There is one who rules us all. Her name is Fortuna.
She can raise the lowest to the pinnacle of success,
or turn a parade into a funeral, just like that!
Everyone calls upon her: the poorest farmer
sends up troubled prayers, sailors on dark seas,
call out her name, even tyrants pray to her
to keep her spoils. Nomads and high queens
and townsfolk all invoke her with the same words:
Harsh Necessity is your companion, Fortuna,
you of the brass hands, you who join and shape
our lives on earth, you of the forge and anvil:
we pledge never to forget your strict claims upon us.
But Hope walks with you too, Loyalty,
those white-robed goddesses, dear to you
and dear to us. Fortuna, we beg of you:
lift up our timebound lives to your eternal breast. Horace (Quintus
Horatius Flaccus), (65 BCE
- 8 BCE)
[In Britain] The civil and legal year began March
25th till after the alteration of the style, in 1752, when it was fixed, like
the historic year, to January 1st. In Scotland the legal year was changed to
January 1st as far back as 1600. Evans,
Ivor H, Brewer's
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Cassell, London, 1988
If January calends be summerly gay, It will be winterly weather till the calends of May. Traditional English weather proverb
Jack Frost in Janiveer Nips the nose of the nascent year. Traditional English weather proverb
The first three days of January rule the coming
three months. Traditional
English weather proverb
If this morning is red, it foretells foul weather
and great need. Traditional
English weather proverb
Saint Basil came from Caesaria.
He holds a book and paper, and carries an ink-stand.
He writes in the book, and he reads from the paper.
"Basil, do you know how to read? Basil, do you know any songs?"
"I have learned how to read, but I don't know any songs."
And he leaned upon his staff to say his alpha, beta. The staff was of dry wood, and it put forth green branches. Boys' door-to-door carol in Greece
for today, St Basil's Day
Happy, happy New Year
Till next year, till eternity,
Corn on the corn stalk,
Grapes in the vineyard,
Yellow grain in the bin,
Red apples in the garden,
Silkworms in the house,
Happiness and health Until next year. Old Bulgarian greeting
The next to this is Newe yeares day whereon to every frende,
They costly presents in do bring, and Newe yeares giftes do sende,
These giftes the husband gives his wife, and father eke (also) the childe, And maister on his men bestowes the like, with favour milde. Thomas
Naogeorgus, The Popish Kingdom, 1553
Januaries,
Nature greets our eyes exactly
as she must have greeted theirs: every
square inch filling in with foliage – Elizabeth
Bishop, 'Brazil,
January 1, 1502'
The beginning is the half of every
action. Greek Proverb
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. Chinese Proverb
Once
begun
A task is easy; half the work is done. Horace
These
festivals were drunken revels, partaken in with enthusiastic joy and
boisterous music of flutes, cymbals and drums. Processions were held, in which
women were dressed as Bacchae, Lenae, Thyades, Naiades, Nymphs and so on,
adorned with garlands of ivy, and bearing the thyrsus
in their hands. The thyrsus was a
pole carried by Bacchus, and by Satyrs, Maenades and others who engaged in
Bacchic festivals and rites. It was sometimes tipped with a pine or fir cone;
the fir tree was dedicated to Bacchus because its sap was used in wine making.
In ancient art the cone was represented with a bunch of vine or ivy leaves and
grapes or berries, arranged into the form of a cone. Bacchus was said to have
converted the thyrsi into dangerous weapons by concealing an iron point in the
leaves. Hence its point was said to invoke madness.
The
Lenaia took place (in Athens) in the month of Gamelion,
roughly corresponding to January. The festival was in honour of Dionysus
Lenaius. Lenaia probably comes from lenai, another name for
the Maenads,
the female worshippers of Dionysus.
The Lenaia is depicted on numerous vases, showing
typical Maenad scenes, but also scenes of aristocrats and wine-mixing
rituals. It is unknown exactly what kind of worship occurred at the festival,
but it may have been in honour of Dionysus as a youth, or the rebirth of
Dionysus after his murder by the Cyclopes.
It may have also had some connection with the Eleusinian
Mysteries, as some of the same religious officials were involved (such as
the archon basileus and the epimeletai). These officials were at the head of
the procession (pompe), which probably ended with a sacrifice of some
kind.
In Athens the festival was held in the Lenaion,
possibly a theatre outside the city or a section of the Agora.
Beginning in the 5th
century BCE, plays were performed, as at the Great
Dionysia festival later in the year. Unlike the Dionysia, only Athenian
citizens and metics
watched the plays, but this is likely due to foreigners being unable to travel
by sea in the winter. At the Lenaea, comedy
was more important than tragedy,
and many of Aristophanes'
plays were first performed there. Five comedies were usually performed (except
during the Peloponnesian War when only three were performed). There were also
poetic contests, but not contests for the singing of dithyrambs.
It is unknown when the Lenaia was abandoned, but
contests of some sort continued into the 2nd
century BCE.
In Roman mythology, Fortuna (Greek
equivalent Tyche)
was the personification of luck, hopefully of good luck. She also had the
name Annonaria. Under this name, she protected grain supplies. Fortuna had a
retinue that included Copia among her blessings.
Fortuna
was propitiated by mothers. Traditionally her cult was introduced to Rome
by Servius Tullius.
Fortuna
had a temple in the
Forum Boarium, a public sanctuary on the Quirinalis,
as the tutelary genius of Roma herself (Fortuna Populi Romani the 'Fortune of
the Roman people'), and an oracle in
Praeneste where the future was chosen by a small boy
choosing oak rods
with possible futures written on them.
In
art, she was portrayed standing in an expensive dress; she was associated
with the cornucopia, rudder, ball and blindfold, and the
wheel.
