Facts about December.

FACTS ABOUT THE MONTH OF DECEMBER.

Gemstone Turquoise.

Flower: Narcissus.

The month of December is the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar and is from the roman word 'decem' which means ten.

The Anglo - Saxons called it Winter Monath or Yule Monath because of the custom of burning the Yule Log at this time of the year. When the Anglo - Saxons converted to the Christian Faith they then called it 'Heligh Monath' or Holy Month because of Christmas and the birth of Jesus that's celebrated in December.

Here in the northern hemisphere December marks the beginning of our winter the seasons of dark nights shorter days of cold weather, winds, rain and snow.

The month of December is very much about Christmas the birth of Jesus Christ who was born on Christmas Day December 25^th . The beginning of the month see's the start of Advent the coming of Christ, Advent means coming, getting prepared.

The first day of celebrations is on December 6^th St Nicholas Day.

St Nicholas is the patron saint of children. In the Scandinavian countries it was said that St Nicholas woud bring gifts of sweets and other presents to all the children that had behaved themselves throughout the year. This tradition was imported from europe to America who later turned St Nicholas into Santa Claus and in later years he came back across the Atlantic to europe and he became Farther Christmas.

The 17^th December 'The Lord of Misrule'

In ancient Roman times the 17^th of December was the start of the festival of Saturnalia in honour of the god of agriculture this was a period of orgys, feasting and merry making lasting for seven days.

Saturnalia was a holiday period for all including slaves who would be waited on by their masters. Gifts would be exchanged and gambling games played. It was customary to appoint a person to oversee these celebrations, he was called the Lord of Misrule.

The Winter Solstice ( The 1^st day of winter. )

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice marks the first day of winter and it falls on the 21^st December.

The Pagans called this period 'Yule Tide' and it is one of the oldest of all winter celebrations in the world. It celebrates the shortest day and the longest night of the year, it is when the North Pole is at it's furthest point from the Sun. It is the time of the year at which the Sun is appearing at Noon at it's lowest point on the horizon. In the Northern Hemisphere this is the Southern Solstice, the time at which the Sun is at it's southernmost point in the sky, which is usually on December 21^st.

It was once the custom to find a large log ( Yule Log ) to bring into your house that would burn throughout the twelve day period of the Solstice. It was lit on embers saved from the previous years celebrations on the first night of the Solstice, as a symbol of hope and belief that the Sun would return. If the log went out it was believed that it was an Omen that there would be very bad luck to follow.

December 28^th Holy Innocents Day. ( Childermas. )

Holy Innocents Day also known as Childermas falls on December 28^th and it commerates the massacre of all the male children under the age of two, in an attempt by King Herod to kill the young Christ.

New Years Eve. 31^st December.

The 31^st of December is the last day of the year, it is the New Years Eve a time of Celebrations when many people across the world see the Old Year out and welcome the New Year in. It is a time to wish each other good will and wishes for the New Year with a toast of champagne or a glass of wine, a time also to forgive and forget your differences and start 'anew'.

In Scotland the New Year celebrations is known as 'Hogmany' which traditionally lasts for a day or more into the New Year.

Superstions.

Christmas Puddings should be made with 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his Disciples and every member of the family should take a turn at stiring the mixture, with a wooden spoon, stiring it from east to west in honour of the three wise men.

It is said that on Christmas Eve that all animals can talk. However it is bad luck to test this superstion. ( I wonder why? )

It is said that good luck will come to the home where a fire is lit and kept burning throughout the Christmas Season. ( see Yule Logs. )

Weather Lore.

                                        A mild December precedes a cold snap later on in the winter.

                                               “A green December fills the graveyard”.

                                   “ A clear star-filled sky on Christmas Eve brings good crops in the summer”.

                                    

                                             Snow at Christmas means Easter will be green.

                                               

                                              A green Christmas means a white Easter.

                                

                                           

                                                 If New Year's Eve night-wind blows south

                                                 It betokeneth warmth and growth;

                                                 If west, much milk and fish in the sea;

                                                 If north, cold and storms there will be;

                                                 If east, the trees willbear much fruit;

                                                 If north-east, flee it, man and brute,

Anniversaries.

December 4^th. The feast of St. Barbara.

