The Portq Rican family gatherings
occnr and their Santa Clans makes hi*
apjxvirance on tlie Oth of January—
"EI dia de los Reyes," or "the day of
the kings." commemorating the bring-,
ing of gifts to the infant CTirist— hot
Kriss Kringle manifestly does not come
down the chimney for the very good
reason that there are.no chimneys to
Porto Rican bouses, and for equally
Obvious reasons he does not bring Ms
reinde«r nor his sleigh.
Instead of hanging up their stock
ings the native children prepare a box
fillet! with grass to represent a manger
anil place it outside their doors on the
night of the- J»th of January, just 'as:
the little Dutch children in Holland)
put out their wooden shoes.
Christmas will always be a church:
holiday to the natives, and El dia de
los Iloyes will also probably always
be observed by them. But the Porto
is ciniok tr pick up American-
CHlfiSltBlf PREPAKK A BOX TO KBP-
BESBKT A MANGEK.
ideas, and the observance of Christ
mas day is yearly taking on .more of
an American character.
One evidence of this is the growing
custom, so common In the southern
states especially, of evidencing one's
appreciation of the occasion by the
free use of tin horns and other agen
cies for the production of noises.
The first Intimation one usually re
ceives that the day has arrived is the
result of an enthusiastic and determin-
of a
oatlye youngster to blow his
lungs out through the small end of a
tin^ horn, and his enthusiasm Is in di
rect proportion to the size of his born.
