The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1922-12-28
new YEARS EVE
Customs and Their Origin; Hap
penings of Long Ago.
All Peoples Have Ways Of Amusing
Themselves on Special Occasions
and at Fixed Seasons.

ton or men, remarked that we can
best Judge mems temperament and
ideals by watching them at their
work and at their play. A keen OBJ
server would have very little difficulty
In judging Americans by their work.
One such has aptly called this country
"The Land Of the Strenuous Life"
Even our sports partake so much Of
this strenuosity that the medical pro-
fession is beginning to warn us of
overindulgence In the more violent
forms OF athletics.
But all peoples have ways Of anus
Ing themselves on special occasions
and at fixed seasons after a manner
so well established that 1t has come
to be regarded kind Of ritual, says
the New York Herald. This has come
down to us from the ages when our
forebears first pushed their way out
of the dry tablelands Of civilization.
Even the mighty power of the churches
has not been able to brush aside some
practices. that have their roots deep
in paganism.
Old Customs That Continue.
Probably after Halloween and
Christmas there is no festival of the
year so grt about with long-estab-
lished customs as New Years day.
Among the best known of these are
The auguries drawn from what was
called the "Candlemas bull" In Scot
land and other northern countries the
term Cundlemus, given to this season
of the year. is ST. posed to have had
its origin in religious ceremonies per-
formed by candle light. The candles
used were very la. -sc and highly orna-
mented, and were brought in at the
midnight hour to the assembled guests,
who, since the failing of dusk, had
been drinking freely of the wassail
bowl Then, in procession, they
mnrched out into the night, and to
the" imaginations the passing clouds
assumed the shape of bull From
the rise and fail and general motions
OF these clouds the seer fOretOld good
or bad weather. Sometimes, too,
auguries for the future We're gathered
from the state of the atmosphere on
New Years Eve, and also from the
force and character of the wind
In the imagination Of most primi-
tive peoples, especially those Of the
North. who were forced to battle
against the elements of nature for
life and sustenance. the ewes Of great
feaSts were considered occasions
when the spirits of good and evil were
in deadly conflict. The moment of
midnight on New Years Eve was al
ways considered time of special &C.
tlvity for the spirits of evil. In order
to overcome them holier and more
powerful influences had to be invoked.
The evil spirits, or genii, as can be-
gathered from the Icelandic and An
words in their dialect, could be over
come by an appeal to the good genii,
the hoghmen, or hillmen.
Probably imported from Italy was
the superstition that Oh New Years
Eve the "evil eye" was all the more
malignant Then, toe. there was
widespread practice of the Setting Of
mctc or drynkc by nights on the
bcnchc to fede Allholde or Goblyn."
In some of the dialogues of the fa-
nous medieval morality play, Olives
and Paupcr." we find mention of this
and many other New Years customs
intended to countcract the activities
Of the forces of evil.
Christmas Cheer Continued.
Perhaps what contributed most TO
this general fear of sinister influences
was the deep drinking among the peo.
pie. which continued almost uninter-
ruptedly from Christmas until New
Years day. Up to the Ninth century,
except in the Syrian and COptic
churches, New Years was not cele-
bruted as special feast day, but was
looked upon as merely the octave Of
Christmas. Therefore the Christmas
cheer was continued throughout the
entire octave without abatement 1t
ilickcred up for the last time on New
Years day, as is clear from the one
hundred and ninety eighth sermon of
Augustine, bishop Of Hippo.
In England on New Years Eve the
young women went about carrying
the "waSSail bowl" and singing from
door tO door certain VerSeS--a custom
which had much I'm common with the
hngmanay practice in Scotland. Het
pint, the strange brew which i'm that
country was carried about In the
streets at midnight, was composed Of
ale, 81 'ritS. sugar, nutmeg or CHINA
mon. IT was powerful potion, the
effects Of which were almost imme-
diatcly evident. Ritson I'm collection
of ancient songs gives us few sung
to the quafngs of this prince Of
liquors, old or new" One such is:
A jolly wasscl bowl,
A wassel of good ale,
Well fare the buffers soul
That setteth this to sale;
Out jolly wassel!
Notwithstanding the opposition
which 1t has met since the year 1911,
when mnnN nhnsns unrn dicnnrnrnh