And on the Thursdaye Boyes and Girles do runne in every place,
And bounce and beate at every doore, with blowes and lustie snaps,
And crie, the Advent of the Lorde not borne as yet perhaps.
And wishing to the neighbours all, that in the houses dwell,
A happie yeare, and every thing to spring and prosper well:
Here have they peares, and plumbs, and pence, ech man gives willinglee,
For these three nightes are alwayes thought, unfortunate to bee;
Wherein they are afrayde of sprites and cankred witches' spight,
And dreadfull devils blacke and grim, that then have chiefest
might."{28}

With it may be compared the Macedonian custom for village boys to go in
parties at nightfall on Christmas Eve, knocking at the cottage doors with
sticks, shouting _Kolianda! Kolianda!_ and receiving presents,{29} and
also one in vogue in Holland between Christmas and the Epiphany. There
"the children go out in couples, each boy carrying an earthenware pot,
over which a bladder is stretched, with a piece of stick tied in the
middle. When this stick is twirled about, a not very melodious grumbling
sound proceeds from the contrivance, which is known by the name of
'Rommelpot.' By going about in this manner the children are able to
collect some few pence."{30}

Can such practices have originated in attempts to drive out evil spirits
from the houses by noise? Similar methods are used for that purpose by
various European and other peoples.{31} Anyhow something mysterious
hangs about the _Kloepfelnaechte_. They are occasions for girls to learn
about their future husbands, and upon them in Swabia goes about
Pelzmaerte, whom we already know.{32}

|218| In Tyrol curious mummeries are then performed. At Pillersee in
the Lower Innthal two youths combine to form a mimic ass, upon which a
third rides, and they are followed by a motley train. The ass falls sick
and has to be cured by a "vet," and all kinds of satirical jokes are made
about things that have happened in the parish during the year. Elsewhere
two men dress up in straw as husband and wife, and go out with a masked
company. The pair wrangle with one another and carry on a play of wits
with the peasants whose house they are visiting. Sometimes the satire is
so cutting that permanent enmities ensue, and for this reason the
practice is gradually being dropped.{33}

ST. NICHOLAS'S DAY.

On December 6 we reach the most distinctive children's festival