o our venerable master;
To his lofty house with marble halls.
His walls are decorated with mosaic;
With the lathe his doors are turned.
Angels and archangels are around his windows,
And in the midst of his house is spread a golden carpet
And from the ceiling the golden chandelier sheds light.
It lights the guests as they come and go.
It lights our venerable master.'

On the conclusion of their carols the musicians pause for rest, the
cymbal-player throws his cymbal on the floor, and the candle-lighter
does the same thing with his tray, and into these the master of the
house deposits his gifts to his parish church, and if they are a
newly-married couple they tie up presents of food for the musicians in
a handkerchief--figs, almonds, &c., which the cymbal-player fastens
round his neck or ties to his girdle.

"Before the musicians take their departure the housewife hurries off
to her cupboard and produces a tray with the inevitable jam thereon.
Coffee and mastic are served, and the compliments of the season are
exchanged. Whilst the candle-lighter is absent looking for another
house at which to sing, the musicians sing their farewell, 'We wish
health to your family, and health to yourself. We go to join the
_pallicari_.'

"In villages where the singing of carols has fallen into disuse the
inhabitants are content with the priestly blessing only. To distribute
this the priest of each parish starts off on Christmas morning with
the candle-lighter and his tray, and an acolyte to wave the censer; he
blesses the shops, he sprinkles holy water over the commodities, and
then he does the same by the houses; the smell of incense perfumes the
air, and the candle-lighter rattles his tray ostentatiously to show
what a lot of coppers he has got."

CHRISTMAS IN A GREEK CHURCH.

"Swan's Journal of a Voyage up the Mediterranean, 1826," gives the
following account of Christmas in a Greek Church:--

"Thursday, January 6th, this being Christmas Day with the Greek
Catholics, their 'churches are adorned in the gayest manner. I entered
one, in which a sort of raree-show had been set up, illumed with a
multitude of candles: the subject of it was the birth of Christ, who
was represented in the background by a little waxen figure wrapped up
in embroidery, and reclining upon an embroidered cushion, which rested
upon another of pink satin. This was supposed to be the manger where
he was born. Behind the image two paper bul