                                                  December 5^th. St. Nicholas EveDecember 6^th. St. Nicholas Day.

                                                  December 13^th. Sir Francis Drake set sail around the world in the

                                                  Golden Hind.

                                                  ….................... St. Lucia's Day.

                                                  December 21^st. Winter Solstice.

                                                  December 24^th. Christmas Eve.

                                                  December 25^th. Christmas Day.

                                                  December 26^th. Boxing Day.

                                                  ….................... St. Stephen's Day.

                                                  December 28^th. Holy Innocents Day.

                                                  December 31^st. New Year's Eve.

Thank you to all of you who have been reading my monthly write up through the year. I hope you have enjoyed reading them.

Merry Christmas.

November Facts And Traditions.

√

Facts About The Month Of November.

                                                           Gemstone: Topaz.

                                                          Flower: Chrysanthemum.

The month of November gets its name from the old Roman Calendar. It was the ninth month of the year and 'novem' was the roman word for nine.

The Saxons called this month 'Wind monath' as it was the time of the year when the cold winds of the winter arrived they also called it 'Blod monath' because this was when the cattle were brought in for slaughter to provide food for the winter months.

During the first week of November many festivals and celebrations are held to mark the end or the harvest time and the start of the Winter.

November 1st is 'All Saints Day', this day was first celebrated in the year 835AD when the Roman Catholic Church made it a Church holiday to honour all the Saints. All Saints Day was also once called All Hallows ( Hallow meaning a Saint or a Holy Person. ) The feast actually begins on October 31st which is the Eve of All Hallows now called Halloween.

Important Dates.

November 1st. Today is All Saints Day the day that Christians remember all men and women of good will' ( Saints ) great ones and those forgotten who have died through the ages. Saints are men and women from all walks of life who have died for their faith or good deeds and are honoured by the church.

November 2nd. The second of November is All Souls Day, this is the day when the Roman Catholic Church remembers all those that have died weather they be great, good or the ordinary man or woman in the street.

Soul Cakes. Before the Reformation it was customary that poor Christians offered prayers to the dead in return for money or food called Soul Cakes, from their wealthier neighbours.

Souling. During the 19th and 20th centuries it was customary for children to go Souling requesting alms or soul cakes.

Souling was a practice carried out in towns and villages all around Britian many years ago and it involved a group or groups of singers ( The Soulers. ) who would go round the houses singing this song and they were often accompanied by their old friend the Hobby Horse.

The Song.

A soul, a soul, a soul cake

Please good missus a soul cake

An apple, a Pear, a Plum or Cherry

Any good things to make us merry.

Up with your kettles and down with your pans

Give us an answer and we'll be gone

Little Jack, Jack sitting on his gate

Crying for some butter to butter his cake

One for St. Peter, Two for St. Paul,

Three for the man who made us all.

All Souls' Day Superstition. It was once believed that on All Souls' night that the dead would rise up from their graves and revisit their old homes, so many people would lite candles in their windows to guide them and leave out a meal and wine to refresh them.

November 4th is Mischief Night. It was customary in some parts of the country on this night to go out Mischief Making, this involved doing all sorts of Naughty things but in the main the idea was to put things in the wrong place. In parts of Derbyshire and Yorkshire in the Mining Villages children would go out to do a bit of Jolly Minering , this was a local variation of collecting a Penny for the guy. The aim was to raise money for sweets and fireworks for Bonfire Night. While out collecting they would sing a song that started with the words;

                                         We're three jolly Miners and we're not worth a pin,

                                       So give us a piece of coal and we'll make the kettle sing.

The origin of this song dates back to an earlier time when the idea was to collect coal for the Bonfire or simply to make the Kettle sing.

November 5th. Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night. This is still one of the most popular and the longest lasting of all British Customs. In 1605 an attempt was made by a group of Roman Catholics to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James 1st and the Kings leaders. The plot was led by Robert Catesby amongnst the group was Guy Fawkes. After the plot failed, the King ordered that on November 5th the people of England should have a great bonfire to celebrate the survival of the attempt on his life.

                                                            Guy Fawkes Rhyme.

                                                           Remember, remember,
                                                           The 5th of November
                                                      Gunpowder, treason and plot,
                                                           We see no reason why
                                                           Gunpowder treason
                                                           Should ever be forgot.

