韦斯特维尔村 (Westville) 的耶诞圆木蛋糕典礼
地方性遗产

您曾想过南方各乡村在1800年代的样子吗？只要您造访乔治亚的韦斯特维尔村一趟，您就知道了；韦斯特维尔村的别号是「活历史博物馆」 (living history museum) ， 该城镇是完 完全全修复成1850年时期的模样，有前内战时期的真正建筑，全镇就是一座博物馆，用来展示19世纪中期的生活型态。

现在来到韦斯特维尔村的游客可以观赏工匠的实际工作情形，如：鋳铁、制陶、编篮、纺织、编织、耕种、使用壁炉作菜、制烛及制作碱液肥皂。

另外，韦斯特维尔村也重拾旧有假日的常规；圣诞节的其中一项庆祝活动是耶诞圆木蛋糕典礼，圣诞夜时，壁炉前会放置一截巨大、刚自树木砍下且装饰完成的圆木，然后，祈祷者们会边吟诵边将油、塩及特殊的酒洒到圆木上，接着再将圆木点燃；居民相信圆木燃烧后的灰烬能够保护房子，使其免受闪电及邪恶力量的侵袭，这个习俗可回溯至12世纪，而且早在美国当地开始普及前，大部分的欧洲国家都已经知道这习俗。


Ever wondered what a Southern country village was like in the 1800s? If you were to visit Westville Village in Georgia, you would get a good idea. Called a "living history museum," Westville Village is a town completely restored to what it was like in 1850 -- with authentic pre-Civil War-era buildings. The entire town is a museum of what life was like in the mid-19th century.

The village also revives old holiday traditions. At Christmastime one of the celebrations is a Yule Log ceremony. On Christmas Eve a large, freshly cut log is decorated and brought to a fireplace. Prayers are then recited while the log is sprinkled with oil, salt, and special wine and then lit. It was believed that the remains of the burned log would protect the house from lightning and evil powers. This custom dates back to the 12th century and was known in most European countries before it became popular in the U.S.

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