CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS CONNECTED WITH THE SEASONS.
IN the Isle of Man, as elsewhere, many customs and superstitions,
as well as much weather-lore, have attached themselves to the
different seasons of the year. Both the Celts and Norsemen, before
the introduction of Christianity, held high festival at the beginning
of summer and winter, the mid-winter and mid-summer feasts being more
especially of Scandinavian origin. When Christianity was introduced,
its ministers, unable to do away with these feasts, wisely adopted
their periods as Christian festivals, and so they have continued
semi-pagan in form till the present day. Such ancient observances as
perambulating the parish bounds, were also christianised by being
associated with Divine worship; and the wells, which the people were
wont to visit, were dedicated to the Saints and Martyrs of the Church.
After the Reformation, the practice of visiting these holy wells, and
of frequenting the tops of the mountains at Lammas, was denounced as
superstitious and wicked, but in vain, as, even at the present day, it
can scarcely be said to have altogether ceased.
The various customs and superstitions will be considered in the order
of the Calender:—
January 1, New Year’s Day, formerly called _Laa Nolick beg_, “Little
Christmas Day”, was the occasion for various superstitions. Among
these was that about the “first foot.” The “first foot”, called the
_qualtagh_ in Manx, is defined as follows by Kelly in his Dictionary:
“The first person or creature one meets going from home. This person is
of great consequence to the superstitious, particularly to women the
first time they go out after lying-in.” The _qualtagh_ (he or she) may
also be the first person who enters a house on New Year’s morning.
In this case it is usual to place before him or her the best fare the
family can afford. It was considered fortunate if the _qualtagh_ were
a person (a man being preferred to a woman), of dark complexion, as
meeting a person of light complexion at this time, especially if his
or her hair is red, would be thought very unlucky. It is curious that
the superstition in Scotland is the exact reverse of this—_i.e._, to
meet a light complexioned person was fortunate. If the _qualtagh_ were
_spaagagh_, or splay-footed, it would be considered very unfortunate.
It was important, too, that the _qualtagh_ on New Year’s Day should
bring some gift, as if he or she came empty-handed, misfortunes would
be sure to ensue. To meet a cat first on this day was considered
unlucky. It was supposed to be necessary to exercise great care to
sweep the floor of the house on New Year’s morning from the door
towards the hearth, so that the dust should go towards the hearth,
for, if this were not done, the good fortune of the family would be
considered to be swept from the house for that year.
It was formerly the custom for a number of young men to go from house
to house on New Year’s Day singing the following rhyme:—
_Ollick ghennal erriu, as blein feer vie;
Seihll as slaynt da’n slane lught thie;
Bea as gennallys eu bioyr ry-cheilley,
Shee as graih eddyr mraane as deiney;
Cooid as cowryn_ stock _as stoyr.
Palchey puddase, as skeddan dy-liooar;
Arran as caashey, eeym as roauyr;
Baase myr lugh ayns ullin ny soalt,
Cadley sauchey tra vees shiu ny lhie,
Gyn feeackle y jiargan, cadley dy mie._
“A merry Christmas, and a very good year to you;
Luck and health to the whole household,
Life, pleasantness and sprightliness to you together,
Peace and love between men and women;
Goods and riches, stock and store.
Plenty of potatoes and herring enough;
Bread and cheese, butter and beef.
Death like a mouse in a barn haggart,[59]
Sleeping safely when you are in bed,
Undisturbed by [60]the flea’s tooth, sleeping well.”
Nothing should be lent on this day, as anyone who does so will be
lending all the year. In old times, when tinder and flint were used, no
one would lend them on this day.
SEASONS.
January 6, _or Twelfth day_, was the thirteenth or last day of Yule
in the Northern Calendar. It was one of the days on which no one
might borrow fire, but had to purchase it. After the introduction of
Christianity, it became a Church festival in commemoration of the
Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Bishop Phillips, in the Manx
Prayer Book[61] written by him early in the seventeenth century, calls
it _Shen lail chibbert ushtey_, ‘old feast day of the water-well,’ the
meaning of which is not clear. It was formerly a day of much festivity
in the Isle of Man, being called _Laa giense_ ‘dance or revel day.’
Among the games then played were “Cutting off the Fiddler’s Head”, “The
Lackets”, and “The Goggans.”
The _Cutting off the Fiddler’s Head_ is described by Waldron as
follows:—“On Twelfth day the Fiddler lays his head in some one of the
wenches’ laps, and a third person asks who such a maid or such a maid
shall marry, naming the girls then present one after another, to which
he answers according to his own whim, or agreeable to the intimacies
he has taken notice of during this time of merriment. But whatever
he says is as absolutely depended on as an oracle; and if he happens
to couple two people who have an aversion to each other, tears and
vexation succeed the mirth. This they call _Cutting off the Fiddler’s
Head_, for after this, he is dead for the whole year.” The _Lackets_,
_Legads_, or ‘valentines,’ was the name of a game which was played as
follows:—A _mainshter_, or master of ceremonies, was elected, who then
proceeded to appoint a _legad_ to every man of the party from among
the girls present in the following words: _Eaisht-jee, as clasht-jee,
as cur-jee myner; ta N. as M. legadyn son y vlein shoh, as ny sodjey,
my oddys ad cordail. Moylley as soylley, jingey as pronney daue, &c._
“Listen, and hear, and give heed; N. and M. are valentines for this
year, and longer, if they be agreeable. Praise and joy, peace and
plenty to them, &c.” (The remaining words are lost.) Doubtless, the
appointments of the _mainshter_, who probably had a shrewd idea which
of the young people were attached to each other, were the cause of much
merriment. It would seem that these entertainments were usually held
at a public-house, whose landlord would be elected as the _mainshter_.
After the _legads_ had all been appointed, the whole party sat down to
supper, each man paying for his own _legad_, or valentine. During the
supper the _laare vane_, or white mare,[62] was brought in. This was
a horse’s head made of wood, and so contrived that the person who had
charge of it, being concealed under a white sheet, was able to snap the
mouth. He went round the table snapping the horse’s mouth at the guests
who finally chased him from the room, after much rough play. A similar
custom is mentioned by Dr. Johnson as taking place on New Year’s Eve,
in Scotland: One of the company dressed himself in a cow’s hide, upon
which the rest of the party belaboured him with sticks. They all then
left the house and ran round it, only being re-admitted on repeating
the following words, which are still preserved in St. Kilda: “May God
bless this house and all that belongs to it, cattle, stones and timber.
In plenty of meat, of bed and body clothes, and health of men, may it
ever abound.” Each then pulled off a piece of the hide, and burnt it
for the purpose of driving away disease. The Manx custom was probably
formerly the same as this.
The _Goggans_, or _Noggins_, were small mugs filled with symbols of
various trades, thus—water, for a sailor; meal, for a farmer, &c. These
were laid in front of the hearth, and then, when the girls had gone
outside, they were changed. The girls were then brought back, and,
according to the _goggan_ they laid their hands upon, so was the trade
of their future husband.
It was supposed that the weather on the twelve days after “Old
Christmas Day”, indicated the weather of each month in the following
year.
January 25, _Laa’l Noo Phaul_,[63] “St. Paul’s Feast day”, is a church
festival in commemoration of the conversion of St. Paul. There seems to
have been a very general superstition throughout Western Europe that,
from the state of the weather on this day, the whole character of the
year following might be predicted. We have, for instance, the old Latin
distich:—
_Clara dies pauli bona tempora denotat anni,
Si nix vel pluvia, designat tempora cara;
Si fiant nebulæ, pereunt animalia quœque;
Si fiant venti, designat prælia genti._
An English version of which is:—
If St Paul’s day be fair and clear,
It does betide a happy year;
But if it chance to snow or rain,
Then will be dear all kinds of grain;
If clouds or mists do dark the skie,
Great store of birds and beasts shall die;
And if the winds do flie aloft,
Then war shall vex the kingdom oft.
The Manx version is as follows:—
_Laa’l Paul ghorrinagh as gheayagh,
Ghenney er-y-theill as baase mooar sleih;
Laa’l Paul aalin as glen,
Palchey er-y-theill dy arroo as mein._
Paul’s day stormy and windy,
Famine on the earth and much death on people;
Paul’s day beautiful and fair,
Abundance on the earth of corn and meal.
February 1, _Laa’l Breeshey_ “Bridget’s Feast day”, when the festival
of this famous Irish saint was celebrated. A parish church, a nunnery,
and no less than seven of the ancient _keeills_ or cells are named
after her in the Isle of Man, where she seems to have been a great
favourite. An old custom on this day was to gather rushes, and standing
with them on the threshold, to invite St. Bridget to come and lodge
there that night, saying “_Brede, Brede, tar gys my thie, tar dys
thie ayms noght. Foshil jee yn dorrys da Brede, as lhig da Brede
cheet stiagh._” “Bridget, Bridget, come to my house, come to my house
to-night, open the door to Bridget, and let Bridget come in.” After
these words were repeated, the rushes were strewn on the floor by way
of a carpet or bed for her. It is said also that straw was sometimes
used, instead of rushes.
A similar custom is described by Martin,[64] as practised in some of
the other Sodor Isles:—“The mistress and servants of each family take
a sheaf of oats and dress it up in woman’s apparel, put it in a large
basket and lay a wooden club by it, and this they call Briid’s bed,
and then the mistress and servants cry three times, ‘Briid is come,
Briid is welome.’ This they do just before going to bed, and when they
rise in the morning, they look among the ashes expecting to see the
impression of Briid’s club there, which, if they do, they reckon it a
true presage of a good crop and a prosperous year, and the contrary
they take as an ill omen.”[65]
There were various weather sayings with regard to this day, thus:—
_Laa’l Breeshey bane,
Dy chooilley yeeig lane._
Bridget’s Feast day white, every ditch full.
_i.e._, If snowy on St. Bridget’s day, there will be a wet mild spring.
_Choud as hig y skell ny-gah-ghreinney stiagh Laa’l Breeshey, hig y
sniaghtey roish Laa Boayldyn._ “As long as the sunbeam comes in on
Bridget’s Feast day, the snow comes before May-Day.” _i.e._, If mild
on St. Bridget’s day, there will be a cold spring.
February 2.—The festival of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, or
Candlemas day, called in Manx _Laa’l Moirrey ny gianle_, “Mary’s
Feast day of the Candle”, seems, since St. Bridget has been forgotten,
to have taken the place of the festival of the Irish saint, as the
prognostics founded on the state of the weather on this day are
practically identical with those derived from St. Bridget’s festival.
