April Fools and Aphrodite

An old post, but I thought I would share this again! ...

I have quite a few "Avril" postcards that feature people holding fish! Little girls, ladies, even couples with big fish. What's with the fish on these old French cards?

In France, the victim of an April Fool's Day prank is called a "poisson d'avril," an April fish (which refers to a young fish easily caught!) But that's not the whole explanation...

April is named for Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty and fertility. The fish is one symbol of Aphrodite, who was born of the sea. While she is called the Love goddess, her domain is more accurately described as the sensual passion and romantic attraction that draws couples together. She doesn't care if it makes good sense or ruins your life, she just wants you to hook up! Think how sly Aphrodite uses desire and passion to "trick" creatures into love or at least lust and fertility and thereafter a lot of work and trouble! Nothing can make a fool out of you faster than love and lust. In the Greek myths Aphrodite is one capricious and "tricky" goddess.

For many centuries, in many cultures, this time of year has been associated with celebrations of frivolity, lightheartedness, and sometimes pranks. (The Romans had a festival called Hilaria around the end of March.) The coming of spring after the long months of winter brings out our pent-up energy and silliness, and we need a day to let it out! Spring fever, I know it well. Spring is also when Aphrodite goes wild in nature, as birds and bees get busy :-)

April 1 was the beginning of the New Year in some places in old Europe (right around the beginning of Spring), and that transition day from the old year to the new was frequently a time when the usual rules didn't apply and the world went topsy-turvy. Much of the tomfoolery associated with April Fool's Day could be attributed to this. Ancient customs allowed a few days when people could break the rules and get a little crazy, maybe to let off steam. Pretty wise, if you ask me.

This year April Fool's Day falls on a Friday, which makes it extra powerful! Because Friday is named for Freya, the Norse goddess of fertility who is another face of Aphrodite. Enjoy a little "Spring Fever" tomorrow!

"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year."- Mark Twain

Happy Leap Day!

February 29 was called Leap Day by the Victorians, and the whole year recognized as a Leap Year... Because Leap Day is an "extra" day that doesn't follow the rules, time-honored traditions were turned on their head on Leap Day. For example, you may have heard that women to ask the men for their hand in marriage on February 29. You may not have heard that if the man honored with such a proposal refused it, he would have bad luck for the rest of Leap Year!

Leap Year Balls were popular at one time in England and America, often to raise money for worthy causes. At Leap Year Balls, the ladies would ask the men to dance.

In English law, February 29 was "leaped over" legally, and no contracts or other legal agreements could be made on that date. In Greece, the entire Leap Year is considered unlucky for marriages, and in some places February 29 was considered an unlucky date for a birthday. However, many born on February 29 like their unusual special day... and of course they can count a birthday only every four years if they choose (an advantage as you hit those 4-0 s).

So why do we even have this weird "tacked on" extra day? Because the Earth's year is actually 365-and-1/4 days long. Instead of trying to count that extra quarter-day, the creators of the Gregorian Calendar (which replaced the old Roman Julian calendar in 1582) decided to add in an extra day every four years. Voila.

If it's your birthday.... hope you have a happy one! Extra big party! And ladies, if you've been thinking of popping the question, tradition is on your side today :-)

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

Here is a Victorian Easter bunny, ready for his big day with a pile of colored eggs!

We have over 100 Easter bunnies in our vintage images collection.  While I love the Easter angels and children and chicks, I have a special fondness for the bunnies! Like many holiday traditions, the Easter rabbit has its origins in pre-Christian times and was adapted to Christian celebrations. The rabbit or hare (like the egg) is an ancient symbol of rebirth and fertility, associated with the rebirth and renewal of plant life in the Spring.

The name Easter seems to have come from the ancient Germanic month of eostre, named for a goddess Eoster (similar to Ishtar and Aphrodite). In many countries the holiday is called Paques or Pask, from the Greek word for Passover -- our charming French postcards say Joyeuses Paques!

The Easter rabbit tradition began in Germany, where children filled their hats or bonnets with grass to create a special nest where the Easter rabbit might lay brightly colored eggs. Beautiful Easter baskets (still filled with grass) developed later, as did Victorian-era Easter greeting cards and postcards.

