Sharp Days, March 1-3

The first three days of March are called "Sharp Days" in Greek tradition. When I first read about this, I thought it was in reference to perhaps the sharpness of the air, despite the fact that it seems like there is more sun, and therefore more warm... but, no. The first three days of August are also "Sharp Days." Sharp Days are considered a transitional time of year. The Sharp Days in March are the beginning of warmer weather, and the Sharp Days in August are the beginning of cooler weather.

During the first three days of March you should not wash any clothes or they will wear out too quickly, or chop wood or because it will rot before it's time, or bathe because your hair will fall out. If you must do laundry, you must put a nail in the water to take the sharpness out. I haven't found a solution for chopping wood or bathing. Maybe stick a nail in your shampoo bottle.

St. Andrew's Eve, November 29th

St. Andrew's Eve

St. Andrew's Eve is an exciting day, or night, actually, because vampires can walk freely. I haven't been able to find a reason why, except that the legend seems to be Romanian.

So, in order to avoid the walking vampires, we are supposed to rub garlic on our hair and our window and door frames. Also, if a vampire talks to us, specifically asking us if we have eaten garlic, we shouldn't answer him... or her. I think this advice is good. If someone asks you if you have eaten garlic, it would be fair to asses the question as either rude or vampiresque. If it's not a vampire it would have been more polite if they had just offered gum or a mint.

Wind and Weather, October 12th

According to The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore, a west wind on October 12th means that there will be a mild winter.

Currently in Provo, the wind conditions are: Wind Speed: 5 mph / 7 km/h / 2.1 m/s Wind Dir: 50° (NE), but Pleasant Grove's wind conditions are: Wind Speed: 0.1 mph / 0.1 km/h / 0.0 m/s Wind Dir: 201° (SSW). So, with both north-east and south-south-west winds, I'm guessing that the jury is still out about this winter's weather in Utah County.

I am putting my life in danger...

blogging about the weather, but I must note that since it is currently snowing, in September, and since it did snow in May, it seems that the bit of weather folklore that I blogged about previously, might have a ring of truth to it. So, if it thunders in May, we all should be prepared for a short summer.

Although, I would also like to note that, while short, the Summer of 2007 also boasted the hottest month ever on record for Salt Lake City. So, here in Utah, if we have a short summer, it will be an intense summer, apparently.

I don't really like that. I am a mild weather sort of girl. Even though I prefer cooler weather, I have been shocked by the snow today. I mean, I thought I was okay knowing that the weather was going to be cooler today, even though it was 80 degrees yesterday. I was prepared for cold this morning when I left for the day. I was outside all morning cheering at soccer games and helping dig holes for trees through wind and rain. But, now it's snowing.

Snowing. In September. And everything about it seems wrong.

But, it's not my fault.

Moon of the Hungry Ghosts, August 28th

Moon of the Hungry Ghosts

The full moon of the 7th lunar month of the Chinese year, is called the Moon of the Hungry Ghosts. According to Chinese tradition, at this full moon, ghosts enter the sunlit world from the world of Nine Darknesses. We, of the living world, in order to placate the dead, must make offerings of lit paper boats and lit floating lanterns which are set out on water to give comfort and direction to wayward spirits.

After the moonlit tribute, most spirits will then choose to visit their former homes for the comfort and the company of their loved ones and loved places. The more tempestuous spirits will roam the streets, seeking revenge on those who have wronged them in life and in death.

To avoid the revengeful spirits, we must have ready offerings of ginger candy, sugar cane, and rice wine. We all must go get ours now before supplies run out.

You will be able to tell if a spirit has visited your home if you notice an odor of smoky vanilla, white sandalwood, ho wood, green tea, white grapefruit, musk or aloe.

It is has been such a pretty moon this month to have such a responsibility. Poor Hungry Ghosts.

The Feast Day of St. Philbert, August 20th

The Feast Day of St. Philbert

I was really glad to read about The Feast Day St. Philbert, because I learned why Oregonians call Hazelnuts Filberts.

As a child when I was driving around the orchards of the Willamette Valley with my mom, she would point out the rows and rows of low and gnarled trees and say, "Those are the filbert orchards. In the United States, Filbert trees only are grown in Oregon. Some people call filberts hazelnuts. People that call them hazelnuts aren't from Oregon."

