The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1909-12-24

been marked by unpleasant features On the eve of
year. 1872 the hoodums of Edinburgh took advantage OF
the festival to rob unsuspecting citizens. Two OF the
citizens died from the effects of the mareatment at the
hands OF these rowdies of whom three executed
an example This unfortunate incident
an end to the celebrations
With the Scots the New Year is known particu
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 last day of the year.
There have been many attempts by phloogsts to get at
the derivation of the and has been suggest
ed that is corruption of two Greek words sgnifyng
"the holy month" Opinion, however leans to-
ward its French crigin-Au gui menez (bring in the
mistetoe) 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 district in
France find the term in less corrupted
Ing from house to house singing short verse and beg
ging the guid wife, for small present identicaly the
same as that known all France.
up, guild wife, shake yere feathers.
An dnna think that we are beggars, ." =.
For we're BARNS come DOT the day.
So rise and gies DOR Hogmanay.
chants the little Scotch kdde 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 the custom of CIV
ing presents this endured for centuries? Ovid
in his Fasu audes to the custom among the Romans OF
his day. Then the presents do not to have been
all costly and symbolical than otherwise
The palmdate 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 uckpenny still given
the children-they their "hogmanay."
The superstition that the first person entering the
house New Years morning, the first one 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
many the precautions taken that he be of the
lucky variety. We mention che" for except in few
isolated instances the superstition that should
be frstfoot" iuck will follow is almost universal
Moreover, he must be dark mana red-headed is
anathema splay-footed, pgeontoed, squinteyed or
an individual whose eyebrows closely approximate in
fact any bodily mental reformation carries bad luck
with it. Yet here find few exception which
disturb belief in the nfability of the
rule. In the Bradwen District of Northumberland a
parts Lancashire and Yorkshire blonde first foot"
is reckoned quite lucky while in the Maritime Alpine dis
trics humpbacked visitor New Years day is held
bring in great luck with him. In Scotland the preu-
dice against redhared first foot is strong and
in the Isle of Man and all through Ireland it is quite
pronounced.
The superstition of lluck being attached to red
is very ancient Among the ancient Egyptians and
ish people it known Typhon is said to have had
this particular color to his thatch and redhaired
abused certain festivals Putarch tells
his "Moraia" Cain and Judas Iscarot both said
have had the crimson topknot, while wellknown leg
among the Jews that this peculiar
the effect of falling down and worshping the golden
calf In Morse and Gaelic legend find that the hero
is warned against "gngerheaded" individual