Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice

What is the Winter Solstice?

The Winter Solstice is the solstice that happens in winter and usually occurs around 21^st / 22^nd December each year. It is the shortest day of the year when the Sun is at its most southern point - when the Sun is appearing at noon at its lowest altitude above the horizon.

 Since the Winter Solstice lasts only a moment in time other terms have come into use for the day on which the Winter Solstice occurs. These include: midwinter / the longest night / the shortest day / the first day of winter / Yule.

Worldwide interpretation of the Winter Solstice varies from culture to culture with many cultures in the Northern Hemisphere recognising the Winter Solstice as “a celebration of rebirth” which involves holidays / festivals / gatherings / rituals and other celebrations around that time.

History

The Winter Solstice has been part of the annual cycle of the year since Neolithic times. During ancient times – astronomy determined both agricultural and religious events such as: mating of animals / sowing of crops and metering of winter reserves between harvests.

This is verified by the physical remains of the layouts of late Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites such as: Stonehenge in Britain and New Grange in Ireland. Stonehenge is aligned in a sight-line that points to the Winter Solstice sunset whereas New Grange points to the Winter Solstice sunrise and also the Goseck circle which is aligned to both the sunset and sunrise.

Goseck Circle

Part of the reason the Winter Solstice may have been immensely important is because communities were not certain of living through the winter and would have prepared for the winter months during the previous nine months. Starvation was common in winter between the months of January and April which were also known as "the famine months". In mild climates the midwinter festival was the last feast celebration before deep winter set in. Most of the cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter - it was almost the only time of year when a supply of fresh meat was available and the majority of wine and beer that had been made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking during this time.

Celebrations at Stonehenge

It is believed that the Winter Solstice was more important to the people who built Stonehenge than the Summer Solstice and with this in mind each year early on the morning of 21^st December people from around the world gather at Stonehenge to mark the Winter Solstice and welcome the sunrise above the stones.

Sunrise at Stonehenge on the day of the Winter Solstice

It appears to be a truly magical time to be at Stonehenge and the ad-hoc celebration brings together England’s New Age tribes (neo-druids / neo-pagans / Wiccans) with ordinary families / party people / travellers and tourists. With hundreds of people at Stonehenge to celebrate the Winter Solstice you would think the noise the crowd made would be thunderous however it has been documented that the crowd become silent as the sky begins to brighten and they all share this spiritual experience.

Celebrating the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge

If you want more information about Stonehenge Tours please check out details at:  http://www.visit-stonehenge.co.uk/index.html

However you are spending the Winter Solstice – whether you’re staying home all cosy or you’re out celebrating - have a great time :D 

Written by: Andria Owen

St Clement's Day - 23rd November

Saint Clement’s Day was traditionally celebrated on the 23^rd November (and in some places still is). It was a festival held between Halloween and Christmas. Pope Clement I is the patron saint of metalworkers and blacksmiths and so these workers traditionally enjoyed a holiday on his feast day. A Feast Day is usually a Christian celebration and is the day of the year that is dedicated to honouring a particular saint – this is usually the day of the saint’s death (the day the saint entered heaven). Feast Days are celebrations that are held annually.

Legends and Customs

Ancient legends surrounding Saint Clement suggest that he was the first man to refine iron from ore and to shoe a horse. Clementine customs may originate from earlier pagan rituals as there has allegedly been some confusion of Saint Clement with the early Saxon – Wayland - also known as Wayland the Smith - a fabled metalworker. Wayland the Smith shares this feast day - which marks the beginning of winter – with Saint Clement. Also Saint Clement was a martyr as he was tied to an anchor and tossed into the sea.

Rural Festivities

“Old Clem’s Night” literally started with a bang and a shower of sparks during the ritual called “firing of the anvil”. A blacksmith packed gunpowder into a small hole in an anvil and then struck it severely with a hammer thus causing a small explosion. Anvil firing was twofold as it also tested the anvil’s durability whereas weak anvils would break under the pressure and therefore had to be melted down and recast. The blacksmith or the apprentice would dress up in wig / mask and cloak to represent “Old Clem” and lead a procession of blacksmiths (singing) through the streets - stopping at taverns along the way. The more taverns the blacksmiths stopped at – the more boisterous the singing became and they also demanded free beer or money for the “Clem feast”. Traditional toasts included:

True hearts and sound bottoms

Check shirts and leather aprons

and

Here's to old Vulcan as bold as a lion

A large shop and no iron

A big hearth and no coal

And a large pair of bellows full of holes.