This made me feel awkward. Now, I have a bit of pride for my Oregon pioneers who had come across the Oregon Trail and settled in the Willamette Valley, but if everyone else in the world called them hazelnuts, maybe that meant that we Oregonians were a little bit backward. I mean really, why filberts? Filbert doesn't even have the word nut in it? We were trying to hide the yummy goodness that is the filbert away from the rest of the world? Because really, if you didn't know that a filbert was a nut, and some one offered you one, you would think that they were offering you a beloved pet to eat?

Anyway, I was always curious as to why these seemed to be a great hazelnut debate.

According to School of the Seasons, St. Philbert was a French saint, and Hazelnut Trees are ready to harvest around the time of the Feast Day of St. Philbert, (which is on August 20th according the the School of the Seasons, and on August 22nd according to other sites) and so his name has been lent to the nut in areas with strong French influences.

Oregon doesn't really have a strong French influence. So, I did some more research.

Soupsong.com stated that

Frenchman David Gernot arrived in Oregon in the 17th century with European hazel trees and a personal mission. When he stumbled into the beautiful Willamette Valley, he was reminded of his home in the Loire valley. Without hesitation, he staked out his home and planted the first of his 50-tree grove. Other planters followed and by the early 1900s, hazelnut orchards had taken root in Oregon, where their nuts are produced commercially to this day.

Now, there are lots of different ways to eat a filbert.


If you are not if you are not afraid of cracking your teeth, you can eat them straight from the shell.



You can grind them up and put them in cookies and cakes.



Or you can cover them in chocolate, and then they are just perfect. If you are looking for Chocolate Covered Hazelnuts, Edgy has some, straight from Oregon.

Oh, and I have some too, but I am not sure if I am nice enough to share.

Midsummer

As you have surely noticed, the nights are getting shorter, the days hotter, and the required clothing necessary for public decency is getting less, and less. This is not a new phenomena. Even Shakespeare noted it, much more poetically than I will ever be able to pretend, in his tale about the one of the few nights in the year where mysterious, magical, sometimes spooky, but always enchanting beings can interact with mankind. (The other three nights are the other solstice, Mid-Winter's Eve, and the cross-quarter days, All Hallow's Eve, and Beltane, also known as May Day.)

I have blogged in the past about the importance of Midsummer, but, that was a year ago, and perhaps you have forgotten everything that needs to be done to get ready. It's actually not much, just clean house, gather wood for bonfires, take naps now so you can stay up late on a weeknight... but anyway here is a short list of traditions that you can try. If you aren't afraid to go out to play with all the fairies, that is.

• Traditionally, you are supposed to stay up to midnight on the night before solstice, the 20th, to welcome the day of sunlight, and then the night of Solstice burn fires to say good-bye to the sun.


• If you don't want to burn bonfires, you can just burn herbs at midnight to appease Odin.


• Also, at midnight, you are supposed to run naked into the nearest body of water to ensure good fortune for the coming year. I, personally, will now be avoiding all bodies of water at midnight, especially the community pool.


• Wash all your linen, beat all your rugs, and make everything fresh to keep the fairies out.


• Dew gathered on Midsummer's Night can heal sicknesses.


• Water gathered on Midsummer's Night will have magical properties.


• Leaves gathered on Midsummer's Night and used as bandages relieve pain.


• Midsummer is supposed to be a favorable time to find a boyfriend/girlfriend. If you know who you want, and you need to make them want you, you are supposed to roll around on their property naked in the light of the midsummer moon. (Just don't let them or any of their family members catch you because "midsummer" is not a legal defense for trespass.)


• An unmarried girl is supposed to fast on Midsummer Eve and at midnight set her table with a clean cloth, bread, cheese and ale, then leave her yard door open and wait. The boy she will marry, or his spirit, will come in and feast with her.


• If you don't know who you want to marry, according to Nordic tradition, if you place wildflowers under your pillows on Midsummer Eve you will dream of your future mate. Some traditions say you must gather nine flowers, some say you must gather them in silence, and some say that one of the flowers must be gathered from a churchyard. You might want to do all three requirements to make it work. I haven't yet tried the churchyard flowers yet. Somehow, it just seems like stealing to me.


• Also, on Midsummer's Eve a single woman should write the letters of the alphabet on pieces of paper. Then she must place them face down in water. On Midsummer's morning her true love's initial should be facing up. I think that this tradition could be a unisex tradition.