November 11th is Martinmas Day. The feast of St. Martin is held today it was a great time for celebrations with great feasts and also more hiring fairs where farm labourers still looking for work had another chance to find employment for the next year. It was also the time of year when most farmers had completed the sowing of their Autumn wheat. In Derbyshire it was once the custom of farmers to provide a 'Cakes-and-Ale Feast' for their workers for completing the sowing of the wheat. Special cakes were made for the feast they were called Hopper Cakes.

Since 1918 the 11th of November has been commemorated as Armistice Day when people now remember the millions of soldiers who died in the two World Wars and other conflicts. The old traditions of the celebration of Martinmas have now disappeared.

On the second Saturday in November the Lord Mayor's Show takes place each year in London.

November 22nd is St. Cecilias Day. Saint Cecilias was thought to be a Roman Maiden who became a Martyr in the second or third century.

                     
Stir Up Sunday. Stir up Sunday is held on the last Sunday before Advent Day according to the Church Calendar and it is the day traditionally for making your Christmas Pudding. This was a family event and involved every member of the family giving the Christmas Pudding a stir and while doing so making a wish.

                                       
November 30th St Andrews Day. St. Andrew is the patron Saint of Scotland and is celebrated by them.


                                                   Wether Lore, Beliefs and Sayings.

      If the wind is in the south - west on St. Martins Day (11th) it will stay there right through till                                                                                                              Candlemas in February , ensuring a mild and snow free winter.
         
          'If the wind be in the north - west on Martinmas, a severe winter to come.

                                              "If the geese at Martin's Day stand on ice,
                                                 They will stand in mud at Christmas'.

                                                        "Ice beforeMartinmas,
                                                        Enough to bare a duck
                                                           The rest of winter,
                                                           Is sure to be muck".

                                          "A warm November is the sign of a bad winter".


                                                   "Flowers blooming in late Autumn
                                                     A sure sign of a bad winter comin".


                                                      "As high as the weeds grow,
                                                         So will the bank of snow".


                                                                    Anniversaries.

The 4th Thursday of the month is Thanksgiving Day in the U S A.
November 1st. All Saint's Day.
November 2nd. All Souls Day.
November 4th. King Tutankhamens Tomb was discovered in Egypt.
November 5th. Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night.
November 9th. The Berlin Wall came down in 1989 between East and West Germany.
November 11th. Remembrance Day. On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 the Great War ended.
Also Martinmas Day.
November 22nd. The feast day of St. Cecilia.
November 23rd. St. Clement's Day, the Patron Saint of Blacksmiths.
November 25th. St. Catherine's Day / Catterntide. Martyred by being broken on a  spiked wheel, her symbol became a wheel and the Catherine Wheel fireworks are named after her.
November 30th. Winston Churchill one of Britians Greatest Prime Ministers was born.
Also St. Andrews Day , The Patron Saint of Scotland.

Burton Statchets.

                                                                       The Statchets.

The 'Statchets' ( Statutes ) held in Burton Upon Trent town centre can be traced back to the granting of the right to hold a three day fair, to a charter granted by King John in 1200. This charter was granted to Abbot William Melbourne and was originally held during the feast of St. Modwen ( observed by the parish church on October 29th ), he also granted permission to the town to hold a market weekly on a Thursday.

A Sculpture Depicting The Signing And The Handing
Over Of The Town Charter Above The Entrance To
The Market Hall.

The Statutes was a Horse Fair and like other fairs it was the time of the year for the hiring of farm labourers and servants, until the Labour Exchange was established. The men and women who were looking for work would wear red, white and blue ribbons in their hats or bonnets while walking around the fair. In A History of Burton On Trent by Denis Stuart a comment by a Mr G. Ulyett reads; 'I was hired at the Statutes Fair in 1919. It was done at the White Hart. The farmer slapped me on the hand, gave me a shilling ( 5 New Pence ) and I was hired for a year. I got £25 for the year. The farmer wanted me to cart away the night soil for which he had a contract with the Corporation. But I wouldn't do that work, I was hired as a cowman. The White Hart and other public houses in New Street were where the workers would be told to meet their new employers to talk terms. The fair is held always on the first Monday in October the week beginning after Michaelmas Day.

