Tag: Traditions

May Day Traditions

May Day Traditions

The first day of May is known as May Day, a time of year when warmer weather brings newly grown flowers and blossoms to the trees. A lovely month of the year, it is the time when people’s thoughts move from winter to the coming summer. Even though summer only officially begins in June, May opens the door; and May Day has had a rich history in England for over 2,000 years. Floralia The Romans celebrated the cycle of life at the festival of Floralia from the end of April until the early days of May. Flora was the Goddess…

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New Year Customs

New Year Customs

Customs in celebration of the New Year take place the world over. Strangely enough in Europe, the New Year was celebrated in the past at different times varying from Christmas to March, and the official celebration on 1st January is comparatively new in the scheme of things. Until the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1752, the official New Year in Britain began in March! As far as the common people were concerned however, it has always been celebrated on 1st January.             Many of the customs associated with this turning point combine the elements of death and rebirth. The…

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Jolabokaflod on Christmas Eve!

Jolabokaflod on Christmas Eve!

Every Christmas Eve, Icelandic people practice something called ‘jolabokaflod,’ which translates to ‘Christmas book flood. ‘ Jolabokaflod’ is pronounced Jola-boka-flod (with the ‘J’ sounding like the ‘Y’ in ‘yoghurt!)  The tradition  involves giving books as presents on Christmas Eve, so that friends and family can spend a cozy night in curled up with a good story. Let’s set the scene. It’s Christmas Eve and after receiving a brand-new book from your family, you sit comfortably in your favourite chair close to a warm fire with chocolates to eat and a mug of hot cocoa to spend the rest of the…

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May Day Traditions

May Day Traditions

The first day of May is known as May Day, a time of year when warmer weather brings newly grown flowers and blossoms to the trees. A lovely month of the year, it is the time when people’s thoughts move from winter to the coming summer. Even though summer only officially begins in June, May opens the door; and May Day has had a rich history in England for over 2,000 years. Floralia The Romans celebrated the cycle of life at the festival of Floralia from the end of April until the early days of May. Flora was the Goddess…

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EASTER LORE

EASTER LORE

Easter is called a moveable feast because the date changes every year. Easter Sunday can fall on any date from 22 March to 25 April. The reason for this variation in the date of Easter is based on the lunar calendar (moon) rather than our more well-known solar one. Easter always falls on the first Sunday following the full Moon after the 21st March. In 2021 Good Friday is on 2nd April and Easter Sunday on 4th April.             Symbolism has always played an important part in festivals and celebrations, and Easter is no exception to this rule. Before Christianity…

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