Chapter XIII: Appendix: Yule, Beltane, & Hallowe'en Festivals (2)

The northern nations, like the Hebrews, began their day in the evening. Thus we have Yule Eve, and Hallow Eve (Hallowe'en), the evenings preceding the respective feasts. The name Hallowe'en is of Christian origin, but the origin of the feast itself is hidden in ancient mythology. The Celtic name for the autumn festival was _Sham-in_, meaning Baal's Fire. The Irish Celts called it _Sainhain_, or _Sainfuin_; _Sain_, summer, and _Fuin_, end,--i.e., the end of summer. The Hebrews and Phoenicians called this festival _Baal-Shewin_, a name signifying the principle of order. The feast day in Britain and Ireland is the first of November. The Druids are said on this day to have sacrificed horses to the sun, as a thank-offering for the harvest. An Irish king, who reigned 400 A.D., commanded sacrifices to be made to a moon idol, which was worshipped by the people on the evening of _Sain-hain_. Sacrifices were also offered on this night to the spirits of the dead, who were believed to have liberty at this season to visit their old earthly haunts and their friends,--a belief this, which was entertained by many ancient nations, and was the origin of many of the curious superstitious customs still extant in this country on Hallowe'en. Dr. Smith, commenting in _Jamieson's Dictionary_ on the solemnities of Beltane, says, "The other of these solemnities was held upon Hallow Eve, which in Gaelic still retains the name of _Sham-in_,--this word signifying the Fire of Peace, or the time of kindling the fire for maintaining peace. It was at this season that the Druids usually met in the most central places of every country to adjust every dispute and decide every controversy. On that occasion, all the fires in the country were extinguished on the preceding evening, in order to be supplied next day by a portion of the holy fire which was kindled and consecrated by the Druids. Of this, no person who had infringed the peace, or become obnoxious by any breach of law, or guilty of any failure in duty, was to have share, till he had first made all the reparation and submission which the Druids required of him. Whoever did not, with the most implicit obedience, agree to this, had the sentence of excommunication passed against him, which was more dreaded than death; none being allowed to give him house or fire, or shew him the least office of humanity, under the penalty of incurring the same sentence." The ancient Romans held a great and popular festival at the end of February, called the _Ferralia_. At this season, they visited the graves of their departed friends, and offered sacrifices and oblations to the spirits of the dead; they believed that the spirits of the departed, both the good and the bad, were released on that particular night, and that, if they were not propitiated, these spirits would haunt throughout the coming year their undutiful living relatives. In all probability, though the time of celebration is different, these Roman ceremonies and the Hallowe'en ceremonies in this country had a common origin. In the year 610, the Bishop of Rome ordained that the heathen Pantheon should be converted into a Christian church, and dedicated to all the martyrs; and a festival was instituted to commemorate the event. This was held on the first of May, and continued to be held on this day till 834, when the time of celebration was altered to the first of November, and it was then called _All Hallow_, from a Saxon word, _Haligan_, meaning to keep holy. This change was doubtless made in order to supply a Christian substitute for some heathen festival--in all probability the festival of _Sham-in_, which, as we have seen, was an old Druidical feast. Some time after this alteration in the time of holding the feast in honour of the martyrs, in 993, another festival was instituted for the purpose of offering prayers for the souls of those in purgatory, and this feast was kept on the second of November, and was called _All Souls_. The following legend was either invented as a plausible reason for instituting this additional feast, or the legend, being previously well known and accepted as truth, was really the _bona fide_ reason for the institution:--"A pilgrim, returning from the Holy Land, was compelled by storm to land upon a rocky island, where he found a hermit, who told him that among the cliffs of the island was an opening into the infernal regions, through which huge flames ascended, and where the groans of the tormented were distinctly audible. The pilgrim, on his return, told the Abbot of Clugny of this, and the Abbot appointed the second day of November to be set apart for the benefit of souls in purgatory, which was to be kept by prayers and almsgiving." It is easy to perceive that, while in the festival of Hallowe'en we have the survival of the old Druidical festival of thank-offering to the sun-god for the ingathering of the fruits of the earth, we have also in these two festivals of _All Saints_ and _All Souls_ the survival of the ancient _Ferralia_, or festival to the dead, when offerings were made to both good and bad spirits, to prevent them haunting the living; and thus we can account for the prevalence of the numerous superstitions concerning ghosts and evil spirits connected with the festival of Hallowe'en. That these Church feasts were regarded as the substitute for the _Ferralia_ of Pagan Rome is verified by Father Meagan in his work on _The Mass_. We quote from Jamieson:--"Such was the devotion of the heathen on this day by offering sacrifices for the souls in purgatory, by praying at the graves, and performing processions round the churchyards with lighted tapers, that they called the month the month of pardons, indulgences, and absolutions for souls in purgatory; or, as Plutarch calls it, the purifying month, or season of purification, because the living and dead were supposed to be purged and purified on these occasions from their sins by sacrifices, flagellations, and other works of mortification." Plutarch, I think, must have referred to the month of February as the purifying month. Father Meagan has not referred to the change of date made by the Church. Doubtless the Christian Church, in instituting these festivals, intended, by divesting them of their heathen basis, to christianise the people; but, like Naaman of old, the worshippers, while they worshipped in the buildings in conformity with the regulations of their new teachers, yet retained many of their old Pagan beliefs and ceremonies, and even their teachers were not thoroughly de-Paganised,--and so the old and new commingled and crystallized together.

