APPALACHIAN CHRISTMAS: TRADITION, FOLKWAYS AND SUPERSSTITIONS

APPALACHIAN CHRISTMAS: TRADITIONS, FOLKWAYS AND SUPERSTITIONS

Out of the last 35 years of teaching a course called “Foxfire Christmas,” I have selected a few interesting rituals and beliefs that are vanishing. No doubt, some of the items are of pagan origin while others are a product of Appalachian culture.

“Old Christmas”: This is the name applied to January 6 which is the final day of the “twelve days of Christmas (December 25 - January 6”). This time period not only represents the day of Epiphany, but acknowledges the Julian calendar as the true record of Christ’s birth. Since the Julian calendar was still observed in England at the time when many settlers came to the mountains, they have continued to consider the later date as accurate. Consequently, many Appalachian communities spent the twelve days (and nights) going to different homes for music and merrymaking. A few still do!

Mummer’s plays: One hundred years ago, many Appalachian communities enacted a kind of mummer’s play that “traveled” from house to house. The play had about six stock characters: a Knight, a Physician, Satan, Death, etc. The actors were in disguise and dressed appropriately. Each read their speech and the action consisted of the Knight being fatally wounded, but revived by the Physician. The purpose and meaning of the “drama” is unknown. The last time I read about a performance was some 20 years ago down in Cherryville. Some historians think that these plays are pagan in origin and represent the death of winter and the rebirth of spring.

House Cleansing: This ritual has the best results if performed on New Year’s Day. The preferred weather is “cold and windy.” All of the windows in the house are raised and all the doors are opened for the entire day. The purpose of the cleansing is to allow the cold wind to carry away all of the accumulated ills of the past year thereby allowing the family to begin a new year with a purged house. At one time, the Cherokees had a similar ritual.

“Going Home” Tradition: Although this tradition is probably universal, Appalachian natives are especially prone to “go home for the holidays.” Thanks in large part to Scottish and Irish folklore, many mountain natives believe (or once did) that the dead return home at Christmas. This belief has nothing to do with the current attitude towards the returning dead. In fact, at one time, many Scot-Irish natives of Appalachia actually prepared a plate at the table for deceased mothers and fathers.

Christmas Gift! (A Game): I participated in this game as a child. The whole purpose was to sneak up on one of your friends on Christmas Day, tag him with your hand and yell “Christmas Gift.” If he didn’t see you, he was obligated to give you something ( a nickel, a pencil, a marble, etc.)

The Humming Bees: In conjunction with the animals speaking at midnight on Christmas Eve, there is the belief that hives of bees hum the 100th psalm on Christmas Eve night. (I’ve never heard it so I don’t know if they hum “the words” or not!)

Blooming Elder Bushes: I suspect that this is the Appalachian version of another miraculous bloom on Christmas Eve (midnight), the Glastonbury Thorn in England. (based on a marvelous myth about Joseph of Arimathea's walking stick). Allegedly, the hawthorns around Glastonbury burst into bloom on Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of Christ. Appalachia’s elder bushes are supposed to do the same thing except their blooms may occur at any time during the “Twelve Days of Christmas.”

Bells, Guns and Fires: Much in the spirit of ancient traditions which lighted fires and created loud noises with bells, in order to frighten away evil spirits, Appalachia still raises a rumpus on Christmas Day. It is strange to think that the firecrackers and shotguns of today are direct descendants of the whistles, drums and bells of the past that endeavored to make the sun’s “wheel” turn again.

Storytelling: As a child, I was puzzled by the practice of telling stories on Christmas Eve - especially since many of the stories were scary and might have been more appropriate during Halloween. I was wrong. The telling of ghost stories on Christmas Eve is an honored tradition in Appalachia. (There was one “hair-raiser” called “Mr. Fox” which was sort of an Appalachian version of “Bluebeard” that was a favorite.)

Shuckie Beans and Baked Bread: This was the traditional food for Christmas, and the baked bread was often “flavored” with a sprinkling of ashes from the fireplace. On New Year’s Day, the traditional food is still black-eyed beans and hog jowl.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN MAGIC by Horace Kehart

Smoky Mountain Magic by Horace Kephart
Great Smoky Mountains Association: Gatlinburg, TN
$12.95 (paperback) –205 pages - 2009

“Art dreads the commonplace. Most readers lead drab lives. Give them color, stir their emotions, let them realize, for the time, their dreams and longings. What they like is the unknown and what they know can never occur to them.”
Smoky Mountain Journal, Horace Kephart, p. 2

Among the varied “revelations” brought to light during the celebrations attending the 75th Anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this year was the verification of the existence of an unpublished novel by Hoarace Kephart. Until this discovery, Kephart’s reputation rested on two singular achievements: (1) He is the author of Our Southern Highlanders, a definitive work on the culture and traditions of Southern Appalachia; and (2) He proved to be the primary impetus for the creation of the Park by speaking, writing and soliciting financial support from government agencies and foundations. Now, some 80 years later, Kephart’s descendants have announced the existence of Smoky Mountain Magic, a “lost novel of mystery, intrigue and romance.”

According to the Preface to the novel, written by Kephart’s granddaughter, Libby Kephart Hargrave, the manuscript has survived intact due to the efforts of Kephart’s heirs. On May 1, 2009, The Great Smoky Mountains Association acquired the manuscript with the understanding that they would publish it. Smoky Mountain Magic was officially released last week.

