The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1920-12-31
New Year Kissing
Customs
s.luting the Parish Pump

1rPE has always been close
HNhEl1'LT nvstic association of kiss
anu with the New Year. Every
~ circumstances permit, thus
lover, his sweetheart at the dawn OF
salules r Year-and some lovers are
the ~ est,cular whose sweetheart she
not pa .bov thus salute on this aus
plcloa, .o is an ancient kissing custom
lhI,t tod with a parish church in
associa, Siro The legend is that any
Lancas hn At the first stroke of mid
one vic ,,issps the keyhole Of the church
nisl' md and then runs right round the
dOoL' D - dme to kiss the keyhole be-
e en the last stroke of the hour IS Ger.
lin IL, Of god luck during the "hole Oh
tbeyaf oortain amount of
re TO enter this country churchyard
I' 40 dead of night, even for such a
y p hut rumor hath it that no
pa. ypar is born without someone es-
pe% og the race round the church. The
s ss.oncp is such that it is impossible
u.s. moro than one person to thus court
year's luck.
rburcbyards have always been favo-
70 nIacps for New Year oscillations.
= tba WenslcydaIe district, in days
nnp by, all and sundry could kiss
sr,tbort scandal" on New Years eve
h the porch of the church.
II was largely availed of, too, for
is on record that the accommoda-
4on fell Iamentably short of the de-
mond and consequently there was
even more squeezing than kissing-if
that we're possible.
somewhat gruesome kind OF
sburcbvard kissing used to obtain
among the Basques of the Pyrenees
an New Years eve. It 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
fos on return, and if it was warm it
Indicated that they would marry and
k happy ever after. On the other
hand if the kiss was cold and of the
earth earthly, the inference was that
single "bfessedness" 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,
gavesIOne and q piece of cCffin
wood. This remedy was very fire.
Ouently resOrted to; and so supersti-
tOus were the Basque maidens that
Int 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 that of his predecessors III ST.
Gent times. If tradition can be relied
on he chief magistrate was then IN
der an obligation to kiss the first COW,
the first sheep and the first pig
brought into the first market of the
New Year.
This went on until it occurred to
ieSourceful 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.
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
OXfOrdshire concerned the tenants of
certain estates which they held on
condition that on New Years morning
they publicly kissed the parish pumD
Or paid drink fine to the assembled
populace.
As might be supposed, the tenants
almost invariably preferred to pay the
hne but it is on record that one mis-
guided, clOse-fSted Individual actually
Kissed the pump in order to keep the
fine in his pocket.
The populace were so disguised at
Ills meanness and Infatuated at the
loss OF the liquor that they held him
under the pump and pumped the wa
@r on him until he was almost washed
away.
The exchange of drink for kisses
was, IN the bad old days, a not infre-
4ueat New Years day practice in pub