Did you know that RED and GREEN were the original traditional colors for Easter eggs?  Red and green are the colors most commonly associated with Life and Renewal/Rebirth (which is why they are Christmas colors!)  Our Easter pastels seem to be a later, Victorian custom inspired by the colors of spring flowers.

However you celebrate, have a blessed Easter weekend!
Check out the links below for more vintage Easter:

• Digital collage sheets for springtime and Easter: Bunnies, chicks, decorated crosses, angels, eggs, flowers, butterflies... and more!
• Lunagirl Victorian Holidays Volume 2: Valentines Easter Mother's Day (on sale today)
• Lunagirl Victorian Religious Ephemera
• Lunagirl Easter Photos & Postcards

St. Valentine's Day and the Marriage of the Birds

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Michele Storms created this gorgeously vintage red tag  for the current Vintage Red challenge and also for Valentine's Day.

Did you know it was once believed that February 14 is the day the birds begin to find mates?  The earliest known association of Saint Valentine's Day with romance is by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1382:

For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his mate.

"For this was on St. Valentine's Day,
when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."

No matter how cold and dark the Winter, Spring will always come... The birds know! This beautiful tag certainly warms up a cold day.

Bright Blessings for Imbolc

Groundhog's Day ~ What a weird "holiday."  Why do we have this "weather divination" custom at the beginning of February?

Well, like most of our customs it has ancient roots ~ in this case in the ancient Celtic festival called Imbolc ~ also referred to as Brigid's Day and Candlemas.  February 2 is midway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox (the first day of Spring).  Many ancient cultures had celebrations this time of year, to mark the strengthening light of the sun and the lengthening days.  It's a time when you can feel the Wheel of the Year turning, if you pay attention ~ it's still cold, but the light is different, the birds may be starting to come back, animals are giving birth and making milk, there may even be a few very early flowers.  Imbolc means "in the belly" ~ pregnant!  You can feel Spring ready to be born... if you pay attention.  Imbolc is a way to pay attention, and celebrate!

Celtic Imbolc honors Brigid, the goddess of fire, poetry, birth, midwifery, and the young.  There is an Irish Saint Brigit who is also associated with sacred fire... and Candlemas (Candle Mass) is also a Festival of Lights, honoring the Virgin Mary.  It is a time of purification and new beginnings, and among the ancient Irish the maiden goddess Brigid (Bride) was invited to bless home and hearth.

Like another seasonal festival, Samhain (Halloween), this is a powerful time for divination of the future. Imbolc is considered an especially appropriate time to predict the weather of the coming Springtime ... sound familiar?  Whether it's Brigid's snake emerging from the earth or an Irish badger emerging from his den or that American groundhog poking his nose outside, we wait with the question: How soon will Spring arrive?

Here's an interesting old Irish tale:  Imbolc is when the "old witch" Cailleach gathers firewood for the rest of the winter. If she plans to make the winter last many more weeks, she will make sunny weather on Imbolc so she can gather plenty of firewood. (If you can see your shadow, there's plenty more winter ahead!)  Therefore, bad weather on Imbolc means Cailleach is sleeping and winter is almost over!

Some symbols of Imbolc/Brigid's Day are white and yellow flowers, green Brigid's Crosses made of woven leaves, lambs, bonfires, the plough, acorns and all kinds of seeds.  Eat foods made with seeds, take a cold walk, go search for some early flowers or green sprigs if you're lucky enough to have them, have a bonfire... heaven knows most of us in the Eastern U.S. want Spring to hurry up after this deep-freeze Winter!  (Isn't it over YET!)

Long Nights

The Winter Solstice is almost upon us -- the longest night (and shortest day) of the year, and the original winter festival! This is the darkest time of the year, but also the turning point when the days begin to lengthen again -- Light overcomes Darkness as the Sun is "reborn" and moves toward the promise of Spring, when Light finally triumphs at the Spring Equinox.  The Winter Solstice is a perfect time for any Festival of Lights, and candles, twinkling lights, Yuletide fires, evergreens, etc.

Tonight go outside and you'll see the Moon is full.  The full moon of December is sometimes called the Cold Moon or Long Nights Moon.  The term Long Night Moon is especially appropriate because not only are the midwinter nights especially long, but also because the moon is above the horizon for a long time. The midwinter full moon takes a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite a low sun.

The nights are cold, but the stars are bright.