• But, all you guys out there, you must crawl under a blackberry bush on Midsummer's Day to catch a glimpse of your future mate's shadow. I am not sure how a glimpse of a shadow will help much, but then, dreams and initials don't help all that much either.

Birds Stop Singing, June 5th

Birds Stop Singing

Yesterday, when I was researching Birds Stop Singing, the only information I could find about this day stated:

"In some early medieval calendars, this is listed as the date the Birds Stop Singing." (School of the Seasons)

But, Birds Stop Singing Day wasn't noted in any of my book-type resources, (the Calendar of Vanishing Vocabulary and Folklore for 2007, The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore, The Encyclopedia of Things that Never Were, The Faber Book of Useful Verse, or The Dance of Time: The Origins of the Calendar A Miscellany of History and Myth) nor on any of my online resources, which other than School of the Seasons areCalendar of the Month, Fun Holidays, Holiday Insights, Nova Roma, Old Farmer's Almanac, and Sky News, (by the way, tomorrow will be the best day to view Jupiter and its moons). So, I was about to give up on Birds Stop Singing Day. It was a nice idea, but, it seem to be a non-provable holiday.

But, this morning as I was getting ready for work, and I was listening to the news, and the weatherman said that the birds wouldn't be singing today because the wind would be blowing rather strongly over most of the state for the majority of the day.

So, apparently, the medieval calendarists knew what they were calendering.

On a personal note, today, fifteen years ago, I graduated from high school. Yep, I am really that old. So, I am wearing blue and white today, my Alma Matter's colors, and I am also wearing the pearl necklace that my grandmother gave me to wear at the graduation ceremony.

Also, this is the fifteen year anniversary of Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs, the Portland Trailblazers against the Chicago Bulls. Portland won in overtime. One of the best games ever. Everyone at my graduation, speakers included, listened to the game on their Walkmans. Anyone who didn't bring a Walkman was updated of the score at regular intervals from the podium. Clyde "the Glide" Drexler fowled out during the fourth quarter. And that is what I remember most about my high school graduation.

Rusalka Week, or the Week of Love Sickness

Rusalka Week

A rusalka is a fish-woman from slavic mythology, with the dark ghostly-sexual undertones like a succubus. Rusalka are women or children who have died violently before their time. These woman or children have been jilted by their lovers, or have been born out of wedlock and have been murdered by those most dear to them, or have committed suicide. They are dangerous mostly to men, and like to seduce men by singing to them, then wrapping their arms around them to then pull them under the water to drown them.

While rusalka are dangerous, they do serve some good. They have some control over the fertility of the living things near them and some control over the regular passing of the seasons. As we all want the lands around us to be fertile, (and maybe because even we want to be fertile) and maybe because of the freaky global warming seasonal issues we should want to have a few rusalka around.

Rusalka Week, the first full week of June, is the most active time for the rusalka. Rusalka will be more active than usual, and we all should take caution. Because the rusalka are in their situation because of false love, they will lure others to the same state. Be careful of any feelings of love that begin during Rusalka Week. These feelings are not true love but a "love sickness" spell cast by a nearby rusalka. During Rusalka Week:

• You should not should go swimming; you could be dragged to a watery grave by a rusalka.
• Women who wish to be protected from love sickness should not spin, weave, wash their hair, or sleep during the day.
• Men who wish to be protected from love sickness should wear a garland of walnuts and garlic.

I am sorry to say, I have washed my hair today. I guess I washed all my protection away. Sigh.

Frankin Days, or the Reason Not to Kill the Messenger

It seems that my life is in jeopardy since I quoted an old bit of Devonshire weather folklore.

Thunder in May
Frightens the Summer away.

In my own defense, I would like to state that it is not my fault it is snowing in Park City, Utah. It is, however, the fault of a Devonshire man named Frankin, because apparently, New England Puritans weren't the only people who frequently sold their souls to the Devil. According to The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore:

"Sharp frosts which sometimes occur about this time are the revenge of one Frankin, a beer-brewer put out of business by competition from cider. He therefore vowed his soul to the Devil in return for frost on each of the three 'Frankin's Days' around May the twenty-first, hoping that these would kill the apple-blossom and ruin the cider crop (Kightly 82).

