NEW YEAR’S DAY.

In Pembrokeshire, to rise early on New Year’s morning will, it is considered, bring good luck. On that morning also it is deemed wise to bring a fresh loaf into the house as it is considered the succeeding loaves throughout the year will be influenced by that performance.

In most places throughout West Wales, even at the present day, people are very particular as to whether they see a man or a woman the first thing on New Year’s morning. Mr. Williams in his “Llen-gwerin Sir Gaerfyrddin,” says that in parts of Carmarthenshire in order to secure future luck or success during the coming year, a man must see a woman, and a woman a man. And the Rev. N. Thomas, Vicar of Llanbadarn Fawr, informed me that he has met people in his Parish who consider it lucky to see a woman first. As a rule, however, the majority of people both men and women deem it lucky to see a man, but unlucky to see a woman.

Even now in various parts of the country, good many object to the entrance of a woman before the in-coming of one of the other sex, this is particularly the case in the central parts of Cardiganshire, especially in the Parish of Llanddewi Brefi and surrounding districts between Lampeter and Tregaron. This is also true of some parts of Pembrokeshire.

According to the late Rector of Newport, Pembrokeshire, the man must needs bear one of the four lucky names—Dafydd, Ifan, Sion and Siencyn. “Supposing the man was not called by one of these names, the person first seen might as well be a woman, if she only bore one of the lucky names—Sian a Sioned, Mair a Marged. Then all would go well for that year at least. A hare or a magpie must not cross one before twelve, and the cock must not crow before supper on New Year’s Day, or some dire calamity might befall one after all.”

There was everywhere a general desire to see “the Old Year out and the New Year in.” In South Pembrokeshire some danced the old year out; some drank it out, and many walked it out. I was informed at Talybont, that once those who desired to see “the New Year in “crowded to each other’s houses in North Cardiganshire to pass the time in story-telling and feasting. The children especially, looked forward to New Year’s morning, with the greatest interest, as it was, and still is in some places, customary for them to go about from house to house, asking for “calenig,” or New Year’s gift. The children on such occasions often repeated something as follows:—

“Rhowch galenig yn galonog,

I ddyn gwan sydd heb un geiniog,

Gymaint roddwch, rhowch yn ddiddig,

Peidiwch grwgnach am ryw ychydig.

“Mi godais heddyw maes o’m ty,

A’m cwd a’m pastwn gyda mi,

A dyma’m neges ar eich traws,

Set llanw’m cwd a bara a chaws.

“Calenig i fi, calenig i’r ffon,

Calenig i fytta’r noson hon;

Calenig i mam am gwyro sane,

Calenig i nhad am dapo sgidie.

“Chwi sy’n meddi aur ac arian,

Dedwydd ydych ar Ddydd Calan,

Braint y rhai sy’n perchen moddion,

Yw cyfranu i’r tylodion,

‘Rhwn sy a chyfoeth ac ai ceidw,

Nid oes llwyddiant i’r dyn hwnw.”

“Os gwelwch yn dda ga’i g’lenig?—

Shar i ‘nhad a shar i mam,

A shar i’r gwr bonheddig.”

The following is from an old song for New Year’s Day, heard at Tregaron in Cardiganshire:—

“Rhowch i mi docyn diogel,

Fel gallo mam ei arddel,

Neu chwech gael cwart,

’Dwy’n hidio fawr,

Waeth fi yw gwas mawr Trecefel.”

In the English districts of West Wales, such as South Pembrokeshire, such verses as the following were repeated:—

Get up on New Year’s morning,

The cocks are all a-crowing;

And if you think you’re awake too soon,

Why get up and look at the stars and moon.

“The roads are very dirty,

My shoes are very thin,

I wish you a happy New Year,

And please to let me in.”

The following is another specimen from North Cardigan:—

“Mae rhew a’r eira yn bur oeredd,

Awel fain yn dod o’r gogledd,

Ambell gybydd oddi cartre,

Yn lle rhanu rhai ceinioge,

A rhai eraill yn eu caban,

Yn gwneyd eu cilwg ar Ddydd Calan.”

When boys and girls knocked at the doors of misers who refused to give anything, they went away disappointed, repeating

“Blwyddyn newydd ddrwg,

A llond y ty o fwg.”

“A bad New Year to you,

And a house full of smoke.”

But as a rule the farmers were very kind to all comers, both in Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, and Pembrokeshire, unless they had been disappointed by seeing a girl first that morning, which was, as I have already observed, considered an unlucky omen. Even at the present day this superstition is very strong in Llanddewi Brefi, Cardiganshire, and, indeed, many other parts of Wales, for I have taken particular notice that the first boy who comes to the door on New Year’s morning, if he happens to come before a girl is seen, he is warmly welcomed into the house and even taken upstairs and into the bedrooms so that those who are in their beds might have the satisfaction of seeing a male the first thing on New Year’s Day, to secure good-luck. Before the boy departs some money is given him, about sixpence as a rule at the present day, but in former times he got a loaf of bread instead. At the present day boys and girls, and occasionally a few poor old women continue to go round from house to house from early dawn till mid-day collecting alms, when each of the children receive a copper, in former times, however, it was more customary to give them some bread and cheese, which they took home to their parents in a bag which they carried on their backs, or a basket under their arms.