Exclusive image from our Victorian Holidays Volume One collection available on CD.

Halloween is the ancient Celtic New Year!

 

Gum fosgladh dorus na gliadhna uibhe chum sith, sonas, is samchair:  

May the door of the coming year open for you to peace, happiness, and quiet contentment.   

 ~Old Scots Samhain Blessing

Link: The Origins of Halloween Customs

Find out all about the origins of Halloween and our Halloween customs in my article over at Hestia blog!  (Actually it's divided up into several posts starting last Monday and continuing for a couple more days.)

Shine On, Harvest Moon

The Full Moon tonight is the HARVEST MOON.

Check out our "Celestial" collage sheet HERE (second row down).

The Harvest Moon is the moon closest to the Autumn Equinox (the first day of Fall, when the day and night are exactly the same length), which this year is on Sunday, September 22.  The next full moon, usually in October, is named the Hunter's Moon.

The Harvest Moon and Hunter's Moon appear larger and brighter to some people, but they're really not. This time of year there is no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise of the full moon, so the night seems brighter than usual. This allowed farmers to stay out and work in their fields by moonlight under the Harvest Moon, and later, under the Hunter's Moon, allowed hunters to see the deer and other animals that came out to browse in the then-harvested fields.

Go out and dance under the big bright moon!

What is a BLUE MOON? When there are two full moons during one month, the second one is called the Blue Moon.

FAIRY MOON? When there are two NEW moons (dark moons, or "moonless" nights) during one month, the second is called a Fairy Moon.

The Dog Days of Summer

Why do people call the hottest days of the year the "Dog Days" of Summer? It makes me think of an old hound dog lying on the porch because it's too hot to move ~ but that's not it!  The ancient Egyptians and Romans noticed that during July and August, the "Dog Star" Sirius rose and set with the Sun. They believed that Sirius was adding its heat to that of the Sun, making the Earth hotter and drier than usual.

In the Northern Hemisphere our "dog days" are from about the second week of July to the third week in August. For centuries these could be difficult times, when the heat was stifling and insect and diseases would flourish in the heat. People who could afford it would vacate the cities and go "take the sea air."  Nowadays, this time of year just makes us feel lazy and runs up our air conditioning bills.

I have a large selection of dog images on my Vintage Animals CD. There are cute Victorian dog pictures as well as beautiful antique prints of many dog breeds.  In our our Cafepress shop many of them are available on t-shirts and gifts. Find your favorite ~ or email me to make a request! Of course we also have plenty of kitties for the cat lovers like me.

Full Moon in May: Flower Moon or Milk Moon

I love the moon, obviously I guess, and I like to include some moon lore now and then.  Did you know that the full moons of each month have names?  The full moon in May (which is tonight, by the way!) is sometimes called the Flower Moon. Obviously, many wildflowers are in full bloom this time of year, wherever you are. 

Another name for the May full moon -- Milk Moon -- has a less obvious origin. Cows, goats and other grazing animals can find good green pastures this time of year, to help them make plenty of milk for their babies born in the early spring. And in far northern countries without many crops until later in the summer, milk would be a major part of their diet this time of year. The Old English name for the month of May meant "the month in which cows can be milked three times a day"!

The current name comes from the Greek goddess Maia, a Greek goddess whom I always associate with the wildflowers that blanket the hills of Crete (and Tennessee).

Just FYI, May is Teacher Appreciation Month, Historic Preservation Month, and Eat Locally Month. So thank a teacher for all their hard work and dedication, enjoy some beautiful old buildings and learn about the past, and visit your local farmer's market (or better yet plant a vegetable garden!)  And don't forget to enjoy the May full moon this weekend if you can.

Daisies

"Daisies are the friendliest flower, don't you think?" That was in a movie I watched last night, and now I'm thinking of daisies. Folklore says that dreaming of daisies in the spring is good luck (although bad luck in winter!)

Our wild ox-eye daisies haven't arrived here yet, but we have some charming daisy pictures in our Victorian Flowers collection, many of them newly acquired and newly added to the latest edition!

Daisies have long been popular. In medieval times, knights wore them at tournaments and ladies wove them into wreaths and crowns (so I'm told...) On Victorian cards (especially the French ones) we often see daisy-like flowers referred to as Marguerites, and I've learned that queens and princesses named Margaret or Marguerite often took the daisy as their flower.