All
over the Roman world, Fortuna was worshipped at a great number of shrines
under various titles that were applied to her according to the various
circumstances of life in which her influence was hoped to have a positive
effect. Fortuna was not always positive: she was doubtful (Fortuna Dubia);
she could be 'fickle fortune' (Fortuna Brevis), or downright evil
luck (Fortuna Mala).
Aspects of Fortuna
Fortuna Annonaria brought the luck of the harvest
Fortuna Primigenia directed the fortune of a newborn
child at the moment of birth
Fortuna Virilis attended a man's career
Fortuna Redux brought one safely home
Fortuna Respiciens
Fortuna Muliebris the luck of a woman. Typical of
Roman attitudes, the fortune of a woman in marriage, however, was Fortuna
Virilis.
Fortuna Victrix brought victory in battle
Strenae
Both the ancient Greeks and the Romans gave New Year's gifts, the latter calling them
strenae. Tatius, King of the Sabines, was given, one New Year's Day, some branches cut from a forest sacred to the
Sabine tutelary goddessStrenia(or
Strenua, signifying strength)
– hence the name. Her name was applied to this holiday when the Romans decorated with palm, bay and laurel branches, hung with sweets, dates, figs and gilded fruit. From that word the French derive their word
étrenne, a New Year's gift. In Sicily, groups of carollers go about singing
La Strenna, wishing householders Happy New Year and asking for treats. If refused, the offender is cursed with a threatening verse.
Kalends of January, Festival of Gamelia, ancient Rome
The day on which interest payments were due in Rome. In stable economic periods in ancient Rome, the interest rate was 0.5 per cent per month. Originally New Year's Day in Rome was
March 1. The day was auspicious for rulership, glory and cheerfulness, and people made vows of public and private felicity. Today was also dedicated to the Three Fates, called by the Romans the
Parcae. The ancient poet Homer personified these three daughters of Night thus: Clotho, the spinner, spins the thread of life; Lachesis is pure chance and luck; and Atropos is our inescapable fate.
Gamelia is a surname of Juno, as Gamelius was of
Jupiter, their names being derived from their presiding over marriages. The festival was privately observed at three different times: firstly, at the celebration of a marriage, the second commemorated a birth-day, and the third was an anniversary of a person's death. As it was observed generally on January 1, marriages on that day were considered as a good omen and the month was called Gamelion among the 14 Athenians.
Today, people would wash Gamelia's statues, symbolically washing way the winter. They also hung bay, palm, dates, and figs around the house to inspire a year filled with the blessings of the goddess Gamelia.
"To encourage a fresh start, consider turning over an hourglass (or egg timer) as midnight tolls. As you turn the hourglass, recite this incantation:
"The sands of time turn again, with them new life begins. The old now departs; Gamelia refresh my heart. For prosperity in the new year, carry any silver-colored coin in your pocket the entire day, then use it to make a wish at any nearby fountain or water source. To foster Gamelia's help with the wish, burn a little myrrh incense." Telesco, Patricia, 365
Goddess, and GrannyMoon's Morning Feast
"This day was also known as the Festival of Juno. Juno was called Unial by the Etruscans. Known as Hera to the Greeks, she was also known as Saturnia to the Romans. Juno was the goddess of marriage and childbirth. She was wedded to Zeus in the Garden of the Gods where Gaea created in her honor a tree of life bearing golden fruit."
Source
"Our concepts of Father Time (usually found in cartoons around New Year's Eve these days, but historically found as part of the Saturnalia festival when it was pushed to the first of the new year to avoid conflict with Christmas) and the Grim Reaper carrying a scythe are directly derived from Cronus. Both of these more modern figures are sometimes accompanied by a crow. Robert Graves wrote that the word Cronos and the god may have actually meant
'crow,' but once again it could just be a result of confusion with the similar-sounding words for crow (Latin
'cornix' or Greek 'corone').
"The three Greek words that were either related originally or related through confusion later were: Chronus (meaning
'time'), Cronus (the god of harvest before the Greek gods took over), and corone (meaning
'crow'). Sometimes just having words similar to each other is enough to mix stories up with one another. Whether they are connected because they sound similar or because they have similar roots is unknown.
"All three words are definitely now linked in some fashion. Images of the Grim Reaper in engravings in the Middle Ages that show a skeletal figure holding a scythe and hourglass with a crow nearby show this connection."
Source
Feast of Fools
In
Medieval Britain, today was the Feast of Fools, also
celebrated in Paris from about 1198
- 1438, a day of licensed
jesting – a kind of religious April Fools' Day. It
was a crazy day on which low clerical officials could swap places with the
higher ones, a mock pope was elected and churchmen parodied religious rituals -
for just one day.
It harkens back to the feast of Saturnalia
in ancient Rome,
for several days from December
17, when a Lord of Misrule was appointed to rule temporarily for Saturn.
It was also known in Latin
by various names, including festum fatuorum, festum stultorum
and festum hypodiaconorum and was like various other celebrations, such
as the Feast of Asses,
and the Feast of the Boy
Bishop.
Although the festivities
often became anti-ecclesiastical, anti-clerical and even blasphemous, for
centuries, the Church allowed the people to revel on this day. In 1440,
theologians in Paris argued, in defence of the Feast of Fools, that even a
wine vat would burst if the bung-hole were not opened occasionally to let out
the air. However, there were often objections raised: In Paris in 1199, Bishop Eudes de Sully
imposed regulations to ensure that the abuses committed in the celebration of
the January 1 Feast of Fools at Notre-Dame didn't happen again, and perhaps
they didn't for a time. Robert Grosseteste(c. 1175 - October
9, 1253),
Bishop of Lincoln, England, was another who condemned the feast mercilessly. The celebration of the Feast of Fools
was eventually outlawed in 1555.
