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Just a quick note wishing all our Jewish friends and readers a very Happy Hanukkah! We hope you enjoy time to celebrate this year with family and friends, and we join you in counting the many miracles and blessings of God in our lives. Have a wonderful holiday season and a fabulous 2016! With love, Gael & Eric :)
For example, it was considered good luck to jump over the Beltane bonfire if it was small enough. Or they would build two fires and the daredevils wanting good luck would have to run between them. In other regions, they contented themselves with simply baking a bannock cake over the "lucky" fire and that way, they could consume the good luck. Not all places celebrated the same way. However, if there is one enduring symbol of May Day, it is the charming sight of people dancing around the May pole. Below you'll find a video from an elementary school in England where the little girls from the school demonstrate dancing around the May pole. The video is a little long but if you scroll ahead you'll enjoy, I think, seeing the parents and the rest of the community join in this merry, ancient tradition. It's really pretty adorable. Below that, if you're wondering what the boys were doing on May Day while the girls were dancing around the May pole, it's called Morris dancing! (Nowadays, Morris dancing is for both genders, but originally it was a war- or sword-themed dance for men.) I love seeing modern people committed to ancient traditions handed down to them from centuries worth of their ancestors! Happy Beltane ~ and Enjoy! ~ G.
Morris Dancing in Victorian times... (Don't forget, May 1 is Jake's birthday! Our buddy is turning 13, as you'll see in the next installment of the Gryphon Chronicles...)
King O'Toole & His GooseOch, I thought all the world, far and near, had heerd o' King O'Toole--well, well, but the darkness of mankind is untellible! Well, sir, you must know, as you didn't hear it afore, that there was a king, called King O'Toole, who was a fine old king in the old ancient times, long ago; and it was he that owned the churches in the early days. The king, you see, was the right sort; he was the real boy, and loved sport as he loved his life, and hunting in particular; and from the rising o' the sun, up he got, and away he went over the mountains after the deer; and fine times they were. Well, it was all mighty good, as long as the king had his health; but, you see, in course of time the king grew old, by raison he was stiff in his limbs, and when he got stricken in years, his heart failed him, and he was lost entirely for want o' diversion, because he couldn't go a-hunting no longer; and, by dad, the poor king was obliged at last to get a goose to divert him. Oh, you may laugh, if you like, but it's truth I'm telling you; and the way the goose diverted him was this-a-way: You see, the goose used to swim across the lake, and go diving for trout, and catch fish on a Friday for the king, and flew every other day round about the lake, diverting the poor king. All went on mighty well until, by dad, the goose got stricken in years like her master, and couldn't divert him no longer, and then it was that the poor king was lost entirely. The king was walkin' one mornin' by the edge of the lake, lamentin' his cruel fate, and thinking of drowning himself, that could get no diversion in life, when all of a sudden, turning round the corner, who should he meet but a mighty decent young man coming up to him. "God save you," says the king to the young man. "God save you kindly, King O'Toole," says the young man. "True for you," says the king. "I am King O'Toole," says he, "prince and plennypennytinchery of these parts," says he; "but how came ye to know that?" says he. "Oh, never mind," says St. Kavin. You see it was Saint Kavin, sure enough--the saint himself in disguise, and nobody else. "Oh, never mind," says he, "I know more than that. May I make bold to ask how is your goose, King O'Toole?" says he. "Blur-an-agers, how came ye to know about my goose?" says the king. "Oh, no matter; I was given to understand it," says Saint Kavin. After some more talk the king says, "What are you?" "I'm an honest man," says Saint Kavin. "Well, honest man," says the king, "and how is it you make your money so aisy?" "By makin' old things as good as new," says Saint Kavin. "Is it a tinker you are?" says the king. "No," says the saint; "I'm no tinker by trade, King O'Toole; I've a better trade than a tinker," says he--"what would you say," says he, "if I made your old goose as good as new?" My dear, at the word of making his goose as good as new, you'd think the poor old king's eyes were ready to jump out of his head. With that the king whistled, and down came the poor goose, just like a hound, waddling up to the poor cripple, her master, and as like him as two peas. The minute the saint clapt his eyes on the goose, "I'll do the job for you," says he, "King O'Toole." "By _Jaminee_!" says King O'Toole, "if you do, I'll say you're the cleverest fellow in the seven parishes." "Oh, by dad," says St. Kavin, "you must say more nor that--my horn's not so soft all out," says he, "as to repair your old goose for nothing; what'll you gi' me if I do the job for you?