There is a universal superstition throughout Christendom that good
weather on this day indicates a long continuance of winter and a
bad crop, and that its being foul is, on the contrary, a good omen.
Sir Thomas Browne, in his _Vulgar Errors_, quotes a Latin distich
expressive of this idea.—
_Si sol splendescat Maria purificante,
Major erit glacies post festum quam fuit ante;_
Of which the Scotch version is:—
If Candlemass day be dry and fair,
The half o’ winter’s to come and mair;
If Candlemass day be wet and foul,
The half o’ winter’s gane at Yule.
The Manx proverb corresponding with this conveys a caution to the
farmers:—
_Laa’l Moirrey ny gianle,
Lieh foddyr as lieh traagh._
“Candlemas day (or Mary’s Feast day of the Candle), half straw and
half hay.”
_i.e._—In the probable event of a mild Candlemas, half the stock of
fodder should still be unconsumed, as much wintry weather will probably
follow.
_Shrove-Tuesday_, in Manx _Oie Ynnyd_, “Eve of the Fast”, seems to have
been observed in the Isle of Man in much the same way as in England. It
was formerly the custom to have _sollaghan_, which is made of oatmeal
and gravy, for dinner on this day, instead of at breakfast as usual,
while the supper consisted of meat and pancakes. The following Manx
saying is, we suppose, a warning against relying on the continuance of
such sumptuous fare:—
_Ec shibber Oie Ynnyd my vees dty volg lane;
My jig Laa Caisht yiow traisht son shen._
“At Shrove-Tuesday supper if thy belly be full;
Before Easter day thou mayest fast (hunger) for that.”
February 6—A fair, called _Periwinkle_ Fair, was held on this day
till 50 years ago. It took place on the shore at _Pooyl-Vaaish_,
where cattle, horses, and sheep were bought and sold as usual, and
fairings sold, among them periwinkles. Hence the name. The 6th was
St. Dorothy’s day, but there seems to be no trace of any special
celebration on this day elsewhere.
March—There are various weather sayings about this month:—
_Share craagh ve ’sy cheer, na mee ny Vayrnt cheet stiagh meein._
“Better a slaughter in the country than the month of March should come
in mild.”
_Sheeu hishan dy yoan Mayrnt maaill bleeney Vannin._ “A peck of March
dust is worth a year’s rent in the Isle of Man.”
_Ta’n Vayrnt chionney as yn nah bee fanney._ “March tightens and the
next month skins.” This refers to the characteristics of these two
months—dry, with cold winds.
There is an old superstition that a Saturday’s new moon was unlucky,
and, if it occurred in March, it was still more so. Hence the
saying:—_Ta eayst jesarn ’sy Vayrnt dy-liooar ayns shiaght bleeantyn_.
“A Saturday’s moon in March is enough in seven years.”
March 17 is _L’aal Pharick_, “Patrick’s Feast day”, when a fair was
held. This famous Irish saint and missionary has three churches and
seven _keeills_ dedicated to him in the Isle of Man. This day was
also called _Patermas_, “Patrick’s Mass”, and on it the saint’s staff
was carried in procession by some one who was paid by the owner of
the saint’s staffland, who also had to keep in order and renew the
staff itself; for there are two small properties, one in the parish of
Patrick and the other in the parish of Maughold, which seem to have
been held on this tenure. The former of them, first mentioned in a
Papal Bull of 1231 as _terram de baculo Sti. Patricii_, “The land of
the Staff of St. Patrick”, has long since disappeared as a separate
property; the latter, which is part of the Barony of St. Bees, still
survives under the name of The Staffland. This place is considered to
be freehold, inasmuch as no rent or service is rendered in respect of
it to the lord.[66] The service of the Staff of St. Patrick seems to
have been commuted for a money-rent at the time of the Reformation,
while the Staffland in Maughold fell into the hands of the Christians
of Milntown.
There is an old saying: _Laa’l Pharick arree, yn dow gys e staik as
y dooiney ass e liabbee_. “Patrick’s spring Feast day, the ox to his
stake, and the man from his bed.” It thus seems to indicate the time
when active farming operations (March 17) should begin. Seed-sowing is
usually begun in the Isle of Man about this time.
April—There is the following weather saying about the month of April:—
_Tra heidys Avril dy-bing e charyn,
’Sy theihll vees palchey traagh as oarn._
When April shall shrilly sound his horn,
On earth there will be plenty of hay and corn (barley).
_i.e._, A dry April is good for the crops.
_Good Friday._—_Jy-heiney chaist_, or, as Bishop Phillips has it,
_Jy-heny-ghayst_, “Easter Friday”, was a day on which several
superstitious customs were observed. No iron of any kind was to be
put into the fire, and even the tongs were laid aside, lest any
person should unfortunately stir the fire with them, a stick of the
Mountain-Ash (_cuirn_) being used as a substitute. To avoid placing the
iron griddle on the fire, a large thick cake, called a _soddag_,[67]
which is triangular in shape, was baked on the hearth. It was also a
custom for people to go to the shore on this day to gather shell-fish.
_Easter Sunday._—It was believed that anyone who went up to the top
of a high hill on this morning to watch the sunrise would see the sun
bow two or three times, as if in adoration to the risen Saviour. The
superstition that the sun bowed or danced on this day was once very
prevalent in England, and was embodied by Sir John Suckling in the
following verses on a belle of the day:—
Her feet beneath her petticoat
Like little mice peep’d in and out,
As if they feared the light!
And oh! she dances such a way—
No sun upon an Easter Day
Were half so fine a sight.
April 25 is now best known as _Laa’l Noo Markys-yn-sushtallagh_, “St.
Mark the Evangelist’s Feast day”; but it was formerly connected with
the famous Manx saint, Maughold, to whom a parish church is dedicated.
He had two days in the year, this, the first and more important,
being called _Laa’l Maghal toshee_—Maghold’s chief Feast day. The
superstitions formerly practised on the eve of this day were the same
as those belonging to the eve of St. Mark in England. If a person on
the eve of this day were to watch in the Churchyard from eleven in the
evening till one in the morning he would see the wraiths of those who
are to be buried there during the year.
May 11—_Oie Voaldyn_, or May-Day Eve—was the occasion of many
superstitious observances. On this evening the Fairies were supposed to
be peculiarly active. To propitiate them, and to ward off the influence
of evil Spirits and Witches, who were also active at this time, green
leaves or boughs and _sumark_, or primrose flowers, were strewn on the
threshold, and branches of the _cuirn_, or Mountain-Ash, were made into
small crosses without the aid of a knife, which was on no account to be
used, and stuck over the doors of the dwelling-houses and cow-houses.
Cows were further protected from the same influences by having the
_bollan-feaill-Eoin_[68] (John’s-feast wort) placed in their houses.
This was also one of the occasions on which no one would give fire, and
on which fires were and are lit on the hills to drive away the Fairies,
Witches, &c., and also to purify the fields, cattle, and horses by
the smoke passing over them. It is said that a handful of gorse was
formerly lit in each field to purify it.
With reference to the practice of not giving fire, Waldron remarks that
there was not one of the native families “but keeps a small quantity of
fire continually burning, no one daring to depend on his neighbour’s
vigilance in a thing which he imagines is of such consequence: everyone
consequently believing that if it should ever happen that no fire were
to be found throughout, most terrible revolutions and mischiefs would
immediately ensue;”—and, as to the lighting of fires, Kelly says that
“the inhabitants kindle fires on the summits of the highest hills,
in continuation of the practice of the Druids, who made the cattle,
and probably the children, ‘to pass through the fire,’ using certain
ceremonies to expiate the sins of the people; but the northern practice
is for each _balla_ or town to kindle a fire, so that the wind may
drive the smoke over their cornfields, cattle, and habitations.... The
inhabitants dress their houses with flowers, and before every door a
considerable space is strewed with primroses.... On this eve also the
damsel places a snail between two pewter dishes, and expects to find
next morning the name of her future husband in visible characters
on the dish; but the success of this depends on her watching till
midnight, and having first purified her hands and face by washing them
in the dew of the wheat.”[69]
Fifty years ago the celebration of May-Day Eve was still very general,
as will be seen from the following account extracted from the _Mona’s
Herald_ newspaper of the 5th of May, 1837; but now it has almost
died out:—“On May-Day eve the people of the Isle of Man have, from
time immemorial, burned all the whin (gorse) bushes in the Island,
conceiving that they thereby burned all the witches and fairies which
they believe take refuge there after sunset. The Island presented the
scene of a universal conflagration, and to a stranger, unacquainted
with our customs, it must appear very strange to see both old and young
persons gathering particular herbs, and planting them at their doors
and in their dwellings for the purpose of preventing the entrance of
the witches.”
It is thus clear that the Manx people placed very great reliance on
the influence of fire in protecting them from the powers of evil. This
influence was also made use of—or would seem to have been made use
of—by sacrificing animals as propitiatory offerings to the powers above
mentioned. Such a method would naturally be supposed to have belonged
to past ages only if there was not evidence that lambs have been burnt
on May-Day Eve or May-Day—_son oural_—for a sacrifice within living
memory. Such sacrifices seem to have been distinct in their purpose
from the burning of animals already mentioned (in Chapter V.) for
discovering Witches or driving away disease.[70]
May 12—_May-day_, or _Laa-Boaldyn_, the _Beltaine_, as it was called
in Irish, was the first of the great Celtic feasts, and was held at
the opening of the summer half of the year. Cormac, in his Glossary,
says that this name, _Beltaine_, arose “from two fires which the
Druids of Erinn used to make with great incantations”; and he adds
that cattle used to be brought to these fires and driven between them,
as a safeguard against diseases. According to Jameson, “the Gaelic
and Irish word, _Beal-tine_ or _Beil-tine_, signifies Bel’s fire; as
composed of _Baal_ or _Belis_, one of the names of the sun in Gaelic,
and _tein_, signifying fire;” but, as a matter of fact, this is all
pure guess-work, no one having given a satisfactory derivation of the
name.[71]
At an early hour on this morning the maidens went forth to gather
the dew, and wash their faces in it, as it was supposed to ensure a
good complexion, as well as to render the hostility of the Witches
innocuous. At an equally early hour, horns were blown to prevent the
Fairies from enticing children away. Later on in the day a Queen of the
May was chosen, according to Waldron, in the following fashion: “In
almost all the great parishes they choose from among the daughters
of the most wealthy farmers a young maid for the Queen of May. She is
dressed in the gayest and best manner they can, and is attended by
about twenty others, who are called maids of honour, she has also a
young man, who is her captain, and has under his command a great number
of inferior officers. In opposition to her is the Queen of Winter, who
is a man dressed in women’s clothes, with woollen hoods, fur tippets,
and loaded with the warmest and heaviest habits one upon another; in
the same manner are those who represent her attendants dressed; nor is
she without a captain and troop for her defence. Both being equipped
as proper emblems of the beauty of the spring and the deformity of
the winter, they set forth from their respective quarters; the one
preceded by violins and flutes, the other with the rough music of tongs
and cleavers. Both companies march till they meet on a common, and
then their trains engage in a mock-battle. If the Queen of Winter’s
forces get the better, so far as to take the Queen of May prisoner,
she is ransomed for as much as pays the expenses of the day. After
this ceremony, Winter and her company retire and divert themselves in
a barn, and the others remain on the green, where, having danced a
considerable time, they conclude the evening with a feast, the queen
at one table with her maids, the captain with his troop at another.
