At Candlemas it was customary, writes Herrick, to replace the
Christmas evergreens with sprigs of box, which were kept up till Easter
Eve:--
"Down with the rosemary and bays,
Down with the mistletoe,
Instead of holly now upraise
The greener box for show."
The snowdrop has been nicknamed the "Fair Maid of February," from
its blossoming about this period, when it was customary for young
women dressed in white to walk in procession at the Feast of the
Purification, and, according to the old adage:--
"The snowdrop in purest white array,
First rears her head on Candlemas Day."
The dainty crocus is said to blow "before the shrine at vernal dawn of
St. Valentine." And we may note here how county traditions affirm that
in some mysterious way the vegetable world is affected by leap-year
influences. A piece of agricultural folk-lore current throughout the
country tells us how all the peas and beans grow the wrong way in their
pods, the seeds being set in quite the contrary to what they are in other
years. The reason assigned for this strange freak of nature is that, "it is
the ladies' year, and they (the peas and beans) always lay the wrong way
in leap year."
The leek is associated with St. David's Day, the adoption of this plant
as the national device of Wales having been explained in various ways.
According to Shakespeare it dates from the battle of Cressy, while some
have maintained it originated in a victory obtained by Cadwallo over the
Saxons, 640, when the Welsh, to distinguish themselves, wore leeks in
their hats. It has also beeen suggested that Welshmen "beautify their hats
with verdant leek," from the custom of every farmer, in years gone by,
contributing his leek to the common repast when they met at the
Cymortha or Association, and mutually helped one another in ploughing
their land.
In Ireland the shamrock is worn on St. Patrick's Day. Old women,
with plenteous supplies of trefoil, may be heard in every direction
crying, "Buy my shamrock, green shamrocks," while little children have
"Patrick's crosses" pinned to their sleeves, a custom which is said to have
originated in the circumstance that when St. Patrick was preaching the
doctrine of the Trinity he made use of the trefoil as a symbol of the great
mystery. Several plants have been identified as the shamrock; and in
"Contributions towards a Cybele Hibernica," [1] is the following