The evil eye. An account of this ancient and wide spread superstition

in MAY DAY CUSTOMS
but somewhat outside our subject, as treated for the
general reader.
lOI
/ Most of our May Day festivities if traced to their
ultimate origin will be found to be branches of tree-
worship, and to lead to the old faith, typified by the
death of the spirit of vegetation, and its resuscitation
in the spring. The harvest wail in our " Crying the
Neck " to-day, the Mavepax; or AiW? of the ancient
Greeks, the " Dirge of Isis " of the still dimmer
antiquity, alike point to the central belief of human-
ity that the deity should be slain and die that he
might rise again to give life to man. The joyous
shout following the wail in all these cases typifies
the gladness of the world at the revival of the dead
god, just as the May Day rejoicings all over the temperate
part of the northern hemisphere commemo-
rate the spring, or the uprising of dead vegetation.
This must be the true meaning of all those
curious customs of which Brand, Hone, and others
give so many particulars. If such were doubtful, it
is proved by the fact that in more northern latitudes,
where vegetation is much later in the season, all
these rites are postponed. In Sweden they set up
their Maj Stdnger on St. John's Eve (June 23),
with elaborate decorations of leaves and flowers,
round which they dance. They have also large
bonfires like the Beltan fires, to be danced around
and jumped over. In some parts of Bohemia also
the pole is set up on Midsummer Eve, and like
bonfire customs are observed there, together with
much climbing of the pole by the men, after the
garlands and ribbons fixed to it by the maidens.
All these things are said to have typical relation to
subjects nearly akin to the revival of vegetation.