Thank you Terrance I so enjoy reading everyone's posts. Tami Gilbert On Dec 31, 2012, at 7:21 PM, "Terrance O'Dwyer" <[email protected]> wrote: > To My friends of Beara > > My wishes to all for a grand new year; > for blessings and riches and fame— > But I ache for you who have lost someone > For things are not the same. > > I wish you courage in the coming days > And peaceful comfort for when you sleep. > But most for you I do wish > The promise of Easter’s Feast. > > Tis nearly midnight in my town; > The celebration gives no cheer. > For my greatest gift at this age > Is to have my loved ones near. > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > Sent: Monday, December 31, 2012 3:00 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: BEARA Digest, Vol 7, Issue 253 > > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: BEARA Digest, Vol 7, Issue 248 (alison reynolds) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2012 13:12:39 +0000 > From: alison reynolds <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [BEARA] BEARA Digest, Vol 7, Issue 248 > To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > 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 >> ************************************* > > > ------------------------------ > > 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 253 > ************************************* > > > ------------------------------- > 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