The Lord of Misrule,
known in Scotland
as the Abbot of Unreason,
was an officer appointed at Christmas to preside over the feast. The British Lord
of Misrule, unlike his Saturnalian
counterpart, was not sacrificed at the end of the festival. However, there are records of a sacrificial king
(a temporary king, as Frazer put it in
The
Golden Bough, Ch
58.3), being later put to
death for the benefit of all.References
to this ancient sacrifice may be seen in the 1973 pagan classic film, The
Wicker Man.
Of the
Roman custom, Frazer wrote:
We
are justified in assuming that in an earlier and more barbarous age it was the
universal practice in ancient Italy, wherever the worship of Saturn prevailed,
to choose a man who played the part and enjoyed all the traditionary
privileges of Saturn for a season, and then died, whether by his own or
another's hand, whether by the knife or the fire or on the gallows-tree, in
the character of the good god who gave his life for the world.
Sir
James George Frazer
(1854 -
1941),
British folklorist; The
Golden Bough, 1922
The Octave of Christmas "The commemoration of the Circumcision ('when eight days were
accomplished for the circumcising of the child') falls naturally on
January 1, the Octave of Christmas. It is not of Roman origin, and
was not observed in Rome until it had long been established in the
Byzantine and Gallican Churches. In Gaul, as is shown by a decree
of the Council of Tours in 567, a solemn fast was held on the
Circumcision and the two days following it, in order to turn away
the faithful from the pagan festivities of the Kalends." Clement A Miles, Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan, T
Fisher Unwin, London, 1912
Online
Early Christian New Year
The early Christians were known to run about in masquerade on New Year's Day, making fun of the prevailing pagan customs.
New Year in antiquity
Today was sacred to the Greek divine couple, Hera and
Zeus, who equate with Rome's
Juno and Jupiter. On their New Year's Day the Romans made offerings to the goddess
Fortuna, for a year to benefit everyone.
Noisy New Year!
Many parts of the world see in the New Year with noise. Often church
bells are rung to bring in this special day. Originally, the noises
were to drive away evil spirits that might darken the coming year.
Bonfires were once lit for the same purpose, as well as the urge
warm weather back to earth.
First New Year visitor
There is an old British superstition that said the household would have a year's bad luck if the first visitor had fair hair, flat feet or eyebrows that met in the middle, or if the person carried a knife.
Danish New Year!
The Danish people like to see the New Year in with noise. Children collect broken pottery all year and throw it today against the sides of peoples' houses, and bang on their doors. And we thought we had it noisy here!
Handsel Monday
The Scottish celebrate the first Monday of the year as their New Year holiday, calling it Handsel Monday. See
January 5.
New Year's gifts
In some countries, such as France and Scotland, gifts at New Year are as important as Christmas presents in many other countries.
Persian New Year
In old Persia, now Iran, people used to exchange eggs at New Year,
as we do at Easter, to suggest new life.
Pin money
An old English custom at New Year was for men to give their wives
money to buy pins, which once were quite expensive. The expression
pin money, meaning household expense money, comes from this
practice.
Hogmanay, Scotland
Hogmanay and first-footing
In Scotland and the north of England, people go first-footing soon after midnight on New Year's Day. This involves visiting the homes of friends, having a drink and a bite to eat, and then moving on to the next home. The Scots call the New Year's celebration Hogmanay.
Lucky bird!
When Scots and northern English people welcome a first-footer (the first person into their home after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day), they hope it is a fair-haired man, who they sometimes also call a lucky bird.
But if he has splayed feet, flat feet, an eyebrow that meets in the middle, or a blind eye, or is carrying a knife, it is considered bad luck for the householders that
year.
Coal, bread and whisky
When Scots and northern English people welcome a first-footer (the first person into their home after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day), they hope it is a fair-haired man and that he will be carrying a lump of coal for the fire, a loaf for the table and whisky for the man or men of the house.
Whisky (spelt whiskey by the Irish and Americans) comes from the Gaelic word
uisgebeatha, or water of life.
Sneaking a keek
In old Scotland some of the family elders would keek – Scotch for peep
– to see the first footer (or first man across the threshold in the New Year) arriving.
A Scottish New Year song
A guid New Year to yin an' a',
An' mony may ye see.
An' durin' a' the years to come,
Oh, happy may ye be!
"On this day an old
custom, says Train in his History of the Isle of Man
(1845, vol. ii. p. 115), is observed called the quaaltagh.
In almost every parish throughout the island, a party of young
men go from house to house singing the following rhyme:
"'Again we
assemble, a merry New Year
To wish to each one of the family
here,
Whether man, woman, or girl, or boy,
That long life,
and happiness, all may enjoy,
May they of potatoes and
herrings have plenty,
With
battel and
cheese, and each other dainty;
And may their sleep never, by
night or day,
Disturbed be by even the tooth of a flea;
Until at the Quaaltagh again we appear,
To wish you, as now,
all a happy New Year.'
"When these lines are
repeated at the door, the whole party are invited into the house
to partake of the best the family can afford. On these occasions
a person of dark complexion always enters first, as a
light-haired male or female is deemed unlucky to be the
first-foot or quaaltagh on New Year's morning. The actors of the
quaaltagh do not assume fantastic habiliments like the mummers
of England, or the guisards of Scotland, nor do they, like these
rude performers of the Ancient Mysteries, appear ever to have
been attended by minstrels playing on different kinds of musical
instruments."
The word
'wassail' comes from the Old English
waes hael, be whole, be well. It's a salutation, especially over the cup ('wassail bowl') of mulled wine at New Year.
There is a legend to explain its origin: a beautiful Saxon maiden named Rowena presented Prince Vortigen with a bowl of wine while toasting him,
using the words "Waes hael".
The wassail bowl was carried about by young women who went from door to door, singing songs composed for the purpose; they presented the liquor to the householders, who were expected to pay for the favour.
