The Virginia enterprise., 1909-12-31

been marked by unpleasant features On the eve OF New
rear 1917 the hoodums of Edinburgh took advantage OF
czens d:ed from the effects of the mareatment at the
nands OF these rowdies of whom executed
an example This unfortunate incident threatened put
an eno TO the celebrations.
With the Scots. the New Year is known partcu
larly as "Hogmanay" Throughout the northeastern
counties of England it is known "Hagmena," but in
many districts of the latter is the entire week
ding the New Year. rather than the day the
There have been many attempts by phloogsts get at
the derivation of the term and has been suggest
ed that 1t is corruption of two Greek words, sgnfyng
1.-The holy moon month" Opinion however, leans to-
ward It's French crgin-"Au gu menez' (bring in the
m1stletoe) and Au gui ran neu Ito the mistletoe the
New Year, both in allusion to the ceremonial gathering
Of the plant by the Druids In almost district in
France we find the term in less corrupted
a1aectal form The Scottish custom OF the children 60
ging the guid wife, present 1dent1cay the
same as that known all France.
Get Get up euid wife, and shake yere feathers.
For we're BARNS day.
So rise and ses oor Hogmanay
chants the little Scotch kdde, and the analogue of the
doggerel be found in every village France AS the
Scottish verselet shows, the hogmanay" applies to the
presents to the children and has not the custom of CIV
ing presents at this endured for centuries? Ovid
in his Fast aludes to the custom the Romans of
his day. Then the presents do not seem to have been
at all costly and symbolical than otherwise
The pamdate and dried fig with the jar of honey and
the small coin the gifts, and it does not 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 met dur
ing the day. presages good bad luck during the
ing year is almost universal The first to the
threshold first FOOT has thus peculiar significance
and many the precautions taken that he be of the
lucky variety We mention "he" for except in very few
isolated instances the superstition that should
be the frsfoot iluck will follow is almost UNIVERSAL
Moreover he must be dark mana red-headed is
anathema splayfooted, pigeon-toed, squinteyed
individual whose eyebrows closely approximate, in
fact any bodily mental reformation carries bad luck
with It, Yet here find few exception which
rule. In the Bradwel District of Northumberland a
ighthaired and splayooted individual is preferred In
parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire blonde first foot"
is reckoned quite lucky, while in the Maritime Alpine
hump-backed visitor New Years day is held
to bring in great luck with him. In Scotland the preu
dice against redhaired first foot is very strong
and all through Ireland it is
pronounced.
The superstition of luck being attached to red hal
is very ancient Among the ancient Egyptians and
ish people it was known. Typhon is said have had
this particular color to his hatch and redhared
were abused certain festivals Putarch tells
his Morala Cain and Judas 1scariot both said
have had the crimson topknot while well-known leg
end current the Jews that this peculiar tint
the effect of falling down and worshping the golden
calf In Morse and Gaelic legend find that the hero
is warned against "gingerheaded" individual.