W A K 



on the altars, and alfo on the walls of the church, or a 

 tablet within it. The feaft of this faint became of courfe 

 the feftivil of the church. Thus Chriftian feftivals, in the 

 ~ room of the primitive ayaTra,-, or love-feafte, were fubllituted 

 for the idolatrous anniverfaries of heathenifm : accordingly at 

 the firft. introduftion of Chrillianity among tiie Jutes of Kent, 

 pope Gregory the Great advifed what had been previoufly 

 done among the Britons, viz. Chriftian feftivals to be infti- 

 tuted in the room of the idolatrous, and the fuifering-day of 

 the martyr whofe relics were repofited in the church, or the 

 day on which the building was aftually dedicated, to be the 

 eftabhftied feaft of the parish. Both were appointed and 

 obferved ; and they were clearly diftinguifhed at firft among 

 the Saxons, as appears from the laws of the ConfefTor, 

 where the Jies dedlcatlonls, or dsdicatio, is repeatedly difcrimi- 

 nated from the propria fe/liviiat fanSi, or celebratio fanfli. 

 They remained equally diftinft till the Reformation ; the 

 dedication-day in 1536 being ordered for the future to be 

 kept on the firft Sunday in Oftober, and the feftival of the 

 patron faint to be celebrated no longer. The latter was, by 

 way of pre-eminence, denominated the church's holiday, or 

 its peculiar feftival ; and while this remains in many parifhes 

 at prefent, the other is fo utterly annihilated in all, that 

 biftiop Kcnnet, fays Mr. Whitaker, knew nothing of its dif- 

 tinft exiftence, and has attributed to the day of dedica- 

 tion what is true only concerning the faint's day. Thus 

 iaftituted at firft, the day of the tutelar faint was obferved, 

 moft probably by the Britons, and certainly by the Saxons, 

 with great devotion. And the evening before every faint's 

 day, in the Saxon-Jewifli method of reckoning the hours, 

 being an aftual part of the day, and therefore like that ap- 

 propriated to the duties of public religion, as they reckoned 

 Sunday from the firft to commence at the fun-fet of Satur- 

 day ; the evening preceding the church's holiday would be 

 obferved with all the devotion of the feftival. The people 

 adually repaired to the church, and joined in the fervices of 

 it ; and they thus fpent the evening of their greater feftivi- 

 ties in the monafteries of the North, as early as the conclufion 

 of the feventh century. 



Thefe fervices were naturally denominated from their late 

 hours ivaccan or wakes, and vigils or eves. That of the 

 anniverfary at Rippon, as early as the commencement of the 

 eighth century, is exprefsly denominated the vigil. But 

 that of the church's holiday was named cyric ivtccan, or 

 church-wake, the church-vigil, or church-eve. And it was this 

 commencement of both with a wake, which has now caufcd 

 the days to be generally preceded with vigils, and the 

 church-holiday particularly to be denominated the church- 

 wake. So religioudy were the eve and feftival of tlie patron 

 faint obferved for many ages by the Saxons, even as late as 

 the reign of Edgar, the former being fpent in the church, 

 and employed in prayer. And the wakes, and all the other 

 holidays in the year, were put upon the fame footing with 

 the oftaves of Chriftmas, Eafter, and of Pentccoft. When 

 Gregory recommended the feftival of the patron faint, he 

 advifed tlie people to creft bootlis of branches about the 

 church on the day of the feftival, and to feaft and be merry 

 in them with innocence. Accordingly, in every parifli, on 

 the returning anniverfary of the faint, little pavilions were 

 conftruftcd of boughs, and the people indulged in them to 

 hofpitality and mirth. Tlie fea(l;ng of tlie faint's day, how- 

 ever, was foon abufed ; and even in the body of tlie cluirch, 

 when the people were affembled for devotion, they began to 

 mind divcrfions, and to introduce drinking. The growing 

 intemperance gradually ftaiiied tlie 1". -vice of the vigil, till 

 the feftivity of it wa» converted, as it now is, into the rigour 

 •of a faft. At length they too juftly fcandahzed the i'uri- 



VoL. XXXVI 1. 



