New Years (8)

The Olde Year Now Away is Fled

(sung to Greensleeves) 13th Century English
Translation By Lawrence Rosenwald
The olde year now away is fled,
The new year it is entered
Then let us now our sins downtread
And joyfully all appear
Let's be merry this holiday
And let us run with sport and play
Han sorrow, let's cast care away -
God send you a happy new year
Come, give us more liquor when I do call
I'll drink to each one in this hall
I hope that so loud I must not bawl
But unto me lend me an ear
Good fortune to my master send
And to my dame which is our friend
God bless us all, and so I end
And God send us a happy new year

Blessing of the New Year

This poem, meant to be repeated the first thing on the first day of the year, comes from throughout the Scottish Highlands in many different versions.

God, bless to me the new day,
Never vouchsafed to me before;
It is to bless your own presence
You have given me this time, O God.
Bless to my eye,
May my eye bless all it sees;
I will bless my neighbor,
May my neighbor bless me.
God, give me a clean heart,
Let me not from sight of your eye;
Bless to me my family,
And bless to me my means.

Ancient Celtic prayer collected by Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912), published in Carmina Gadelica (Edinburgh: Floris Books, 1992). These are prayers, hymns, and incantations collected in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland in the 19th century.

First Footing

In Scottish and Northern English folklore, the first-foot, also known in Manx Gaelic as quaaltagh or qualtagh, is the first person to cross the threshold of a home on New Years Day and a bringer of good fortune for the coming year.

Although it is acceptable in many places for the first-footer to be a resident of the house, they must not be in the house at the stroke of midnight in order to first-foot (thus going out of the house after midnight and then coming back in to the same house is not considered to be first-footing). The first-foot is traditionally a tall, dark-haired male; a female or fair-haired male are in some places regarded as unlucky. In Worcjshire, luck is ensured by stopping the first carol singer who appears and leading him through the house. In Yorkshire it must always be a male who enters the house first, but his fairness is no objection.
The first-foot usually brings several gifts, including perhaps a coin, bread, salt, coal, or a drink (usually whiskey), which respectively represent financial prosperity, food, flavour, warmth, and good cheer. In Scotland, first-footing has traditionally been more elaborate than in England,^[ and involving subsequent entertainment.

In a similar Greek tradition (pothariko), it is believed that the first person to enter the house on New Years Eve brings either good luck or bad luck. Many households to this day keep this tradition and specially select who enters first into the house. After the first-foot, also called "podariko" (from the root pod-, or foot), the lady of the house serves the guests with Christmas treats or gives them an amount of money to ensure that good luck will come in the New Year.

taken from wikepidia 

Blessing of the New Year

 

GOD, bless to me the new day,
Never vouchsafed to me before;
It is to bless Thine own presence
Thou hast given me this time, O God.

Bless Thou to me mine eye,
May mine eye bless all it sees;
I will bless my neighbour,
May my neighbour bless me.

God, give me a clean heart,
Let me not from sight of Thine eye;
Bless to me my children and my wife,
And bless to me my means and my cattle.

From the  Carmina Gadelica, Volume 1,collected  by Alexander Carmicheal, [1900] THIS poem was repeated the first thing on the first day of the year. It was p. 159 common throughout the Highlands and Islands. The writer has heard versions of it in many places.

New Years Eve (5)

 
 Repose of Sleep

O God of life, darken not to me your light,

O God of life, close not to me your joy,

O God of life, shut not to me your door,

O God of life, refuse not to me your mercy,

O God of life, quench to me your wrath,

And O God of life, crown to me your gladness,

O God of life, crown to me your gladness.

Ancient Celtic prayer collected by Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912), published in Carmina Gadelica (Edinburgh: Floris Books, 1992). These are prayers, hymns, and incantations collected in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland in the 18th century.

 Graphic: Close up of one side of the Celtic Rest. a sculpture in oak by Mary Mc Namara, outside Templegate Hotel in County Clare, Ireland.

A CELTIC BLESSING for the NEW YEAR

 

Beannacht ar chách

(Blessing on everyone)

Nara tiugha féar ag fás

(Not more generous the growing blades of grass)

Ná gaineamh ar thrá

(Nor the grains of sand on the shore)

Ná drúcht ar bhán

(Nor the dewdrops on the pasture)

Ná na beannachtaí ó Rí na ngrás

(be the blessings of the Kind of grace)

Ar gach anam a bhí, a bheidh ná atá.

