Christmas in the Old South
There'* a vast differenee in holiday ob¬
servance today from uhat It «as during
ante helium days, lint «ho can say that
»
e
derive
К
r eater enjoyment from the season
thun did our grandparents?
FKW are left «bo can remember
Oi mtrn*» celebrations of ante
bell urn days
ш
the Old South.
an.l yellowed diarim such »i arc
•I at Fort Defiance. ancestral
• of General William Lenoir. at
kin Valley in Caldwell County.
1* Bade keenly aware of till* lout
e rummaging among keepsake
have lieen parked away for more
10»
year* in a cowhide trunk in
dual *laden attic.
the Christmas *ra~*i of that
set apart for drawing tighter
of friendship by family
gatherings and Mwpoalow.
many of the letter» and note» in the
iliarie. contain snatche. of de»crip-
lion of fmtivitiea at Fort Defiance,
ami claewhere in the deep South.
Interesting Preparations
th the tint fall of
of <
of
vn alike. F,
*- paradinjr cobbler*.
у
el-
tin» and full crib* kept the
fore both the "hie home"
ilave quarter». The pick*
visioned a slice of
delicious rake as they
Rtf J. B. Ill( kl l\ Mantel, -ere rovrred with frrah pa-
»t and relasation
after Thanksgiving. fruit
rake», rarefully wrapped in oiled
|>aper. were put away in
Ъохея
on
the pantry shelvm. In each box was
plaeed a big red apple to add pun-
cent flavor to the rake a. it ripened,
and. at interval., wine and brandy
were |»uml over eaeh for a final
Mil
«alnut» ami beat
о
IT the
• with ragged «tones. The
■use girl* thought of well-
*t after the Christmas
.mg. a. they rath
i -straw" in the
"Chris 'mus dram"
ля
they
spat on their hand* and
drove gleaming axes deep
into the logs that were to hr
piled high on the great
hearths The largest water-
•®akel hickory Mump that
Every shelf of the ample p-n lo¬
gmen*»! under the weight of jams
and jellie*. piekles ami mi nee meats,
by fruit juice» ami jug. of
and brandy On the floor
I ten rath were crowded eoiitainer» of
sauerkraut, dried fruits and dipped
randies.
Suppressed Excitement
'hristmas drew
It polish, .
of
with la sender,
hearth.
were .wept clean. Suppressed excite¬
ment rippled through the household,
and extended to the .lave quarter..
There, newspaper, and mngarinc*
that had been carefully saved during
the year, were plastered on the walls
to freshen the interior of
te washed. or plastered
dust, or red elay, am!
у
I— fent
d on Chrisima.
iC a. it
near the gateposts to guide the
guests who began t<* arrive over the
frozen country roadway., and the
great Yule log was lighted with due
ceremony. Each new arrival was
given a rousing welcome until the
circle wa« complete, tiiint* were
usually weary after their toilsome
journeys, and retired early.
Not - with the colored popula¬
tion Xightwatrh meeting took them
all into a rousing religious worship,
which often lasted until daybreak.
They firmly believed that the do-
mestic stock on the plantation knew
that it was the birthday of “Li!'
Mama Jena." and that the animals
got on their knees at midnight to
worship, ami were magically given
the power of speech. Too. they fer¬
vently believed in "Sandy Claws."
A. the first shaft, of sunlight an¬
nounce.! Christmas Day.
happy children of nature
about the "big house" to
the "white hurkra" for "Chri.'mus
gif’." In their hand, they bore sim¬
ple gifts such as egg., chicken.,
game and nut*. In response to their
merry ahoaU. the "white folk.”
earne out on the broad veranda to
return the greeting, and to hand
them suitable present* — bright
dm»** for the gi
for the grinning young
coffee to the men And. of
course, there w*. eandv and
home-made toys for the shy
pickaninnies.
After watching these hap¬
py black people scatter to
their quarters to enjoy their
gift*, the White household
trooped behind the children
to the sedate parlor, where
the glowing Christmas tree
tinned splendor.
