Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. A day associated with hearts, flowers, candy, and (if you are a certain age) a fancy “date” at a nice restaurant. But my clearest childhood memory of Valentine’s Day is those chalky Valentine heart candies. Strangely enough, the small candies still exist. And, as is the case with candy corn at Halloween, people either like them or hate them. 

It all began in Boston in 1847. Pharmacist Oliver Chase had a problem to solve. At the time, pharmacists compounded their products into various forms, including powders (sometimes sold as wafers or cachets), pills, or tablets. Customers, however, preferred to ingest their medications in the form of lozenges, and they particularly liked lozenges as a remedy for sore throats or bad breath. Unfortunately for the pharmacist, producing lozenges was labor intensive and involved the use of mortar & pestle to process the ingredients, kneading a sugary dough, rolling out the dough, and then cutting the dough into small discs.

Chase invented a lozenge cutter that could be pressed into the dough to create uniform discs. The cutter was probably a hand operated machine similar to this cutter from 1874. Press link here. Chase’s invention eventually led to his induction into the Candy Hall of Fame, because his machine made the commercial candy industry possible.

Oliver’s brother Silas was the first to recognize that the new cutter could be used to produce candy, and the brothers opened the New England Confectionary Company to produce what they called Chase Lozenges, later changing the name to NECCO wafers. [Remember those?] NECCO wafers tasted good, had a long shelf life, and were affordable. According to legend, civil war soldiers included the wafers in their knapsacks.

In 1866, another brother, Daniel, designed a letter stamping system that allowed phrases to be stamped onto larger candies shaped like scallop shells. These became known as conversation candies. Phrases included “How long shall I have to wait? Please be considerate.”

Smaller heart-shaped candies first appeared in 1902 and were a hit. The candies also could be used for games. At a Boston party in 1911, guests found their partners for the evening through the candy hearts which were broken in half. Each young lady received half of a heart. Young men had to find their candy match. Presumably a good time was had by all.

In 2010, NECCO decided to try new recipes, and replaced the banana and wintergreen flavors with green apple and blue raspberry. Other flavors included cinnamon, lemon, orange, lime, and chocolate. The traditional texture also changed from chalk consistency to one that was softer and chewer. Not only that, new phrases appeared. Instead of the familiar Be Mine, I’m Yours, or Kiss Me, the words Tweet Me or Text Me appeared. Consumers were not amused. Sales fell, and in 2018 NECCO went bankrupt.

The Spangler Candy Company purchased NECCO in 2018, but was unable to supply the Valentine market in 2019. Today production is back on track, and the Spangler Candy Company makes about 600 million conversation hearts annually. Other candy makers, including Brach’s, also make the sugared heart. In 2023, the National Retail Foundation estimated that Americans spent $28 billion on candy for Valentines, though much of that was probably spent on the many other varieties of sweet treats available in heart shaped boxes.

Illustrations & A Few Sources

Butterfly Valentine, 1940s/50s; Interior of Stylish Pharmacy, 1825, Wellcome Collection; Necco Hub Wafers Hoarhound Lemon Drops Ad, 1916; Necco Wafers, Information of New Orleans; Necco Sweathearts, Public Domain. Erin Blakemore. “A Brief History of the Conversation Heart.” Mental Floss. Feb 2, 2024. Gabby Romero. “The Sweet History of Conversation Hearts. Delish. Jan 29, 2024.

The post Be Mine, Valentine first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

When I first encountered this 1907 Thanksgiving postcard, I thought it was a fanciful parade of turkeys. But the drawing is rooted in the reality of bringing turkeys to market.

My lack of knowledge about food sourcing was not and still is not that unusual. Growing up, the closest I came to any understanding of food sourcing came from watching Rawhide, a television series featuring stories around drovers bringing cattle herds up the Sedalia Trail from San Antonio to Sedalia, Missouri.

Turkey drives had a similar purpose: bringing turkeys to market.

By the early 19th century, turkeys were a common source of food. The birds hatched in the spring and were ready for slaughter in the fall. A single turkey could, with side dishes, feed an entire family, making turkeys an economical source of food on the farm. Some farms specialized in raising turkeys with one or more farms coming together to herd their turkeys to urban markets.

In the early 19^th century, drovers herded thousands of turkeys in flocks of 7,000-10,000 birds. Vermont turkeys walked to Boston; Kentucky and Tennessee turkeys traversed to Richmond, and some birds ambled between Missouri and Colorado.

The roads were bad, the journey long, and the birds didn’t always make the wisest choices. Before the turkeys set out on their journey, farmers took steps to protect their feet. Some marched them through tar and then sand to adhere protection onto their somewhat fragile feet.

