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This article takes a closer look at the customs and etymology behind the fascinating concept of Handsel Monday, a term steeped in Irish and Scottish tradition. Originating from a blend of Old English and Norse influences, Handsel Monday has long been associated with good luck and prosperity at the start of the New Year.
Join us as we unravel the history, folk practices, and linguistic journey of this term, providing a rich tapestry of cultural heritage that continues to resonate today.
âšA Guest Post by Amy O’Riordan, the Crafty Cailleach
I grew up with a variety of weird and wonderful terms, phrases and words that I, in later years, found to have come directly from Gaeilge (the Irish language) as loanwords into Hiberno-English and not, as I had suspected as a very young child, terms that just my family used.
One term I often heard was the word âhanselâ – also spelled âhandselâ, though the D was/is never pronounced.
As it was used in context, to me it meant we were getting a treat or a few bob from the grandparents. Once or twice my Granny used it in the context of supporting a business or fundraising venture I would have been working at, âOh I must pop in and handsel you.â
She also never, ever gives a gift of a new handbag, purse or wallet without âhandsellingâ it first (by putting some money into it) as itâs bad luck to give one empty.
In recent years I came across âHandsel Mondayâ when researching Irish New Year traditions, which Lora and I had a short chat about on YouTube recently, and Iâve done a bit more digging on it in the last few weeks to try and find the origin of it.
The Etymology of Handsel
Iâm a language nerd, so I usually start with etymology. There seems to be a consensus that âhandselâ as a term, originates from Old English (handselen) with a likely influence from Old Norse (handsal – which literally meant âhand giftâ).
The word was first used in the 14th Century and is still used as both a noun, i.e. to âgive a handselâ, and also as a verb, âto handsel someoneâ. Its use is found throughout Ireland and the UK, notably in Northern England and Scotland.
In looking for the origin of Handsel Monday itself, the exact origin has eluded me, and many other scholars. The strongest evidence seems to trace it back to Scottish folk practices, as during the âdaft daysâ (a Scots language Term) which run from Yule through the New Year and to Handsel Monday, as noted by Alexander Balfour in 1822.
Handsel Monday
In GĂ idhlig (Scottish Gaelic) the term is Diluain Traoighte translated as âDrained Mondayâ. According to Historic Environment Scotlandâs blog (linked below) on the tradition, âin some places, Hansel Monday was celebrated on the first Monday after 11 January ⊠a result of the switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendarâ. The custom, which as above seems to have originated before the 14th Century, predated the introduction of the new calendar.
We cannot say for certain where the practice began and it was also recorded across Ireland. Given the shared cultural and political history that Ireland and Scotland share, in addition to the similarities in folk customs and concepts, it is not surprising to me that it is found in both traditions.
Handselling in Ireland
In Ireland, the phrase âFĂłgraĂm m’iarsma ortâ [pronounced: Fohg-reem meer-smeh urt] which means âWhat about my New Year’s gift?â was (and likely still is) used to enquire about the traditional handsel. The refusal of a handsel was seen as bad luck on the person.
The word âiarsmaâ itself is used to mean âremnantâ (as in leftover), also âhandselâ and specifically a New Yearâs gift, with âLĂĄ na n-iarsmaĂâ [Law nah neers-mee] as New Yearâs Day.
Another word of New Yearâs Day is also âLĂĄ Cailleâ [Law Kai-leh] (or Coille, depending on the region) which is roughly translated as âLostâ or âSpent Dayâ and used generally as âNew Yearâs Dayâ – similar to the GĂ idhlig phrase mentioned above.
As recorded by Kinihan in 1881:
âHansel Monday. â The first Monday in the year, when formerly a present or hansel was given by a master or mistress to the servants, and by fathers or mothers to children. On that day people salute one another with ” My hansel on you.” Anything that comes into your possession that day indicates luck, such as a child, calf, lambs, or money. If you receive on Hansel Monday you will sure to be lucky the rest of the year.â
There is an overall consensus that receiving on Hansel Monday is a positive thing, and a good luck omen for the upcoming year.
