Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1920-12-29
New Year Kissing
Customs
Saluting the Parish Pump
EHERE has always been a close

4 lUS VIII tne NEW Il eur. Every
lover, If circumstances permit, thus
salutes his sweetheart at the dawn OF
the New Year-and some lovers are
not particular whose sweetheart she
is that they thus salute on this aus.
picious occasion.
There is an ancient kissing custom
associated with parish church In
Lancashire. The legend is that any
one who at the first stroke of mid
night kisses the keyhole of the church
door, and then runs right round the
edifice in time to kiss the keyhole be-
fore the last stroke of the hour, is GER
tain of good luck during the whole of
the year.
Ii requires certain amount of
nerve to enter this country churchyard
at the dead of night even for such a
purpose, but rumor hath 1t that no
new year is born without someone es-
saying the race round the church. The
distance is such that IL is impossible
for more than one person TO thus court
a years luck.
4
rite places for New Year oscillations.
In the Wensleydale district, in days
gone by. all and sundry could kiss
without scandal" on New Years eve
in the porch of the church.
1t was largely awaited Of too, for
II Is on record that the accommodate
ton fell lamentably short of the de-
mand, and consequently there was
even more squeezing than kissing-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 If 1t was warm it
| indicated that they would marry and
be happy ever after. On the other
hand, If the kiss was cold and of the
earth earthly. the inference was that
1 u.
The only means by which the omen
| could be broken was by repairing TO
the church and kissing the church bell,
Il gravestone and a piece of coffin
| wood This remedy was very fire.
quently resorted to; and SO supersti-
tious We're the Basque maidens that
but for the consolation afforded some
of them would have lost their reason.
In these degenerate days the lot of
the mayor of Durham Is far happier
than thataof his predecessors in an.
cient times. If tradition can be relied
on the chief magistrate was then un-
der an obligation 10 kiss the first COW,
the first sheep and the first pig
brought into the first market of the
New Year.
This went ON until II occurred to a
resourceful occupant Of the mayoral
chair TO interpret the custom as relat-
ing to the first three market women,
and henceforward they were the re-
cipients of the New Year kisses until
the ancient custom vanished alto
gether.
II 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
Oxfordshire, concerned the tenants Of
certain estates which they held. on
condition that on New Years morning
they publicly kissed the parish pump
or paid drink fine to the assembled
p0pulace.
| As might be supposed, the tenants
almost invariably preferred to pay the
fine, but IL Is on record that one mis-
guided. close-fisted Individual actually
kissed the pump in order to keep the
fine In his pocket.
The populace were SO Disguised at
/ his meanness and Infatuated 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.
| Iut tANnHnst VI uilnh IOt hisSCH
| was, in the bad old days, not infre-
rquent New Years day practice In pub
lie houses, where II sometimes led to
/ rows and riots among the frequenters
AT one hosiery in the metropolis
it was the custom for the landlord to
hand out to, every member OF the OPP
posite sex who called before the hour
of noon on New Years day measure
of ale In exchange for kiss.
What the landlords better hall
thought of this proceeding report say
eth not.
/ AT another London public house II
used to he permissible for the first Gus
toner on New Years morning TO kiss
the barmald by way OF paying for his
liquor. But only the first was entitled
to this privilege, and any subsequent
caller who presumed to pay in this
fashion had 10 forfeit half crown Il
the barmaid. One astute Hebe got heI
| sweetheart to call first and mulctet
several later callers of the customary
half crown in the course of the morn
ing.