On the march with the turkeys were drovers, a wagon with corn for the turkeys and supplies for the drovers, and older children who often scattered corn so the turkeys would stay on the pathway.

Flocks of turkeys walked about 1 mile an hour, and could cover about 10-12 miles before they stopped for the night. Hazards along the way included mountains the birds had to climb and bodies of water they had to cross, usually in the air. Drovers had to keep the birds from crowding together, so they didn’t trample each other. And the flock had to be kept calm in order to avoid a stampede. Drovers used long poles topped with a red cloth to keep the fowls on track.

If darkness fell at any point — be it cloud cover, a rain storm, a covered bridge, or the sun setting — turkeys flew up to settle down for the night and roost. Weighing about 20 pounds each, the turkeys clustered together, often breaking tree branches or collapsing roofs.

Once the turkeys arrived at their destination, they might be marched into the town marketplace, or in later times, directly to the slaughter house. Turkey season began at the end of October and continued into January.

The Life & Times of Sarah Good, Accused Witch

Available at Your Favorite On-Line Book Sellers

Illustrations & a Few Sources

Turkeys on a Road, 1907; Thanksgiving from Harpers Magazine 1858; Thanksgiving Card with Two Turkeys. Andy Wright. “Back When Your Thanksgiving Turkey Walked Hundreds of Miles to Market.” Atlas Obscura. Nov. 23, 2016.

The post Turkey Drives first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Halloween, once called Samhain, is nigh. In two weeks costumed children, as well as adults, will pass through neighborhoods or decorated trunk-or-treat parking lots with dulcet cries of “Trick or Treat.” 

Halloween is the modern iteration of Samhain [pronounced SOW-wen] a Celtic festival that begins at sundown October 31 and continues into November 1. As customs changed over time, Samhain divided into Halloween and All Saints Day, with Halloween keeping up with ancient traditions. About this time last year, I posted a blog focused on Samhain. And my blog two weeks ago looked at the custom of bobbing for apples.

There are spiritual aspects to Samhain. One story reveals that the Sun God dies at Samhain and departs to prepare for his rebirth at Yule. The god’s death insures his people will live. After the Sun God dies, the Lord of Misrule takes his place, giving light without warmth in the winter months. Sometimes the Lord of Misrule is said to symbolize the power of looking at life from a different perspective.

Goddess Cerridwen

Goddess Cerridwen rules over transformations, rebirth, and inspiration. Every goddess or god has a role to play, even if it’s just to provide explanations to the inexplicable. A 16th century manuscript by Elis Gruffydd recounts one of the legends about Cerridwen and her progeny. Is it positive or negative? You be the judge.

Ceridwen and her husband Tegid Foel lived near what is now Bala Lake in North Wales. The couple had two children: a beautiful daughter, Creirwy, who was full of light and life, and an ugly, ill-tempered son call Morfan. Ceridwen wanted give her son wisdom and poetic inspiration to compensate for his appearance. So, Ceridwen used her magical cauldron and mixed a potion.

The mixture had to boil for a year and a day. Obviously, Ceridwen had other things to do, so she employed a blind man named Morda to tend the fire beneath the cauldron and a young boy named Gwion Bach to stir the mixture.

Now there was a secret to the potion. The first three drops of the mixture would grant the recipient wisdom and poetic inspiration. The rest of the potion was poisonous.

Just as the mixture was almost ready, Gwion had an accident. Three drops of the hot liquid fell onto Gwion’s hand. The lad put his burned hand into his mouth, thus gaining the wisdom intended for Morfan. Gwion knew he was in trouble and ran away. Ceridwen realized what had happened and chased him.

Using the power he received from the potion, Gwion turned himself into a hare. Ceridwen became a greyhound and chased him. Gwion dove into a river and became a fish; Ceridwen became an otter and swam after him. Gwion became a bird and flew away; Ceridwen became a hawk and hunted Gwion with a fierce determination. Finally, Gwion came up with the idea of turning himself into a single grain of corn. How could the goddess find him amongst the many kernels of corn scattered everywhere? Ceridwen became a chicken scratching amongst the kernels until she found Gwion and ate him.

You might think the story ends here, but no. When Ceridwen became pregnant, she knew the growth within her body was Gwion assuming another shape, and decided that when she gave birth, she would kill him.

But when she saw the babe, he was perfect, and Ceridwen could not carry out her intention. Instead, she sealed the child inside a leather skin bag and threw him into the ocean. Eventually, the bag washed ashore where a prince named Elffin ap Gwyddno rescued the babe and took him home. When the infant grew up, he became a famous poet known as Taliesin.

Time passed, and either Creirwy or Morfan had a child. The king, Tepid Foel, held a banquet with the best quality of food, wine, and entertainment to celebrate his first grandchild.

