AdventThe Episcopal Church Calendar Begins with Advent. “The first season of the church year, beginning with the fourth Sunday before Christmas and continuing through the day before Christmas. The name is derived from a Latin word for ‘coming.’The season is a time of preparation and expectation for the coming celebration of our Lord’s nativity, and…
Category: #Festivals & Holidays
A Virtual Tour of New Orleans & Pinpointing Where the Truck Plowed Down Bourbon Street on January 1, 2025
New Orleans is at the bottom-most part of the Mississippi River. I grew up north of New Orleans–in cotton country near that same river. Founded in 1718, New Orleans is an important cultural and historic destination that has become perhaps the greatest party spot in the USA. Sadly, a misguided truck driver tried to end…
Ancient Roman Festival Saturnalia and Its Influence on Modern Christmas
Christmas Was Originally a Pagan Holiday. “The Scriptures are wholly silent as to the date of Christ’s birth. The 25th of December, the winter solstice, was not fixed as Christmas until a long time after the New Testament period. But despite serious objections, historical and otherwise, that date triumphed.’ The Julian Calendar was used during…
November 1 Is My New Year: Time to Set New Resolutions – New Goals
For the past several days, I have been talking about how some of the ancient civilizations celebrated the New Year on November 1: I have decided to start my new year today, too. As of today, November 1, I have officially left the skeletons of my old self behind me, and I have resolved to…
November 1 – The Beginning of a New Year – Blessing of the Water
Yesterday was October 31, which–over time–has become the date of Halloween. Today is November 1, which–over time–has become [for Catholics and Christians] the date of All Saints Day. I have said this before, but again, I want to add that the Catholic Church and the Early Christians evoloved out of a Pagan Culture, and I…
To Everything, There Is A Season – A Fable – The Moral: Look for the Beauty of Every Time of Year
Nothing sings the song of autumn more eloquently than a sunflower withering on its stem. Mid-July I was at a nursery, purchasing a perennial that had been marked as a clearance item. Like the sunflower in the above photo, that Black-Eyed Susan [Rudbeckia] had passed its season, and it had withered almost to nothingness. When…
The Ancient Celts: History, Religion, and Mythology
Anglo-CelticPeople “The true term for the population of these [British] islands, and for the typical and dominant part of the population of North America, is not Anglo-Saxon, but Anglo-Celtic. It is precisely in this blend of Germanic and Celtic elements that the British people are unique—it is precisely this blend which gives to this people…
Samhain – The Ancient Celtic Origin of Halloween – A Struggle to Light the Darkness
Over the years, I have read many explanations about the origin of Halloween. Until recently, no explanation stuck, but I am in the process of researching ancient civilizations, and I have begun to understand why and how the need to celebrate Halloween has been etched on our consciounesses. Before I begin this post, allow me…
Halloween – History and Mythology of an Ancient Harvest Festival
SUN-WORSHIP. THE SOURCES OF HALLOWE’EN “If we could ask one of the old-world pagans whom he revered as his greatest gods, he would be sure to name among them the sun-god; calling him Apollo if he were a Greek; if an Egyptian, Horus or Osiris; if of Norway, Sol; if of Peru, Bochica. As the…
Time to Set Up Bird Feeders and Plant Wildflowers – Winter Comes Too Soon: Memoir Mondays
There’s a frenzy in my garden, Squirrels can’t get enough. Birds are looking frantically For seeds and nuts and stuff. The corn is dry and shriveled now, A vine has reached the top. Fading leaves are bending low, And bright red apples drop. – Jacki Kellum – I began writing the abovee picture book manuscript…