St Andrew’s Eve (29 November)
by Robert Strybel
St Andrew’s Eve (November 29th) is a night of fortune-telling which once focused on a girl’s love and marriage prospects. It can include such games as:
**WAX POURING: Each participant gets a turn pouring a portion (perhaps ¼ c) of molten beeswax into a basin of cold water which hardens into some shape. shape. Either the shape itself or the shadow it casts is said to predict her matrimonial future.
**SHOE LINE: Eligible young ladies remove left shoe and them near a wall. A married woman is asked to line the shoes up heel-to-toe pointing towards the nearest door. The girl whose shoe completely clears the threshold is the first expected to marry.
**POT GAME: On a table are a number of bowls or pots placed upside down to conceal various objects. Each girl is asked to choose a container to find what her future holds in store. A ring means imminent marriage), a baby toy – pregnancy, apron – housewife, book – old maid, money – career woman, rosary – nun.
The first mention of the wax-pouring custom was found in a 1557 poem by poet Marcin Bielski which translates as:
Onto the water your wax should pour,
It’ll show what the future holds in store.
I once heard my mother tell,
When a girl says her prayers well
On the feast of Andrew, patron blessed,
She’ll see the lad who’ll love her best.
Parishes named after St Andrew the Apostle would seem the most likely to celebrate his feast day both as a patronal holiday and a parish fair (odpust).
St. Andrew’s Night-Fortune-telling. Henryk Siemiradzki/ en.wikipedia.org