Hansel Monday is the name given to the Monday after New Year’s day. It is said, if you get money on Hansel Monday, that you’ll never want for the whole year.It is a custom to give children money of silver on that day. Sometimes the old people collect a lot of threepences and small silver as well, because it is customary for the old people to distribute small silver to the children on Hansel Monday.
(via NFC Schoolâs Collection, Volume 0506, Page 070)
As with most concepts, terms and traditions found in folk customs the particulars tend to change depending on the region, and sometimes even the townland, village or family. This particular entry I found in the Schoolâs Collection, for example, suggests that it is a custom which happens before the Lenten period observed by Christians. As Mrs Byrne, from County Wexford, explained:
Hansel Monday is the day before Shrove Tuesday. This is what happens on that day:-A person gives a friend a sum of money and the friend gives it to another and son on until that night. Then who-ever has it keeps it. This is how it started:- A noble man who was a native of New Ross was out walking one day when he met an old woman who was believed to be a fairy. She had a new shawl on her and she asked him to “hansel” it. He gave her a shilling and she gave it to her son and he gave it to his friend and it went on like that until that night a young boy got it and he did not give it away. That is why the person who gets it at night keeps it.
(via NFC Schoolâs Collection, Volume 0881, Page 226)
There are some references too which suggest that paying out any money seems to be a bad thing. This is noted in references regarding New Yearâs Day in Particular. We see this too in Irish folklore surrounding Bealtaine (May 1).
Interestingly, in the National Folklore Commissionâs Schoolâs Collection there are a few references suggesting a crossover of customs between Handsel Monday and Bealtaine. Some examples:
Hansel Monday – On Hansel Monday it is said that hares used to take the crops and the next year the people would have no crops. People used to stay in the garden that evening to keep the hares from their crops.
(via NFC Schoolâs Collection Volume 0594, Page 181)
⊠It is very lucky to get money on that day and very unlucky to have to part with it. It is very lucky to get a present of eggs, but to find eggs in your hay or to turn up eggs when digging or ploughing in your garden is a sign that some bad neighbour is trying to injure you and take your luck from you. To prevent them doing so the eggs so found should be burned.
(via NFC Schoolâs Collection Volume 0507, Page 471-2)
As we were talking about during the week on YouTube, the use of sympathetic magic is very evident in Irish folk practices and there are ways and means to defend against bad luck and find loopholes to protect your wealth for the upcoming year. You can check out our full conversation here.
While the people practising these customs and traditions may not necessarily regard them as magic, often dismissing them as âonly an aul piseogâ (or superstition), the energetic intent with them is clear as day.
The exact origin of Handsel Monday, however, is – to borrow a phrase from Lora – clear as muck.
Whether it is of Scottish, Irish or another origin, it is a practice which has been carried on through generations in Ireland and serves as a good excuse to treat the young people in your life, and practise some intentional energy work around prosperity magic as we start into a new calendar year.Â
[References]
- Dictionary – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/handsel
- Scots âDaft Daysâ – https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/daft
- Historic Environment Scotlandâs Blog Post on Handsel Monday – https://blog.historicenvironment.scot/2017/01/just-thought-comes-hansel-monday/
- Kinahan, G.H. âNotes on Irish Folkloreâ. The Folk-Lore Record 4 (1881), pp. 96-125.
- Vol. 0214, Page 099 Schoolâs Collection, National Folklore Commission, UCD.
- Vol. 0491, Page 269 Schoolâs Collection, National Folklore Commission, UCD.
- Vol. 0506, Page 070 Schoolâs Collection, National Folklore Commission, UCD.
- Vol. 0881, Page 226 Schoolâs Collection, National Folklore Commission, UCD.
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Thank you! My handsel upon you! đ Interesting as always