A special world wide celebration known as the Winter Solstice is observed for the shortest day of the year occurs on Sunday, December 21, 2014 at approximately 4:30 pm (MDT) or 11:30 pm (UTC) but this is the time that Inuvik, NT (Northwest Territories), Canada marks this date.
But Inuvik does not really pay homage for the Winter Solstice as it has been in complete darkness since December 6th and the sun will not appear again until January 6, 2015 and even on this date it will be just a sliver above the horizon and only for less than an hour. This is when Inuvik celebrates the shortest day of the year. With a massive bonfire lit, dressed in their parkas and fur and standing on the permafrost, the people watch as the skies are once again filled with light.
Situated just above the 68 parallel which is 2 degrees above the Arctic Circle, Inuvik is approximately 100 km (120 miles) from the Beaufort Sea and then another 100 km (120 miles) to reach the Arctic Ocean but these bodies of water can only when travelling on the ice road during the darkest days and nights of the year (or of course through air travel).
There is a long standing tradition from the Inuit people that whistling to the Aurora Boreralis (Northern Lights) is when you can make them dance and come closer to the ground. Mind you, there are many beliefs that the lights are actually walrus' playing soccer with a human head and then all the way to the ghosts of the dead reaching down to take small children away. Which is the truth, only the one with story from their ancestors and then passed onto down to the next generation knows the truth.
So even though the Winter Solstice has passed, Inuvik will continue to stay in the dark for another few weeks but still the days are getting longer and the dark skies are slowly fading away to make room for the sun.
p.s. ~ I lived in Inuvik for just under 7 years and I have on many nights spent time outside in the -30 (-22F) to -40C (-40F) whistling to the lights and watching them dance.
A Faerie Nursery!!
Our nursery is certainly not your everyday garden by any means.
As if mingled with the seeds sprinkled in an ornamental garden...which have been dipped in hues
of a coloured rainbow...kissed with aroma of a midsummer's bouquet...bringing a breathtaking
and magical feel that can only be found in our enchanted nursery.
Welcome to the nursery..... www.faerienursery.com
Showing posts with label Bonfire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bonfire. Show all posts
Monday, December 22, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
As the Night Takes Over
A bit of history for night of October 31st.
A bit of history...The Spelling...Halloween; Hallow's Eve; Hallowe'en; All Hallows; All Hallows Eve; All Hallows Even; Hallowed Evening...
A bit of history...The Name....All Saints' Day (derived from the Catholic Church); All Soul's Day (again derived from the Catholic Church); Samhain (derived from the Celtic Islands); The Festival of the Dead (derived from the Celtic tribes); The Feast of Samhain (derived from the celebrations of witches); All Hallows (derived from the Catholic to honour all the saints); All Hallows Even (derived from the Irish Catholic peasants)....
A bit of history...The Samhain (pronounced say-wen).... comes from the Irish Gaelic word samhuinn, meaning 'summer's end' and was recognized as the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year.
A bit of history....The Hallowed.....sanctified or holy.
A bit of history...The 'All Hallows'.....in Ireland was a time for fairies to dance.
A bit of history....The Otherworld....was the time of the end of the harvest, the summer's end, the time with the veil to the 'otherworld' is at its thinest allowing fairies, banshees, puka and other spirits to roam freely upon the earth.
A bit of history...The Mumming.....stemmed from the dressing up to represent demons and dreadful creatures as if the souls of the dead. These creatures would then roam around and perform antics in order to offered food and drink.
A bit of history...The Costume.....can be traced back to this mumming ritual which is still celebrated world wide by the Druids. The dress of the demons are now represented through costumes such as witches, ghosts and skeletons.
A bit of history...The Bonfire....was named after the sacrifices of animal and humans and the ashes and bones could be found once the fire died down, hence the reference from the name 'bone fires' or the 'fire of the bones'. This is now where people wear costumes, ugly masks and disguises in order to confuse and ward off evil spirits.
A bit of history....The Hawthorn or Whitethorn bush....were the favourited place to set out offerings in an attempt to appease bad spirits and fairies.
A bit of history...The Mardi Gras....is the adults version of today's Halloween celebration that is practiced by children. This day involves magnificent masquerade balls.
A bit of history....The Dead...the celebration of the Day of the Dead by the Celts.
A bit of history....The Druid...the wearing of costumes that would keep these people safe from the spirits.
A bit of history...The Jack-o'-Lantern....become a pumpkin in the late 1800's when it was originally a turnip that had been made into lamps. These lamps were placed in windows to help guide the spirits along their journeys. The carving of scary faces on turnips and placing them near the entry of the home was again a way to ward off evil spirits.
