The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1909-12-30

been marked by unpleasant On the of New
year lSl2 the hoodlums of Edinburgh took advantage OF
the FESTIVAL to rob unsuspectng citizens. Two OF the
citizens died from the effects of the maltreament at the
hands of these rowdes of whom three executed
an example. This threatened
an end TO the celebrations.
With the Scots, the New is known particu.
larly "Hogmanay" Throughout the northeastern
counties of England it is known "Hagmena.' but in
many districts of the latter 1t is the entire week prece
ding the New Year rather than the last day of the year.
There have been attempts by phologists to get at
the derivation OF the term and it has been suggest
ed that 1t is corruption OF two Greek words signifyng
the holy moon month" Opinion however, leans to-
ward its French origin"Au gui menez" bring in the
nlsteoe) and Au gut Tan neuf ito the mistetoe the
New Year,, both In aluson to the ceremonial gathering
of the plant by the Druds In almost district in
France find the term in more or less corrupted or
diaectal FORM The Scottish custom of the children
ing from house to house singing short verse and beg
ging the guid WIFE, for small present is denticay the
same as that known all France
Get up, guild wife. and shake feathers.
For We're yerc BARNS DOT the day. -
So rise and giles Hogmanay.
chants the little Scotch kiddie the analogue of
doggerel be found in village of France AS the
Scottish verselet shows, the "hogmanay applies to the
presents TO the children and has not the custom of CIV
ing presents this ep1sed0for centuries? Ovid,
in his Fast. audes custom among the Romans
his day Then the presents do not to have been
at all costly and more symbolca than otherwise.
The palmdae and dried fig with the Jar of honey and
the small coin the gifts, and it does need any
great stretch OF imagination to guess their symbolic
meaning. The cakes fruit and uckpenny still given
the children-they are their "hogmanay."
The superstition that the first person entering the
house on New Years morning, the first
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
isolated instances the superstition that should a woman
be the frstfoot iluck will follow is almost universal
Moreover, he must be dark redheaded man 8
anathema. splay-footed, pgeontoed, squnteyed or
an individual whose eyebrows closely approximate in
fact any bodily mental reformation carries luck
with It, Yet even here find few exception which
rather tend to disturb belief in the nfabiy
rule. In the Rsadwe District of Northumberland
ighthaired and splayooed individual is preferred In
parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire blonde foot"
is reckoned quite lucky while in the Maritime Alpine dis
tricts humpbacked visitor New Years day is held
to bring in great luck with him Scotland the preju
dice against redhaired first foot very strong and
in the Isle of Man and all through II quite as
pronounced.
The superstition of uck being attached to red hair
is very ancient Among the ancient Egyptians Jew.
ish people it known Typhon is said to have had
this particular color his thach redhaired men
abused at certain festivals Putarch tells us In
his "Moraa Cain and Judas Iscarot both said to
have had the crimson topknot. while wellknown leg
end current among 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 a gngerheaded" individual