USA > New York > New York City > Dutch New York (early history of the Dutch in New York) > Part 23
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Whereas experience has manifested and shown us, that on New Year's and May days much drunkenness and other irregularities are committed besides other sorrowful accidents such as woundings frequently arising therefrom, by Firing, May planting, and Carousing, in addition to the unnecessary waste of powder, to prevent which for the future, the Director General and Council expressly forbid that from now henceforward there shall be, within this Province of New Netherland on New Years or May Days, any Firing of Guns, or any Planting of May Poles, or any beating of Drums, or any treating with Brandy, wine or Beer; and all such and greater dangers and mischiefs to prevent, a fine of twelve guilders shall be
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imposed for the first offence; double for the second, and an arbitrary Correction for the third -to wit one third for the poor, and one third for the Officer and one third for the Informer.
On Jan. 27, 1656, Governor Stuyvesant proclaimed
a day of fasting and prayer for God's blessing protec- tion and prosperity in trade and agriculture but princi- pally for a righteous and thankful use of his blessings and benefits. The which the better to observe and prac- tise with greater unanimity, We interdict and forbid, on the aforesaid day of Fasting and Prayer during Divine Service, all labour, Tennis-playing Ball-playing, Hunting, Fishing, Travelling, Ploughing, Sowing, Mowing and other unlawful games as Gambling and Drunkenness, on pain of arbitrary correction and punishment already en- acted against the same.
On Dec. 28, 1656, the former prohibition against any person shooting or drumming, etc., on New Year's Day, or planting May-poles on May day, was renewed.
The next festival on the calendar was Twelfth Night, or Three Kings' Night (January 6). On this day young people and children were fond of dancing around three candles placed in the ground, one of which was black, called the " Moor," or " Melkert," from Melchior, ac- cording to tradition King of Kranganor. This candle- jumping often occasioned fire and other accidents, and was finally forbidden; but, like all other prohibited games, it was frequently indulged in. While the chil- dren were amusing themselves in the streets in this way, the housewives were busy preparing the great Twelfth Night Cake, which neighbors and friends had been in- vited to share, and in which a gilded bean was placed. He who got the bean in his slice was king of the revels. There were other means employed to elect
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the king: sometimes three pieces of money were baked in the cake, and he who got the one with a cross on it was the king for the evening. The bean-king was called Beltsasar (Balthazar) and held a mock court, receiving the homage of all present. The evening al- ways ended in merry-making, with plenty of good cheer.
The youths enjoyed a different kind of amusement. They chose three kings, dressed two of them in white and one in black, rubbed the face of the latter with soot, and gave each of them a paper star in their hands with a lighted candle behind it (see facing page 304). Then they accompanied the trio, singing songs to fit the occasion, to the taverns, where they treated each other to beer with sugar and oil-fritters.
Although the Dutch Reformed Church effaced every- thing that savored of Roman Catholicism, it was hard to suppress festivals that having had their origin in pagan celebrations were seasons beloved of the people. Among these was Shrove Tuesday, which supplanted the heathen Lupercalia, known later under the name of Spurcalia in Februario. Known in Holland and her colonies by the name Vasten avond (evening before fasting), Shrove Tuesday was celebrated, not as a re- ligious feast, but as an evening of wild extravagance. It was the merriest evening in the year. In Holland on this day men of wealth and rank received their rents from their tenants, their suite appeared in new clothes, and the burgomasters made their appearance dressed in the full regalia of their dignity. More or less costly presents were exchanged, and the cities gave dinners to their magistrates and nobles; while the burghers entertained their friends and blood relations. The evening passed in revelry.
One of the Shrove Tuesday customs was a children's
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masquerade. They walked through the streets with the rommel-pot, a pot covered with a tightly stretched bladder, in the centre of which was a hole in which a stick was tightly jammed. When this stick was moved up and down, it made a dull, rumbling noise. The children went from door to door rattling the pot and singing the following verse :
'k Heb zoo lang met de foekepot geloopen, Nog geen geld om brood te koopen, Haringpakkerij, haringpakkerij ! Geef me een oortje, dan ga ik voorbij !
I've run so long with the rumbling-pot And have as yet got no money to buy bread, Herring-packery, herring-packery, Give me a penny and I'll go by!
