Some youths will now a mumming go, Then, wherefore, in these merry daies, To make our mirth the fuller. From Mr. Grant's "Popular Superstitions of the Highlands," we gather the following account : Highland Christmas. As soon as the brightening glow of the eastern sky warns the anxious housemaid of the approach of Christmas-day, she rises full of anxiety at the prospect of her morning labours. The meal, which was steeped in the sowans-bowie a fortnight ago, to make the Prechdachdan sour, or sour scones, is the first object of her attention. The gridiron is put on the fire, and the sour scones are soon followed by hard cakes, soft cakes, buttered cakes, brandered bannocks, and pannich perm. The baking being once over, the sowans pot succeeds the gridiron, full of new sowans, which are to be given to the family, agreeably to custom, this day in their beds. The sowans are boiled into the consistence of molasses, when the Lagan-le-vrich, or yeast-bread, to distinguish it from boiled sowans, is ready. It is then poured into as many bickers as there are individuals to partake of it, and presently served to the whole, old and young. It would suit well the pen of a Burns, or the pencil of a Hogarth, to paint the scene which follows. The ambrosial food is despatched in aspiring draughts by the family, who soon give evident proofs of the enlivening effects of the Lagan-le-vrich. As soon as each despatches his bicker, he jumps out of bed-the elder branches to examine the ominous signs of the day, and the younger to enter on its amusements. Flocking to the swing, a favourite amusement on this occasion, the youngest of the family get the first "shouder," and "A black Christmas makes a fat kirk-yard." A windy Christmas and a calm Candlemas are signs of a good year. the next oldest to him in regular succession. In order to add the more to the spirit of the exercise, it is a common practice with the person in the swing, and the person appointed to swing him, to enter into a very warm and humorous altercation. As the swinged person ap proaches the swinger, he exclaims, Ei mi tu chal, "I'll eat your kail." To this the swinger replies, with a violent shove, Cha ni u mu chal, "You shan't eat my kail." These threats and repulses are sometimes carried to such a height, as to break down or capsize the threatener, which generally puts an end to the quarrel. As the day advances, those minor amusements are terminated at the report of the gun, or the rattle of the ball-clubs -the gun inviting the marksman to the the latter to "Luchd-vouil," or the ball "Kiavamuchd," or prize-shooting, and combatants-both the principal sports of the day. Tired at length of the active amusements of the field, they exchange them for the substantial entertainments of the table. Groaning under the "sonsy haggis," ," and many other savoury dainties, unseen for twelve months before, the relish communicated to the company, by the appearance of the festive board, is The dinner once despatched, the flowing more easily conceived than described. bowl succeeds, and the sparkling glass flies to and fro like a weaver's shuttle. As it continues its rounds, the spirits of the company become the more jovial and happy. Animated by its cheering influence, even old decrepitude no longer feels his habitual pains-the fire of youth is in his eye, as he details to the company the exploits which distinguished him in the days of “ auld lungsyne;" while the young, with hearts inflamed with "love and glory," long to mingle in the more lively scenes of mirth, to display their archs to finish those professions of friendprowess and agility. Leaving the patriship for each other, in which they are so devoutly engaged, the younger part of the company will shape their course to the dividual inclinations suggest; and the ball-room, or the card-table, as their inremainder of the evening is spent with the greatest pleasure of which human nature is susceptible. *The "savoury haggis" (from hag to chop) is a dish commonly made in a sheep's maw, of its lungs, heart, and liver, mixed with suet, onions, salt and pepper; or of oatmeal mixed with the latter, without any animal food. EVERGREENS AT CHRISTMAS. When Rosemary and Bays, the poet's crown, From ev'ry hedge is pluck'd by eager hands The old and pleasant custom of decking our houses and churches at Christmas with evergreens is derived from ancient heathen practices. Councils of the church forbad christians to deck their houses with bay leaves and green boughs at the same time with the pagans; but this was after the church had permitted such doings in order to accommodate its ceremonies to those of the old mythology. Where druidism had existed, "the houses were decked with evergreens in December, that the sylvan spirits might repair to them, and remain unnipped with frost and cold winds, until a milder season had renewed the foliage of their darling abodes."