In the Victorian "language of flowers" the daisy meant Innocence. They are still a symbol of innocence, simplicity, and cheerfulness. Come to think of it, they are indeed the friendliest of flowers.

The Spinner

Some thoughts about spinning, inspired by this old postcard. Spinning was a magical act ~ think how often it appears in fairy tales (like Sleeping Beauty and Rumpelstiltskin).

Fairy tales are remnants of old mythologies, often girls' initiation stories whose roots are lost in the mists of time. Spinning was connected with coming of age for young women, and you can see that in the old stories if you look.

Spinning and weaving (like baking) are transformative, turning one thing into another, and at least in European mythology these tasks were nearly always performed by women. Spinning is sometimes associated with the moon, which measures the months and pulls the tides.


The Three Fates in Greek myth were portrayed as spinning our lives and our fates.

Clotho spins the thread, Lachesis measures it out, and Atropos cuts it! In Greek mythology even the gods feared the Fates (usually called the Moirai). In Norse mythology the Norns are very similar.

On the third night of a child's life, the Moirai were supposed to come and determine a child's destiny. Sound familiar from The Sleeping Beauty? Three fairy godmothers?


One more spinner who often shows up in mythology and folklore all over the world:












Neith, the spinner of destiny, to the Egyptians. Arachne, whose weaving rivaled that of the goddess Athena, to the ancient Greeks. Anansi the trickster in West African stories, who is also the bringer of rain, the king of stories and the giver of gifts such as agriculture. From the Native Americans, Iktomi the wise/foolish god of the Lakota and Ojibwa dreamcatchers (ever notice that they are like spiderwebs?) Spider Woman or Spider Grandmother in Hopi mythology is the creator of all life. In the Southern U.S. it is good luck when a spider weaves her web in your house or garden (not the poisonous kind of course!)

That's a lot of stuff from just thoughts about a lady at her spinning wheel! Spinning stories, spinning lies, spinning thoughts into words, measuring our time and destinies ~ girls and goddesses and sleeping beauties and brides spinning straw into gold ~ maybe all this meandering will inspire someone's art.

For the Winter Solstice

I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.

"We are nearer to Spring
Then we were in September,"
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.

- Oliver Herford

Today marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere).  It is also the point in the Wheel of the Year when the days begin to lengthen again, when the Sun is "reborn" and starts to strengthen.  Although today is the beginning of winter, it is also the day we shift from increasing darkness to increasing light. 

Long before Christianity came to Europe, the ancient people there celebrated in December at the Winter Equinox (sometime around December 20-24), because although that is the darkest time of the year, it is also the time when days start getting LONGER again rather than shorter! They lit fires and candles to symbolically strengthen the sun's fire, and they decorated with the evergreens that magically survived through the winter.  The Romans likewise held their greatest celebrations this time of year.  This season has for thousands of years been a time of joy and celebration, and a festival of light.

P.S.  Remember to put out food for the birds this time of year, especially when there is snow on the ground.  Enjoy the season, and if the cold gets you down, remember that Spring is getting closer every day! 

Mistletoe Lore & Traditions

Mistletoe has been considered a magical plant at least since Roman times, when it was part of the Saturnalia festivals held at the winter solstice. It was sacred to the ancient peoples of Europe, especially the Celtic Druids, who gathered it at both the Summer and Winter solstices. Its ability to stay green through the cold dark winter made it a symbol of renewal and "life-giving" power.

There are two kinds of mistletoe: One is the European plant known to the ancients, found in apple and oak trees. The kind Americans know as a Christmas decoration is native to the eastern United States. Both have poisonous white berries.


The Name Mistletoe
The name for this plant in Celtic languages is “all-heal” for its supposed abilities to cure diseases, make humans and animals fertile, protect against poisons, and bring good luck. However, the English name “mistle-toe” (from Anglo-Saxon) translates as “dung-on-twig”! (Mistletoe seeds are spread when birds eat the berries and then.... well, sit awhile in oak trees...).

Kissing Under the Mistletoe

In Norse myth, when the god Balder was struck down by an arrow made of mistletoe, his mother Freya cried tears of white berries. She brought her son back to life and promised her kiss of blessing to anyone who rested beneath mistletoe.At least since the Middle Ages mistletoe has been hung in doorways to ward off evil spirits (it seems ghosts are especially active at the seasonal transitional festivals such as Yule). It was sometimes used year-round to protect houses against lightning.

