Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-01-08
THE LOAF OF RREAD.
suPeRsIlTioNs OF MANY LANDS con-
NEcTED THEREWITH.

NECTED THEREWITH.
Origin of the Signing of the Cross-what
aCrack Across the Loaf HIesns-The Oven
. Sacred Objcct-Omens Relating to
Birth, Marriage and Death.
One morning last summer, when l
was spending few days at farm
house in eastern Ohio, the good house
wife showed that she was troubled.
Naturally / inquired the cause. "Oh, !"
she said, .I'm afraid something dread
ful will happen. This morning put a
batch Of lsee ID into the oven, and all the
leaves ezceps oIie cracked across the
top
s.What il they did?'' 1 replied in
tones of curiosity.
'.Don't you know" she said, with an
air of surprise, THAT when bread cracks
across the top it means misfortune to
some one in the family? would not
have had it happen for the world.
As left few days after this mishap
to the bread Inever learned whether the
sign was true omen or not. However,
the housewife had contributed to my
stock of information and had given me
( ar item Of folklore that led to further
investigation. - --@scs- ------'-~1
One Of my German friends tells mo
that in many parts of his native country
the housewife still believes that cracks
on the top of the loaf of bread indicate
the death OF some one in the household.
or perhaps misfortune to dear friend,
while cracks on the lower side Of the
bread are taken to indicate birth.
As many of us know, our bakers mark
the sign Of a cross upon the dough be-
fore placing it in the oven. The reason
for making this sign becomes plain
when we know the origin Of the custom.
Almost all our snperstitions about bread
date back to old pagan days, though
they have been greatly modified SO as to
conform to Christian beliefs. With the
ancient Romans the baking of bread
and cakes was often invested with re-
ligious significance, especially the cakes
offered to the gods and goddesses. These
and after being marked with the symbol
of the deity i'll whose honor they were
offered they were supposed to possess
supernatural virtues.
The old domestic practice was modi-
fed when Christianity became trium-
phant, and in place Of pagan symbol
: the early Christian housewife not only
used to make the sign of the cross when
she began to knead the dough, but she
marked that sign upon her loaf before
placing it i'll the oven. Why? Simply
because the sign Of the cross is the rec
ognized Christian protecting mark.
against the attacks of evil spirits, witches.
and the like. Hence bread marked with
the cross is supposed to be witchproof,
will bake all right, not crack across the
top, etc.
Just as the Jews have passover cakes
and other peoples have had specially
prepared food fer their religious festi
walls, SO the Christians have cakes for
certain seasons. Our hot cross buns on
Good Friday arc simply modern repre-
sentatives Of the cakes used at some old
: pagan festival In days gene by the
cakes and buns baked at Easter were
supposed to possess great virtues. Thus
it is an old belief that the observance
of eating cross buns on Good Friday in
sures, SO to speak, the house from fire
for the coming year-
In truth, to study the superstitions
about bread is to take q wide lesson III
folklore These sul,erssi;lc relate to
the kneading tfcrai.. 1.aa even, bakers
and bread. For iilsgalsca, II nfs.l3y parts
Of France the alelo. or Al1ea;iilsS trough,
is more than rudo kitchen pisnsil. Ii
is often pretty bit of furniture. NJ.
Sebillot, who has collected many Of the
superstitions of the French folk relative
to bread, quotes the story Of thief who
entered the window Of house with in-
tent to commit burglary, but refused to
step ON the trough still containing the
dough, believing that to do 60 would be
an impiety.
A writer in one Of the recent num-
bers Of an English magazine says that
in Gottland the cross il still signed be-
fore the oven fire is lighted or the dough
kneaded. This practice is very common
in the country districts all over Europe.
In Brittany the housewife makes the
sign of the cross with the right hand
while she places the left hand in the
trough After the dough is kneaded, the
lid of the trough is shut, and SO is the
door, for if the cat should enter the
room the bread would not rise. Certain
charms or invocations are used to cause
the bread to multiply itself. Thus the
peasant housewife adjures the dough to
initiate the leaven, the wheat the miller
and to rise. She would be very angry If
any one should sing or whistle in the
room while she is making the loaf.
In some parts Of Europe the bake oven
is almost sacred object. In certain
Z places of Brittany, for example, it is
dedicated with ceremonies. The wood is
sprinkled with blessed water. The prop
er heat is attested by the melting of q
bottle, and finally an egg is broken for
luck. Besides there are certain days on
which bread must not be baked, as on
Holy Friday or during the night Of All
Saints, when the ghosts would be sure
to eat it.
The loaf of bread itself is connected
with whole crowd Of superstitions. A
long time resident in France informs me
that the custom of marking the bread
with the sign of the cross before cutting
it is very general Sometimes the first
mouthfnl Of bread is used to make this
sign. According to an old English su-
perstition. if a loaf accidentally parts in
the hand while an unmarried lady is
s cutting it this may be taken to indicate
either that she will not be married dur
ing the next 10 months, or, what il
worse, that there will be dissensions Of
some kind in the family. Some folks
have fear of turning loaf upside
down after cutting it. OF course it is
everywhere regarded as bad luck for Q
piece of bread to fall on the buttered
side. New York Post.
Fire and Air.
The intimate relation between fire
and air was early recognized, seeing
that experience soon taught that ali
was necessary FIR fro Tho ovnoriruen,