the weather of the coming year, of which our poet Churchill makes this month the leader: Froze January, leader of the year, Minced pies in van, and calf's head in the rear. The custom of ringing in the New Year is still preserved in most Christian churches. Many people make a point to wear some new clothes on New Year's Day, and esteem the omission of this as unlucky. The customs on this day have reference to those anciently belonging to the festival of Janus. To day is kept a close holiday at the Bank, South Sea House, East India House, and Exchequer of London. January 2. St. Macarius, A.-SS. Martyrs. January, from Aikin's Calendar. Stern Winter's icy breath, intensely keen, The beautiful constellation Orion, recognized immediately by the three Stars of his Girdle, makes a conspicuous figure in the heavens on clear evenings during this month. The antient writers spoke of the rising of Orion as a stormy sign; but whether they alluded to the heliacal, cosmical, acronycal, or nightly rising of this constellation, must be left to the reader to judge from the passages themselves. The same may be said of the other stars held as ominous by the Greeks and Romans of old. Horace observes: Dum pecori Lupus, et nautis infestus Orion Turbaret hibernum mare. And again, in invoking all the evil omens against the Bark of Maevius: Nec sidus atra nocte amicum appareat, Qua tristis Orion cadit. And in lib. i. 21. Me quoque devexi rapidus comes 'Orionis Virgil describes the violence of a tempest at sea as taking place: Cum subito adsurgit fluctu nimbosus Orion. On the Setting of Orion's Belt. See now Orion's Girdle in south west, January 3. ST. GENEVIEVE, V. Patroness of Paris. YELLOW TREMELLA Tremella diliquescens found on palings, rotten wood, &c. Cancer occidit. — Ciceronis natalis.- Rom. Cal. Ovid observes of this night: It - Octipedis frustra queruntur brachia Cancri On the Weather of a Winter's Night. Till Morn, late rising o'er the drooping world, Prone from the dripping cave, and dumb cascade, The pendant icicle, the frostwork fair, Where transient hues and fancy'd figures rise; may be useful, early in the year, to become acquainted with the place of the Sun in the bestarred heavens during each succeeding month, and to know the day of his entering each sign of the Zodiac. It must be observed, however, that owing to the precession of the Aequinox, when the Sun is said to enter the aequinoctial point or Aries, he is really in the constellation Pisces; so that the nominal signs have become merely terms denoting the Sun's distance from that part of the sky where he appears at the period of the vernal Aequinox. The Sun enters into the nominal sign: March 20. January 4. St. Gregory. St. Titus. St. Rumon. This is almost always a cold time of year: it used to be the custom to sing the old song beginning Cold and raw the north wind blows, All the trees are covered with snow As it is in the winter yearly, &c. The Churches and Houses during January are still decorated with Evergreens; and the Berries of Ivy, Holly, and the Missletoe, give a liveliness to the internal decorations of apartments at this dull season. Virgil thus describes the missletoe, Aen. vi. 205. Quale solet sylvis brumali frigore viscum Fronde vivere nova, quod non sua seminat arbos, Et croceo foetu teretes circumdare truncos. January 5. St. Syncletica, V. St. Telesphorus. STRAIGHT SCREW Moss Tortula rigida may now be found in fructification. NONAE. Lyra oritur.—Rom. Cal. It must be observed, that the rising and setting of certain constellations, denoted in the Roman Calendar, allude here to the cosmical rising and setting. There are two others commonly alluded to in the same calendar, namely, the heliacal, and the acronycal or visible rising of the star in the evening. The vespertine rising is often spoken of by Aratus, Manlius, Theophrastus, and other old writers. The bright star in this constellation, called Lucida Lyrae, is well known to every body, and is one of the principal ornaments of a summer evening's sky. Ovid observes of today : Institerint Nonae; missi tibi nubibus atris Signa dabunt imbres ex oriente Lyra. The following are the Signs employed for the Planets in the Ephemerides and Almanacks of Europe, together with the Zodiacal Signs, and are used in this work: THE CHARACTERS OF THE ASPECTS. The Moon's, or any other Planet's Ascending Node. 8 The Descending Node. Conjunction, or Planets situated in the same Longitude. Quadrature, or Planets situated in Longitudes differing 3 Signs from each other. ▲ Trine. 8 Opposition, or Planets situated in opposite Longitudes, or differing 6 Signs from each other. * Sextile. In Herefordshire, on the Eve of the Epiphany, the Farmers collect together, and go into the wheat fields, and there light twelve small fires, and one large one. The attendants, headed by the master of the family, pledge the company in old cyder, which circulates freely on these occasions. A circle is formed round the large fire, when a general shout and hallooing takes place, which you hear answered from all the adjacent villages and fields. Sometimes fifty or sixty of these fires may be all seen at once. This being finished, the company return home, where the good housewife, and her maids, are preparing a good supper. A large cake is always provided, with a hole in the middle. After supper, the company all attend the bailiff (or head of the oxen) to the Wainhouse, where the following particulars are observed: The master, at the head of his friends, fills the cup, generally of strong ale, and stands opposite the first, or finest of the oxen. He then pledges him in a curious toast: the company follow his example with all the other oxen, addressing each by his name. This being finished, the large cake is produced, and, with much ceremony, put on the horn of the first ox, through the hole above mentioned. The ox is then tickled, to make him toss his head: if he throw the cake behind, then it is the mistress's perquisite; if before, in what is termed the boosy, the bailiff himself claims the prize. The company then return to the house, the doors of which they find locked; nor will they be opened, till some joyous songs are sung. On their gaining admittance, a scene of mirth and jollity ensues, and which lasts the greatest part of the night. January 6. EPIPHANY or Twelfth Day. Orises at VIII. 2. sets at III. 58′. HYGROMETRIC Moss Funaria hygrometica fructifies. This is Old Christmas Day, and is still kept a holiday at the Bank, East India House, South Sea House, and Exchequer at London. The old custom of eating twelfthcake, and drawing for king and queen on this day, serve to beguile the long and dreary hours of candlelight at this disagreeable time of year. The same ceremonies prevail in Germany, in France, and in other parts of Europe, and were originally instituted in honour of the Eastern Magi, who are said to have been of royal origin. A custom similar to this was practised anciently by the Greeks and Romans on the Festival of Saturn, where persons drew lots for imaginary kingdoms. Barnaby Googe observes of this day: The wise men's day here followeth, who out of Persia farre, Brought gifts and presents unto Christ, conducted by a starre. An old song used to be sung to children on this night, beginning Lavender is blue, diddle, diddle, You shall be king, diddle, diddle, In the Gentleman's Magazine for February, 1784, Mr. Beckwith tells us, p. 98, that "near Leedes, in Yorkshire, when he was a boy, it was customary for many families, on the Twelfth Eve of Christmas, to invite their relations, friends, and neighbours, to their houses, to play at cards, and to partake of a supper, of which minced pies were an indispensable ingredient; and after supper was brought in, the Wassail Cup, or Wassail Bowl, of which every one partook, by taking with a spoon, out of the ale, a roasted apple, and eating it, and then drinking the healths of the company out of the bowl, wishing them a merry Christmas and a happy New Year." |