During my research into the history of the fair I was not able to find out why it was called the Statchets but I assume that it was because the people gave it this name, because of the Charter granted by King John. As this was an act of law, which was passed and intended as permanent, it was made Statute so they the people of the town referred to it as the Statchets. It was the custom in old times to let the children have a free ride before the fair opened but this died out a long time ago,  however it is still customary to allow children the Monday afternoon off from school, to go to the fair. The fair has changed a great deal over the years, gone are all the little side shows that were the main feature of the old fairs like The Bearded Lady or the Dancing Bear the Fortune Tellers, Fire Eaters, Magic Shows, Tumblers,  The Sword Swallower and many other weird and bazaar sights and acts of the old fairs. To days modern fair is all about fast rides the Big Wheel, Helter Skelter and many other attractions  but there are still some of the old stalls there like Hoop-la where you are required to throw a small hoop over a prize to win it and others like the Coconut Shy where you had to knock a Coconut of it's peg with a wooden ball to win it. The fair for the last 100 years or more has been run by Pat Collins Fun Fairs and the modern fair is the successor to the three day fair now held over just two days.

he Mayor Opens The Fair.

One Of The Large Lorrys Used

The Traditional Fortune
Teller.

One Of The Faster More
Modern Rides.

The Helter Skelter.

                                                                                                                                                                   

                

I remember as a child going into the town centre on a Sunday night to see the arrival of the caravans and the rides and stalls and to watch with amazement as all the rides and stalls were quickly put up. The fair was not allowed in to the town centre until after 8pm on the Sunday night, as they had to wait until the Church services were over. All the rides and stalls and the caravans of the fair had to wait on the outskirts of the town and from early afternoon on the Sunday you would find them queueing up on Derby Road, Branston Road, Ashby Road and Tutbury Road as they waited for the clock to chime eight, then they would all start to move into the town to get the best pitches. On Monday at 12pm the Town Mayor would make his speech and declare the Fair officially open and all the lights and rides would start.

October's Facts, Traditions and Customs.

FACTS ABOUT THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.

                                                                 Gemstone. Opal.





                                                                Flower. Calendula. (Marigold.) 

                                                               

The month of October gets its name from the old Roman Calendar. It was the eighth month of the year and 'Octo' was the roman word for eight.

The Saxons called this month 'Wyn Monath' as it was the season for making wine.

October is the start of Autumn, the days and nights begin to turn cooler as the summer months come to an end. The countryside turns into an array of colours, reds, orange and yellows as the leaves on the trees start to shed them until next spring.

October 4th is St. Francis Day. 
It is this time of the year when we see our summer visitors The Swallows lining up on telephone wires at the side of the road getting ready to begin their long flight across the world back to Africa. It was once thought by our ancestors that the Swallows, when they had disappeared had gone to sleep on the bottom of lakes and ponds for the winter. This myth probably came about because people saw them skimming across the surface of ponds and lakes when catching insects as nothing was known then about migration in those times.

October the 10th is the 'Old Michaelmas Day', this day was formally held on the 29th of September but after the calendar reform of 1752 it was moved forward by eleven days. On or around this day it was once the custom to hold the annual Mop Fairs.

Mop Fairs.

Mop Fairs were held on or around the 10th of October. ( Michaelmas Day ). Traditionally this was the time of the year that the Mop Fair or Hiring Fairs took place. The working year of most people that worked in the countryside for a living was from October to October. Farm workers and servants would go to the fairs to offer their services for hire, they would carry something with them so that their prospective new employers knew what their trade was. Dressed in their best clothes and carrying something to show what work they were looking for, they would walk around the fair looking for work for the next year. If you were a Shepherd you carried a fleece, a Forrester would carry an axe and if you were a Maid you would carry a mop, which was why they became to be known as Mop Fairs. When they had been chosen by their new master or mistress they were given a small token such as an old shilling ( 5 new pence ) to seal the agreement and the worker would then remove his or her sign of their trade and replace it with a bunch of brightly coloured ribbons to show that they had been hired. Mop fairs are still held in small towns and villages all around the country. In the county of Warwickshire there are several Mop Fairs with the main one being held in Stratford. On the morning of the fair children are given free rides.  After World War 1 most of these mop fairs became funfairs and are still held today.