So, Edgy, the reason why it snowed today? Because hops bloom in August.

Thunder in May

According to The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore,

Thunder in May
Frightens the Summer away.

I just heard thunder's dooming boom. Bye, bye summer!

Avoiding Day, May 3rd

According to The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore, May the 3rd is "Avoiding Day." This is a very unlucky day because it is believed that this is the day the bad angels were kicked out of heaven. These fallen angels are allowed to haunt the earth on this day which makes it a very bad day to do things, and we should avoid starting anything.

So, the pile on my desk, I have a reason for ignoring it today.

Cerealia

Cerealia

Somewhere about this time in April is the festival of Cerealia. Cerealia is a 5-8 day celebration of the Roman goddess Ceres. Ceres is the goddess of growing plants,(there is a statue of Ceres on the dome of the Vermont State House building, to remind us of the importance of agriculture to Vermont's economy and history), grains (hence the word cereal) and motherly love (her Greek name is Demeter, and her daughter is Kore a.k.a Persephone).

To celebrate Cerealia traditionally, you should make a spelt cake, and offer it to Ceres, but that recipe doesn't sound very yummy, and she might not like it. You could fancy-up a spelt cake with apples or chocolate, to eat all by yourself, which could be fun. Or you could be like me and just eat cereal. You know how they say you shouldn't grocery shop when you are hungry? Yeah, well, I just bought five huge boxes of cereal, for the one of me. Apparently, I like the idea of cereal when I am hungry.

I guess I had better go buy some milk too.

Jewelry Lovers Day, March 13th

Jewelry Lovers Day

Since aquamarine is the birthstone for March, and because aquamarine is supposed to increase intelligence (always a good thing) and cure laziness (I have had a hard time buckling down and working these past couple of weeks), and also because it is Scorpio's (my sign's) birthstone, I have been wearing my aquamarine ring a lot lately.

Today, while I was up doing a site visit for work, my ring fell off. I got down on the floor and looked. So did everyone else. We couldn't find it anywhere. When after a half an hour of three people looking and no ring, I gave up. I was sad, but not devastated, because while I like my ring, but I know that it is not an expensive ring because the stone is light in color and cloudy and I remember that much from when I was a geology major... for two and a half semesters, a million years ago.

But, it was just weird. No ring anywhere. When I got back into the agency minivan, (it is probably not only worth mentioning that I was driving the agency minivan, but I am going to mention it because I was driving a vehicle that I was not comfortable driving, and am proud of myself for navigating near BYU traffic during lunchtime in a vehicle that I hate driving) to drive back to work, I had a weird thought. Check your clothes, the thought said. I checked my pockets, no ring. So, I started driving down the very steep hill. The nagging thought would not leave. So, I pulled over on the side of the very narrow road and patted myself down. I found the ring tucked into the cuff of my jeans. How it didn't fall out while I was down on my knees for twenty minutes looking for the ring, or when I walked up two flights of stairs on my way to the parking lot, I will never know, but I am glad to have my ring back, because I do like my jewelry.

Anyway, if you like jewelry, but you haven't ever really loved your birthstone, check out this site. There are lots of different stones you can choose for your favorite, based on birth month, zodiac sign, birth day of the week, Tribe of Israel, guardian angel or even apostle.

So, if any of you readers are thinking of buying me jewelry, I am opal for October, aquamarine for Scorpio, and carnelian for Friday. But, probably, garnets and pearls are my favorites.

Valentine's Day, Part III Other Celebrations- St. Dwynwen's Day

Thanks, to Soccer Dad, I have found out about St. Dwynwen's Day. St. Dwynwen's Day is January 25th, and is considered the Welsh Valentine's Day. St. Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers. St. Dwynwen is known for saying: "Nothing wins hearts like cheerfulness."

One source states that Dwynwen was granted three wishes after she had been scorned in love, and one of those wishes was for the prince who scorned her to be turned to ice. Not very cheerful. The other source states:

Dwynwen was so upset that she could not marry Maelon that she begged God to make her forget him. After falling asleep, Dwynwen was visited by an angel, who appeared carrying a sweet potion designed to erase all memory of Maelon and turn him into a block of ice.

God then gave three wishes to Dwynwen. Her first wish was that Maelon be thawed; her second that God meet the hopes and dreams of true lovers; and third, that she should never marry. All three were fulfilled, and as a mark of her thanks, Dwynwen devoted herself to God's service for the rest of her life.