“Vulcan”: In ancient Roman religion Vulcan is the God of beneficial and hindering fire – including the fire of volcanoes. Vulcan is often depicted with a blacksmith’s hammer.

In the nineteenth century in the village of Bramber in West Sussex an effigy of “Old Clem” would be propped up in the public bar while the blacksmiths enjoyed their dinner. The evening would then be rounded off with the Blacksmith’s anthem - “Twanky Dillo”:

Health to the jolly blacksmith the best of all fellows

Who works at his anvil while the boy blows the bellows!

In some rural areas blacksmiths visited homes to beg for beer or wine. To encourage generosity - sometimes an iron pot was passed around: St Clement’s Day was represented on old calendars with the figure of a cauldron. This custom stretched into the visiting custom of “clementing” or “clemening” – this is when children called door-to-door asking for apples / pears and other sweet treats in exchange for singing traditional songs associated with the night. They sang verses such as:

Clementsing, clementsing

Apples and pears

or

Clemany clemany clemany mine

A roasted apple and some good red wine!

Urban Festivities

Celebrating Saint Clements Day was not restricted to just rural areas. Ironworkers’ apprentices at Woolwich Dockyard would disguise one of their fellow workers to play the part of Old Clem. Wielding a hammer and tongs which were the tools of his trade he would be carried in the air by his comrades through the town. Through streets and taverns the apprentices would shout and sing the praises of Old Clem and repeatedly toast his name: “To the memory of Old Clem and prosperity to all his descendants!” As with their “rural cousins” the generous cash donations received would pay for the apprentices’ holiday dinner.

There was one old begging song in particular that referred to the combination (St Clements Day & St Catherine’s Day) with the “catterning” custom two days later on St Catherine’s Day (25^th November):

Cattern and Clemen

Be here be here!

Some of your apples and some of your beer!

One for Peter, Two for Paul,

Three for Him who made us all,

Clemen’ was a good man,

Cattern’ was his mother,

Give us your best. And not your worst,

And God will give your soul good rest.

Again children sang for fruit / nuts or money. This continued until 1541 when Henry VIII passed a law forbidding children to beg in this way within the London churches of Saints Clement / St Catherine and St Nicholas. This rule did not apply outside the church buildings where the custom cheerfully continued.

Modern Day Customs

During the 20^th century clementing had more or less died out however St Clement’s Day is still celebrated in a few rural parishes with donations going to various charities nowadays.

Burwash – East Sussex

An effigy of Old Clem is still mounted above the door of a tavern (pub) for the annual Clem Feast every 23^rd November.

Mayfield – East Sussex

Old Clem and Saint Dunstan - another blacksmith saint who was said to have pulled off the devil’s nose with hot tongs meet together on the same day where a local blacksmith plays Old Clem for the day. He is pulled around in a cart collecting money and firing off his anvil.

Okehampton - Devon

Ironworkers gather from all over the Britain to celebrate St Clement’s Day at Finch Foundry located near Okehampton. Blacksmiths demonstrate their art and display decorative ironware as part of a national competition. The blacksmiths and the public can enjoy Morris Dancing / mince pies and mulled wine.

For more information about Finch Foundry follow the link:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/finch-foundry

So whatever you’re doing on St Clement’s Day – have a great time :D 

Armistice Day

What is Armistice Day

Armistice Day is celebrated every year on 11 November to commemorate the peace agreement signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I. This took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning on the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918.

Although this “official” date to mark the end of the Great War reflects the ceasefire on the Western Front - hostilities continued in other regions, especially across the former Russian Empire and in parts of the old Ottoman Empire.

In the UK the day was specifically dedicated by King George V on 7 November 1919 as a day of remembrance for members of the armed forces who were killed during World War I.

The date was also declared a national holiday in many allied countries also to commemorate those members of the armed forces who were killed during World War I with the exception of Italy. In Italy the end of the war is commemorated on 4 November - the day of the Armistice of Villa Giusti.

After World War II the name of the holiday was changed in different countries:

America - Verterans Day 

Countries of the British Commonwealth of Nations – Remembrance Day

France and Belgium - Armistice Day

The Significance of the Poppy

The red remembrance poppy has become a very familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem "In Flanders Fields".

