The great feast of Bel, or the Sun, took place on May Eve; and that of Samhain, or the Moon, on November Eve; when libations were poured out to appease4 the evil spirits, and also the spirits of the dead, who come out of their graves on that night to visit their ancient homes.
The Phœnicians, it is known, adored the Supreme5 Being under the name of Bel-Samen, and it is remarkable6 that the peasants in Ireland, wishing you good luck, say in Irish, “The blessing7 of Bel, and the blessing of Samhain, be with you,” that is, of the sun and of the moon.
These were the great festivals of the Druids, when all domestic fires were extinguished, in order to be re-lit by the sacred fire taken from the temples, for it was deemed sacrilege to have any fires kindled8 except from the holy altar flame.
St. Patrick, however, determined9 to break down the power of the Druids; and, therefore, in defiance10 of their laws, he had a great fire lit on May Eve, when he celebrated11 the paschal mysteries; and henceforth Easter, or the Feast of the Resurrection, took the place of the Baal festival.
The Baal fires were originally used for human sacrifices and burnt-offerings of the first-fruits of the cattle; but after Christianity was established the children and cattle were only passed between two fires for purification from sin, and as a safeguard against the power of the devil.
The Persians also extinguished the domestic fires on the Baal festival, the 21st of April, and were obliged to re-light them from the temple fires, for which the priests were paid a fee in silver money. A fire kindled by rubbing two pieces of wood together was also considered lucky by the Persians; then water was boiled over the flame, and afterwards sprinkled on the people and on the cattle. The ancient Irish ritual resembles the Persian in every particular, and the Druids, no doubt, held the traditional worship exactly as brought from the East, the land of the sun and of tree worship and well worship.
May Day, called in Irish Là-Beltaine, the day of the Baal fires, was the festival of greatest rejoicing held in Ireland. But the fairies have great power at that season, and children and cattle, and the milk and butter, must be well guarded from their influence. A spent coal must be put under the churn, and another under the cradle; and primroses13 must be scattered15 before the door, for the fairies cannot pass the flowers. Children that die in April are supposed to be carried off by the fairies, who are then always on the watch to abduct16 whatever is young and beautiful for their fairy homes.
Sometimes on the 1st of May, a sacred heifer, snow white,103 appeared amongst the cattle; and this was considered to bring the highest good luck to the farmer. An old Irish song that alludes17 to the heifer, may be translated thus—
“There is a cow on the mountain,
A fair white cow;
She goes East and she goes West,
And my senses have gone for love of her;
She goes with the sun and he forgets to burn,
And the moon turns her face with love to her,
My fair white cow of the mountain.”
The fairies are in the best of humours upon May Eve, and the music of the fairy pipes may be heard all through the night, while the fairy folk are dancing upon the rath. It is then they carry off the young people to join their revels18; and if a girl has once danced to the fairy music, she will move ever after with such fascinating grace, that it has passed into a proverb to say of a good dancer, “She has danced to fairy music on the hill.”
At the great long dance held in old times on May Day, all the people held hands and danced round a great May-bush erected19 on a mound20. The circle sometimes extended for a mile, the girls wearing garlands, and the young men carrying wands of green boughs21, while the elder people sat round on the grass as spectators, and applauded the ceremony. The tallest and strongest young men in the county stood in the centre and directed the movements, while the pipers and harpers, wearing green and gold sashes, played the most spirited dance tunes23.
The oldest worship of the world was of the sun and moon, of trees, wells, and the serpent that gave wisdom. Trees were the symbol of knowledge, and the dance round the May-bush is part of the ancient ophite ritual. The Baila also, or waltz, is associated with Baal worship, where the two circling motions are combined; the revolution of the planet on its own axis24, and also round the sun.
In Italy, this ancient festival, called Calendi Maggio, is celebrated in the rural districts much in the Irish way. Dante fell in love at the great May Day festival, held in the Portinari Palace. The Sclavonic nations likewise light sacred fires, and dance round a tree hung with garlands on May Day. This reverence25 for the tree is one of the oldest superstitions26 of humanity and the most universal, and the fires are a relic27 of the old pagan worship paid to the Grynian Apollo—fire above all things being held sacred by the Irish as a safeguard from evil spirits. It is a saying amongst them, “Fire and salt are the two most sacred things given to man, and if you give them away on May Day, you give away your luck for the year.” Therefore no one will allow milk, or fire, or salt, to be carried away from the house on that day;104 and if people came in and asked for a lighted sod, they would be driven away with curses, for their purpose was evil.
The witches, however, make great efforts to steal the milk on May morning, and if they succeed, the luck passes from the family, and the milk and butter for the whole year will belong to the fairies. The best preventative is to scatter14 primroses on the threshold; and the old women tie bunches of primroses to the cows’ tails, for the evil spirits cannot touch anything guarded by these flowers, if they are plucked before sunrise, not else. A piece of iron, also, made red hot, is placed upon the hearth28; any old iron will do, the older the better, and branches of whitethorn and mountain ash are wreathed round the doorway29 for luck. The mountain ash has very great and mysterious qualities. If a branch of it be woven into the roof, that house is safe from fire for a year at least, and if a branch of it is mixed with the timber of a boat, no storm will upset it, and no man in it will be drowned for a twelvemonth certain. To save milk from witchcraft30, the people on May morning cut and peel some branches of the mountain ash, and bind31 the twigs32 round the milk pails and the churn. No witch or fairy will then be able to steal the milk or butter. But all this must be done before sunrise. However, should butter be missed, follow the cow to the field, and gather the clay her hoof33 has touched; then, on returning home, place it under the churn with a live coal and a handful of salt, and your butter is safe from man or woman, fairy or fiend, for that year. There are other methods also to preserve a good supply of butter in the churn; a horse-shoe tied on it; a rusty34 nail from a coffin35 driven into the side; a cross made of the leaves of veronica placed at the bottom of the milk pail; but the mountain ash is the best of all safeguards against witchcraft and devil’s magic. Without some of these precautions the fairies will certainly overlook the churn, and the milk and butter, in consequence, will fail all through the year, and the farmer suffer great loss. Herbs gathered on May Eve have a mystical and strong virtue36 for curing disease; and powerful potions are made then by the skilful37 herb women and fairy doctors, which no sickness can resist, chiefly of the yarrow, called in Irish “the herb of seven needs” or cures, from its many and great virtues38. Divination39 is also practised to a great extent by means of the yarrow. The girls dance round it singing—
“Yarrow, yarrow, yarrow,
I bid thee good morrow,
And tell me before to-morrow
Who my true love shall be.”