A bit of history...The Embers....these were the embers that were carried home from the great bonfire, usually in a carved out turnip that wore a face in order to scare away evil sprites, to which they were to relight the hearth fire for good luck.
A bit of history...The Ashes....from the bonfires were spread across the fields to protect them against the spirits who would cause the next season's crops to fail.
A bit of history...The Offerings....were actually food, drinks or even gifts that were placed out a part of the ritual to remember and honour the dead. Today, these offerings are the candy that is handed out.
A bit of history....The Centrepiece....here fruit, apples and nuts are set out as a representation of the end of the harvest.
So between the myths, the legends, the practices, the meanings, the spellings, the 'bits of history'.... the celebration from the past through to today....
But in my wee world....my mew mew, Lady Isabella has her own way to celebrate posing with the candles that are left out in the window (and yes, these are the lighted candles and the wax burning ones...but can you see in the candles...that even today...the ghost, the ghouls, the fairies, the souls of the dead still rise to roam free for the evening. May they pass by to ward off the evil spirits.
A bit of history...The Spelling...Halloween; Hallow's Eve; Hallowe'en; All Hallows; All Hallows Eve; All Hallows Even; Hallowed Evening...
A bit of history...The Name....All Saints' Day (derived from the Catholic Church); All Soul's Day (again derived from the Catholic Church); Samhain (derived from the Celtic Islands); The Festival of the Dead (derived from the Celtic tribes); The Feast of Samhain (derived from the celebrations of witches); All Hallows (derived from the Catholic to honour all the saints); All Hallows Even (derived from the Irish Catholic peasants)....
A bit of history...The Samhain (pronounced say-wen).... comes from the Irish Gaelic word samhuinn, meaning 'summer's end' and was recognized as the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year.
A bit of history....The Hallowed.....sanctified or holy.
A bit of history...The 'All Hallows'.....in Ireland was a time for fairies to dance.
A bit of history....The Otherworld....was the time of the end of the harvest, the summer's end, the time with the veil to the 'otherworld' is at its thinest allowing fairies, banshees, puka and other spirits to roam freely upon the earth.
A bit of history...The Mumming.....stemmed from the dressing up to represent demons and dreadful creatures as if the souls of the dead. These creatures would then roam around and perform antics in order to offered food and drink.
A bit of history...The Costume.....can be traced back to this mumming ritual which is still celebrated world wide by the Druids. The dress of the demons are now represented through costumes such as witches, ghosts and skeletons.
A bit of history...The Bonfire....was named after the sacrifices of animal and humans and the ashes and bones could be found once the fire died down, hence the reference from the name 'bone fires' or the 'fire of the bones'. This is now where people wear costumes, ugly masks and disguises in order to confuse and ward off evil spirits.
A bit of history....The Hawthorn or Whitethorn bush....were the favourited place to set out offerings in an attempt to appease bad spirits and fairies.
A bit of history...The Mardi Gras....is the adults version of today's Halloween celebration that is practiced by children. This day involves magnificent masquerade balls.
A bit of history....The Dead...the celebration of the Day of the Dead by the Celts.
A bit of history....The Druid...the wearing of costumes that would keep these people safe from the spirits.
A bit of history...The Jack-o'-Lantern....become a pumpkin in the late 1800's when it was originally a turnip that had been made into lamps. These lamps were placed in windows to help guide the spirits along their journeys. The carving of scary faces on turnips and placing them near the entry of the home was again a way to ward off evil spirits.
A bit of history...The Embers....these were the embers that were carried home from the great bonfire, usually in a carved out turnip that wore a face in order to scare away evil sprites, to which they were to relight the hearth fire for good luck.
A bit of history...The Ashes....from the bonfires were spread across the fields to protect them against the spirits who would cause the next season's crops to fail.
A bit of history...The Offerings....were actually food, drinks or even gifts that were placed out a part of the ritual to remember and honour the dead. Today, these offerings are the candy that is handed out.
A bit of history....The Centrepiece....here fruit, apples and nuts are set out as a representation of the end of the harvest.
So between the myths, the legends, the practices, the meanings, the spellings, the 'bits of history'.... the celebration from the past through to today....
But in my wee world....my mew mew, Lady Isabella has her own way to celebrate posing with the candles that are left out in the window (and yes, these are the lighted candles and the wax burning ones...but can you see in the candles...that even today...the ghost, the ghouls, the fairies, the souls of the dead still rise to roam free for the evening. May they pass by to ward off the evil spirits.
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