A WEDNESDAY XMAS.
In the British Museum you may see an old manuscript which tells us in the quaint spelling of long centuries ago that; — “If Christmas on a Wednesday fall That winter shall be dreaded by all. It shall be so full of great tempests That it shall 'slay both, man and beast. And children that are born that day Within half a year shall die ‘par fay.’ ” And so on through a long list of calamities that will befall th© world, simply because Christmas Day is a Wednesday, and not such a lucky day as Sunday or Tuesday. But we can afford to smile at such gloomy predictions; for we know that on whatever day of the week Christmas may fall, it will no more influence next year than th© “man in the moon.” Still these superstitions of olden days are .interesting from their very quaintness. Thus there are many in Devon and Cornwall who still believe that at midnight on Christmas Eve the cattle fall down in their stalls in adoration of th© infant Christ, just as legend declares they did in the stable at Bethlehem. And there are many people who will tell you with conviction that at th© same hour the bees break into a chorus of humming; and that if bread is baked on Christmas Eve it will never grow stale or mouldy. The cock, too, if it does its duty, will crow all night long, in order to scare away all malignant spirits that may be on the prowl. In the words of Hamlet; — Some say that ever ’gainst that Season comes Wherein our Saviour’s birth is celebrated, The bird of dawning singeth all night long, And then, thev say, no spirit can walk abroad. The Eve of Christmas, indeed, seems to be a favourite promenading time for evil spirits of every unpleasant type, eager to do as much harm as they can before the holy day dawns; and for this reason those Who are superstitious will be wise to fling open all doors and windows, so that any spirits that have found their way into the house may be' driven out, if they have' not the decency to quit peacefully. -;; v
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19291218.2.128.37.2
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Taranaki Daily News, 18 December 1929, Page 8 (Supplement)
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369A WEDNESDAY XMAS. Taranaki Daily News, 18 December 1929, Page 8 (Supplement)
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