It has been a favorite pastime with maidens in all ages to try to
foretell their future by the aid of flowers and plants.
One of the most popular fancies is provided by the four-leaved clover,
the story of which is told in various legends. One runs to the effect
that three beautiful sisters, Faith, Hope and Charity, came from over
the seas, and wherever they walked three-leaved clovers, crimson, white
and yellow, bloomed profusely. In their footsteps came another more
beautiful being, whose name was Love, and in his honor the clover added
a fourth petal to the trefoil.
In time, it became the talisman of love-sick maidens, who wore it in
their shoe to ensure a speedy meeting with their sweetheart, wore it
over their heart to frighten away evil spirits and to prevent being
jilted. In the case of a quarrel, it served to effect a reconciliation.
Apart from its sentimental associations, a four-leaved clover has long
been regarded as an emblem of good luck, and has been worn by those who
believe in such things when they wished to increase their chances of
good fortune.
_SPRING FLOWERS._--Naturally, many beliefs flourish around the flowers
of the garden and the hedgerow.
If you chance to find the first flower of the season on a Monday, it
means good luck.
If on a Tuesday, big undertakings are likely to be successful.
If on a Wednesday, it denotes your approaching wedding.
If on a Thursday, hard work with little profit will fall to your lot.
If on a Friday, unexpected wealth reaches you.
If on a Saturday, you may look out for misfortune.
If on a Sunday, phenomenal good luck will come to you.
_THE FIRST WILD FLOWER._--From the first wild flowers which you gather
in spring, it is possible to discover the initials of your future
husband or wife. If, for instance, they should chance to be daisies,
violets and buttercups, then expect to find some suitable person with
the initials D. V. B., but they may not be necessarily in this order.
If someone presents you with a yellow flower, then you may expect a
gift of money directly.
If you can turn a bluebell inside out without breaking it, then your
lover will be true as long as both of you live.
[Illustration: No. 21.]
_THE PANSY._--If you wish to know your future destiny, pluck a pansy,
which takes its name from _pensee_, a thought. Count the streaks or
lines upon the petals.
Four streaks tell that your dearest wish will be fulfilled.
Five streaks stand for hope with fear.
Six streaks suggest a surprise.
Seven streaks tell of constancy in your lover.
Eight streaks, fickleness.
Nine streaks, a change and then riches.
Markings leaning towards the left denote trouble.
Markings leaning to the right denote prosperity.
Should the central streak be the longest, then Sunday should be chosen
as your wedding day.
_THE DAISY._--One of the oldest of flower charms is to pluck at the
petals of a daisy or marguerite. At first pluck, these words are said,
"He loves me"; at the second, "He loves me not." These sentences are
repeated alternately until the flower is deprived of all its petals.
Whichever sentence was uttered last describes "his" affections.
_THE IVY._--
Ivy, ivy, I thee pluck,
And in my bosom, I thee put.
The first young man who speaks to me
My own true lover he shall be.
[Illustration: No. 22.]
_THE HAWTHORN OR MAY._--Once upon a time, every porch was decorated
with a branch of May to avert the evil eye and prevent witchcraft, but
the idea has been departed from, and now it is regarded as a harbinger
of ill-luck, and is rarely brought inside a house.
_THE MISTLETOE._--From very ancient times, this plant has been regarded
with curious veneration. Probably it gained special fame, in the first
instance, owing to the peculiar manner in which it grew. The Druids
looked upon it as a plant possessing marvelous properties, and they
esteemed nothing in the world more sacred than it. They gathered it
when the moon was just six days old because the moon was then thought
to be at its greatest power. This done, they sacrificed two young
bullocks which were milk-white. After that, the mistletoe was cut into
small pieces with the aid of a golden hook or bill and distributed
among the people present. These took it home and suspended it in a
prominent place to ward off evil spirits. From these associations,
the mistletoe has become an emblem under which young people may kiss,
without any evil coming to them through their act.
_HOLLY_ is used as a Christmas decoration because the Romans chose
it to hang in their houses on the fast in honor of Saturn. Friends
gave bunches of it to those whom they wished to endow with luck and
happiness, probably because the prickly leaves symbolized the crown of
thorns worn by Christ and the red berries the blood of the cross.