There are seldom less than fifty or sixty persons at each board.” For
the seizure of her majesty’s person, that of one of her slippers was
substituted more recently, which was in like manner ransomed to defray
the expenses of the pageant. The procession of the summer, which was
subsequently composed of little girls, and called the _Maceboard_,
outlived that of its rival, the winter, some years. The Maceboard went
from door to door, inquiring if the inmates would buy the queen’s
favour, which was composed of a small piece of ribbon; this has also
fallen into disuse.
This custom was evidently derived from the Northmen, whose proceedings
on this day are thus described by Olaus Magnus, who wrote in the
sixteenth century:—“The Southern Swedes and Goths that are very far
from the Pole, have a custom, that on the first day of May, when the
sun is in Taurus, there should be two horse troops appointed of young
and lusty men, as if they were to fight some hard conflict. One of
these is led on by a captain, chosen by lot, who has the name and
habit of Winter. He is clothed with divers skins, and adorned with
fire forks, and casting about snow balls and pieces of ice, that he
may prolong the cold, he rides up and down in triumph, and he shows
and makes himself the harder, the more the icicles seem to hang from
their stoves.(?) The chieftain of the other is for summer, and is
called Captain Floria, and is clothed with green boughs and leaves and
summer garments that are not very strong. Both these ride from the
fields into the city, from divers places, one after another, and with
their fire spears they fight, and make a public show, that Summer hath
conquered Winter. Both sides striving to get the victory, that side
more forcibly assaults the other which on that day seems to borrow
more force from the air, whether temperate or sharp. If the winter
yet breathes frost, they lay aside their spears, and riding up and
down, cast about upon the spectators ashes mingled with live sparks
of fire taken from the graves or from the altar; and they, who in the
same dress and habit are auxiliary troops, cast fire-balls from their
horses. Summer, with his band of horse, shows openly his boughs of
birch, or tiel-tree, which are made green long before by art, as by the
heat of their stoves and watering them, and privately brought in as if
they newly came from the wood. But because nature is thus defrauded,
those that fight for winter press on the more, that the victory may not
be got by fraud; yet the sentence is given for summer by the favourable
judgement of the people, who are unwilling to endure the sharp rigor
of winter any longer; and so summer gets the victory with the general
applause of them all, and he makes a gallant feast for his company, and
confirms it by drinking cups, which he could scarcely win with spears.
This is the custom of driving away the winter, and receiving of summer.”
The Welsh story of the contest of Gwyn, as representing the powers of
darkness, and Gwythur, as representing the summer sun, makes them fight
for the possession of a beauteous damsel on the first of May. Gwythur
gains the victory, which symbolises the recovery by the Sun-God of
his bride at the beginning of summer, after his antagonist had gained
possession of her at the beginning of winter.
The 12th of May is still the general day for letting houses, paying
house rents, and taking grazing cattle, and also for farm girls going
to their places; but the distinctive observances connected with it have
died out.
On the 10th of this month was the Church festival called _Laa’l Spitlin
souree_, “Spitlin’s summer Feast day”, after a Saint now unknown.
_Perambulation of Parish Boundaries._—On the Monday, Tuesday, or
Wednesday, before Ascension Day it was an ancient custom in the Isle
of Man, as in England, to perambulate the boundaries of the parishes.
In Roman Catholic times, this perambulation was a matter of great
ceremony, and banners, handbells, and lights enlivened the procession.
In Queen Elizabeth’s reign it was ordained that the people should,
once in a year, make a circuit of the parish with the curate, who was
to admonish the people to give thanks to God, as they beheld his
benefits, and for the increase and abundance of the fruits upon the
face of the earth. This custom seems to have been derived from the
Roman _Terminalia_ and _Ambervalia_, which were festivals in honour of
the god Terminus, and the goddess Ceres. In England, and, as we shall
see, in the Isle of Man also, it has likewise a twofold object, firstly
to preserve a correct knowledge of the bounds of the parishes, and
secondly to supplicate the divine blessing on the fruits of the earth.
How this custom was performed in the Isle of Man will be seen from the
following injunction by the Bishop, Henry Bridgeman, in 1677:—“Upon
a solemn and tedious audience of the tennants of my Ld Bp’s demesne
together with most or many of the most aged and most substantiall
parishioners of the parish and parish Church of St Mary of Ballaugh,
in the Isle of Mann, concerning the performance of parochiall rights
and the payment of Parochiall duties betwixt the s^d tennants and
the rest of the parishioners aforesaid, which difference hath now
continued to be agitated betwixt them for many years. It was finally
sentenced and determined upon the second day of February, 1677, by the
Right Rev^d Father in God, Henry, Ld. Bp. of this Isle, before whom
it was clearly proved by the oaths of Thomas Craine, of the Glaick,
in Ballaugh, aged 71 years or thereabouts, and of Thomas Kinred, of
Ballaterson, in the same parish of Ballaugh, aged about 60 years,
and of Thomas Cowley, of Knockan, in the psh aforesaid, aged about
55 years. Many other aged persons of the said parish being ready to
confirm the same by their respective oaths had they been thereunto
admitted or required, which was forborne for the said Ld. Bp.’s tenants
did before his L’sp then and there confesse and acknowledge the verity
of their assertions vidt. That they had for severall years known the
respective parsons of Ballaugh and vicars of Kirk Michaell meet upon
severall ascension dayes together with their respective parishes at
the gate of B’sp’s Court, and in their perambulation goe into the
Chappell of the said Ld. Bp., and there unanimously agree that the
upper or East end thereof did stand, and was of antient time held to
be within the præcints of the Parish of St. Mary, of Ballaugh, and
the tower or West end of the said Chappell was of ould time accounted
and esteemed to be within the site and præcints of the parish of Kirk
Michaell and that the said respective Parsons and Vicars did severally
officiate divine service, the one at the one side or end of the said
Chappell, and the other at the other side or end of the same Chappell
alternately upon the said same dayes of perambulation. The Parsons of
Ballaugh coming down by a well called Aulcaugh als Phinlowes’ well and
so along by the river or milne-dam of the said Ld. Bp’s demesne up
to the said Chappell: and from thence with a considerable part of his
meadow called Ballaugh-third, conterminating upon the middle-third of
the said meadow, and thence to a parcell of land called John Gawn’s
Croft, and so to Brough-garge’s lands, which goes along the Strand or
seaside whereby it did evidently appear unto the said Ld Bp that all
his tenants upon the Demesne aforesaid which were inhabitants within
the said perambulation of the Parson of Ballaugh were and ought to be
esteemed, and are now by his Lp accordingly adjudged to be parishioners
of the parish and Church of St. Mary, of Ballaugh, and so subject and
liable to all parochial duties and performances unto ye said church as
the rest of the parishioners of the said parish are (excepting _onely_
the payment of such tythes as now are and of ould usually have been due
and payable unto the Ld Bp.) And more particelarly yt it is incumbent
upon them (as such) to make their proportionable part of the churchyard
hedge or ditch of the said parish of St. Mary’s of Ballaugh, according
as it is apportioned them in ye Register Book of the s^d church in the
year 1660, and it is now ordered and decreed by the said Ld Bp that
henceforth all the said tenants shall repaire unto divine service and
all the offices of the Holy Church upon every Ld^s Day, every holy day,
and other extraordinary dayes of public fasts and thanksgivings unto
the said church of St. Marie’s, as to their sole proper parish church;
and yt if they shall absent themselves frequently from the same upon
such dayes (without a lawfull and sufficient cause and reason to be
allowed by the s^d Ld Bp and his successors or his Vic^r Gen^{le}) that
they shall be presented by the churchwardens of the said parish for the
time being (whose consciences are hereby onerated to deall faithfully
therein) unto the Bp or his Vic^r Gen^{le} that they may be punished or
fined 12d apiece for every such dayes absence whereof they cannot give
a reasonable and satisfactory account. Provided always that ye decree
be no longer of force after they shall produce an antient, sufficient
and legall execution, which some of them seem to pretend unto, but
are not or have not yet been able to produce or make good, and in the
intervine (_sic_) they are hereby required to yield punctual submission
and obedience hereunto upon pain of excommunication. Given under the
Episcopal Seal of the said Ld Bp this second day of February, in the
seventh year of his consecration and in the year of Our Lord, 1677.
JOHAN ALLEN, Actuar
a Secretis D^{mi} Epi.
A copy whereof is hereby enjoyned to }
be entered in the several registers of }
both parishes, and the original to be }
kept in the Ld Bp’s records. }
The following is taken from the Parochial Register of Lezayre, Anno.
1715:—“The Revd. Mr. Wm. Walker, Vicar Genl. and Rector of Ballaugh,
and the Revd. Mr. Henry Allen, Vicar of Kirk Christ, Lezayre, together
with several of the ancients of both parishes, having met this day at
a place called Cottier’s platt in order to determine Boundaries of the
two Parishes from the place aforesaid unto the High-road leading from
Bishop’s Court to Ramsey: and both Parties having agreed to leave it
to me to hear what can be sayd on both sides, and to put a final end
to all controversies for the future concerning the said Boundary, I,
therefore, having heard all that hath been sayd by both Parties, and
having carefully viewed and walked the ground, do adjudge and declare
that a straight line drawn from the East side of the platt aforesaid,
betwixt two remarkable trees growing in the Highway aforesaid, and
betwixt two large white stones on the other side of the said Highway to
the end of an Hedge leading from thence to the mountains, shall ever
hereafter be looked upon and be the true Boundary of the two Parishes,
with which both sides being entirely satisfied, I do hereby require
that nobody do presume presumptuously to cut down the trees or to
remove the stones aforesaid; and that a true copy of this determination
be preserved in the Registers of both Parishes, as an end of all strife
on this account. Given under my hand and seal at Bishop’s Court the day
and year above written.
