The Pittsburgh Tribune Review had an article today about the Scottish

practice of "first footing" in Pittsburgh - a male must be the first to

enter the house in the New Year:



http://bit.ly/rMbN4i



Joe





>  From “Slovakia: European Contexts of the Folk Culture”. A New Year’s

> custom, polazujuce days.

> “One special form of carolling, is represented by ‘polazovanie’, ... Its

> essence is in the arrival of the first male visitor to the house during

> the so called ‘polazujuce’ days, when the ritual prohibition for a woman

> to enter a foreign house as the first one, is in effect. This is

> connected to magic of beginning, on which, according to superstitious

> concepts, the happiness or unhappiness of a family was based. Also

> through this ritual act we can read out concepts of woman under the folk

> belief. ‘Polaznik’ should come early morning, almost when still dark,

> and keep certain rules. Firstly, he should be healthy, young, nicely

> dressed boy in a growing period of age. He should come against the flow

> of the river, so as to not let the establishment run away down the

> water. These magic elements were so strong, that in some areas, people

> used to pull into the house on the Lord’s Birth day as ‘polasnik’, a

> young bull or ram, which represented the principle of fertility.”

> “Also processions with masks had a character of carolling. Their

> prosperity purposes were, besides songs and wishes, multiplied also by

> other means. For example, processions with ‘kurina baba’ – straw mask,

> when masks danced with women and girls, who during the dance pulled of

> the straw skirts pieces of straw and put it under a hen. This procession

> was made my young men on New Year’s Eve.”

>

> My mother practiced polazovanie when I was growing up. There was no

> formal procession to bring the young man. She would invite a young

> neighbor boy in to be the first before a girl.

>

> A Happy and Bountiful New Year to all.

> Michael Mojher

From “Slovakia: European Contexts of the Folk Culture”. A New Year’s

custom, polazujuce days.

     “One special form of carolling, is represented by ‘polazovanie’, ...

Its essence is in the arrival of the first male visitor to the house during the

so called ‘polazujuce’ days, when the ritual prohibition for a woman to

enter a foreign house as the first one, is in effect. This is connected to magic

of beginning, on which, according to superstitious concepts, the happiness or

unhappiness of a family was based. Also through this ritual act we can read out

concepts of woman under the folk belief. ‘Polaznik’ should come early

morning, almost when still dark, and keep certain rules. Firstly, he should be

healthy, young, nicely dressed boy in a growing period of age. He should come

against the flow of the river, so as to not let the establishment run away down

the water. These magic elements were so strong, that in some areas, people used

to pull into the house on the Lord’s Birth day as ‘polasnik’, a young bull

or ram, which represented the principle of fertility.”

     “Also processions with masks had a character of carolling. Their

prosperity purposes were, besides songs and wishes, multiplied also by other

means. For example, processions with ‘kurina baba’ – straw mask, when

masks danced with women and girls, who during the dance pulled of the straw

skirts pieces of straw and put it under a hen. This procession was made my young

men on New Year’s Eve.”



     My mother practiced polazovanie when I was growing up. There was no formal

procession to bring the young man. She would invite a young neighbor boy in to

be the first before a girl.



     A Happy and Bountiful New Year to all.

Michael Mojher



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