* Gay, R. J. Thorn. Polydore Vergil says that, "Trimmyng of the Temples, with hangynges, floures, boughes, and garlondes, was taken of the heathen people, whiche decked their idols and houses with suche array." In old church calendars Christmas-eve is marked " Templa exornantur." Churches are decked. The holly and the ivy still maintain some mastery at this season. At the two universities, the windows of the college chapels are decked with laurel. The old Christmas carol in MS. at the British Museum, quoted at p. 1598, continues in the following words : Nay, Ivy Nay, hyt shall not, &c, Mr. Brand infers from this, "that holly was used only to deck the inside of houses at Christmas: while ivy was used not only as a vintner's sign, but also among the evergreens at funerals." He also cites from the old tract," Round about our Coal-fire, or Christmas Entertainments," that formerly "the rooms were em- Mr. Brand is of opinion that "although bowered with holly, ivy, cyprus, bays, Gay mentions the misletoe among those * Brand. evergreens that were put up in churches, it never entered those sacred edifices but by mistake, or ignorance of the sextons; for it was the heathenish and profane plant, as having been of such distinction in the pagan rites of druidism, and it therefore had its place assigned it in kitchens, where it was hung up in great state with its white berries, and whatever female chanced to stand under it, the young man present either had a right or claimed one of saluting her, and of plucking off a berry at each kiss." He adds "I have made many diligent inquiries after the truth of this, I learnt at Bath that it never came into churches there. An old sexton at Teddington, in Middle sex, informed me that some misletoe was once put up in the church there, but was by the clergyman immediately ordered to be taken away.' He quotes from the "Medallic History of Carausius," by Stukeley, who speaking of the winter solstice, our Christmas. says: "This was the most respectable festival of our druids called yule-tide; when misletoe, which they called all-heal, was carried in their hands and laid on their altars, as an emblem of the salutiferous advent of Messiah. The misletoe they cut off the trees with their upright hatchets of brass, called celts, put upon the ends of their staffs, which they carried in their hands. Innumerable are these instruments found all over the British Isles. The custom is still preserved in the north, and was lately at York. On the eve of Christmas-day they carry misletoe to the high altar of the cathedral and proclaim a public and universal liberty, pardon, and freedom to all sorts of inferior and even wicked people at the gates of the city towards the four quarters of heaven." This is only a century ago. In an "Inquiry into the ancient Greek Game, supposed to have been invented by Palamedes," Mr. Christie speaks of the respect the northern nations entertained for the mistletoe, and of the Celts and Goths being distinct in the instance of their equally venerating the misletoe about the time of the year when the sun approached the winter solstice. He adds, "we find by the allusion of Virgil, who compared the golden bough in infernis, to the misletoe, that the use of this plant was not unknown in the religious ceremonies of the ancients, particularly the Greeks, of whose poets he was the acknowledged imitator." The cutting of the misletoe was a ceremony of great solemnity with our an cient ancestors. The people went in Christmas Doughs, Pies, and Porridge. Yule dough, or dow, a kind of baby, or little image of paste, was formerly baked at Christmas, and presented by bakers to their customers, "in the same manner as the chandlers gave Christmas candles." They are called yule cakes in the county of Durham. Anciently, "at Rome, on the vigil of the nativity, sweetmeats were presented to the fathers in the Vatican, and all kinds of little images (no doubt of paste) were to be found at the confec tioners' shops." Mr. Brand, who mentions these usages, thinks, "there is the greatest probability that we have had from hence both our yule-doughs, plumporridge, and mince-pies, the latter of which are still in common use at this season. The yule-dough has perhaps been intended for an image of the child Jesus, with the Virgin Mary :" he adds, "it is now, if I mistake not, pretty generally laid aside, or at most retained only by children." It is inquired by a writer in the "Gentleman's Magazine," 1783, "may not the minced pye, a compound of the choicest productions of the east, have in view the offerings made by the wise men, who came from afar to worship, bringing spices," &c. These were also called shridpies. Christmasse Day. No matter for plomb-porridge, or shrid-pie Sheppard's Epigrams, 1651. Mr. Brand, from