(Signed) THO: SODOR AND MAN.”
A letter of Bishop Wilson’s, on the subject of perambulations
follows:—“To the Reverend the Archdeacon and the rest of the Clergy of
the diocese of Sodor and Man: My brethren,—The last Convocation but
one, you were put in mind of a very considerable ommission, in not
going every Holy Thursday the boundary of your severall Parishes or
some part of such as are large which hath been practised till of late,
time out of mind. In order, therefore, to the keeping of this laudable
custom, you are hereby required to give notice to your Parishioners
on Rogation Sunday, May 3rd, that you purpose (God willing) to walk
the boundarys of your Parish, or some considerable part of them, on
Holy Thursday following, and desire the people to meet you at prayers
and to accompany you. And that they may be better dispos’d to do so,
you shall inform them that besides the great advantage of settling
and securing the boundarys of Parishes, the great design is to give
publick and national acknowledgement and thanks to God for all his
blessings both by sea and land, and especially for the fruits of the
earth which at this time begin to appear, as also to beg of God to
send us such seasonable weather, as that we may receive the fruits
thereof, to our own comfort, and for the relief of those that are in
want, and lastly to beseech God of his mercy to preserve us from all
infectious diseases and unusual mortality amongst men and beasts and
from the rage of enemies. You shall further inform them, how necessary
this is to keep up a constant sense of our dependence upon Almighty
God, for every blessing we enjoy or hope for, whether peace or plenty,
or security from our enemies, or health to enjoy these blessings. Now,
the manner of observing this laudable custom has been at certain places
to read distinctly the 103rd Psalm, by the Minister only, and in other
places to pronounce openly the curse set down in Deut. 27, 17—‘Cursed
is he that removeth his neighbour’s landmark,’ that is, who defrauds
his neighbour of any of his rights, either by fraud or force, or going
to law without just cause. At the same time people should be exhorted
to beware of the great sin of covetousness, and to be content with
the blessing God has given to their own honest labours. That ‘better
is the little that the righteous have,’ such as they have gotten by
righteous ways, than ‘great riches cf the ungodly,’ which they have
gotten wrongfully, and that God will never bless such possessions as
are gotten, or defended, or kept by unjust means. Here also it will
be very becoming a clergyman against the great sin of Litigiousness
by which Christian love and charity are broken, and men hazard the
loss of a heavenly inheritance to gain some trifle often in this
world.—Dated at Bishop’s Court, the 24th April. 1741. (Signed) THO.
SODOR AND MANN.” Below this he appends the proper “Collects to
be used on the perambulation: Quinquagesima Sunday; Third Sunday in
Lent; Septuagesima Sunday; The Prayer for Rain, if then needful; In
time of Death and Famine; In time of Warr; In the Litany, the last
two petitions, viz., ‘That it may please Thee to give and preserve to
our use, &c.,’ ‘That it may please Thee to forgive us all our sins,’
and the Prayer in Mr. Nelson’s book for Rogation Week.”[72] These
Perambulations have not yet fallen entirely into disuse.
The festival on June 24th, _Midsummer day_, and on its eve,
_Midsummer-eve_, kept since the change in the Calendar on July 5th and
July 4th, seems to have been of Scandinavian origin, for, among the
ancient Celts, the longest day, as far as is known, was of no especial
account. But to people living within the Arctic circle, who for months
in the winter were altogether deprived of the sun, his ascent and
descent were naturally of greater importance than to people living
further south. This festival was probably originally in honour of
Balder, the northern Sun-God, who at Midsummer attained his greatest
splendour and duration, and from thence began to decline.[73] The
beginning of his declination was commemorated by the lighting of his
funeral pyre, which the modern bonfires have perpetuated. Of the later
celebration of this eve and day in Scandinavia, Vigfusson writes:—“St.
John Baptist’s Day is in the northern countries a kind of Midsummer
Yule, and was in Norway and Sweden celebrated with bonfires, dance, and
merriment; and tales of fairies and goblins of every kind are connected
with St. John’s Eve in the summer as well as Yule-eve in winter.” And
with regard to its origin, he says:—“The origin of this feast is no
doubt heathen, being a worship of light and the sun, which has since
been adapted to a Christian name and a Christian Calendar.”[74] Very
similar are the observances of this eve in Man. Bonfires were lit on
the hills, and blazing wheels were formerly rolled from their tops,
probably originally with the intention of typifying the beginning of
the sun’s declination.[75] Cattle were also driven between or over
fires to keep them from disease, and men and boys leaped over the
flames. Train says that “on the eve of St. John the Baptist, the
natives lighted fires to the windward side of every field, so that the
smoke might pass over the corn; they folded their cattle and carried
blazing furze or gorse round them several times.”
These fire observances were in fact the same as on May-Day Eve, and
they seem to have been designed as Charms to secure as much sunshine
as possible, which, considering our dull and cloudy climate, is not
to be wondered at; and they were at one time connected with human
sacrifices.[76] There was also a notion that the corn would grow well
as far as the bonfires were seen, and, therefore, numerous bonfires
were lit on these occasions, and it was supposed that the height of the
straw depended on the height that the men jumped over the flames.
Fairies are supposed to be especially powerful on this eve, and Witches
are said to hold a saturnalia.
A curious belief that the souls of all people left their bodies when
asleep on this night, and wandered to the place where they would die
was formerly prevalent, and from this probably arose the custom of
sitting up to watch, and so avoiding such an occurrence. Those who
watched in the church porches were rewarded with the sight of those
who would die in the year, as on St. Mark’s eve and Hollantide eve. On
this eve, too, was gathered the _Bollan-Feaill-Eoin_, “John’s Feast day
wort” (mugwort), which was made into wreaths to be worn on the heads
of man and beast to protect them from witchcraft.
The next morning the great _Tinwald_ Court,[77] corresponding to the
Icelandic _Althing_, was held, when the laws were promulgated, and the
festival proper, all Witches and evil Spirits having been disposed
of on the previous evening, began. At this festival, which probably
lasted a fortnight in old times, there took place not only the Court,
but probably a religious feast and merry-makings of all kinds, such as
hurling and football, match-making, feasting, and, above all, recitals
of legends and traditions. As regards Man, however, we have no definite
information about the observance of this day from tradition, except
that there was a fair, which still continues; and from written sources
there is only preserved a letter written, in 1636, by Bishop Parr
to Archbishop Neile, in which he states that on St. John Baptist’s
day he found the people in a chapel dedicated to that Saint “in the
practice of gross superstitions”, which he caused “to be cried down”,
and, in the place of them, “appointed Divine services and sermons.” We
can only wish that the good Bishop had informed us what these “gross
superstitions” were. We have already seen (Chapter I.) that Manannan
received his tribute of rushes on this day, and it is curious that the
pathway leading up to the chapel is still covered with rushes supplied
by a small farm close by, which is held on the tenure of doing this
service.
As we have already seen from the name, St. John, the Church adopted
this heathen festival as that Saint’s feast, _Feaill Eoin_,
“John’s-Feast”, as it is called in Manx. It has been ingeniously
suggested by Mr. Tylor that this adoption, or rather adaptation, may
have arisen from the same train of symbolism which adapted the heathen
Midwinter solar festival to the Nativity of our Lord, _i.e._, from our
Lord’s own words “He must increase, but I must decrease.” It seems,
however, much more probable that St. John was merely substituted for
Balder, as our Saviour was substituted for him in other portions of the
northern faith.
The following proverb attached to St. John’s Day probably refers to the
desirability of having rain to bring on the straw of the corn crops at
this time rather than later, when it would interfere with the maturing
of the grain: _Lane croie cabbyl dy ushtey Laa’l Eoin feeu mayl
Vannin_, “A full horse-shoe of water (on) John’s Feast day is worth the
rent of Man.”
July 13 was dedicated to the Saint called German, after whom the
Cathedral on Peel Island is supposed to be named.[78] August 1st,
kept since the change in the calendar, on August 12th, is called
_Laa Luanys_, or _Laa Lunys_, “Luanys’s Day.” This name was probably
originally associated with the Celtic god _Lug_, or _Lleu_, as he is
called in Wales, who, as he was said to have been brought up at the
court of Manannan, was closely connected with Man.[79] In Ireland,
his festival, called the _Lug-nassad_, or the wedding of Lug, was
celebrated on this day by a fair, at which games and sports took
place. In Man, too, there was, within living memory, a great fair in
the parish of Santon, on the same day. This festival was, according to
Professor Rhys, “the great event of the summer half of the year, which
extended from the calends of May to the calends of winter. The Celtic
year was more thermometric than astronomical; and the _Lug-nassad_
was, so to say, its summer solstice.”[80] The fair has disappeared;
but the ancient custom of visiting the highest hills and the sacred
wells on this day, cannot be said to be altogether extinct. These
wells are usually found near old ecclesiastical sites, as the holy
recluses would naturally build their _keeills_ near springs, where they
would construct wells both for their own personal convenience as well
as for baptizing their disciples. Some of these wells were formerly
much venerated, as their waters were supposed to possess sanative
qualities, and to be of special virtue as charms against witchcraft
and Fairies. The devotees would drop a small coin into the well, drink
of the water, repeat a prayer, in which they mentioned their ailments,
and then decorate the well, or the tree overhanging it, with flowers
and other votive offerings, usually rags. They believed that when the
flowers withered, or the rags rotted, their ailments would be cured.
These rites have been observed in the Isle of Man within the memory of
those now living. There is a well on Gob-y-Vollee, called Chibber Lansh
(where the meaning of _lansh_ is uncertain), consisting of three pools,
which was formerly much resorted to for the cure of sore eyes. The cure
could only be effective if the patient came on Sunday, and walked three
times round each pool, saying in Manx, _Ayns enym yn Ayr, as y Vac,
as y Spyrryd Noo_, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost”, and then applied the water to his or her eye. Many of
these wells, however, together with the sacred tree which overshadowed
them, were certainly objects of veneration long before the days of the
recluses and their religion.[81]
The Church attempted to put an end to this custom, and failed, but
contrived to give it a religious character by changing the date of its
observance from the first day of August to the first Sunday in that
month.[82] The following representation made to the Ecclesiastical
Court by the curate and wardens of the parish of Lonan, in 1732, will
show that this custom was prevalent at that time:—
“The curate and wardens represent to the Court that there is a
superstitious and wicked custom, which is yearly continued and
practised in this and the neighbouring parishes by many young people
(and some of riper years) going to the top of Snaefell Mountain upon
the first Sunday in August, where (as they are informed) they behave
themselves very rudely and indecently for the greater part of that
day. Therefore, they crave that the Rev. Court may be pleased to order
what method must be taken to put a stop to this profane custom for
the future.” The Court (consistorial), in consequence of this order,
ordained “that publication be made yearly on the two last Sundays in
July, by the minister for the time being, after the Nicene Creed,
that whoever shall be found to profane the Lord’s Day after this
wicked and superstitious manner shall be proceeded against with severe
ecclesiastical censures; and the minister and wardens are hereby
required to do their utmost in discovering the persons guilty in this
particular, and to make presentment thereof.”