That sounds a lot more saint-like to me.

So, if you are ever in love, and looking for a patron saint, or if you want to celebrate a lovely-lovey day, but don't want to deal with the crowded restaurants and inflated flower prices on Valentine's Day, check out your Welsh roots, and St. Dwynwen.

Valentine's Day, Part I

Valentine's Day (coming soon to a mall near you) is the second most celebrated day in the United States, after Christmas. The average American consumer will spend $119.67 this year for Valentine's Day, up from $100.89 from last year. Of that $119, spent, $80.29 will be spent on the significant other, while the rest will go to children, family members, friends, co-workers, etc.

My age group, 25-34, is expected to be the most generous this year, spending an average of $164.32. All I can say to that is, I am sorry. I'm just making cookies for my friends this year. And not $164 worth of cookies. I guess I am killing the Valentine spirit.

Other Valentine's Day facts:

• February 15th was the date of the Roman festival of Lupercalia (the Wolf) where men held a lottery to select a woman to spend the year being fertile with.


• During the Middle Ages, it was believed that birds chose their mates on Valentine's Day.


• Up through the early 20th century, in the Ozarks, people thought that birds and rabbits started mating on Valentine's Day. (So, there you have it. We celebrate Valentine's Day because of wolves, birds, and rabbits.)


• It is traditional to eat unusual foods on St Valentine's Day to make yourself dream of your future spouse. (Don't be surprised if they are a bit nightmarish.)


• But, in the 17th century, women were encouraged to eat a hard-boiled egg and to pin five bay leaves to her pillow before going to sleep on Valentine's Eve to encourage dreams of her future husband. (Egg=fertility; Bay leaves=purity, glory & strength...???)


• 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women, and of that 27 percent, 15 percent of women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day. (I will say, I have been tempted to do this. I work in an office with 15 married women. Unless I happen to have lots of projects to do, Valentine's Day kinda sucks.)


• Only 3 percent of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets. (I honestly can't believe it is that low. I would give a present to my pet if I had a pet.)


• 68 percent of men say they'd prefer receiving chocolate over flowers as a gift on Valentine's Day and 50 percent of women will likely give a gift of chocolate to a man for Valentine's Day. (What about books? Doesn't anyone want books for Valentine's Day?)


• In Wales, a traditional Valentine's gift would be a wooden spoon, carved with hearts and keys. (I really like that idea. It's simple, practical, traditional, and still romantic. I probably should find a way to get to know a man from Wales.)

Next up, Valentine's Day Memories

Hogmanay or Old Year's Night, December 31st

Absent Parties with Her Scottish Cousins

Hogmanay

Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of New Year's Eve. The most important way to celebrate Hogmanay is by eliminating all the negative parts of the old year in order to have a clean break from it, and to welcome in a young, New Year with a happy celebration.

This sounds mostly the same idea as our regular American New Year's celebration, but there are a few things that are different, more traditional than our "party until the ball drops" celebration.

• Redding/Cleaning- The day of Hogmanay should be spent cleaning the home, because the New Year should be welcomed to a neat and tidy home to ensure the best luck. Messy homes are unlucky homes. Also, all debts should be paid or settled so you start the new year with a financial "clean house."


• New Year's Bells- Bells should be rung at midnight. Just do it, don't think about the neighbors. Ring the bells for luck. And then you are supposed to link arms with your co-celebraters and sing "Auld Lang Syne" while the bells are ringing.


• First Footing- Visitors should not arrive before midnight. At midnight, the household should make as much noise as possible to scare off any visitors or spirits with ill intent. In order to ensure good luck for the house for the rest of the year, the first foot in your home after midnight should be male, and dark-haired because dark-haired will mean that he is a fellow Scotsman, and will mean the household no harm, while a blond or red-haired man will usually be an invader, Norseman, Irish, Saxon... and they mean harm to a Scot and the Scottish household.
  
  First-footers not only have to be dark-haired, but they should also be handsome. Also they should not be a doctor, a minister, a thief, a grave digger, a flat footed person, or someone whose eyebrows meet in the middle (get the pluckers out). Women and red-haired people are the worse to have as the first-footer. To counter the bad luck of a bad first-footer, ask the guest to throw salt into an open flame.
  
