Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-23
FASCINATING FOLK LORE
QUEER CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS HELD
IN MARYLAND.
Old Negro SuperstitiOns Handed Down
From Olden Times-Charms and
Counter Charms.
From the Baltimore Sun.

old ones There are those who will remem-
Der the time when a Maryland negro who
would not begin any work or do certain
kinds on "Chilmers day" Efforts would be
made to finish some things or begin others
the day before. II It took till midnight.
rather than be obliged to do them on Chill
mers day. which was in reality Chider-
mas or Holy Innocents' day. which IN tho
early church and long afterward was look
ed on as an especially unlucky day. 1t was
believed that the children slaughtered by
Herod on that day did not go into Paradise.
but into Limbo. where they had to wait
the coming of the Redeemer. who opened
the gates of heaven. In Rome the day was
observed as day Of mourning. and meat
was FORBIDDEN. In medieval England chill
dren were treated to sound whipping IN
bed that morning that the memorie of his
murther might stick the closer"
1t was not only considered unlucky to be-
gin anything on this day, hut to put on
new clothes. to pare the nails or even to
wash on the same day of the week through
out the year. Louis NJ would allow no
mention in his presence of affairs of state
on this day, while Edward " when he dis
covered that the date set for his corona
tlon was Decs inber d Holy Innocents day
ordered the coronation postponed. Anything
begun on Holy Innocents day. it has been
SAID, viii never be finished; so when our
Maryland negro began a piece of work the
t !. oeIore, that he might not have to do
what had been done by his master and his
masters ancestors.
In Maryland. again. We find methods of
averting certain kinds of ill-luck that DO
not seem to be found elsewhere The sig
nlhcance of the first foot" is perlaps
generally known. 1t is a very old belief
that the luck of the year for each particu-
lar household Is affected by the first foot
that crosses the threshold on New Year
morning. woman brings ill-luck: in some
parts OF England II is believed that she
represents death A man brings luck but
lhere are gradatfons there, for a red-halred
man is unlucky. and in some places a light
haired one is looked upon askance 1t is
the dark haired man who brings the best
LUCK ana in England it was at one time
customary for dark haired men to hive
themselves out for liquor and an aims to
be on hand at Midnight to take the new
year in" "
Both in Scotland and England the custom
became general of keeping spiced ale. cakes
anu good cheers OF various kinds for the
Hrst MOOT and the time of his appear
ance was as near midnight as possible
sometimes carol singer was captured and
taken IN the front door and out The. hacl,
for luck. and for this he was rewarded With
d. lucky penny In some Maryland fam
Ines The old custom that was customary
with the upper classes in England still pre-
vans. Arrangements are made with a boy.
the son of friend or neishbor to come to
o ore mousse carry IN the morning before any
one else In Maryland. however We find a
way TO cross the luck" should woman
come TO the house first 1t is done by TAX
ing her IN Kitchen way" but it is neces-
sary that member of the household
her" 81 'i' WIN
In Maryland it is asserted that the child
a puim on New Year day must he carefully
guarded OF 1t Will not live the year OUT
IN the matter of charms and counter
cHarns Maryland is prolific, nor is the use
OF them confined to any one class. we
nave recently had our attention attracted
rlIra ,,.l,.,.
cough by the way in which Mrs Lowndes
our former governors wife because she
IS the mother of twins. has been called ON
70 provide 1t. Maryland has another cure
LOT tne same disease that Is somewhat
similar. In this case 1t is a woman who
mas married without changing her name
child who has whooping cough has only to
go to her and ask her for bread and but
YER II she spreads it herself. and the child
taxes 1t without thanking her. there will
De no more whoop to that cough
Bread has an immense amount of folk
lore connected with 1t, and has been re-
garded as being possessed with certain oc-
cult powers that have caused It to be Look
ed upon as almost sacred, certain cere-
monies being connected with the ded.ca-
ton OF the bake oven ITSELF as in Brittany
wnere, among other things. the breaking
of an egg before 1t is first used is consid.
ered essential to good luck. There bread
must never be baked on All Saints day,
Tor the ghosts will get it and eat it. The
SoSeoAi "a crust OF bread in the
pocket as charm is referred to by Her
rick, when he says;
IF ye fear to be affrighted,
When by chance you are benighted,
In your pocket for a trust
Garry nothing but crust,
For that holy piece of bread
Charms the danger and the dread"
Attention has been drawn to another
charm for the cure OF infant ills, through
the moles that infested Druid Hill Park in
catching them made quite a little sum Of
money by selling the feet, which were cut
off while the animals were still alive, to
mothers who believed that by putting them
in q bag and then hanging them around the
necks Of their children the diseases that
come with teethng could be avoided. In
some parts of this country the Molucca
bean is worn in this way around the neck
to protect children. and 1t is said that IL
evil threatens the child who wears one the
bean. which is red. will turn black.
Baltimore furnishes a variety Of charms
that are worn in this way: one for the
cure of chills and fever is but bit of writ
ing on paper, that must never be looked
at by the sufferer. Doubtless If he looked
wearing of written charms is very ancient
and the words are often unintellgible, but
then they were intended for the spirits.
and they understand words that are per-
fectly unintelligible to human beings. The
ancient Arabian used a certain kind Of
bean in this way for the protection Of his
camel. He would put stxty-four grains in
a bag, and with fine linen thread sus-
pend 1t round the neck" of his camel. This
was supposed to keep the animal healthy
and to ward off accidents.
1t Is often asserted that 1t Is only the
ignorant and unlettered who are really
superstitious but Philadelphia has recently
furnished us with example Of the hold
certain popular superstitions have on the
world at large, regardless of rank educa-
ton. During the time of the summer exit
certain gate in Broad street railroad sta
ton. leading to one Of the popular outgoing
trains, was not equal to the demand upon
it, and to relieve the congestion a second
gate was opened. but. to the surprise of the
officials. only few struggling tourists could
be persuaded to make use of it. the others
preferring to risk the loss Of seat and train
rather than go through a gate whose num-
Der they could see 49, We all know
how this unfortunate number is avoided.
so that 1t is now rarely to be seen on the
doors of hotel rooms or the state rooms OF
ocean steamers; while the feeling that II Is
unlucky or the sign OF death to sit down to
a meal with thirteen at the table is familiar
to every one. In parts of England 1t is con-
sidered worse to do this on Saturday than
any other time. In Maryland the result
may be either a death or marriage. and
this is so in Scotland as well.
The Ill luck of the number ID seems to
date from the last supper and to have