In all the four festivals we have been considering, there survive relics of fire-worship, and through all there runs a similarity of observance and belief; but the special practices are not everywhere joined to the same festival in all localities. In this part of the country, the special observances connected with Hallowe'en were, in other parts of the country, observed in connection with the summer festival. Now, however, we are glad to say, these superstitious ceremonies and beliefs in their old gross forms are fast passing away, or have become so modified that we can scarcely recognise their relations to the old fire-worship.

In 1860, I was residing near the head of Loch Tay during the season of the Hallowe'en feast. For several days before Hallowe'en, boys and youths collected wood and conveyed it to the most prominent places on the hill sides in their neighbourhood. Some of the heaps were as large as a corn-stack or hay-rick. After dark on Hallowe'en, these heaps were kindled, and for several hours both sides of Loch Tay were illuminated as far as the eye could see. I was told by old men that at the beginning of this century men as well as boys took part in getting up the bonfires, and that, when the fire was ablaze, all joined hands and danced round the fire, and made a great noise; but that, as these gatherings generally ended in drunkenness and rough and dangerous fun, the ministers set their faces against the observance, and were seconded in their efforts by the more intelligent and well-behaved in the community; and so the practice was discontinued by adults and relegated to school boys. In the statistical account of the parish of Callander, the same practice is referred to. It is stated that "When the bonfire was consumed, the ashes of the fire were carefully collected in the form of a circle, and a stone put in near the circumference for every person in the several families concerned in getting up the fire; and whatever stone is moved out its place or injured before next morning, the person represented by the stone is devoted or fey, and is supposed not to live twelve months from that day." In all probability this devoted person was in olden times offered as a sacrifice to the fire god on the great day of sacrifice, which was the festival day. The belief that the spirits of the dead were free to roam about on that night is still held by many in this country. Indeed, where the forms of the feast have all but disappeared, the superstitious auguries connected with it survive. Burns particularises very fully the formulæ of Hallowe'en, as practised in Ayrshire in his day, and as this poem is well known, it would be superfluous to follow it in detail here; but I cannot refrain from drawing attention to the suggestions which one of the practices which he mentions affords in favour of the supposition that it is a relic of an ancient form of appeal to the fire god--I refer to the practice of burning nuts. It seems likely that in ancient times the priests, who claimed prophetic power through the reading of auguries, used this method of deciding the future at this particular season of the year, and chiefly during the holding of the feast.

Although I have confined my remarks to the four feasts, Yule, Beltane, Midsummer, and Hallowe'en, because they are the oldest and most properly national, there were a number of other heathen feasts, emanating principally from Roman practice, which the Church converted into Christian feasts, notably what is now called Candlemass. On the second day of February, the Romans perambulated their city with torches and candles burning in honour of _Februa_; and the Greeks at this same period held their feast of lights in honour of Ceres. Pope Innocent explains the origin of this feast of Candlemass. He states that "The heathens dedicated this month to the infernal gods. At its beginning Pluto stole away Proserpine, and her mother Ceres sought for her in the night with lighted torches. In the beginning of this month the idolaters walked about the city with lighted candles, and as some of the holy fathers could not extirpate such a custom, they ordained that Christians should carry about candles in honour of the Virgin Mary." This method of keeping the feast of Candlemass does not now prevail in this country; so far as the laity are concerned, the festival may be said to have died out, but according to Dr. Brewer, the festival is kept by the Roman Catholic Church as the time for consecrating the candles used in the Church service.