As the wine flowed, the harp player heard a small voice saying, “Vengeance will come.” As he looked around, he saw a bird watching him and followed it outside to the top of a hill overlooking the town. As the harpist listened to the bird sing, he fell asleep. When he awoke, the town and palace were submerged under a great lake and his harp floated on the surface.

It is said that if you walk near the edge of Bala Lake, you can sometimes hear a quiet conversation.

First Voice: Vengeance will come.

Second Voice: When will it come?

First Voice: In the third generation!

COMING SOON!

The Life & Times of Sarah Good, Accused Witch

Illustrations & A Few Sources

Bats, Haunted House, & Full Moon by Alexas Fotos; President George W. Bush on Halloween at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. 2006; Lord of Misrule 1887; Ceridwen by Christopher Williams; Print by J. E. C. Williams in the book ‘Y Mabinogion, 1901; Polygon illustration of hen’s head; Sculpture of Poet Taliesin in Pennal, Wales; Welsh Chaffinch by Holly Victoria Norval; Bala Lake by Mick Garratt. The Birth of Gala Lake. Amgueddfa Llangollen Museum. Samhain Lore. Angelfire.

The post Halloween Stories first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Fall officially began last month, but October is the month I always associate with the changing of the seasons from summer activities to those that announce Fall and the Harvest Season has arrived. Deciduous trees paint the horizon in warm colors before swirling to the ground. Halloween preparations are underway, and black cats are understandably nervous as witchy images fly on magical brooms. In some places, hayrides under a full moon are an activity hearkening back to earlier times.

Bobbing for Apples

Bobbing for apples, however, is a custom often overlooked in modern times. For one thing, the activity is potentially messy if the apple tub is too full of water.

Ripe apples are symbol of fall abundance, but the custom of retrieving an apple from a tub of water with one’s teeth, or using said teeth to separate an apple from a string seems a bit far-fetched. So, here’s the story behind this autumn activity.

Bobbing for apples is a custom that stretches back to our Celtic and Roman cultural ancestors. At the end of October, Celts celebrated the festival of Samhain. Participants lit large bonfires and tied apples to evergreen branches.

The Celts believed apples were a symbol of love, fertility, divination, and magic. And it became a custom for young people to try and bite into an apple that was either floating in water or hanging from a string as part of a matchmaking game in which the first one to bite into an apple would be the next person allowed to marry.

Meanwhile, the Romans had autumn customs based around the goddess Pomona who ruled over orchards and harvests. When the Romans arrived in Briton, their customs merged with Celtic traditions.

Apples & Courtship

There were various apple bobbing customs. In one, the apples had young men’s names on them, and young women took turns trying to snag the apple with the name of a preferred partner.

• If she snagged the apple on her first try, the relationship was off to a good start.
• If she snagged it on the second try, sparks would fly but the relationship would fizzle out.
• If she tried a third time and snagged the apple, it wasn’t worth the trouble, because no relationship would blossom.

In the Irish game of snap-apple, players lunged at apples hanging from strings. Single men and women competed to determine who would marry next. The first to snag an apple would marry soon. In the painting above, lads in the foreground bob for apples while the ladies in the back may be trying to snag a hanging apple.

How to Bob for Apples

In contemporary games, most often at Halloween parties, five or more apples are placed in a shallow bowl of water which is just over half full. Players take turns, using only their mouths to dunk their heads in the water, bite an apple, and remove it from the tub. The player with the fastest time wins.

Snagging an apple with your teeth can be tricky. The stem is the easiest part of the apple to bite, as the illustration on the left demonstrates.

Some say the trick is to use your face to push the apple to the bottom of the hopefully shallow tub or push it to the side. Either method may provide enough leverage to make it easier to snag the wet fruit.

I think I’ll skip the bobbing this year, and wait for the pie.

Uncle Wiggily’s Apple Roast

Uncle Wiggily is an elder rabbit whose adventures in Woodland are the subject of a 1919 children’s book. In this excerpt, Uncle Wiggily is at a Halloween party.

Nurse Jane Fuzzy Fuzzy, the nice muskrat lady housekeeper, brought in a tub full of water. It was set in the middle of the room and some apples were floated on top of the water, like toy ships.

“You may duck first for an apple, Jackie,” said Uncle Wiggily to the little puppy dog chap.

Jackie knelt down by the tub and put his front paws behind his back. For it isn’t fair to use your paws when you try to catch a floating apple in your teeth.

Just as Jackie was leaning over the tub, his brother, Peetie, slyly gave him a push and Jackie’s head went under the water.

“Now Peetie, you mustn’t play any more tricks on your brother when he is trying to bite his apple,” said Uncle Wiggily, after Jackie had been dried off from the apple tub.

