Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 10, 1899.djvu/208

 i8o Folklore from the Southern Sporades.

the beating of animals to secure fertility/ or of women at the Lupercalia at Rome ; but the odd part is to come. On the eve of March i, a girl sends to her lover,^ or the lad to the girl, three strands of thread in three different colours twisted together, and hidden in a basket of fruit or sweets or what not. This is bound about the right wrist, little finger, and big toe. Next morning, the lover who has received this seeks the lady and tries to get speech of her apart; if he succeeds, he flicks or pulls the skirt of her jacket, crying, Trdvw vcopd ! " Tails up ! " as a wish for health and strength. The threads are thus worn till Easter Day, when they are cast into the fire and burnt, as some- thing holy. It would be unlucky for any one else to get hold of them.

Calymnos. From this island I have only a few notes. Five times a year — at Christmas, Easter, the Holy Apostles (June 2g), on September i, and St. Andrew's Day (late in November) — the people make cakes, sweetmeats, &c., and

' Mr. M. E. Marriage kindly sends me the following note :

"Elard Hugo Meyer {Deutsche Volkskunde, Strassburg, 1898, p. 138 ff) in speaking of cleansing customs which still obtain among herdsman at i\iQ first driving out of the cattle to pasture (p. 141) tells how in the Ciresenthal Baden the beasts are beaten crosswise on the back with palm. In Westphalia on the first of May young cows that have not yet calved are switched thrice on back, flank, and udder, while a rhyme is said over them to bring milk. So also by the lower Rhine and in Mecklenburg. Mountain ash and hazel switches cut under special conditions are used. Meyer mentions several other cases, among them an ancient Indian custom.

Connected with the beating of the animals would seem to be (p. 142) the cracking of whips over them to drive away the witches (^Hexen auspatschen) at Whitsuntide.

Truly none of these customs take place in March, but that might perhaps be accounted for by the difference in climate.

The Pelzenichel customs in Heidelberg (if indeed they have any connection with these, as for instance, by way of beating out the evil spirit of sickness) hold on two successive days, Klein-und Gross-Pelzenichel, about a week before Christmas — I forget the date. Children disguised and in sackcloth run about the street switching passers-by."

meant " united." Pollux vouches for ap/^oor/ys in the sense of betrothed husband in his day (2nd century A. D.). The threads are called 6 Mapri;$, " Marcli."
 * The lovers are called op/itooTOS and dp^oorj/, which in ancient Greek