Formerly there were other public festivals, as Lammas, Michaelmass, &c., which the Church had substituted for heathen feasts which have ceased to be public festivals, and I trust we may indulge the hope that the time is not far distant when, instead of all such festive relics of heathenism, the Church and people will substitute one daily festival of obedience to the honour of the founder of Christianity, viz., the festival of a righteous life.

INDEX.

Page.

Acts of Assembly against keeping Popular Festivals, 155 Acts of Sessions against keeping Yule, 155 Ague, A Cure for, 95 All Hallow's Festival, its Origin, 177 Animals in People's Stomachs, 103 Anthropomorphism, 5 Appendix, 143 Appointment of 25th December for Christmas, 152 Apple, The, Superstitions concerning, 122 Aspen, Superstitions connected with, the 124 Ash, Superstitions connected with, the 124 Astoreth, The, of the Jews, 10 Augustine's, St., or Austin's Mission, 152 Auguries connected with Funerals, 64 Aytoun on Fairyland, 21

Baal, Name of Sun-God, 10, 161 Babies Carried off by Fairies, 34, 40 Babies to be taken up a Stair first time taken out, 31 Bannocks at Yule and New-Year's Day, 160 Baptism, Early Practices at, 31 Baptismal Water, 140 Bedding at Weddings, 53 Beetles, Superstitions connected with, 116 Beilteine, Baal's Fire, 161 Belief in Fairies in this Country, 27 in Ghosts Visiting People, 176 in Witchcraft still Survives, 68 Beltane, 161 Customs in Ireland, 166 Festival in Perthshire, 168 Day, First of May, 162 Held in some Counties on 3rd May, 162 Birds Flying over a Person's Head, 114 Black Art, The, 75 Blessing the Candles to be Used in Church, 181 Bonfires at Hallowe'en, 179 Bonny Kilmeny, 22 Booths in connection with Temples, 153 Bottreill's Hearth Stories of West Cornwall, 173 Boutree, or Bourtree, Defence against Evil-Eye, 126 Breaking Looking-Glass on the Wall, 137 Bride's Cake, Practices connected with, 51 Bull of Innocent VIII. against making Compacts with the Devil, 17

Candlemas, Relation of, to Festival of Februa, 181 Casting of Calf by Cows Prevented, 84 Cats Dying in the House not Lucky, 117 Caul, Child's, its Influence, 32 Celtic Irish hold Beltane at Midsummer, 172 Celtic Names of Places indicate Sun-Worship, 149 Ceremonies on St. John's Day, 174 Changing of Babies by Fairies, 46 Charms and Counter Charms, 79 for Curing Diseases, 91, 93 Child Rowland in Elfland, 26 Children Cutting Teeth, 137 Cholera, its First Visit to this Country, 14 National Fast for, Refused, 15 Christianity consistent with Nature, 16 Christian Creeds not always consistent with Nature, 16 Christmas Fixed to be kept on the 25th December, 152 Church's, The, Enactments against Devil's Devices, 27 Church, The, Punishing Deviation from her Creed, 17 Clover, Four-Leaved, its Influence, 130 Coal Explosions, Prognostics concerning, 138 Cock Crowing with his Head to the Door, 114 Cold Tremour, foreboding Death, 138 Coral Beads, their Influence, 36 Cornwall, Beltane Fires in Midsummer, 172 Cows, Restive, foreboding Evil, 136 Cricket in the House, 114 Cure for an Evil Eye, 36 Cutting the Nails of Young Children, 139

Deaf and Dumb possessing Second Sight, 72 Death Warnings, 56 Defending the Bride against Evil Influences, 51, 54 Deid Bell, 66 Deification of Stars, 145 Devil conferring Supernatural Power, 28 Making Compacts with the, 77 Dew-Collecting on First May, 170 Different Nations modifying Customs, 151 Dirgy, or Dredgy, after Funerals, 63 Disease Transferred to the Lower Animals, 92, 96 Divining by Bible and Key, 106 by Cups, 110 by a Staff, 108 Double Ears of Corn, 139 Dousing Rod to find Springs or Mineral Veins, 109 Dress put on Wrong Side Out, 137 Druids, 147 Druidism in Ireland, 150 Druidical Customs at Beltane, 164 Duties of New-Married Wife in Old Times, 55