Kissing under the mistletoe dates back at least to the Romans, probably because of its association with fertility and luck. Because it was associated with peace, enemies (and warring spouses) would “kiss” or declare a truce under mistletoe.


Victorian Customs

In Victorian England some created a special decoration called a “kissing ball” using evergreens, colorful ribbons and ornaments, finished with a sprig of mistletoe. The kissing ball was hung from the ceiling, and partygoers played kissing games underneath!

Each time a man kisses a woman under the mistletoe, he should pluck one of the berries, and when all the berries are gone the kissing should stop!

If you want those who’ve kissed under the mistletoe to marry, be sure to burn it on the Twelfth Night of Christmas... which is Epiphany, January 6.

To find out about our Holidays image collections from Lunagirl... click here.

Between the Worlds: Part Three

Jack-o-Lanterns & Halloween Pranks

There is an Irish story explaining the origin of jack-o-lanterns:  It seems a man named Jack was barred from heaven because he was so stingy and forbidden to enter hell because of his practical jokes on the devil. The devil, angered by Jack's practical jokes, threw a live coal at him.  It landed in a half-eaten turnip in Jack's hand, creating the first jack-o-lantern.  (Early jack-o-lanterns were turnips as well as pumpkins and other gourds.)  He is condemned to walk the earth with his lantern until Judgment Day!   Closed out of hell as well as heaven, Jack is suspended between life and death, and thus his jack-o-lantern is particularly appropriate to Halloween.

As a child in the southern U.S. I was told (teasingly) that the grinning pumpkin face in the window helped frighten evil spirits away from the house.  Although this may keep away the spirits of the dead, it seems to have little effect on the pranksters -- young people who become demons for a night and roam the neighborhoods making mischief.  Halloween provides an irresistible opportunity for the practical joker.  If the farmer's outhouse ends up in the creek, or your trees end up full of toilet paper, it was the evil spirits who did it -- once a perfect alibi for the real culprits.  Again, the limits placed on day-to-day behavior were weakened for a night.  today, most of it is of course harmless, although I do wish people wouldn't smash jack-o-lanterns!

Some once-common Halloween pranks, such as window-tapping, gathering vegetables to bombard house fronts and drop down chimneys, and removing carts and other belongings to faraway fields, were practiced in altered form in the United States when I was growing up (with the variation, of course, that we took things from the garage and left them in other neighbors' yards).  Soaping windows (especially car windows), stealing jack-o-lanterns, and "rolling" yards (adorning the trees and shrubs in toilet paper) were also popular.

Halloween Bonfires

Halloween bonfires are direct descendants of Samhain/All Hallow's fires of the Celts, lit in honor of the weakening sun at summer's end.  

The fires helped ward off the growing power of darkness and cold.  Perhaps they were meant to strengthen the fire of the sun by means of sympathetic magic.  They were also a means of purification.  Even in recent times the ashes of the Halloween (and New Years) bonfires were scattered throughout the community to protect against evil powers and fertilize the fields. Every hearth fire was first lit for the new year from the Samhain or new years bonfire.  In ancient times it was considered an act of great impiety to kindle winter fires from any other source.

In parts of England, a large bunch of wood was gathered, dressed as a person, then burned under the name Le Vieux Bout de l'An, "the old end of the year."  Here again we see a similarity to Yule customs -- the traditional Yule log that burnt all night was originally also dressed as a person.  

In Scotland we find the custom called "Burning the Witch," which involved burning an effigy and continued well into modern times.  Guy Fawkes Day, named for a rebel who tried to blow up Parliament around the turn of the seventeenth century and celebrated in England on November 5, also involves the burning of a human effigy and is sometimes combined with the Halloween celebration.

These mock sacrifices represented the death of the old year.  Probably such sacrifices were intended to appease the spirits of the dead, for it was believed that the spirits might continue to disrupt human affairs throughout the year if not properly honored.  People often left food out on the table for the returning dead on Halloween.  (Another ancestor of our trick-or-treating custom.)

Halloween Superstitions & Divination Customs

As it is the beginning of the new year and a time when the everyday and the supernatural were believed to be in such close contact....Halloween was considered the perfect time for divining the future.

