| Show C SURVIVAL OF OP PAGAN DAYS Custom of Lighting Fires on Midsummer mer Eve of Oriental Origin Longmans Lon mans Magazine There is little doubt that the custom custa t tot of ot lighting fires on midsummer e eYe ev i J of eastern origin Those Tho e who watt wati the Irish peasants driving their I between two blazing plies piles or see ee tit ti young men leaping over oer the embers as the bonfires sink lower ai I Ithe the briet brief darkness of ot the time l night gives place to the ross rose flush t r f dawn can hardly fall fail to be remind u 14 of that passing through the tho fire iu tJ Moloch so strictly forbidden to tm tji Hebrews Whole families famille pass salemI ly between two fires or spring prinS ba bah bad K ward vard and forward over the tire Aames True the simple country folk they are performing these mystic rift s sIn r rIn In honor of St John the tire Baptist i f fl fearly early missionaries finding It to prevent their converts keeping th tb pagan festivals transferred them to i o the tire saints and midsummer was as assigned assigned assigned signed to St John the light to light lighten en err the G instead cot to Lal dur or Baal and the bonfires called Teine Eton Elon John fires Some say that the tire fires were tran from May lIa day or another important festival held by the th Irish Scotch and British Celts Celia in hr honor honorI of ot Baal B al or Belus to midsummer oth others others ers with more probability assert that th t the two festivals were vere w re quite distinct However this may maj be May lIay day is sUH ath called or or ol in bo both bOLl h Ireland and Scotland Sometimes a bone is laid in the hea hart of the blaze doubtless it represent the th original human sacrifice in fa fri i isome some derive the tIre word nord bonfire finn this tins practice others say It itis is not hon bor but boon bene or om the French hon bon b n b h cause great virtues were accredited u hi uthe hithe i ithe the midsummer fires In the west England where they the lingered till i l i they the were w re known knon as bleh n 1 fires tires and In almost every evory part of ot Eu Ell Europe Europe rope they were supposed to bring gOI go luck an abundant harvest and l frt fr dom doni from disease both to man ill r u beast an idea which is not yet in Ireland |
