Page:Notes on the folk-lore of the northern counties of England and the borders.djvu/19

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CONTENTS. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.	PAGE
The long survival of remnants of Heathenism—Toleration of the Church—Her severity—Credulity of Martin Luther—Of the Calvinistic Divines—Varied Sources of the Folk-Lore of Great Britain	1
CHAPTER I. Life and Death of Man. Day of Birth—Hour of Birth—Border Customs at the Birth of a Child—Unchristened Ground—Unbaptized Children at the Mercy of Fairies—Safeguards for the Child—Folk-Lore connected with Baptism—Cutting of Nails—The Toom Cradle—The Child’s First Visit—The Ash-tree—Weeds and Onfas—Beads of Peony Root—The Caul and Veil—Folk-Lore of Childhood:—Rain Charms—Rainbow Charms—Crow, Snail, and Nettle Charms—Folk-Lore of Boyhood:—School-rites and Customs—The Riding of the Stang—Confirmation—Days for Marriage—Seasons for Marriage—Marriage Portents—Marriage Customs:—On the Borders—In Yorkshire—Throwing the Shoe—Kissing the Bride—The Petting-stone—Hotpots—Rubbing with Pease-straw—Race for a Ribbon—Portents of Death—Whistling Woman and Crowing Hen—Border Presage—The Wraith or Waff—St. Mark’s Eve—Cauff-riddling—Saining a Corpse—Death with the Tide—Discovery of the Drowned—Use of Pigeons’ or Game-fowl Feathers—Carrying the Dead with the Sun—The Passing Bell	9
CHAPTER II. Days and Seasons. Christmas—St. Stephen’s Day—The Sword Dancers—Mummers—New Year’s Eve—New Year’s Day—The First Foot—Shrove Tuesday—Passion Sunday—Palm Sunday—Good Friday—Easter Day—May Day—Ascension Day—Whitsun Day—Corpus Christi—The Harvest, Mell Supper, and Kern Baby—St. Agnes’ Fast—Valentine’s Day—April 1st—First Cuckoo Day—The Borrowing Days—May 29—St. Michael’s Day—All-Hallow E’en—St. Clement’s Day—St. Andrew’s Day—Epithets for the Days of the Week	64