The House in the Clouds

The sun was shining and snowdrops were poking their heads through the soil, Spring is surely on it's way. 

We travelled from Aldeburgh to Southwold on the Suffolk coast and passed by The House in the Clouds along the way in Thorpeness.
Now here is a Room with a View........

How do they clean all those windows ?

 

Snow Moon ~ Wolf Moon

The Full Moon in February was know as the Snow Moon to the Algonquins and other First Nation tribes of the North and East of America, since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month. Other tribes also referred to this Moon as the Hunger Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult.To the Old English it was known as the Wolf Moon. This is likely to be for the very same reasons that the Algonquin Indians had given the moon the same name in January instead. 
Perhaps the large herds of deer that roamed the length of the British Isles sustained the wolves for longer than their North American cousins.

The Old Moon - Wolf Moon

The traditional Old English title for the Full moon in January is The Old Moon. To the Algonquin Indians, this moon is known as The Wolf Moon.

For now would be a dangerous time of year when hunger would drive the wolves out of the forests and into the villages to scavenge for food.

Happy New Year

On the ancient Roman calendar, New Year fell on March 1st where there had been just ten months and March was the first month of the year. The calendar originated from the cycles of the moon, beginning in spring and ending with autumn planting.
The Roman Emperor Julius Caesar officially declared January 1st to be a New Year in 46 B.C. and January was established as the first month of the year on the Roman Julian Calender.
 

 
It was named after the god Janus ( which meant 'Door' in Latin ) he was therefore the guardian of doors and gateways ( the space that leads from one place to another ) and his two faces allowed him to look forward to the future and backward to the past.
The Anglo Saxons had called this 'Wolf Monath' as this was the time of year that wolves would be driven by hunger to enter the villages in search of food.

Pope Gregory XIII abolished the old Julian calendar and introduced the Gregorian calendar which comprised of a leap year every four years to maintain balance between seasons and calendar. Finally, in 1582, the Gregorian calendar was set to celebrate New Year on the first day of January.

On New Years Eve - December 31st - also called Hogmanay in Scotland, celebrations to welcome in the new year begin, with singing and dancing and on the stroke of midnight, people join hands and sing a traditional Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 called  'Auld Lang Syne' which translates as meaning 'Old Long Since', or more generally 'For ( the sake of ) Old Times'.

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind ?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and old lang syne ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !

and surely I’ll buy mine !

And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,

and picked the daisies fine ;

But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,

since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,

from morning sun till dine† ;

But seas between us broad have roared

since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !

And give us a hand o’ thine !

And we’ll take a right good-will draught,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

The New Year starts with a Pagan tradition called 'First Footing', where a tall dark haired man - preferably a stranger would knock at the door and be the first one to step over the threshold of the house, bringing with him a gift of coal and bread, ensuring that the Luck of the household would continue and that it remained warm and with enough food until the summer arrived. People wished one another 'Lang May Your Lum Reek' ( hope your chimney will smoke for a long time ).

When the visitor left, he took a pan of ashes from the hearth with him, signifying the departure of the Old Year. 



All the Shopping is Done.....

Don't you just love this time of year when you enter into the Annual Seasonal Sport ( check out what those initials spell and you get a general idea ) of 'Shop 'til you Drop'.

Loaded up like a Sherpa with bags of totally non-essential items, risking frost-bitten fingers and toes, trudging through the snow in temperatures that could freeze brass monkeys...

Yes, it's all part of the pleasure of having friends and family come round at this time of year to celebrate with you and all you need to do is ensure that you have ALL those seasonal goodies, just in case they do turn up and demand them....

The Holly and the Ivy - and Mistletoe too...

Holly is commonly used all over the world as a Christmas decoration, a custom derived from the early Romans who sent boughs of Holly to friends during Saturnalia, the Roman festival of Saturn held around the 17th of December in celebration of the Winter Solstice.