They wore masks and false faces and sometimes "a devil's suit of clothes." This masking, dressing up, and begging for pennies still survives in New York at Thanksgiving Day. Another favorite Shrove Tues- day amusement was " Riding the Goose " (see page 296).
A petition to restrict the Shrovetide festivities from the Consistory of Wildwyck on Feb. 12, 1664, reads as follows:
The Consistory here, moved by their consciences and their duty as officers, petition the Magistrates of this place with all proper humility, that the public, sinful and scan- dalous Baccanalian days of Shrovetide (descended from the Heathen from their idol Bacchus, the God of wine and drunkenness: being also a leaven of Papacy, which the Apostel, I Cor. 5, has warned us to cast off), which are near at hand, may be prohibited in this place by proper Placards from you, that we, by its publication and reproof may eradicate this abomination, and thereby through the Grace and Blessings of God, we, each of us,
From an old print
THREE KINGS' EVENING (TWELFTH NIGHT)
SPORTS, FESTIVALS, AND PASTIMES 305
may do the good which will come of it to this place, and the souls and bodies of its inhabitants, the more as we live in such sorrowful days of God's wrath upon us in this place for our sins. If people will still indulge in the pleasures of such scandalous sins as those of Shrovetide, they will more and more provoke God and bring his wrath on us again, for His rod is yet over us, and his punish- ment of war yet afflicts us; yea, and will thus yet further oppress this land and its inhabitants. Shall they then rolick in their sins while the whole land weeps and make merry when we are every month called to sorrow, wailing and lamentation ?
Waffles, rice-pudding, and pancakes were the special dishes enjoyed on this day.
The ancient celebration of the awakening of spring was held on May Day. This was the time when lovers' vows were made and floral festivals were held. Early in the morning, young people went out to gather boughs and blossoms with which they decorated their houses and the tall May-pole, which was also wreathed with ribbons. Around this they danced on the green and drank the spiced May-wine. The May-pole was in some towns in Holland and England felled by the youths and brought to the village green drawn by oxen; in others a permanent May-pole stood on the village green. There was a permanent May-pole on the Merry Mount in the Fort, as we learn from the following record of June 10, 1645, when " William Gerritson pleaded guilty to singing a defamatory song against the Rev. Francis Douty and his daughter." He was sentenced " to stand bound to the Maypole in the Fort with two rods around his neck, and the libel over his head until conclusion of the sermon; and should he ever sing the song again to be flogged and banished." May-poles, however, were planted for every season, and were the occasion of so
20
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much hilarity that in December, 1655, the following ordinance was passed :
Whereas experience has shown and taught us that on New Year's Days and on May-days, from the firing of guns and planting May-poles and drunken drinking, there have resulted unnecessary waste of powder, much drunk- enness, and other insolent practices, together with other lamentable accidents and bruises that generally arise there- from. Therefore, in order to prevent these, it is hereby expressly ordered by the Director-General and the Coun- cillors, that, from this time forth, within this Province of New Netherland, on the New-Year and May-days, there shall be no firing, nor May-poles planted ; nor shall there be any beating of the drum; nor shall there be on the occasion, any Wines, Brandywines, or Beer dealt out.
May-Day jollity continued, however; and the May- pole continued to be a gathering point for the merry- makers, for, five years later, on Dec. 31, 1660, we read :
This date is renewed the Placard against firing on New Year's Day, or planting Maypoles on May day, or mak- ing a present of any drink to any person for that purpose.
One of the customs was to send little cards decorated with green sprays to friends, and gifts of flowers and knick-knacks were also exchanged. Dances often took place in the evening, and there was much drinking in the taverns. Those in New Amsterdam who came from some parts of Holland rose early on May Day, and, climbing the roofs of houses in which young girls dwelt, would place green boughs or dead twigs there, and sometimes, as a joke, a straw man. Not unfrequently they would go into the fields and procure all the scare- crows they could find and put them on the roofs of the old maids' homes. A May-pole decorated with rags
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was sometimes used to insult a bride and groom (see page 234). Some people planted a May-tree, and took great care of it and hung it with garlands, flowers, and other devices and ribbons, and also fastened verses on the tree for particular persons.
