Bridging Appalachia

May Eve Lore from dúchas.ie

NFC 220: 246

On May Eve some people put up a quicken berry branch on the gates and doors to keep the fairies away.

More old people wouldn’t like to give a drop of milk away on May Day. They say it would be unlucky.

People long ago used to redden the sock of the plough on May Eve and put it in under the churn, when the churning would be ready.

This was to keep the fairies out of the churning.

NFC S 572: 405-6

A good many years ago on May Eve it was a usual custom for people to stay up at night minding their cows. There was a lot of witchcraft worked in those days. One farmer had the experience of seeing a hare one May Eve going around his cows and drinking a sup of milk from each cow. He chased the hare to a cabin with a hound he had with him. When he went into the cabin an old woman was panting in the bed.

They used also light a fire on May Eve and drive their cows over it. If there was a pond of water between two farmers both farmers would try to be out early to skim the pond saying, “North and South and East and West is mine”.