  The First Footer should bring something symbolic like: coal, to heat the home; shortbread, so the house does not run out of food; salt, to add a little seasoning to life; a silver coin, to insure wealth to the household, or whisky, to warm the spirits.


• Taking Turns or Singing E'en- Everyone in the house must spend the evening taking turns doing something. The turn taking can be singing songs, reading poems, telling jokes or telling stories. Think of things that you can do for entertainment in a evening around a fire.


• Fire- It's good to have a bonfire, or at least a fire in the fireplace. Fires are cleansing, and will rid you of all the bad things of the previous year. Fires will also ward off evil spirits. If you can't have a fire you can light a torch, or a candle... just have some sort of flame near you.


• Up Helly-aa- This is the tradition of burning a Viking ship in effigy. This was to scare away any Vikings who might invade the following year.


• Fireballing- This tradition might be hard to implement in your neighborhood. You will need to construct a ball of chicken wire, tar, paper and other flammable material and attach it to a chain or non-flammable rope. Then the most daring person at the party will swing the ball round and round their head and body by the rope while walking through the streets, until finally throwing the ball into a large body of water. I suppose you could just have a bonfire instead, but doesn't fireballing sound so much cooler?


• Creaming the Well- This is drawing the first water from the well in the New Year. There is good luck for the person who drinks from the first water drawn from the well. Also, single women, if you give the first water drawn from the well to the man that you want to marry, and he drinks it, he will marry you in the coming year.


• Hogmanay Guising- Like Halloween night, children are to go door-to-door for oatcakes, pieces of black bun, shortbread, sweets or money.


• Handselling- is the custom of gift giving on the first Monday of the New Year. And you thought you were all done with that.

The appropriate things to say on Hogmanay are:

• Theacht mean oiche (heacht meawn eehe) which means "the arrival of midnight"


• Og-Mhadainn or H'og maidne which means "the new morning"


• Ocht mean oiche which means "eighth midnight" (Twelfth Night is coming)


• Ceilidh which is a party where singing, dancing, and storytelling are the entertainment


• Lang may yer lum reek!- this is a traditional Scottish New Year's toast which means "long may your chimney smoke." Basically, you are wishing someone wealth throughout the new year, wealth enough to buy coal to heat their home.

The appropriate things to eat on Hogmanay are:

• Shortbread


• Bannocks (oakcakes)


• Oranges and Whisky


• Black Bun


• Scotch Broth Soup


• Clootie Dumpling


• Haggis


• Neeps and Tatties


• Clapshot


• Rumblldethumps

So, even if you don't do all this to celebrate your New Year, at least you have something to think about when you hear the words of that favorite son of Scotland-

"Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o kindness yet, for auld lang syne."- Robert Burns

October is...

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." -George Eliot

October is...

The name October comes from the Latin word "octo" which means "eight". October was the 8th month in the Roman calendar. October became the 10th month when the beginning of the year was moved from March 1st to January 1st.

The Dutch name for October is Wijnmaand or "wine month." For the Finnish, October is called lokakuu, meaning "month of dirt". In Gaelic, October has several names: in Scottish, October is called an Damhar, meaning "rutting time" for the Irish, October is called Deireadh Fómhair, meaning "end of harvest-time," and for the Welsh, October is called "Hydref", meaning "autumn". In the Japanese calendar, the month is called Kan'na dzuki, which means "the absence of god." (Wikipedia)

The full moon month names for this month are the Hunter's Moon, Travel Moon, and the Dying Grass Moon. (Farmer's Almanac).

The weather proverbs for this month are:

Much rain in October,
Much wind in December. -Traditional English Proverb

If October bring much frost and wind,
Then are January and February mild. -Traditional English Proverb

A warm October,
A cold February. -Traditional English Proverb

Full Moon in October without frost,
No frost till November’s Full Moon. -Traditional English Proverb
(The full moon in October will be the 6th)

There are always nineteen fine days in October. -Traditional English Proverb

As the weather in October, so will it be in the next March. -Traditional English Proverb

When birds and badgers are fat in October, expect a cold Winter.- Traditional American Proverb (Wilson's Almanac)

October is...

