Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
Distaff Day, or St. Distaff’s Day, is an obscure and faded custom that has rather a bit more weight behind it that one might expect. The day is observed most often on January 7th, the day after Epiphany, the last day of the winter holidays. Less commonly, Distaff Day falls on the first Tuesday after Epiphany, being known as Distaff Tuesday in keeping with 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.
It is Epiphany, 6 January, the close of the Christmas season and the beginning of mundane time, a shift to Imbolg and the hope of spring — after we, hopefully, survive the worst of the winter weather. This is the date the Catholic Church assigned to the arrival of the Magi and also, later, the… Continue reading The Daily: 6 January 2024
Take down all your Christmas ornaments by Twelfth Night to avoid bad luck for the rest of the year. — The Magpie and the Wardrobe by Sam McKechnie & Alexandrine Portelli I don't actually do this. I used to fret because I did not, or was not able to... because there are all these admonitions,… Continue reading The Daily: 5 January 2024
I have COVID again. So there may be illogic in the days ahead. Apologies... On the other hand, I am not allowed to be at work, and there isn't much work to do around the house. (And I can't do much anyway. COVID and rheumatoid arthritis don't get along. For example, my knees are swollen… Continue reading The Daily: 4 January 2024
First, a public service message on the night skies... Look for the Quadrantids tomorrow morning before dawn. This shower has meteors falling at rates of up to 25 per hour. If you must be abroad in the darkness and happen to look north, it's likely you'll see something beautiful blazing a trail to Earth. wes… Continue reading The Daily: 3 January 2024
In my part of the world, this is the season of Midwinter. The nights are long and days are short. It is the time for snow angels, sledding, skiing, and ice fishing... except... it's not. Last week, ice fishers on the Upper Red Lake in northern Minnesota needed rescuing when the lake ice they stood… Continue reading The Daily: 2 January 2024
New Year's Day is definitely one of those holidays that feels out of joint. To me, this date, this point in the solar year, lacks ties to reality. It is historically wrong. When the Romans created these two new months, January and February, and set their state calendars to begin on 1 January, that date… Continue reading The Daily: 1 January 2024
The longest nights have ended in my part of the world. Today we have racked up a minute's worth of change from the solstice. Granted, this is imperceptible... but still... the changes will begin to speed up now. By January 5th, we'll be adding over a minute to every day. By January 22, sunlight will… Continue reading The Daily: 27 December 2023
The Midwinter Moon is full tonight at 7:33pm. December 26th is also several other significant dates. It's the first night of Kwanzaa. I like this holiday though I don't do anything with it. I applaud Maulana Karenga for working out a holiday that is rooted in reality and celebrates neglected cultures. You'll not be surprised… Continue reading The Daily: 26 December 2023
By My Solitary Hearth 