But such methods did not avail against this “superstitious and wicked
custom” and in vain, too, did Bishop Wilson fulminate against it, as it
was quite common 70 years ago, and is not quite extinct yet. It is said
that, about 1820, a preacher, named Gick, went up South Barrule and
denounced it, and that consequently it has since then almost ceased,
though a few people still ascend the mountains on the first Sunday
after the 12th of August, pretending that they do so to search for
blaberries; and a few may be seen lurking in the vicinity of the wells.
There is now an idea prevalent that this custom of ascending the hills
is in commemoration of Jepthah’s daughter going forth on the hills,
with the daughters of Israel following her, an idea which has probably
been promulgated by the preachers with a view of causing a heathen
superstition to be superseded by a Christian ceremony.
_Harvest._—When the landlord, or farmer, entered for the first time the
field where harvesting operations went on, it was customary to bind him
with _sugganes_, or straw ropes, and not to release him till he paid a
forfeit.
The harvest festival is called in Manx _yn mheillea_, or _yn meailley_,
‘the harvest home,’ “though”, says Gill,[83] “more strictly it is
the name of the garland made of the last handful of corn which is
shorn and formed into the shape of that which is borne by Ceres. This
figure, dressed with ribbons, is carried before the reapers, and is
called, together with the procession, _yn meailley_, or _meilley_,
‘the reapers feast,’ from _meail_.” “_Meail_”, he adds, “is the whole
gang of reapers.” This figure, somewhat obscurely described by Gill,
was called _yn moidyn_, ‘the maiden,’ and was made of straw, decorated
with ribbons and wild flowers. It was carried by the Queen of the
_Meailley_, a girl elected from among the female workers, though
usually the youngest of them, to the highest part of the field where it
was placed and saluted with hearty cheers. It was also a custom to cut
off a bunch of ears from this last sheaf of corn, with about 12 inches
of straw attached. This bunch of corn, called _baban ny mheillea_, ‘the
doll of the harvest,’ or simply, _yn mheillea_, ‘the harvest,’ which
was usually about 4 inches in diameter, was dressed up to represent a
woman, from the neck downwards, the ears doing duty for the head and
face. It was then placed on the chimney piece in the kitchen of the
farm house, and was not removed till the following harvest, when its
place was taken by a similar successor. This custom has not long died
out, and indeed the small sheaf, though not dressed, may still be seen
in many a farm house. The large sheaf previously referred to was taken
from the field, when the last load of corn was carried and placed on
top of it, together with the _moidyn_.[84] It was then deposited in
the barn with much clamour and rejoicing, and was kept there till
the following harvest. After this they all adjourned to the supper,
which it was usual for the farmer to provide on these occasions, and
which was a scene of great joy and merriment, the _Laare-vane_, as on
twelfth day, being a conspicuous feature (see p. 104). The carrying of
the ‘maiden’ has now fallen into desuetude, so that the name is now
associated with the harvest supper only.
October 25th.—_Laa’l Maghal_, ‘Maughold’s Feast day,’ the second of the
two days dedicated to this Saint.
October 31st and November 11th are the present and past dates, in
accordance with the change in the Calendar, of the eve of the Church
festival called “All Hallow Mass”, or “All Saints’ Mass” (Middle
English _halowe_ ‘a saint’). The eve of this day, Hallowe’en in
English, is called _Oie houiney_ in Manx, and is still kept in the
Isle of Man on the 11th of November. The day itself is called _Sauin_,
_Souin_ or _yn Tauin_, corresponding with the Irish and Scotch Samhain,
though the English “Holland-tide” is the name now usually given to the
season and to the fair held on the 12th of November.
This day was formerly the first day of the first month of winter, and
also the first day of the Celtic year. A tradition to the effect that
it was the first day of the year still obtains among the Manx, who
are accustomed to predict the weather for the ensuing year from that
on the 12th of November, and this is emphasised by the fact that, as
we shall see later, the ceremonies now practised on New Year’s Eve,
were, within living memory, practised on the 11th of November. Among
the Norsemen, the first night of winter, which they celebrated by a
feast, was the 14th of October, but winter would come earlier in their
more Northern clime. According to the ancient Irish, _Samhain_ Eve was
the proper occasion for prophecies and unveiling mysteries. In Wales,
within almost recent times, women congregated in the parish churches
on this eve to learn their fortune from the flame of the candle each
one held in her hand, and to hear the names or see the coffins of the
parishioners destined to die in the course of the year. The Scotch
believed that all the Warlocks and Witches assembled in force at this
season, and perpetrated all sorts of atrocities. Similar beliefs to the
above prevailed in the Isle of Man. It was, therefore, very necessary
to propitiate the Fairies, who alone were amenable to such attentions,
on this night in particular. The leavings of the supper of the family
were consequently not removed, and crocks of fresh water were placed
on the table, so that ‘the little People’ might refresh themselves.
Professor Rhys says that the reason why this night was regarded as “the
Saturnalia of all that was hideous and uncanny in the world of spirits”
was because “it had been fixed upon as the time of all others when the
Sun-God, whose power had been gradually falling off since the great
feast associated with him on the first of August, succumbed to his
enemies, the powers of darkness and winter. It was their first hour of
triumph after an interval of subjection, and the popular imagination
pictured them stalking abroad with more than ordinary insolence and
aggressiveness.”[85] It was, in fact, the time when the result of the
combat which took place in May was reversed; then the powers of light
gained the ascendency, now the powers of darkness. Bonfires were lit on
_Oie Houiney_, as on _Oie Voaldyn_, and for the same reason.
The following custom, which survived till recently, has now died
out. Mummers went from house to house shouting the following curious
refrain, the meaning of which can only be conjectured. The portion now
in English was, of course, formerly in Manx:—
_Hog-annaa_—This is old Hollantide night:
_Trolla-laa_—The moon shines fair and bright.
_Hog-annaa_—I went to the well,
_Trolla-laa_—And drank my fill;
_Hog-annaa_—On my way back
_Trolla-laa_—I met a witch-cat;
_Hog-annaa_—The cat began to grin,
_Trolla-laa_—And I began to run.
_Hog-annaa_—Where did you run to?
_Trolla-laa_—I ran to Scotland.
_Hog-annaa_—What were they doing there?
_Trolla-laa_—Baking bannocks and roasting collops.
_Hog-annaa—Trolla-laa!_
If you are going to give us anything, give us it soon,
Or we’ll be away by the light of the moon—_Hog-annaa_!
Professor Rhys came across a different and seemingly more rational
version of this Hollantide rhyme in the South of the Island last
year:—_Oie Houna_—“Hollantide Eve.” _Shibber ny gauin(a)_[86]—“Supper
of the heifer.” _Cre gauin marr mayd?_—“Which heifer shall we kill?”
_yn gauin veg vreac_—“The little spotted heifer.” There were more
lines, but his informant had forgotten them.
The first line of this song was formerly “_Hog-annaa_—To-night is New
Year’s Night”,[87] which is another proof that this was the last night
of the year; and it is significant, also, that the customs of raking
out the ashes from the fire and placing ivy in water, now practised
on the 31st of December, were practised on this night within living
memory. These facts, combined with the recollection of the 12th being
considered New Year’s Day by old persons (as previously mentioned), may
be considered to settle the question. But, in addition to this, the
words of the chorus, _Hog-annaa, trollalay_, are probably identical
with _Hogmanay, trollalay_, the words of a Scotch song which is sung
on New Year’s Eve—_Hogmanay_, according to Jamieson, being either
the last day of the year or the entertainment given to a visitor on
this day. In France, too, there is a similar custom and word, as _En
Basse Normandie les pauvres le dernier jour en demandant l’aumosne,
disent Hoguinanno_. “In Low Normandie, the poor, the last day (of
the year), in demanding alms, say _Hoguinanno_.” We may, therefore,
conclude that this was undoubtedly the last night of the year. As to
the meaning of this word, _Hog-annaa_, _Hogmanay_, or _Hoguinanno_,
we may venture to suggest that, supposing the Scotch form to be the
most accurate, both it and _trollalay_ are of Scandinavian origin, and
refer to the Fairies and the Trolls. We know that on this night it
was considered necessary to propitiate the dwellers in Fairy-land,
who, with the Phynnodderees, Witches, and Spirits of all kinds, were
abroad and especially powerful. We may, therefore, perhaps translate
_Hog-man-aye_ into _Hanga-man-ey_—“mound-men (for) ever”, the Fairies
being considered as dwellers in the _hows_ (_or tumuli_, or green
mounds)—and _trollalay_ into _trolla-á-lá_, “trolls into the surf.”
The Fairies, who were considered the most powerful of these creatures,
being thus propitiated, would then protect their suppliants against
the rest. The boys, who went round singing this song, carried big
sticks with cabbages or turnips stuck in the top, and with these they
knocked at people’s doors till they received herrings and potatoes and
such-like gifts. The usual supper on this night consists of potatoes,
parsnips and fish, pounded together and mixed with butter; and a cake
is made, called _Soddag valloo_, or dumb cake. “Every woman is obliged
to assist in mixing the ingredients (flour, eggs and eggshells, soot,
&c.), kneading the dough and baking the cake on the glowing embers; and
when it is sufficiently baked, they divide it, eat it up, and retire to
their beds backwards without speaking a word, from which silence the
cake derives its name, and in the course of the night they expect to
see the images of the men who are destined to be their husbands.”[88]
The following is another Hollantide recipe for dreaming of a future
husband:—Take a salt herring from a neighbour’s house without the
consent or knowledge of the owner. Be sure to capture it in the dark,
and take the first that comes to hand. Then take it home, and roast
it in its brine upon the cinders. Maintain strict silence, both while
eating it and afterwards, and carefully consume every scrap—bones
and all. On the stroke of midnight retire to bed backwards, undress
in the dark, and avoid touching water. If these instructions are
properly carried out, the future husband will appear in a dream, and
will present a drink of water. Yet another recipe was, for the girls
to fill their mouths with water, and hold a pinch of salt in each
hand. Thus equipped they went to a neighbour’s door, and listened to
the conversation within, when the first name mentioned would be that
of their future husband. There are various customs practised on this
evening in Man, which are almost identical with those in all other
parts of the United Kingdom. Of these, the burning of nuts for purposes
of divination, is one of the most popular. It is described by Burns for
Scotland; and by Brand, in his “Popular Antiquities”, for Ireland, in
words which we quote, as they are precisely applicable to what takes
place in Man:—
The auld guidwife’s well hoordit nits[89]
Are round and round divided,
And mony lads’ and mony lasses’ fates
Are there that night decided:
Some kindle couthie[90] side by side,
An’ burn thegither trimly,
Some start awa’ wi’ saucy pride,
And grimp out owre the chimlie
Fu’ high that night.
