“Witch flee, flee from here, or it will go ili with thee.”

January 1, 2015 1:09 PM

The Periodic Expulsion of Evils (From Sir James George Frazer’s The Golden Bough)

"The expulsion of evils, from being occasional, tends to become periodic. It comes to be thought desirable to have a general riddance of evil spirits at fixed times, usually once a year, in order that the people may make a fresh start in life, freed from all the malignant influences which have been long accumulating about them."

Some excerpts:

"The Iroquois inaugurated the new year in January, February, or March (the time varied) with a “festival of dreams” like that which the Hurons observed on special occasions. The whole ceremonies lasted several days, or even weeks, and formed a kind of saturnalia. "

...

"In September the Incas of Peru celebrated a festival called Situa, the object of which was to banish from the capital and its vicinity all disease and trouble. The festival fell in September because the rains begin about this time, and with the first rains there was generally much sickness. "

...

" Sometimes the date of the annual expulsion of devils is fixed with reference to the agricultural seasons. Thus among the Hos of Togoland, in West Africa, the expulsion is performed annually before the people partake of the new yams."

...

"Amongst some of the Hindoo Koosh tribes, as among the Hos and Mundaris, the expulsion of devils takes place after harvest. When the last crop of autumn has been got in, it is thought necessary to drive away evil spirits from the granaries. A kind of porridge is eaten, and the head of the family takes his matchlock and fires it into the floor."

...

" Annual expulsions of demons, witches, or evil influences appear to have been common among the heathen of Europe, if we may judge from the relics of such customs among their descendants at the present day. Thus among the heathen Wotyaks, a Finnish people of Eastern Russia, all the young girls of the village assemble on the last day of the year or on New Year’s Day, armed with sticks, the ends of which are split in nine places. With these they beat every corner of the house and yard, saying, “We are driving Satan out of the village.”"

posted by Fizz (22 comments total)

And in America, the periodic purging of evils are called elections. Pity they don't work very well.
posted by happyroach at 1:17 PM on January 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

Wicker Man?
posted by mmiddle at 1:36 PM on January 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

This bit is one of the most cringe-worthy from the entry:

"The unmarried men receive from every house in the village groats, flesh, and brandy. These they take to the fields, light a fire under a fir-tree, boil the groats, and eat of the food they have brought with them, after pronouncing the words, “Go away into the wilderness, come not into the house.” Then they return to the village and enter every house where there are young women. They take hold of the young women and throw them into the snow, saying, “May the spirits of disease leave you.” "

posted by Fizz at 1:38 PM on January 1, 2015

...all the young girls of the village assemble on the last day of the year or on New Year’s Day, armed with sticks, the ends of which are split in nine places. With these they beat every corner of the house and yard, saying, “We are driving Satan out of the village.”"

Hm, I always wondered what that 'cat o' nine tails' business was all about -- driving out devils, then? and the underlying rationale of flogging in general?
posted by jamjam at 1:40 PM on January 1, 2015

For some reason I read this as "The Periodic Expulsion of Elvis" and was very confused.
posted by wanderingmind at 1:54 PM on January 1, 2015 [15 favorites]

The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses is free.

The Cunning Man's Handbook is not.
posted by bukvich at 2:16 PM on January 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

For some reason I read this as "The Periodic Expulsion of Elvis" and was very confused.

Me too, wanderingmind, me too.
posted by Annabelle74 at 2:37 PM on January 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

Yeeeeeeees
posted by The Whelk at 2:46 PM on January 1, 2015

My dad told us that growing up in rural Ireland in the 50s there were all kinds of elaborate rituals for New Years Day that no one remembers anymore. I always feel like I should be doing something special today but I never know what.
posted by bleep at 3:08 PM on January 1, 2015

I don't know what the kids do today but back in my day it meant you reaffirmed your devotion to the dark and faceless lord of shadows via a good repetitive chant.
posted by The Whelk at 3:12 PM on January 1, 2015 [6 favorites]

My dad told us that growing up in rural Ireland in the 50s there were all kinds of elaborate rituals for New Years Day that no one remembers anymore. I always feel like I should be doing something special today but I never know what.

Eat some black-eyed peas.
posted by Fizz at 3:41 PM on January 1, 2015

There are so, so many New Year's Day traditions you could just adopt as your own. Here are some Irish ones. My friend whose parents immigrated from Scotland observe the first foot one every year and make a little thing about it. Part of my family is from Texas, so I always make Hoppin' John. A New Year's Day hike is a nice tradition. My friends who were here last night got up to watch the sunrise. Just make a tradition your own!
posted by Miko at 3:59 PM on January 1, 2015

As a tall dark and handsome man I offer my services as a first footer in exchange for cookies and ale.
posted by The Whelk at 4:03 PM on January 1, 2015 [4 favorites]

I just had a very fine meal of black-eyed peas, collard greens, and whiskey.

The black-eyed peas swell when they are cooked, and thus represent abundance. The collard greens represent folding money. The whiskey represents whiskey.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 6:27 PM on January 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

For some reason I read this as "The Periodic Expulsion of Elvis" and was very confused.

Me too, wanderingmind, me too.

You two don't honestly think he wants to leave all those buildings, do you?
posted by jamjam at 6:52 PM on January 1, 2015 [8 favorites]

My first grumper of 2015 purged a bunch of evil from the night before.
posted by Renoroc at 7:14 PM on January 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

I confess my attention started wandering when the first reference was The Golden Bough. That's a bit like going to Charles Berlitz for information on Oceanography.
posted by happyroach at 10:20 PM on January 1, 2015

The whiskey represents whiskey.

Based on my morning, I got involved in a little too much representation last night.
posted by brennen at 12:51 AM on January 2, 2015

Wotyaks/Votiaks/Udmurts of Udmurtia, which would've been in Eastern Russia before the Russian Imperial conquests of Central Asia and Siberia.
posted by XMLicious at 1:32 AM on January 2, 2015

I'm re-reading Neil Gaiman's American Gods, which is sort of about expelling evil and has just the right amount of Winter to make me think about the last year and the new year.
posted by sneebler at 9:43 AM on January 2, 2015

The Salem witch trials never got very far once everyone agreed possession is 9/10ths of the law.
posted by ...possums at 5:26 PM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

I read the link as "The Periodic Expulsion of Elvis" and was infinitely disappointed once I realized my error.
posted by DrAstroZoom at 8:19 AM on January 3, 2015