New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-01
NEW YEARS OF OLD TIME:
THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF
PLEASURES.
wAssAI1 DRINKERS AND THEIR NEIGHnoRs-
c,rr, ,Noyc KINGS AND couMoSs.

brevy Of worldly Affairs md OF advancing age VIM"
are natural the end OF an old year ara 'ne peS7
| ~ now, ono are somewhat lghtened by the fesuViN
Of The most mirhil period Of the whole tweVemoh'''
Tho Christmas holidays begin Ia the old year ana emu
| in thc new reaching across like bridge, Win We"
yoor,s Day in the middle, binding The TWO 'osehei
| and giving a merry end to the one and happy w.
| ginning 10 the other. The tendency OF late 10 cOi
ccg,,rate all the fcsvity Of the season on one Ut WV
DAYS at Christmas has deprived New Year ; Eve anu
Now Years Day OF much glory that formerly peioseu
10 Them but little of It Is still left, ana Inc ch'.9
| last nigh; rang out the old ana rahs III ''' ~"
| the good oil fashion OF centuries ago. .
| II e natural with New Years even more than Win
| other holidays that large part OF 'Ae ooS'i'"'
should fal upon the rather than upon inc o''' 4"
| 10 other festival or fast Is any 'lhEle hope"' ~ "
| nortaut as the moment Of midnight that MARKS tac
change from the 31st of December to the ISL Vi Jun
uary That Is the turning point In the ceieoF''''n'
,he thing Itself which is celebrated. The early cere
monies lead up TO 10 and the later ones peeih VII" ~
| Nobody knows why the 31st of December should be
| chilled Ilogmanay In scotland. III the Noi'h Vi E"'
land this word Is Hagmena, and In two OF 'lr'e o'ie
countries there names for the daS I'M. 'ou.u
little like these Several unlikely gueSscs nave pech
nodo at tc origin Of the word and they are as I'M
! nro6ta,Ie rs guesses made entirely without OASIS OIL
| hnowledce usually are. One OF them Is thIt Tie
words Iocmanay trollolay," which occur III song,
| are a corruption Of Iiomme est ne-uos roIS '"'
| This theory ignores with a camness Oh iho"eie0s
that IS positively fascinating the fact that 'ne "o'u
| troolay occurs In thousand other songs, "nei'
coud not nv any possible stretch OF pho!oeiCa "s''
nation mean "trois ros la 1t Is here set GOWN ony
| 10 Illustrate once the absurd extremity /" VIM
the craze for ignoranuy deriving words WILL csffy "'
victims The word Hogmanay wal appheo a'so "
certain dole Of oatcakes, sometimes accomPunieu y,
choose Given TO a child this day. The children VI
| the poorer people went about In companies a.n'"e
| thr.e gifts and the people who were more weh'ooo
often gave them In such quantities that Inc proo'en'
Was rather how TO carry them than how 70 gee 'he'
Going about In large parie, to visit neighbors Win
one sort Of ceremony another formed part OF 'hc
| Observance OF many an old custom in England anu
scotland but the present time seems 10 nave o'si
| one NJ the most favored Of all In this respect III
| Dcerness In Orkney II used to be the custom ior
large company Of the poorer people 10 20 aOOt i'op
one farmhouse 10 another, and nj each one 10 shS
| long song appropriate to the season. Az eaCi MUS.
| a good supper provided for thein' ana II - s'iu
that any farmer would feel deeply hurt II he were not
visited The gllisers also used to 80 about IN CERTAIN"
rloce, in scotland on New Years Eve TO play cruie
SORT OF drama al each house and 10 receive soc sSht
reward for their efforts. The guises were ABOUT inc
| same as the Christmas mummers. ana thcr pay was
about the smc that more commonly gwen AT 'h''''
mas which Usually concerned ST. George and various
enemies whom he succrssVely o'ercaine' 'Hc "o' VA
| teralnlng naturally being the dragon
! NOR. general habit that OF parties. especially
OF young women, carrying about 10 ueF he'"10V''
| On New Years Eve bowl OF wassali' III me Fca'o
! BE expectation Of little pcents In payment 10
vvossa was the common drink Of the SEASON. and any
or every housc OF any pretcns!ons was hhey 20 nave
I, thev sometimes went about VITA an empty bowl.
