Dec. 31.]

NEW YEAR’S EVE.

The last night of the old year has been called Singing-E’en, from the custom of singing carols on the evening of this day.

This eve is called by the Wesleyan Methodists Watch Night, because at their principal chapels the ministers and congregations hold a service to watch out the old year, i.e., they pray until about five minutes to twelve o’clock, and then observe a profound silence until the clock strikes, when they exultingly burst forth with a hymn of praise and joy. Latterly, this service has been very generally observed by evangelical churchmen.—See Timbs’ Something for Everybody, 1861, p. 156.

Wassail-bowl.—Formerly, at this season, the head of the house assembled his family around a bowl of spiced ale, from which he drank their healths, then passed it to the rest, that they might drink too. The word that passed amongst them was the ancient Saxon phrase, wass hael; that is, to your health. Hence this came to be recognised as the Wassail or Wassel-bowl. The poorer class of people carried a bowl adorned with ribbons round the neighbourhood, begging for something wherewith to obtain the means of filling it.—Book of Days, vol. i. p. 27; See Nare’s Glossary (Halliwell and Wright), 1859, vol. ii. p. 943; Antiquarian Repertory, vol. i. p. 218; Ritson’s Ancient Songs, 1790, p. 304.

Cornwall.

New Year’s Day and Eve are holidays with the miners. It has been said they refuse to work on these days from superstitious reasons.—Hunt’s Romances of the West of England, 1871, p. 350.

Cumberland.

At Muncaster, on the eve of the new year, the children used to go from house to house singing a ditty which craves the bounty “they were wont to have in old King Edward’s days.” No tradition exists as to the origin of this custom. The donation was twopence or a pie at every house.—Hutchinson, History of Cumberland, 1794, vol. i. p. 570, note.

Derbyshire.

On New Year’s Eve a cold possett, as it is called, made of milk, ale, eggs, currants, and spice, is prepared, and in it is placed the wedding-ring of the hostess; each of the party takes out a ladle full, and in doing so takes every precaution to fish up the ring, as it is believed that whoever is fortunate enough to “catch” the ring will be married before the year is out. On the same night it is customary in some districts to throw open all the doors of the house just before midnight, and to wait for the coming year, as for an honoured guest, by meeting him as he approaches, and crying, “Welcome!”—Jour. of the Arch. Assoc. 1852, vol. vii. p. 201.

Gloucestershire.

On New Year’s Eve the wassailers go about carrying with them a large bowl, dressed up with garlands and ribbons, and repeat the following song:

Isle of Man.

In many of the upland cottages it is customary for the housewife, after raking the fire for the night, and just before stepping into bed, to spread the ashes smooth over the floor with the tongs in the hope of finding in it, next morning, the tract of a foot; should the toes of this ominous print point towards the door, then it is believed a member of the family will die in the course of that year; but should the heel of the fairy foot point in that direction, then it is firmly believed that the family will be augmented within the same period.—Train, History of Isle of Man, 1845, vol. ii. p. 115.

Nottinghamshire.

Of the New Year’s customs observed in this county the wassail was until recently observed to a considerable extent. This friendly custom was observed by the young women of the village, who accustomed themselves to go about from door to door on New Year’s Eve, neatly dressed for the occasion, and bearing a bowl richly decorated with evergreens and ribbands, and filled with a compound of ale, roasted apples, and toast, and seasoned with nutmeg and sugar. The bowl was offered to the inmates with the singing of the following amongst other verses:

On this night also, in many parts of this county, as well as in Derbyshire, a muffled peal is rung on the church bells till twelve o’clock, when the bandages are removed from the bells whilst the clock is striking, and a merry peal is instantly struck up; this is called “ringing the old year out and the new year in.”—Jour. of the Arch. Assoc., 1853, vol. viii. p. 230.

Oxfordshire.

It is a custom at Merton College, says Pointer, in his Oxoniensis Academia (1749, p. 24), on the last night in the year (called Scrutiny Night), for the college servants, all in a body, to make their appearance in the hall before the warden and fellows (after supper), and there to deliver up the keys, so that if they have committed any great crime in the year their keys are taken away, and consequently their places, otherwise they are of course delivered to them again.

At the opening of the scrutiny the senior Bursar makes this short speech:

Isle of Wight.

At Yarmouth the following doggerel is sung at the season of the new year:

Yorkshire.

At Bradford it is the practice of men and women, dressed in strange costumes, with blackened faces, and besoms in hand, to enter houses on New Year’s Eve so as to “sweep out the old year.”—N. & Q. 5th S. vol. i. p. 383.

SCOTLAND.

Hogmanay is the universal popular name in Scotland for the last day of the year. It is a day of high festival among young and old—but particularly the young, who do not regard any of the rest of the Daft Days with half so much interest. It is still customary, in retired and primitive towns, for the children of the poorer class of people to get themselves on that morning swaddled in a great sheet, doubled up in front, so as to form a vast pocket, and then to go along the streets in little bands, calling at the doors of the wealthier classes for an expected dole of oaten bread. Each child gets one quadrant section of oat-cake (sometimes, in the case of particular cases, improved by an addition of cheese), and this is called their hogmanay. In expectation of the large demands thus made upon them, the housewives busy themselves for several days beforehand in preparing a suitable quantity of cakes. The children, on coming to the door, cry “Hogmanay!” which is in itself a sufficient announcement of their demands; but there are other exclamations, which either are or might be used for the same purpose. One of these is:

What is precisely meant by the word hogmanay, or by the still more inexplicable trollolay, has been a subject fertile in dispute to Scottish antiquaries, as the reader will find by an inspection of the ArchÆologia Scotica. A suggestion of the late Professor Robison of Edinburgh seems the best, that the word hogmanay was derived from Au qui menez, (“To the misletoe go”), which mummers formerly cried in France at Christmas. Another suggested explanation is, Au queux menez—that is, bring to the beggars. At the same time, it was customary for these persons to rush unceremoniously into houses, playing antic tricks, and bullying the inmates, for the money and choice victuals, crying: Tire-lire (referring to a small money-box they carried), maint du blanc, et point du bas.” These various cries, it must be owned, are as like as possible to “Hogmanay, trollolay, give us of your white bread, and none of your grey.”—Chambers’ Pop. Rhymes of Scotland, 1870, pp. 164-165; see Hales’s Analysis of Chronoloqy, 1830, vol. i. pp. 50, 51, also N. & Q. 5th S. vol. ii. pp. 329, 517.