These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I their brilliant red colour an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in the war.

In Flanders Field

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

How is Armistice Day Commemorated in the UK?

In the United Kingdom two minutes of silence are observed on 11 November every year (whatever day of the week the date falls in) however the main observance is on the second Sunday of November - Remembrance Sunday. The beginning and end of the two minutes' silence is often marked in large towns and cities by the firing of ceremonial cannon however if a cannon is not available “The Last Post” is played on a bugle to introduce the start of the two minutes silence whilst the sounding of “Reveille” ends the two minutes silence. Also church services frequently incorporate one minute's or two minutes' silence within their Sunday service.

Second Sunday of November:

The Queen laying a wreath at the Cenotaph

Ceremonies are held at local war memorials throughout the country and are usually organised by local branches of the Royal British Legion. The Royal British Legion is an association for ex-servicemen. Typically poppy wreaths are laid by representatives of the Crown (the Royal Family) / the armed forces and local civic leaders (such as the Mayor of the town / city or head of the local parish). Local organisations such as: ex-servicemen organisations / cadet forces / the Scouts  / Guides / Boys' Brigade / St John Ambulance and the Salvation Army are also involved.

11^th November:

Wreath-laying ceremonies are observed at many war memorials across the UK at 11 a.m. on the 11th of November led by the Royal British Legion. 

Wreath laying in a local village

Many employers and businesses invite their staff and customers to observe the two minutes' silence at 11:00 am both on the second Sunday of November and 11^th November (if the Remembrance Day falls on a different day)  

The First Ever Two Minute Silence in London

The Silence

“The first stroke of eleven produced a magical effect. The tram cars glided into stillness, motors ceased to cough and fume, and stopped dead, and the mighty-limbed dray horses hunched back upon their loads and stopped also, seeming to do it of their own volition. Someone took off his hat, and with a nervous hesitancy the rest of the men bowed their heads also. Here and there an old soldier could be detected slipping unconsciously into the posture of 'attention'. An elderly woman, not far away, wiped her eyes, and the man beside her looked white and stern. Everyone stood very still ... The hush deepened. It had spread over the whole city and become so pronounced as to impress one with a sense of audibility. It was a silence which was almost pain ... And the spirit of memory brooded over it all. “

Manchester Guardian, November 12^th 1919 – thanks to:

http://www.thetwominutesilence.co.uk

Written by: Andria Owen 

5th November - Guy Fawkes Day / Bonfire Night

Guy Fawkes Night / Guy Fawkes Day / Bonfire Night / Firework Night is a celebration held annually on 5^th November.

The History of Bonfire Night:

Guy Fawkes

Its history begins with the events of 5^th November 1605 when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. The Gunpowder Plot was a group of Catholic men led by Robert Catesby who plotted to kill King James I and blow up the Houses of Parliament. The plot itself was extremely simple: the next time Parliament was opened by King James I they would blow up the Houses of Parliament and everyone in it. To this end the plotters purchased a house next door to the Parliament building – the house had a cellar which extended under the Parliament building and therefore the plan was to put gunpowder under the house and blow up Parliament and the King.  

Guy Fawkes was given the job of watching over the barrels of gunpowder and lighting the fuse however on the morning of the 5^th November soldiers discovered him hidden away in the cellar and arrested him. Guy was taken to the Tower of London where he was tortured and questioned. Initially he said nothing about his co-conspirators however eventually after more torture he succumbed and told the soldiers all they wanted to know.  

To celebrate the fact King James I had survived an attempt on his life people lit bonfires around London and months later the King introduced the Observance of 5^th November and enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure.

Politics & Religion:

Within a few decades Gunpowder Treason Day as it was known became the predominant English state commemoration however as it carried strong religious overtones it also became a focus for anti-catholic feeling. Puritans delivered sermons regarding the perceived dangers of popery, while during increasingly raucous celebrations common folk burnt effigies of popular hate-figures – for example: the Pope. During the 1850s changing attitudes eventually resulted in the toning down of much of the day's anti-Catholic rhetoric and in 1859 the original 1606 legislation was repealed.

What does the Guy and Fireworks Represent?

Towards the end of the 18^th century reports appear of children begging for money with effigies
of Guy Fawkes and 5^th November gradually became known as Guy Fawkes Day. The effigy (the Guy) is made out of old clothes stuffed with paper or straw – the Guy being a reminder of Guy Fawkes. Children would take their Guys out in the streets and ask for “a penny for the Guy” which would pay for fireworks – the fireworks are a reminder of the gunpowder Guy Fawkes hid in the cellar of Parliament.

