Rosemary Oat Bannock
The grace of a grey bannock is in the baking of it… Scottish Proverb Oatcakes or Bannocks were traditionally eaten on old-world feast days to mark the changing seasons.
February 1 - Winter turns to Spring
"No matter how long the Winter, Spring is sure to follow."
The literal translation of the Irish word Imbolg is ‘in the belly’, while the English word was Oimelc, which translates from Anglo-Saxon as the ‘ewe’s milk’. Both refer to important agricultural practices in both countries. This festival marks the first stirrings of life in the womb of Mother Earth. While some crops were already beginning to sprout beneath the freezing soil, it was also a time of ploughing and preparing the soil for seeding.
In the fields the first lambs are also being born; the ewe’s milk being collected to feed the orphan lambs, as well as being in the kitchen. A tradition amongst farmer’s wives who use it to make their own cheeses. To the common people these were all signs that spring was just around the corner. This was once marked as one of the major fire festivals in pagan Europe, with bonfires being lit in the fields.
In traditional Irish folk lore this was the festival of Brid, the goddess of the land, of cattle and of agriculture. She later became Christianised, and Imbolc became titled after her; St. Bridget’s Day. As a goddess and a virgin saint she was, and still is in Ireland, called upon to protect mothers, children and cattle. It is still traditional there to create the Brid’s Crosses; a sun wheel made out of reeds and straw, as well as dolls representing her, the Brídeóg. People would make a bed for her, where she was laid with the traditional welcome of ‘Brid is come, brid is welcome’. In Christianised England, this festival became known as the feast day of Candlemass, but prior to this celebrated a virgin goddess, in what later became Christianised as the feast day of The Purification of the Virgin. The title Candlemass came from the older tradition of lighting every lamp and candle in the house on this night to herald the return of spring. This festival of light was adopted by Christianity, with the incorporation of the tradition of the priest blessing the candles to be used in church first, before returning them back to the faithful; a symbolic gesture of the priest representing the Christian god’s power to return light to the world. Because this was the time of fertility returning to the world, it was also a time when young virgin women would ‘divine’ to find their future husbands using a mirror. They would stand in front of it with a candle behind them. The future image of their husband was then said to appear in the mirror.
One other method was spirally peeling an apple. The spiral peel would then be thrown over their left shoulder. The shape it took was believed to take that of their future husbands initial. In agricultural tradition it was the time for the blessing of the plough to bring fertility to the fields. Before Christianity, this was of course carried out by the Druids and pagan priesthoods of the land, and was more than just a simple blessing but in fact consisted of a charm and sacrifice being made to land to ensure that the plough made the land abundant and fertile.
MAY 23, 2024
May is most notable for being the turning point in the year where temperatures rise and a vast variety of flowers come into full bloom, letting the world break out into a riot of color. As such, May’s full moon has come to be known as the Full Flower Moon. The Anishnaabe tribe also called it the Blossom Moon. In Northern America, you can expect to see flowers such as bluebells, sundrops, violets, and so on, as well as lush greenery to go with the blossoms. The Apache and Lakota peoples named May’s full moon the Green Leaves Moon, while the Mohawk tribe called it the Big Leaf Moon. But there is one specific plant that’s very important during the May season - and it is, in fact, not a flower.
This plant is corn, an important staple food for Northern American peoples. According to the Algonquin tribes, May’s full moon is the Corn Planting Moon. For Native American tribes, this is the perfect time for them to start preparing the fields for farming and sowing the seeds saved up from last year. Appropriately, the Abenaki culture refers to May’s full moon as the Field Maker Moon, while the Haida tribe calls it the Food Gathering Moon. Apart from corn, other foods such as beans, squash, and potatoes are planted during this time. The Cherokee tribe called May’s full moon the Anisguti Moon, or the Planting Moon, and would traditionally perform a Corn Dance during this period to encourage a fruitful corn harvest.
Due to the rising temperatures, the Full Flower Moon is also a time of heightened fertility. This is a good time for women to bear children in a warm, safe environment that would increase the chance of their survival. That’s why May’s full moon is also named Mother’s Moon, or Milk Moon, which could refer to breastfeeding or to the milking of cows. The latter interpretation is based off the Old English name Rimilcemona, or the Month of Three Milkings, referring to how this was a period where cows could be milked up to three times daily.
In other parts of the world, the Full Flower Moon is better known as Vesak or Buddha Day, the most significant celebration for Buddhists all around the world. On the first full moon of May, Buddhists commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha. Devout practioners are encouraged to renew their intention to adhere to sacred Buddhist principles, as well as refrain from all forms of killing and violence, including eating meat. Celebrations include giving charity to the poor, disabled, and otherwise marginalized groups in society. Depending on your location, you may witness the spectacular practice of releasing thousands of caged birds into the air as a symbolic gesture of liberation, though this tradition is illegal in countries such as Singapore because it may cause harm to local ecosystems.
Pagans, on the other hand, associate the Full Flower Moon with the element of fire, and thus often celebrate it by lighting bonfires and engaging in other magical fire rituals to bring prosperity. Powerful colors for the Full Flower Moon include fiery colors like red, yellow, and orange. This is a good time to tend your garden and let the seeds you’ve planted blossom - both literally and metaphorically. Cultivate your passions and desires, encourage them to burst forth into bloom, and you will be rewarded with abundance in various forms in your life.