The Elbert County tribune., 1909-12-23

been marked by unpleasant On the of New
1872 the hoodlums Of Edinburgh took advantage OF
the FESTIVAL to rob unsuspecting citizens Two OF the
citizens died from the effects of matreament the
hands of these rowdes of whom executed
example. This incident
an end to the celebrations.
With the Scots, the Year particu-
arly "Hogmanay." Throughout the northeastern
counties OF England 1t is known Hagmena, but In
many districts of the latter 1t is the entire week
ding the New Year rather than the last day of the
There have been attempts by phologts to get at
the derivation of the 1t has been suggest
ed that 1t is corruption of two Greek words signifyng
1.-The holy moon or month" Opinion however leans
ward its French orign-"Au gui menez" bring in the
nisetoe) and "Au gui Fan neuf Ito the misetoe the
New Year, both in aluson the ceremonial gathering
of the plant by the Druds In almost district in
France we find the term In less corrupted
dalecal form The Scottish custom of the children
ing from house to house singing short and beg
ging the guid wife, for small present is denticaly the
same as that known all over France
Get up, gud wife, and shake feathers. !.
For veps % vars @ barns % we cea are a Sessarsi tsa Ss
So % Ws ss nnd g eaon7 oop oo the aa'
chants the little Scotch ddie the analogue OF the
doggerel found in every village the
to the children, and has the of CIV
ing presents at this endured for centuries? Ovid.
in his Fas alludes the the Romans OF
his day Then the presents do not to have been
at all costly and symbolca than otherwise.
The palmdate and dried fig with the jar of honey
the small coin the gifts, 1t need any
great stretch of imagination to guess their symbolic
meaning The cakes fruit and luckpenny still given
the children--they are their "hogmanay."
The superstition that the first person entering the
house New Years morning. the first dur
ing the day good bad luck during the
ing is almost universal The first
threshold first FOOT thus peculiar significance
and many the precautions taken that he of
lucky variety We mention he" for except in
isolated instances the superstition that should a woman
be the "rstoot luck will follow is almost universal.
Moreover, he must be dark redheaded is
anathema. spay-footed. pgeontoed. squinteyed or
individual whose eyebrows closely approximate
fact any bodily reformation luck
with 1t. Yet here find a few exception which
rather tend to disturb belief in the nfaibty
rule. In the Bradwell District of Northumberland
lighthared and sp1ayfooed individual Is preferred In
parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire blonde foot
is reckoned quite lucky while in the Maritime Alpine
tricts hump-backed visitor New Years day is held
bring in great luck with him Scotland the preju-
dice against redhared first foot very strong and
in the Isle Of Man and all through quite as
pronounced
The superstition of ill-uck being attached red hair
is ancient Among the ancient Egyptians and Jew
ish people It was known Typhon is said to have had
this particular color to his thatch and redhaired
were abused at certain festivals, Putarch tells
his "Moralia Cain and Judas Iscariot both to
have had the crimson topknot. while welknown leg
end current the Jews that this peculiar
the effect Of falling down and worshping the golden
calf In Morse and Gaelic legend ind that the
is warned against ''gingerheaded" individual