The custom was kept in the monasteries. The Poculum Caritatis, or large wassail bowl, was placed in front of the abbot at the upper end of the refectory table. The same ritual was observed.
In Scotland the wassail custom lasted longer than in England, well into the 19th Century. As midnight approached, a hot pint was prepared, ie, spiced and sweetened hot ale, with an infusion of spirits. As the clock struck the bowl was passed around and all said "Happy New Year".
The elders of the family would take the kettle as well as
shortbread, buns, bread, cheese and so on, and visit neighbours. If
they met others on the way, they would taste from each other's
kettles. Then first-footing would happen, to those who were first in
a house.
The word wassail came to mean festivity (especially drunken) in general.
Here we come a wassailing, Among the leaves so green, Here we come a wandering, So fair to be seen.
Chorus. Love and joy come to
you, And to your wassel too, And God send you a happy New Year,
A New Year, And God send you a happy New Year! Our wassel cup is made of rosemary-tree, So is your beer of the best barley.
We are not daily beggars, That beg from door to door; But we are neighbours' children, Whom you have seen before.
Call up the butler of this
house, Put on his golden ring, Let him bring us up a glass of beer vAnd the better we shall sing.
We have got a little purse, Made of stretching leather skin, We want a little of your money To line it well within.
Bring us out a table, And spread it with a cloth; Bring us out a mouldy cheese, And some of your Christmas loaf.
God bless the master of this
house, Likewise the mistress too, And all the little children, That round the table go!
Good master and mistress, While you're sitting by the fire, Pray think of us poor children, Who are wandering in the mire.
Chorus. Love and joy come to
you, &c.
"The custom of wassail at the New Year was kept up in the monasteries as well as in private houses. In front of the abbot, at the upper end of the refectory table, was placed the mighty bowl styled in their language
Poculum Caritatis, and from it the superior drank to all, and all drank in succession to each other. The corporation feasts of London still preserve a custom that affords a reflex of that of the wassail bowl. A double-handled flagon full of sweetened and spiced wine being handed to the master, or other person presiding, he drinks standing to the general health, as announced by the toastmaster; then passes it to his neighbour on the left hand, who drinks standing to his next neighbour, also standing, and so on it goes, till all have drunk. Such is the well-known ceremony of the Loving Cup.
"[Receipt for Making the Wassailbowl - Simmer a small quantity of the following spices in a teacupful of water, viz.:—Cardamums, cloves, nutmeg, mace, ginger, cinnamon, and coriander. When done, put the spice to two, four, or six bottles of port, sherry, or madeira, with one pound and a half of fine loaf sugar (pounded) to four bottles, and set all on the fire in a clean bright saucepan; meanwhile, have yolks of 12 and the whites of 6 eggs well whisked up in it. Then, when the spiced and sugared wine is a little warm, take out one teacupful; and so on for three or four cups; after which, when it boils, add the whole of the remainder, pouring it in gradually, and stirring it briskly all the time, so as to froth it. The moment a fine froth is obtained, toss in 12 fine soft roasted apples, and send it up hot. Spices for each bottle of wine:—10 grains of mace, 46 grains of cloves, 37 grains of cardamums, 28 grains of cinnamon, 12 grains of nutmeg, 48 grains of ginger, 49 grains of coriander seeds.—Mark Lane Express.]
"Till very few years ago in Scotland, the custom of the wassail bowl at the passing away of the old year might he said to be still in comparative vigour. On the approach of twelve o'clock, a hot pint was prepared—that is, a kettle or flagon full of warm, spiced, and sweetened ale, with an infusion of spirits. When the clock had struck the knell of the departed year, each member of the family drank of this mixture 'A good health and a happy New Year and many of them' to all the rest, with a general hand-shaking, and perhaps a dance round the table, with the addition of a song to the tune of
'Hey tuttie taitic':
'Weel may we a' be, Ill may we never see, Here's to the king And the gude companie!' &c.
"The elders of the family would then most probably sally out, with the hot kettle, and bearing also a competent provision of buns and short-bread, or bread and cheese, with the design of visiting their neighbours, and interchanging with them the same cordial greetings. If they met by the way another party similarly bent, whom they knew, they would stop and give and take sips from their respective kettles. Reaching the friend's house, they would enter with vociferous good wishes, and soon send the kettle a-circulating. If they were the first to enter the house since twelve o'clock, they were deemed as the first-foot; and, as such, it was most important, for luck to the family in the coming year, that they should make their entry, not empty-handed, but with their hands full of cakes and bread and cheese; of which, on the other hand, civility demanded that each individual in the house should partake.
"To such an extent did this custom prevail in Edinburgh in the recollection of persons still living, that, according to their account, the principal streets were more thronged between twelve and one in the morning than they usually were at midday. Much innocent mirth prevailed, and mutual good feelings were largely promoted. An unlucky circumstance, which took place on the 1st January of 1812, proved the means of nearly extinguishing the custom. A small party of reckless boys formed the design of turning the innocent festivities of firstfootinq to account for purposes of plunder. They
kept their counsel well. No sooner had the people come abroad on the principal thoroughfares of the Old Town, than these youths sallied out in small bands, and commenced the business which they had undertaken."
Robert
Chambers,
(Ed.), The
Book of Days: A miscellany of popular antiquities in connection
with the calendar, etc,W
& R Chambers, London, 1881 (1879
Edition is online and
1869
edition here
with CD-ROM available; See also The
English Year: A Personal Selection from Chambers' Book of
Days)
Next I'll cause my hopeful lad,
If a wild apple can be had,
To crown the hearth;
Lar thus conspiring with our mirth;
Then to infuse
Our browner ale into the cruse;
Which, sweetly spiced, we'll first carouse
Unto the Genius of the house.