Today’s Guy Fawkes Celebrations:

In the end the violence was dealt with and by the 20^th century Guy Fawkes Day had become an enjoyable social celebration although it does lack much of its original focus. The present-day Guy Fawkes Night is usually celebrated at large organised events that are centred on a bonfire and extravagant firework displays.

Bonfire Societies:

The Bonfire Societies of Sussex (and its close neighbours) are centred on Lewes – the seven Societies always hold their celebrations on 5^th November. Other Societies hold their events anytime between mid-September and the end of November and the Societies attend each other’s processions.

The torchlight processions are followed by fireworks and the burning of an effigy with everyone attending having a good time whilst in the process of raising thousands of pounds for various charities and good causes. For a more in depth history in to the Bonfire Society and a complete list of Bonfire Societies – both running and defunct please follow the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sussex_Bonfire_Societies

Local Traditions:

Towns such as Lewes and Guildford saw increasing scenes of violent class-based confrontations in the 19^th century which have developed into traditions that these towns continue to commemorate today although today the tradition is peaceable.

Tar Barrels being carried in Ottery St Mary 

In Ottery St Mary – Devon they have a Tar Barrel tradition where teams of men carry a flaming 50lb tar barrel on their shoulders through the streets of the town. When the tar barrel gets too hot for the man carrying it another member of their team tales over / then another and so on and so on until the flames die out and there is nothing left of the barrel. For much more information about this tradition please check out the following link:

http://www.otterytarbarrels.co.uk/index.html

Edenbridge – Kent hold an annual celebration on the first Saturday of November. Here you will see the largest free-standing effigy of Guy Fawkes in Britain. A more recent tradition that has been started is the addition of a “Celebrity Guy” – this is a figure that is newsworthy and can be a national or international figure. Both effigies stand 30ft in height and are designed to self-destruct through a series of incredible explosions. More information can be found following this link:

Parkin Cake 

http://www.edenbridgebonfire.co.uk/

Traditional Bonfire Night Foods:

Soup

Hot Potatoes (wrapped in foil)

Sausages (cooked over the flames)

Bonfire Toffee

Parkin Cake (a Northern form of gingerbread)

Marshmallows (toasted in the fire)

For more recipes and ideas please check out the following link: http://britishfood.about.com/od/bonfirenight/tp/top10bonfirerecipes.htm

Bonfire Night Rhymes

Remember, Remember

Remember, remember, the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot!
A stick or a stake for King James' sake
Will you please to give us a faggot
If you can't give us one, we'll take two;
The better for us and the worse for you!

Another version of Remember, Remember

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason, why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, guy, t'was his intent 
To blow up king and parliament. 
Three score barrels were laid below 
To prove old England's overthrow. 

By God's mercy he was catch'd 
With a darkened lantern and burning match. 
So, holler boys, holler boys, Let the bells ring. 
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the king.

And what shall we do with him? 
Burn him!

Bonfire’s Burning (to the tune of: London’s burning)

Bonfire’s burning, Bonfire’s burning,

Getter hotter, Getting hotter,

Fire, fire! Fire, fire!

Rocket’s whizzing, Rocket’s whizzing,

Sparklers fizzing, Sparklers fizzing

Enjoy your 5^th November :D

Written by: Andria Owen

Halloween Symbols and the Meanings Behind Them

Witches

Witches were feared and it was believed that their “powers” were at their greatest on the night of Halloween.  It was thought that witches were in league with the devil and that meant burnings at the stake / dunkings and much worse for women – some of whom had never so much as touched a cauldron or a broomstick.  The image of a witch riding her broomstick across a full moon is one of the most traditional Halloween symbols or images today.

Jack O’Lanterns

Originally Jack O’Lanterns were hollowed-out turnips with candles inside them which would light the way for “guisers” to go from house to house to beg and pray.  Eventually the tradition changed to carving pumpkins and Jack-o-Lanterns as we know them today were born. One legend about the Jack-o-lantern tradition is as follows: An Irishman named “Stingy Jack” was a known drunk and prankster and he managed to make both God and the Devil angry.  He died and neither heaven nor hell wanted him so he was stuck wandering around on earth.  He carried a turnip, hollowed out with a candle inside – this was to light his way. To keep “Stingy Jack” from knocking on their door the Irish carved scary Jack-o-lanterns to put around their homes to keep him away.  Or so they believed and so a tradition (and legend) was born.

