N BELGIUM

Christmas is not kept in Belgium in the same way as in England,
Germany, and other countries. There are special services in church,
but no Christmas-trees, Christmas presents, or family dinner-parties.

This was not always so, and some traces still remain in different
parts of the old customs which used to be observed in Belgium. The
ancient Belgians had a festival at mid-winter, and when they were
converted to Christianity they continued to use a good many of their
old rites at that season of the year, and the few very old Christmas
customs which survive really began when Belgium was a pagan or heathen
land.

Some of these customs are rather curious. In the Valley of the Meuse
the pagans used to feast on the flesh of wild boars at their
mid-winter banquets, and now the people of Namur have roast pork for
dinner on Christmas Day. The _petite bourgeoisie_ of Brussels often
eat chestnuts on that day--an old usage handed down from the days when
the Germans ate acorns--and think they can find out what is going to
happen in the future by burning them. For instance, a young man and
woman who are engaged to be married throw two nuts into the fire. If
they burn peacefully, the marriage will be happy; if they crack and
jump away from each other, it will be unhappy. If a candle or lamp
goes out suddenly on Christmas Eve, it is believed that someone in the
room will die soon. Another sign of death is if you throw salt on the
floor and it melts. In some places candles are burnt all night to
scare away evil spirits. Another custom is to go into orchards, and
strike with an axe trees which have not been fruitful. This, it is
thought, will make them bear next year.

There are many other superstitions like these which can be traced back
to heathen times, but are now mixed up with the rites of Christian
worship. One strange superstition, which a few old peasants still
have, is that when the clock strikes twelve on Christmas Eve all the
water in the house may turn into wine. This comes down, no doubt, from
early Christian times.

In some Belgian towns the children of the poor go round on Christmas
Eve, from house to house, singing, and asking for bread, fruit, or
nuts. One of their favourite songs begins:

"Blyden nacht,
O blyden nacht! Messias is geboren!"

That is Flemish, their language, and it means: "Happy night, oh, happy
night! The Messiah is born." Another song begins: "Een Kindeken is
ons geboren,"