My Secret Life as Santa Lucia: An Upcoming Event

Events, Seasonal 2 Comments »

I’m looking at the photo on the left of this very elegant Santa Lucia procession which I snapped last December 13 — Lucia Day — and I’m hoping I can look one iota as good as the beautiful Lucia portrayed here. (She’s the woman wearing the candle-lit headdress.)

Because…it has been determined that I myself will make a Lucia appearance this December 13 at an as-yet-undisclosed location (being somewhat mysterious here) mainly for the benefit of small children who I am hoping will really enjoy the appearance of another Santa this holiday season. In this case, though, it’s Santa Lucia.

For those of you interested in the history of the Santa Lucia celebration, here it is in a nutshell: The Scandinavian countries are very, very dark in December. Lucia, also known as the Light Bringer, greets the dawn every December 13 wearing the spectacular flaming crown of candles. This stunning figure then busies herself with the mundane task of handing out gingerbread cookies and glogg to those she awakens. (Yes, I promise to post a glogg recipe in the near future!) An interesting side note is that in the old Julian calendar, December 13 was the date of the winter solstice, which was the shortest — hence the darkest — day of the year.

Of course, there’s much more to it than that. In the meantime, I would like to tell the folks at home — Do not try this candle-lit headdress business yourself! Even I am going with the battery-operated kind. Which are available at a number of online stores, such as this one. More later — and a glogg recipe too!

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A New Dawn, A New Day

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Royally Screwed: An Art Exhibit

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On Halloween night, there was an opening at Kris Waldherr Art and Words gallery for “Royally Screwed: Doomed Queens Through the Ages.” Throughout history, women rulers have had some very unfortunate and spectacular ways of losing their power, as “Doomed Queens” Cleopatra and Marie Antoinette can attest.

At the gallery, located at 1501 Newkirk Ave (entrance on Marlborough Road) in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, art and prints are on display until December 15 from Kris Waldherr’s new book, Doomed Queens ($14.95, Broadway Books.) Photo above: Kris demonstrates the timeline of Doomed Queens past.

Readers of this blog know that earlier in the day on Halloween, I was photographing the annual Cobble Hill parade but I did make it to Ditmas Park later that evening to attend the gallery opening, help out handing candy to trick or treaters, and witness — with my own eyes — a visit from Batman himself.

Oh! And I have news on a semi-related front: my CNN.com photos were also featured on the Cobble Hill Blog, where I will — or at least my work will — be making semi-regular appearances from now on. Cool!

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More Photos on CNN.com

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First it was my Tarot for Obama photos and accompanying story that ended up being featured on the home page of CNN.com. Now it’s my photos of and blurb about the annual Halloween Parade at Cobble Hill Park for children that’s made it on the home page of CNN.com. I guess it’s just the site where you can find me hanging out these days!

I’m always happily surprised by what I find waiting for me at Cobble Hill Park every Halloween for their children’s parade. Hundreds of parents come to the park from all directions in the neighborhood with their festively-attired children in an event that, although massively crowded, is always fun.

One of the highlights is the generosity shown by the neighbors who flank the park. They sit out on the stoops of their buildings, sometimes in costume and sometimes not, and hand out candy to a sea of trick-or-treaters. Today I happily overheard this sentence: “This was his first treat-or-treat!” Sweet!

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Guest Article: The Roots of Hallowe’en

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The Roots of Hallowe’en:

by LaSara Firefox, MPNLP, www.lasarafirefox.com

(excerpted from LaSara’s young people’s book, A Child’s Wheel of the Year, yet to be published.)

Samhain: Celtic

The word Samhain seems to have come from the word samhraidreadh, which in the Gaelic, the language of the Celts, means “summer’s end.” The Celts divided the year up into two parts; the Winter Half, or Dark Half, and the Summer Half, or Light Half. The Celts considered the day as starting with evening, instead of midnight or morning, and so it was with the year. As the Celts went into the darkening season, they went into their new year.

Samhain was a one of the four yearly Fire Festivals celebrated by the Druids of the Celtic lands. These festivals lasted three days, and were celebrated on the seasonal turning points, which were the points between equinoxes and solstices. At the Samhain fire festival, and at it’s cross-point, Beltane, once the community fire was built, all fires in family hearths were let to go out. These two times were the only times during the year that the hearth fire was extinguished. On the final morning of the festival, the head of each house would take embers from the community fire and restart the fire in their hearth.

In the Celtic tradition, the day before Samhain was considered the last day of the old year, and the day after Samhain was considered the first day of the new year. The day of Samhain was considered a time between times, a day between years, and a world between worlds. It was a very magickal day.

The Celts believed that Samhain was a time where the world of spirits (where the dead, the faeries and other supernatural beings dwelt) and the world of the living were closest. They believed that the spirits of the dead would come and walk among the living during this festival. Many Celts dressed in costumes of spirits and faeries to make the wandering spirits feel at home.

Often, too, it was the poor of the community who would wonder begging food in the guise of the spirits. And the homesteaders would not want to bring the disfavor of the spirits upon them by acting selfishly. So the hungry would be fed on Samhain, and the ancestors would bring blessings to those who had been generous.

