A Curious Practice in North Holland.—To every house, of whatever quality, there is an artificial door, elevated near three feet above the level of the ground, and never opened but upon two occasions. When any part of the family marries, the bride and bridegroom enter the house by this door; and when either of the parties die, the corpse is carried out by the same door. Immediately after the due ceremonies are performed in either of these cases, this door is fastened up, never to turn on its hinges again, till some new event of a similar nature demands its services.
CHAP. LXIII.
CURIOSITIES RESPECTING THE CUSTOMS OF MANKIND.—(Continued.)
Shrovetide—Candlemas Day—Origin of Valentine’s Day—Origin of Plough Monday—New Years Gifts—Origin of Christmas Boxes—Chiltern Hundreds—Origin of the Term “John Bull”—Origin of the Old Adage, “If it rains on St. Swithin’s Day, it will rain Forty Days afterwards”—Curfew Bell.
Shrovetide,—in its original meaning, signifies the time of confessing sins to a priest. Tide refers to time; and shrove, shrive, or shrift, are derived from the Saxon, and signify confession. In the earlier constitution of the church, it is ordered, “That on the week next before Lent, every man should go to his shrift, and his shrift should shrive him in such a manner as the deeds which he had done required.”
This custom of confessing to the priest at this season, was laid aside at the Reformation.
Fitzstephen informs us, that anciently, on Shrove-Tuesday, schoolboys used to bring “cocks of the game” to their masters, and entertain themselves with cock-fighting. The masters presided at the battle, and claimed the runaway cocks as their perquisite.
The custom of throwing at cocks on this day is not of very ancient institution: it is gradually growing out of use; to which amendment of our manners, the ingenious pencil of Hogarth probably contributed.
Shrove-Tuesday is, in the north, called Fastern’s E’en, because the following day is the commencement of Lent.