--that's the chat," says St. Kavin. "I'll give you whatever you ask," says the king; "isn't that fair?" "Divil a fairer," says the saint; "that's the way to do business. Now," says he, "this is the bargain I'll make with you, King O'Toole: will you gi' me all the ground the goose flies over, the first offer, after I make her as good as new?" "I will," says the king. "You won't go back o' your word?" says St. Kavin. "Honour bright!" says King O'Toole, holding out his fist. "Honour bright!" says St. Kavin, back agin, "it's a bargain. Come here!" says he to the poor old goose--"come here, you unfortunate ould cripple, and it's I that'll make you the sporting bird." With that, my dear, he took up the goose by the two wings--"Criss o' my cross an you," says he, markin' her to grace with the blessed sign at the same minute--and throwing her up in the air, "whew," says he, jist givin' her a blast to help her; and with that, my jewel, she took to her heels, flyin' like one o' the eagles themselves, and cutting as many capers as a swallow before a shower of rain. Well, my dear, it was a beautiful sight to see the king standing with his mouth open, looking at his poor old goose flying as light as a lark, and better than ever she was: and when she lit at his feet, patted her on the head, and "_Ma vourneen_," says he, "but you are the _darlint_ o' the world." "And what do you say to me," says 'Saint Kavin, "for making her the like?" "By Jabers," says the king, "I say nothing beats the art o' man, barring the bees." "And do you say no more nor that?" says Saint Kavin. "And that I'm beholden to you," says the king. "But will you gi'e me all the ground the goose flew over?" says Saint Kavin. "I will," says King O'Toole, "and you're welcome to it," says he, "though it's the last acre I have to give." "But you'll keep your word true?" says the saint. "As true as the sun," says the king. "It's well for you, King O'Toole, that you said that word," says he; "for if you didn't say that word, the devil the bit o' your goose would ever fly agin." When the king was as good as his word, Saint Kavin was pleased with him, and then it was that he made himself known to the king. "And," says he, "King O'Toole, you're a decent man, for I only came here to try you. You don't know me," says he, "because I'm disguised." "Musha! then," says the king, "who are you?" "I'm Saint Kavin," said the saint, blessing himself. "Oh, queen of heaven!" says the king, making the sign of the cross between his eyes, and falling down on his knees before the saint; "is it the great Saint Kavin," says he, "that I've been discoursing all this time without knowing it," says he, "all as one as if he was a lump of a _gossoon_?--and so you're a saint?" says the king. "I am," says Saint Kavin. "By Jabers, I thought I was only talking to a dacent boy," says the king. "Well, you know the difference now," says the saint. "I'm Saint Kavin," says he, "the greatest of all the saints.". And so the king had his goose as good as new, to divert him as long as he lived: and the saint supported him after he came into his property, as I told you, until the day of his death--and that was soon after; for the poor goose thought he was catching a trout one Friday; but, my jewel, it was a mistake he made--and instead of a trout, it was a thieving horse-eel; and instead of the goose killing a trout for the king's supper--by dad, the eel killed the king's goose--and small blame to him; but he didn't ate her, because he daren't ate what Saint Kavin had laid his blessed hands on. In closing our post for the day, here's a classic Irish song that little kids love!"Let the Good Times Roll!"Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday - this week is your last chance to party, party, party in whatever manner suits you before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Provided you will be observing Lent. I don't know how many Mardi Gras revelers actually do, but we will be here. I still haven't decided for sure what I'm giving up for Lent this year, (maybe complaining? maybe worrying? I don't eat a lot of junk food, so...hmm). All I know is that at this bleak, gray time of year, I'm glad for any chance at some festivities!
If you think that's kind of dark, you're not alone. So did Edgar Allen Poe, who set his classic tale, The Cask of Amontillado, during the annual Mardi Gras wildness. Mardi Gras always makes me think of this story. It's in the public domain, so you can download a PDF of it here, or check out this chilling reading of the Mardi Gras horror tale with images and sound effects, by Strobie Productions. |
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