Lunagirl Vintage: New Stuff, Free Stuff, & Fun Stuff — folklore

Why kiss under the mistletoe? How did this poisonous plant become a symbol of Christmas?  Mistletoe has been considered a magical plant at least since Roman times, when it was part of the Saturnalia festivals held at the winter solstice. It was sacred to the ancient peoples of Europe, especially the Celtic Druids, who gathered it at both the Summer and Winter solstices. As with other "evergreens," its ability to stay green through the cold dark winter made it a symbol of renewal and "life-giving" power. There are two kinds of mistletoe: The European plant known to the ancients, found...

Do you ever wonder about the origins of Halloween customs like trick-or-treating? Why do we carve pumpkins? Where did this holiday come from, anyway?  

Years ago when I was a folklore student, I did my research on the origins of Halloween, and I've shared some fun info online on my Lunagirl feature article Between the Worlds: The Origins of Halloween and Its Customs.

"Among the ancient Celtic peoples of Europe, the end of October was marked by the festival of Samhain.  Samhain (sometimes translated hesitantly as "summer's end") was one of four major yearly festivals of the Celtic calendar. 

Today is the Spring Equinox, which marks the official beginning of Spring!  Today the day and night are of equal length, and the days will begin to get a little longer each day.  

In celebration I'll share a lovely painting called Primavera (Beginning of Spring) by the Italian Renaissance painter Botticelli.

March 17 is the feast day of Saint Patrick, one of the patron saints of Ireland (along with Brigid of Kildare and Columba). Patrick was a Roman British-born missionary, probably in the fifth century, said to have converted Ireland to Christianity. Historians think most of his converts were among the aristocracy, and it's not clear that the common people changed over from their ancient nature-focused religion until much later, but he gets the credit in legend at least!

The little shamrock is not the official symbol of Ireland (that honor goes to the Celtic harp), but around the world a green clover or shamrock is associated with Eire...