Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

BOOK

Eve.

IL.

has nearly both sounds.* "And they have made us šo afraid," says Reginald Scot, "with bull-beggars, spirits, witches, urchins, elves, hogs, fairies, &c., that we are afraid New Year's of our own shadows. It has already been noticed that the frightful superstition of the were-wolf is supposed to originate from the dresses of the priests of Mars in the wolf skins.

Mummers and maskers were finally suppressed by a 'statute in the reign of Henry the Eighth, which awarded against them an imprisonment of three months, and a fine at the discretion of the justices; so that in England, the game of blindman's buff, and probably the modern entertainment of the masquerade, are the only relics of the Bock of Yule.

Cashrichd.

New Year's Day,§ the feast of the Circumcision, has its peculiar superstitions. Among the Strathdown highlands ers, early in the morning, the Usque Caskrichdior water aque drawn from the Dead and Living Fond without suffering Dead and the vessel to touch the ground, is drunk as a potent charm Living against the spells of witchcraft, the malignity of evil eyes, and the activity of all infernal agency, Adsimilar super stition prevails in the south of Scotland, where the instant

Ne let mischievus witches with their charms,

Ne let hob-goblins, names whose sense we see not,
Fray us with things that be not."

Spenser's Epithalamium.

See Mr. Keightley's remarks on Puck, Fairy Mythology, Vol. II., p. 118120. Puck long inhabited the Grey Friary at Schweren in Mecklenburgh, and one of the monks became his biographer in his Veredica Relatio de Demonio Puck." In the Quarterly Review, Vol. XXII., p. 359, 360, is a collection of other words resembling Puck in sound and sense, which those should consult who are interested in the derivation, and disapprove of Rudbeck's hypothesis.

Jamieson, Supplem. art. Boukie.

+ Discoverie of Witchcraft.

Stat. 3., Hen. 8., cap. 5.

See Caput Anni; Festum Circumcisionis; Le Jour de l'An; Kalenda Circumcisionis. Year's Day.

Ford.

K

BOOK
II.

the clock has struck the midnight hour, one of a family goes to the well as quickly as possible, and carefully skims New Year's it; this they call, getting the scum or ream [cream] of the

Day..

Flower of the Well.

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

This Flower of the Well signifies the first pail of water, and the girl who is so fortunate as to obtain the prize, is supposed to have more than a double chance of obtaining the most accomplished young man in the parish. The condition of drawing the Usque Cashrichd is analagous to skimming the well. It is an old superstition, and is probably derived from the worship of wells by the Picts, and the Druids, as we learn by a law of Canute the great, Worship of Wells and which prohibited this adoration.† But this should be Springs. rather understood of the people than of the priests, who were accustomed to divine the future by circles formed on the surface of agitated water, which, however, may in the days of Canute, have degenerated into a more idolatrous rite. Dr. Borlase tells us, that the inhabitants of Cornwall, in his time, used to repair on a particular day to the borders of a celebrated fountain, into which they cast pins or pebbles, and observing the circles which they formed, and whether the water were troubled or preserved its transparence, they drew inferences with respect to future events. To this I will add, that I have frequently seen the bottom of St. Helen's Well, near Sefton in Lancashire, almost covered with pins, which, I suppose, must have been thrown in for the like purposes. The act of skimming the water with the hand among the Romans, was one of the rites ne

* Stewart, Popular Superst. of the Highlands.

+ It is heathenish, he says, to worship idols, that is, to worship heathen Gods, and the sun or moon, fire or flood-water, wells (pýllar, also torrents) or stones or any kind of trees. Ll. Canut. p. ii. cap. 5.

BOOK

Day.

II.

cessary for successful augury; and their adoration of the nymphs and genii of fountains would appear, were other proofs wanting, from a beautiful votive altar, discovered in New Year's 1822 near Chester, which had been consecrated to those imaginary beings by the Twentieth or Victorious Legion, with this inscription,

NYMPHIS

ET

FONTIBVS

LEG XX

V V

which may, perhaps, be read Nymphis et Fontibus Legione

vicesima victrici valente.

It has already been observed, in speaking of Boxing Day, that the salutations as well as the presents of this season are of remote antiquity. Mr. Fosbrooke notices from Count Caylus, a piece of Roman pottery with an inscription wishing "a happy new year to you," and another, in which a person wishes it to himself and son; and three medallions with the laurel leaf, fig and date,* which, at the time of coining the medallion, had probably become merely emblems of the Strenæ, or new year's gifts.

