Spitting, liturgically, has a secure and respected place in the Traditional Roman Rite. The collect for the Third Sunday AFTER Easter is thought to have emerged from a context in which the Roman Pontiff was campaigning against pagan survivals, particularly, perhaps, the Lupercalia (February 15) celebrations; so we pray that all those whose names are on the Official Christian List [Christiana professione censentur] may "spit back upon" [respuere] everything which is inimical to that Name. (I think the collect survives in the Forma Mutila et valde Deterior of the Missal, on Sunday XIV per annum.)
And there is First Millennium evidence that the Pope, when proceding through the City, was preceded by a minister carrying a spittoon to receive the papal ejections.
Good rich wholesome traddy stuff.
And I noticed the other day a Tudor example. It was a great day ... 1553, June 1 ... when Anne Bullen (Boleyn) went to her coronation. She had set off from the Tower of London days before "Apparelled in riche clothe of golde, [she] entered into her barge ... the bachelors' barge going on to the Queeene's right hand, which shee took great pleasure to beholde": quite probably ... perhaps one of those admiring bachelors was her own favourite (perhaps very favourite?) brother ...
Days later she sat, crowned, in Westminster Hall "under her clothe of estate ... on her left hande stoode the countesse of Worcester all the dinner season, which divers times in the dinner time did hold a fine clothe before the queene's face when she list to spit, or do otherwise at her pleasure ..."
Ah, those days of 'otherwise' pleasures and of limitless listing ...
I don't know how common this good old custom still is today. In S John Henry Newman's day, the future Archbishop Whately still kept up, in the Oriel Common Room, the habit of spitting into the fire.
I think the tradition is now confined to Association Footballers, whether or not they are in Oxford Common Rooms. Do our Oratorians ... er ...
From my childhood I recall that public conveniences for the use of males once had notices designed to be read as officiants prepared to walk out: COMMIT NO NUISANCE.
Y'know, I never did.
1533!
ReplyDeleteIn my young days there was a notice on the upper deck of the buses in Dewsbury saying: No spitting.
Later, when I taught at a Benedictine school in London, the boys frequently used to 'gob' on the stairs going up to the Music Room.
Of course, not all spitting is odious. There is a dominical precedent for it (Mk 7:33).
Well, Father, and what do you make of that word beloved of the LXX psalmist, ekmukterizo? I do not know of any liturgical parallels. A dictionary of Arabic insults might be a better bet.
ReplyDeleteI would hope not.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the notices were referring to spitting.
Before nanny conquered the world, didn't buses used to have signs saying No smoking or spitting?
ReplyDeleteMany years ago I heard of a Spanish cathedral, Zaragoza I think, with spittoons at epistle and gospel ends of the high altar.
ReplyDelete"she list to spit":
ReplyDeleteIs "list" an old preterite of the verb "to lust"?
As for spitting into the fire, it is a good thing tbe the future Archbishop as not Lithuanian, for that ancient indo-germanic folk do believe till this very day, that spitting or pissing into the fire is sinful and will bring down God's wrath upon the doer.
The propriety of expectoration was vigorously defended by Amalar. Even if the good bishop had wanted to, he couldn't refrain from spitting, even after Communion: "My son, if I were able to avoid spitting long enough to satisfy your objections,I would certainly do so. But because this is difficult for me, I trust in the Lord that...he may cause what ought to be expelled for my bodily health to exit without cost to my soul."
ReplyDeleteIn the Byzantine rite of Baptism, the candidate is directed to "spit on the devil".
ReplyDeleteThe Orthodox baptismal rite has the catechumen (or sponsors, if an infant), who are facing west at this point early on, after the exorcisms and before reciting the Creed, spit at the devil:
ReplyDeletePriest: Have you renounced Satan?
(And the catechumen, or sponsor, answers: I have
And this question and answer, like wise, are thrice repeated.)
Then the Priest says:
Breathe and spit upon him.
In some places, this is probably a more or less polite 'symbolic spit', like a clearing of the throat. In others, depending on the weather, the sponsor might step outdoors (that is, since this part of the service is at the back of the church, the west doors) and send something rather more generous and juicy.
I am surprised that no one has mentioned the traditional rite of baptism.
ReplyDeleteHad always thought that the old No Spitting signs (am 65 and vaguely recall seeing them where I grew up, in southwestern Ohio) were chiefly meant to reprobate the spitting of tobacco matter and juices.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Honorius Augustodunensis has to say about spitting?
Yes, in our old-rite parish, at every baptism, the priest stil annoints with spit the ears and nostrils of the baptizandus, saying "Ephpheta", the word our Lord spoke, as recorded in the Gospel.
ReplyDeleteI have a vague notion that Ian Ker's biography of Newman records Newman's disgust at a Sicilian priest spitting on the predellum even at "the most sacred moments".
ReplyDelete