December 19, 1979
|
eon AFEEGTOWARE,
Little David Frey takes a look at one of the many
shadow boxes on display at the Mount Joy Union
National Bank.Florence Miller, an employee of the bank,
came up with the idea of portraying one scene from
various children’s books. David is looking at WILLIE
THE SQUOWSE. There are many others available for
or
both children and their parents to enjoy during this
holiday season.
SUSQUEHANNA TIMES—Page 15
PORSCHE
(avon J MANHEIM PIKE, EAST PETERSBURG
OPPOSITE ERB'S MARKET--569-5353
Where Our Customers Send Their Friends
IBBERSON'S
=,
i > CARPET "OR HOME AND CAR
ui © 1660 SOUTH MARKET STREET
ELIZABETHTOWN, PA 17022
Open Monday through Friday 9 am-5:30 pm
Saturday 9 am-12 noon
Thursday and Friday evenings by prescheduled
appointment only. Call 367-2724.
SENIOR CITIZEN CARDS HONORED
f
Facts about mistletoe
‘Tis the season to deck the
halls, but before you bring
home boughs of holly you
ought to know some of the
history and superstition
surrounding - that tough,
prickly-leaved, berry-bear-
ing plant, according to the
current issue . of National
baby pricked his finger on
the sharply pointed leaves.
‘‘Horribly embarrassed, the
holly : blushed, and its
berries have remained red
ever since.’’
Another holly superstition
was promoted by Pliny, the
carly Roman naturalist. He
Wildhfe magazine; cic sassertedathat a wild.animal
Since the days of the
ancient Celts, magical pow-
ers have been ascribed to
holly >the National Wildlife
Federation be-monthly re-
ports. And one legend holds
that weather conditions at
the time Christmas holly is
brought in will determine
who runs the household—
the husband or the wife.
Holly's use as a decora-
tion dates back to the
Druids, a religious order
that thrived in pre-Christian
England and France.
“These woodsy priests con-
sidered the plant's eternally
green leaves proof that the
sun would. never desert
them,” the magazine ex- -
plains.
The “early Romans -ex-
tended this tradition by
hanging holly indoors dur-
ing the feast of Saturnalia, a
mid-winter festival celebrat-
ing the return of longer
days. Early Christian con-
verts also adopted this ritual
by designating Christmas
Eve as ‘‘templa exornata’
—'‘temples are adorned.”
It was forbidden to bring
any greens into the home
before that night.
“‘Because of this ban on
early decorating, many
Christians believed that
bringing holly into a house
too soon would cause family
quarrels and misfortune,”
National Wildlife says.
As Christianity spread, so
did holly legends. In one
tale, the plant was said to
have had white berries until
the Nativity. When a visitor, -
broke off a branch of a holly
“outside. the’. batk.
“TT "Béthléheni sfable and offerr
ed it to the Christ Child, the
“berries
could be subdued merely by
throwing a stick of holly at
it. ‘‘He also alleged,’’ notes
National Wildlife, ‘‘that
holly flowers could make
water freeze, and that if the
tree was planted near a
house it would protect the
inhabitants from bad weath-
er, poison, and.witchcraft.”’
Medieval English physi-
cians thought holly berries
could cure colic, but patients
who followed their doctors’
orders sometimes died from
the violent vomiting the
induced. Holly
leaves, however, are harm-
less when reasted and
brewed for tea. The brew
was often drunk by South
American Indians, who
“thought-it gave them extra
strength.
The subject of all these
legends comes in more than
200 varieties, including
some that lose their leaves
each autumn. Nearly two
dozen species are found in
the U.S., the most common
of which is American holly.
This variety once grew
thickly in forests throughout
the eastern U.S., but now
only a fraction ofthose wild
stands remain, according to
National Wildlife.
Like other varieties, A-
merican holly trees are
single-sexed. Only the fe-
male plants produce the
scarlet berries, and not until
they are at least 8 years old.
Ther berries are food: for
mockingbirds, thrushes, ro-
bins. bluebirds, and many
other animals.
‘‘Beneath its rough gray
white "and hard as rock,”
says National Wildlife. Once
holly. wood. is. chaiky-. “% iin a Rad atem nw)
and holly
prized by cabinetmakers for
its indestructible quality,
the plant is now considered
a nuisance because it’s
tough enough to break a
chainsaw.
Most of the holly boughs
seen at Chrismastime come
from English holly, which
grows wild throughout much
of southern Europe. It was
imported into the Pacific
Northwest by a group of
British immigrants and now
about 1000 acres in Wash-
ington and Oregon are used
to cultivate the plant and fill
our Christmas decorating
needs.
If you contribute to the $3
million Christmas holly
industry, maybe you'd bet-
ter check the weather first.
An old Irish Catholic legend
has it that if holly is brought
inside during fair weather,
the wife will rule the
household forevermore. But
if boughs are brought in
during a storm, the husband
will be master.
GRR
Peace
Glorious sounds of
Christmas fill the air.
May the holiday hold
peace for you.
Arnold
Bainbridge
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'Welding Shop
426-3210 |
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WORLD
As you experience the
transcendent joy of this
Yuletide, may your blessings
abound and bring you every
happiness and fufillment.
EBRIDGE
Rr 2d ARm
Pinkerton Road, Mount Joy Phone 653-4087
$10
Use the coupon below
to register for your
Free turkey
(from the Mount Joy Merchants
Assoc.)
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address... © oo a ty
Phone. ..
send to Susquehanna Times, Box 75A, RD 1 Marietta, Pa. 17547
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