Jean slips in twa wi’ tentie e’e;[91]
Wha ’twas she wadna tell;
But this is Jock, and this is me,
She says in to hersel;
He bleez’d owre her, an’ she owre him,
As they wad ne’er main part!
Till fuff! he started up the lum,[92]
An Jean had e’en a sair heart
To see’t that night.
“It is a custom in Ireland, when the young women would know if their
lovers are faithful, to put three nuts upon the bars of the grate,
naming the nuts after the lovers. If a nut cracks or jumps, the lover
will prove unfaithful, if it begins to blaze or burn, he has a regard
for the person making the trial. If the nuts named after the girl and
her lover burn together, they will be married.”
Much amusement is also derived from the custom of setting apples afloat
in a tub of water from which they have to be extracted by the teeth.
The pouring of molten lead into water, where it takes various fantastic
shapes from which the future vocation of the person who pours is
divined, is still a favourite pastime. The popular belief ascribes to
children born on Hallowe’en the possession of the mysterious faculty of
perceiving and holding converse with supernatural beings.
The following day, the first of November, according to the present
reckoning, is the church Festival of All Saints, _Laa’l Mooar ny
Saintsh_ “Great Festival of the Saints”, as it is called in Manx.
The twelfth of November is the general day for letting lands, payment
of rent, and for men-servants taking their places for the year. The
largest fair of the year is still held on this day. It is considered as
the beginning of the winter half of the year.
November 18.—_Laa’l Spitlin Geurey_, “Spitlin’s Winter Feast day”, the
second feast of this unknown Saint.
December 6th.—_Laa’l Catreeney_, “Catherine’s Feast day” (old style).
On, or about, this day possession must be taken on the South side of
the Island of lands, when there is a change of occupier. A fair was
held on this day in the Parish of Arbory, when the following curious
distich was repeated:—
_Kiark Catreeny maroo,
Gow’s y kione,
As goyms ny cassyn,
As ver mayd ee fo’n thalloo._
Catherine’s hen is dead,
Take thou the head,
And I will take the feet,
And we will put her under ground.
If any one got drunk at the fair he was said to have “plucked a feather
of the hen.”
December 11th.—_Laa’l Andreays_, “Andrew’s Feast day.” On, or before,
this day possession must be taken on the North side of the Island,
under similar circumstances.
December 21.—_Laa’l Thomase_, “Thomas’s Feast day, formerly _Laa’l
Fingan_, “Fingan’s feast day”, St. Fingan, or Finnian, was the first
of the great Irish scholars, being especially devoted to the study and
exposition of Scripture. The following saying has reference to the eve
of this day: _Faaid mooar son Oiel Fingan_, “A large turf for Eve of
Fingan’s Feast.” It probably means that, as the Christmas festivities
were drawing near, it was necessary to have an extra large turf to
cook the fare for that feast. There is a weather saying with reference
to this time of the year, that “if the frost will bear a goose before
Christmas, it will not bear a duck after Christmas.” _Ny nee yn
rio gymmyrkey guiy roish yn Ollick cha nymmyrkey e thunnag lurg yn
Ollick._[93]
December 24.—Christmas Eve, in Manx _Oie’l Verrey_, a corruption of
_Oie feaill Voirrey_, “Eve of Mary’s Feast.” It was the custom for
the people to go in crowds to the Parish Churches on this evening
to attend a service, the main feature of which was the singing of
Carols, called in Manx _Carvals_, many of which were of portentous
length. Each one brought his or her own candle, so that the Church
was brilliantly illuminated. The decorations were of a very primitive
kind, mainly consisting of huge branches of _hullin_ (holly), and
festoons of _hibbin_ (ivy). After the prayers were read, and a hymn
was sung, the parson usually went home, leaving the Clerk in charge.
Then each one who had a carol to sing would do so in turn, so that the
proceedings were continued till a very late hour, and sometimes, also,
unfortunately became of a rather riotous character, as it was a custom
for the female part of the congregation to provide themselves with
peas, which they flung at their bachelor friends. On the way home, a
considerable proportion of the congregation would probably visit the
nearest inn, where they would partake of the traditional drink on such
occasions, viz., Hot ale, flavoured with spice, ginger, and pepper.
After this, the parting song commencing with—
_Te traa goll thie dy goll dy lhie,
Te tayrn dys traa ny lhiabbagh &c._
It is time to go home to go to lie down,
It draws towards bed-time, &c.
would be trolled out, and the last of the revellers would depart. The
_Oie’l Verree_ services are still continued, but are entirely shorn of
all their riotous accompaniments, while ordinary hymns, or short carols
sung by the choirs, have taken the place of the lengthy solos of the
past. Carols are also sung by bands, who go from house to house during
the week before Christmas, and receive a small Christmas-box, or some
refreshment, in return for their entertainment.
It was formerly the custom for fiddlers to go round in this way before
Christmas. They stopped and played at the houses where they thought
they were likely to receive a fee, wished the inmates individually
“good morning”, called the hour, and reported the state of the weather.
The custom of mumming at this season, formerly common, is now almost
moribund. The mummers, or as they are called in Man, “The White Boys”,
perform the time-honoured legend of “St. George and the Dragon”, which
has, however, became considerably modified. Both in England, Scotland,
and Ireland, it has been from an early day amongst the most popular
amusements of Christmas, and, till recently, continued to be so in Man.
The plot everywhere seems to be pretty nearly the same, though scarcely
any two sets of performers render it alike, as they constantly mix up
extraneous matter, often of a local nature, and frequently allude to
the passing events of the day, making the confusion of character in all
the versions very great.[94]
In this Isle the _dramatis personæ_—St. George, Prince Valentine,
King of Egypt, Sambo, and the Doctor—are attired in white dresses,
showing their shirt sleeves, fantastically decorated with ribbons,
fancy-coloured paper, beads, and tinsel. They wear high caps or turbans
of white pasteboard similarly decked out, with a sprig of evergreen or
“Christmas” stuck in them, and each carrying a drawn sword in his hand.
The “Doctor” is in _full black_, with face and cap of the same, armed
with a stick, and a bladder tied to the end, with which he belabours
those who press too close upon the performers. He generally carries a
small box for the contributions, and is a kind of Merry-Andrew to the
play, which, if it happens to fall in the hands of a sprightly wag,
causes some amusement to the audience, who, somehow or other, generally
appear more frightened than pleased with the rest of the characters.
The performance is often wound up by a song. The following was taken
down by W. Harrison as it was recited in his house at Christmas,
1845.[95]
THE WHITE BOYS.
_Dramatis Personæ._
ST. GEORGE.
KING OF EGYPT.
PRINCE VALENTINE.
SAMBO.
A DOCTOR.
Enter SAMBO.
It is here by your leave, Ladies and Gentlemen,
We will act a sporting play;
We will show you fine diversion,
Before we go away.
It is room, room, brave gallant boys!
Give us room to rhyme,
We will show you fine diversion
In this Christmas time.
It is room, room, give us room to sport,
This is the place we wish to resort—
To resort and to repeat our pretty rhymes,
Remember, good folks, it is the Christmas times.
This Christmas time as we now appear,
We wish to act our merry Christmas here;
We are the merry actors that travel the street,
We are the merry actors who fight for our meat,
We are the merry actors who show pleasant play;
Enter in the King of Egypt—clear the way!
Enter THE KING OF EGYPT.
I am the King of Egypt, and so boldly do appear,
And St. George, he is my son, my only son and heir!
Step forth, my son, St. George! and act thy part with ease,
Show forth to all the living company thy praise.
Enter ST. GEORGE.
I am thy son St. George, and from England have I sprung,
Many are the noble deeds and wonders I have done.
Full fourteen years in prison I was kept,
And out of that into a cave I leapt,
From thence I went into a rock of stone;
’Twas there I made my sad and grievious (sic) moan.
Many were the lions that I did subdue,
I ran the fiery dragon through and through;
With a golden trumpet in my mouth
I sounded at the gates divine, the truth.
It’s here to England, right from Egypt’s station,
It is here I draw my bloody weapon.
Show me the man that dare before me stand;
I’ll cut him down with my courageous hand!
Or, who dare challenge me to fight, and I so great?
I who have fought Lords, Dukes, and made the earth to quake!
Enter PRINCE VALENTINE.
ST. GEORGE—Who art thou? poor silly fellow?
VALENTINE—I am a Turkish champion, from Turkish land I came,
I came to fight that valiant knight, St. George they call his name;
For it is hereby my name is written, Prince Valentine,
Descended from a hardy race and of a noble line.
And soon St. George I’ll make thy lofty laurels flee,
It shall not be said by all that I did yield to thee!
We’ll fight it out most manfully. Draw!
_They Fight._
ST. GEORGE—The point of my sword is broke.
VALENTINE—It happens so indeed! this night
St. George is beat, he dare not fight!
ST. GEORGE—Beat by thee! thou poor silly rook!
VALENTINE—Fall in, Prince Actor.
_They fight; St. George falls on one knee._
KING OF EGYPT—O mortal stars! and skies of heaven above!
What a thing it is for a man to lose his love!
To strike that val’rous champion from the helm,
And cursed be he, that did him overwhelm.
O Sambo! Sambo! help me now in speed,
For never was I in a greater need.
SAMBO—O yea, my master! I soon will thee obey,
With sword in hand I hope to gain the day.
Art thou the knave that singly standest there?
That slew my master’s only son and heir?
VALENTINE—He challenged me to fight, and why should I deny!
He cut my coat so full of rents and made my buttons fly,
And if the rascal had had the honour to obtain,
Why, sir! he would have served you the same.
SAMBO—I’ll try if thou art born of noble race;
I’ll make thy blood come trickling down thy face;
And if thou dost another word against my master say,
Right through thy yellow body I’ll make an open way.
_They fight; and Valentine falls._
KING OF EGYPT—O guards! come, take this dismal corpse away,
For in my sight it shall no longer stay,
O Doctor! Doctor! is there a doctor to be found,
Can cure St. George of his deep and deadly wound?