Then the next health to friends of mine.
Loving the brave Burgundian wine,
High sons of pith,
Whose fortunes I have frolick'd with;
Such as could well
Bear up the magic bough and spell;
And dancing 'bout the mystic Thyrse,
Give up the just applause to verse;
To those, and then again to thee,
We'll drink, my Wickes, until we be
Plump as the cherry,
Though not so fresh, yet full as merry
As the cricket,
The untamed heifer, or the pricket,1
Until our tongues shall tell our ears,
We're younger by a score of years.
Thus, till we see the fire less shine
From th' embers than the kitling's eyne,
We'll still sit up,
Sphering about the wassail cup,
To all those times
Which gave me honour for my rhymes;
The coal once spent, we'll then to bed,
Far more than night bewearied. Robert Herrick
(1591 -
1674),
English poet
So, on the evening of Auld New Year at 6
o'clock, the tar barrel (clavie) is set alight and paraded around town.
The clavie is the bottom part of a wooden barrel, mounted on a pole and filled
with tar-soaked wood, and must be lit with a piece of burning peat from a
local household fire.
The barrel is pounded onto an eight-foot
pole called 'the spoke' (using a round stone, never a hammer), the same
nail being ritually used every year – perhaps there's a link between
'clavie' and clavus, the Latin for 'nail', though it might come
from the Gaelic word for basket, cliabh. Then the clavie is hoisted
onto the shoulders of a local villager and the procession begins.
The clavie crew of nine or ten local men
(led by the 'Clavie King') must make sure that the clavie isn't dropped,
or else bad luck will come to Burghead in the coming year. Eventually, after
the crew has stopped at a number of traditional stations along the route, it
reaches its destination at an ancient mound called Doorie where it's set on
a specially prepared base. It is allowed to burn for some time, before being
ritualistically broken up with a hatchet. Flaming embers are then snatched up
by onlookers. Traditionally these used to be kindling for a special New Year
Fire in the home, but are now kept for luck and even sent to relatives or
friends who have moved away from the district.
Opinions differ as to the roots of the
ancient festival of the Burning of the Clavie – it might be Pictish, Celtic,
Viking or Roman in origin, but it is certainly pre-Christian. Until about
1875, clavies were also carried into each fishing boat, where handfuls of
grain were sprinkled on their decks to ensure plenty in the coming year. In
the 18th Century this picturesque and harmless rite was condemned
as 'superstitious, idolatrous and sinfule, an abominable heathenish practice'.
In Bannfshire there was 'ane act against clavies' in 1704 protesting that the
barrels were 'carried about idolatrouslie sanctifying the cornes and cattle'.
Lucky first-footer!
When Scots and northern English people welcome a first-footer (the first person into their home after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day), they hope it is a fair-haired man for luck. He must enter by the front door and leave by the back, symbolising the old and new years.
Guising
The people of Yorkshire and northern England have among their many
old customs the tradition of guising on New Year's Eve. Guising is a
centuries-old practice of going from door to door singing songs -
trick or treating at Halloween derives from guising.
Welsh New Year
The Welsh open the back door before midnight on New Year's Eve to let the Old Year out, then they lock it. At the last stroke of midnight on the clock they open the front door to welcome the New Year.
Polish New Year
Polish tradition is for vagabond players to put on street pantomimes on New Year's Day. Gypsies, too, are on the streets, fortune telling.
Crappy noodles
A century ago the Sicilians on New Year's Day ate lascagne cacate, or
"crappy noodles", a kind of lasagne. To eat any other sort of pasta today was considered bad luck. Their saying went
"Whoever eats macaroni today will have a bad year".
Grapes at midnight
People of Madrid, Spain, have an interesting old New Year's custom: at the stroke of midnight each person eats twelve grapes. The cinemas will even stop running a movie at midnight to allow the patrons to eat their grapes.
Bells, bells, bells
A good idea has swift feet - the chiming of bells rings in the New
Year in Japan and England as well as in Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia
and Romania.
Kwam Suk Pee Mai!
As in many parts of the world, in Thailand the New Year is brought in with the tolling of bells
– temple bells. People say "Kwam Suk Pee Mai!", meaning Happy
New Year!
Today Thai children will exchange presents with family and friends, and the general populace will present Buddhist monks a thanks offering of rice and other food.
Bom Jesus dos Navegantes (The Lord
Good Jesus of the Mariners Festival), Salvador,
Bahia State,
Brazil
Hundreds of vessels sail through All Saints' Bay carrying the image
of Good Jesus, from Conceição da Praia church to the Chapel at Boa
Viagem.
Happy Ta'u Fo'ou! That's New Year in Tonga! Today Tongan boys and girls will go in groups from door to door serenading the populace. Some will make a joyful noise on harmonicas, guitars, drums and ukuleles, making up hymns and songs for the occasion. Like trick or treaters, they will receive goodies for their efforts.
Well dressing
Ancient Britain gives us many well and
sacred spring customs. The first water drawn from a well on
January 1 is supposed tobring
fortune and happiness, and is called the Cream of the Well. It is
customary to leave petals floating on the water. The wells at Wark,
in Northumberland, UK, are supposed to have magical powers on New
Year's Day. In Wales, drawing fresh spring water as a New Year's
Day custom might have survived at the town of Tenby as late as the
1950s.
The hungry dead of Trinidad
Just as at Christmas and Easter, the people of Trinidad are known sometimes to
'feed' the dead at New Year. Food, drink and even tobacco are left on a table for the deceased. We have no information about whether it is ever taken.
Grandfather Frost
The Russians don't have
Santa Claus, even though Saint Nicholas is patron of Moscow. They have Grandfather Frost (Ded
Moroz; D'yed Moroz) at New Year, with his comely and daintily named assistant,
Snegurochka (Snegourka) the Snow Maiden. They bring presents to children on this day. The people of the former Yugoslavia have their Deda Mraz. Like Santa, he brings presents to the children. He arrives a week before
Christmas and asks what gifts they would like, delivering them on January 1.