The herb is then placed under the head at night, and in dreams the true lover will appear. Another mode of divination for the future fate in life is by snails40. The young girls go out early be105fore sunrise to trace the path of the snails in the clay, for always a letter is marked, and this is the initial of the true lover’s name. A black snail41 is very unlucky to meet first in the morning, for his trail would read death; but a white snail brings good fortune. A white lamb on the right hand is also good; but the cuckoo is ominous42 of evil. Of old the year began with the 1st of May, and an ancient Irish rhyme says—
“A white lamb on my right side,
So will good come to me;
But not the little false cuckoo
On the first day of the year.”
Prophecies were also made from the way the wind blew on May mornings. In ’98 an old man, who was drawing near to his end and like to die, inquired from those around him—
“Where did you leave the wind last night?” (May Eve.)
They told him it came from the north.
“Then,” he said, “the country is lost to the Clan43 Gael; our enemies will triumph. Had it been from the south, we should have had the victory; but now the Sassenach will trample44 us to dust.” And he fell back and died.
Ashes are often sprinkled on the threshold on May Eve; and if the print of a foot is found in the morning, turned inward, it betokens45 marriage; but if turned outward, death. On May Eve the fairy music is heard on all the hills, and many beautiful tunes have been caught up in this way by the people and the native musicians.
About a hundred years ago a celebrated tune22, called Moraleana, was learnt by a piper as he traversed the hills one evening; and he played it perfectly46, note by note, as he heard it from the fairy pipes; on which a voice spoke47 to him and said that he would be allowed to play the tune three times in his life before all the people, but never a fourth, or a doom48 would fall on him. However, one day he had a great contest for supremacy49 with another piper, and at last, to make sure of victory, he played the wonderful fairy melody; when all the people applauded and declared he had won the prize by reason of its beauty, and that no music could equal his. So they crowned him with the garland; but at that moment he turned deadly pale, the pipes dropped from his hand, and he fell lifeless to the ground. For nothing escapes the fairies; they know all things, and their vengeance50 is swift and sure.
It is very dangerous to sleep out in the open air in the month of May, for the fairies are very powerful then, and on the watch to carry off the handsome girls for fairy brides, and the young mothers as nurses for the fairy babies; while the young men are selected as husbands for the beautiful fairy princesses.
106
A young man died suddenly on May Eve while he was lying asleep under a hay-rick, and the parents and friends knew immediately that he had been carried off to the fairy palace in the great moat of Granard. So a renowned51 fairy man was sent for, who promised to have him back in nine days. Meanwhile he desired that food and drink of the best should be left daily for the young man at a certain place on the moat. This was done, and the food always disappeared, by which they knew the young man was living, and came out of the moat nightly for the provisions left for him by his people.
Now on the ninth day a great crowd assembled to see the young man brought back from Fairyland. And in the midst stood the fairy doctor performing his incantations by means of fire and a powder which he threw into the flames that caused a dense52 grey smoke to arise. Then, taking off his hat, and holding a key in his hand, he called out three times in a loud voice, “Come forth12, come forth, come forth!” On which a shrouded53 figure slowly rose up in the midst of the smoke, and a voice was heard answering, “Leave me in peace; I am happy with my fairy bride, and my parents need not weep for me, for I shall bring them good luck, and guard them from evil evermore.”
Then the figure vanished and the smoke cleared, and the parents were content, for they believed the vision, and having loaded the fairy-man with presents, they sent him away home.
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1
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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auspicious
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| adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的 | |
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singed
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| v.浅表烧焦( singe的过去式和过去分词 )；（毛发）燎，烧焦尖端[边儿] | |
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appease
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| v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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7
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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9
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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12
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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13
primroses
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| n.报春花( primrose的名词复数 )；淡黄色；追求享乐（招至恶果） | |
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14
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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15
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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16
abduct
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| vt.诱拐，拐带，绑架 | |
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17
alludes
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| 提及，暗指( allude的第三人称单数 ) | |
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18
revels
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| n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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19
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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21
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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22
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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23
tunes
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| n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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24
axis
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| n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线 | |
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25
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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26
superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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27
relic
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| n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物 | |
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28
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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29
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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30
witchcraft
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| n.魔法，巫术 | |
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31
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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32
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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33
hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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34
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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36
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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37
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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38
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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39
divination
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| n.占卜，预测 | |
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40
snails
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| n.蜗牛；迟钝的人；蜗牛( snail的名词复数 ) | |
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41
snail
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| n.蜗牛 | |
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42
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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43
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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44
trample
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| vt.踩，践踏；无视，伤害，侵犯 | |
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45
betokens
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的第三人称单数 ) | |
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46
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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47
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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48
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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49
supremacy
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| n.至上；至高权力 | |
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50
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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51
renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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52
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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53
shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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