If Candlemas be bright and clear there'll be two winters in the year. — traditional adage from Scotland There are many weather marking days throughout the year. Candlemas, falling on 2 February, was the day that our ancestors began to get nervous about the spring. A fine Candlemas portends a bad harvest and winter dearth;… Continue reading Of Candles and Divinatory Beasts
Category: Calendar
The Meaning of Imbolg
So what is the true meaning of this holiday? Is it all about the sheep? Is it a more general quickening of life in a more generalized belly? Do sheep have anything to do with it? Or is it maybe all about cleaning?
Brigid: Saint of Ireland, Once and Future Goddess
The Feast of St Brigid, or Imbolg, is an ancient and somewhat forgotten holiday that falls on 1 February, midway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. Brigid’s Feast Day is said to be set to this date at her request so that her day would precede the Marian Feast of the Purification of… Continue reading Brigid: Saint of Ireland, Once and Future Goddess
Moons and Seasons: A Trip Through the Solar Year
You probably have a calendar that shows the annual year of 12 months and 4 seasons. You probably have given little thought to why we have those divisions. But once you begin to shift to a loca-vore life, you’re going to notice that the traditional calendar is a bit arbitrary, too generalized for practical planning. I have created a different system.
The Wolf Moon
This is the time of the Wolf Moon, the time of year when food stores in traditional cultures are dwindling. This is when cold is probing its sharp fingers through iced windows. The nights are still long, but usually by the Wolf Moon the lengthening of daylight is perceivable.
Making Yogurt for Imbolg
Making Yogurt: In anticipation of Imbolg, we’re going to make yogurt, a fermented dairy product that extends the shelf life of fresh milk — and adds quite a bit of nutrition and delicious flavor.
Many Happy Returns
A bit of poetry for today.
Plough Monday
Plough Monday, an ancient rustic holiday that became attached to the Christmas holiday tradition, is on the first Monday following Epiphany (January 6). It is the traditional beginning of the agricultural year.
By My Solitary Hearth 