“No, I won’t touch him!” said Peetie, and then Jackie got hold of his apple in his teeth.

The apples were swinging by long strings, and it is hard to bite one unless you use your paws or your hands. But that isn’t allowed. Sammie Littletail was banged in the eye and Johnnie Bushytail on the nose. But it was lots of Halloween fun!

Illustration from Uncle Wiggily’s Apple Roast , 1919

Uncle Wiggily’s Apple Roast, or How Nurse Jane’s Pin Cushion Fooled the Skuddlemagoon and Uncle Wiggle’s Hallowe’en Party. Also How He Helped Jack Frost. Text by Howard R. Garis. Illustrations by Lang Campbell. 1919.

COMING SOON!

The Life & Times of Sarah Good, Accused Witch

Illustrations & A Few Sources

Witch riding a broomstick with a black cat, 1908; Hayride, Port Dover 1919; Apple Bobbing, 1950; Bonfire sparks by TwilightLillez; Pomona & Cupid by Gaspar Peeter Verbruggen the Younger; Snap-Apple Night by Daniel Maclise, 1833; Halloween Pleasures, 1911; Drawing of apple pie, 1886. “Why do we bob for apples on Halloween?” Irish Myths. Alison Richards. “The Secret, Steamy History of Halloween Apples.” NPR. Oct. 31, 2013.

The post Bobbing for Apples, An Autumn Tradition first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Monday, March 17 is the annual celebration of St. Patrick, usually accompanied by leprechaun illustrations and green beer. In recent years, a meme depicting St. Gertrude of Neville stroking a cat she holds in her arms appears about the same time. Caption: “It happens every year: Patrick this and Patrick that. No one remembers me and my cats.”

Who Was St Gertrude of Nivelles?

Similar to many early female saints, Gertrude (628-659) grew up in a palace. Her father was Pepin of Landen, Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia in Merovingian France. He served two kings: Dagobert I who died in 629 and Sigebert III.

An early story about Gertrude describes a royal banquet where Sigebert III asked a ten-year-old Gertrude if she would like to marry the son of an unnamed Duke of the Austrasians. Gertrude apparently didn’t think much of the idea. According to the story, she lost her temper and flatly rejected the proposal saying she would have no earthly spouse, only Christ. No wonder she became a nun.

After Pepin died in 640, his widow Itta of Metz considered what might happen to her and Gertrude, and decided the best option for them both was to build a double monastery of monks and nuns at Nivelles where she and her daughter could retire. This would also secure family lands from being seized via a forced marriage involving Gertrude. Indeed, to prevent Gertrude’s abduction, Itta shaved Gertrude’s head, leaving only a tonsure.

When Itta died in 652, Gertrude became the abbess and began collecting saints’ relics and holy books. She also welcomed teachers, particularly Irish monks. Gertrude appointed others to administer the monastery so she could focus on studying scripture, and caring for the sick, the elderly, and the poor by building churches, monasteries and hospices.

In her personal practice, Gertrude fasted and kept vigils to such a degree that by the age of 32, she was in poor health. She resigned as abbess, and appointed her niece Wulfetrud to the position so she could devote herself to prayer. In March 659, sensing the end of her life was near, Gertrude contacted Ultan, an Irish monk, to ask if he knew the hour of her death. He predicted she would die the next day during Mass. Ultan also advised Gertrude she would pass joyously, because Bishop Patrick and the angels were prepared to receive her. And so it came to be.

Gertrude’s Miracles

The path to sainthood requires authenticated miracles. Gertrude’s first miracle occurred as she stood at the altar of Pope Sixtus II. While praying, she saw a flaming sphere that illuminated the entire basilica. The vision lasted about half an hour.

Gertrude’s second miracle occurred when men, possibly Irish monks, were sailing across the sea. A violent storm blew up, and a sea monster appeared. The sailors, of course, were terrified. In desperation, the believers called to Gertrude to save them. Immediately, the storm died and the monster dove back into the sea.

And the Cats?

There is no hagiography about Gertrude and cats. However, she is associated with driving out rodents who were so plentiful they ran up Gertrude’s crozier and onto her hood. Cringe! Since cats are known predators of rodents, it is probable the monastery had numerous working cats. The public association of St. Gertrude and cats began about 1982.

A Few Patrick Factoids

St. Patrick is celebrated as the saint who drove the snakes out of Ireland. A marvelous feat, to be sure, but apparently there were no snakes in Ireland to drive out. The term ‘snakes’ was an allegory for non-Christian practices.

St. Patrick has never been canonized by the Catholic Church, which means he is not, technically, a saint. However, in 1631, the church did establish a feast day for Patrick.

