ST. AGNES EVE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19219, 9 July 1924, Page 4

ST. AGNES EVE.

QUAINT OLD CUSTOMS. Tho 20th January, ded’oated to St. Agnes, a young Roman girl who preferred martyrdom to a loveless marriage, is or rather was —considered of special interest to women. In older days, wo read, the celebrating of her festival was the occasion for virgins to practise many kinds of divination to discover their future husbands. On that eve maids fasted and lay on their backs with their hands under their heads in expectation of their future mate’s appearing in a dream and saluting them with kiss. On tliis superstitious rite founded his beautiful poem “ St. Agnes Eve,'' describing how old dames told Madeline : Young virgins might have visions of delight, And soft udoringa from their lovers receive Upon the honey'd middle of the night. If ceremonies duo they did aright, As, supperless, to bed they must retire, And couch supine their beauties lily while, Nor look behind, nor sideways, but require Of heaven, with upward eyes, for all that they desire. Tlie maid who wished to make sure'of a preferred lover was advised to pray nine times to the moon before retiring fasting; or to lake a row of pins, pull them out one by one. repeat a paternoster after each ono, and stick it into her sleeve if she would dream of the man she wished to marry. Tho maid who had many lovers wrote the name of each one on an onion, then placed the onions near the chimney, and the onion that sprouted first would bear the name of her future spouse. The loverless maid, removing to a different parts of the country on St. Agnes Eve would meet her future husband by taking her right-leg stocking and knitting round it her left garter, repeating the while: I knit his knot—this knot I knit.— To know tho thing I know not yet; That I may see Tho man that filial 1 my husband bo, Not in his beat or worst array, But what ho weareth every day; That I to-morrow may him ken From among all other men. The maid of to-day holds other views on marriage. No longer does she take auguries from material things, or allow the moon to influence her dreams. But need the modern maid allow to pass altogether into oblivion the memory of tho maid of Rome, who, by her courage, overcame the weakness of youth, withstood the violence of a tyrant, and added fresh honour to the very name and meaning of virgin?