Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-01
NEW YEARS DA.h
Some Of Its Observances White b Once
Enjoyed Greet Popularity, but
Which Are New Obseietf
Queen Euzabeth's New Years dfts-The
Origin of "Pin Money"-rhe O ASTON
OF tbs Wassail Bowl ff~.g

of the wassail Bowl. es-4
OF all the many usages Of modern
society there are few which can boast CT
greater antiquity, interest and universal
ity than those which are still pr fscticed in
the celebration OF the first day ttf the year
or"'New Years Day." though many Of
its observances which once en- il byed great
popularity are now almost wholly ooso-
lete.
Among the ancient Romanst, from the
time of the Julian refornhation of
the calendar, the first ds " or the
'"calends" Of January was observed
IS public. holiday marking thek beginning
OF new year. They dedicst tied the day
aHd the whole ensuing month to the God
Janus, from whom it derives fits name of
January, and whom they REPRESENTED as q
man with two faces, one looking back
ward the other forward, thus Implying
that he stood between the }old and the
new year with regard to both. Through
out January they offered Sacrifices to
Janus upon twelve altars, and on the first
day of that month were csrefihl to so reg
| ulate their conduct that theit every word
and act should be Q happy ajhgury for all
the ensuing days Of the year..
Ovid and other Latin WRITER'S of that
age allude to the suspension tof all litIga-
ton and strife, the reconciliation OF dii-
ferences among friends, fhe smoking
sltars and the white-robed plroce ssions TO
the capitol upon the first day Of Janus or
New Years Day, as we now fall it, They
also tell OF the exchanging |of visits, the
giving and receiving of ! presents or
''strer 81" the mssqueradihgf and the
feasting with which, ia their time, the
day was celebrated throughout the oman
empire. The modern dude who puts on
his swsllow-tailed coat and his white
necktie odsy, and sallies forth to visit
his lady friends, will bel surprised TO
learn that the Roman dude, arraysd in
new shirt and toga, went forth upon pre-
cisely the same errand mbre than .2000
years ago.
From the very birth of christianity the
participation by Christicnsf in the festival
observanc of New YEARS. Day was Wig
orously opposed by thes church, and |
when, about the fifth century, |
the 25th of December hsdi gradually be- |
come fixed festival commemorative OF |
our Lord's nativity, sthe LIST of January
ultimately assumed g specially sacred
character also, as the octave Of Christmas
day end as the anniversary of ChIist's Cir
cumcision. AS such it still holds q place
in the calendars OF the various branches
Of the eastern end the western church, but
only as feast of subordis Gate importance.
The custom of givipgS gifts upon New
Years Day, though it has to great ex-
tent been superseded in our time by the
giving Of Christmas sifEs, Is one Of the
Oldest, SIS it was formerly one of the most
universal Observances OF the occasion.
The Persians celebrated the beginning OF
the year by exchanging presents of eggs.
The ancient Druids distributed as
New Years gifts among the early
Bri,ons branches Of mistletoe cut
with peculiarly solemn ceremonies. TIE
esrly Saxons observed Ii e festival of New
Years with iessts and gifts. Among the
ancient Romans the "strer a," or New
Years presents already alluded to, were
not only exchanged between relatives and
friends. but they were eSacted by the ,
Emperors from their subjects. Onder the ;
Ce .srs, these New YEARS. gifts became ,
such source OF profit to the sovereign
aud so onerous burden to the pecp.e,
that Claudlus limited their cost by g ,
decree.
Henry Ill Of Englard followed the Ro- ,
man precedent in extorting New Years !
gifts from his subjects, the practice beirg ,
revived in the reign Of Henry VI. and ;
continuing till the reign CT Charles I. But
it was during Qneen Elizabeth's reign =
that this custom Of presenting New Years !
gifts to the sovereign attained its great :
est and most extravsgart height. These :
presents we're made by everyone in any
way associated with the Virgin Queen r
from the great fffcers OF state down to
Her Msjesty's Gustmsn, ard included 9
sums OF money, ornaments for sthe !
Queens person Or apartments, caskets 8
studded with precious stones, necklaces, d
bracelets, gowns, mantles, petticoats, :
ians, mirrors, elk stockings, and great +
variety of other srticies. Howell states Y
Ia his"History ofthe World, "thst" Q ueen r
Eiiz.bsth In 1861, was presented with q +
pair Of black silk knit stockings by her i
: IL woman, Mrs. Montague, and thence I
forth she never wore cloth hose any
more" TIE Queens wardrobe is said 1
to have been almost wholly supplied by
these New Years gifts, In return for
which SIZE made presents OF gold and Sill
YER plate. 7
A good story is told OF Archy
court jester to Charles
[. who, on receiving twenty goid T
pieces from nobleman one New Years
complained that they were too I
light.
"Let me see them again, then, Arcnyf"
aid the donor. "And, by the way, there I
is one OF them which I would be 10th to r
part with"
Con adeatly expecting larger gift, the
-ster handed the gold pieces back 70 the T
onor, who put them in his pocket and
walked of, saying. "I gave my money I
% tool who had not the Wit to Keep IT,"
The Fcustoro of giving New Yesr's
to Boglish sovereigns ceased 7
with the establishment Of the common. r
wea II in the days of Oliver Cromwell
aad has never been revived.
ALI ladies know what pin money IL, put I
1t may be interesting to them to learn the r
o''gin OF the expression and also to Know
Fat it is directly connected
with New Years Day. Until
the beginning Of the sixteenth u
century, the olk pins used by the poorer g
classes were m}se Of wooo-ln fact they p
we're not pins 81 all, but skewers, which,
for the use of he wealthy, were made OF
COX wood, bondsnd silver. A. the period
above named tie metal pins now in use Fl
we're invented nd people of fashion were a
eager to posed them They at once be- B
came the mo5t popular and acceptable
IL Ia lr7Ns