March 17 is the day of Patrick’s death. Prior to becoming a popular saint’s day, March 17 honored Ostara, the goddess who brought nature’s rebirth and balance.

And, about that green beer. It wasn’t until 1961 that Irish citizens could celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the local pub, because St. Patrick’s Day falls during Lent. Sláinte!

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Sandra’s Books: Sea Tigers & Merchants. Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.

Illustrations & A Few Sources

St. Gertrude of Nivelles, 1520; St. Gertrude of Nivelles from the Hours of Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg; St. Gertrude with Augustinian Canoness, 16th century; St. Gertrude with Mice, St Patrick Catholic Church, Junction City, Ohio. Photo by Nyehob; Consumed mug of green beer by Mconderan. Rene Ostberg.” Meet Gertrude, Cat Lady of the Catholic Church.” U.S. Catholic. March 16, 2020.

The post St. Gertrude’s Cats first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

In the Northern Hemisphere, Winter Solstice will happen on December 21st, marking the season of Yule. It is the shortest day of the year, while also marking the slow return of longer days. Winter begins, but also heralds the hope of spring.

At Stonehenge, Neolithic builders shaped the standing stones to frame the winter and summer solstices. On the winter solstice, the sun sets southwest of the stone circle.

The Winter Solstice also ushers in the pagan season of Yule which directly follows Samhain. Once again, fire is an important element of the festival, this time to denote the sun’s return. Yule logs were burned to symbolize heat and the returning sun. Of course, the massive fire brought actual heat as well during the cold nights.

According to legend, Yuletide is a celebration of the Holly King’s victory over the Oak King. The two kings engage in a constant struggle related to seasonal cycles. The Oak King of summer gives way to the Holly King of winter until the cycle shifts again.

Yuletide celebrations begin with the Yule Log, a full tree that was brought inside the house. It could be fed into the fireplace and burned from the bottom with the tree extending into the room. As the fire burned, the tree was pushed further into the hearth. Alternatively, the tree could be cut into 12 sections for the 12 days of celebration.

As to the feasting, excavations at Durrington Walls, a Neolithic village near Stonehenge, offer some interesting suggestions. Archeologists have uncovered 38,000 pig and cattle bones, the remains of about 1000 animals. It appears they were slaughtered at about the age of 9 months, so they would have been born in the spring. Animal sacrifices are thought to have been part of the celebrations.

Celts thought that the sun stood still for 12 days during the Solstice. During this time the earth is, in fact, tilted at its furthest point from the sun, which is why the sun is at its lowest point in the sky.

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Sandra’s Books: Sea Tigers & Merchants. Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.

Illustrations & A Few Sources

Stonehenge at Dawn Winter Solstice by Mike Peel; Wheel of the Year by Imbolc.cerddwr; Yule Log Being Brought into Hever Castle by Robert Alexander Hillingford; Position & Timing of Solstice. “Winter Solstice & Stonehenge” English Heritage. Catherine Boeckmann. “The Story Behind Yule & the Yuletide Season.” Farmers’ Almanac. Oct. 22, 2024.

The post YULE: A CELEBRATION OF WINTER SOLSTICE first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

December 9 is National Christmas Card Day. I presume one or more greeting card companies decreed if consumers haven’t organized their holiday cards two and a half weeks out from Christmas, they better get started. Cards to acquire — notes to write — stamps to stick. Now that so many people send digital greeting cards, the timing is less important, but the day still stands on holiday trivia calendars everywhere. 

Despite the rise in e-Cards, Americans sent 1.1 billion holiday cards in 2023, and the greeting card and publishing industry was valued at $6.8 billion. 

The sometimes burdensome custom began in the 1840s when Thomas Shorrock of Leith, Scotland produced cards with a jolly face and the caption “A Gude Year to Ye.” Meanwhile, in England Sir Henry Cole commissioned 1,000 engraved holiday cards with the image of a prosperous family flanked by the poor toasting the holidays with the caption “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.”

Christmas Cards Arrive in America

In 1875, Louis Prang produced chromolithographed cards for the American mass market. Though his cards are little known today, Prank was once the “Father of the American Christmas card.” Prank’s first card was a painting of a flower with the simple verse: “Merry Christmas.”

Hallmark, though not the only producer of greeting cards, is probably the best known greeting card company. Joyce Hall founded the Kansas City post card printing company in 1915. In 1925, the company published its first holiday card with a standard format of 4 inches wide and 6 inches tall with a fold in the middle. The card gave senders enough space for a personal message without having to write a letter.

The most popular Christmas card, and still part of the Hallmark collection, came out in 1977 with 3 angels and the simple sentiment: “God bless you, keep you and love you…at Christmastime and always.” That single card sold 34 million copies.

