More Christmas Folklore

This week, I will be sharing with you some curious old tales that were collected by a folklorist in Pennsylvania in the 1950’s concerning the Christmas superstitions of the Scotch-Irish, Pennsylvania Dutch, and Quakers of the 19^th century in that area.

Some of these traditions are a type of ritual that people performed as part of their larger Christmas celebrations. They may also be considered to be old wives’ tales, which are commonly passed down knowledge based on observable fact. Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas, was thought to be the perfect time to divine the future. Perhaps, because it came before the most magical day of them all- Christmas, so there was believed to be a spark of magic present that could be used (or taken advantage of) to help fulfill one’s most desired wishes.

According to local legend, if you fill up a bucket of water and let it freeze outside overnight on December 24th, the following day you will be able to see an image in the ice of the tools of your future husband’s trade.

In a similar vein, a woman who left a brand new handkerchief out in her garden overnight during Christmastime, would guarantee that the moment she stepped out into the garden again, her future husband would come to pick up the handkerchief and give it back to her.

A man who washed his shirt on Christmas Eve and hung it up on a clothesline in the kitchen, would have a vision of his future wife turning the shirt over to dry, but only if he remained in the kitchen between 11 o’clock and midnight that very same night.

In addition, any piece of bread that was left outside to collect Christmas dew, which was considered to have healing and mystical properties, would not be eaten by animals, and could be given to any family members to prevent sickness for the following year.

If there is snow on the ground at Christmas, there will be no snow on the ground at Easter.

If there is no snow at Christmas, there will be snow on the ground at Easter.