*Ø* Blogmanac November 22 | St Clement folklore

Eve of St Clement (Pope Clement I, or Clement of Rome)

Today is the Eve of St Clement's day, November 23. Clement is the patron of blacksmiths. On this eve in England the tradesmen gathered and one of the senior apprentices was chosen as ‘Old Clem'. He would be dressed in a greatcoat, his head covered in a wig, and his face masked with a long white beard.

Old Clem sat in a large wooden chair, with a crown and anchor made of wood on top, and four transparencies around it representing ‘the blacksmiths' arms’, ‘anchor smiths at work’, ‘Britannia with her anchor’ and ‘Mt Etna’. Clem also had a wooden anvil. The other smiths would bear sledge hammers, battle axes, tomahawks, and so on, and they formed a procession around town, ending with what in Australia we call a pub crawl.

One of the smiths called for attention to St Clem's speech with:

Gentlemen all, attention give,
And wish St Clem, long, long to live.

St Clem then recited a speech describing himself as the first founder of brass, iron and steel. They all sang the song :

Come all you Vulcans stout and strong,
Unto St Clem we do belong.
I know this house is well prepared
With plenty of money and good strong beer,
And we must drink before we part,
All for to cheer each merry heart.
Come all you Vulcans, strong and stout,
Unto St Clem I pray turn out;
For now St Clem's going round the town,
His coach and six goes merrily round.
Huzza-a-a!