IN some parts of the country, tomorrow is still known as Old Christmas Day. This stems from the changes to our calendar in 1752, although the changes were introduced to other parts of Europe almost two centuries earlier.

Because the changes were made by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, the newly Protestant nations, which included England and Scotland, suspected some kind of papal skullduggery and refused to adopt them.

The truth was that the earlier calendar, established by Julius Caesar, was out of alignment with the actual seasons and growing more inaccurate with each passing year.

Gregory made the necessary corrections, not only for his time but for the future. His Gregorian calendar is still used in many parts of the world, although it was not accepted by Sweden until 1753, Japan in 1873, China in 1912, Russia in 1918 and Greece in 1923. In the Buddhist calendar, however, this year is 2546!

In addition to being Old Christmas Day, tomorrow is also the feast day of St Nicholas and it is from him that the nickname Santa Claus is derived.

In the fourth century, Nicholas was a real bishop in the town of Myra in Asia Minor, but he was also a very rich man, having inherited his parents' money.

He had no wish to live a life of luxury, however, and gave away all his money to the poor and to those who would make good use of it.

One of the stories is that he saved three young girls from slavery by providing dowries for them and that he also rescued several soldiers from drowning as the result of a shipwreck.

But the enduring tale is that he saved the lives of three children who had been viciously attacked, almost to the point of death, by a savage innkeeper who concealed their battered bodies in a bran tub. Some accounts say Nicholas miraculously restored them to life.

Included among the stories and legends about his life is that he would secretly give money to poor families by leaving it in their shoes as they warmed before the fire.

He would creep into their homes at night under cover of darkness to leave his gifts, and it was this which gave birth to the legend of Santa Claus coming down the chimney with presents.

The sad thing is that St Nicholas was only 46 when he died, but his legacy lives on in the shape of Santa Claus, even if the Christian aspect of his work has almost been forgotten.

Although several weeks have passed since September's autumnal equinox, I have received a query about the hunters' moon.

It seems that in village schools within the Cleveland Hills, and probably in other parts of Yorkshire, there used to be a song which went: "Come out, 'tis now September, the hunters' moon's begun, and from the wheaten stubble is heard the frequent gun."

I have no dates to indicate when this song was popular among the children and must admit I have never heard it sung, but it does raise the query about precisely what was the hunters' moon.

It seems almost certain that this is also the moon which we know as the harvest moon. This is the full moon nearest to the autumnal equinox and it makes an impact because it rises for several successive days around the same time, close to sunset, and thus gives a longer than usual period of moonlight.

This additional light, which was stronger than that usually reflected from the moon, often enabled the harvest to be gathered in during the night hours and was considered a wonderful bonus to hard-pressed farmers.

I have another old record which tells me that the harvest moon is that which happens nearest to the entrance of the sun into the sign of Libra, this taking place around September 23.

Another legend about this full moon is that it encouraged the growth of mushrooms, some people believing they should only be picked at full moon.

It would seem, therefore, that the harvest moon and the hunters' moon are one and the same. It follows there used to be several rituals associated with this moon, by whatever name it was known.

One involved a maiden taking a prayer book to bed with her during the harvest moon and opening it at the page which contained the wedding service.

This was then placed under her pillow with a key, a ring, a flower, a sprig of willow, a small heart-shaped cake, a crust of bread and the following playing cards - ten of clubs, nine of hearts, ace of spades and ace of diamonds.

These were all wrapped in a gauze handkerchief and, when she was getting into bed, the girl had to chant: "Luna, every woman's friend, to me thy goodness condescend, let me this night in visions see, emblems of my destiny."

The charm went on to explain the dreams which might follow this ritual. For example, if she dreamt of birds, she would marry more than once, while dreaming of a cake meant a prosperous life.

To dream of flowers meant joy! I suppose all this is why we associate a full moon with romance.

Our weekend walk took us to the south-eastern extremities of D&S Times country, for we followed a long circular route around Sheriff Hutton, just north of York.

This flat countryside with its deep ditches, web of streams and tiny rivers among isolated farms is dominated by the gaunt remains of Sheriff Hutton Castle, surely one of the least known castles in this region.

It is not open to the public and there is little doubt its massive walls and towers are in a dangerous condition, although I understand that future grants might restore it.

Despite its solitude, however, Sheriff Hutton Castle has played a huge part in the history of England and has strong links with Middleham, Warwick the Kingmaker and the sad figure of seven-year-old Edward, the Prince of Wales.

There is far too much history to compress into the space available, but the first castle was built here in 1140 by the then Sheriff of Yorkshire, Bertram de Bulmer.

This gave a name to the castle although this was not on the present site - the current castle followed in 1382 when the noted Nevilles built something resembling Bolton Castle in Wensleydale.

They held it until Tudor times and during its history it has belonged to Richard III and Henry Fitzroy, Henry VIII's illegitimate son who was also Duke of Richmond.

The castle was splendid in the mid-sixteenth century, but was a ruin by 1618 and has remained so. It has been in its present state for almost 400 years.

Sheriff Hutton Castle's links with history are many and varied. A man called Anthony Woodville, brother of Edward IV's wife Elizabeth, loved to come here for the peace and quiet.

He was a great reader and found a French translation of the Latin Sayings of Philosophers which he brought to Sheriff Hutton and translated for Caxton, the publisher. I believe this was the first book to be printed in England.

For a time, the castle was home to Warwick the Kingmaker. His daughter, Anne, queen of Richard III, came here for the funeral of her little son, Edward, Prince of Wales. He died at Middleham Castle, but was buried in Sheriff Hutton church.

The castle can also boast two royal prisoners - Princess Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Edward IV, and the Earl of Warwick.

When Henry VII won the crown at Bosworth Field, he summoned both to his presence. Elizabeth was to become his queen and so unite the houses of York and Lancaster, with red and white roses being symbolically tied together at the wedding, but the unfortunate Warwick's future was a further term of imprisonment in the Tower of London, then execution.

I am compiling these notes towards the end of an extraordinarily mild November, with a cherry tree in blossom near my home, clematis in flower nearby and a note from a Saltburn reader to say raspberries are growing in his garden, despite its location close to the windy North Sea! Is it climate warming or just a fluke?