When the children had more than they could carry, they would leave some of it at a certain house and return for it the following day. In some places it was customary to keep on to collect alms in this manner for two days, but only those who were in very poor circumstances were allowed to go about on the second day.

It was once customary to carry an orange, with oats stuck in it, placed on a stick, round the houses. The visitors sang at the door and expected something to eat and drink.

Another interesting custom observed, especially in Pembrokeshire, on New Year’s Day was for children to visit the houses in the morning about 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning with a vessel filled with spring water, fresh from the well and with the aid of a sprig of evergreen, sprinkled the faces of those they met, and at the same time singing as follows:—

“Here we bring new water from the well so clear,

For to worship God with, this Happy New Year;

Sing levy dew, sing levy dew, the water and the wine,

With seven bright gold wires, and bugles that do shine;

Sing reign of fair maid, with gold upon her toe,

Open you the west door and turn the old year go;

Sing reign of fair maid, with gold upon her chin,

Open you the east door and let the New Year in.”

When the children entered into a house, it was customary for them to sprinkle every one of the family even in their beds with this fresh spring water, and they received a small fee for the performance.

There was a ceremony among the Druids and others in ancient times, of throwing spring water over the shoulder in order to command the attention of elemental spirits.

It is customary in some places, especially in parts of Carmarthenshire, for young men to sprinkle the young girls with water in their beds, and the young maidens in their turn sprinkle the young men, and this is sometimes done when the one upon whom water is thrown is fast asleep.

It is still customary for young men with musical instruments to visit the palaces of the gentry at early dawn, and play some of the beautiful old Welsh Airs, when they receive warm welcome and generous gifts.

Among Twelfth Night Custom, none was more celebrated in Pembrokeshire in the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth than the “cutty wren,” though there are hardly any traces of the custom in Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire. The custom was something as follows:

Having procured a wren, the bird was placed in a little house of paper with glass windows, sometimes a cage or a lantern, or a box was used for that purpose, and often decorated with coloured ribbons, and “every young lady, and even old ladies, used to compete in presenting the grandest ribbon to the “wren.”

The cage or the lantern thus decorated with the little bird in it, was hoisted on four poles, one at each corner, and four men carried it about for the purpose of levying contributions, singing a long ballad or ditty such as follows on the following tune:—

“Where are you going? says Milder to Melder,

O where are you going? says the younger to the elder;

O I cannot tell says Festel to Fose;

We’re going to the woods said John the Red Nose.

“O what will you do there? says Milder to Melder,

O what will you do there? says the younger to the elder;

O I do not know, says Festel to Fose;

To shoot the cutty wren, said John the Red Nose,

To shoot the cutty wren, said John the Red Nose.

“O what will you shoot her with? says Milder to Melder,

O what will you shoot her with? says the younger to the elder

O I cannot tell, says Festel to Fose;

With bows and arrows, said John the Red Nose,

With bows and arrows, said John the Red Nose.

“O that will not do! says Milder to Melder,

O that will not do says the younger to the elder;

O what will you do then? says Festel to Fose;

With great guns and cannons says John the Red Nose,

With great guns and cannons says John the Red Nose.

“O what will you bring her home in? says Milder to Melder,

O what will you bring her home in? says the younger to elder;

O I cannot tell, says Festel to Fose;

On four strong men’s shoulders, said John the Red Nose.

“O that will not do, says Milder to Melder,

O that will not do, says the younger to the elder;

O what will you do then? says Fester to Fose;

On big carts and waggons, said John the Red Nose,

On big carts and waggons, said John the Red Nose.

“What will you cut her up with? says Milder to Melder,

What will you cut her up with? says the younger to the elder;

O I do not know, saith Festel to Fose;

With knives and with forks, said John the Red Nose,

With knives and with forks, said John the Red Nose.

“O that will not do, says Melder to Milder,

O that will not do, says the younger to the elder;

O what will do then? says Festel to Fose;

With hatchets and cleavers, said John the Red Nose,

“What will you boil her in? says Milder to Melder,

What will you boil her in? says the younger to the elder;

O I cannot tell thee, says Festel to Fose;

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;

Good master give command,

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 bowl,” was not always accepted. In such cases the bearer of the bowl sung the following rhyme in disappointment:—

“Are there any maidens here,

As I suppose there’s none

Or they wouldn’t leave us here,

With our jolly wassail bowl.”

“The huge bowl was on the table, brimful of ale. William 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.... 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.

CUTTING THE MISTLETOE.

Photo by Abery Builth Wells.