Leap Day, February 29th

Leap Day

Leap Day was always exciting to me when I was a kid. It just seemed cool that it was a day that only came around every four years, and then when I discovered Pirates of Penzance... wow, my love of Leap Day quadrupled.

But, then I found out that in Scotland, Leap Years, the whole year, are generally considered unlucky and Leap Year Day is a particularly bad day because it was Job's Birthday, and he cursed the day that he was born. All this Job information is according to The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore. Poor Job. I almost want to make a birthday cake in his honor. And for all of us who have to work an extra day this year. I mean really, this year we have to work an extra day! There is something wrong with that! If we have to add an extra day to the year, that just might be an unlucky day, we shouldn't have to work, we should make it a National holiday!

The fifth century Irish single gals liked Leap Day because St. Patrick gave them permission to ask men to get engaged on Leap Day only. If the man said no to the proposal, he was required to give her a gift, or pay a tax, so either way, score for them!

Anyway, we should all head out today with a petition to get Leap Day designated as a National holiday! I am sure we can make a change! You know you want an extra holiday every four years... come on. You do!

Defy Superstition Day, September 13th

Defy Superstition Day

There is an old superstition about cutting your hair. Cut it on Monday, you cut it for health; cut it on Tuesday, you cut it for wealth; cut it on Wednesday, you cut it for news; cut it on Thursday, a new pair of shoes; cut it on Friday, you cut it for sorrow; cut it on Saturday, see your true love tomorrow; cut it on Sunday, the devil will be with you all the week.

And, according to another superstition, you should always burn or bury your cut hair, because if an enemy took it they could use it to do you harm, or a bird could pick up the leavings and weave them too tightly in a nest thus giving you a headache until the nest falls apart. Not a happy thought.

I am not in a very reckless mood, so I am not very up for defying superstitions, because it turns out that walking under a ladder can end up badly for more than one reason. But, if you get your hair cut today, a Thursday, the worst that can happen is that you won't get a pair of new shoes. Which, don't get me wrong, would be sad, but not tragic, mind you.

So, everyone, go out and get you haircut today! But don't forget to sweep up the trimmings and dispose of them correctly!

paraskavedekatriaphobia

Hares & Rabbits

For good luck in the upcoming month you should say, "hares, hares, hares" when you go to bed on the last day of the month (any month not just March), and then say "rabbits, rabbits, rabits" as soon as you get up the next morning.

I'm not sure why. Someone just told me.

Raven Legend Day, March 10th

Raven Legend Day

Today is the day the we remember ravens and their importance to the monarchy of England. Charles the Second was told that as long as ravens occupy the Tower of London, the monarchy will remain strong. Now, ravens are kept at the Tower of London with their wings clipped. Kinda makes me think that they don't trust the ravens to be good subjects and stay for the good of the monarchy.

Poor ravens. Even with such a major responsibility on their shoulders they are one of the world's most unappreciated birds. It seems that all the world suffers from corvophobia, and not just because Edgar Allen Poe told us we should. But, we shouldn't be afraid of ravens, they are good birds, they feed people who are lost in the wilderness.

In many cultures ravens are the antithesis of the supposedly innocent white dove. They have are a symbol of the sins of gluttony and thievery. In early Christianity, evil priests were believed to turn into ravens when they died. Being meat eaters, ravens became messengers of death to many cultures. Some cultures believe that ravens can smell the scent of death on a person before they die.

Readers of Greek mythology will remember the story that Apollo turned the raven black when the bird informed him of the unfaithfulness of Coronis.

Aseop wrote about the raven in his fables.

A Raven saw a Swan and desired to secure for himself the same beautiful plumage. Supposing that the Swan's splendid white color arose from his washing in the water in which he swam, the Raven left the altars in the neighborhood where he picked up his living, and took up residence in the lakes and pools. But cleansing his feathers as often as he would, he could not change their color, while through want of food he perished. Change of habit cannot alter Nature. (fairytalescollection.com)

In Norse mythology, Odin carries the title Hrafna-Gud, the God of the Ravens because he can turn himself into a raven. Odin also has two ravens pets named Hugin and Muninn (thought and memory) and the Valkyres sometimes take the shape of ravens.

Native American folklore sets the raven as a trickster figure who created mosquitoes to forever bother mankind when he wasn't allowed to marry a woman.

