“Si sol splendescat Maria purificante,major erit glacies post festum quam fuit ante.” * Today is the exact halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Yes, it is Groundhog Day and I have written about that here before. But how many different ways can you explain the origin of our tradition of expecting … Continue reading We’re Halfway There. Turn the Wheel of the Year
Samhain (pronounced SAH-win, not Sam Hain) is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, or the “darker half” of the year. It is celebrated from sunset on the last day of October until sunset on the first day of November. This time was chosen because it is … Continue reading Saints, Souls, Hallows and Samhain
I don’t know what to celebrate today and tomorrow. The lunar calendar is a calendar based upon the monthly cycles of the Moon’s phases (synodic months), rather than the solar calendars that most Westerners are familiar with and use daily. The Gregorian calendar, which is a solar calendar and is the most common calendar system, … Continue reading I Am Celebrating Everything
You made it through another Walpurgis Eve and now it is May Day. The name derives from the Greek goddess Maia, the most important of the Seven Sisters (the Pleiades) and the mother of Hermes. Her name became the name for this month. The Romans called her Maius, goddess of Summer, and honored her during … Continue reading And So, It Is May Day Again
The second day of February is a busy day for holidays and observances. I feel bad for all the confused and trapped groundhogs today. We humans can be so foolish sometimes. Perhaps, some creatures in the wild did venture out today to see what was happening in the world. Maybe some of them saw the … Continue reading The Second of February
There is snow on the ground in Paradelle, and the Polar Vortex visited us this past week. The ground is rock-hard. Nothing is budding. But I saw my first robin today. There are a lot of things that are supposed to indicate that the spring season is near. That silly groundhog in Pennsylvania who was … Continue reading Spring Will Come
Weekends in Paradelle 