With so many Americans sending holiday cards, the post office issued the first Christmas stamp in 1962. It was a huge success with 1 billion copies printed and distributed.

Once upon a time, it seemed like everyone was sending and receiving holiday cards — friends, relatives, neighbors, long lost sorority sisters with nothing in common any more, and businesses of all kinds. The Tucker Company sent the card on the left in 1947. The company was advertising its Tucker 48 automobile.

In 1962, the Christmas stamp cost 4 cents. Today it costs 73 cents. During the 1950s holiday cards could be purchased for 5 or 10 cents. The cost is considerably higher today. Thus, sending holiday cards in 2024 can be costly, besides requiring time to shop for, prepare, and mail the cards.

In comparison, digital cards are less expensive and more convenient. The sender selects a design and inputs the recipients’ details, but there’s no handwritten note. An email greeting, such as I recently received on my birthday from my doctor’s office, can be completely automated — an acknowledgment without the personal touch.

Electronic communication is, by its very nature, impersonal. Advocates of paper cards point out that while digital communication is nice, paper cards can be held and displayed by the recipient, creating the illusion of a personal connection. In comparison to the two digital “cards” I mentioned above, I received a paper birthday greeting from my insurance agent. The sentiment and the agent’s name were impersonally printed. Yet, somehow the paper card seemed less automatic than an email message, if only because a person had to mail the card.

The Victorian Christmas card above with its chorus line of frogs could be fun in either format. The text reads A Hearty Christmas Greeting. Four jovial froggies a skating would go. They had asked their mama, but she’d sternly said, “No!” And they all came to grief in a beautiful row. There’s a sweet Christmas moral for one not too slow. — Just go!”

I’m not sure why four frogs skidding across the ice has a Christmas reference, unless they had a bit too much Christmas punch.

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Sandra’s Books: Sea Tigers & Merchants. Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.

Illustrations & A Few Sources

Christmas card, 1880; Cole Christmas Card, 1843; Prang Christmas Cards, 1886; Christmas stamp, 1962; Tucker Corporation Card, 1947; Victorian Christmas Card. John Hanc. “The History of the Christmas Card.” Smithsonian Magazine. Dec. 9 2015. Ellen F. Brown. “Christmas Inc.: A Brief History of the Holiday Card.” JStor Daily. Dec. 20, 2015.” “Comparing Paper Cards vs E Cards for Business – The Power of Tangible Connection.” The Birthday Company. June 28, 2023.

The post Christmas Cards – Paper or Digital? first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Thanksgiving will soon be here, and the feast whether vegan, gluten free, or traditional probably will include the perennial dessert favorite: Pumpkin Pie.

Pumpkins and their various preparations have been part of the American diet since the first English colonists arrived in New England. One of the earliest recipes for a pumpkin-based dessert appeared in The French Cook, published in England in 1653. The author’s recipe for Tourte of Pumpkin is deceptively simple:

Boile [sic] it with good milk, pass it through a straining pan very thick, and mix it with sugar, butter, a little salt and, if you will, a few stamped almonds; let all be very thin. Put it in your sheet of paste [pie crust?]; bake it. After it is baked, besprinkle it with sugar and serve.

The writer leaves out the part about stewing the pumpkin all day before extracting the pulp.

In 1796 Amelia Simons published American Cookery, the first cookbook published in America. Simons offered several pumpkin pie recipes.

No 1. One quart stewed and strained, 3 pints cream, 9 beaten eggs, sugar, mace, nutmeg and ginger, laid into a paste [pie crust] No. 7 or 3, and with a dough spur, cross and checker it, and baked in dishes three quarters of an hour.

Paste Recipe No. 3:
To any quantity of flour, rub in 3/4ths of its weight in butter (12 eggs to a peck). Rub in 1/3 or 1/2, and roll in the rest. Put in deep pie pan

During the 19th century, pumpkin pie transitioned into an iconic dessert that should be on all Thanksgiving dinner tables. The addition was partly due to Northwood, a novel by Sarah Josepha Hale published in 1827, that listed pumpkin pie as part of a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

A poem published in the Massachusetts Ploughman and New England Journal of Agriculture in 1850 further declared:

But here beneath bright Freedom’s sky
A land that valor won,
We’ll sing our famous Pumpkin Pie,
From morn till setting sun!

Enter Libby’s

In the late 19th century Libby McNeil Libby was a canned meat company, particularly known from its canned corned beef. In 1906 Libby’s also produced condensed and evaporated milk. In 1912 Libby’s published its first pumpkin pie recipe to sell more evaporated milk.

