The Key West Citizen Newspaper, December 24, 1953, Page 9

Twice To Hatteras Island RODANTHE, N. C. — iu — Hat-jline coast, almost forsaken during! teras Island is a wind sweptimost of year—except at Christ- stretch of sand off the North Caro- mas. It comes twice for the people in jow d healt who live on the little island just south of the site of Sir Wal | Raleigh's ill-fated “lost colony,” marked by religious services, gift- giving and Santa Claus. They call this ‘‘new Christm There's a king-sized oyster roast, dancing, merrymaking and a dash drops in for his annual call. Legend has it that old buck is jthe wild bull of Trent Woods who leaves his home once a year only —to look in on the donnybrook when Hatteras islanders observe {‘old Christmas.” Actually, old buck is a collection! | of old bed slats covered with cloth | and topped by a steer’s skull which |probably spends the summers in an attic. There's really mystery surround- jing old buck’s leader in the big |parade that always highlights old : ee mas. He’s masked and cov- |KANTOR'S KEY WEST'S FINEST and OLDEST MEN’S STORE Wishes You and Yours jof witch craft when “old buck’ 79 years. Brad Payne has an im- _ that looks like a halloween costume. knows who he is. \do, they don’t talk about it, go over big. hem, although that falls on Jan. 6. Others speculate that it dates from the shift to Gregorian calendar| 74 CTTIZEN—-Kmes Edition in 1752, which dropped 11 days} from the.old style calendar. \ Hatteras, isolated by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and Pamlico Sound on the other, has received | changes slowly and not always | with welcome. | The islanders still keep Eliza-| bethan speech characteristics in- herited from their ancestars. | The natives let others wonder. | They say they know only that old | Christmas has come on Jan. 5 as| long as anyone in Rodanthe can| remember, ° One with @ lot to remember is Daniel Bradford Payne, who has missed only one celebration in his | By WILLIAM RITT m head to foot in some |portant part in the holiday. He | asic of the drum and home made reed flutes, villagers would march the two miles from Rodanthe to | South Rodanthe, now called Waves. | It’s not clear whether the custom jot exchanging gifts was ever zs- sociated with old Christmas here. Some say Dec. 25 was adopted as |new Christmas,” complete with jdecorated trees and Santa Claus, after folks on the mainland claimed the islanders were pagan because they ignored the date. At any rate, the Jan. 5 celebra- tion seems to visiters to have little in common with Christmas other than its name and decorations. With old buck and the general air o. hilarity, it’s more a combination of Halloween, New Year's and Mardi Gras. | Nearby is Kill Devil Hil, where holiday with Epiphany, the festival] In his youth, Payne recalls, the Wilbur and Orville Wright flew “Old Christmas” comes Jan, 5,\°! the wise men's visit to Bethle-|holiday began at daybreak and|the first airplane 50 years ago. i Thursday, December 24, 1953 = Sok Wherever the spirit of = lasted until after nightfall. To the: Once-isolated Hatteras now has beats the drum passed down toa paved road running its length By tradition, nobody |him from his grandfathers. Thejand visitors from neighboring is- And if they/drum, reputedly a relic from ajlands and the mainland join in the \.arship carrying sail a century or|fu on this island a short distance The mystery man and old buck|more ago, has been re-headed sev-/north of Cape rare the Bieta ‘ |throw quite a scare into youngsters|eral times through the years.|yard of the Atlantic,” where relics| an oa gree sched the sidelines. But they always|Payne, who now lives on neighbor-jof shipwrecks recent and ancient ing Roanoke Island, brings it back|are scattered on the sand. Some visitors connect the second|here each year. ~ Christmas remains, there we find that peace and brotherly love can never ‘be forced from the hearts of men. A Merry Christmas anda Happy New Yeor Aay gladness reign Very Merry — Christmas You Have Been Swell in your house . . . may good cheer and happiness be permanent. guests throughout Christmas and the whole New Year. SIGSBEE SNACKERY To Us GLADYS, KAY, ARAMIS, ORMOND. It is our privilege each year to express our warmest Christ- mas Greetings to those we are proud to call our friends and pa- trons. May we say once more that we have appreciated your confidence in the past and that we will never cease trying to make each new year rich in neighborliness and good will for you. To everyone we wish a Merry Christmas and A Bountiful New Year KEY WEST VENETIAN BLIND CO. 123 Duval Street Dial 2.5531 Perez Brothers | Bakery 1025 WHITE STREET A joyous Christmas and a bountiful New Year to all! Sweeting’s Auto Service OPPOSITE CITY HALL DIAL 2-3733 Jong with our warm Christmas Greetings we send to you and those dear to you every good wish for a joyous season filled with good health, good.cheer, and contentment. And may your Holiday happiness extend throughout the New Year. ARTMAN PRESS 603 GREENE STREET The Unopened Gift Each year, a lot of us receive a gift at Christmas that cannot be bought, From all of those near and dear to us, we receive the precious gift of the spirit of Christmas. We hear, as clearly as the tinkle of a far-off bell on a snowy night, the throat-catching laughter of children. We see, miraculously, through eyes tear-dimmed with joy, the real faces of those around us. We grow, instantaneously, to giants, whose great hearts encompass all of humanity around us. * It is a gift so wondrous rare that we need only to know we are getting it, to feel the miracle all over again, Yet, each year, efter only a day, we tuck the gift away carefully out of sight and mind for a whole year. May we all of us—men and wom en of all the world—enjoy the gift of Christmas spirit — throughout every day of the year to come. Louis and Jim Muniz Gulfstream Food Department Stores