The divination traditions associated with Halloween are numerous and fascinating!

There were many superstitions involving mirrors. 

Some believed that if a young woman looked into a mirror at midnight on Halloween, she would see the face of her future husband or true love.  A smooth pond surface or wishing well reflection would also work!  There were similar beliefs about looking into a pond or well at dawn on May Day (Beltane).  Others might gaze into the mirror at midnight on Halloween and see their future revealed.

Mirrors and reflections were long considered magical and mysterious, because the reflection was associated with the soul of the person reflected; a mirror could capture or reveal one's soul.  Some of us are still a little superstitious about breaking a mirror.

APPLES Halloween divination usually involved apples, nuts, grain, or other agricultural products, combining the harvest aspect of the holiday with its magical nature.   Apples were particularly popular, and the apple rites seem to be the customs most often found in the United States.   (To the Celts, a perfect apple was the charm by which one might be admitted to the Otherworld and gain "second sight.")

Many customs involve apple peels.  For example, people would peel apples trying to keep the peel all in one piece; whoever had the longest peel would have the longest life.   Young girls would peel an apple and then throw the long peel over their left shoulder, believing that it would form the initial of their future husband's name!   When bobbing for apples, some believed that the first person to get an apple would be the first to marry.

PUMPKINS Pumpkins are of course another agricultural product always associated with Halloween.  Like apples, they are plentiful in October.  Also like apples, they were sometimes used for divination.  Some ladies reportedly put pumpkins on their heads at midnight on Halloween, to see their future husbands!

TO BE CONTINUED...

© 1983, 2005, all rights reserved. 
This article is an original work of authorship protected under copyright law, and it may not be copied in whole or in part without permission of the author and copyright holder.

Watch for the last installment of our article on the origins of Halloween and its customs -- part four features witches and black cats!

Between the Worlds Part Two

The Celts experienced the natural and supernatural as existing in very close proximity to each other, and it can be said that on the eve of Samhain -- a potent juncture or break in normal time -- they existed within each other.  Indeed, it was long believed that a child born on this night will have "double sight"; that is, he or she will be able to perceive and communicate with the Otherworld.  It was believed that at each transitional festival the Otherworld was temporarily upset.  As the juncture between the old and new year, Halloween brought a complete upheaval, and all the inhabitants of the other world were free for the night to work weal or woe on any humans they encountered.

This was the night when the usual boundaries between the dead and the living, the dark and the light, the spiritual realm and the natural world, were transcended.  As Christianity moved into the British Isles and Ireland it continued its time-honored policy of incorporating pagan holidays into the Christian calendar, and Samhain, the "festival of the dead," was redesignated All Saint's Day, in memory of the blessed dead.  Although filtered through Christianity, the traditional customs and beliefs survived in the celebration of All Hallow's Eve, or Hallowe'en.  (The word "hallow" derives from the Middle English halve, meaning "saint.")

The celebration of Halloween was not widespread in the United States until the 1840s, when great waves of Irish immigrants arrived...    bringing the ancient Halloween traditions with them.

The beliefs and customs that surround Halloween today, and the images associated with it in our minds, have their roots in the old Irish/Scottish Celtic festival. 

Everyone knows that Halloween is the night when ghosts and skeletons and all sorts of mischievous spirits and terrifying creatures come out to roam freely for a night in the world of humans!   The ancient Celts, and probably some of our not-so-ancient Victorian ancestors, believed that on Halloween the spirits of the dead roamed the land of the living.  The prehistoric burial mounds, the sidhs in Ireland, opened up and their inhabitants tried to lure the living to join them.  According to some accounts, the spirits came out of the Cave of Cruachan in Connaught, called the gate of hell, accompanied by copper-colored birds who killed farm animals and stole babies and brides.

The Little Folk

This was also the night on which the faeries were most powerful.  In Irish folktales Halloween seems to be by far the most popular time for the abduction and bewitching of humans by these "little people."   Those who had been taken away to fairyland could be rescued on the next Halloween by reciting a special spell or prayer as the fairies made their procession.   Sir Walter Scott reported the belief that if a person circles a fairy hill nine times, counterclockwise, alone on Halloween, a door will open by which he can enter the fairy's abode. The Victorian vision of fairies was a bit darker than ours tends to be, and they were often associated with Halloween.  In addition to sweet flower fairies, the Victorian Faeries or Fae included mischievous, impish creatures as well.