“Pumpkin Pie: 1 ½ cups cooked and strained pumpkin, 2 eggs, ¾ cup sugar, ¼ cup molasses, ½ tablespoonful cinnamon, ½ tablespoonful ginger, 1/8 teaspoonful salt, 1 cup (1/2 can) Libby’s Evaporated Milk, with 1 cupful water. Mix pumpkin, molasses, sugar and spices together. Add the mixed milk and water, then add the eggs thoroughly beaten. Mix well and put into deep pie tins lined with pastry. Bake 45 minutes in a moderate oven.”

In 1929 Libby’s acquired Dickinson & Co. which specialized in canning peas, corn, and squash. Over time, the demand for canned peas and corn declined, but Libby’s popularized canned pumpkin with the pie recipe on the back of the can.

Today Libby’s produces 85 per cent of canned pumpkin in the United States. During the 1950s Libby’s introduced the pie recipe still found on the back of the can. In 2019, Libby’s added a second recipe to the label which added sweetened condensed milk and reduced the amount of sugar so the pie filling would be easier to mix.

The World’s Largest Pumpkin Pie

Every year there are contests for growing the largest pumpkin, and also for baking the largest pumpkin pie. In 2010 the Guinness Book of World Records recorded that the pie baked at the New Bremen Pumpkinfest held the title. As far as I know the title still holds.

The massive dessert used 1,212 pounds of canned pumpkin; 109 gallons of evaporated milk; 2,796 eggs; 7 pounds of salt; 14-1/2 pounds of cinnamon, and 525 pounds of sugar. The pie crust consisted of 440 sheets of dough pressed into a pie pan produced by Arctect Fabricating, a welding company. The pie was baked in a special oven for 13 hours. When it was finished, the completed pie weighed 3,699 pounds, was 20 feet in diameter, and produced 5,000 pieces of pie.

A picture of the massive pie is here

If you want to see the pie emerge from its special oven, here it is.

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Sandra’s Books: Sea Tigers & Merchants. Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.

Illustrations & A Few Sources

Thanksgiving Postcard, 1910; American Cookery cover; Libby’s Cooked Corn Beef ad; Pumpkin Pie with Libby’s can. Ellen Terrell. “A Brief History of Pumpkin Pie in America.” Library of Congress Blogs. Nov. 20, 2017. Sarah Wassberg. “Secret Behind Libby’s Original Pumpkin Pie Recipe.” Food History Blog. Nov. 25, 2020.

The post Hooray For The Pumpkin Pie first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

This is a Halloween tale about the devil, a trickster, and how Jack o’ Lanterns came to be. It is perhaps a cautionary tale proving that cleverness can and often does backfire.

Once upon a time, there was an Irish trickster named Jack who had several monikers: Stingy Jack, Drunk Jack, Flaky Jack, and eventually, Jack o’Lantern. According to legend, the devil heard about Jack, and decided to find out if Jack was as nefarious as his reputation. Jack was drunk the first time he encountered Satan, but he knew Satan was about to take his soul.

Jack asked the devil to grant him one last request and allow him to drink some ale before he had to go to Hell. So, Satan took Jack to the local pub. Jack ordered several rounds, and asked Satan to pay the bill. However, Satan didn’t carry cash. [Why is this not surprising?]

“No problem,” said Jack. “Just turn yourself into a silver coin. I’ll pay the bartender, and when he turns away, you can change yourself back.” Why Satan thought this was a good idea, I don’t know. But he changed himself into a silver coin, which Jack then put in his pocket next to his crucifix. The Christian symbol prevented the devil from returning to his true from. The devil was not pleased. Jack offered the devil a deal. In exchange for granting Jack his soul for another year, Jack would allow the devil to resume his form. Done!

A Year Later . . .

When Satan came to retrieve Jack, the trickster had another final request. Could he consume one apple before he went to Hell. The devil agreed. [You might think the devil knew it was a trick, and perhaps he did.] Jack went to an apple tree to pick the fruit. But first, he sprinkled crucifixes around the tree, once again trapping the devil who demanded Jack to release him. Jack made another deal, and made the devil promise not to take his soul to Hell. Done!

Rejected by Heaven . . . Jack Went to Hell

Eventually, Jack actually died. His soul traveled to Heaven, but God refused him entrance. So Jack went down to Hell. One can imagine Satan’s smirk, when he reminded Jack of their last deal. He could not accept Jack’s soul into Hell.

Unable to enter Heaven or Hell, Jack became a ghost wandering the world in the mystic plane between good and evil. In a moment of possible compassion, the devil gave Jack a turnip with a lit coal inside to light his way through the darkness.

As time passed, people began carving scary faces into turnips to frighten away evil spirits. Turnips are notoriously hard to carve. As pumpkins from America became available, the annual custom shifted from carving Jack o’Lanterns out of turnips to the softer pumpkins found in America.