Pinkster, or Whitsuntide, was also a time of pleasure. During the period before the Reformation, on Whitsun- tide, white pigeons, emblems of the Holy Spirit, were let loose in the church. The next day was given up to revelry. White and gilt pigeons were the aim of the archers, and priests and scholars gave scriptural plays in the market-places and churchyards, in which the " white dove " always had a prominent part. Later these religious plays were followed by a farce. The Reformation prohibited a great many of these abuses ; but these holidays had become so entirely a part of the life of the people that neither Luther nor Calvin, neither church nor civic threatenings, could put a stop to them. It is true that no consecrated doves nor pigeons were brought to the church in New Amsterdam, but proces- sions, bird-shooting, and the Whitsuntide dances, sing- ing and general merry-making were in vogue. One of the processions was that of the " Whitsuntide Flower." With wreaths of green and flowers woven in their flowing hair, dressed in white and each carrying in her hand a May-branch twined with leaves and flowers and decorated with gold or silver bows, the young maidens walked through the streets, escorting the Whitsuntide bride or "Flower bride," the queen of the feast, dressed and ornamented at the public ex- pense. One of the group went around the various doors and collected the gifts which were spent in ex- cesses in the evening. These excesses were so great, and the songs were of so light a character, that even- tually government was compelled to stop the proces-
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sions of the Whitsuntide bride, at a fine of a golden florin for every child that carried the May-branch on that day.
The great autumn festival was Saint Martin's Eve. Saint Martin enjoyed great popularity. Numerous churches, chapels, altars, and villages bore his name in Holland, and an oath taken on his name was as sacred as "by God's Faith," " by my father's soul," "by the Emperor's head," etc. His day, November II, became a day of peculiar veneration, extravagance, and excess. No one could be induced to stay near a crossroad on Saint Martin's Eve. Terrible things were heard and seen there, for it was as if Hell had let loose its oc- cupants. Evil spirits roamed around in company of those who had sold their souls to Satan for money or other gifts, on condition of wearing a werewolf shirt on Saint John's or Saint Martin's Eve. Then sounded the horn blasts of wild hunters. No cloister was so strict, no hovel so poor, but had its feast. One Dutch dish on this festival was pancakes; another, served for a second course, was a dish of medlars; but the principal dish was the world-renowned " Saint Martin's goose," which was found on every table. He who had not eaten goose had not celebrated the day, and the goose graced the board of the aristocrat and was found on the dimly lighted table of the laborer. Surrounded with burning candles, it was the centre of attraction in the middle of the table, and after partaking of the toothsome roast, then - the old superstitions were observed with a heathenish custom - the breastbone was examined to see whether the softness or hardness of it gave signs of a mild or severe winter, and if much snow could be expected. Much has been written about the origin of the Saint Martin's goose; but the most acceptable explanation is
From an old print
SPORTS ON THE ICE
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that Saint Martin, as the probable representative of the God Ullr, to whom a goose was sacrificed, was remem- bered by slaughtering one in his memory, and from this the prophetic qualities of the bird may be derived. The goose was accompanied by the " must " (new wine), which was drunk on the evening of the IIth of No- vember to the singing of the verse
Saint Martin, Saint Martin; To-day the Must, To-morrow Wine.
Verses were prepared by the schoolmasters, and trans- lated from the Latin to be sung by their pupils.
In the evening Saint Martin's fires were burned. The day on which this happened was also called " Saint- Martin-shake-the-basket-day." This comes from the custom of shaking a basket of chestnuts and other nuts slowly in the bonfire, and grabbing them at the risk of burning the hands.
In addition to the merry-making and ceremonies be- longing to stated festivals, the Dutch burghers and their families, particularly the youths and maidens, had many simple pleasures.
The Dutch, like the English, were great lovers of out-of-door life and games; and many excuses were made for trips to the country and for excursions and picnics of all kinds by both boat and wagon. In a sailboat, rowboat, or wagon the merry party would travel in the bright days of spring and summer to some pleasure resort on the Hudson or the East River, Har- lem, Long Island, or Staten Island. Sunday was the favorite day for these excursions in New Amsterdam, as it was in Holland, but many persons disapproved of spending the Lord's Day in holiday-making.
