Cows
:
BIRDS AND BEASTS.
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.