The new era., 1909-12-30

been marked by unpleasant features. the of New
Year 1872 the hoodums of Edinburgh took advantage OF
the festival to rob unsuspecng citizens. Two OF the
citizens died from the effects of the malreament at the
hands of these rowaes of whom three executed as
example This unfortunate incident threatened to put
an end to the celebrations.
With the Scots the of New Year is known particu
larly as 'Hogmanay" Throughout the northeastern
counties OF England 1T is known "Hagmena. but IN
districts of the latter it is the entire week prece
ding the New Year rather than the last day of the
There have been attempts by phoogists to get at
the derivation of the and has been suggest
ed that it is corruption of words signifying
1.-The holy moon or month" Opinion however leans to-
ward its French orgin-"Au gui (bring in the
mistetoe) and Au gu Ian neuf Ito the mistetoe the
New Year) both in alluson to the ceremonial gathering
of the plant by the Druds. In almost district In
France find the term in less corrupted or
diaectal FORM The Scottish custom of the children
ing from house to house singing short and beg
ging the guid wfe for small present is identcaly the
that known all France.
guild wife, yere feathers.
An An anna % @ ,nnk htrn ina, we ras are a nessars s %
So rse a and ses oon Hosmana Da, the
chants the little kddie and the analogue
doggerel be found in every village France AS the
Scottish verselet shows the hogmanay applies to the
presents to the children, and has of CIV
ing this endured for centuries? Ovid
in his Fast, audes to the among the Roman OF
his day Then the presents do not to have been
all costly and symboical than otheA Use.
The palmdate and dried fig with the Of honey and
small 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 dur
ing the day, good bad luck during the
ing year is almost universal. The first to cross
threshold first foot has thus peculiar significance
and the precautions taken that he be of the
lucky variety. We mention he for except in few
isolated instances the superstition that should
be the "frstfoot luck will follow almost universal
Moreover. he must be dark red-headed is
anathema spay-footed, pigeon-toed. sQuinteyed
individual whose eyebrows closely approximate, in
fact bodily mental reformation carries luck
with 1t. Yet even here We find few exception which
rather tend to disturb belief In nfalbility
rule. In the Bradwell District of Northumberland
ghthared and splayfooted individual is preferred. In
parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire blonde first
is reckoned quite lucky while in the Maritime Alpine
tricts hump-backed visitor Years day is held
to bring in great luck with him. Scotland the preju
dice against redhaired first foot is very strong
in the Isle of Man and all through Ireland quite
pronounced.
The superstition of illuck being attached to red
Is very ancient. Among the ancient Egyptians
ish people 1t known. Typhon is said to have had
this particular color to his 'hatch," redhaired
were abused at certain festivals Plutarch
his Moralia' Cain and Judas Iscariot said
have had the crimson topknot while a well-known leg
end current the Jews that peculiar
the effect Of failing down worshping golden
calf In Morse and Gaelic legend find the hero
ia warned against ginger headed" individual.