Awareness Month (that's it, just Awareness), Adopt A Shelter Dog Month, AIDS Awareness Month, Alternate History Month (one of my favorite literary devices), Animal Safety and Protection Month, Anti-Boredom Month, Apple Jack Month, Apple Month, Auto Battery Safety Month, Billiard Awareness Month, Book Fair Month, Book Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Car Care Month, Caramel Month, Celebrate Sun Dried Tomatoes Month, Celiac Disease Awareness Month, Child Health Month, Children's Magazine Month, Chili Month, Church Safety and Security Month, Class Reunion Month, Clergy Appreciation Month, Clock Month, Co-Op Awareness Month, Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Month, Commune With Your Kid Month, Computer Learning Month, Construction Toy Month, Consumer Information Month, Cookie Month, Cosmetology Month, Country Music Month, Crime Prevention Month, Dental Hygiene Month, Depression Education and Awareness Month, Dessert Month, Diabetes Month, Disability Employment Awareness Month, Diversity Awareness Month, Dog Service Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Down Syndrome Month, Dryer Vent Safety Month, Eat Better, Eat Together Month, Eat Country Ham Month, Energy Management Family Month, Ergonomics Month, Family Health Month, Family History Month, Family Sexuality Education Month, Fantasy Month, Gain the Inside Advantage Month, Gay & Lesbian History Month, Go Hog Wild Month, Go On A Field Trip Month, Gourmet Adventures Month, Halloween Safety Month, Head Start Awareness Month, Health Literacy Month, Healthier Babies Month, Healthy Lungs Month, Home Inspection Month, International Drum Month, International Fired-Up Month, International Starman Month, International Strategic Planning Month, Kitchen and Bath Month, Lazy Eye Month, Listen To Your Inner Critic Month, Literacy Month, Liver Awareness Month, Long Term Care Planning Month, Lupus Awareness Month, Make a Will Month, Medical Librarian Month, Orthodontic Health Month, Pajama Month, Pasta Month, Pastor Appreciation Month, Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, Physical Therapy Month, Pickled Pepper Month, Pizza Month, Popcorn Poppin' Month, Pork Month, Positive Attitude Month, Pretzel Month, Reading Group Month, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Awareness Month, Rett Syndrome Awareness Month, Right Brainers Rule Month, Roller Skating Month, RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) Awareness Month, Sarcastics Awareness Month, Seafood Month, Self-Promotion Month, Skin Care Month, Spina Bifida Awareness Month, Spinach Lovers Month (ironic isn't it), Spinal Health Month, Stamp Collecting Month, Substance Abuse Prevention Month, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month, Talk About Prescriptions Month, Teller Appreciation Month, Toilet Tank Repair Month, Vegetarian Awareness Month, Women's Small Business Month, Workplace Politics Month.

October's traditional birthstone is opal, for hope, but folklore states that opals will bring bad luck to those not born in October who wear it. Gemologists believe this comes from the fact that opals are soft, liquid filled and prone to crack if not taken care of properly. Non-traditional birthstones are rose quartz, pink saphire, or tourmaline.

October's flower is the marigold (calendula).

October’s child is born for woe,
And life’s vicissitudes must know
But lay an Opal on her breast,
And hope will lull those woes to rest. Annie Fellows Johnston

Johnny Appleseed's Birthday, September 26th

Johnny Appleseed's Birthday

You know those pretty pink clouds at sunset? Those aren't clouds. They are trees, planted in heaven by Johnny Appleseed. (According to Disney.) So we should celebrate Johnny's birthday today, in honor of a man who made the American "West" more beautiful... and umm... fruitful.

To learn more about Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) read this page, or this page. There are facts to be learned and games to be played to day!

And if you are not into that, there are apples to be eaten. I personally don't like cooked apples in general, but I do like this recipe a lot.

Apple Crunch

4 medium crisp tart apples pealed and sliced
place in 8X8 baking dish

Mix together:
2/3 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup flour
2/3 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger

Sprinkle over top of apples. Cook in 350 Degree oven for 35-40 minutes.

Yum! Yum! Yum!

Summer Solstice, Midsummer Day, St John's Day, All-Couples Day, Litha, Gathering Day, Thing-Tide,

In times before we had central heating, indoor plumbing, and self-tanning creams, summer was a joyous time of the year. Especially for people (like the majority of my ancestors) who lived in the northern climes. The snow had disappeared, (or it had stopped raining) the ground had thawed out, (or it had stopped raining) flowers were blooming; (and it was just raining a little bit, enough to make them pretty.)

