The Every-day Book and Table Book, v. 1 (of 3) / or Everlasting Calendar of Popular Amusements, Sports, Pastimes, Ceremonies, Manners, Customs and Events, Incident to Each of the Three Hundred and Sixty-five Days, in past and Present Times; Forming a Complete History of the Year, Month, and Seasons, and a Perpetual Key to the Almanac

by William Hone

November 1.

All Saints. St. Cæsarius, A. D. 300. St. Mary. M. St. Marcellus, Bp. of Paris, 5th Cent. St. Benignus, Apostle of Burgundy, A. D. 272. St. Austremonius, 3d Cent. St. Harold VI., King of Denmark, A. D. 980.

All Saints.

This festival in the almanacs and the church of England calendar is from the church of Rome, which celebrates it in commemoration of those of its saints, to whom, on account of their number, particular days could not be allotted in their individual honour.

On this day, in many parts of England, apples are bobbed for, and nuts cracked, as upon its vigil, yesterday; and we still retain traces of other customs that we had in common with Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, in days of old.

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To the Editor of the Every-Day Book.

Sir,

Should the following excerpt relative to the first of November be of use to you, it is at your service, extracted from a scarce and valuable work by Dr. W. Owen Pughe, entitled “Translations of the Heroic Elegies of Llywarch Hên, London, 1792.”

“The first day of November was considered (among the ancient Welsh) as the conclusion of summer, and was celebrated with bonfires, accompanied with ceremonies suitable to the event, and some parts of Wales still retain these customs. Ireland retains similar ones, and the fire that is made at these seasons, is called Beal teinidh, in the Irish language, and some antiquaries of that country, in establishing the eras of the different colonies planted in the island, have been happy enough to adduce as an argument for their Phœnician origin this term of Beal teinidh.

“The meaning of tàn, (in Welsh), like the Irish teinidh, is fire, and Bal is simply a projecting springing out or expanding, and when applied to vegetation, it means a budding or shooting out of leaves and blossoms, the same as balant, of which it is the root, and it is also the root of bala and of blwydd, blwyddyn and blynedd, a year, or circle of vegetation. So the signification of bâl dân, or tân bâl, would be the rejoicing fire for the vegetation, or for the crop of the year.”

The following seven triplets by Llywarch Hên, who lived to the surprising age of one hundred and forty years, and wrote in the sixth century, also relate to the subject. The translations, which are strictly literal, are also from the pen of Dr. Pughe.

Triplets.	Tribanau.
1.	1.
On All Saints day hard is the grain,	Calangauaf caled grawn
The leaves are dropping, the puddle is full,	Dail ar gychwyn, Uynwyn Uawn:—
At setting off in the morning	Y bore cyn noi fyned,
Woe to him that will trust a stranger.	Gwae a ymddiried i estrawn.
2.	2.
All Saints day, a time of pleasant gossiping,	Calangauaf cain gyfrin,
The gale and the storm keep equal pace,	Cyfred awel a drychin:
It is the labour of falsehood to keep a secret.	Gwaith celwydd yw celu rhin.
3.	3.
On All Saints day the stags are lean,	Calangauaf cul hyddod
Yellow are the tops of birch; deserted is the summer dwelling:	Melyn blaen bedw, gweddw hafod:
Woe to him who for a trifle deserves a curse.	Gwae a haedd mefyl er bychod.
4.	4.
On All Saints day the tops of the branches are bent;	Calangauaf crwm blaen gwrysg:
In the mouth of the mischievous, disturbance is congenial:	Gnawd o ben diried derfysg;
Where there is no natural gift there will be no learning.	Lle ni bo dawn ni bydd dysg.
5.	5.
On All Saints day blustering is the weather,	Calangauaf garw hin,
Very unlike the beginning of the past fair season:	Annhebyg i gyntefin:
Besides God there is none who knows the future.	Namwyn Duw nid oes dewin.
6.	6.
On All Saints day ’tis hard and dry,	Calangauaf caled cras,
Doubly black is the crow, quick is the arrow from the bow,	Purddu bran, buan o fras:
For the stumbling of the old, the looks of the young wear a smile.	Am gwymp hen chwerddid gwèn gwâs.
7.	7.
On All Saints day bare is the place where the heath is burnt,	Calangauaf Uwn goddaith,
The plough is in the furrow, the ox at work:	Aradyr yn rhych, ych yn ngwaith:
Amongst a hundred ’tis a chance to find a friend.	O’r cant odid cydymmaith.

It will be perceived that each triplet, as was customary with the ancient Britons is accompanied by a moral maxim, without relation to the subject of the song.

Gwilym Sais.

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FLORAL DIRECTORY.

Laurastinus. Laurastinus sempervirens.
Dedicated to St. Fortunatus.

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