David Castleton (Author) on Nostr: 28th December is Holy Innocents' Day or Childermas, commemorating the massacre of ...

28th December is Holy Innocents' Day or Childermas, commemorating the massacre of infants by King Herod in his determination to kill the baby Christ. Children were not to be scolded on this day and were allowed more licence than usual, even being permitted to play in church. The day was also, however, regarded as unlucky - any undertaking begun at Childermas would never be finished or be doomed to fail. Washing clothes was prohibited out of a fear one of the family might be 'washed away'. Those in dangerous jobs - such as fishermen and miners - often refused to work on Holy Innocents. Childermas was sometimes seen as so unlucky that people would avoid starting anything new on the day of the week on which it fell for the rest of the year. #Folklore #history #religion #art #medieval