Thank you very much for this info and all the best for 2013 Alison Reynolds > From: [email protected] > Subject: BEARA Digest, Vol 7, Issue 248 > To: [email protected] > Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2012 01:00:20 -0700 > > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: The Shortest Day (Susan Twomey) > 2. Re: Irish Christmas Traditions (Bette new email) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:51:06 -0800 > From: Susan Twomey <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [BEARA] The Shortest Day > To: [email protected], Bill Gawne <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > > Thanks, Bill, for this Solstice verse...I have shared it with family and friends...much appreciated! > > All the best for the holidays and 2013! Thanks for all you do for us Beara folks. > > /Susan Twomey > > > On Dec 21, 2012, at 11:06 AM, Bill Gawne <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> Dear friends of Beara, > >> > >> On this (northern hemisphere) winter solstice day I offer you this > >> sweet verse by Susan Cooper: > >> > >> And so the Shortest Day came and the year died > >> And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world > >> Came people singing, dancing, > >> To drive the dark away. > >> They lighted candles in the winter trees; > >> They hung their homes with evergreen; > >> They burned beseeching fires all night long > >> To keep the year alive. > >> And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake > >> They shouted, revelling. > >> Through all the frosty ages you can hear them > >> Echoing behind us - listen! > >> All the long echoes, sing the same delight, > >> This Shortest Day, > >> As promise wakens in the sleeping land: > >> They carol, feast, give thanks, > >> And dearly love their friends, > >> And hope for peace. > >> And now so do we, here, now, > >> This year and every year. > >> > >> > >> -- Bill > >> > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2012 19:40:43 -0700 > From: "Bette new email" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [BEARA] Irish Christmas Traditions > To: <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; > reply-type=original > > Thank you Bill, We old Irish-Americans are hungry for any information on old > Irish customs, poems, letters, books, etc. Beautiful poem. MERRY CHRISTMAS > to all. Bette > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bill Gawne > Sent: Friday, December 21, 2012 3:59 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [BEARA] Irish Christmas Traditions > > Dear friends of Beara, > > The great thing about our Beara mailing list is the archive that > stretches back to August 1998. It yields up all sorts of treasure, > including this precious tidbit that Sue Booth-Forbes sent us 12 years > ago, in December of 2000. As I look these over, I note that there's a > candle (electric) in the window of my home office, just in front of > the desk where I am right now, as well as similar candles in the other > front windows of my house. There's also an evergreen wreath on my > front door. Furthermore, we're in the custom of taking the > decorations down on Little Christmas, aka 12th Night. > > We're not in the custom of celebrating Little Christmas as a women's > festival in my community. Do any of you do that? (I'm also thinking > this might be an echo of the old Roman festival of the Bona Dea held > by Roman women in mid-winter.) > > Anyhow, enough of speculations and reminiscences. Here you have... > > IRISH CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > Ireland, like most countries, has a number of Christmas traditions that > are all of its own. Many of these customs have their root in the time when > the Gaelic culture and religion of the country were being suppressed and it > is perhaps because of this that they have survived into modern times. > > THE CANDLE IN THE WINDOW > > The placing of a lighted candle in the window of a house on Christmas eve is > still practised today. It has a number of purposes but primarily it was a > symbol of welcome to Mary and Joseph as they traveled looking for shelter. > The candle also indicated a safe place for priests to perform mass since > during Penal Times this was not allowed. A further element of the tradition > is that the candle should be lit by the youngest member of the household and > only be extinguished by a girl bearing the name 'Mary'. > > THE LADEN TABLE > > After evening meal on Christmas eve the kitchen table was again set and on > it were placed a loaf of bread filled with caraway seeds and raisins, a > pitcher of milk and a large lit candle. The door to the house was left > unlatched so that Mary and Joseph, or any wandering traveler, could avail > of the welcome. > > THE WREN BOY PROCESSION > > During Penal Times there was once a plot in a village against the local > soldiers. They were surrounded and were about to be ambushed when a group of > wrens pecked on their drums and awakened the soldiers. The plot failed and > the wren became known as 'The Devil's bird'. On St. Stephen's Day a > procession takes place where a pole with a holly bush is carried from house > to house and families dress up in old clothes and with blackened faces. In > olden times an actual wren would be killed and placed on top of the pole. > This custom has to a large degree disappeared but the tradition of visiting > from house to house on St. Stephen's Day has survived and is very much part > of Christmas. > > DECORATIONS > > The placing of a ring of Holly on doors originated in Ireland as Holly was > one of the main plants that flourished at Christmas time and which gave the > poor ample means with which to decorate their dwellings. All decorations are > traditionally taken down on Little Christmas (January 6th.) and it is > considered to be bad luck to take them down beforehand. > > LITTLE CHRISTMAS > > On January 6th, the women of Ireland gather to celebrate the successful > completion of the holiday season and their contributions to making it > happen. In homes, restaurants, theatres, pubs, and clubs around the > country, it is 'women only' night. > > TRADITIONAL GAELIC SALUTATION > > The Gaelic greeting for 'Merry Christmas' is: 'Nollaig Shona Duit', which > is pronounced as 'null-ig hunna dwit'. > > > -- Bill > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in > the subject and the body of the message > > > > ------------------------------ > > To contact the BEARA list administrator, send an email to > [email protected] > > To post a message to the BEARA mailing list, send an email to [email protected] > > __________________________________________________________ > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] > with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the body of the > email with no additional text. > > > End of BEARA Digest, Vol 7, Issue 248 > *************************************