Enter DOCTOR.
Oh yes! master, yes, there is a doctor to be found,
Can cure St. George, thy son, of a deep and deadly wound.
KING OF EGYPT—From whence come ye?
DOCTOR—From France, from Spain, from Rome I came,
I’ve travelled all parts of Christendom.
SAMBO—Well spoken, Doctor!
KING OF EGYPT—What can you cure?
DOCTOR—All sorts of diseases,
Whatever you pleases.
All pains within, all pains without,
The plague, the palsy, and the gout.
The itch, stitch, and molly-grubs.
I can cure all these deeds.
All big-bellied maids,
And such like jades.
Likewise, I will pledge my life,
I can cure a scolding wife;
Let them be curst or ever so stout,
If the devil’s in, I’ll blow him out.
KING OF EGYPT—What is your fee?
DOCTOR—Twenty pounds down is my fee,
But half of that I’ll take from thee,
If it is St. George’s life I save,
That sum this night from you I crave.
KING OF EGYPT—What medicine do you carry, Doctor?
DOCTOR—I carry a little bottle in my pocket of rixum-raxum,
prixum-praxum, with I-cock-o’-lory—a little of this to his nostrils.
Rise up St. George! and fight again!
_The Doctor performs his cure, and St. George rises._
ST. GEORGE—Oh horrible! terrible! the like was never seen,
A man drove out of seven senses into seventeen,
And out of seventeen into seven-score,
Oh horrible! terrible! the like was ne’er before.
It was neither by a bull, nor yet by a bear,
But by a little devil of a rabbit there.
_The Doctor performs the cure on Valentine, who rises._
VALENTINE—It is a kind of rough tough, coming up like a fly,
Up the seven stairs, and down the lofty sky.
My head is made of iron, my body made of steel,
My legs are made of pipe-shanks, I’ll cause you all to yield.
_Valentine and Sambo fight, when the King of Egypt interposes._
KING OF EGYPT—Oh! oh! we are all brothers,
Why should we be all through others?
Put up your swords and fight no more,
No longer in this house adore.
DOCTOR—My box it is dumb and cannot speak,
Please give us something for Christmas sake.
_Exeunt omnes._
It is said, that on this Eve, at midnight, all the bullocks of seven
years old or more fall on their knees and utter a sort of groan,
and, that at the same time, the myrrh plant bursts into flower and
so continues for one hour, when it disappears again. My informant is
positive that he saw this latter phenomenon last Christmas Eve (1890).
To the superstitious Manx, one pleasant feature of this sacred season
generally, and of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in particular, was
that they were able to pass any haunted glen or road in perfect safety,
as, owing to the beneficent influence of Christ, no Phynnodderee,
Buggane, Witch, or evil creature of any kind could harm them.
_Christmas Day_, called _Laa Nollick_ or _Laa Nullick_, in Manx,
where _Nollick_ is probably a corruption of the latin _Natalicium_
“birthday”, is observed in the Isle of Man in much the same way as in
England, Scotland, and Ireland.
It is interesting to note that the church festival of Christmas was
placed at the same time as the Pagan feast of the winter solstice,
which was called the _Saturnalia_ by the Romans, and _Yule_ by the
Scandinavian nations, with whom the Isle of Man was closely connected.
The meaning of the word _Yule_ has given rise to considerable
controversy, the most probable interpretation being that of Ficke;[96]
who explains it to mean “noise”, or “cry”, especially the loud noise
of revelry and rejoicing. The heathen _Yule_ was certainly a great
time of merrymaking, and lasted for thirteen days, inclusive of the
6th of January. This merrymaking was to express their joy at the days
having reached their shortest limit on the 21st of December, when the
sun recommenced his upward course. The Church attempted to change the
heathen ceremonies into the solemnities of the Christian festivals, of
which it put as many as possible at this season. The result was, the
strange medley of Christian and Pagan rites, especially with regard to
the mistletoe and the _Yule_ log, which contribute to the festivities
of the modern Christmas.
“As soon as the prayers at the _Oiel Verrey_ are over”, says Waldron,
“Christmas begins, and there is not a barn unoccupied for the whole
twelve days—every parish hiring fiddlers at the public charge; and all
the youths, nay, sometimes people in years, make no scruple to be among
these nocturnal dancers.”
Every family that could afford it, had a special brewing called
_Jough-y-Nollick_, “drink of Christmas;” and as one brewing kettle
generally served a whole neighbourhood, it was in great request at
this time, hence the Manx proverb, “To go about like a brewing pan.”
The weather saying for this season is: _Ollick fluigh, Rhullick vea_,
“Wet Christmas, rich Churchyard”, _i.e._, wet weather at this time is
considered unhealthy.
December 26.—_Laa’l Steaoin_, ‘Stephen’s Feast day.’ On this day
the cruel but curious custom of Hunting the Wren is kept up. The
unfortunate bird was stoned to death; and there is, therefore, an
appropriateness in the Church festival commemorating the stoning of
St. Stephen being on the same day. This stoning of the wren, however,
if Waldron is to be believed, seems to have taken place on Christmas
morning 160 years ago, as he says, “on the 24th of December, towards
evening, all the servants in general have a holiday; they go not to bed
all night, but ramble about till the bells ring in all the Churches,
which is at twelve o’clock; prayer being over, they go to hunt the
wren, and after having found one of these poor birds, they kill her,
and lay her on a bier with the utmost solemnity, bringing her to the
parish church, and burying her with a whimsical kind of solemnity,
singing dirges over her in the Manx language, which they call her
knell, after which Christmas begins.” A writer of the early part of
the present century gives the following account of the origin of the
hunting of the wren:—
“It has been a pastime in the Isle of Man from time immemorial to hunt
the wren. It is founded on a tradition that in former times a fairy of
uncommon beauty exerted such undue influence over the male population,
that she at various times seduced numbers to follow her footsteps,
till, by degrees, she led them into the sea, where they perished.
This barbarous exercise of power had continued for a great length of
time, till it was apprehended the Island would be exhausted of its
defenders, when a knight errant sprung up, who discovered some means
of countervailing the charms used by this syren, and even laid a plot
for her destruction, which she only escaped at the moment of extreme
hazard, by taking the form of a wren. But though she evaded instant
annihilation, a spell was cast upon her, by which she was condemned on
every succeeding New Year’s Day, to reanimate the same form, with the
definitive sentence, that she must ultimately perish by a human hand.
In consequence of this _well authenticated_ legend, on the specified
anniversary, every man and boy in the Island (except those who have
thrown off the trammels of superstition), devote the hours between
sunrise and sunset, to the hope of extirpating the Fairy, and woe be to
the individual birds of this species, who show themselves on this fatal
day to the active enemies of the race; they are pursued, pelted, fired
at, and destroyed, without mercy, and their feathers preserved with
religious care; it being an article of belief that every one of the
relics gathered in this laudable pursuit is an effectual preservation
from shipwreck for one year; and that fishermen would be considered as
extremely foolhardy who would enter upon his occupation without such a
safeguard.”—(_Bullock, History of the Isle of Man, 1816._)
Kelly’s description of this custom at about the same period is as
follows:—“It is the custom of the inhabitants of the several parishes
to catch a wren, on this day, and parade with flags flying and music,
with the wren fixen upon the point of a long pole; and they oblige
every person they meet to purchase a feather,[97] and to wear it in
their hats for the day; in the evening they inter the naked body, with
great solemnity; and conclude the evening with wrestling and all manner
of sports. This is supposed to be in memory of the first martyr.”
The manner of celebrating this custom 50 years ago was described by
William Harrison as follows:—“This custom is still kept upon St.
Stephen’s Day, chiefly by boys, who at early dawn sally out armed
with long sticks, beating the bushes until they find one of these
birds, when they commence the chase with great shoutings following
it from bush to bush, and when killed it is suspended in a garland
of ribbons, flowers, and evergreens. The procession then commences,
carrying that ‘King of birds,’ as the Druids called it, from house
to house, soliciting contributions, and giving a _feather_ for luck;
these are considered an effectual preservative from shipwreck, and
some fishermen will not yet venture out to sea without having first
provided themselves with a few of these feathers to insure their safe
return. The ‘dreain,’ or wren’s feathers, are considered an effectual
preservative against witchcraft. It was formerly the custom in the
evening to inter the naked body with great solemnity in a secluded
corner of the Churchyard, and conclude the evening with wrestling and
all manner of sports.”[98]
Barrow gave the music of the song which follows in his _Mona Melodies_,
published in 1820, and the words were taken down by William Harrison
from a company of “Wren boys”, in 1843:—
[Illustration: HUNT THE WREN MANX AIR.]
THE HUNTING OF THE WREN.
We’ll away to the woods, says Robin to Bobbin,
We’ll away to the woods, says Richard to Robin;
We’ll away to the woods, says Jack of the Land,
We’ll away to the woods, says every one.
What shall we do there? says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
We will hunt the wren, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
Where is he? where is he? says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
In yonder green bush, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
I see him, I see him, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
How shall we get him down? says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
With sticks and stones, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
He is dead, he is dead, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
How shall we get him home? says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
We’ll hire a cart, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
Whose cart shall we hire? says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
Johnny Bill Fell’s, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
Who will stand driver? says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
Filley the Tweet, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
He’s home, he’s home, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
How shall we get him boil’d? says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
In the brewery pan, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
How shall we get him in? says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
With iron bars and a rope, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
He is in, he is in, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
He is boil’d, he is boil’d, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
How shall we get him out? says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
With a long pitchfork, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
He is out, he is out, says Robbin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
Who’s to dine at dinner? says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
The King and the Queen, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
How shall we get him eat? says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
With knives and forks, says Robbin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
He is eat, he is eat, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
The eyes for the blind, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
The legs for the lame, say Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
The pluck for the poor, says Robin to Bobbin.
Repeat, etc.
The bones for the dogs, says Robin to Bobbin;
The bones for the dogs, says Richard to Robin;
The bones for the dogs, says Jack of the land;
The bones for the dogs, says every one.
The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
We have caught, St. Stephen’s Day, in the furze;
Although he is little, his family’s great,
I pray you, good dame, do give us a treat.
And so on, always chorusing with affected labour and exertion, “Hoist!
Hoist!”