As a rule the merry-makers started early in the morn- ing and took breakfast at some wayside tavern or
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country-seat. This consisted of delicious bread and butter, crisp biscuits, luscious strawberries or cherries, sweet and sour cream, old and new cheese, and wine. After breakfast the company again entered the wagon or boat, and drove or sailed farther. Sometimes they would stop in the fields or woods and make wreaths of the long grasses and flowers they plucked, or gather wild-flowers to carry home. They sang, they danced, they played games, and they ate heartily. If the noon- day meal was not eaten in a tavern, baskets of pro- visions were carried along for an al fresco lunch. If the merry-makers went to the shore, they amused themselves with the game of sea-carrying ( zee-dragen). There was no more dangerous game than this " Carry- ing into the Sea." The young man took a girl in his arms and walked with her into the sea until the water came over his high boots, and then he carried her back again into the dunes, where he rolled her over and " salted her with sand." This, according to some writers, was done with the idea of the young man finding out what kind of a temper his sweetheart had; and if she did not lose it or become angry, he was sure of having a good and patient wife. How much truth there is in this can be guessed when many times the girls would walk along the sands of the seashore and ask of their escorts " if there was no water in the sea." Many a tear was shed on account of this zee- dragen, and many a sad accident resulted from it.
Sometimes, particularly when the party went by boat, a fish dinner or supper was ordered at a tavern some distance from town. In this case a large fish sur- rounded with parsley and accompanied by a fine Dutch sauce of melted butter and vinegar occupied the center of the table. After this, fruit, tastefully decorated with vine leaves, was served.
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No matter where they went or what they did, kissing formed no small part of the day's pleasure and enter- tainment. The Dutch were as fond of love-making as any other nation; and historians admit that the Dutch- man deserves his nickname of the " kissing Dutchman." Kissing is constantly referred to in the poems of the period, and the song-books are full of allusions to it. Kissing shepherds and shepherdesses appear in all the Arcadias, and even the most serious poets liked to write about it. When rising in the morning, retiring at night, leaving the house to go to work and returning from it, people used to salute with a kiss. A family or state visit began and ended with kissing. If a young man took his girl from her home to go out, he greeted her with a kiss; did he take her home after the outing, a kiss was given at parting. A kiss was the greeting of honest friendship; a kiss with honor would harm no- body; a little kiss was no sin!
There were few games in which kissing did not have a part, and many were the excuses invented during the country excursions. When the pleasure-wagon crossed a bridge and the horse walked slowly, not needing the attention of the driver, a kiss was quickly given and never resented. This custom was greatly in vogue in New Amsterdam, and very often parties drove towards Hellgate, because in this neighborhood and over a little stream called the Tamkill, emptying into the East River nearly opposite Blackwell's Island, was the famous " Kissing Bridge," in driving over which every one was at liberty to salute the lady.
In the winter sleighs took the place of wagons, and many were the excursions both by night and day. Winter pleasures were greatly enjoyed in New Amster- dam. The Dutch brought with them their love of skat- ing and sleighing and games that were played upon
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the ice, such as hockey and golf. Not only were the Hudson and the East Rivers often alive with skaters, who went from shore to shore or from settlement to settlement on business errands, but the ponds and canals of New Amsterdam were filled with busy or merry people. The Collect was a favorite spot for the joyous crowds of young and old. When the ice was thick enough, everybody put on skates - men, women, and children, young and old - and were soon skimming over the shining surface like birds, or flying like the sails of a windmill. The best skates came from Volen- dam, but there were many varieties. Generally speak- ing, they were made of iron and wood, some longer than the foot and some exactly its length. Some people screwed their skates to their boots; others fastened them with leather straps (see facing page 308).
When once these were on, the heavy and somewhat clumsy Dutch were swift, light, agile, and graceful. Many were the ways, however, of skating. Those from South Holland skated " leg over," and could make in- numerable curls and figures on the ice, performing all kinds of antics and fancy skating as they pleased, skat- ing backwards and making the alphabet as they whirled about gracefully; those from Friesland traveled like the wind, and generally won the silver or pewter cups, plates, and spoons that were offered for prizes. Women also took part in the skating-matches, and at such times the ice was as gay as a kermis. From far and near people came to the gathering-place, and everything was prepared for their reception. Booths were erected on the ice, and also the Kraampje, or tent, in which there were wooden stools and a wooden table on which stood two large bottles of Brandewyn, sugar, and tumblers, while a kettle filled with a decoction of aniseseed and milk simmered on top of a fire.
