Honey In Traditions, Customs And Superstitions

Honey In Traditions, Customs And Superstitions


IN ALL ages honey, and indirectly its producer, the bee, were closely connected with the domestic life of the populace, and thus had a profound, almost magnetic influence on the people. The conception of honey was associated with everything that was holy, agreeable and beneficial.

The origin of these traditions and customs is almost impossible to trace. They were handed down from one generation to another, for innumerable centuries. Though some traditions have certain national characteristics, most of them were not limited to defined territories, but were disseminated among nations far apart. The same popular customs are found among the Far Eastern, Asiatic, African and European races and the distances which they traveled, compared to our present day facilities of communication, must be considered enormous.

Among the most ancient races, the Assyrians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Phoenicians and Hebrews; in India, China, Persia, Egypt, Greece and Rome, in fact, among almost all cultural and primitive races, we find many customs and traditions associated with honey. These beliefs, closely connected and intimately inter-woven with their domestic, social and religious lives, offer plentiful and intriguing material for research. On solemn occasions, like births, weddings, funeral services, and during religious ceremonies honey played an important rôle. Honey was considered a sacred substance, symbolizing the purest and noblest in Nature. It was looked upon not only as a food and medicine, but as a talisman, a protector from all evil. Among the Germanic and Slavic races there was a belief that if one ate honey on Maundy Thursday he would gain protection for the year against all diseases, and if honey were sprinkled in a room on Holy Saturday it would kill all vermin. In Poland and Silesia honey was given to the cows and even rubbed into their eyes to prevent pestilence. To ward off contamination of wells, honey was poured into them. A string dipped into honey at sunrise and tied around a fruit tree would produce a rich fruit crop. Blessing the fields with honey was an old pagan custom. The ancient Germanic farmer, after he had finished plowing the first furrow, poured milk and honey into it. This was called Ackersegen. The ritual was especially employed when there was a suspicion that the fields were blighted by magic.

Many beliefs and customs connected with honey existed among the populations of all countries. For example, stingy or quarrel-some people, it was believed, were never successful in producing honey. Every year, one had to send some honey and wax to the neighbors in appreciation of their courtesy in allowing the bees to feed on their flowers. Denying honey to the sick meant empty combs in the future. To refuse honey to children was a sin against Mary and Joseph, who had fed Child Christ. To send honey to a dying person, however, was bad luck. Selling honey was prohibited among many nations but barter was permitted. Menstruating women had to keep away from the hives, otherwise the honey would turn sour.

A tree in which wild bees had nested and stored their honey was reputed to possess occult powers. Girls would carry a splinter from such trees to entertainments to assure themselves of being well supplied with dancing partners. Farmers carried the branches with them when they drove their cattle to market, with the expectation of securing good buyers. The Slays called a bee-tree a lucky tree, and a branch of it, broken off on St. Andrew's day, was considered a lucky charm. In Finland there is a belief that if a girl bakes a honey cake on Christmas Eve, keeps it in her bed overnight, and then gives a piece to her sweetheart, he will remain true to her through life. There was a widespread belief among many nations that where there were honey and bees, lightning would not strike and the devil would never approach.

In enumerating only a few of the superstitious beliefs, customs and traditions connected with honey, the writer has thought it best to group them according to the three paramount and most solemn events of life, namely, birth, marriage and death.