Another aspect of this festival is the story of the Celtic God of Sun and Vegetation, Lugh. Having given-in to wounds received on Mabon (the autumnal equinox) in mid-September, Lugh was believed to die each year during this time. (And each year The Sun God would be reborn on winter solstice.) Lugh was killed by his shadow self and twin, Tanist; the Horned God, the Dark Lord, the Lord of Misrule.

Under the rule of Misrule, this was a time when the usual rules were not lived by. The Celts usually lived by strict rules, but during Samhain the rules were laid aside, and mischief was made, fortunes were told, and revels were had. Men dressed as women, women dressed as men, and bands of young people would wander for miles seeking food and drink from the farmsteads in return for the entertainment they offered. This is where one of the American traditions of Hallowe’en came from. Trick-or-treating was once called mumming, and was a time where groups of people, adults and children alike, would go from door to door in costume singing, jesting and posing as spirits. The people they visited would offer treats in exchange for the entertainment, and in order to create goodwill with the spirits.

Ancient people lived with a much closer relationship with death than many Americans do, and Samhain was a time of getting ready to face the possible losses that would be brought by winter. Herds of livestock were culled; the weak, sickly and old animals were slaughtered, so that there would be enough food for the healthy livestock to survive the winter. Samhain was considered the third, and last, harvest of the season. Called the Red Harvest, this harvest was of the meat. Some of the meat was salted and saved for winter, and some of the meat and all the bones were burned on the bone-fire (possibly the origin of the word bonfire) in offering to the spirits. The bone ash was used to nourish the fields where crops would be grown the next year.

Jack-o-lanterns were originally carved from turnips and other tubers, and were made as a warding to keep unfriendly spirits, mischievous faeries and hungry souls from stopping over. Bonfires were built on hilltops to light the way for the wandering dead, and to give them light and comfort in the darkness.

If any loved ones had died in the previous year, his or her family would put a lighted candle in the window to lead the spirit home. The living would leave doors and windows unlatched, and set a place at the supper table for their beloved dead. The family would eat in silence in honor of the dead, from whom death had taken voice.

The closeness of the different worlds during Samhain made it an especially easy time to catch a glimpse of the future, and many would play games of divination on Samhain eve. Apple bobbing descended from one of these games.

Los Dias de Muertos: Mexican Indian

This fiesta is a rich cultural and religious celebration originating in Mexico. Dia de los Muertos has roots in many indigenous Mexican Indian tribal traditions, including those of the Aztec, Mayan, Incan and Toltec. After the invasion of the Spanish, Los Dias de Muertos came to include Catholic aspects as well, with much of the art and reverence including imagery of Jesus as one of the beloved dead. Read the rest of this entry »

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November AstroFlash Horoscopes

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Once again, it’s time for the monthly AstroFlash horoscopes, written by the one and only Flash Silvermoon:

Like many who honor the magical traditions of the earth, I celebrate Halloween — or Samhain — as my New Year and actually began doing so before I even knew that this tradition existed. For me, October was always such a crazy time of energetic shifts and November seemed to bring a groundedness to whatever was happening.

November 2008 starts off with a sweet conjunction of the Moon and Venus in Sagittarius, making us all feel more expansive and philosophical — or at least wanting to really have some fun. If you have been wanting to explore your spirituality this would be a fine time to begin or continue.

The major kozmic crisis is occurring between the planets Saturn and Uranus, who will be exactly opposing each other on election day. In plain English that means that the agents and energies of change are opposing the status quo and this is being energetically played out in all the campaigns with everyone wanting to be seen as the “maverick” or the voice of change. Yet with several planets in Capricorn and Pluto entering Capricorn on the 26th for the next dozen years or so, the mood of the people is to scurry towards security. We do want that change to something a hell of a lot better than the last 8 years however, Saturn’s energy can be fear producing. Clearly, some are playing on our worst fears to try to get elected so this is a most interesting tug of war going on and it is not a simple matter of one candidate representing only one of the planets because we are all experiencing that inner tug between stasis and change and will be facing it in our own lives.

So interesting really that the aspect is exact on Election Day, so we can expect the unexpected and a lot of twist and turns because the old way, will not go down without a fight. Best thing to do while we are on this roller coaster ride is to resist fear and stay in your heart. Hold on to what is true and resonates with the core of you while allowing the winds of change to dance with your free spirit.

We will all welcome the Full Moon in Taurus mid-month to soothe and steady the emotional tension. This is a great Moon for affirming prosperity so take advantage by having an attitude of gratitude for all that you have.

We are being called upon to stand up for what we believe and have the inner fortitude to reach for a higher standard of being. This is an opportunity to see what really feeds you and what feeds your fear. Just remember that you have all that you need in every moment.

ARIES - No Fear Here! Well, maybe a fear of boredom and confinement but I am ready to embrace these ch-ch-changes that are long overdue. The cool air makes me aware of the fire in my belly and if it’s courage you need, I have it to spare. Just point me in the right direction and I will be a heat-seeking missile.

TAURUS - Slow and steady works for me and I will keep things running smoothly while the rest of you bounce off the walls. I must admit that these challenging economic times hit me where I live and make me wonder where the bottom might be. I will crank up the incense and green candles on my full moon this month. Read the rest of this entry »

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