Ear Tingling, 137 Ecclesiastical Influence Leading to Wrong Ideas of God, 6 Eclipses Portending Evil, 141 Eggs Laid upon Good Friday, 114 Elder, or Bourtree, The, 125 English Opinions of Yule Feasts in Scotland, 156 Evil Eye, Influence of, 30, 35, 37 Exorcising Ghosts, 11 Extracts from Presbytery Records on Witchcraft, 67

Fairy Legend, A, 119 Fairies, What They Are, 26 Fairies, Brownies, and Elfs, by Rev. Mr. Kirk, 19 Fairyland, its Government, 21 Family Feasts at New-Year, 161 Fascinating Children Prevented, 139 Fasting Spittle, 98 Feast of God, 173 Feasts to Evil Spirits, 12 Ferralia Festival like Hallowe'en, 176 Ferns, Common, its Seed, 128 Festivals of Druids at Winter Solstice, 153 Fire, the Earthly Symbol of the Sun, 10 Fire-Worship in Scotland in 1810, 84 Fires Kindled on Mountains at Midsummer, 173 First of May Customs, 167 First-Footing at Yule, 156 First-Foot to Present a Gift, 160 Flora, Goddess, her Feast at Beltane, 167 Floralia, or First of May Observances, 167 Foot Itching, Sign of, 137 Formula for Exorcising Ghosts, 11 Forks, their First Use and Effects of, 15 Four-Leaved Clover, 130 Funeral Customs, 63 Old, in Highlands, 65

Guardian Angels, 59 Gems, their Significance, 102 Glamour, 132 Giants and Dwarfs of Middle Ages, 19 Girl's Petticoat Longer than Frock, Omen of, 137 Goat, Beliefs concerning, 119 Goodman's Croft, 140 Golden Rose, 129 Gods of the Babylonians, B.C. 2000, 7 Greeks in Classical Times, 8 God, Different Ideas concerning, 5 Haco Fixing 25th December for holding Christmas, 154 Hades, 11 Hallowe'en Practices, 175 Hallowe'en Practices in Perthshire, 180 Hand over Hand Divining, 110 Hand Itching, its Meaning, 137 Hansel Monday, 155 Hare Crossing Road, Seeing a, 117 Hazel, The, 125 Hen, A, Crowing like a Cock, 113 Herring-Fishing on Sabbath, its Consequences, 142 Hogmanay, 154 Hooping-Cough, Cure for the, 95 Holly, The, 123 Holy Fire, 176 Holyrood, Origin of, 163 Horse Shoe, Protection from Witchcraft, 139 Horse, A, Neighing Towards a House, 114 Human Hair in Birds' Nests, 114 Hydrophobia, How to Prevent, 101

Influence of Charms, 89 Influence of May Dew, 170 Influences, The Evil, Communicated by Dress, 39 Initial Letters of Man and Wife's Name, 138 Intermixing of Heathen with Christian Practices, 18 Intercourse held with Infernal Fiends, 17 Isabella Goudie's Confessions, 22 Itching of the Nose, 136

Jamieson, Dr. on Pales' Customs, 167

Killing Spiders, 115 Kirk, Rev. Mr., on the Nature of Fairies, 20 Knife Presented as a Gift, 138

Ladybirds, 116 Lammas Festival, 181 Lamuralia, an Ancient Festival, 167 Lee Penny, The, 95 Legend of Burd Ellen, 22 Legend of Purgatory, 177 Lily, The, 130 Like Wakes: and reasons for keeping them, 61 Love Charms, 89 Luck for new dress, How to procure, 137 Lucky Animals, 120 Lucky People to meet first, 32 as First Foot, 160

Making Effigies to Torment People, 77 Mandrake, its Influence, 90 Marriage Customs Sixty Years Ago, 46 Party meeting a Funeral, 51 Marrying in May, 43 Merlin the Wizard, 23 Metals made under certain Constellations, 93 Michælmas, 181 Midfinger free from Canker, 99 Midsummer Feast among the Ancients, 173 Festivals in this Country, 170 Milk Bewitched, 81 Milking the Tether, 75 Mistletoe Gathering, 150 its Influence, 124 Modern Superstitions, 34 Money given to Poor at Funerals, 64 Moon Worship, 98 a Female Deity, 10 Murders discovered by Bleeding of Corpse, 85 Murrain in Cattle Prevented, 84 Mutes have Supernatural Gifts, 72

