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Show BRINGING IN THE NEW YEAR'S WATER Perhaps in no part of the British Isles is the New Year heralded with more quaint and curious customs than in Pembrokeshire. That picturesque county abounds with strange customs and rare superstitions, and if you are a lover of the curious and picturesque customs of bygone days, the day of days to be irjembrokeshire is on January 1. You will very probably be awakened by the strains of some musical instrument instru-ment preferably a concertina or accordion, ac-cordion, but a mouth-organ will do and the singing of children's voices of the following words: Rise up a New Tear's morning. The cocks are all a-crowing; And if you tliink it is too soon, Rise up and look at tha stars and moon. . If you are enthusiastic enough to descend you will find a group of boys of all ages on your doorstep, armed with little cups or mugs of cold water and sprigs of box, clamoring for the "New Year's water," to be taken in. If you accede to their request, the sprigs of box are dipped into the "New Year's water" and a tiny shower sprinkled over your face. This is supposed to bring great good luck to you and your household, but three things must be carefully observed ob-served the bearers of good luck must come inside your door, every member of the household must go through this ordeal by water to ensure luck to himself, him-self, or herself, and the bringers of the luck must be rewarded in a manner man-ner suitable to your position. The well-to-do give small silver, and perhaps per-haps refreshments; others coppers; and some of the poorest sweets, oranges, or-anges, nuts, cake, etc. Every good Pembrokeshire housewife house-wife lays in a store of small coins and good things of the season, in readiness for the early visits of the youth of her town or village, and many deny themselves them-selves to do this. To assert that the bringing of the "New Year's water" does not bring good luck would be re-garded re-garded as rank blasphemy. Girls are considered very unlucky to enter your house first on New Year's Day, and dark persons are preferred to those of fair complexion as luck-bringers. luck-bringers. To avoid anything so terrible ter-rible as the entry of a girl or woman wom-an or a fair person first on New Year's Day, the doors are kept locked, and when a knock is heard the caller is either inspected from a window or Borne other coign of vantage, or interrogated in-terrogated through the closed door. This all may appear very absurd in print, but if you pay a visit to Tenby or some other place in "the premier county of Wales" you will enter into the spirit of the thing, and feel the de-'ight de-'ight of hearing the familiar -S 'A Happy New Year," accol jy a tiny jet of icy water J J |