W A L 



tans of the feventeenth century, and nuinbers of the wakes 

 were difufed entirely, efpecially in the eaft and fome weftern 

 parts of England ; though the order for abohftiing them was 

 reverfed by the influence of Laud : but they are commonly 

 obferved in the north, and in the midland counties. 



This cuftom of celebrity in the neighbourhood of the 

 church, on the days of particular faints, was introduced 

 into England from the continent, and muft have been fami- 

 liar equally to the Britons and Saxons ; being obferved 

 among the churches of Afia in the fixth century, and by 

 thofe of the weft of Europe in the feventh. And equally 

 in Afia and Europe, on the continent, and in the iflands, 

 thefe celebrities were the caufes of thofe commercial marts 

 which we denominate fairs ; which fee. The people re- 

 forted in crouds to the feftival, and a confiderable provifion 

 would be wanted for their entertainment. The profpeft of 

 intereft invited the httle traders of the country to come and 

 offer their wares ; and thus, among the many pavilions for 

 hofpitality in the neighbourhood of the church, various 

 booths were erefted for the fale of diff'erent commodities. In 

 larger towns, furrounded with populous diftrifts, the refort 

 of the people to the wakes would be great, and the attend- 

 ance of traders numerous ; and this refort and attendance 

 conftitute a fair. Bafil exprefsly mentions the numerous ap- 

 pearance of traders at thefe feftivals in Afia, and Gregory 

 notes the fame cuftoms to be common in Europe. And as 

 the feftival was obferved on a feria or holiday, it naturally 

 affumed to itfelf, and as naturally communicated to the mart, 

 the appellation of feria or fair. Indeed, feveral of our moft 

 ancient fairs appear to have been ufually held, and have been 

 continued to our time, on the original church-holidays of 

 the places : befides, it is obfervable, that fairs were generally 

 kept in church-yards, and even in the churches, and alfo on 

 Sundays, till the indecency and fcandal were fo great as to 

 need reformation. See Burn's Eccl. Law, art. Churches. 



WAKI, in Geography, a town of Japan, in the ifland of 

 Niphon ; 60 milas W. of Meaco. 



WAKKAMAW, a lake of North Carolina, which 

 communicates, by means of a river of the fame name, with 

 Winyah Harbour, after a courfe of about feventy or eighty 

 miles. 



WAKOW. See Wigstadsel. 



WAKUA, a fmall iHand on the E. fide of the gulf of 

 Bothnia. N. lat. 60° 45'. E. long. 21° 15'. 



WALA, a town of Sweden, in the province of Weft- 

 manland ; 26 miles N. of Stromfliolm. 



WALACHIA, a province of European Turkey, 

 bounded on the north by Moldavia and Tranfylvania, on 

 the eaft by Beflarabia, on the fouth by Bulgaria, and on 

 the weft by tlie baniiat of Tcmefvar and Tranfylvania; 

 about 280 miles from E. to W., and 150 from N. to S., 

 where wideft ; but in fome places hardly 60 : by the inha- 

 bitants it is called " Romuha," and by the Hungarians 

 " Havafalfoldgyc." The air is temperate, the fou very 

 fruitful, particularly in grain, wine, and melons ; grariery 

 here, too, is very confiderable ; but its principal reputation 

 is for excellent horfes. The country is watered by a 

 confiderable number of large and fmall rivers, moft of 

 which run from N. to S., difchargiiig thcmfelves imme- 

 diately into the Danube, or in conjimdlion with other rivers. 

 The principal of tliefe are the Aiaiit, which lifes in the 

 mountains of Tranfylvania, ami divides Walachia into two 

 unequal parts, namely, the Weft and Eaft ; the Jalonit/a, 

 which has alfo its fource in the borders of Tranfylvania ; 

 and the Sireth, or Sirech, the boundary on the fide of Mol- 

 davia. Their bridges are all Iniill with wood, which is 

 plentiful ill the country. The Walacliiaiia, confidcreJ at 

 4 M inbabitauts 



