other Christmas Fare--Frumenty, Sowens,
Yule Cakes, and the Wassail Bowl--Continental Christmas
Dishes, their Possible Origins--French and German Cakes--The
Animals' Christmas Feast--Cakes in Eastern Europe--Relics of
Animal Sacrifice--Hunting the Wren--Various Games of
Sacrificial Origin.

CHAPTER XIII
MASKING, THE MUMMERS' PLAY, THE FEAST OF FOOLS, AND THE BOY BISHOP 295

English Court Masking--"The Lord of Misrule"--The Mummers'
Play, the Sword-Dance, and the Morris Dance--Origin of St.
George and other Characters--Mumming in Eastern Europe--The
Feast of Fools, its History and Suppression--The Boy Bishop,
his Functions and Sermons--Modern Survivals of the Boy Bishop.

CHAPTER XIV
ST. STEPHEN'S, ST. JOHN'S, AND HOLY INNOCENTS' DAYS 309

Horse Customs of St. Stephen's Day--The Swedish St.
Stephen--St. John's Wine--Childermas and its Beatings. |11|

CHAPTER XV
NEW YEAR'S DAY 319

Principle of New Year Customs--The New Year in France,
Germany, the United States, and Eastern
Europe--"First-footing" in Great Britain--Scottish New Year
Practices--Highland Fumigation and "Breast-strip"
Customs--Hogmanay and Aguillanneuf--New Year Processions in
Macedonia, Roumania, Greece, and Rome--Methods of
Augury--Sundry New Year Charms.

CHAPTER XVI
EPIPHANY TO CANDLEMAS 335

The Twelfth Cake and the "King of the Bean"--French Twelfth
Night Customs--St. Basil's Cake in Macedonia--Epiphany and the
Expulsion of Evils--The Befana in Italy--The Magi as
Present-bringers--Greek Epiphany Customs--Wassailing
Fruit-trees--Herefordshire and Irish Twelfth Night
Practices--The "Haxey Hood" and Christmas Football--St. Knut's
Day in Sweden--Rock Day--Plough Monday--Candlemas, its
Ecclesiastical and Folk Ceremonies--Farewells to Christmas.

CONCLUSION 357

NOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 361

INDEX 389

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[Illustration: MADONNA AND CHILD. _By Albrecht Duerer._]

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ILLUSTRATIONS

THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI (DETAIL) Frontispiece
Gentile da Fabriano. (_Florence: Accademia_)

MADONNA AND CHILD