Further down was more information - that the word handsel or hansel dates back to the 13th Century, that it was an old Scottish (British Isles) custom to give a small gift or good luck charm on the first Monday after New Year's Day - Handsel Monday.
Money was a favored Handsel Monday gift, as it was supposed to insure a full purse for the rest of the year. If the handsel was a physical object other than money, tradition held that it could not be anything sharp or it would 'cut' the relationship between giver and receiver.
Bud has mentioned that his Dad was superstitious about giving or receiving a knife for that reason. The recipient could negate the severing by 'paying' for the knife with whatever change he had in his pocket. I wonder if his Dad's superstition could be traced back to the tradition of Handsel?
Never heard of this. But nobody even celebrates Mayday any more, so I think I will pass. I am reminded how some old-timers wouldn’t give a knife to a friend or relative because it was bad luck. Instead, they would say, “Give me a nickel for this (or a penny or a dime.)”.
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