h in his
fields that he may be invisible to his children when he walks there at
harvest-time."{53}

With a curious and beautiful old carol from South Wales I must bring this
chapter to a close. It was formerly sung before dawn on New Year's Day by
poor children who carried about a jug of water drawn that morning from
the well. With a sprig of box or other evergreen they would sprinkle
those they met, wishing them the compliments of the season. To pay their
respects to those not abroad at so early an hour, they would serenade
them with the following lines, which, while connected with the "new
water" tradition, contain much that is of doubtful interpretation, and
are a fascinating puzzle for folk-lorists:--

"Here we bring new water
From the well so clear,
For to worship God with,
This happy New Year. |334|
Sing levy-dew, sing levy-dew,
The water and the wine;
The seven bright gold wires
And the bugles they do shine.

Sing reign of Fair Maid,
With gold upon her toe,--
Open you the West Door,
And turn the Old Year go:
Sing reign of Fair Maid,
With gold upon her chin,--
Open you the East Door,
And let the New Year in."{54}

|335| |336| |337|

CHAPTER XVI

EPIPHANY TO CANDLEMAS

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.

[Illustration: THE EPIPHANY IN FLORENCE.]

THE EPIPHANY.

Though the Epiphany has ceased to be a popular festival in England, it
was once a very high day indeed, and in many parts of Europe it is still
attended by folk-customs of great interest.[116] For the peasant of
Tyrol, indeed, it is New Year's Day, the first of January being kept only
by the townsfolk and modernized people.{1}

To Englishmen perhaps the best known feature of the secular festival is
the Twelfth Cake. Some words of Leigh Hunt's will show what an important
place this held in the mid-nineteenth century:--

"Christmas goes out in fine style,--with Twelfth Night. It is a
finish worthy o