Masks and Costumes

Back in Celtic times celebrators of Samhain would wear costumes in order to treat the roaming spirits of the dead.  It was thought that if you could trick the spirit - the spirit would then refrain from bothering you about things such as: tributes and respect.  On a night when the “veil” between the spirit world and the natural world was so thin it was best to pretend to be someone else.  In the early 20th century Americans started wearing costumes for Halloween which was celebrated but not with the Celtic beliefs in mind (at least, not for everybody).  In the 1950′s trick-or treating became very popular in the United States but it actually started out in Great Britain and Ireland as something called “Souling,” Souling was a visiting custom carried out in the 19th and 20th centuries mainly by children but was previously done by adults. As far back as the Middle Ages poor adults or children would go door to door collecting handouts in return for their prayers for the dead. 

Ghosts

Since Samhain not only celebrated the end of harvest but also those who had passed into the next “realm” it was called by some a “festival of the dead.”  The idea of ghosts plays into this and it is said that Halloween night is the one night of the year that the spirits of our ancestors are able to walk among the living. 

Skeletons

As Halloween is seen as the “night where the line is blurred between the living and the dead thing” skeletons are a symbol of Halloween for that reason.  The skull in particular is a symbol used by many different cultures to represent either the brevity of human mortality / the fear of death or danger that can result in death.  If you think about the Jolly Roger symbol on pirate ships (skull and crossbones) – it was there to threaten other ships into surrendering without a fight.  In other religions skulls feature on the necklace of the Hindu goddess Kali / over the head of Yama – the Buddhist Lord of Death and the list goes on.  The Druids and Celts believed that the skull was the “psychic seat” of the human soul. Skulls and skeletons are associated with Halloween because they represent the end of the physical part of life / they are something that is connected to Halloween both because of the death of the “light” seasons and also because of the perceived connection to the spirit realm.

Black Cats

There are some ancient cultures who believed that on Halloween night the veil between the living world and the spirit world was - if not lifted entirely - at least a little thinner.  Ancient Celtic religions taught that cats were reincarnated souls of humans and that they were able to see the future. It was thought that witches could turn into cats.  Even those who thought that was farfetched believed cats to be the “familiar” of witches.  Truth be told many single ladies were thought to be witches and just like today - many of the single ladies had cats.  Therefore if you were the “local cat lady” in the 1600′s you would most probably have been tried for witchcraft.

In the 1600′s and 1700′s several different cultures would hold a bonfire in June on St. John’s Eve and they’d throw cats into said bonfire.  King Louis XIV of France forbade this practice but French villages kept doing it for more than a hundred years after the practice was abolished.  Thus is the superstitious power of the cat.

Bats

Bats are nocturnal creatures so it’s natural that a celebration about the end of the light seasons and the beginning of the dark ones would incorporate them.  Additionally in the old days big bonfires were lit at Halloween which would draw mosquitoes and moths to them which in turn would draw bats therefore bats were common sight during the early Samhain festivals and later Halloween celebrations.  Certain groups thought that bats were able to communicate with the dead however this was never proved as the bats can’t communicate with the said groups.  Also once vampire legends found their way into Halloween folklore the position of the bat was guaranteed as it was thought that vampires could transform into bats. 

Spiders

The spider’s spinning of its web is a great natural representation of the cycle of life – a spider spins its web / bugs fly into the web / nourish the spider / etc. 

The Colours Orange and Black

The colours - orange and black are representations of the time of year rather than any Halloween lore or mythology.  The colour orange represents Autumn when the leaves change from green and orange pumpkins are ripe for picking.  The Celtic festival of Samhain marked the transition between “light” days and “dark” days – so the black likely represents those dark days of Winter when there are fewer daylight hours to attend to the fields and crops

Corn Husks and Stalks of Wheat

The significance of corn husks and stalks of wheat is pretty straightforward.  Halloween comes in the Autumn - the traditional festival of Samhain celebrates the end of summer and the end of the harvest so these images are meant to represent the end of harvest and the beginning of winter.  Corn and wheat are symbols of agricultural change and the change of the seasons. 

Written by: Andria Owen