St Luke's Day.

St Luke’s Day falls on October 18th, traditionally this was the day when young girls could take a look into the future regarding their marriage prospects. To do this they had to put on their faces a mixture of spices, honey and vinegar before going to bed. When they had done this and gone to bed, before going to sleep they had to recite the following rhyme;

St luke, St Luke, be kind to me,

In my dreams let me my true love see.

St Luke's day was also known as Dog Whipping Day, it was the custom on this day to Whip and chase out of the streets of the town all stray dogs.

Weather Lore, Beliefs and Sayings.

Rain in October

Means winds in December

When berries are many in October

Beware a hard winter.

In October dung your fields

And your land its wealth shall yield.

If the October moon comes without frost,

then expect no frost till the moon of November.

If ducks do slide at Hallowtide,

At Christmas they will swim;

If ducks do swim at Hallowtide

At Christmas they will slide.

And finally, although I can't see it happening this year.

It is said that there always will be Twenty nine fine days in October.

Festivals and Traditions.

October 1st. Start of the English Pudding Season.

This was the time of the year when everyone began making their puddings. The fillings in them could be anything; meat, fruit or vegetables. 

October 4th. St Francis Day. In olden days this was the day they thought Swallows flew to the bottom of ponds to hibernate for the winter.

October 21st. Apple Day.

In 1989 a custom began to celebrate nature and the culture symbolised by the Apple that began its life in the Tien Shan area ( the Heavenly Mountains ) in China.

Punky Night.

Punky Night falls on the last Thursday in October and is an old Somerset tradition.

This dates back to some time in the Middle Ages when all the men from a small village somewhere in Somerset went to a fair. When they failed to return that night all the women went looking for them, guided in the dark by the light of their punkies. A punky is another name for a pumpkin that had been hollowed out and a candle put inside to help see where you were going in the dark, a sort of 
Old Fashioned Torch.

Another name for these is a Jack O Lantern. Traditionally on this night children in the South of England would march through the streets, singing a 'punky' song.

It's Punky Night, tonight,

It's Punky Night tonight,

Give us a candle, gives us a light.

It's Punky Night, tonight. It's Punky Night, tonight,

It's Punky Night , tonight,

Adam and Eve, wouldn't believe

It's Punky Night, tonight.

October 31st. Halloween Night.

On October the 31st, we celebrate Halloween, thought to be the one night of the

year when ghosts, witches, fairies and all spirits from the spirit world became very active.

The Celts believed that the evil spirits came with the long hours of winter darkness. They believed that on this night that the barrier between our world and that of the spirit world were at their weakest and therefore the spirits would haunt our world. The Celts would also build large bonfires to frighten the spirits away and pray for the souls of people in Purgatory to help them rise to heaven.

A Jack O Lantern or A Punky.

Other Notable Dates.

3rd October 1906. The Letters S.O.S. Were established as the international distress signal for help.

3rd October 1990. East and West Germany re-united and became one country again.

4th October. St. Francis of Assisi’s Day.

6th October 1769. Captain James Cook discovered New Zealand.

11th October 1968. Apollo 7 was launched, making it the first manned flight of the capsule that would take men to the moon.

13th October 1884. Greenwich Mean Time was introduced.

14th October 1066. The Battle of Hastings, King Harold was defeated by William of Normandy.

18th October. St. Luke's Day.

21st October 1805. The Battle of Trafalgar.

23rd October 1642. The Battle between the Cavaliers and the Roundheads took place at Edgehill.

24th October. United Nations Day.

25th October 1415. The Anniversary of The Battle of Agincourt.

25th October 1854. The Anniversary of the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava.

28th October. Feast of St Jude.

31st October. All Hallows Eve.

A Harvest Moon.

                                                                                 Moon Phases.

While writing the Facts of the month for September I remember reading an article about the different phases of the moon, one of these is Harvest Moon that is the name our ancestors called the month of September. This was before the calendar had been invented and it was how our ancestors remembered the changes of each season and kept track of each month of the year.

A full moon happened every twenty nine days which means that on average there is a new moon once each month, so as the seasons changed our ancestors gave each new moon a name that related to the natural world. The names varied slightly in different regions and cultures listed here are the more common names that you may have heard or come across before.


