New Year
Traditional Northern England

A remarkable instance of the strength of the superstitious reverence for this day, or rather of the popular belief in the prophetic character of any incident occurring thereon, recently happened in Manchester. A publican, name Tiley, refused to serve a glass of whisky on credit during the New Year's Day festivities, on the score that it was 'unlucky' do to do. He said that he preferred making the man a present of the liquor to the committal of any such act. The refusal so exasperated the thirsty customer that he stabbed the landlord in the abdomen and, as the wound proved fatal, he was condemned to death for wilful murder, but the sentence was afterward commuted to penal servitude for life. Thus the faith in the tradition produced a more tragic result than the most superstitious could have dreaded from its ignoration. Singularly enough, owing to the first day of the year happening on a Sunday, the usual festival was postponed till the following day; so it appears on this instance the superstition accompanied the merry-making without reference to the date.

This practice of 'bringing in the New Year' with festive rejoicing is still a very common one, especially in the north of England. A singular superstition in connection with it is evidently of very ancient origin. It is considered to be an unlucky omen if the first person who enters a home on the morning of the first of January happens to be a female.

Another unlucky omen is yet very commonly respected in Lancashire and elsewhere, even among comparatively educated people, at the festive season. It is considered to bode misfortune if the first person who enters your house on New Year's morning has a fair complexion and light hair. I have never heard thie very popular prejudice satisfactorily accounted for. I can only suggest that it is most probably arose from the fact that amongst the Celtic tribes, dark hair prevailed, as amongst the Welsh, Cornish and Irish of the present day; and that when they afterwards come in contact with the Teutonic branch, as enemies, they found their mortal foes to possess fair skins and light hair. They consequently regarded their intrusion into their household, at the commencement of the year, as a sinister omen.

End of New Year: Traditional Northern England