"O that will not do, says Melder to Milder, With hatchets and cleavers, said John the Red Nose, "What will you boil her in? says Milder to Melder, In pots and in kettles, said John the Red Nose, In pots and in kettles, said John the Red Nose." For more on this interesting subject see "Manners and Customs of the People of Tenby" in "The Cambrian Journal," Vol. IV., page 177. I may add that I heard the above ditty sung in Welsh in several parts of South Wales, especially when I was a boy. Another such custom was called " tooling," and its purpose was beer. It consisted in calling at the farm-houses and pretending to look for one's tools behind the beer cask. I've left my saw behind your beer cask," a carpenter would say; my whip," a carter; and received the tool by proxy, in the shape of a cup of ale. It was also customary for the women to practice what was called sowling, viz., asking for "sowl," that is cheese, fish or meat. It was also customary in parts of the counties of Pembroke and Carmarthen for poor people to proceed round the neighbourhood from house to house with their " Wassail bowls," and singing outside each door something as follows "Taste our jolly wassail bowl, Made of cake, apple, ale, and spice; You shall taste once or twice Of our jolly wassail bowl." People who partook of the contents of the bowl were of course expected to pay, so that the invitation to "taste our jolly wassail boul," was not always accepted. In such cases the bearer of the bowl sung the following rhyme in disappointment: 66 Are there any maidens here, William The huge bowl was on the table, brimful of ale. held a saucepan, into which Pally and Rachel poured the ale, and which he subsequently placed upon the fire. Leaving it to boil, the party seated round the fire began to roast some of the apples that Pally had just put upon the table. This they effected by tying long pieces of twine to their stems, and suspending them from the different "pot-hooks and hangers with which the chimney corner abounded, twisting the cord from time to time to prevent their burning. . 66 By the time they had all completed their trials the ale was boiling and the apples were roasted. The tempting beverage went smoking hot into the bowl, and was joined by the contents of a small, suspicious-looking, tightly-corked bottle, which I strongly suspect, contained what the French call the water of life," and a very strong water it undoubtedly is. Next there was a hissing and splutting greeting between the ale and the roasted apples, which was succeeded by the introduction of some of the "nices," with which Pally's table was covered. Different masculines of the party added to the treat by producing packets of buns, raisins, or biscuits, which they dropped singly into the bowl until it was full to overflowing. With a sufficient proportion of spices and sugar, the wassail bowl was finally prepared, and, as if by instinct, just as it was completed, in popped three or four of Pally's ancient cronies, all dying to partake of it. The cups and glasses were speedily filled, when William proposed Pally's health, which was cordially drunk by the whole party." (The Vale of Towey, pages 83-87). It was customary also, especially in parts of Carmarthenshire, on "Calan Hen (Old New Year's Day) to make a feast for those who had helped them with the harvest. It was also once customary on Epiphany Night in West Wales to visit the houses of those who had been married since the Epiphany before. Those who went round the houses in this manner requested admittance in rhyme and expected food and beer to be given to them by the inmates. Epiphany, known in Wales as "Gwyl Ystwyll," was formerly closely associated with Christmas. Many of the old customs and festivities in connection with the New Year are of great antiquity; it was then that the Druids went to seek the mistletoe on the oak. To the Druids the oak and the mistletoe were objects of veneration; and one of the most imposing ceremonies was the cutting of the latter, some days before the New Year, with a Golden Knife, in a forest dedicated to the gods; and the distributing its branches with much ceremony as New Year's Gifts among the people. On the day for cutting the mistletoe, a procession of Bards, Druids, and Druidesses was formed to the forest, and singing all the while. The Arch-Druid climbed the tree and cut down the mistletoe, the other Druids spreading a sheet to receive it. This scene was enacted with great success at the Builth Wells Pageant, August, 1909-(see illustration)-which I witnessed myself with interest. The Romans had also their festival in honour of Janus and Strenia about the same time of the year. It is interesting to add that in England in the days of King Alfred a law respecting Feast Days was passed, in which the twelve days after the birth of Christ were made a season of holidays. Photo by Abery] CUTTING THE MISTLETOE. [Builth Wells. ST. VALENTINE'S DAY. The custom of sending a pretty Valentine, or an ugly one, of love, or from mere mischief, as the case might be, was very common once in Wales. We do not hear much of Valentines at the present, however, since the Picture Post Cards have become so common. ST. DAVID'S DAY. St. David is the Patron Saint of Wales, and strange to say the only Welsh Saint in the Calendar of the Western Church (Canonized by Calixtus II.) more than five hundred years after his death. His day is celebrated on the 1st of March throughout the world where Welshmen are. In Wales there are in some places grand dinners, and speeches are made and songs sung, and at present it is customary to conduct Divine Service on the day even in St. Paul's Cathedral, London. But perhaps the most characteristic feature of the day is the wearing of the Leek, though it must be admitted that wearing the Leek on St. David's Day is not very general in the country districts of Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire at the present day, but the interesting old custom is reviving, especially in the towns, and every true-born Welshman ought to wear on the 1st of March the Welsh National Emblem which is dedicated to St. David. The origin of the custom is not known, there are many who positively assert that it originated in the days of St. David himself; that is, according to some traditions, during a memorable battle against the Saxons the Welsh obtained a complete victory over their enemies. During the engagement the Welsh had leeks in their hats on the occasion for their military colour and distinction of themselves, by persuasion of the said prelate St. David. According to other traditions, the battle of Poictiers has been named; also that of Cressy, when the Welsh archers did good service with the English against the French, under Edward the Black Prince of Wales, and Shakespeare alludes to this in Henry V. :— Fluellen says to Henry: "If your Majesty is remembered of it, the Welshmen did good service in a garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their Monmouth caps; which your Majesty knows, to this hour is an honourable padge of the service; and, I do believe, your Majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek on St. Tavy's Day." King Henry: I wear it for a memorable honour; for I am Welsh, you know, good countryman.' It seems that there was a custom in London 250 years ago of hanging effigies of Welshmen on St. David's Day; for Pepys says: (March 1, 1667). In Mark Lane I do observe (it being St. David's Day), the picture of a man dressed like a Welshman, hanging by the neck upon one of the poles that stand out at the top of one of the merchants' houses, in full proportion and very handsomely done, which is one of the oddest sights I have seen a good while. SHROVE TUESDAY. Shrove Tuesday, which is called in Welsh Dydd Mawrth Ynyd, was formerly kept as a holiday; but not much notice is taken of the day now, except that the old custom of pancakes eating still survives in most places. Come to-night my friends, Fair young maidens and gentle young men ; And let us join without sorrow To make pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. The day was once also noted for foot-ball kicking in some districts, and also for throwing at cocks, that is hens which had laid no eggs before that day were threshed with a flail as being good for nothing. |