[147] Jastrow, _Religion of Babylonia_, especially pp. 485, 571; regarding the priestesses, Jastrow remarks: "Among many nations, the mysterious aspects of woman's fertility lead to rites that, by a perversion of their original import, appear to be obscene. The prostitutes were priestesses attached to the Ishtar cult, and who took part in ceremonies intended to symbolize fertility." Whether there is any significance in the fact that the first two months of the Babylonian year (roughly corresponding to our March and April), when we should expect births to be at a maximum, were dedicated to Ea and Bel, who, according to varying legends, were the creators of man, and that New Year's Day was the festival of Bau, regarded as the mother of mankind, I cannot say, but the suggestion may be put forward. [148] _Celtic Heathendom_, p. 421. [149] Grimm, _Teutonic Mythology_, p. 1465. In England, the November, bonfires have become merged into the Guy Fawkes celebrations. In the East, the great primitive autumn festivals seem to have fallen somewhat earlier. In Babylonia, the seventh month (roughly corresponding to September) was specially sacred, though nothing is known of its festivals, and this also was the sacred festival month of the Hebrews, and originally of the Arabs. In Europe, among the southern Slavs, the Reigen, or Kolo--wild dances by girls, adorned with flowers, and with skirts girt high, followed by sexual intercourse--take place in autumn, during the nights following harvest time. [150] A. Tille, _Yule and Christmas_, p. 21, etc. [151] Long before Wargentin, however, Rabelais had shown some interest in this question, and had found that there were most christenings in October and November, this showing, he pointed out, that the early warmth of spring influenced the number of conceptions (_Pantagruel_, liv. v, Ch. XXIX). The spring maximum of conceptions is not now so early in France. [152] Villermé, "De la Distribution par mois des conceptions," _Annales d'Hygiène Publique_, tome v, 1831, pp. 55-155. [153] Sormani, _Giornale di Medicina Militare_, 1870. [154] Throughout Europe, it may be said, marriages tend to take place either in spring or autumn (Oettinger _Moralstatistik_, p. 181, gives details). That is to say, that there is a tendency for marriages to take place at the season of the great public festivals, during which sexual intercourse was prevalent in more primitive times. [155] Hill, _Nature_, July 12, 1888. [156] G. Mayr, _Die Gesetzmässigkeit im Gesellschaftsleben_, 1877, p. 240. [157] Edward Smith (_Health and Disease_), who attributes this to the lessened vitality of offspring at that season. Beukemann also states that children born in September have most vitality.