                                                      January                          Wolf Moon.
                                                      February                        Snow or Ice Moon.
                                                      March                            The Worm or Storm Moon.
                                                      April                              The Growing Moon.
                                                      May                               The Flower or Hare Moon.
                                                      June                               The Strawberry or Mead Moon.
                                                      July                                Buck or Hay Moon.
                                                     August                            Sturgeon or Corn Moon.
                                                     September                       Harvest Moon.
                                                     October                           Hunter's Moon.
                                                     November                       Beaver or Snow Moon.
                                                     December                       Cold or Winter Moon.

A Harvest Moon.

                                                                                                                               

Some of the meanings or the names given to some of the phases may be hard to work out why they were so named but with a little thought most of them will become obvious to you i.e.; April's moon is the time that crops would be sewn, June would relate to the time they made Mead an early type of beer, July is the start of the rutting season for Roe Deer hence Buck and Hay making would also begin this month, so most of the names become more logical and easier to work out their meaning. Two of the most important moons of the seasons were the Harvest Moon  (because it is the closest to the Autumn Equinox ) around the 21st of September and the other is the (Hunters Moon in October). The reason being, that both of these moons rise more quickly in to the sky on successive evenings than any other moons of the year. This means that the period of darkness is shorter between Sunset and Moonrise , so there was more light in the sky for Farmers and Hunters to carry on with their work. Also these two Moons were special because they appear much bigger because of the Earth's tilt, so they appear to hang much lower in the sky at this time of the year.

Wood Burners.

                         

                                                                                Wood Burners.

In the last few years wood burners have again become popular, probably due to the ever rising costs of Gas and Electric. Wood burners and multi fuel stoves for heating and cooking have been around for many years, improvements to design and construction have made them a very good alternative and efficient source for providing heat and to cook with. Most of you will be familiar with the names of Rayburn, Aga and Franco Belge, if you live in the countryside or used to live in the countryside, chances are you probably have one or used one. Nearly every farmer, estate worker, gamekeeper had one of these in their home, I had one on all the estates where I lived and worked. The main fuel for me was wood as I had an unlimited supply, I only ever used coal when I needed to. Now they are back in fashion with many more choices available to suit any property, wether you want to cook with it or just use it to heat your home.

An Aga Multi fuel Stove.

A Rayburn.

The more modern wood burner will fit in to any property old or new provided you have a chimney, although it is possible to put one in with out. These new burners provide a lot of heat for their physical size but do get one that is capable of doing what you want it to do and also decide if it is just for

background heat or to heat radiators and if you want to cook with it.

A Franco Belge

A Aga wood burner.

Now the most important tip that I can give you if you decide to fit one in your home, you will need to build up a store of good timber and it must be kept dry. If your timber is not kept dry it will smoke, provide little heat and soot up your chimney very quickly. When buying your logs always try to find a  good supplier and always if possible stick to hardwoods, here is an old traditional poem that will tell you everything you need to know about choosing the right logs for your fire.

                                                                          Logs to burn, logs to burn

Logs to save the coal a turn,

Here's a word to make you wise,

When you hear the woodman's cries.

Never heed his usual tale ,

That he has good logs for sale,

So read these lines and really learn,

The proper kinds of logs to burn.

Oak logs will warm you well,

If they're old and dry.

Larch logs of pine will smell,

But the sparks will fly.

Beech logs for Christmas time,

Yew logs heat well.

'Scotch' logs it is a crime 

For anyone to sell.

Birch logs will burn too fast,

Chestnut scarce at all.

Hawthorn logs are good to last

If you cut them in the fall.

Holly logs will burn like wax,

You should burn them green.

Elm logs like smouldering flax

No flames to be seen.

Pear logs and apple logs,

These will sent your room.

Cherry logs across the dogs

Smell like flowers in bloom.

But Ash logs, all smooth and grey,

Burn them in the green or old:

Buy up all that come your way,

They're worth their weight in gold.

And finally if you have the room to make a small lean to type of cover to store your logs under out of the rain but allows the wind to blow through the pile to help dry them out and season them, it would be a good idea to make one. It takes on average one year per inch of the thickness of timber to dry or season the wood, so collect and store your timber in advance the year before for best results.