asking the Richer people TO give them materials Tor
their was.au. In scotland tie waS,ad when was
| brewcd on New Years Eve was called lot pint IL
was drunk by the whole family al midnight "A' t'e
Oh YEAR went and the year came. nnd thr'l mo
whole family took up is kettle and set out 70 N'it Tvs
| nelchbors carrying also abundant cakes bread ana
| cheese How ANYBODY was found At home TO receiV"
visits all followed the custom. + not explained. but
IL was thought 10 DE an omen OF III luck Tor any iamS
n It's first visitors did not como with their hands WEI.
| filed with cakes and chcssc. II may De r'iharho'
lust here that /, Is sign q rad LUCK TO any one
| a, first caller in Tire year Is OF a DARK com
| nIo~to, story Is told OF m old WOMAN who lad
an understanding with an acquaintance Of more than
olly light complexion that he was 10 call on hcr as
| eary as possible evcy NewYcar's Day. ana mat one
| New Years when he omitted 10 do Sd she had Dad
| luck all through the year.
II "a perhaps scarcely necessary say that the word
wassail Is from the ancient satauon used In drinking
awass hazel" II may. however. be Interesting 70
some who are fond Of experiments 20 know that w2sai
Is compound Of ale. nutmeg. Egar toas' ana r'as'eu
apples IT, again. any more 'venturesome topper wishes
| to try n more elaborate formula. hero II Is IL Is
| quoted IN Chamberss Book Of Days. from "lhc
Mark Lane Express"
simmer a small quantity Of die following spices In
t,,cup Of water yz. Cardamums, cloves. nutmeg mace
| GINGER cinnamon and corauneer. When done put tho
,pico in two elk tOit!es Of pot she'iy or alera
with pound and ha oi nne loaf sugar ll"uAaed 20
four bottles and set all the Gr, Ia eean briehs
.,nceran meanwhile haze th, yOlks OF 10 aud the whites
Of eggs Wi whisKsd up IN H. Thea. when the sDlcel
and sugar.d Is little warm tate out one Tea uiGl'
and ~ ON ior four cups after which. when IL
hollis AID the whole Of the remainder pouring 1t Ia
gradually and stirring 1t brskly all the TINE 80 as 10
roth IT, The moment fine froh Is obtained loss In l.
fine soft roased apples and send II up hot Spices oF
each bottle OF wine 10 grains Of mace. ~ aN!as OF
cloves 81 gains carianum 3 grains Of cinnamon. IL
| cJalns OF nutmeg, 10 gains Of gnger. 40 snns II
coFiasder seeds
There mrit be something peculiarly ddectable about
| this wassall when II has 10 be compounded with
nicely that oil c1nnaies between f0Tly sX IUry eight
and forty nine grains Of different spices. OF course
the consumption OF such drink as this. another name
for which was lambs WOOL not confined TO these
| patlcular days, but could not fail 10 be common
all through the Christmas holidays. and even at other
fines when an especially coed occasion called for an
| especially good drink
| A strange custom IN the North Of England Oh New
| Years Day slsAty resembles The game ios Easter
week known as "heaving." 1t was called riding
| stang y stang Is the same thing us cowl-stalf,
coul.aI Is big stan for carrying cowl. and cowl
| is a water vessel with Landc. through which ue
staff (, PASSED that il may be carried by two men.
| Now ON New Years Day rs many people as li'od, men
and goncn together In crowd Win Su,llgs ana
| BASKETS Everybody Who was not with the crowd
| uos against i-tllat Is to say, It's legitimate
| ,ictifo When the victim was caught. II man, he
| WAS mounted astic tho stang, which was raised on
ibe shoulders OF more men. and II a woman she
| WIS nut In a basket. which was held by the stang
thrust through It's handles In either case the victim
Was carried 10 The nearest puDhc mouse. WiLere the
| price Of release was siApchce
one OF the most aDcicn; and ongsurviving customs
Of the time Of the New Year was that Of exchanging
Gifts. 1t goes back AT least to Imperial Rome where
| ags and dates covered with god-leaf were favorltc
nre..nt from clients 10 their patrons Presents TO
he cmperor5 numerous and rch The habit