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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1948-01-01, Page 6Many Unique New Year Customs Still Exist in' Foreign Countries 1Scotland Young Scotchmen used to wait eagerly for the first stroke of twelve marking the coming of the New Year. 'As 'the bell in the church t eele began to toll,he would rush p g up to the door of his beloved's 'tome, to be the first to cross her threshold. The girl would listen for "'Thefirst loot's entering step. /That suddenon the floor is welcome • heard, .Ereblushing maids have braided up their hair; The laugh, the hearty kiss, the good New Year, !Pronounced with honest warmth." In Scotland, as in moat northern European countries, it is an old be, lief that spirits, both good and evil, tare peculiarly active on New Year's IEve. On the stroke of midnight, ac - ,cording to the ancient superstition, ell genii were in motion and could 'be exorcised by appropriate words. Good genii were called hillmen or 1"hoghmen" in the dialect of Scot- iland, and evil spirits called trolls. Mummers used to wander about the ! streets, wearing masks and carry Ing cudgels, reciting this doggere verse, in an effort to attract the good "hogomanay" and to drive off the evil "trollolay"— "Hogomanay, ( Trollolay, Gie o' your white bread, I'll sae nane o' your grey—" Scotch New Year's Toast Here's to the year that's awa'l We'll drink it, in strong and in • sma'; And to each bonny lassie that we dearly loo'ed, In the days o' the year that's awa'l Here's to the friend we can trust, When the sorrows of adversity blew; Who can join In our song, and be nearest our heart, Syria The great day of fun and feasting in Syria is New: Years, not Christ- mas. On New Day Y is the ex- change change presents, and children go about•from door to door giving the greeting of the season, and expect- ing gifts of candy end meziey. Before going to bed on New Year's Eve a Syrian child sets out a bowl of water and a dish of wheat far . theaefP�ent of the camel who is supposed to bring him gifts. According to legend the camel was the youngest of the animals bearing the Wise Men, and it fell down ex- hausted by the strenuous journey, The Christ Child, seeing, this, ..blessed the animal and conferred immortality upon it. In Lebanon it is a "magic mule" who bears the gifts of the season. Hungary One of the quaintest New Year's customs is the visit of the chimney sweeps in Hungarian. towns. The sweepknocks at the door with his broom, and the householders snatch a straw or two from it. These are tied with a ribbon and kept as a good luck charm during the year. Nor depart—like the year that's awa'I Italy Celebration of New Year's Day seems to have arisen in Italy in the early Middle Ages, In the year SO a bishop reproved his people for the drinking, feasting, and general wild time that they were indulging in on a holy day—the Feast of the Cir- cumcision of Christ, eight days after Christmas. He told them to turn their backs on "the old, profane and evil ways of paganism." In the later Middle Ages the observances of the ,day grew more spiritual, through the efforts of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus and St. Gregory the Great. To touch a pig on New Year's Eve brings good luck, according to Hungarian tradition. In the princi- pal restaurants and cafes of Buda- pest they release a pig at midnight, and there is much merriment as the diners try to touch the squealing animal as it races among the tables. Czechoslovakia In Czechoslovakia they forecast the future by little "lightboats"— nut shells filled with wax and float- ing on water, a wick burning in each shell. If the boat floats toward the center, its owner will take a journey during the New Year. If two boats come together, the own- ers will be married within the year. Busy Wheeler -Robert McArthur of Brantford has been tra- velling four months, has worn out three pairs of pants, three pairs of shoes, 19 tires. 11i 101IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ' By DANIEL P. LINDAY r -AL Y O'NEIL'walked slowly up the front steps. 'Her mother watch ed her from behind the curtain. Be- ing five years old and having a probl- em had her near tears: She reached up on tip toes and opened the door. "Kelly, honey. Come in here a minute.'" Kelly pushed' the hood of her snow• suit, back and Went into the living room. "What do you want, Mommie?" She shook her blonde curls free, "Oh, nothing much;" her mother smiled, ;"I just want to.kaow why my little girl looks so sad.?" "Well, Mommie," she slipped her coat off. "it'sthat girl down the street." - "Yes, dear, what about . her?" Kelly Could sta. nd 'it no longer. She burst htto tears and runnifig over laid herhead on her mother's lap. "That girl says," she sobbed,"that there isn't any Santa Claus.'' "Well, now," her mother, leaned down Andgently bit the tip of her ear, "who'd ever believe a tale like that?" "You, don't believe her?" Of course not" she smiled down into the worried blue eyes. "We know there's a Santa Claus." 13 -but she said Daddy was' him." "Oh pooh. Sit down there on the , floor and l'11, help you get your. snow pants off." "We could ask Daddy,"' Bally sug- gested. "Yes we .could" she had an in- spiration. "Better still we can wait until tomorrow night and see for ourselves." "We can?" she sat up in surprise. "Sure. You go to bed just like always then when be comes BII wake you tip." • She gqt up ,from the floor .all ex- cited. 