An old Christian legend says that Holly sprung up under the footsteps of Christ as he trod the earth, the spines of the leaves became symbolic of 'Crown of Thorns', with the red berries representing the drops of blood associated with his suffering.
From this symbology the Holly tree became known as 'Christ's Thorn' or the 'Holy Tree'.

In pagan folklore the Holly tree is associated with the spirit of vegetation and the waning forces of nature, which are personified as a mythical figure called the Holly King.

The Holly King is often depicted as an old man dressed in winter clothing wearing a Holly wreath on his head and walking with the aid of a staff made from a Holly branch.

The Holly King gathering Mistletoe

As nature rests during the darkest time of the year, it will be after the Winter Solstice and celebration of Yule, that the days begin to lengthen again and the re-birth of the new light of the Celtic Sun God encourages fresh growth during the coming new year.

As with most other tree legends, the Holly was revered for its protective qualities. When planted around the home it protects the inhabitants and guards against lightening, poisoning and mischievous spirits and witchcraft. 
Carrying a piece of Holly promoted good luck, especially for men, as Holly is considered a male plant - even though there are male and female Holly plants, those with red berries and those without.

In winter, the Druids advised people to take Holly into their homes to shelter the elves and fairies who could join mortals at this time without causing them harm. But it must be completely removed before the eve of Imbolc - 1st-2nd Februaury -first day of Spring, -for even if one leaf remained in the house, it would cause misfortune.

Old Scottish traditions says that Holly branches should only be pulled and not cut from the tree, a method considered more fitting for a sacred tree. It was also considered unlucky to fell a Holly tree or burn its green skinned branches. Yet luck was increased if a small branch was kept and hung outside of the house, there it would continue to protect against lightning.

Holly water was sprinkled on newborn babies to protect them and it is said to help the bereaved to cope with death, and to ease their sleep with peaceful dreams.


The wood of the Holly tree burns very hot and so it was used by Blacksmiths to forge weapons and tools necessary for survival and protection. Smithies were revered for their ability to use the elements of fire and earth to create these items and it is for this reason the Druids associated Holly with the element of fire.
Holly is used to attract the powers needed for: Protection, Consecration, Healing, Peace, Goodwill, Luck and anything to do with the element Fire.

Ivy was held in high esteem among the ancients and its leaves formed the poet's crown. Ivy was dedicated to the Roman god Bacchus -the Greek god Dionysus - the God of Intoxication who is often depicted wearing a wreath of ivy and grapevines. He is also depicted holding a chalice and carrying a thyrsus (a wand) which was also entwined with ivy and vine leaves.

Ivy leaves were thought to prevent intoxication and the binding of the brow with ivy was seen to balance the effects of the vine. It was believed that if a handful of ivy leaves are bruised and gently boiled in wine and drunk, it would prevent intoxication.
Old English taverns bore a sign of an ivy bush over their doors, this was to indicate the excellence of the liquor supplied within, hence the old saying 'A good wine needs no bush'.

Throughout the ages ivy has been regarded as the emblem of fidelity, and Greek priests would present a wreath of ivy to newly married persons. Today the ivy is still commonly associated with weddings, and is carried or worn by bridesmaids.

If a women carried Ivy, it was said to aid fertility and general good luck. It was also said to ensure fidelity and from this came the custom of brides carrying Ivy. Ivy wherever it is grown or proliferates, guards against negativity and disaster. 
At one time, the custom of decorating houses and churches with Ivy at Christmas was once forbidden by the Christian Church, on account of its pagan associations.

Mistletoe grows in trees and in European legends is a symbol of fertility ( kissing under the mistletoe is still a tradition to bring people together ) and eternal life, perhaps because it remains green all winter. Many cultures have believed it to be heavenly or supernatural, because unlike most plants, mistletoe thrives without being rooted in soil and actually is a parasitic plant that lives off it's host tree.

Mistletoe has also been said to offer protection from sorcery and evil spells. The Druids believed that mistletoe had great healing properties, especially if it was gathered without the use of a knife and never allowed to touch the ground. Some Africans compare the mistletoe on a tree to the soul in the body, and they believe that mistletoe in a house brings good luck.

