The Legend of the Birds
The feasting and sharing associated with the holidays was expanded long ago to include special care of birds and animals at Christmas time.
In Hungary, the last sheaf of grain at harvest is kept, and then given to the wild birds on New Year's morning. In Germany, corn is placed on rooftops for birds on Christmas Eve. And in Sweden, bread crumbs, seeds, or a sheaf of grain are placed at the top of a long pole in an area where birds are known to congregate. It is possible that this custom may have at one time been an offering to ancestral spirits, but over the years it has evolved into a tradition of feeding the birds during the holiday season.
Have you heard the legend of the birds' nest? Good luck is supposed to come to a household that has a nest in its Christmas tree.
There is even a legend suggesting that when the Three Wise Men were on their journey to Bethlehem, they summoned the birds of the woods to follow them. It is said that all of the birds immediately took flight except for the owl who kept muttering, "Who? Who?" as if demanding to know who would dare ask him to leave his comfortable nest to fly off to an unknown destination. This legend goes on to say that the owl refused to go and that every night he still asks, "Who? Who?"
If you feed the birds at Christmas, the sights and sounds of the outdoor festivity can add greatly to the zest and warmth going on inside during this festive celebration.
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