a tract in his library printed about the time of queen Elizabeth or James I. observes, that they were likewise called "minched pies." According to Selden's "Table Talk," the coffin shape of our Christmas pies, is in imitation of the cratch, or manger wherein the infant Jesus was laid. The ingredients and shape of the Christmas pie is mentioned in a satire of 1656, against the puritans :— Christ-mass? give me my beads: the word implies A plot, by its ingredients, beef and pyes. There is a further account in Misson's "Travels in England." He says, "Every family against Christmass makes a famous pye, which they call Christmas pye. It is a great nostrum; the composition of this pasty is a most learned mixture of neat'stongues, chicken, eggs, sugar, raisins, lemon and orange peel, various kinds of spicery," &c. The most notably familiar poet of our seasonable customs interests himself for its safety : Come guard this night the Christmas-pie house, she never failed to tempt them at Yule (Christmas,) with "A bra' Goose Pye." The Further, from "Round about our Coalfire," we likewise find that "An English gentleman at the opening of the great day, i. e. on Christmass day in the morning, had all his tenants and neighbours enter his hall by day-break. strong beer was broached, and the black jacks went plentifully about with toast, sugar, nutmegg, and good Cheshire cheese. The hackin (the great sausage) must be boiled by day-break, or else two young men must take the maiden (i. e.) the cook, by the arms and run her round the market-place till she is ashamed of her laziness. "In Christmas holidays, the tables were all spread from the first to the last; the sirloins of beef, the minced pies, the plumb porridge, the capons, turkeys, geese, and plum-puddings, were all brought upon the board: every one eat heartily, and was welcome, which gave rise to the proverb, merry in the hall when beards wag all." Misson adds of our predecessors in his time, that besides the "famous pye" at Christmas, "they also make a sort of soup with plums which is not at all inferior to the pye, which is in their language called plum-porridge." Lastly, Mr. Brand makes this important dum. I dined at the chaplain's table at St. note from personal regard. "MemoranJames's on Christmas-day, 1801, and partook of the first thing served and eaten on that festival at that table, i. e. a tureen full of rich luscious plum-porridge. I do not know that the custom is any where else retained." Thus has been brought together so much as, for the present, seems sufficient to describe the ancient and present estimation and mode of keeping Christmas. FLORAL DIRECTORY. Holly. Ilex bacciflora. Dedicated to the Nativity of Jesus Christ. It ought not, however, to be forgotten, that a scene of awful grandeur, hitherto misrepresented on the stage by the meanest of "his majesty's servants," opens the tragedy of Hamlet, wherein our everlastlasting bard refers to ancient and still existing tradition, that at the time of cock-crowing, the midnight spirits forsake these lower regions, and go to their proper places; and that the cocks crow throughout the live-long nights of Christmasa circumstance observable at no other time of the year. Horatio, the friend of Hamlet, discourses at midnight with Francisco, a sentry on the platform before the Danish palace, and Bernardo and Marcellus, two officers of the guard, respecting the ghost of the deceased monarch of Denmark, which had appeared to the military on watch. Mar. Horatio says, 'tis but our fantasy, And will not let belief take hold of him,, Touching this dreaded sight, twice seen of us; Therefore I have entreated him, along Hor. Tush! tush! 'twill not appear. Ber. Sit down awhile; And let us once again assail your ears, Last night of all, When yon same star, that's westward from the pole, Had made his course to illume that part of heaven Where now it burns, Marcellus and myself, The bell then beating one, Mar. Peace, break thee off; look, where it comes again! The ghost enters. Horatio is harrowed with fear and wonder. His companions urge him to address it; and somewhat recovered from astonishment, he urges "the majesty of bury'd Denmark" to speak. It is offended, and stalks away. thing Upon a fearful summons. I have heard, Awake the god of day; and, at this warning, Marcellus answers, "It faded on the crowing of the cock," and concludes on the vigilance of this bird, previous to the solemn festival, in a strain of superlative beauty: Some say, The nights are wholesome; then no planet strikes ; December 26. St. Stephen, the first Martyr. St. Dionysius, Pope, A. D. 269. St. Jarlath, 1st Bp. of Tuam, 6th Cent.. St. Stephen. The church of England observes this festival, and the name of the apostle is in the almanacs accordingly. The circumstances that led to his death, and the |