Colonel Vallancy, in his _Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis_, says, “The
Druids represented this as the king of all birds. The superstitious
respect shown to this little bird gave offence to our first Christian
missionaries, and by their commands _he is still hunted and killed by
the peasant on Christmas Day_, and on the following (St. Stephen’s
Day) he is carried about hung by the leg in the centre of two hoops,
crossing each other at right angles, and a procession made in every
village of men, women, and children, singing an Irish catch, importing
him to be the king of all birds. In several European languages his
name imports the same—as, Latin, _Regulus_; French, _Reytelet_; Welsh,
_Bren_, king; Teutonic, _Konig-Vogel_, king-bird; Dutch, _Konije_,
little king.”[99]
This kingly dignity is accounted for in the following curious
traditional tale, which is current in the West Highlands and in
Skye, and is also related in Grimm’s story of “King Wren”:—“In a
grand assembly of all the birds of the air, it was determined that
the sovereignty of the feathered tribe should be conferred upon the
one who would fly highest. The favourite was, of course, the eagle,
who at once, and in full confidence of victory, commenced his flight
towards the sun; when he had vastly distanced all competitors, he
proclaimed with a mighty voice his monarchy over all things that had
wings. Suddenly, however, the wren, who had secreted himself under the
feathers of the eagle’s crest, popped from his hiding-place, flew a few
inches upwards, and chirped out as loudly as he could, ‘Birds, look up
and behold your king;’ and was elected accordingly.” The meaning of the
Manx, _Dreain_, is uncertain, though Kelly[100] boldly derives it from
_druai-eean_. “the druid’s bird.”
Aubray relates in his _Miscellanies_ that, after a battle in the north
of Ireland, “a party of the Protestants had been surprised sleeping by
the Popish Irish were it not for several wrens that had just wakened
them by dancing and pecking on the drums as the enemy were approaching.
For this reason the wild Irish mortally hate these birds to this day,
calling them the devil’s servants, and killing them wherever they can
catch them: they teach their children to thrust them full of thorns;
you’ll see sometimes on holidays a whole parish running like madmen
from hedge to hedge a _wren-hunting_.” This is not the case in England,
where a kind of reverence is paid to these birds, for it is considered
unlucky to kill them or to destroy their nests, and it is supposed
that anyone doing so would infallibly, within the course of the year,
meet with some dreadful misfortune. This feeling is expressed by the
distich:—
A robin and a wren,
Are God Almighty’s cock and hen.
and an old poet says:—
I never take away their nest, nor try
To catch the old ones, lest a friend should die;
Dick took a wren’s nest from his cottage side,
And ere a twelvemonth past his mother dy’d!
W. Harrison, who gives the above quotations, adds:—“In the version as
printed of this song, it is given as recited at the time, but evidently
there are several expressions not in unison with the Manx idiom, which
only shows the difficulty of preserving in their original purity these
orally delivered songs, for each batch of minstrels are constantly
introducing something of their own. Thus, ‘Robin _to_ Bobbin,’ and
‘Jack _of the_ Land,’ should certainly be ‘Robin _the_ Bobbin,’ and
‘Jackey _the_ Land,’ being the particular designation by which they
were known, similar to what may be met with in many instances at the
present day, as ‘Billey the Bo,’ ‘Jackey the Cook,’ ‘Tom the Rock,’
etc. Other minor expressions might be noticed as ‘he is’ for ‘he’s,’
but the last verse is evidently belonging to an Irish version. The Manx
song terminates generally after ‘The bones for the dogs’ with—
He’s eat, he’s eat, says Robin the Bobbin,
He’s eat, he’s eat, says Richard to Robin,
He’s eat, he’s eat, says Jackey the Land,
He’s eat, he’s eat, says every one.
I have never met with a copy of dirges in the Manx language, said
to have been sung over the body at the interment, as is recorded in
Waldron’s History.”[101]
In Essex, the wren was killed and carried about in furze bushes, the
boys asking a present in these words:—
The wren! the wren! the king of birds,
St. Stephen’s Day was killed in the furze;
Although he be little, his honour is great,
And so, good people, pray give us a treat.
The following wren song is also met with at Waterford:—
On Christmas Day I turned the spit,
I burned my fingers—I feel it yet;
Between my fingers and my thumb,
I ate the roast meat every crumb.
Sing, hubber ma dro my droleen.
We were all day hunting the wren,
We were all day hunting the wren;
The wren so cute, and we so cunning,
She stayed in the bush while we were a-running.
Sing, &c.
When we went to cut the holly,
All our boys were brisk and jolly;
We cut it down all in a trice,
Which made our wren boys to rejoice.
Sing, &c.
This custom is also found in Pembrokeshire, where it is practised
on 12th day, and at several places in the south of France on the
first Sunday in December. It is very remarkable that though in many
counties it was reckoned unlucky to kill the wren, yet it was killed
ceremonially once a year. This, taken into connection with the value
set upon the possession of a feather from the slain bird, points to a
sacrificial custom.[102]
In Man at the present day the bush decorated with ribbons and flowers
still survives, and the wren is occasionally found ensconced within it,
but the song has dwindled to a mere fragment.
December 27th, _Laa’l Eoin Nollick_, “John’s Christmas Feast day”,
and December 28th, _Laa’l ny Macain_, “Feast day of the Children (or
Innocents)”, are Church Festivals.
December 31st.—On the Eve of New Year’s Day it was a custom to fill
a thimble with salt and upset it on a plate, one thimble for every
one in the house. The plate was then carefully put by and examined
next morning; if any of the little heaps of salt had fallen or looked
untidy, then the person whom it represented would die during the year.
“In many of the upland cottages”, writes Train, “it is yet 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 track of a foot;
should the toes of this ominous print turn 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.” Another means of prying into futurity made use of on
this evening was to put the leaves of _hibbin_ or ivy in water. Each
of these leaves were marked by a member of the family, and, if any one
of the leaves was withered in the morning, it would mean death to its
owner during the year. It would seem probable, however, that the chance
of any of the leaves withering under the circumstances was a very
remote one. (see November 11th.)
It may be mentioned here that Tuesdays and Thursdays were considered
lucky days, and Fridays unlucky. A search through the Parish Registers
will show that weddings usually took place on Tuesday or Thursday, and
hardly ever on Friday. Nothing would induce the fishermen to go to sea
on Friday.
[Footnote 59: The meaning of this is, probably: may death, when it
comes upon you, find you as happy and comfortable as a mouse in a
well-stocked barn.]
[Footnote 60: Literally “without.”]
[Footnote 61: This, we hope, will shortly be published by the Manx
Society.]
[Footnote 62: This was probably a harvest custom, originally. See p.
122, also Chapter VII., where an attempt is made to explain the origin
of all customs connected with the animal or vegetable kingdom.]
[Footnote 63: The word _laa’l_ appears to be a contraction of
_Laa-feaill_ ‘feast day.’ F is a weak consonant in Manx, and when
aspirated it loses all its force. Phillips, in his Prayer book of the
early seventeenth century, spells this word _lail_, which shows its
origin more distinctly.]
[Footnote 64: Western Isles, p. 119.]
[Footnote 65: See Chapter VII.]
[Footnote 66: It will be seen that these tenures are not peculiar to
the Isle of Man from the following:
‘Grant of lands in Free Alms in the Isle of Lismore, with the custody
of the Staff of St Moloc.’
DEED OF CONFIRMATION.
To all and singular, etc. We, Archibald Campbell, feudatory, Lord of
the lands of Argyle, Campbell, and Lorn, with the consent and assent
of our most dear father and guardian, Archibald, Earl of Argyle ...
have granted, and as well in honour of God omnipotent, of the Blessed
Virgin, and of our holy Patron Moloc, and have _mortified_, and by
this present writing have confirmed to our beloved John McMolmore, and
the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten or to be begotten, all
and singular our lands ... in the Isle of Lismore ... with the Custody
of the Great Staff (Baculi) of St Moloc, as freely as the ... other
predecessors of the sd John had from our predecessors ... in pure and
free alms.’ (Dated 9th April, 1544).]
[Footnote 67: See Chapter VII.—Similar cakes were made in the little
island of St. Kilda, but on “All Soul’s Day”, November 2nd not Good
Friday.]
[Footnote 68: See Chapter VII.]
[Footnote 69: Kelly: Manx Dictionary, p. 15. Manx Society: Vol. XIII.]
[Footnote 70: See Chapter VII.]
[Footnote 71: Kelly’s (see Manx Dictionary) notion of a connection with
the Phœnician God _Baal_ is an evident absurdity.]
[Footnote 72: These extracts about Perambulations were taken from the
Ballaugh _Parochialia_, by the permission of its compiler, the late
Rev. W. Kermode.]
[Footnote 73: See Chapter VII.]
[Footnote 74: Cleasby and Vigfusson, Icelandic Dictionary.]
[Footnote 75: See story of “Origin of Arms of the Island.” Chapter III.
This custom of rolling down wheels was formerly practised in Bohemia
and central France.]
[Footnote 76: See Chapter VII.]
[Footnote 77: The date of this Court has only been changed to the 5th
of July since the alteration of the Calendar. For a full description of
it see “Manx Names”, pp. 261‒66.]
[Footnote 78: Manx Names, p. 210.]
[Footnote 79: See Chapter I.]
[Footnote 80: The Hibbert Lectures, 1888, p. 149.]
[Footnote 81: See Chapter VII.]
[Footnote 82: i.e., after the change of the calendar to the first
Sunday after the 12th of August.]
[Footnote 83: Kelly, Manx Dictionary, p. 129.]
[Footnote 84: See Chapter VII.]
[Footnote 85: Rhys’ Hibbert Lectures, 1886; p. 16‒17.]
[Footnote 86: This looks like some reminiscence of sacrifice and
feasting. See Chapter VII.]
[Footnote 87: Kelly, Manx Dictionary, p. 24.]
[Footnote 88: Kelly, Manx Dictionary, p. 14.]
[Footnote 89: Nuts.]
[Footnote 90: Lovingly.]
[Footnote 91: Watchful eye.]
[Footnote 92: Chimney.]
[Footnote 93: This is identical with an English proverb.]
[Footnote 94: This play is mentioned by Davies Gilbert, F.R.S., as
being popular in the West of England in his _Ancient Christmas Carols_,
London, 1822.]
[Footnote 95: Manx Society, Vol. XVI., p. 166‒171.]
[Footnote 96: Indogermanischen Sprachen, Vol. III., p. 245.]
[Footnote 97: See Chapter VII., and Manx Dictionary, p. 116.]
[Footnote 98: Mona Miscellany, Manx Society, Vol. XXI.]
[Footnote 99: Indeed the wren was called “King of birds” by almost
every European nation.]
[Footnote 100: Manx Dictionary, p. 67.]
[Footnote 101: Mona Miscellany, Manx Society, Vol. XVI.]
[Footnote 102: See Chapter VII.]
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