KEY TO THE CALENDAR. 



called Eastre-monath. The Dutch term it Grass 

 month. 



I. All-fool? Day. From a very early age, this 

 day has been considered as one set apart for the 

 exercise of all kinds of mirthful folly and practical 

 joking ; the term given to it we may hold as a 

 travesty of the festival of All-saints' Day. The 

 custom of playing off little tricks on this day, 

 whereby ridicule may be fixed upon unguarded 

 individuals, appears to be universal throughout 

 Europe. In France, one thus imposed upon is 

 called un poisson d'Avril (an April fish). In 

 England, such a person is called an April fool ; in 

 Scotland, a gowk. Gowk is the Scotch for the 

 cuckoo, and also signifies a foolish person, being, 

 in fact, from the same root as the English word 

 gawky. The favourite jest in Britain is to send 

 one upon an errand for something grossly non- 

 sensical as for pigeon's milk, or the History of 

 Adam's Grandfather ; or to make appointments 

 which are not to be kept ; or to call to a passer-by 

 that his latchet is unloosed, or that there is a spot 

 of mud upon his face. When he falls into the 

 snare, the term April fool or gowk is applied with 

 a shout of laughter. It is very remarkable that 

 the Hindus practise precisely similar tricks on the 

 3 ist of March, when they have what is called 

 the Huli Festival. 



7. The fifteenth day after Easter is marked by 

 an old English festival, to which the inexplicable 

 term Hock-day is applied. The custom peculiar 

 to the day consisted in the men and women of 

 rural districts going out to the roads with ropes, 

 and intercepting passengers jocularly, and raising 

 money from them, to be bestowed, it may well 

 be presumed, in pious uses. 



23. St Georges Day in the Romish calendar. 

 St George is held as the tutelar or patron saint of 

 England. He is said to have been a native of 

 Cappadocia ; and it is tolerably certain that he 

 was held in great veneration by the Greeks in 

 the fourth century. He is invariably represented 

 as a man on horseback, spearing a dragon. With 

 a regard apparently to his military character, our 

 Edward III. adopted his name as his war-cry, 

 and his figure as a badge in connection with 

 the Order of the Garter ; thus originated the 

 association of St George with England, since in 

 many respects so conspicuous. It is remarkable 

 that in Russia St George is as much a favourite 

 saint as he is in England. The sovereigns of 

 that country have borne his emblem from a time 

 previous to Edward III. The derivation of 

 Russian Christianity from the Greek Church 

 suggests a ready explanation of this fact. 



25. St Mark the Evangelist's Day, a holiday 

 of the Church of England. It was once customary 

 to bless the fruits of the earth on this day ; hence, 

 perhaps, a notion amongst the peasantry, that 

 to plough or do any other work on St Mark's 

 Day will be apt to bring down Divine wrath. 

 The eve of St Mark was distinguished by some 

 superstitious ceremonies. Maidens met to make 

 the dumb cake. This was done by a number not 

 exceeding three, and it was to be done in silence. 

 At twelve o'clock, the cake being prepared, each 

 broke off a piece and ate it ; then walked back- 

 ward to her sleeping-room. It was thought that 

 those who were to be married would hear a noise 

 as of a man approaching. Those who heard 



nothing were to remain unmarried. Watching 

 the church porch was another practice of this eve. 

 A man went fasting and took his station there 

 before midnight. It was thought that during the 

 hour between twelve and one he would see the 

 spirits of all who were to die in the parish during 

 the ensuing year walk into church, in the order 

 in which they were to die, those who were to 

 perish by violence making gesticulations appro- 

 priate to the peculiar modes of their death. There 

 were similar superstitions regarding the Eve of 

 St John (June 24). 



26. Rogation Sunday. The Sunday before 

 Ascension is always so called. The three days 

 immediately following are also called Rogation 

 Days. The Archbishop of Vienne, in Dauphine", 

 about the year 469, caused the litanies or suppli- 

 cations to be said on those days for deliverance 

 from earthquakes, by which his city had been 

 much injured. The days were thence called 

 Rogation that is, supplication days. 



30. Ascension-day, or Holy Thursday, a holiday 

 of the Church of England, observed by the shut- 

 ting of most of the public offices. This festival, 

 which invariably occurs on the fortieth day after 

 Easter, is designed to celebrate the ascension of 

 Christ into heaven. It was once distinguished 

 by great festivities. 



Natural History. Mild weather, with genial 

 showers, is the character usually given to April ; 

 but in modern times the weather is often the 

 reverse of this, being dry, with cold winds. On 

 the average, indeed, there is more north wind and 

 less rain this month than in any other. The pro- 

 gressive advance of temperature from winter 

 towards summer is very apparent this month, the 

 general average height of the thermometer being 

 46 degrees. April is a busy month in the fields, 

 and the usual seed-time for barley. In the 

 gardens, it is the busiest time of the year for seed- 

 sowing. 



MAY. 



Among the Romans, this was the inensis 

 maiorum, or month dedicated to the elder persons 

 of their community, while the next was the mensis 

 juniorum, or month of the younger people. Thus, 

 it was supposed, arose the names of May and 

 June. Others thought that May would derive its 

 name from Maia, the mother of Mercury, who 

 was worshipped on the first day ; but it is more 

 probable that Maia and her day were after- 

 thoughts, when the real origin of the name of 

 May was out of mind. That origin is to be 

 sought in the Sansc. root mah, ' to grow,' so that 

 May is just the season of growth. The same 

 root, no doubt, appears in the Ang-Sax. magu, 'a 

 son,' and maegth, a maid or daughter ; also in 

 the Latin rnag-nus and maf-or. The Anglo- 

 Saxons gave this month the name of Trimilchi, 

 because they then began to milk their cows three 

 times a day. The Romans believed it to be 

 unlucky to marry in May, probably because 

 the following month was sacred to Juno, the 

 foundress of marriage. 



I. St Philip and St Jaines the Less, a holiday 

 of the Church of England. 



As a popular festival under the name of May- 

 day, this day has been celebrated from time 

 immemorial. The celebration must doubtless 



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