May 01

Beltane!

 

Summer in Edinburgh, Scotland, kicks off with an evening of whimsical revelry. Colorful characters parade atop a hill, dancing and marching to the beat of pounding drums. Fires blaze, warming the air with their bright, smoky flames.

Beltane or Beltain is the Gaelic May Day festival. Most commonly it is held on 1 May, or about halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.

Also known as CĂ©tshamhain (“first of summer”), it marked the beginning of summer and was when cattle were driven out to the summer pastures. Rituals were performed to protect the cattle, crops and people, and to encourage growth.

Special bonfires were kindled, and their flames, smoke and ashes were deemed to have protective powers. The people and their cattle would walk around or between bonfires, and sometimes leap over the flames or embers. All household fires would be doused and then re-lit from the Beltane bonfire.

These gatherings would be accompanied by a feast, and some of the food and drink would be offered. Doors, windows, byres and livestock would be decorated with yellow May flowers, perhaps because they evoked fire.

 

May 01

Hooray, Hooray, the First of May!

mayday

 

May Day is observed annually on May 1.  In many ancient calendars, May 1 was the first day of summer.  This was a cause for celebration.  One of the more popular rituals was harvesting flowers and giving them to neighbors and strangers in cone-shaped baskets. These “May Baskets” become more commonly known as “May Day Baskets”.  The current tradition is observed by hanging a cone-shaped basket full of flowers or other gifts on the outside doorknob, then knocking or ringing the doorbell and run away.

May Day has been a traditional day of celebration for centuries, with some of the earliest appearing in pre-Christian times.  In English tradition, May Day is celebrated by crowning a May Queen and dancing around a maypole.  The Finnish tradition is a carnival-type celebration in the streets that includes a special type of lemonade that is made with lemons, brown sugar and yeast.  In France, it is correct to give people either dogwood or lily of the valley to celebrate May Day.  In Italy, a seasonal feast is held to celebrate the arrival of spring.

When we were kids, we learned how to dance a Maypole dance but no one else I’ve ever asked remembers doing this.  Maybe it was just my small town?  This was the town that gave out cherry pies for Washington’s birthday, too.

I don’t remember much about learning how to do this, other than we always got the strands tied up, possibly on purpose.

 

 

 

Apr 12

Have a Blessed Easter!

 

 

Easter symbolizes the renewal of life. I wish you and your family the renewal of life, love, and happiness.

 

Apr 06

Five Things You Didn’t Know About Scotland on Tartan Day

I had my Black Watch tartan ready to go to wear to the parade in New York this year but it was canceled due to COVID-19.

Don’t be surprised if you see people decked out in tartan this weekend. Today, April 6, the United States is celebrating National Tartan Day. The day is intended to recognize the contributions of Scottish Americans to the U.S.

Here’s a look at five things you didn’t know about Scotland…

Read the whole article at Tartan Day: 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Scotland – ABC News

Mar 15

Beware! The Ides of March

Everyone knows we’re supposed to beware the Ides of March and may even remember they’re from William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” but what exactly do they mean?

The Ides of March marked the day the Julius Caesar was assassinated by members of the Roman Senate in 44 B.C.E.

A soothsayer, or psychic, warned Caesar to beware the day, but Caesar doesn’t heed him.

He was then stabbed 23 times by about 60 conspirators, including his friend Marcus Brutus, as immortalised by Shakespeare’s “Et tu Brute?”

I remember learning all about this in Latin class in High School.

I remember another movie,  Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, discussing the Ides of March and someone asked why a month would need an “idea”.

We found Bill and Ted purely by accident.  We were looking at videos for rent in a grocery store and one of the bag boys (remember them?) recommended this one.

I’ve seen this several times over the years…

Mar 14

Happy Pi Day Today!

pi-day

 

Mar 10

Just for me – Mary O’Day!

Even though the day is really for Mario, I like to think of it as MaryO day.  Since I’m Scottish, how about MaryO’Day?

So, I bring you the new holiday…

Mar 02

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

drSeussBirthdayGreeting

My Little Free Library has a *few* Dr Seuss books in it

Meanwhile…

Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, where I also grew up and went to High School.

The Springfield Library Quadrangle has been home to the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden since 2002.

seuss-memorial2 seuss-memorial

Mar 01

My Ringtone: Scotland the Brave

blackwatch-pipers


“Scotland the Brave” (Scottish Gaelic: Alba an Àigh) is a Scottish patriotic song. It was one of several songs considered an unofficial national anthem of Scotland.

My cellphone ringtone is Scotland the Brave. At any rehearsal, everyone knows it’s my phone, if one is ringing 🙂  I posted a bit about that here: http://maryoblog.com/2015/08/

Below, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards pipes and drums perform Scotland The Brave, The Black Bear and Highland Laddie on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. In typically inclement Scottish weather, the Pipes and Drums were performing to mark the release of their second album Spirit of the Glen: Journey. Part of this album was recorded when the regiment was on active service in Iraq.

With a view of the amazing Scottish country taken from across Scotland.

I had no idea that there were lyrics and I’ve never heard anyone singing them but here they are:

Hark when the night is falling
Hear! Hear the pipes are calling,
Loudly and proudly calling,
Down thro’ the glen.
There where the hills are sleeping,
Now feel the blood a-leaping,
High as the spirits of the old Highland men.

Towering in gallant fame,
Scotland my mountain hame,
High may your proud standards gloriously wave,
Land of my high endeavour,
Land of the shining river,
Land of my heart for ever,
Scotland the brave.

High in the misty Highlands,
Out by the purple islands,
Brave are the hearts that beat
Beneath Scottish skies.
Wild are the winds to meet you,
Staunch are the friends that greet you,
Kind as the love that shines from fair maiden’s eyes.

Towering in gallant fame,
Scotland my mountain hame,
High may your proud standards gloriously wave,
Land of my high endeavour,
Land of the shining river,
Land of my heart for ever,
Scotland the brave.

Far off in sunlit places,
Sad are the Scottish faces,
Yearning to feel the kiss
Of sweet Scottish rain.
Where tropic skies are beaming,
Love sets the heart a-dreaming,
Longing and dreaming for the homeland again.

Towering in gallant fame,
Scotland my mountain hame,
High may your proud standards gloriously wave,
Land of my high endeavour,
Land of the shining river,
Land of my heart for ever,
Scotland the brave.

Feb 02

Happy Groundhog Day!

Groundhog Day is observed on February 2nd, each year in the United States and Canada.

For a nice welcomed break during the winter, on this day the groundhog awakens from his nap and goes outside to see if he can see his shadow. It is believed by many that if the groundhog sees his shadow that there will then be six more weeks of winter. If this is so, he then heads back into his den and goes back to sleep. If he is not able to see his shadow, the groundhog remains outside and, supposedly, spring is just around the corner.

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania has been chosen as the site for the annual Groundhog day event. Thousands of people come to the town of Punxsutawney on Groundhog Day for this day of celebration.

Although already a well known day, Groundhog Day received widespread attention as a result of the 1993 film Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney, PA.

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