And in some early Brittish legends the story is told that King Arthur turned into a raven to keep from dying.

Ravens aren't always bad. In fact, according to Welsh mythology, it is better to see them in groups.

One for bad news,
Two for mirth.
Three is a wedding,
Four is a birth.
Five is for riches,
Six is a thief.
Seven, a journey,
Eight is for grief.
Nine is a secret,
Ten is for sorrow.
Eleven is for love,
Twelve - joy for tomorrow.

And, if you think seeing twelve ravens for joy tomorrow is unlikely, and you still would like some raven-related joy, watch this.

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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

Fortune Cookie Day, Postive Thinking Day, Defy Superstition Day, September 13th

Fortune Cookie Day

When I was eighteen years old, two weeks away from starting my sophomore year of college, on the second declared major of my college career, I opened a fortune cookie that stated that I would be married within the year.

Interestingly enough, I could have married someone that year. It would have been for the wrong reasons, but I often wonder had I made that choice, would now I be the mother of four kids, living the perfect suburban life.

And would I be happier?

And would I have stuck with my Environmental Geology major just to get through school quickly?

And how would my life be different without five myth, legend, and folklore-type classes under my thinking cap. Would I have my weird obsession with frogs?

Am I becoming the crazy frog lady?

Positive Thinking Day

I am not the crazy frog lady. I am not the crazy frog lady. I am not the crazy frog lady. I am not the crazy frog lady. I am not the crazy frog lady.

Defy Superstition Day

The Top Ten Frog Superstitions to Defy Today

1. The dried body of a frog worn in a silk bag around the neck will prevent fits. (Not sure how you are going to practically apply this defiance- but have fun!)
   
2. A frog brings good luck to the house it enters by it's own will.
3. A cure for thrush is to hold a live frog with its head in the patient's mouth. As it breaths, it draws the disease out of the throat of the patient and into itself.
4. Frogs eyes hold the souls of dead children (Sounds like we need to dissect some frog eyes today!)
5. Warts can be cured by rubbing a frog across them.
6. Shiny skinned frogs predict fine weather.
7. Dull skinned frogs predict rain.
8. Frogspawn at the edge of a pond mean storm's a commin'.
   
9. A woman of childbearing years should not touch a frog as it will cause her to be infertile
10. To kill a frog is very, very bad luck (Are we all forever cursed from our high school Biology classes?)
11. Cure a toothache by spitting into a frog's mouth and ask it to carry the pain away.
12. Kiss a frog to find your prince.
13. Or if that doesn't work, and your lover is untrue, stuck pins all over a living frog and then bury it. The young man will suffer extreme pains and eventually returned to you. Dig up the frog and remove the pins. The pain will cease. The man will then, (perhaps rather unwisely, you little manipulator) marry you.

And if you doubt those last two, here are some other superstitions that you can defy regarding marriage, and finding your one true love. Although it seems they are most effective during All Hallows Eve. And thank goodness we know about them now, otherwise we would not have time to collect the rosemary, corn stalks, sixpences, cabbage patches, and snails that we need for the experiments!

Halloween-Superstitions

1. The first person to bite an apple while bobbing for apples will be the first to marry.
2. It was said that if a girl put a spring of Rosemary and a sixpence under her pillow on Halloween, her future husband will reveal himself to her in a dream.
3. If a young person eats a raw or roasted salt herring before going to bed, the future spouse will appear in a dream and offer a drink of water. (Presumably because you will be thirsty from eating salt herring.)
   
4. Peel an apple in a continuous strip. When is falls to the floor, it will reveal the letter of a future husband.
5. Sweep the stack around the base of a corn stack with a broom three times. On the third time around, your future partner will appear.
   
6. Blindfolded girls go out in pairs to the fields to pull the first cabbage they can find. This will reveal things about their future husbands.
   

• If there is much earth attached to the root, they will have plenty of money.
• But if there is only a little earth, they will be poor.
  
• The taste of the heart of the cabbage will reveal whether the man will have a sweet or sour disposition.

7. Catch a snail on Halloween night and place it on a flat dish. In the morning you will see the first letter of your future sweetheart written in snail's slime.

Well, I hope that you all Powerfully Defy your Superstitions and Think Fortuitously Upon Cookies today!