Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-29

q consecrated 1re ana give uranus AtOAA ~
to everyone, and all fires were then extln,
guished and relighted with the sacred
brands. In modern Greece the members 0,
each household gather dried branches ana
cast them on the fire, wishing good luck 70
each one at the same time. The brighter
the flame the better the augury. In Ger
manv it is said if you leave the fire In on
New Years Eve you will want nothing dur
ing the coming year. In North Carolina It
is said that no one must borrow hre at TINS
time but buy it with some trihe-an interest
ing
SURVIVAL OF FIRE WORSHIP.
Millet and herring are eaten on New
Years Day in Germany to insure aoune-
ance during the coming year. In Coventry,
England. the cattle are fed 8 sort of triangu-
lar cake. made of -four mixed with mince-
meat. In Germany q sickle is LAID In tne
mauger to prevent witches from harmlnR
the cattle. and in Esthonia an idol OF straw
is put in the stable to protect them: Fresh
fax is put on the spinning wheels, but none
must be spun during the holidays.
Some of these notions are transferred 70
Twelfth Day. In Hertfordshire, Eng, II hres
are kiadled, one large enough to burn tne
old witch, and the farm lads sing and dance
about them to insure crop. A very curl-
Gus ceremony is recorded IS observed even
vet in parts of Ireland on this Gay, a
sieve full of oats is set up with dozen
LIGHTED candles in it, and another larger one
in the center. These typify the Savior ana
the II apostles, the light of the world. Fires
are then lit and the farm hands, led BY the
master. pledge the company in old CIDER
and form circle about the hres,
shouting and hallooing. After
feast at the home all repair to the
stable. when the master fills cup with
strong ale. and stands opposite to the
strongest OF, the company doing the same
with the other oxen. Their healths are then
pledged, and large cake put on the horns
of the best or by means of hole IN the
middle. He is then tickled to make MIN
shake his head. If be throws the cake be-
hind his horns. il is the masters perquisitei
| if in front. it belongs to the head herder.
Thev then return to the house and pass the
evening in singing songs. The toast drank
to the oxen is:
Rere is to you, champion, with thy white
God send our master good crop OF corn;
| Both wheat, rye and barley and all sorS o.
If we meet this time twelvemonth, wen smile
Then eat eat thy browse, and win drink ny
And the good Lord send us ahappy New Year
One of the most important things in be
ginning the New year is to meet with ar
Suspicious person the first time one goe
out. In many parts of the world this mrs
foot is carefully attended to, and the belle
that IL is unIucky to meet certain persons !
widesnread and ancient The Romans pal'
great attention to this augury. The Empero
Mnximus met q woman with disheVeleC
hair and mourning habit on issuing forth Of
New Years morning, and deemed it 81
omen of his approaching death. IL Is i
many places thought particularly 1nfortn
nate to meet female. The ancient Scots,
they saw baretooted woman cross tne Ioa'
ahead of them, seized her and drew bloc
from her forehead as a charm. Venetian
think il ill-omened TO meet woman hrst
New Years Day, and a priest was as III
luckv. being a messenger of death, while
was sign of proximate litigation to meet
noliceman. Women and red-haired me
are not desirable frst-comers
manv parts of England, and it is unluck
70 he wished a happy New Year by sue
nersous. In Lancashire, black-halred pc
E sons were formerly rewarded tor making Il
s rounds of the villages on this day, thus Il
e surfing tn, luck OF the household, and 90,
e are accustomed to turn an honest penny
s Worcestershire by going about the ylllag
s early in the morning. In Cornwall, tn'
are given a gratuity for sanding the doo
' stems early. and it was formerly custom
I London to have chimney sweeps make the
e rounds then, so as to insure male visit
s AT an early hour. It was thought more 10
/ inmate if the visitor were q bachelor, and
e he brought loaf Of bread with him. Youl
a women carefully ascertained the name OF t
first visitor, for that of their future spou
4 | would be the same.
'e ORIGIN OF NEW YEARS CALLS.
/, It is probable that these superstitio
= ideas with reference to the luck of havi
!, male visitors on New Years Day, gave r
to the custom of visiting or calling on tn
dav, now becoming obsolete.
! Holiday revels were formerly prolong
e beyond New Years Day, ending only wi
y Epiphany, or Twelfth Day (January
This day. commemorated as the one
y which the star appeared to the wise men
Z the East, had a goodly share in the
a revels. Prominent among these was
. choice of the bean king. Cakes were tn
- made and in one of them bean was burl'
;. Pieces were distributed, and he who got
% one containing the bean was chosen kl
- for the night The custom gave rise Il
:, saving. "He has found the bean in
~ cake, " that is, has drawn prize. The Q
"a gin Of this custom probably dates back
Roman times when, at the feast OF
- - Saturnalia, children drew lots with beans
!, see who should be king and queen OF
y revels. Shakespeare's Twelfth Nigl
y. probably owes its name to this Bean Ri
a Festival" /" although the incidents of
- plav are taken from an old Italian roman
os New Years Day is not with all peop
y the first day OF January. This day was
=; universally accepted as the first of the I
~ wear until the sixteenth century. Sc
o. day has, however, been celebrated as
ff first of the year in all lands, usually
Dc some ceremony, such as those alludeC
- above. or with some religious observaT
Te generally of q festal nature. The es
- fathers Of the church tried TO make it
-, of fasting and mourning, but 1t was ne
- accented as such. The Roman New Y
L. was in March. The Chinese are part
- - larIv given to festivity on the
,ot celebrated by them as the beginning Of
ese New Year.
~ New Years Eve, known as St Sylvest
he Eve in the calendar, is observed with
'sTf ticular ceremonies in many countries.
Il Roman Catholic churches, solemn
Deum is sung at the close Of the year,
watch meetings" now take the place oil
festal celebration OF the evening form
the preyalent in many countries. The old ,
ldi- was watched out and the new year gre
six in Germany and Scotland in this man
ter and congratulations, HAPPY New Y
Of wishes. ''Prosst New Jahr'' and sim
of ceremonies observed. There is pecu
to ceremony observed on some ships, Of "t1
iiet ing out the watch" with the striking 0
lest bells. instead OF s, at IL o'clock, and wi
ind poisy and demonstrative masquerade o.
BOD, old watch, making pandemonium reigI
nor an uneasy quarter of an hour.
. in T. s. BAssE1
ear.
the f.DetenEiOn.