Trick-or-Treating

The most popular way of celebrating Halloween in the United States seems to be playing the part of the supernatural beings supposed to walk the earth on this night -- by dressing as spooks who go from house to house demanding sacrificial treats, and by playing pranks!   There are numerous explanations as to how "trick-or-treating" originated.  The Druids (priests of the Celts) wore masks at their Samhain rituals to represent the spirits of the dead.   Masks and costumes today are sometimes interpreted as a means of avoiding recognition by the spirits rather than a means of imitating them.  In Scotland, some "guisers," as they were called, blackened their faces instead of wearing masks.  This recalls the customs of blackening one's face with the ashes of the All Hallow's fires for protection and good fortune.

Masks are part of sacred and magical rituals the world over.
Psychologically, masks and disguises can lessen inhibitions and give the wearer a sense of freedom and relaxation from usual social restrictions -- often a healthy and harmless break from our day-to-day lives.   

Perhaps wearing costumes serves the purpose of letting us defy temporarily the boundaries of our everyday lives and "be someone else," perhaps act out parts of ourselves that we normally keep hidden. And so normally mild-mannered moms dress as exotic gypsy girls and ethereal mermaids and sexy witches -- or scary ones -- and children for a night are princesses and superheroes. Why then do some of us dress as werewolves and vampires and big scary monsters?  One wonders what Freud would say.......... but it's probably all in fun!

Some say the original purpose of trick-or-treating was to gather food and money for the All Hallow's feast.  It has also been linked with "mumming," a custom practiced on other seasonal holidays as well, especially Yule (later Christmas), another ancient new year's celebration.

"Mumming" was a seasonal tradition in England and other parts of Europe, in which men donned masks and went from house to house demanding or begging for food.  Although often fun and humorous, it was surrounded by a mystical and magical air, and performed a seasonal holidays such as Yuletide.

Yule

Yule, the Winter Solstice and longest night of the year, is the new year festival of another seasonal calendar, based on the solar equinoxes and solstices.  The two calendars were eventually combined, and it is easy to see how some Yule customs could have become associated also with Halloween.

An interesting account from West Virginia reports that trick-or-treating began as "Belsnickling," a Christmas custom brought to the area by Pennsylvania Germans in the 1700s.  On Christmas Eve groups went about in disguise from house to house.  They knocked on the door, and when asked, "Who is it?" the leader replied, "Old Belsnickle."  After being invited in, anyone correctly identified behind their disguise had to do a "trick" -- sing a song, perform a dance, etc.  If no one was identified, the whole bunch was treated with food and drink.  (Of course, they were all treated anyway, no matter what happened!)  This custom is most probably a survival of mumming.  According to this account, Belsnickling was later adapted to Halloween and soon spread all over the country; the meaning of the world "trick," however, came to be a prank rather than some clever act.  (source: Witches, Ghosts, and Signs: Folklore of the Southern Appalachians, by Patrick W. Gainer, Seneca Books)

TO BE CONTINUED...

© 1983, 2005, all rights reserved. 
This article is an original work of authorship protected under copyright law, and it may not be copied in whole or in part without permission of the author and copyright holder. 

STAY TURNED FOR PART THREE -- all about jack-o-lanterns and bonfires and divination customs...

The Origins of Halloween Customs, Part One

October already? It's hard to believe, but the brisk morning air, bright blue sky, falling leaves, and squawking bluejays say that it's true.  With Halloween approaching, here is the first installment of our special article on the origins of Halloween customs...

Between the Worlds... Part One
(All text is copyrighted, please do not copy or use without permission.)

Halloween is a holiday familiar to all Americans.  Children disguised as ghosts and goblins (and superheroes and princesses) roam the streets trick-or-treating; teenagers play pranks and try to frighten themselves with trips to the graveyard and scary movies; young girls may attempt by various means of divination to learn of their future husbands; and generally everyone has a good time drinking cider (or something harder), bobbing for apples, wearing costumes, and waiting for "the witching hour."  But....

it seems few people know of the origins of Halloween and its wonderful mood of magic and fright.

