[The last note was received with a warning that it might inflame readers ;>) So I will change from Proverbs of the Pennsylvania Germans to Beliefs and Superstitions of the Pennsylvania Germans . Both books are compilations by Edwin Fogel, Ph.D.]
Cattle talk between eleven and twelve on Christmas night.
To prevent fevers you should put three kinds of food on the sill outside of the window on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas morning you should eat some of each kind of food.
If homespun is to wear well, there should be no spinning between Christmas and New Year and the spools should be empty before Christmas.
None of your cattle will die throughout the year if on Christmas morning you feed them hay which was put out of doors the night before to collect the Christmas night dews.
Plants will not bloom unless you wish them a happy New Year.
The designs formed on water which is set out on Christmas night to freeze are omens of the future. (A variation of this notes that the designs will indicate the occupation of a future husband.)
If your wash hangs out on New Years, you will have to wash daily all year.
On Christmas night water in wells is changed into wine for three minutes.
Your cattle may not thrive if you clean the stables between Christmas and New Year. (A variation notes that if you do this, you will have trouble with witches.)
Between Christmas and New Year you must not thresh or dung the stables.
You ought not to take a bath or wash your clothing between Christmas and New Year, for you will have no luck.
If you change underwear between Christmas and New Year, you will be full of boils. [Or] Never put on a clean shirt on New Year's for fear of having boils.
Eating apples or nuts on New Year's causes boils.
Eat bread frozen on Christmas day to prevent fever.
The Christmas plant ( Helleborus viridis ) will bloom on Christmas night between eleven and twelve, when cattle talk, regardless of the weather.
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.