Among the various superstitions surrounding the advent of the New Year is the nearly mandatory practice of noisemaking at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Now looked upon as mere revelry, it once was considered protection against evil spirits, who would be scared off by all of the noise.
Whistling, however, is strictly taboo; to whistle is to converse with the devil or invite him in. Sailors, actors and actresses, and miners are particularly cognizant of the ill luck associated with whistling. On board ship, whistling is thought to raise a storm. In the theatre, it is believed to close the show prematurely. For miners, it is a sign of alarm.
A whistling girl and a crowing hen,
Always come to no good end.
Now let's start this day off right with some fresh, hot coffee. OK, my friend?
11 comments:
Huh, I never knew that! Learn something new all the time!
Have a Happy New Year!
Hey FG...good to see ya this morning. I hope all of you on your little homestead hve a safe,pleasant New Year!
Thanks for stopping by!
Good morning Jim,
Heh, good to know! Surely don't want to invite that one..;)
Best wishes for a very Happy New year to you and your loved ones Jim. Have a great time tonight!
lydia
Hey Lydia...thanks for stopping by. I guess you and the youngsters are getting ready to bring in the New Year, huh?
The roomies and I will probably help Mom with the ringing in of 2009...although cat's don't seem to place as much emphasis on celebrating as humans! In some ways they are probably a lot smarter.
Wishing you and your family all the best in the coming year, my friend!
I never heard of the whistling aboard ship thing. Apparently the encyclopedia of nautical lore between my ears is missing a few chapters....... No bananas on my boat! Ha ha.....
I once went out on a party fishing boat out of Kema...and someone started whistling. The captain really lost it and started to get very descriptive as to what he would do if the whistling continued...not the least was throwing the offender overboard!
Happy New Year, my friend!
Good lore for a man who wants to live aboard!
And i could use a little less "evil spirit"-ry ...
thanks for the coffee!
BTW, better get a hunk of that beerbread before it disappears...
GOOD STUFF!!!
Cygnus
Hey Cygnus...all of us could use less evil spirits around, I'm thinking.
Never hurts to be careful...and obey all the rules when aboard boats, in mines, or on the stage!
Thanks for stopping by...
Whistling... evil spirits... You know, whistling is the best way to get my daughter's attention.
On a side note, I wonder how I can use this information to my advantage... Perhaps I could attract the devil to my (former) office.
Hugs,
Ashley
Maybe pay your ex-boss to whistle for ya?
Just a thought!
...Happy New Year Jim...
Post a Comment