Category Archives: Days and Seasons

Decoration Day

Posted on by
Reply
Originally called Decoration Day, the holiday was created to commemorate the roughly 625,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War.

Originally called Decoration Day, the holiday was created to commemorate the roughly 625,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War.

Memorial Day, the holiday which many in the US consider the beginning of summer, was originally known as “Decoration Day” and was the commemoration of those fallen in battle — at first, those who had fallen in the battles of the Civil War and then those who had fallen in any battle. People went to the burial grounds to decorate the graves of the fallen with flowers and banners. They might also have picnics, an American variation on the ancient “memorial meals” held in honor of the dead.

Decorating graves and meals to mark certain anniversaries of death were common in Greek, Roman, and Jewish, as well as early Christian, societies. One of the benefits of joining a burial society or club in classical Rome was that the club members were obligated to hold meals in honor and memory of the deceased. Sometimes food was left atop the grave for the departed, as well as shared among the living. It was these annual memorial meals at the gravesides of the dead that eventually became the annual saints days to mark the “birthday into heaven” of the dead.

Graves would be decorated not only to mark the burial site but to appease the dead as well, who might come back to harass their heirs for neglecting their graves. Flowers, a marker of life, were among the most common means of appeasing the dead although more substantial and permanent decorations — such as carvings, headstones, or statues — were used by the wealthy.

Nowadays often considered a scary or forbidding location, graveyards and cemeteries were common places for communities to gather. Over the centuries, many rules developed to curtail dancing, markets, drinking, and parties among the graves which only means that people kept dancing and drinking and holding markets or parties among the dead. No one makes rules against things that don’t happen, after all.

This year, how many Americans will mark the unofficial beginning of summer by visiting a graveyard?

Stars and Cards: Taurus

Posted on by
Reply
"The Golden Tarot of the Tsar" (by A.A.. Atanassov and available thru Lo Scarabeo) depicts the Mother of God as the Empress, St. Parasceva as the High Priestess, and an anonymous woman martyr as the Queen of Pentacles.

“The Golden Tarot of the Tsar” (by A.A.. Atanassov and available thru Lo Scarabeo) depicts the Mother of God as the Empress, St. Parasceva as the High Priestess, and an anonymous woman martyr as the Queen of Pentacles.

Taurus people love everything that is good and beautiful, and they are often surrounded by material pleasures. People born under Taurus (April 20 – May 20) are very sensual and tactile. Touch is extremely important for them, both in business and in romance. Stable and conservative, Taurus is among the most reliable signs of the zodiac. Stubbornness is a trait that forces them to stick with projects to the end, in order to comply with the standards. As an earth sign (associated with the tarot suit of Pentacles), Taurus can be overprotective of their loved ones. They are great in making money and they will stick to their projects until it is successfully completed.

Bulls are often known for their stubbornness, but this can also be interpreted as a complete commitment to the execution of tasks. This makes Taurus people excellent workers and great friends, because they are always there, no matter what.

Their ruling planet Venus (associated with the tarot Empress), represents love, attraction, beauty and creativity. Thus, Taurus can be an excellent cook, entertainer, artist. They are loyal and don’t like sudden and unwanted changes. The moon, associated with the High Priestess card, is considered more important than usual in an astrological chart when it is found in the sign of Taurus.

These cards, together with the Bull, ask us several questions. Do you need spiritual guidance from a wise counselor? Are you being as fruitful as you can with the gifts nature has given you? Have you been paying enough attention to your inner life or just focusing on the outer life? Where are you in the cycle of planting your seeds, cultivating your garden and reaping what you have sown? In what part of your life do you need to “die” in order to be reborn?

May Day! Happy Summer!

Posted on by
Reply
Magdalen Tower, Oxford, is the center of the historic May Day celebrations in the university town.

Magdalen Tower, Oxford, is the center of the historic May Day celebrations in the university town.

May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian times, with the Floralia, festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, during the Roman Republic era; during the Middle Ages, the Walpurgis Night celebrations of the Germanic countries marked the last winter frolic of witches and devils. May Day is also associated with the Gaelic Beltane, most commonly held on April 30. The day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures. While February 1 was the first day of spring, May 1 was the first day of summer; hence, the summer solstice on June 25 (now June 21) was Midsummer.

Secular versions of May Day, observed in Europe and America, may be best known for their traditions of dancing around the Maypole and crowning the Queen of May. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of “May baskets,” small baskets of sweets or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbors’ doorsteps. I remember making May baskets in elementary schools and Maypole games on the playground.

May Day is celebrated at the University of Oxford with special gusto. The day starts early (at 6 a.m.!) with the Magdalen College Choir singing a hymn, the Hymnus Eucharisticus, from the top of Magdalen Tower, a tradition of over 500 years. Large crowds normally gather under the tower along the High Street and on Magdalen Bridge. (Magdalen Tower is one of the oldest parts of Magdalen College, Oxford, situated directly in the High Street. Built of stone from 1492, when the foundation stone was laid, its bells hung ready for use in 1505, and completed by 1509, it is an important element of the Oxford skyline. At 144 feet high, it is the tallest building in Oxford. It dominates the eastern entrance to the city, towering over Magdalen Bridge and with good views from the Botanic Garden across the street.) This is then followed by general revelry and festivities including Morris dancing, impromptu music, etc., for a couple of hours. There is a party atmosphere, despite the early hour. In fact, there are normally all-night balls the night before, so some people (especially students) are in formal attire (e.g., black tie/white tie or ball gown).