Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1907-07-24
FIRE SUPERSTlTl0NS.
Curious observances to Avert Impend-
ing Evil.


In the lake land of northern Eng
land there is a well known case Of
fire that has been kept up for three
generations. When it accidentally
went out, the householder went to
some woodcutters who had lighted
their fire from his, says the London
News, and brought back their fire
to his own hearth, in order that he
might possess, as it were, the seeds
of his ancestral fire. Undoubtedly
this arises from the old belief that
the house fire is derived from a sa-
cred source. Then there are many
house fires which are kindled from
ceremonial fires once year. Thus
at Burohead all the fires are lighted
from the "bnrning clavie" and kept
alight continuously during the year,
it being considered lucky to keep
the fame from the clavie all the
rest of the year. This clayie was
lighted first of all at a fire Of peat
made by youths of the village who
were sons of the original inhabit-
ants. Every stranger was rigidly
excluded from the ceremony, and
peat only could be used.
The ceremony takes place on New
Years eve, and after the clayie has
been kindled one youth after anoth-
er bears it in triumph around the
bounds of the village. At certain
houses and street corners a halt Is
made, and a brand is whipped out
of the burning clavie and thrown
among the crowd, who eagerly catch
its embers and from them kindle
the fires on their hearths. Finally
the remains of the clayie are placed
in the center hollow of a pile of
stones called the "durie," and the
remaining embers are distributed to
the villagers, all of whom attend
the ceremony.
Another curious feature of the
observance is that the long nail
which fastens the slaves of the
clavie is made of iron by the vii
lage smith, but the hammer must
be a round stone. Such Importance
is attached to the ceremony that If
the bearer should stumble during
the DECENTRALIZATION of the village it
is looked on as dire calamity, fore
telling disaster to the place and GER
tain death to the bearer in the
course of the next year.
There are quite number of cere-
monial fires lighted on st. John the
Baptist's eve. In Nottinghamshire
part of the Yule log is kept till the
following year to be burned upon
the next Christmas eve. The meth
cd is first to put bit of last years
log into the fireplace and burn it,
then the fresh log must be put on
the fire and allowed to burn for a
little while. 1t is then taken off
and burned little every night until
New Years eve, when it is put on
the fire and consumed with the ex-
ception of a portion which is kept
in the house until next Christmas
day. 1t is believed that the Observ-
ance of this custom will "keep the
witch away"
In Cornwall the practice obtains
of resorting to the hearth and
touching the Gravel (the mantel
stone across the head of an open
chimney with the forehead and
casting into the fire a handful OF
dry grass or anything picked up
that will burn. This form of
"hearth sacrifice" is regarded as
the most effectual means of avert
ing any impending evils of a mys-
ferrous nature.
All these customs in various ways
are derived from the sacred charac-
ter with which our ancestors In
vested fire.