Christmas in Pennsylvania: A Folk-cultural StudyOriginally published in 1959 and written by a pioneer in American folk-life studies, this classic work examines the folk origins of Christmas in Pennsylvania. Composed of interviews and newspaper reports, it records holiday traditions from the eighteenth century through to the early twentieth century. In this edition, Don Yoder has contributed a new foreword, providing insight into Alfred L. Shoemaker's influential career and the significance of this still vital work, and an afterword, offering a look at recent research on Christmas customs. |
Common terms and phrases
American amusement appeared apples baked basket beautiful bells Belsnickel Berks County Bethlehem boys cakes called candy century Christ Child Christ-kindel Christian Christmas cookies Christmas Day Christmas Eve Christmas festival Christmas gift Christmas in Pennsylvania Christmas putz Christmas tree church costumes custom December 25 decorations door dressed Dutch Country earliest early fantastic folk-cultural Folklife friends Gazette of December German gift bringer girls Harrisburg Historical Society holiday January Kriss Kringle Lancaster County Lebanon County Lehigh County Lititz Lutheran masks merry metzel soup Moravian morning moshey mummers neighbors Nicholas night nuts ornaments Pennsyl Pennsylva Pennsylvania Dutch Philadelphia Philadelphia North American Pittsburgh present Puritan Quaker Reading ROUGHWOOD ROUGHWOOD COLLECTION Santa Claus scene scholars season Second Christmas stockings streets sugar Sunday Dispatch teacher things tin horns tion town toys tradition whip word York young
Popular passages
Page xxix - For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
Page xxix - Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
Page xxix - They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them ; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
Page xxix - Forasmuch as there is none LIKE unto thee, 0 Lord ; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.