The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1894-12-26
IN TIE LAND or CAKES.
curious Customs and Myths Of New Years
Day etiil Prevalent.

Curious Customs and Myths of New Years
Day stiil Prevslent.
''Hogmanay. as the Scotch folk call
their New Years eve. Is the groatsst
festival Of the year In the LAND o.
cakes" and has many ancient and Gu
rious customs and superstitions cor.
nected with it. The origin OF the name
Is uncertain. but 1t is pretty generally
conceded to have been derived from the
French words Eau gui mener" dead
to the mistletoe), in allusion 70 the an
cient Druidical custom Of QUITTING the
mistletoe from the oak on the night q
the last day Of the year. The sacred
plant was brought by the priests into
the towns and market places and givsa
to the people as an amulet TO pre- S-ve
them from war and other caiainitieA
While they had such good old tougae
as the Gaelic near at hand, IL is not ~
be supposed that the pioue Druids spoks
TO their votaries in the language o.
Johnny Crapaud, The intimate connec,
ton Of Scotland and France during the
middle ages will easily account for the
introduction Of the term ''hogrnanay.
The days about New Years, whieA
from the revelry and mummery thai
characterized them were called by the
Scotch the daft days.. !" bear close 70.
semblance to the t'fetea des f0us, "
which interfered SO scandalously with
the vigils in the French churches dur
ing the sixteenth century that they were
finally put down by the bishop Of An.
gres in 1893. During these "fetes dee
fous'' bands of beggars clad in fantastic
garba broke into the churches ON the evs
Of tho New Year, and after singing
their weird carols demanded aims of
the worshipers.
Tho modern Scotch representatives OF
these obtrusive beggars were known as
the "guisards" or ''gyzars. +" These
werp harmless and entertaining mask.
ers. who were generally admitted into
the houses of the best families in the
country. where. after singing their
carols. they were permitted to dance
with the members Of the household.
Many assert That tho hoghmei. or hill
men, were the good genii versus the
trolls, on evil ones, who were the beings
referred to; hence the ditty:
Hogmnnny. Troliolay,
Gle rue o. your white bread
I'll hao nane o. your gray
The white bread, signifying the good
things of life, versus the gray, or evil
ones. A very popular rhyme. with .
moral, is one freely sung in the north
eastern counties of Scotland:
Get up, GUIDE wife, and binnn sweir tiazyl
And deal your bread to them that's here,
For the time will como when yell be dead,
And then yo'li neither need ale nor bread.
My fcet's cauld, my shoons thin.
Giles my cakes and let me rim.
Having chalked the doors with the
New Years numbers, they depart to
gather coppers, cakes and fruit else
where.
At the stroke of midnight each meiB-
Der OF the family party would quar- a
full bumper of hot pint and wish the
others happy New Year and many Of
them. Then n WIS cnstnmaxn sss tlss
elders to sally forth with hot kottie,
bread and cheese, etc. and pay visits Of
greeting to the neighbors. The first
party to enter house were called the
first foot and were warmly welcome
cd, as their arrival in that capacity in
dictated good luck Much kindly rivalr,
cnsued, and from midnight TO 1 o'clock
| tho streets were fairly swarming with
wonld be FIRST footcrs." This custoH
was still prevalent IN Scots's day.