Cows

: BIRDS AND BEASTS.
: Welsh Folk-lore

Cows Kneeling on Christmas Morn.





In the upland parishes of Wales, particularly those in Montgomeryshire,

it was said, and that not so long ago, that cows knelt at midnight on

Christmas eve, to adore the infant Saviour. This has been affirmed by

those who have witnessed the strange occurrence.



Cows bringing forth two calves are believed to bring luck to a farmer;

but in some parts of Wales a contrary view is taken of this matter.



If the new born calf is seen by the mistress of the house with its head

towards her, as she enters the cowhouse to view her new charge and

property, it is a lucky omen, but should any other part of the calf

present itself to the mistress's view, it is a sign of bad luck.



Witches were thought to have great power over cows, and it was not

unusual for farmers to think that their cows, if they did not thrive, had

been bewitched.



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