CHRISTMAS SUPERSTITIONS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVI, Issue 6499, 26 December 1881, Page 6

CHRISTMAS SUPERSTITIONS.

(Q»«ra.) Christmastide is truly rich in superstitions and legendary lore, and at no other season of the year has the spirit of the marvellous been so busy in supplying food for credulous minds. Indeed, it has often been said that the character of Christmas would lose much of its romance if once deprived of its many quaint beliefs—not to mention those countless odd omens and divinations which, from time immemorial, have clustered round this festive period. Although a great part of these are fait becoming obsolete, yet many still remain firmly rooted, hero and there, throughout the country—a brief account of whloh will doubtless be interesting to meet readers. Thus, in some places, no small importance it attached to the circumstance whether » light or dark-haired person is the first to enter a house on Christmas morning—Hght-haired people being generally supposed to bring with them ill-luck. In some parte of Yorkshire a mole must be the first to make bis appearance, a female on no account being admitted. In order to make sure that this rule shall not be infringed, a previous arrangement is often made whereby a boy—the son of a friend—shall be the first to pay a visit, receiving to return for his good wishes a Christmas-box oI . sixpence or « shilling. ( From a very early hour, too, on Christmas morning, the boys are all astir, spreading themselves over the town, shouting at the doors and through the keyholes as follows iAn wish you a worry Ohrlitiuaw, A *aw«y now w»r, A room full of mutiny. An* a collar full a* Wwr. Oml Plow the waoator of this ‘ouse— The mistrU* all.so. An' all the little cliildmn That round the table go. A appto, a pear, a plora, an’ a cherry j A sup a* good ale wiik' a man merry. Ac. If the duty of " lotting Christmas in ” has not already fallen to the lot of soma other individual, the lad Is admitted, who bestows on the inmates a twig or leaf of evergreen, as he is the first comer, or " lucky bird.” He then receives bread and obsess, and always money. The same house will not admit a second boy, one being sufficient to protect it from any ill-luck that otherwise might happen. This superstition formerly prevailed to a great extent in Scotland, much attention being paid to the first visitor on Yule morning, who was said to be highly lucky bemuse “he let ia Yule.” It was regarded, however,

ae an unfriendly eel to eater a hone* on Tola day without bringing a present of aome bind. Nothing «h allowed to be taken out of the home on thie day t and even member* of the family who had gone out to the morning, took new, on their return home, to bring eome little thing with them, for leer of eaoatbg bad look to the household. Any eerrant, also, who had a due regard to the internet# of the family, wee careful to g# to the well early on Christmas morning to draw wider, to pull the com out of the sack, and to bring kale from the kitchen garden—thee# ante being intended lo ineure prosperity lo the family* In the north of England the poor are very tenacious of giving alight of any kind to a neighbour on Christmas mernbg, non-com-pliance with thie rale being soppoeed lo be attended with evil consequence*, Ae an Illustration of thie curious rapmlitatton, we may quote the following from the Bradford TinJTot im, I, 1870;-“A man named WiilMn Pollard wee ettmmoned on a charge of dmeg wilful damage try breaking a pane of glare in the window of a college it Tong. It ••erne that be had gone Into the homo at Christum, and asked for alight to hie candle. Xt being a common sopendilios that lo allow anyone to take out a light at Christmas le unlucky, the woman of the house objected, but offered the man a few matches. Me then created a diilurbtnce, and on the husband attempting to eject him,be broke the window.** In certain parte of Yorkshire it Is reported to be " bad luck " to bum any green vegetables, or to take a lighted candle Into the open air at Christmas. Again, it is considered to onr northern counties a great misfortune lo let the fire out on Christmas Eve: for, apart from the bad luck soppoeed to follow each an occurrence, it is oftentimes no easy matter to repair the mischief if once committed, ae no one is willing on the following morning to fire his neighbour a light. Should bo steal Ire too, unseen from hts neighbour's hearth, he would fare no better for it, etaee fir* ihue taken it not counted holy. It is curious to find the exact opposite of this rule practised to Germany, it having been customary at this season to extinguish the bouse fine, and to re kindle it with holy fire, kindled by the priest with flint and steel to the churchyard. In Worcestershire the peasant regards it as unlucky for new shoes or tanned leather to be received into a homo during Christmas week. According to Northamptonshire belief, the ghosts of unfortunate people buried at crossroads have a particular ueense to wander about on Christmas Eve, and to wreak their evil design* upon defenceless humanity. Hence rustles ate particular to avoid running the risk of exposing themselvee to each an unpleasant sight, and mote often than otherwise remain at home. Xt may be noted, however, that this superstition is opposed to the popular one which informs os that the cock mows all night long on Christmas Eve, being supposed by its vigilance to drive away malignant spirits. Ibis idea is alluded to by Shakespeare to ** Hamlet,** where he make* Marcellas, speak* tog of the ghost, say:

It tided on the crawls* of the eoek. Some my Hut iw ’gainst Hut muon eosa** Wherein osur Sarloar's birth la celebrated. The bint of dainties *ln#eU» all sisht lons. And then, they sajr, no spirit dam stir abroad; Tb« nights are wholesome: then no planets strike, ' No fairy takes, nor witch bath power to dm, So hollow'd and so gzadocs is the than. At Walton*le*Dsle, some half-century sgp, • correspondent of JTofs* and Qmr&f tells its Hud la nosh houses on Christmas Sts (be la* notes used to sit with their doors open, whilst one of their party reed Hie narrative of St Imk% the eslat himself being seppoesd to pm through the hotue. A quaint old custom is still kept op in tuny psiti of Wales, called the “ Pulgea,” or waiting for the dawn, ihtt consists in proceeding to the church at 8 o’clock on Ohnslmse morn* ing, and uniting in e service which is held by the light of *lo*ll green candles made for the pnrpoee. Sometuns* this ceremony it oh* served at home j the people in a farmhouse, says Mr Wirt Slksa in lie “Welsh Ooh* line” (2st), holding a |olhfic«tiaa on the Christmas Eve, ana sitting up all night to meet the dawn, If the east wind happens to blow, the circumstance is deemed propitious in this connection. Many are the weather superstitions that are associated with Hue season. Thus, it is a very common notion that when Christmas .Day oomos when the moon waxeth, it will be amy good year; whereas if it come when the moon Is on the wane, It will be the retry reverse. It is also s»ld that If the sun shines through the apple trees on Christmas Pay, there will be an abundant crop the fallowitg year. When, too, the wind is still oo Christmas Ere at midnight, it foretels a fruitful year. It is a popular idea that "agreed Christmas make* a fat churchyard," a mild winter being •apposed to be less healthy than a frosty one. The Begutrar-OeneraTs returns, how* ever, prove that it is quite the contrary, the mortality of the winter months being always in proportion to the intensity of the cold. It has often been pointed out, on the other hand, that there is some truth in the German saying, "a green Christmas, a white laster; ” the probability being that a mild winter will be followed by a cold and wintry spring. A* Christmas this year falls oo a Saturday, wo will quote from an old poem what we may expect—a certainly not very encouraging prospect;

If Christmas on the Satenlay l*Ue, That wynter iatobo droddoa alls. It aluU be *o full of neat tempests. That it shall ale both man ana b**t«. Frute awl come shall fay le pret* one. And old® folks dyea many on. Christmas Eve is well known to love-sick swain* and languishing maiden* a* the day, above all other*, meat favourable for ob» taking a glimpse into futurity. Numsrous are the tpeli* and ceremonies by which thie it attempted. Among those moat com* monly practised are baking tba dumb-cale, sowing hemp-seed, and eating the aalt egg. In Northamptonshire, at 44 the witching hour of midnight, on Christmas Eve, the young dameel goes into the garden and pluck* twelve tap leaves, under a belief that she will see the shadowy form of her future husband approach her from the opposite end of the ground. In trying thie delicate mode of divination, gnat care mutt be taken not to damage or break the sap stall, aa should this happen, serious consequences would ensue. The following barbarous charm was also much resorted to in days gone:—The heart was taken from a living pigeon, stuck full of pint, and laid on the hearth) and, while burning, the form of the young person's future partner was believed to become visible to mortal eye. In Devonshire, girts pluck a row on Midsummer Day and Sul it away, under > the impression that, if il i not looked at, il will be found m fresh on Christmas Day as when gathered. It ie then worn at church, when il u supposed their intended lover will come ana claim it. la Yorkshire, young girls make a point of obtaining a piece of spice-cake from all their friend*, divining their future happiness from the number of these they are lucky enough to obtain It may be noted that these love divinations are not confined to our owe country, but are equally popular on the continent. Thus, for Instance, m Germany, if a girl desire to know of what condition her future lover will be, she must on Christmas night listen at the large kettle walled Into the stove. If the water in it makes a roaring noise, he will be a smith j and so, according to the various lone* of the water, the several trades may be determined. A similar idea prevails In Northamptonshire, and various means are resorted to for atccriaintug the desired information.

Among the leg end* nod tradition* a**eoiat*d with ChrUtmaa may he mentioned the old superstitions that the oxen in their etalU are alway* found on their knee*. m in no attitude of devotion, on Obriitma* Eve, end that einoe the alteration of the style they do thie only on the eve of old Ohrietmu Day, Bee*, too, are euppoeed to make a humming noiae at the exact time when our Saviour vraa bora. Again, a belief was very prevalent at one time that certain tieee pot forth their flower* on Chrutma* Day. That, in the J/acan'ae, 1713, *e are told that at Quataton,in Baekteghanuhire, about two thousand people went with lantorae and candle* to view a whitethorn in that neighbourhood —eaid to he a *Up Iron ih* famoue Qhutonhury thorn— aa it wae always euppoeed to bod oh Chirietinee Xve, to be lull, blown the next day, and to dio off that sight.

Che people, however. »»*PP*w»«e of • bad, agreed that Dm. S 8 (n«w ctvl*) w«M not be lb* right Ohrietoja* thy, sod •«. jotdindy lefueed'eilhef to go to church or to fHtvvtP" iheftr IMm4i on that day m may. Os* further lUtt#f-*atioo lo eoodtuion: oear fa Ifotttoghamehire, them « ft valley mU to have h»m cawed by »n ««ihaaake eeVßftil cenloriea ago. which nr*llow«i op a whole village, together with » church. It vm formerly customary for the tobaWUot* M ensemble la Ibe valley every Chrirtm** !)». a listen to the ringing of 100 charoh h«iu beneath theta, which, it was werted, might be distinctly heard. T. H. Tsitramrow Ihrvs.