NEW-YKAll’jj CAY, 
267 
New-Year’s Day. 
Bishop Stillingfleet observes, that among the Saxons of the 
northern nations, the feast of the new-year was observed with more 
than ordinary festivity. Thence, as Olaus Wormius observes, they 
reckoned their age by so many Tolas. The poet Naogeorgus is 
cited by Hospinian, as telling us, that it was usual in his time for 
friends to present each other with a new-year’s gift; for the husband 
to give one to his wife ; parents to their children; and masters to 
their servants, &c. ; a custom derived to the Christian w'orld from 
the times of Gentilism. The superstition condemned in this by the 
ancient fathers, lay in the idea of these gifts being considered as 
omens of success for the ensuing year. In this sense, also, and in 
this sense alone, could they have censured the benevolent compliment 
of “wishing a merry Christmas, and a happy new-year.” The latter 
has been adopted by the modern Jew s, who on the first day of the 
month Tisri have a splendid entertainment, and wish each other a 
happy new-year. 
The Romans were great observers of the custom of new-year’s gifts, 
even when their year consisted only of ten months, of thirty- six days each, 
and began in March; also when January and February were added by 
Numa to the ten others, the calends or first of January were the time 
on which they made presents: and even Romulus and Tatius made 
ah order that every year vervain should be offered to them with 
other gifts, as tokens of good fortune for the new-year. Tacitus 
makes mention of an order of Tiberius, forbidding the giving or 
demanding of new-year’s gifts, unless it were on the calends of 
January ; at which time, as well the senators as the knights, and 
other great men, brought gifts to the emperor, and, in his absence, 
to the capitol. The ancient Druids, with great ceremonies, used to 
scrape off from the outside of oaks the misleden, which they conse- 
crated to their great Tutates, and then distributed it to the people 
through the Gauls, on account of the great virtues which they attri- 
buted to it; from whence new-year’s gifts are still called in some 
parts of France, Guy Van neuf. Our English nobility, every new-- 
year’s tide, still send to the king a purse with gold in it. Reason 
may be joined to custom to justify the practice; for as presages are 
drawn from the first things which are met on the beginning of a day, 
week, or year, none can be more pleasing than of those things that 
are given us. We rejoice with our friends after having escaped the 
dangers that attend every year ; and congratulate each other for the 
future by presents and wishes for the happy continuance of that 
course, which the ancients called Strenarum Commercium. And as 
formerly men used to renew their hospitalities by presents, called 
Xeriia^ a name proper enough for our new-year’s gifts, they may be 
said to serve to renew friendship, which is one of the greatest gifts 
imparted by Heaven to men. 
, In Sir John Sinclair’s Statistical Account of Scotland, Edinburgh, 
1794, 8vo, vol. xi. p. 458, the minister of Kirkmichael, in the county 
of Banff, under the head of Superstitions, &c. tells us ; “ On the first 
night of January, they observe, with anxious attention, the disposi- 