So, what is Smoky Mountain Magic? What was Kephart’s motivation in writing it? Does it have merit? One critic (Daniel Pierce, History Dept. UNC-A) has compared it to digging up a “time capsule from the 1920’s,” and that seems an apt comparison. Also, it quickly becomes evident that Kephart had a shrewd eye for the popular novels and films of his time; he was well acquainted with writers such as Emma Bell Miles (Spirit of the Mountains) and James Fox (Trail of the Lonesome Pine.) These authors provided him with an excellent template for a tale of “mystery, intrigue, and romance.”

Kephart’s protagonist, John Cabarrus, a.k.a. “Little Jack Dale,” is a man of mystery. When he appears in Kittuwa (Bryson City), he attracts the interest of the entire community, including Tom Burbank, the local sheriff, William Matlock, a corrupt land speculator; Youlus Lumbo, a member of a degenerate mountain family; and Marian Wentworth, a beautiful, intelligent (and highly independent) young woman who is visiting relatives for the summer. We soon learn that Cabarrus has returned to Kittuwa and Deep Creek to right old wrongs, find a missing deed and conduct a geological survey that may lead to a hidden mineral deposit worth a fortune. After a few meetings and a good bit of witty repartee, John and Marian find that they are attracted to each other. The promise of a passionate consummation hangs in the air like the scent of honeysuckle.

Now, let’s add a venerable old chief of the Cherokees named Dagataga and an old friend of John Cabarrus, who is well-versed in the ancient legends of his people. A nighttime visit by John and Mirian to Dagataga's home during a thunderstorm provides a proper setting for suspense, magic and the supernatural. As the old chief relates the frightful myth of a vengeful serpent called the Uktena, startling his audience by producing the Ulunsuti, the magic jewel that was plucked from the Uktena’s skull, Kephart’s tale moves into a new theme: the true meaning of myth and the struggle between science (or reason) and the world's ancient superstitions and myths.

To Kephart’s credit, he manages to weave these colorful strands together into a unique pattern. In time, Cabarrus’search for mineral deposits leads him to a wilderness labyrinth, Nick’s Nest,an "otherworldly place" that is shunned by both the white settlers and the Cherokees. Cabarrus’ descent into this dark hollow will bring him face to face with the contraries represented by myth and science.

Smoky Mountain Magic reflects a time when heroes like John Cabarrus dominated novels and film. Cabarrus is handsome, courageous, physically fit and the master of a dozen diverse fields, including mythology, geology, botany, poetry and psychology. (He will quote Disraeli,Robert Burns or The Iliad at the drop of a hat.) Whereas Mirian is frequently puzzled and uncertain about the world’s unknown aspects, she can simply turn to John who will gently “inform” her. In fact, her primary purpose seems to be to provide John with the opportunity to demonstrate his encyclopedic knowledge. It doesn’t matter if the subject is the subtleties of the Cherokee language, the diversity of plant life, astronomy, the composition of radium or the theory of “thought transference,” John always speaks with total authority. In 1929, it is possible that audiences and readers adored men of this caliber; in 2009, they would consider Cabarrus a pompous and pretentious ass.

Is Kephart’s novel entertaining? Yes, it is. Even at this late date, Smoky Mountain Magic has significant entertainment value. Some of the scenes move with an infectious vitality and excitement. Kephart is at his best in dealing with atmosphere. The visit to Chief Dagataga is masterfully done and the graphic descriptions of numerous solitary wilderness scenes are memorable.

Although many of the minor characters remained woefully undeveloped, the author has a gift for creating “local color”through masterful miniature portraits of minor “characters.” Especially noteworthy is “Sang Johnny,” who survives by digging herbs; Old Hex, Sang Johnny’s mother, who is known as a witch and practitioner of dark magic; Myra Swimming Deer, John's childhood nurse, and the Cherokee tracker named Runner, who could follow his prey through the forests with a kind of supernatural certainty.

Smoky Mountain Magic would make an excellent movie since the journey into the unknown (“Nick’s Nest”) is still a viable theme. The characters are uncomplicated (like the cast of a Hardy Boys Adventure), violence is minimal and actual murder is restricted to the murder of creatures :a rattlesnake and a "fice" (Kephart's spelling) dog. Despite the fact that the villains are dedicated to killing our hero they are all thwarted without significant bloodshed. (Even black-hearted Matlock get off with a mere brain concussion); and sexual content, despite a lot of heavy breathing and a passionate kiss or two, is definitely G-rated.

Kephart's motivation is writing Smoky Mountain Magic is obvious. He hoped to tap the rich market for tales of adventure - both in fiction and in cinema. What better topic than a journey into a forbidden realm, complete with witches, robber barons, noble savages and a winsome lady - all wrapped in a cloak of mystery and myth. Doubtless, Kephart's notorious inability to handle finance prompted him to write the novel.He probably dreamed of paying his debts and acquiring solvency. It should have worked, but as John Cabarrus notes, quoting Robert Burns,"the best laid plans of mice and men/ gang aft agley." If Kephart's spirit still haunts Kittuwa, he should be immensely pleased to know that even after 80 years, he has made another significant contribution to the Great Smokies National Park.