New Year trees
The Russian have New Year trees instead of
Christmas
trees, with more than 50,000 decorated trees erected in Moscow
public places and 700,000 in private homes of Muscovites.
New Year's party
In the former Yugoslavia on New Year's Day the people light the candles on their New Year's tree and open their gifts. The day is traditionally one big party with music, fine food and dancing.
Got new clothes on?
Many Londoners believe that on New Year's Day it is unlucky not to wear new clothes. Haitians also go out in new clothes, or at least in their very best, as an omen of how their year will go.
Paraguay's baby
Families in Paraguay today will rearrange the little figurines in their nativity scenes and address the baby Jesus as Niño del Año Nuevo
– Baby of the New Year. Before he was Niño de la Navidad – Baby of the Nativity.
Glöggy New Year!
In Sweden on this day, many people will go to church and to
smorgasbords, where they will drink a glass of spicy glögg.
German New Year, and the goddess Perchta
New Year's Day in Germany is dedicated to St Bertha (Perchta;
Percht).
Perchta
was originally a
goddess of vegetation and fertility from
Continental Germanic mythology . She had
many different names (and changed her sex) depending on the
geographical region.
From
Wikipedia: The goddess Perchta was also
often considered another version of
Holda, or Frau
Holle.
In the
folklore of
Bavaria and
Austria, Perchta
was said to roam the countryside at
midwinter, and to enter homes on
Twelfth Night. She
would know whether the children and young
servants of the household had behaved well
and worked hard all year. If they had, they
might find a small silver coin next day, in
a shoe or pail. If they had not, she would
slit their bellies open, remove stomach and
guts, and stuff the hole with straw and
pebbles. She was particularly concerned to
see that girls had spun the whole of their
allotted portion of flax or wool during the
year.
Almaniac Diana Schuetz writes: "I can tell you from personal
experience that at the stroke of midnight in Worms (and each town in
Germany), the entire town sounds like a war zone because people are
setting off fireworks in every intersection. There are so many
fireworks, the air smells like cordite even a mile away from the
city on a hill where we used to go to watch them. I'm not talking
about little firecrackers, either. These are professional style
fireworks! If you ever saw pictures of how the houses are connected
to each other, it's amazing the entire city doesn't burn down!"
Tickle the cow
In medieval England they celebrated this auspicious day with cow tickling. A flatcake was put on a cow's horns in this unique ritual.
Hog and hominy
In parts of the deep South of the USA, a traditional pork-and-maize meal is eaten today. It goes by the name of hog and hominy, and is eaten for good luck. The word hominy (corn porridge) is not related to Hogmanay, Scottish New Year.
New Year's Day
Today has not always been New Year's Day. The Romans had theirs in
March. Since the Christian era began, the first day of the year has been variously
Christmas Day, Lady Day (March 25),
March 1 and
Easter Day. In the 17th
Century, most Christian countries settled on
January 1. England, however, did not do so until 1752, giving up March 25 as New Year's Day.
Celtic Janus
In the Caldragh Graveyard on Boa Island, in County Fermanaugh
(Northern Ireland) there is an ancient 'Janus Figure', a
pre-christian idol. The same figure is carved into both sides of the
stone, and has been compared to Roman idols of Janus (hence, the
name).
New Year's Day
The ancient Slavic peoples and the Romans began their year in
March, which makes a lot of sense seeing in the Northern Hemisphere that is the time of rebirth, the
Spring Equinox. According to
Jacob Grimm, he of the fairy tales, the Slavs and German peoples divided the year into two seasons:
winter and
summer.
Give a fig
The ancient Romans gave figs and dates, covered with gold leaf, at New Year. They were sent by clients to their patrons, along with a little cash with which to purchase idols. Archaeologists have found pottery which has Happy New Year inscribed on it. The Emperor Claudius, however, banned New Year's celebrations.
A sweet gift
An orange stuck all over with cloves was a popular New Year's gift in Merrie Olde England. It was to be hung in a container of wine, though not touching the liquid, to improve the fruit's flavour and preserve it from mould.
Mainz New Year
In Mainz, Germany, an ancient tradition is the Fassenacht, or Carnival, which begins on January 1 with a procession of the Mainz Guards. The President of the festivities carries a sceptre and bell, and all his committee sit at table wearing fools' caps. A satirical speech in a falsetto voice is given by a man in drag. This strange Comité parades in a March of Fools (Narrhalla Marsch).
Lucky pigs!
In Austria at New Year you might expect to eat roast suckling pig
with a dessert of peppermint ice cream shaped like a four-leaved
clover. Piglets, clovers and little chimney sweeps, all of marzipan
and chocolate, are good luck symbols that traditionally adorn the
Austrian table.
Belgian letters
In an old custom, children in Belgium wrote respectful letters to their family elders during the month of December, reading them out at breakfast on New Year's Day.
Looking ahead
In an old English custom, people would take the first egg from a young hen to church on New Year's Day. Those who were destined to die in the coming year would be revealed to the asker, wearing a crown of thorns.
Happy Ndok!
In Nigeria there was formerly a men's ritual festival held every
other year in December and January, called Ndok. Because of
its associations with renewal, not to mention the Coca-Colonization
of Africa, gradually Ndok became identified with the West's New Year
celebrations. A masquerade, this cult involved the sacrifice of a
rooster and the making of much noise. When Nigerian men engage in
the Ndok, they play low, droning sounds on a pipe covered at one end
with the wing membrane of a bat. Women may only listen at a
distance. The men sacrifice to their dead loved ones a rooster, the
blood of which is sprinkled around a small tent erected on the grave
of the departed. Later, they eat the bird.