1Yth ;mean we can peek?" "That's just what we'll do," "George," she turned to her hus- band that evening' after !Cally iiad been put to bed, "our daughter has quite a problem." "Women always have problems." he smiled over his newspaper. "What, is it this time ?" "She knows about Santa." "That,s too bad," he pursed his lips, "but What can we dor "Get someone to put. Her toys tint der the tree while she watches." "Sure," he laid the paper down, "why couldn't 1 do it?" "She heard that you are Santa." He chuckled, "She ' isn't the only woman in the family thinks that"e "How about Bob Perkins?" she ignored his attempt at humor. "He's the right build." "Okay," he agreed, "I'll arrange it in the,moming." "Rally," • her mother shook her gently, "Santa is downstairs." "He is?" she sat up rubbing her eyes, "HE IS?1" "Okay," she slipped out of bed and into her slippers. In the early morn- ing light she looked like a tiny blond elf: "Put on your robe." She got it and took her mother's band. They crept down the. stairs. Mommie'heldher back while .she made sure Santa wasn't smoking a , cigar. • lac .was placing, gifts around the tree. She motioned her to look. Kally pecked around the corner with "sante was just coming out." big eyes. Then her head darted back. "Where's daddy?" she asked in,a stage whisper. They heard footseps on the stairs. Daddy crept do'i n, Kelly peeked`'ar- ound the corner again. Santa was just' coming out with an army bar- racks bag over his shoulder. The three of them ran and hid behind the staircase. As soon as the front • door slammed. *ally was up the steps like a shot. "Hey, Sweetheart," Daddy called after her, "he left the toys in the Hying' room." He stopped as he Good Timber The tree that never had to fight. For sun and sky and air and Tight, That stood out in the open plain And always got its share of rain, Never became a forest king But lived and died a scrubby thing. The man who never had to' toil By hand or mind 'mid life's' turmoil, Who never had to win his share n ht a d it Of sun and sky and light sa ,, Never became a manly man But lived and died'as'he began. Good timber does not grow in easel The stronger wind, the -tougher trees. The farther sky, the greater length,, The rougher storfns, the greater strength. Bysun and cold, by- rain and snowo, In tree or man good timber grows, Where thickest stands the 'forest growth, Wefind the patriarchs Of both. And they hold converse with the• stars Whose broken branches show the scars.• Of many winds and much of strife—, Thisis the common law of life: glared' at her suspiciously. "Don't she like the tritte?" ' "I'nt afraid, dear, that you'll n4vr ; erunderstand ,the feminine mind.* "What do you mean where's she going?" "To get her coat" "Her coat .... why?" "She's going down the street to. tell the little' girl that she's all wet. Because she has just seen. Santa let her front room.".. The Second "Battle of Britain"—Great Britain, facing one of the greatest crises in its history, is taking drastic steps to fight what Prime Minister Clement Attlee calls "the second battle of Britain". What brought the once-rich'nation into the shadow of bankruptcy? She spent all her money and mortgaged much of her future wealth to fight the war. It was thought that the $3,750,000,000 loan from the U.S. (inset shows Lord Halifax and Secretary Byrnes signing it) would tide her over until postwar production put her on her feet. But production lagged. three main reasons why Britain is "in the red" with an .unfavor- able trade balance. First, her basic export has always been coal, but 1947 finds her barely meetifig emergency quotas and falling below prewar production. The new "super -austerity" program calls for the miners, who enjoy a five-day week, to work a half hour more each week. Secondly, Eritain's greatest need is dol- lars. Much of the cost of her occupation forces in Germany.. must be paid in dollars. In addition, lacking confidence in the stability of the pound, many people are converting their - pounds to dollars. Thirdly, production is hampered, by a cri • And Britain had to spend the loan faster than expected. There is little left, and its outgo is speeded by the inflated cost, esti- Mated at 20 per cent, of everything Britain buys. Great Britain is a merchant nation; to make -money she must sell her com- modities abroad. Her nattiral resources, however, are so meager that she must import many necessities. To remain financially stable,']3rtain must sell more than she buys. Today the situa- tion is reversed—she is spending $6,800,000,000 a year for im- ports; but receiving only $4,400;000,000 a year for he'r exports. As chart above shows, she's over $2 billion in- red. There 1 tical manpower shortage. Almost half a million British troops, potentially productive workers, are still abroad. Many wo- men are forced to remain in factory work. To ease the work- er shortage, Attlee proposes to withdraw 200,000 troops from overseas duty, The new super -austerity program is embodied in a series of "crisis power" bills which Wnston Churchill denounced as "a blank check for totalitarian government." But the House of Commons approved the legislation, which extends wartime powers of government to direct labor into "essential" industries. i'.