Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1920-12-29
New Year Kissing
Customs
Saluting the Parish Pump
THERE has always been a close
and mystic association Of kiss.

pot particular whose sweetheart she
u that they thus salute on this Gus
tous occasion.
here is an ancient kissing custom
pted with a parish church in
shlre. The legend is that any
1who at the first stroke Of mid
ht kisses the keyhole Of the church
Tor, and then runs right round the
Siihce In time to kiss the keyhole be-
re the last stroke Of the hour, is cer-
IN OF good luck aur'ns the whole Of
year.
requires certain amount of
eRhefve to enter this country churchyard
at the dead Of night. even for such a
purpose, but rumor hath it that no
new year is born without someone es-
saying the race round the church. The
distance is such that 1t Is impossible
for more than one person to thus court
a years luck.
Churchyards have always been favo-
rite places for New Year oscillations.
In the Wensleydale district, in days
gone by, ali and sundry could kiss
without scandal on New Years eve
in the porch Of the church.
It Is on record that the accommoda-
tlon fell lamentably short Of the de-
mand, and consequently there was
even more squeezing than klssing-if
that were possible.
A somewhat gruesome kind of
churchyard kissing used to obtain
among the Basques Of the Pyrenees
on New Years eve. 1t was the custom
for the maidens to then repair to the
churchyard. and on their fingers watt
kisses to the four quarters Of the uni
verse.
A kiss was supposed to brush their
lips on return, and II It was warm it
indicated that they would marry and
be happy ever after. On the other
hand, II the kiss was cold and Of the
earth earthly, the Inference was that
single "blessedness" would be their lot.
The only means by which the omen
could be broken was by repairing to
The church and kissing the church bell,
gravestone and piece Of coffin
wood. This remedy was very fire.
luently resOrtcd to; and so supersti-
:ious were tire Basque maidens that
Dut for the consolation afforded some
# them would have lost their reason.
In these degenerate days the lot of
he mayor of Durham Is far happier
han that of his predecessors In an
lent times. If tradition can be relied
IN the chief magistrate was then un
Ter an obligation to kiss the first COW.
he first sheep and the first pig
brought into the first market Of the
5Jew Year.
This went on until It occurred to Il
tesourceful occupant Of the mayoral
hair to interpret the custom as relat-
ng to the first three market women,
md henceforward they were the re-
clpients of the New Year kisses until
ne ancient custom vanished alto
Eether
1t is much to be feared that the
abuse Of kissing customs has been
largely responsible for their falling
into disuse, though some Of them are
certainly more honored in the breach
than in the observance.
One such, which used to obtain in
Oxfordsh!-e, concerned the tenants Of
certain estates which they held on
condition that on New Years morning
they publicly kissed the parish pump
or paid a drink fine to the assembled
populace.
AS might be supposed. the tenants
almost invariably preferred to pay the
fine, but it is on record that one mis-
guided, clOse-flsted individual actually
kissed the pump In order to keep the
fine in his pocket.
The populace were so disgusted at
his meanness and infuriated at the
loss Of the liquor that they held him
under the pump and pumped the wa
ter on him until he was almost washed
away.
The exchange Of drink for kisses
was. In the bad old days, not infre-
quent New Years day practice I'm pub
lie houses, where 1t sometimes led to
rows and riots among the frequenters.
At one hostelfy in the metropolis
It was the custom for the landlord to
hand out to every member of the op-
poslte sex who called before tho hour
Of noon on New Years day measure
of ale 10 exchange for kiss.
What the landlords better half
thought Of this proceeding report say
eth not.
At another London public house 1t
used to be permissible for the first Gus.
toner on New Years morning to kiss
the barmaid by way Of paying for his
liquor. But only the first was entitled
to this privilege, and aAy subsequent
caller who presumed to pay In this
fashion had to forfeit half crown to