bright and happy festival. The holiday began on Christmas Eve, and
perhaps you have wondered why we hang up mistletoe, and decorate our
churches and houses with holly, why our ancestors brought in the
Yule-log, and performed many other customs which do not seem to be
very closely connected with the celebration of the birthday of our
Lord. But we must remember that our forefathers were originally
heathen, and at this period of the year they practised several
strange customs connected with their Druidical worship, and held
great feasts in honour of their gods. When Christian missionaries
converted these heathen, they strove to put down some of the old
idolatrous practices; but their efforts were in vain, for the people
were warmly attached to these old rights and usages. So a compromise
was effected: the old Pagan customs were shorn of their idolatry and
transferred to our Christian festivals. Cutting the mistletoe was
distinctly a rite practised by the Druids, who cut the sacred plant
with a golden knife, and sacrificed two white bulls to the sylvan
deities whom they thus sought to propitiate. We hang up our bunches
of mistletoe now, but we do not attach any superstitious importance
to it, nor imagine that any gods of the woods will be influenced by
our procedure. The bringing in of the Yule-log was a Norse custom
observed in honour of Thor, from whose name we derive our word
Thursday or Thor's-day. The mighty log was drawn into the baronial
hall with great pomp, while the bards sang their songs of praise and
chanted "Welcome Yule."

"Welcome be Thou, heavenly King,
Welcome, born on this morning;
Welcome for whom we shall sing
Welcome, Yule."