In Norse mythology, mistletoe was sacred to the beloved god Balder, but the evil god Loki used trickery to kill Balder with a stalk of mistletoe fashioned into a dart.

A Merry Yule and Winter Solstice to you...

Yule, the Midwinter Solstice -21st-22nd December is the time of year when we experience our shortest day and longest night. With the sun being at its lowest point in the sky at noon. Yule means 'wheel' and is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world.

Druids at Stonehenge

Yule is the celebration of the re-birth of the Sun god and the return of Light to the land. As the days begin to lengthen once more, the darkness of the winter spirits flee.
The winter solstice is believed to be a mysterious and powerful time, for it is at this point, that the sun begins to make the return journey across our skies. After the longest night of the year the sun is seen as growing stronger and the beginning of the return of the warmer season is welcomed - the concept of rebirth became strongly associated with the Winter Solstice.

Three days after Yule many people exchange gifts and celebrate Christmas - the 'birth' of Jesus, as our ancestors celebrated the return of light and the sun growing in strength.
The well-known figure of Father Christmas may have derived from the Pagan god, Herne the Hunter - Cernunnos in Celtic tradition - who was the guardian of the beasts and primal forests and who also appeared as a fertility god.

Yule is celebrated with bonfires that encourage the ascent of the sun, and brightly lit houses are decorated with evergreens to simulate summer.
It is a time to look on the past year's achievements, as the days begin to grow longer up to the mid summer solstice.
In Alton Barnes in Wiltshire the winter solstice is still celebrated by the lighting up of the white horse that is carved in the chalky hillside there. Tea lights are placed in jars, so that the horse glows with candlelight

Yule Traditions

During medieval times, the Yule Log was decorated and ceremoniously carried into the home on Christmas Eve and placed in the fireplace. Traditionally the Yule log was lit with the saved stump of last year's log, and then it was burnt over the twelve days of the winter celebration, and its ashes and stump were kept until the following year to sprinkle on the new log, so that the fortune would be passed on from year to year.

Even without an open fire, you can still enjoy a Yule log

In France and Germany ashes from the Yule log were mixed with the cattle feed to ensure their health and in other regions the ash was sprinkled around fruit trees to increase their yield of fruit.

Yule wreaths were traditionally made of evergreens and holly and ivy. Holly represents the male and ivy the female and the wreath's circle symbolizes the wheel of the year. Both holly and ivy were used as protection in the home against unwanted spirits.

In the eleventh-century, the Danish rule over England brought the Scandinavian term for Christmas - Yule. Yuletide  was the time to bring out the wassail bowl or cup.
The leader of the celebrations would call 'Wassail', from the old Anglo Saxon 'Was Hal' meaning be of good health, which was Old English for 'your health', and the answer was 'Drinkhail', at which the bowl was passed round so everyone took a drink and handed it on with a kiss.In the middle ages, the celebration was transfered from the drinker to the tree. It usually takes place on Old Christmas Eve - January 5th, Twelfth night - January 6th or Old Twelfth night - January 17th.
Wassailing took place, and was originally held around the oldest tree in the apple orchard. The first cider crop was poured on the roots of the apple tree to thank the tree spirits for the crop and to ensure a good harvest next year.

Drumming and banging of pots and pans and sticks would re-awaken the tree spirits and beat away any demons, wassailing was performed to protect the trees from evil spirits until their apples appeared the following year. Then the wassail cup would be passed around. Toast dipped in cider would then be hung on the oldest tree, as an offering to the tree spirits. Christians moulded this other pagan practise, into the singing of Christmas hymns and the Singing of Carols was developed to replace it.  

Oh apple tree, we'll wassail thee 
And hoping thou wilt bear
For the Lord does know where we may go
To be merry another year
To grow well and to bear well
And so merrily let us be
Let every man drink up his glass
And a health to the old apple tree
Brave boys, and a health to the old apple tree"

'A Merry Yule and Wassail to you all...........'