River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-12-23

Deen marked by unpleasant features On the of New
Year 1872 the hoodlums of Edinburgh advantage OF
the festival to rob unsuspecting citizens Two OF the
czenS ded from the effects of the matreatment at the
hands of these rowdies whom three executed
an example This unfortunate incident threatened to put
end to the celebrations.
With the Scots the eve of New known particu
arly "Hogmanay." Throughout the northeastern
counties of England is known as "Hagmena," but in
districts of the latter it is the entire week
ding the New Year. rather than the last day of the year
There have been attempts by phologists to get at
the derivation of it has been suggest
ed that it is corruption Greek words signifyng
"the holy month" Opinion, however, leans to-
ward its French origin"Au gui menez (bring in the
misetoe) and eau gui Fan neuf Ito the mistetoe the
New Year, both in alusion to the ceremonial gathering
OF the plant by the Druids In almost every district IN
France find the term in less corrupted or
diaectal form The Scottish custom of the children go
ing house to house singing a short and beg
ging the guid wife, for small present identicay the
same as that known all over France.
Get up, guild wife, and shake yere feathers,
For we're BARNS DOT the day.
So rise and gies Hogmanay.
little Scotch kdde and the analogue of the
doggerel be found in village OF France AS the
Scottish versele shows, the hogmanay applies to the
presents the children and has not the custom of Civ
ing presents at this endured for centuries? ovid
in his Fasti audes to the custom the Romans OF
his day Then the presents do not to have been
all costly and were symboica than otherwise
The palmdate and dried fig with the jar of honey and
coin the gifts, and it does not need
great stretch of imagination to their symbolic
meaning The cakes fruit and luckpenny still given
the children-they their "hogmanay."
The superstition that the first person entering the
house on New Years morning, the first met dur
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 are 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 'frstoot" luck will follow is almost universal
Moreover, he must be dark mana redheaded man is
anathema. A spayfooted pigeOntoed, squnt-eyed or
an individual whose eyebrows closely approximate IN
fact any bodily mental reformation carries bad luck
with it. Yet here find few exception which
rather disturb belief in the infaiby Of the
rule In the Bradwell District of Northumberland
lighhaired and spayfooted individual is preferred In
parts Lancashire and Yorkshire blonde first foot
quite lucky while in the Maritime Alpine dis
tricts hump-backed visitor New Years day is held
to bring great luck with him. In Scotland the preju
dice against redhaired first foot is strong and
the of and all through Ireland it is quite
pronounced
The superstition of iluck being attached to red
is very ancient Among the ancient Egyptians and Jew
ish people was known Typhon is said to have had
this particular color his hatch, and redhared
were abused at festivals Pluarch tells in
his "Moraa" and Judas Iscariot both said to
have had the crimson topknot while welknown leg
end among Jews that this peculiar tint
was the falling down and worshiping the golden
calf In Morse Gaelic legend find that the hero
is warned against "gingerheAded" individual