Westville Mirror December 1999 Ringing in the Season

Westville is a living history museum which depicts an 1850 west Georgia village.

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Jewel Mitchell demonstrating candle making techiques
Blacksmithing

Westville Ringing In The Season with
Traditional Decorating and Yule Cheer

Westville is offering to visitors an opportunity to step back in time and experience holiday festivities indicative of the mid-19th century complete with food, decorations, music, and traditional ceremonies.

Westville kicks off the holiday season with its popular Christmas Workshop on Nov. 29 at 10 A.M. taught by Westville Trustee Roscoe Duncan. Now in its ninth year, the workshop teaches the fine art of preparing natural 1850s-style decorations. The completed creations are then used to dress Westville's buildings for its Christmas festivities.

Starting Dec. 4th at 3 p.m., Westville will officially ring in the holiday with its 31st annual Yule Log Ceremony, a celebration with European roots which reflects the romanticism of the 1850s and honors Westville's friends and volunteers. British tradition has it that as long as the Yule log burned, servants were exempted from their labors.

Out of this came the hunt for the Yule log , an event that involves local children. Once the log is discovered, the finder is presented with a cup of wassail and the log-burning ceremony is held. Following Westville's Yule log event, a candlelight tour of historic Bedingfield Inn in nearby Lumpkin, Ga. will be held as part of the day's events.

Another highlight of the season is the German custom of the lighting of the Christmas tree. Unknown in West Georgia before the 1830s, the tradition was brought over by German families who settled in the area. Using candles hand-dipped by Westville's crafters, the lighting of the Christmas tree takes place on Dec. 11, and again on Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. in the Singer house, whose first occupants were German immigrants. The singing of carols and reading of the Christmas story and "The Night Before Christmas" add to the festive cheer. On Dec. 26 at 2 p.m. EST, Westville's holiday season comes to a close with the Burning of the Greens. This traditional ceremony calls for the burning of the natural greenery used to decorate Westville's buildings. Symbolizing the light that Jesus brought, the igniting of decorations is a cue for village bells to be rung to welcome the new year.

Newsletters
December 1999