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Tag: celebrations
Yule
Moving with Orion Towards Midwinter
The signs are everywhere…
Nights drawing in…
Unexpected sunshine on frosted mornings.
The bare beauty of trees silhouetted against clear winter skies.
As Orion strides across the evening sky, we draw closer to the Winter Solstice and the darkest, stillest, nights of the year.
Winter Solstice celebrations begin on the 21st of December, a time of hope and joy for all, regardless of belief or religious observances.
Magical Midwinter!
Ancient tribes all over the world observed rituals around Solstice time.
We too can celebrate Winter Solstice, integrating it into our own traditional celebrations.
A chance to step outdoors and observe the night sky.
An opportunity to nurture and develop connections to family and friends.
From this day, there are 22 days to go before the descent into the Midwinter Solstice.
Yes, the coldest days precede the Spring, so January rarely feels like the prelude to that beautiful season!
But, here in the West of Ireland, with Imbolc on the first day of February, the signs are there for all to see, as new life emerges from the frozen earth.
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The Power of Ritual
Ritual, everyday ritual, is incredibly powerful!
Examine the ritual of power, be that in the opening of parliament, royal celebrations, religious ceremony…and you begin to see the importance and power of ritual!
So where does this fit into a sustainable life or a permaculture smallholding?
It is simple to understand in the context of power…
Since the rise of the Age of Technology, our real power as human beings has become diminished.
We have become reliant on technology, without stopping to assess and filter the bits we really need and want.
I was contemplating this as I lit the stove this morning, moving to and fro with paper and wood, collecting fuel from the barn, whilst casting my eyes over the pile of long thin trunks, standing erect ready to be sawn into logs. 
My early morning coffee is predicated on lighting the stove and doing small chores, as I wait for the kettle to boil. This is a ritual I choose to partake of.
I could have kept my electric kettle and simply touched a switch each morning, but chose instead to avail of that great commodity: time!
Rising a little earlier, cleaning the ash-pan, lighting the stove and waiting, allows my morning to begin a sacred quietness.
I walk to the back door and stand by the open portal to Nature, as she heralds the morning in with birdsong.
The power of ritual is our power.
It is what we have forgotten, as technology imbibes us to forget our humanity.
We need both.
We need to be selective and thoughtful about what we wish to keep in our lives.
It is our power to choose.
Saint Patrick’s Day Permaculture at Bealtaine Cottage
Saint Patrick’s Day! The middle of March in the West of Ireland…and there is much to celebrate! For we have enjoyed a mild winter and fast warming Spring.
According to the old Irish annals, Patrick died in AD 461 on March 17.
And so, it is today that we celebrate the greatest non-Irish person as the greatest of the Irish… for it is in Patrick that the Irish nurture their sense of national pride.
Much of the landscape of Ireland is awakened into Spring at this point in the year as you can see from the photographs taken this morning here at Bealtaine Cottage.
It has been traditional to plant potatoes on saint Patrick’s Day or thereabouts, so this morning, this is what I shall be doing, having prepared the beds at the beginning of the week, (and sliced through the water-pipe!).
Potatoes in Ireland were traditionally planted into mounds, a form of raised bed.
Potatoes are planted into the mounds as they have a lower tolerance to frost and this way of planting affords a certain amount of protection. Other more hardy crop,s are Peas, Beans and Cabbage, all of which can be planted out regardless of frost.
Permaculture planting takes into account these variants and straw is placed over the beds of potatoes as both a mulch to exclude weeds and a protection against late frosts, which can be expected right through to May!
All these pics were taken this morning and as you can see, it is a perfect planting day in the west of the country.
The celebrations and parades will all take place this afternoon, so the morning is planned for a little light work, planting!
So, it just suffices to say…A very Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to you all, with blessings and love to each and every one of you, from Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland.
On the Eve of Imbolc…
Imbolc is a time to celebrate the promise of Spring and to think about planting…
Imbolc, or St Brigid’s Day Lá Fhéile Bríde, is an Irish festival marking the beginning of spring.
Imbolc is celebrated on the 1st day of February, the date that falls approximately halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.
The holiday was, and for many still is, a festival of the hearth and home, and a celebration of the lengthening days and the early signs of spring.
Celebrations are focused around hearth fires, special foods, as in a family dinner or feast, candles, invoking a sense of the light to come…
“The serpent will come from the hole
On the brown Day of Bride,
Though there should be three feet of snow
On the flat surface of the ground.”
Fire and purification are an important aspect of this festival.
Brigid is the Gaelic goddess of poetry, healing and smith-craft.
As both goddess and saint she is also associated with holy wells, sacred flames, and healing.
The lighting of candles and fires represents the return of warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months.
Brigid is said to walk the earth on Imbolc eve.
Before going to bed, each member of the household may leave a piece of clothing or strip of cloth outside for Brigid to bless.
The head of the household will smother (or “smoor”) the fire and rake the ashes smooth.
In the morning, they look for some kind of mark on the ashes, a sign that Brigid has passed that way in the night or morning.
The clothes or strips of cloth are brought inside, and believed to now have powers of healing and protection.
Traditionally, a cross made from pulled rushes is hung inside the home each Imbolc.
You can find these at the Bealtaine Cottage Etsy Shop, at the right side of this page.
Weekend Permaculture Tree Planting at Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland.
Blossom on the Plum and Cherry trees continue to develop at Bealtaine Smallholding.
As I type this blog on a calm and warm Friday evening I am amazed at the continual good weather experienced here in the west of Ireland since the middle of March. The climate is changing…that I know.
Peach blossom covers the tree in the tunnel and all the seedlings are growing well. The bottom line is that food is very easy to grow. A small warm space is all that’s needed to get seedlings up and ready for planting out.
The Fairy Dell is now covered in green growth. Primroses, Mosses, Violets and Ferns are all competing with hundreds of other species to grow. The scents emanating from the warm earth below my feet as I walk the woodland are nothing less than intoxicating!
This is the willow wreath made here in December. I will strip back the winter foliage of Larch and Ivy and re-dress the willow base for the Easter celebrations. This Willow wreath will keep for several years and can be dressed for seasonal celebrations.
The leaves on the Amelanchier tree are out and making colour in the garden.
The weekend is here and I have another five trees to plant. These are all pot grown from seeds, so can be planted at any time of the year as long as they are kept well watered!