nting a majestic old man with white hair, offered incense to the
Babe; the others, Caspar and Melchior, myrrh and gold respectively. This
was done on the feast of the Epiphany.

A remnant possibly of the "Stella" is to be found in a Christmas custom
extremely widespread in Europe and surviving even in some Protestant
lands--the carrying about of a star in memory of the Star of Bethlehem.
It is generally borne by a company of boys, who sing some sort of carol,
and expect a gift in return.

The practice is--or was--found as far north as Sweden. All through the
Christmas season the "star youths" go about from house to house. Three
are dressed up as the Magi Kings, a fourth carries on a stick a paper
lantern in the form of a six-pointed star, made to revolve and lighted by
candles. There are also a Judas, who bears the purse for the collection,
and, occasionally, a King Herod. A doggerel rhyme is sung, telling the
story of the Nativity and offering good wishes.{47} In Norway and
Denmark processions of a like character were formerly known.{48}

In Normandy at Christmas children used to go singing through the village
streets, carrying a lantern of coloured paper on a long osier rod.{49}
At Pleudihen in Brittany three young men representing the Magi sang
carols in the cottages, dressed in their holiday clothes covered with
ribbons.{50}

|152| In England there appears to be no trace of the custom, which is
however found in Germany, Austria, Holland, Italy, Bohemia, Roumania,
Poland, and Russia.{51}

In Thuringia a curious carol used to be sung, telling how Herod tried to
tempt the Wise Men--

"'Oh, good Wise Men, come in and dine;
I will give you both beer and wine,
And hay and straw to make your bed,
And nought of payment shall be said.'"

But they answer:--

"'Oh, no! oh, no! we must away,
We seek a little Child to-day,
A little Child, a mighty King,
Him who created everything.'"{52}

In Tyrol the "star-singing" is very much alive at the present day. In the
Upper Innthal three boys in white robes, with blackened faces and gold
paper crowns, go to every house on Epiphany Eve, one of them carrying a
golden star on a pole. They sing a carol, half religious, half
comic--almost a little drama--and are given money, cake, and drink. In
the Ilsethal the boys come on Christmas Eve, and presents are given them
by well-to-do people. In some parts there is but one singer, an old man
with a whit