Crossroads traffic
The old Icelanders believed that on New Year's Eve elves moved house and could be intercepted at crossroads by mortals. If not allowed to pass, the elves would bribe the humans with treasure or food. Nigerian members of the Ndok cult similarly believed that spirits could be found at crossroads on New Year's Eve, and gathered there to confront
them.
Do not try this, these people were medieval
In medieval Britain, it was the done thing to bribe magistrates with gifts on New Year's Day. The custom was abolished by law in 1290, but for hundreds of years after, kings received their
"tokens" at this time.
Austrian visit of the
Magi
Between January 1 and
6 (Epiphany) Austrians may request a visit by the Magi, or Three Wise Men. They go through the home in elaborate costumes carrying a nativity crib and an incense burner (thurible), blessing its occupants. On leaving, the Magi will chalk their initials, K, M and B (for Kaspar, Melchior and Balthasar) plus the date over the door.
In Germany, also, Magi chalk their initials over the doors. They do
not, however, carry out the remainder of the ritual.
The Essington gift
More than 300 years ago there was a strange custom in Staffordshire, England. On New Year's Day the lord of the Essington manor had to take to the manor of Lord Hilton, a goose, and drive it three times around Hilton's hall fire. He then had to take the bird to the cook, who prepared it for Lord Hilton. It makes you wonder what sort of bet Essington's ancestor had lost!
Coventry God cakes
So-called God-cakes were eaten in olden days at Coventry, England on this day. They were triangular, a bit more then one centimetre thick, and filled with mincemeat. The rich had to pay a penny for one, while the poor paid only a halfpenny.
New Year's gifts
Until about the mid-19th Century, Britons and Europeans commonly gave gifts on New
Year's Day, a custom probably derived from the ancient Romans. Emperor Claudius prohibited the demanding of gifts except on this day. The French held on to the custom of New Year's gift-giving longer than the British.
Have a capon
Many years ago in England, it was the custom for a tenant to give his landlord a capon for New Year.
Give a glove
Gloves were commonly given in Britain for New Year's presents, or a sum of money (so called glove money) with which to buy them.
Dutch New Year
At this century's beginning, a Dutch child would retire to bed at an early hour and rise early on New Year's Day. It was customary for greeting cards to be in that day's mail.
Le Jour d'Etrennes, France The French were once big on
New Year's Day which they called Le Jour d'Etrennes. A century ago it was estimated that one quarter in value of all jewellery sold in France was sold for New Year's presents alone. Only women were exempted from the weighty obligation of buying expensive presents.
French New Year commences with visits to friends and relatives. People enjoy
bon-bons, a fine dinner and amusements such as cards and dancing.
The Peille Fête
An old French New Year's custom was for young men to receive from the master of the local fête and the church minister
(curé) an orange with a flower in it, which the lads presented to the girls. On
September 8 the girls would reciprocate by giving the youths ribbons. This tradition was suppressed between 1791 and 1796 after the Revolution.
Letters to parents
In France, as in Belgium, children present to their parents on New Year's Day
(le Jour d'Etrennes) letters of respect which they have taken great pains to write during December. The children light candles on the mantelpiece and their parents traditionally give them presents. One such treat is a sweet-filled cone or cornet.
Highland Candlemas
The Christian feast day of Candlemas (aka Groundhog Day) is on
February 2, but the Scottish highlanders also called today Candlemas because of their use of candles. The Candlemas Bull was a cloud that highland imagination likened to that animal. By its shape and movement, it was said that the coming weather could be forecast, for good or ill.
Magic water
In old Scotland they used to drink, on New Year's morning, usque-cashrichd, or water from
'the dead and living ford', as a magic charm against witchcraft, the evil eye and all evil for the coming year.
Then they would take a broom and sweep all the householders from bed. Then
they'd seal up all doors, windows and crevices and burn juniper branches. The
smuchdan, or fumigation, which was also applied to the livestock, was thought to keep all from harm through the coming year.
Mu nase choil orst
These words mean 'my Candlemas bond upon you' ('you owe me a gift') and were spoken by Scottish highlanders of old to those they met on New Year's Day. The one to say it first was owed a present by the other. The Scottish highlanders called New Year's Day
'Candlemas', not to be confused with the Christian feast day on
February 2, also known as Groundhog Day.
Burning the bush
An old custom for New Year's Day in Radnorshire and Herefordshire, England, involved farmers burning at dawn a
hawthorn branch (or bush) with its twigs bent to form a globe. They carried it over twelve ridges; if it went out before the twelfth, a bad year for crops was assured. They would extinguish the bush with cider, singing
"Auld cider!" in a low monotone while bowing nine times for luck.
Hobby horse riding
In Sheffield, England, at least until very recently, the old hobby horse custom on New Year's Day survived. Two men would sing from door to door:
We have a poor old horse and he's standing at your door and if you wish to let him in, he'll please you all I'm sure.
A third man operated a hobby horse made from a pole, a cloth and a painted pony's skull with red bottle-cap eyes.
Riding stang
From Westmoreland and Cumberland, England comes the ancient custom of
'riding stang'. A stang was a staff used by two persons to carry a water vessel, a cowl. Crowds would gather on New Year's Day and whoever would not join them was hoisted on a stang and carried to a pub where he could be liberated for sixpence. Women were treated with more dignity
– and carried in baskets.
Moondance
On the Orkney isle of
North Ronaldsay, there is a large stone about three metres tall, around which about fifty locals would dance on New Year's Day, singing unaccompanied in an ancient rite.
Tournament of Roses The Tournament
of Roseshas been held in Pasadena,
California, USA, on New Year's Day since 1886, featuring
a seemingly endless procession of floats beautifully garlanded with flowers. The
day's climax is the famous Rose
Bowlfootball game.