Names of Places connected with Fire Worship, 164 with Sun Worship, 172 Natural Phenomena ascribed to Divinities, 9 New Year's Day, an Ancient Roman Festival, 151 Observances, 159 Festival, 154 New Moon, Prognostics, 98 New Zealand Divining, 108

Oak, a Sacred Tree, 131 Oaths to Satan, 88 O'Brien on Beltane, 165 Observances at Loch Tay on Hallowe'en, 178 at Yule, 156 Odd Numbers Lucky, 109 Old Religions mixing with Christianity, 179 Omens connected with Bees, 115 with Magpies, 115 Onion, a Disinfectant, 127 Origin of Hallowe'en, 177 of All Souls, 177 Overturning Chair on Leaving Table, 138

Pales, Goddess of Flocks, 166 Palilia, Ancient Festival, 166 Pennant's Account of Beltane in the Highlands, 169 People Selling themselves to the Devil, 27 Person first met in the Morning, 136 Peruvian Ancient Sun Worship, 146 Phoenicians in Britain 1000 B.C., 148 Photographs not Lucky, 142 Place at Dinner, 138 Plants Gathered on St. John's Eve, 174 Plough first seen in Season, 136 Portends for Good or Evil, 136 Prayers Unanswered, Cause not Sought, 14 said Backwards, 134 Prayers to the Gods, 13 Precious Stones: their Virtue, 102 Preparations made for Yule, 156 Priests, their Office and Power, 9 Professor Veitch on Beltane, 162 Providence--General and Special, 18 Purgatory, Proof for, 172

Recovering Stolen Babies, 40 Red Colour a Charm, 80 Relics in Curing Diseases, 102 Repeal of Law against Witchcraft, 68 Ringing Bells at Funerals, 66 Robin Redbreast, 111 Rocking an Empty Cradle, 137 Rood Day Changed to Beltane, 162 Roman Festivals in Spring, 166 Marriage Customs, 45 Rose, an Emblem of Silence, 129 Running the Broose, 49 Rowan Tree Protection against Witchcraft, 79

Sacred Fire Practice this Century, 83 Salamander, The, 118 Salt: its Influence, 33 to Spill: its Significance, 139 Scissors Presented as a Gift, 138 Scoreing aboon the Breath, 38 Second Sight, 71 Session: Acts against keeping Yule, 155 Seventh Son a Doctor, 90 Sheep Prevented Casting their Lambs, 84 Sham-in, Ancient Feast of Druids, 175 Shepherds keeping Beltane in Perthshire, 169 Sin Eaters, 60 Speaking Aloud to One's Self, 138 Spell to make a Fire Kindle, 135 Spider, A Legend concerning, 115 Spittle Confirming Bargain, 100 Spittle, Customs connected with, 100 Social Habits of Elfland, 26 Sorcerers, 108 Souls of the Departed, 11 Sooth Sayers, 10 Sow to Meet in the Morning, 120 St. Augustus, 152 St. John's Day Festival, 174 St. John's Wort: a Talisman, 128 Stealing Children and Youths by Fairies, 21 Star Gazers, 10 Stonehenge, 171 Strangers on the Grate, 140 Stye, Cause of, 96 Stye, Cure for, 97 Suicides, Superstition relating to, 85 Sun Worship in Ancient Times, 146 Sun, Primary God of the Ancient, 9 Survival of Sun Worship, 145 Superstitious Rites with a Corpse, 60 Superstition, Meaning of, 2 Swallows, Omens connected with, 112 Sympathetic Cures, 91

Thank-offering for Answer to Prayer, 13 Theory of Curing by Charms, 91 Touching for Disease, 91 Touching of a Corpse to Prevent Dreaming of it, 63 Twin Nuts in One Shell, 136

Visions, Seeing, 72 Visit to Stonehenge on Midsummer, 171

Warts, Cure for, 97 Weighing Children Unlucky, 137 Willow, The, 125 White Butterfly, 115 Wishes Fulfilled, 87 Wishes against Self: an Oath Fulfilled, 88 Withershins, 133 Witches, A, Account of Fairyland, 22 Witches Changing their Shape, 70 Wizards, 10 Wodrow's Opinion on Murdered Corpse Bleeding, 85 Woman Carried away by Fairies in Arran, 29 Wraiths, 58 Written Charms, 91

Yellow Hammer, The, 112 Yule: its Meaning, 149 Yule converted into Christmas, 154 Yule Observances Transferred to New Year's Day, 157