end

less row of sleds zigzagging their way to some point where one of those typically good Swiss inns will provide a tempting dinner and dance music as well! Either can be enjoyed outdoors, for the season of white in the mountains is one long period of sunny days, where the noon temperature, in spite of ice and snow, lures to open-air picnics, and the carefully maintained Swiss

rinks are more and more hailed as nature's own unparalleled ball

rooms.

While the foreign winter guests are the chief figures in Switzerland's winter frolics, many experts in the manifold varieties of winter sport are recruited from the natives, for they, of course, learn skating, skiing, and tobogganing when mere babies.

The week between Christmas and New Year is visiting week among the peasants of the mountain regions. Card-parties are arranged almost daily, for the Swiss are enthusiastic players of

New Year's eve here, as all over the world, is given to general merrymaking and when the multitude of wondrously tuneful churchbells announce the beginning of a new year in glorious, soul-stirring chorus, resounding throughout the land, bonfires will flare up on the mountain heights and young men will start threshing on some specially constructed

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PLAYTIME FOR EVERYBODY-SON ON SKIS, MOTHER ON A TOBOGGAN

their national card game, "Jass," and it is not an uncommon sight to see three generations emerge from the same home, all equipped with skis, all bound on the same errand-a Kaffeeklatsch and Jass at some neighboring house. In justice to the hardworking Swiss peasant women be it said, however, that after the holidays the cardparties are replaced by knitting- and spinning-bees.

A special kind of bread is also baked at this time of the year, known as "New Year's bread," and its extra ingredients include milk, butter, eggs, and raisins. That every housewife is ambitious to excel her neighbor in the quality of her product is only natural and human!

Almost every community has now its own amateur theatrical guild, which presents plays both tragic and comic with an earnestness which never fails to impress the audience. On New Year's day is given their gala performance, and they do not have to invent any advertising schemes to fill the house!

wooden platforms above their village-a strange invocation for a good harvest to come. Members of the local singing society, and there is one to be found in the tiniest village, will now go from house to house "caroling" and offering New Year's wishes.

On the first day of the year, many a farmer will first of all consult the sky; should it be red, it is considered an omen of storms, fires, and even war. For mere good luck, too, many a person will avoid encountering a woman on New Year's morning; to meet men or children, however, is considered very fortunate.

Why do such ancient and curious customs still linger in our enlightened age, one wonders, and then remembers that they are undoubtedly relics of beliefs dating back to times when ignorance fostered superstition. And, while some people may regard the observance of such customs as "rather foolish," others find them "interesting and picturesque," and hope that they may never die out entirely.

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