The origin of the presents made during the Saturnalia New Year's has been shown; but the Strena are said to have been in- Gifts. troduced by Tatius, the Sabine, who first took sprigs from the plant vervain in the sacred grove of Strenia,† as aus-. pices of the new year. From the Sabines the custom of

* Encyclop. Antiq. art. New Years Gifts.

+ This goddess was probably no other than Astronoe, Asteria and Astarte, the mother of the seven Titanides. Vide Faber, Vol. I., p. 80. p. 103., Vol. II., p. 326. If so, there is no real difference between the Strena and the Saturnalitia.

Day.

II.

BOOK sending these Strena was transferred to the Romans,* who changed the day of sending them no fewer than seven difNew Year's ferent times.+ At length the emperor Leo abolished them, and the fathers of the Church denounced them as profane,+ and afterwards proclaimed, in full synod, that it was unlawful to observe these devilish new years gifts, "strenicas diabolicas observare."S

In Germany.

Neither the enactments of the secular power, nor the fulminations of the church have been able to prevail against this deeply rooted custom; and it has been estimated that the amount expended upon bon-bons and sweetmeats alone for presents on New Year's Day in Paris, exceeds £20,000 sterling. A recent tourist, speaking of Vienna, says:— Among the numerous days devoted to public amusement in this gay metropolis, there is none more distinguished for joy and mirth than New Year's Day; and the stranger who wishes to behold the imperial town in all its splendour, should station himself in the Burg-Platz, or in the HofKapelle; he would then see the whole court in full dress, the military in their superb uniform, and he would hear the compliments of the season exchanged by the entire population from the emperor to the peasant. The higher classes, after having paid their respects to the emperor exchange visits, and leave pretty, ornamented cards, made expressly for the occasion, sometimes exhibiting very exquisite paintings some of these little baubles cost from eight to ten pounds sterling. The evening concludes with waltzing in the salons of the emperor, waltzing in the salons of the nobility, and waltzing in the salons of the cabarets; for, on this day, the whole of the dependent classes, servants, &c. receive a gratuity from their employers.||

• "Tatius Sabinus verbenas felicis arboris ex luco Strenue [Strenia] anni novi Auspices, primus recepit.”—Mart. Lipenii Strenarum Hist. Æt. II., sect. 7 et 8.

[blocks in formation]

Sketches of Germany and the Germans in 1834, 1835 and 1836. Vol. II, p. 161, 162.

BOOK

Day.

II.

In England many persons make a point of wearing new clothes on this day, and consider any omission of the kind unlucky. At court it is one of the twelve Offering Days. New Year's The new years gifts of our monarchs, having frequently been published, are well known. The following from the Privy Purse Expenses of Henry the Seventh are exceptions:

“Jan. 4, (1495) Delivered in newyeryests by the King commandement, £120 March 6, (1499) To Mathew Johns for a childe that was geven to the King upon newyeresday, 1s. 8d."*

Goose

A singular customary tenure is mentioned by Dr. Plot; the lord of Essington was bound to drive a goose three Tenure. times every New Year's Day round the hall fire of the lord of Hilton. From the specimen of a Saxon manuscript, inserted by Dr. Hickes in his Catalogue, it appears that the Saxons predicted the quality of the season from such a coincidence as the following;-If the kalends or first of January, fall on the Lord's Day, then will the winter be good, pleasant and warm.‡ A Saxon manuscript in the Cotton Library, has some considerations on the Kalends of January for every day in the week, of which the following

is a literal translation :-
:-

"If the Kalends of January be on the Moon's day, then Saxon Suthere will be a severe and confused winter, a good spring, perstitions. windy summer, and a rueful year, in which there will be men sick of diseases.-If the Kalends fall on Tiwesday then the winter will be dreary and severe; a windy lent and rainy summer, and many women will die; ships will travel in danger, and kings and princes will die.-If on Woden's day the Kalends fall there will be a hard winter and bad spring; but a good summer. The fruits of the earth will be much beaten down, honey will be scarce, and young men will die. If the Kalends fall on Thunres day, there

Excerpta Historica, p. 100, 121.

+ Hist. Stafford, ch. X.

Thesaur. Tom. II., p. 194.

« AnteriorContinuar »