In Scotland also, upon the last of the old year, the children go about from door to door, asking for bread and cheese, which they call “Nog-money,” in these words:

Lanarkshire.

At the town of Biggar (in the upper ward of Lanarkshire) it has been customary from time immemorial among the inhabitants to celebrate what is called “burning out the old year.” For this purpose, during the day of the 31st of December, a large quantity of fuel is collected, consisting of branches of trees, brushwood, and coals, and placed in a heap at the “cross;” and about nine o’clock at night the lighting of the fire is commenced, surrounded by a crowd of lookers-on, who each think it a duty to cast into the flaming mass some additional portion of material, the whole being sufficient to maintain the fire till next or New Year’s Day morning is far advanced. Fires are also kindled on the adjacent hills to add to the importance of the occasion.

It is considered unlucky to give out a light to any one on the morning of the new year, and therefore if the house-fire has been allowed to become extinguished, recourse must be had to the embers of the pile. This then accounts for the maintenance of the fire up to a certain time on New Year’s Day.

Some consider these fires to be the relics of Pagan or of Druidical rites of the dark ages; perhaps of a period as remote as that of the Beltaine fires, the change of circumstances having now altered these fires, both as to the particular season of year of their celebration, and of their various religious forms.—N. & Q. 2nd S. vol. ix. p. 322.

Morayshire.

In the village of Burghead, situated on the southern shore of the Moray Frith, about nine miles from Elgin, the county town of Morayshire, the following curious custom is observed:

On the evening of the last day of December (Old Style), the youths of the village assemble about dusk, and make the necessary preparations for the celebration of the “Clavie.” Proceeding to some shop they demand a strong empty barrel, which is usually given at once, but if refused taken by force. Another for breaking up, and a quantity of tar are likewise procured at the same time. Thus furnished they repair to a particular spot close to the sea-shore, and commence operations. A hole about four inches in diameter is first made in the bottom of the stronger barrel, into which the end of a stone pole, five feet in length, is firmly fixed: to strengthen their hold a number of supports are nailed round the outside of the former, and also closely round the latter. The tar is then put into the barrel, and set on fire, and the remaining one being broken up, stave after stave is thrown in until it is quite full. The “Clavie,” already burning fiercely, is now shouldered by some strong man, and borne away at a rapid pace. As soon as the bearer gives signs of exhaustion, another willingly takes his place; and should any of those who are honoured to carry the blazing load meet with an accident, as sometimes happens, the misfortune incites no pity even among his near relatives. In making the circuit of the village they are said to confine themselves to its old boundaries. Formerly, the procession visited all the fishing-boats, but this has been discontinued for some time. Having gone over the appointed ground, the “Clavie” is finally carried to a small artificial eminence near the point of the promontory, and interesting as being a portion of the ancient fortifications, spared probably on account of its being used for this purpose, where a circular heap of stones used to be hastily piled up, in the hollow centre of which the “Clavie” was placed still burning. On this eminence, which is termed the “durie,” the present proprietor has lately erected a small round column, with a cavity in the centre for admitting the fire end of the pole, and into this it is now placed. After being allowed to burn on the “durie” for a few minutes, the “Clavie” is most unceremoniously hurled from its place, and the smoking embers scattered among the assembled crowd, by whom, in less enlightened times, they were eagerly caught at and fragments of them carried home and carefully preserved as charms against witchcraft. At one time superstition invested the whole proceedings with all the solemnity of a religious rite, the whole population joining in it as an act necessary to the welfare and prosperity of the little community during the year about to commence.

The “Clavie” has now, however, degenerated into a mere frolic, kept up by the youngsters more for their own amusement than for any benefit which the due performance of the ceremony is believed to secure.—N. & Q. 2nd S. vol. ix. p. 38; see also N. & Q. 2nd S. vol. ix. pp. 106, 169, 269; and Book of Days, vol. ii. pp. 789-791.

Orkney.

It was formerly the custom in Orkney for large bands of the common class of people to assemble on New Year’s Eve, and pay a round of visits, singing a song which commenced as follows:

IRELAND.

On the last night of the year a cake is thrown against the outside door of each house by the head of the family, which ceremony is said to keep out hunger during the ensuing one.—Croker, Researches in the South of Ireland, 1824, p. 233.

A correspondent of N. & Q. (5th S. vol. iii. p. 7) says, on New Year’s Day about the suburbs at the County Down side of Belfast, the boys run about carrying little twisted wisps of straw, which they offer to persons whom they meet, or throw into their houses, as New Year’s offerings, and expect to get in return any small present, such as a little money or a piece of bread.

About Glenarm, on the coast of County Antrim, the “wisp” is not used, but on this day the boys go about from house to house, and are regaled with bannocks of oaten bread, buttered; these bannocks are baked specially for the occasion, and are commonly small, thick, and round, and with a hole through the centre. Any person who enters a house on New Year’s Day must either eat or drink before leaving it.