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Many young couples were introduced on the ice, and many were the engagements that followed a long win- ter. Woolley noted in his " Journal ":
The diversion especially in the winter season used by the Dutch is aurigation, i. e. riding about in wagons, which is allowed by physicians to be a very healthful ex- ercise by land. And upon the ice it's admirable to see men and women as it were flying upon their skates from place to place with markets upon their Heads and Backs.
Skaters also pushed along the sleighs that contributed no little to the brightness of the scene. Here an old lady bundled up in furs sped by in a swan, here a young girl with rosy cheeks flashed by in a blue and gilded dolphin, and here some merry children were flying over the ice in a bright boat, for the sleighs of this period were often made into fantastic shapes, such as animals, ships, fabulous monsters, or shells, carved, gilded, and brightly painted. Sometimes the sleighs were also drawn by horses. We are indebted to Madam Knight for a little glimpse of this Dutch pastime. She says :
Their Diversions in the Winter is Riding Sleys about three or four miles out of Town where they have Houses of entertainment at a place called the Bouwery, and some go to friend's houses who handsomely treat them. Mr. Burroughs carry'd his Spouse and Daughter and myself out to one Madame Dowes, a Gentlewoman that lived at a farm House, who gave us a handsome Entertain- ment of five or six Dishes and Choice Beer and Metheglin, Ceyder, etc., all which she said was the produce of her farm. I believe we mett 50 or 60 slays that day - they fly with great swiftness and some are so furious that they'le turn out of the path for none except a Loaden Cart. Nor do they spare for any diversion the place affords, and sociable to a degree, theyr Tables being as free to their Naybours as to themselves.
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In the long winter evenings the young people of New Amsterdam frequently met and played simple games or amused themselves with music and dancing. Another pleasure was that of writing verses and paint- ing pictures in the albums, or juffer-bockjes (literally, girl-books). Sometimes these were printed and illus- trated, the contents being a collection of verses from famous poets, and were bound in leather or velvet with silver mounts. As a general rule, they were the gifts of young men to their sweethearts.
We know by the dancing that there must have been musical instruments, but, strange to say, they do not appear in the inventories. It would be very singular if the various forms of the lute and guitar, clavichord and spinet, violin and violoncello, that so constantly appear in the Dutch pictures of the period, did not cross the water. " Thirty knots of fiddle strings " in Lawrence Deldyke's shop, however, show that the fiddle certainly was known.
Merry-makers danced around the May-pole to the sound of the drum and horn, and without doubt the wandering fiddler played at all village festivals and be- fore taverns, as he does in the pictures of Teniers and Ostade.
What astonishes a student is the great number of Jew's-harps found in the shops of many merchants. For instance, Dr. Jacob De Lange had seventy-two Jew's-harps, while Mr. Coesart had forty-eight dozen iron Jew's-harps and twenty-four dozen copper Jew's- harps. In 1705, Joseph Nunes had forty-two dozen at twelve pence a dozen. They were probably chiefly used by negroes.
Another indoor pleasure was the "sausage-making evening." Every citizen who could possibly afford it bought a cow and a pig in the autumn, or, if his family
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were too small, he shared one with a neighbor. A few days later, the animals were slaughtered - sometimes in the backyard - and hung. Guests were then bidden to come and help make the sausages, head cheese, and rolpens (tripe cut small and made into bags and then filled with chopped beef). While the servants were doing the roughest part of the work, the housewife and her friends stuffed and flavored the sausages and force- meat. There was no thought of dinner that day, a slice of bread and cheese and a glass of beer were quickly taken; but in the evening, when the work was done, the table was spread with sausages and blood-puddings, and the bottle and glass circulated freely.
These animals were purchased at the market, and on market days there was always more or less excite- ment in the town. As soon as the gates were opened, the farmers drove their cattle to the market place, where tables with refreshments had been prepared, and in fact a miniature kermis was held. Some hours later the citizens came, both rich and poor, - the first accom- panied by a licensed butcher to examine the cattle. He generally brought a fat bullock and a fat pig. The animals were then brought to the dwelling of the pur- chaser, fastened to a post in front of his house, and praised by the neighbors. A few days later the beast was slaughtered in the backyard and hung up. Guests flocked to the house and partook freely of the good cheer offered by the host.
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