Among the ancient Celtic peoples of Britain, the end of October was marked by the festival of Samhain.  Samhain (sometimes translated hesitantly as "summer's end") was one of four major yearly festivals of the Celtic calendar.  As the life of these people was embedded in and dependent upon the cycles of nature, their calendar was based on the movement of the seasons.  The festivals can be seen as recognizing and celebrating important transition point in the seasonal year.  

November1 February 2 May 1 August 1

Samhaim (All Hallow's) Celtic New Year Imbolc or Brigid (Candlemas) Beltane (May Day) Lughnasa (Lammas)

 

Ancient Holiday Festivals
The Celts measured time primarily by the moon, and these four festivals may be compared to the lunar stages.  Candlemas recognized the waxing (growth) of the year, Beltane the fullness, and Lammas the waning, while Samhain celebrated the new or dark moon, both the end and the beginning of the cycle.

In the Celtic calendar (as many other ancient calendars) a "day" began at sunset the day before, and holiday observations began on the "eve."  As a survival of this world view, we celebrate All Hallow's Eve and Christmas Eve!  Jewish holidays similarly begin at sunset.  Imbolc, later Christianized as Candlemas, celebrated the beginnings of the return of the light and warmth of the sun.  It was thought to be the best time for predicting the weather of the coming spring -- a belief that survives today in Groundhog Day.  Beltane or May Day signified the beginning of summer, a time of warmth, abundance, and fertility.  Lughnasa, later known as Lammas, was the harvest festival in these northern lands, a time of gathering in -- of enjoying the fruits of summer and beginning preparations for the long winter ahead.

Samhain (beginning at sundown on October 31) was the Celtic new year festival, and the most powerful transition of the year.   

It marked the end of one year and the beginning of another, and the entry of winter.  The waning light and warmth of the sun gives way to darkness and cold.  The harvest was completed and crops were put away for the winter.  As the time of the death of the old year, Samhain was the appropriate time to remember the dead; their spirits were believed to return to earth on this night. 
 

Samhain symbolized death -- death which is not final but rather a dark incubation necessary before rebirth in the spring.  Although it has come to us altered by time, by Christianity and eventually by modern commercialism,

the essential character and wisdom of the ancient festival is reflected in the imagery and celebrations of Halloween.




TO BE CONTINUED...

© 1983, 2005, all rights reserved. 
This article is an original work of authorship protected under copyright law, and it may not be copied in whole or in part without permission of the author and copyright holder. 

The Victorian Language of Flowers & Fans

During the Victorian era, flowers and pictures of flowers spoke a language all their own. Blossoms, buds, and herbal bouquets were sent to friends and lovers not only for their beauty and fragrance, but also to convey messages -- sometimes messages that the sender dared not speak in words.

At parties, sometimes the hostess would decorate with assortments of flowers and plants, from which the guests would select those that expressed their thoughts and feelings. 

Below  are some of the meanings listed in Victorian "flower dictionaries" (a flower displayed upside down would have the opposite meaning).

For more fun info on the language of flowers and also the "language of fans," visit our feature article on the subject!

http://www.summertownsun.com/FEATURE_victorian_language_of_flowers.htm

Red Rose ~ Love, Passion

Pink Rose ~ Admiration

White Rose ~ Innocence, Purity, Humility

Yellow Rose ~ Platonic Love

Pansies ~ Thoughts of You, Thoughtfulness

Violets ~ Modesty

Forget-me-nots ~ Remember me, Faithfullness

Daisies ~ Innocence, I share your sentiments

Lily of the Valley ~ Return of Happiness

Red Poppies ~ Consolation

Dead leaves ~ Melancholy

Rosemary ~ Remembrance

Cedar ~ Strength

Sweet Basil ~ Best Wishes

Ivy ~ Fidelity, Marriage

Zinnia ~ Thoughts of absent friends

Victorian Halloween

If you have ever wondered about the origins of Halloween and our Halloween customs, I hope you will check out my exclusive feature article

"BETWEEN THE WORLDS:
The Origins of Halloween & Its Customs."

 This special feature article is based on extensive folklore research and of course illustrated with our collection of wonderful antique Victorian vintage greeting cards!  CLICK HERE to see the article. (Click on the lovely witch at left to see our Victorian Holidays Volume Three CD featuring Halloween, Thanksgiving, Patriotic and Birthdays/Best Wishes!)