Although many months of warm/hot weather remained before the fall, they noticed that the days were beginning to shorten, so that the return of the cold season was inevitable. So, as early as people could calculate the shortest night, they celebrated the sun and solstice.

When I think of these celebrations I think of nature, the woods and faeries, of love and magic. Like most pagan festivals, the night celebrations of summer solstice are lit with bonfires.

Summer Solstice

Solstice is derived from the ancient Latin word "solstitium" meaning "sun" and "to cause to stand still." Each year the rays of the sun directly strike one of the two tropical latitude lines marking a "solstice." When it happens in June, it marks the beginning of summer for the Northern Hemisphere, but the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The exact moment happens this will happen this year (2006) June 21, at 8:26 a.m. EDT.

• Traditionally, you are supposed to stay up to midnight on the night before Solstice, the 20th, to welcome the day of sunlight, and then the night of Solstice burn fires to say good-bye to the sun.
  
• If you don't want to burn bonfires, you can just burn herbs at midnight to appease Odin.

Midsummer Day

Why did Shakespeare call it Midsummer if it's the just around the first day of summer? Because it is about roughly the middle of the growing season throughout much of Northern Europe. The people who created Stonehenge and Machu Picchu were very aware of the sun and the seasons, and they celebrated accordingly. But then the Christians came along and messed it all up, considering these celebrations pagan. So, just like the winter celebrations got moved from December 21st to the 25th, the June celebrations got moved from the 21st to the 23th. I don't know how technical you want to get with when you want to celebrate Midsummer. I guess anywhere from Solstice Day (June 21st) through Midsummer (June 23rd).

• Midsummer is a traditional bathing time. If you haven't taken your yearly bath, do so now.
• Also, wash all your linen, beat all your rugs, and make everything fresh so that no bad spirit will want to linger in your home as the days grow darker.
  
• Dew gathered on Midsummer's Night can heal sicknesses.
  
• Likewise, leaves gathered on Midsummer's Night and used as bandages relieve pain.
• Midsummer is supposed to be a favorable time to find a love-mate. If you know who you want, and you need to make them want you, you are supposed to roll around on their property naked in the light of the midsummer moon. (I am not responsible for the consequences.)
  
• Or if an unmarried girl fasted on Midsummer Eve and at midnight set her table with a clean cloth, bread, cheese and ale, then left her yard door open and waited, the boy she would marry, or his spirit, would come in and feast with her.
• If you don't know who you want, if you place wildflowers under your pillows on Midsummer Eve you will dream of your future mate. Some traditions say you must gather nine flowers, some say you must gather them in silence, and some say that one of the flowers must be gathered from a churchyard.
• Also, on Midsummer's Eve a single woman could write the letters of the alphabet on pieces of paper. Then she must place them face down in water. On Midsummer's morning her true love's initial should be facing up. I think that this tradition could be unisex.
• But, all you guys out there, you must crawl under a blackberry bush on Midsummer's Day to catch a glimpse of your future mate's shadow. I am not sure how a glimpse of a shadow will help much, but then, dreams and initials don't help all that much either.
  

St John's Day

St. John's Day is the name that the Catholic Church gave to the Midsummer celebration. St. John's Day is most strongly celebrated in the Baltic states of Estonia,Latvia, and Lithuania Stuffed Leg of Pork and Apple Pie are what are traditionally eaten on St. John's Day. (I, however, don't believe this "tradition" because apples are not ripe until Early August at the soonest. Strawberries would be a much better fruit to celebrate the coming months, but not strawberry pie, because cooked stawberries are gross.)

Anyway, St. John's Wort is blooming all over the place right now, that is if St. John's Wort grows naturally where you live. St. John's Wort used to be called "chase-devil", "Klamath Weed," or "Goat Weed," but the name was changed to enhance and support the celebration of "St John's Day. People would weave the flowers into garlands and accessories, to decorate their houses, themselves, and farm animals. They believed that the herb could shield them from the power of evil spirits. They also would use the flowers for divination, but I don't know how. Something about throwing a wreath into the water and how far the water carries it tells you something.

Litha, Gathering Day, and Thing-Tide are other names for this summer-happy-that-there-is-sun celebration.

Happy Summering!