Black-eyed peas and cabbage
Reader
Granny
Sue, from Jackson County, WV, USA, writes: "Don't forget to eat
black-eye peas and cabbage on New Year's Day. The first was a custom
of my father's, who was raised in New Orleans. The cabbage came from
my English mother – she wrapped silver coins in waxed paper and hid
them in the cabbage. That was supposed to bring you money in the
coming year."
Gogmagog festival, ancient Britain
The festivity of 'The Good Trip' or the
celebration of 'Our Lord of the Seamen' in Brazil (until January 4)
A
4th-Century archbishop of
Caesaria who died on this day in
379 CE, Basil was a
Doctor of the Church, that is, an important founder. He is a patriarch of Eastern Orthodox monks, commemorated on this day by Eastern churches but on
June 14 in the West.
St Basil's Day, Greece
On St Basil's Day, Greek children go about carrying an apple, an orange, a paper ship, a paper star and a rod cut from a cornel-tree. They tap family members on the back for luck. When they go from door to door, householders give them treats.
Customary acts in Greece today include fire-stoking and sprinkling wheat in backyards.
The first person to enter the house today should be the head of the household, or a
"lucky child".
St Basil's Day, Amorgos
On the Greek island of Amorgos, the hoped-for first person to enter the home on St Basil's Day must be a family member returning from church, carrying an icon. He takes two steps inside, saying,
"Come in good luck!", then two steps back saying, "Out bad luck!" He repeats this three times then smashes a pomegranate on the floor. Then all family members eat honey with their fingers to ensure a sweet year ahead. Everyone then eats boiled wheat which is consecrated to St Basil.
Lucky Fido
On the Greek isle of Carpathos, a white dog is brought into the house today and fed baklava to ensure the householders' strength of body and soul for the coming year.
St Basil's cake
Today, both New Year's Day and St Basil's Day to Eastern Orthodox people, Greeks will eat a vasillopitta, or Basil-cake. The first slice is for the saint, the next slices for the family members, and then come the cattle and the poor.
St Basil's visit
St Basil, like Santa
Claus, visits children with toys, and does it today in Greece on his feast day. He also pops in to inspect the livestock, so a lot of grooming will have been going on in Greek stables lately.
The children on the Isle of Skyros, leave out for his refreshment a bowl of water, two dishes of sweets or pancakes, and a pomegranate. At Aghiasos on the Greek isle of Lesbos, a table is set for St Basil and a log placed in the fire grate for the saint to step on when, like
Santa Claus, he comes down the chimney. At Kydoniae in Asia Minor, a tray is left out for the visiting St Basil, so he can refresh himself with fish, jellied pork pie, some
vasilopitta (Basil-cake,
containing nuts and lemon) and a glass of water. People
search in the vasilopitta for a gold coin baked in it, because the finder's luck will
then continue all year. Vasilopitta is popular throughout Greece.
Feast day of Circumcision of the
Lord (Circumcisio Domini,first commemorated 487 CE but now
obsolete)
"In the ages of paganism, however, the
solemnization of the feast was almost impossible, on account of the orgies
connected with the Saturnalian festivities, which were celebrated at the same
time. Even in our own day the secular features of the opening of the New Year
interfere with the religious observance of the Circumcision, and tend to make a
mere holiday of that which should have the sacred character of a Holy Day. Saint
Augustine points out the difference between the pagan and the christian [sic]
manner of celebrating the day: pagan feasting and excesses were to be expiated
by Christian fasting and prayer."Source
Feast of the Circumcision, Costa Rica
In Costa Rica they celebrate this with their New Year's events, such as bull
fights, parades and carnivals.
Feast of the Circumcision, Syria
In Syria, Christian men and children visit one another to exchange presents and
have coffee and pastries. Because the women are so busy entertaining, they do
their visiting on January
2.
Feast day of St Fanchea of Rossory
(or St Faine), virgin, of Ireland (Laurustine, Viburnum Tinus, is
today's plant,
dedicated to St Fanchea.) St Faine, or Fanchea, was an Irish virgin. Tradition says
that once, St Endeus wanted to be a monk and told his friends, who tried to
dissuade him. By offering a prayer to St Faine their feet stuck to the earth
like stones, transfixing the scoffers until they repented.
Feast day of St Fulgentius of Ruspe,
bishop and confessor
Fulgentius, who died on this day in 533, went about barefoot, never undressed to
go to bed, and refrained from eating meat. After his death, a bishop named
Pontian was assured in a vision that Fulgentius would live forever, so he moved
the saint's body to Bourges, where his head was kept for centuries in the
archbishop's seminary.
Feast day of St Odilo (or Olou), sixth abbot
of Cluni
St Odile was the eleventh-century abbot who inaugurated All Soul's Day (November
2) as an annual remembrance of the faithful dead.
Egyptian
day (dies egypticus, dies ægypticus or dies mala),
unlucky day in Medieval Europe. ("But, notwithstanding, I will trust the
Lord" was the associated saying.)
Fumigating the house,
Strathdown, Scottish highlands
This spell is to help dispel negative energies around you and involves making a talisman.
Take a small clear crystal, an acorn, some rosemary and mandrake and
a bit of green silk or cotton. It doesn't need to be a big piece.
Cast your circle and creating a pouch from the herbs, bless them with
each element saying
"While this dwells within, there will be protection without. Cleanse
and charge this charm, element of against all who wish me ill!"
Now hang this somewhere not too obviously, like hiding it in a corner
or over a window. This will protect you till next Samhain when you
should burn it in the sacred fire, crystal and all. If it is not too
tainted, the fire will just cleanse the crystal and you'll be able to
retrieve it from the ashes but I always recommend just getting a new
one.
