Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-31

Around every holiday that has come
down from antiquity countless trsdi-
tions cluster. or no festival IL this
truer than New Years. although many
OF the old customs have been com
ploteiy lost In this country.
The old world custom ~ sitting 10
10 sec the New Year IN is more gen
eral IN the United states than else
where, however. and the ancient Brit
ish custom Of ringing the church bells
at midnight is stil continued, ss well
ss watch night services In churches.
As far back as 1894 the ringing Of
bells In London IL described. This
custom is immortslized In Tenny~
sons "1n Memorium." Ring out Wild
bells to the Wild sky"
An old superstition formerly very
widespread I'm this country Is the be-
lief that II brings bad luck TO q house
hold for woman 10 be the first Wis
itor on New Years Day. This be-
lief comes from the north Of Englen
where the people also believed that
to give a light away on New Years
Day denoted death IN the family.
This belief goes back to Rome. An
other quaint superstition warned the
housewife as follows Never throw
any ashes or dirty water or any ar
ticle. however useless, out Of your
house on this day. 70 betokens ill-luck.
but you may bring in as many hon
estly gotten goods as you can pro
cure"
Another belief largely forgotten in
I this country "a the foretellingg Of the
/ fortunes of the year by means Of the
/ Bible. \ member of tho family opens
/ the Bible at random and puts his FIN
{ ger on n chapter which he reads aloud
as a prophecy for the coming year
! An interesting tradition from tht
/ Scotch Highlands Is embodied in this
/ rhyme.
II New Years Eve night wind blow
south
It betokeneth warmth and growth;
II west much milk and fish In the sea
n north much cold and storms ther'
j win be:
II east tho trees viii bear much fruit
If northeast. fec It man and beast"
Tho New Years Eve masquerad
In many cities is relic of the tim
of the early Christians who at the he
ginning Of the year ran about maske
i'm imitation Of the superstitions Of tn
Gentiles.
In America the European custor
Of making New Years calls has felle
largely into disuse. The leisurel
and elegant calls paid in New Yor
before the middle of the nineteent
century gave way to n frenzied rus
from one house to another, an
strangers forced their way int
, homes with the ostentatious purpos
OF paying calls but actually for III
sake Of prying.
Another old custom now lost wa
that of passing the wassail bowl. Th
term itself car from the Anglo
Saxon Waes lis ''be in health" TT
, drinking of tos was part Of IN
ceremonies Of ne day from earl
times. Young ria went from hous
to house. car nR the wassail boy
of spiced ale. and the old squire
.. drank deep Of lambs wool" a drin
concocted of ale. nutmeg. sugar. tOa
!, and roaster crabs or apples.
. The drinking ended the old yes
? well with hearty computations, ar
a the giving Of gifts started the Ne
!, Year in a prosperous and successf
manner. At the beginning Of the
: year all peoples gave gifts. slight b'
with hidden significance. The Pc
SLAMS gave eggs. the Druids branch'
Of the sacred mistletoe. the English
Elizabethan times. gilt nutmegs,
.f.L.
n countries the New~Year is still the tin
!, for gift giving rather than Christina
s The history Of New Years Day
= interesting. The ancient Egyptia.
= Phoenicians and Persians began Il
: year with the autumn equinox
d September %. and the Greeks in q
d time Of Scion began the year at Il
n winter solstice, December 81. In q
i time Of Pericles this was changed
e June 2l, the summer soIstice. r.
r Romans recognized the winter .,
p stice as the New Year until JUL
% Caesar reformed the calendar a
made January / the date. The mon
l. was named after the double faced &
he Janus who looked into the past a
* the future. on his twelve affairs, ga
y rifices were offered and on the ri
ii day of his month everyone was cal
is rul to make his speech and actions
l. happy augury for the year.
During medieval times the spri
a equinox In March was generally q
D cepted by Christian nations as {
t beginning Of the New Year. II
ct time Of new life in nature was an a
propriate time TO consider all thin