The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-09-05
FIRE SUPERSTITIONS.
Curious Customs and Observances to
Avert Impending Evil.

| NuIiOuS AuSsomS ana OpSeFVdnCeS q
Avert Impending Evil.
In the lake land Of northern Eng
land there is a well known case o
q fire that has been kept up fol-
three generations. When it accidental
ly went out the householder went tt
some wood cutters who had lighter
| their fire from his. says the London
| Daily News, and brought back their
| fire to his own hearth in order that
he might possess, as it We're, the
seeds Of his ancestral fire. Undoubt.
eddy this arises from the old belief
that the home fire is derived from
sacred source. Then there are many
house fires which are kindled from
ceremonial fires once a year. Thus
at Burghead all the fires are lighted
from the burning clavie,'' and kept
alight continuously during the year,
it being considered lucky to keep the
flame from the clayie all the rest of
the year. This clavie was lighted first
OF all at fire of peat made by youths
OF the village who were sons of the
original inhabitants. Every stranger
was rigidly excluded from the cere-
mony 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 brand is whipped out of
the burning clavie and thrown among
the crowd, who eagerly catch its en-
bers and from them kindle the fires
on their hearths. Finally the remains
OF the clavie are placed in the centre
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 OBJ
Servance is that the long nail which |
'astens the slaves of the clavie is |
made Of iron by the village smith. |
out the hammer must be a round
stone. Such importance is attached
o the ceremony that if the bearer
should stumble during the perambula-
ion of the village it is looked on as
! dire calamity. foretelling disaster
o the place and certain death to the
carer in the course of the next
ear
There are quite a number of cere-
nonial fires lighted on st. John the
saptist's eve. In Nottinghamshire
art Of the Yule log is kept till the
year. to be burned upon the
ext Christmas eve. The method is
rst to put a bit of last years log
ito the fireplace and burn it, then
ne fresh log must be put on the fire
nd allowed to burn for little while.
is then taken off and burned a lit
e every night until New Years eve,
hen it is put on the fire and con-
lmed. with the exception of a por-
on which is kept in the house until
ext Christmas Day. 1t is believed
lat the observance of this custom
ill keep the witch away"
In Cornwall the practice obtains of
ssorting to the hearth and touching !
le Gravel (the mantel stone across !.
le head of an open chimney with
le forehead, and casting into the fire
handful Of dry grass or anything
cked up that will burn. This form !
hearth sacrifice is regarded as a
le most effectual means of averting l
~ impending evils of a mysterious t
ature t
All these customs, in various ways, d
e derived from the sacred character S
18th which our ancestors invested '
e. c