(on every soul that was, that will be or that is.)

From The Glenstal Book of Prayer

New Years Eve (4)

In Scottland and the Northern parts of England New Years ( known as Hogmanay) is an important celibration steeped in tradition. Shortly after 'the bells' - the stroke of midnight when public clocks would chime to signal the start of the new year neighbours go from house to house, wishing each other well for the coming year ahead. Good wishes are celibrated with food and plenty of drink. This visiting was known as first footing. Great importance was placed on who would be the first to eneter the home and " bring in the new year" once midnight passed.

Tradition has it a tall, dark and handsome man was the prefered first footer, red heads were always considered bad luck. (that leaves me out, or would have.. lol)

First-foots brought symbolic gifts to the house: coal for the fire, to ensure that the house would be warm and safe, and shortbread or black bun (a type of fruit cake) to symbolise that the household would never go hungry that year.

First-footing has faded in recent years, particularly with the growth of the major street celebrations in Edinburgh and Glasgow

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graphic /an old etching of first footing in edinburgh

classic living water post

New Years Day (3)

 
 May the new year bring
The warmth of home and hearth to you.
The cheer and goodwill of friends to you,
The hope of a childlike heart to you.
The joy of a thousand angels to you,
The love of the Son and God's peace to you.


a celtic New Year Blessing

New Years Eve (3)

'Long ere the lingering dawn of that blithe morn
Which ushers in the year, the roosting cock,
Flapping his wings, repeats his larnun shrill;
But on that morn no busy flail obeys
His rousing call; no sounds but sounds of joy
Salute the year—the first-foot's entering step,
That sudden on the floor is welcome heard,
Ere blushing maids have braided up their hair;
The laugh, the hearty kiss, the good new year
Pronounced with honest warmth. In village, grange,
And borough town, the steaming flagon, borne
From house to house, elates the poor man's heart,
And makes him feel that life has still its joys.
The aged and the young, man, woman, child,
Unite in social glee; even stranger dogs,
Meeting with bristling back, soon lay aside
Their snarling aspect, and in sportive chase,
Excursive scour, or wallow in the snow.
With sober cheerfulness, the grandam eyes
Her offspring round her, all in health and peace;
And, thankful that she's spared to see this day
Return once more, breathes low a secret prayer,
That God would shed a blessing on their heads.'

Rev. JAMES GRAHAME (1765 1611)

excerpt from  "British georgics"  

graphic: the firstfooter

New Years Day (2)

'Wine that maketh glad the heart of man; and oil to make him a cheerful countenance, and bread to strengthen man's heart'

- The Book of Common Prayer

New Years Eve

The Following "opening of the door prayer" was apparently once used by first footers in Scotland. This is the welcoming of Christ into the home and asking His blessing for the coming year.


This day is a new day
that has never been before
This year is a new year
open the main door of the house
Enter Lord Christ
we rejoice in your coming
You have given life
and we welcome you
We turn know to face you
we lift up our eyes
Be blessings our faces
Be blessing our eyes
May all our eyes look upon be blessed
Our nieghbours and loved ones
be blessed in your sight
This is a New year
the door has been opened
Be with us now Lord
We welcome your coming

First Footing

In Scottland and the Northern parts of England New Years ( known as Hogmanay) is an important celibration steeped in tradition. Shortly after 'the bells' - the stroke of midnight when public clocks would chime to signal the start of the new year neighbours go from house to house, wishing each other well for the coming year ahead. Good wishes are celibrated with food and plenty of drink. This visiting was known as first footing. Great importance was placed on who would be the first to eneter the home and " bring in the new year" once midnight passed.

Tradition has it a tall, dark and handsome man was the prefered first footer, red heads were always considered bad luck. (that leaves me out, or would have.. lol)

First-foots brought symbolic gifts to the house: coal for the fire, to ensure that the house would be warm and safe, and shortbread or black bun (a type of fruit cake) to symbolise that the household would never go hungry that year.

First-footing has faded in recent years, particularly with the growth of the major street celebrations in Edinburgh and Glasgow

________________**********___________________

graphic /an old etching of first footing in edinburgh