Soma Irish-Superstitions.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXI, Issue 3570, 26 June 1903, Page 2 (Supplement)

Soma Irish-Superstitions.

There is something delightfully romantic In and beliefs of tha Irish which, to a certain extents influence the • national character. That the •Ueltic; ts’ impulsive goes without sayihg,. lint it is lull of poetry and imagiunT tiduli.; ( . ) p}»^, l ’t'U.c. tales, of, enchantments...of fainesl and good people and leprechauns—which, ainuaq;.children in other places, arc accepted aa gospel* truth by the peasantry through the length aid breadth of the country. , Deprive them of their fairies and their superstitions, and they are mere ordinary. mortals; with those adjuncts, they arc the most primitive • and interesting people to'boToiind on the civilised globe. And while the stolid matter of fact Eng l ILshman may laugh nt wliat he terms oddi- . tics of national character, some, of the superstitious arc beautiful and expressive, and, When properly .understood, are duly appreciated, and held in the greatest respect. Pov instance, the love of home in which an Irishman is born, no"matter how humble and poor it may be, is one of the national traits which it is hard to understand, and their kindred and domestic tics, 'their veneration and wild lore, for their dead relatives and friends, arc scarcely to -be equalled in any other country. ..3lJany.pcop.lq wonder.why the Irish arc so hospitable...aye, even to a fault...but the explanation is easily given. The mother teaches the child its prayers night and ■ morning,' smd iicre comes the opportunity : fco-impross qu the mind of the offspring the family history. Every deceased member . is fondly mentioned, after which come some instructions, whicji are never forgotten. This is tho solution of the whole mystery. Tire instructions arc' given by the mother simultaneously witli the prayer, and as lodg aff memory lasts' prayers will; bo recited,• and.- the- instructions 'faithfully -.and religiously; observed, and .failure to bbey any of tliqiu iftisur; to be visited with,’dirc huat brtuWi T 1 ' <':• '' ' -"{V -.

,;t’“Leave a,.jug of 1 water on the .kitchen l;ablov'> ; Jt, iS; a .matter of: belief: amongst the ’peasantfy : tlmt their dead fi'icnds hen qil 'aCc-lgohe, lo:,bed at night come ‘in i and pay-.f hefa, a -visit, ...and' water - and food, arc left on tlif lablc in orc]er that tkey may jrc,frqsti .ihempelvcs, if they feel so- incliued. ■Thi? fito-is raked, and a chair iq placed Opposite' for’the, midnight visitor. . Say - what you'like';, it is a beautiful sentiment. : I DonT Ictaro t-ho. kitchen, in disorder.’ H'crciareAhd first lessons taught to a‘ house•wffe, and if you. peeped in through , the kitchen door of a house of a well-10-dp farmer at night you .would be 'surprised:at the prCc-isum with which everything is arrnhged. ' ■■. l■ ‘ ’ ,

■. vlDou’t »ay anjthing against .the fkiriHii *’ This is ■ the most .important advice that can he given. The fairies, or good people. tire,ubiquitous, and can see and hoar everything. Ton «cb k cow in the pasture-field at.night in summer, and every lime she takes a bite she"blows.on the grass. Why does she' do so? Coin won sense would' tell you that the toy .fluffs to blow, the dew off thp . grass, .but the Irish peasant will, tell you quite a different ijtory.V The’-- fairies are so nmr.erbns on those summer'.nights that .there is , one, oti every blade of, grass anidthe eow, wlio knows all,about it, would ho,t .iuj'irci the. 'tiny creatures, and bows them before her. Kvery village has its ‘rath in .which the, fairies reside, and to ■touch ft,bush or, a - branch of tree £ rowing pq .the sacred spots is an unpardonable .of; ienee, «ud : if any■ accident.occurs to your Taniily or stock,; you must have done something to bring the ill-will, of the. "good people’’ on your devoted head. If yout Vixiit" i$ bikl the fairies arc- at fault.. If your churning is difficult .of-.unproductive abmeone has stolen your butter—through the instrumentality of the fairies of course, '.fairies .stcal 'hcalfhy children; and leave weakly, emaciated ones in> their place.

/-.Now comes a very important instruction >lllOll is also observed in Scotland. “Don’t 1 overlook anything.” It is the same as the evil eye.’'' No one. admires a child, a tint horse, or any animal without saying, “God bless it.” If you omit this you overlook the child or animal, and if anything hap ‘icnb. if sickness or death should follow to the one or the oilier, your evil eye. has the immediate eau.se of the calamity, and you are never forgiven, lint there is i • emedy. Suppose you have neglected tc say the usual good word, and you arc re minded by a friend of your negligente rou conic back to the aniiiip!-and’say,.“God bless it.” No man" in his fire 'senses would think of taking a,journey or even go It work if the first person he Uiet in the morning were a red-haired woman. It is a dreadful sign, of ill-luck to be pbs ■•'essed of-'a- crowing hen? )Vlien’ one ’is!dis-, . covered,- no matter bow .valuable the- breed. She .ia' Liken. at 'least' u .ta.il» a way and ,-lcifi DU ■ -..-. c. oroiis-iroad.. She : is,.:iji variably. pick ird, up -by, soiriconc; else, and;when her crop'ing proclivities life found out she is treated •.ihb-tlta,' satac! manner, - arid, in the dad-a": tramp oi ,: a fox dines on the unlucky bird. The last corpse in a graveyard is believed to keep watch over the place ,uid to bring water to the ghosts until the U‘xt burial. If you meet a funeral whetbe l Driving or .walking, uo matter what is your burry, you must turn .round and Iravc with it for sortie distance. It is a most un ‘Ueky thing to do otherwise, and the oh serVauee of the nile is taken as a great compliment, paid not only to the friends but to the dear departed. When a lady performs her toilet she must carefully gather up the. stray hairs from her comb, and burn them in the fireplace. You must not take fire' out of any house on a May .morning, and if yon go into any house where milk is being churned, no mattci what your position in life may lie, yoi must take the cJnmidash in your hand and go through the operation of churning for a short;.time.

,No boy, 1 however wayward and bad he inay -b**,', w l ill touch a robin; the hillsides lifaze’with litfiitires on St John’s t)ay, June 24, aiid ii fowl must be killed on St. Martin s’night, November 11. This superstition is observed in town and country, and resembles very much the slaughtering of the lamb, or kid, the night of the Passover, when the Jews were Icaviifij Kgypt If by any accident nr’ forgetfulness yo;

would bo so stupid as to put your slippers or shoos on the bed, you may be certain of some impending danger. Volumes have been written about the banshee, tile “fairy woman,” which attends every clan, and gives the dreadful “caoin,” or wail, when death is approaching any member of the family. No one C5 r er doubts the Ixinshee svhcn she is heard; generally at midnight, in a wild and unearthly keen, crying, oh! so plaintively, for the friend who is sure to be numbered with the dead ore tho sun peeps again o'er the “green hills of ould Ireland.”