Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-11-01
SUPERSTITION ABOUT LOVE.

From the earliest times no event in hui
man life has been associated with more
extensive folk lore than marriage. Be
ginning with love diyinations, these are
OF every conceivable kiud, the anxious
maiden apparently having left no stone
unturned in her anxiety to ascertain her
lot in the marriage state. Some cut the
common brake or fern just above the root
to ascertain the initials of the future bus
bands name, Again, nuts and apples
are very favorite love tests. The mode of
procedure is for girl to place on the
bars of CRATE nut, repeating this in
carnations;
If he loves me, pop and fly;
If he hates me, live and die
Great is the dismay if the anxious face
of the inquirer gradually perceives the
nut, instead of making the hoped-ior pop,
die and make no sign One means Of di-
vfaation is to throw q lady bird in the
air., and repeating meanwhile the sub
joined couplet;
Fly away east and e. away west
Show me where lives the one like best.
Should this insect chance to fly in the
direction of the house where the loved
one resides it is regarded as most favor
| able omen.
Another species of love divination once
observed consisted in obtaining five bay
| leaves, four of which the anxious maiden
pinned at the four corners of her pillow,
and the fifth in the middle. If she was
fortunate enough to dream of her lover,
it was a sure sign that he would be mar
! ried to Ler in the course of a year.
Friday had been held a good day OF
the week for love omens; and in Norfolk
the following lines are repeated 3 nights
successfully, as on the last one it is be-
lieved that the young lady will dream OF
her future husband:
Tonight, tonight is Friday night,
lay me down in dirty white;
Dream whom my husband is to be,
And lay my children by nv side;
| II I'm to live to be his bride.
In selecting the time for the marriage
ceremony precautions of every kind have
generally been taken to avoid an unlucky
month and day for the knot to be tied
Indeed the old Roman notion that the
May marriages are unlucky survives to
this day in England. June is highly
popular month Friday on account Of it
being regarded as an inauspicious evil
day Tor the commencement of any kind OF
enterprise, is generally avoided
In days gone by Sunday appears to
have been popular day for marriages.
1t is above all things, necessary that the
sun should shine on the bride, and it
is deemed absolutely by very many that
she should weep on her wedding day, if
it be only few tears; the omission of
such an act being considered ominous OF
her future happiness.
In Sussex, a brfle on her return home
! from church is often robbed of all her
pins about her-dress by the single wona-
en- present, from the belief that whoever
possesses one of them will be married in
sooner or later inevitably overtake
the bride who keeps even one pin used
In the marriage toilet.
"Flnging the stocking was an old
marriage custom in England. The Young
men took the brides stockings, and the
girls ttpse Of the bridegroom, each of
whom, sitting at the foot of the he'd
threw the stockings over ther heads, en-
deavorlng to make it fall on that Of the
bride ana her spouse. 1.-THE bridegroom S
stockings thrown by the girls, fell upon
the bridegrooms head, it was sign that
they thnselyes would soon be married,
and simi,r luck was derived from the
falling Of The BRIDES stockings thrown by
the yonng men. There is a superstitious
notion in some places that when the
bride retires to rest on her wedding night
her bridesmaids should lay her stockings
across, as his act is supposed to guaran-
tee her future prosperity in the marriage
Understanding to Read.