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Sandra’s Books: Sea Tigers & Merchants. Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.

Illustrations & A Few Sources

Jack-o-Lantern by huk_flickr; Real Ale by Atelier Joly; Photo of apples by Terri_bateman; Hell Village in Norway by Tolled Salemann; Image of Stingy Jack by Killim. Stingy Jack & The Birth of Jack o’Lantern. Saints & Scholars.

The post The Devil, The Trickster & Jack o’Lanterns first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Samhain [pronounced SOW-wen] is an ancient Celtic celebration marking the death of the warmer half of the year and beginning the next cycle in the Wheel of the Year. The year turns between sunset October 31 and sunset November 1. The specific dates are somewhat arbitrary. Suffice to say, Samhain marks the year’s turning from old to new. It is a time when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is thin. A time to take precautions against evil spirits who may damage crops, frighten people, harm or hide livestock, and/or haunt homes.

Bonfires, or Fire Festivals, were and still are an important element of the celebrations. In days past, people set huge fires on top of hills where they burned crops and animals as sacrifices to Celtic gods. Participants wore costumes, usually animal heads and skins, as a precaution against evil spirits.

When the bonfires died down, people took embers to relight their hearth fires at home as protection from the coming winter.

The oldest stories of Samhain come from Irish tradition. During Samhain, burial mounds opened as portals to the “Otherworld,” which made human contact with fairies more likely. The souls of deceased family members went to their former homes where living family members set a place at the table for them. Celebrations also featured mumming and guising during which children and the poor went door-to-door reciting verses in exchange for soul cakes.

Soul Cakes were small, round cakes made with sweet spices, such as allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and raisins or currents. A cross marked the top the cake. The cakes, called “souls,” honored the dead and might be left as offerings with a glass of wine, or exchanged for prayers in a custom called “soiling.”

Rituals also included rounding up cattle for the winter and culling them to determine which livestock would be kept for the winter and which would be slaughtered so their meat might be preserved. Feasts were a way to consume perishable items before winter set in.

Traditional celebratory foods included:
Colcannon, a hearty dish of mashed potatoes with kale or cabbage. Charms were hidden in the food, and could predict the future of persons who discovered them.

Barmbrack, a fruity Irish soda bread. Any given slice might contain a charm to predict the diner’s future.

Apples symbolized immortality and Cider celebrated the final harvest.
Beef Stew with late harvest vegetables and meat from the recently slaughtered cattle was another traditional choice

About A.D 1000, the Church proclaimed November 2 to be All Souls’ Day as a replacement for Samhain celebrations. All Souls’ Day celebrations also included bonfires and costumes which no longer resembled animals but morphed into images of saints, angels, and devils.

November 1 became All Saints’ Day, also called All-hallows. The night before All Saints’ Day became All Hallows Eve, now called Halloween.

Halloween colors continue in the Celtic tradition: black for the death of summer, and orange for the autumn harvest season.

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Sandra’s Books: Sea Tigers & Merchants. Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.

Illustrations & A Few Sources

Neopagan Celebrates Samhain, Unknown Author; Wheel of the Year; Soul Cakes by Malikhpur; My Harvest Home by John Glover, 1835; Barmbrack; Snap Apple Night by Daniel Maclise, 1833. Luna Crowwing. “Everything You Need To Know About Samhain.” Busy Pagan. April 28, 2024. Ronald L. Dart. “Halloween, Ghosts & Spirits.” Born to Win. October 19,1996.

The post Samhain — The Witches’ New Year first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

In the northern hemisphere, October marks the transition from summer to fall. Pumpkins appear at grocery and garden stores. Leaves swirl in the breeze before dropping in colorful abandon. The days grow shorter. Pumpkin spice is everywhere, especially in coffee and pastries. Neighbors put skeletal Halloween decorations in their yards. And, in general, we become more aware of black cats. This could be because their fur contrasts so nicely with pumpkins and autumnal leaves. Or, it could be the long association of Halloween, witches, and black cats.

Feline history has a contradictory past. Cats were considered harbingers of good fortune until the 13th century when they fell from grace.

In Ancient Times, Cats Were Worshipped as Gods; They Have Not Forgotten This. — Terry Pratchett

Ancient Egyptians worshipped cats as goddesses. The furry felines were held in such high esteem, that accidentally killing a cat could be punished with the death sentence. Certainly, cats were important for their role in protecting grain supplies from rodents and birds. But it was more than that.

GODDESSES BASTET, SEKHMET & MAFDET

Bastet was the goddess of protection, pleasure, and good health. She also protected her father Ra, the sun god whose gift of light powered Egyptian civilization. During the day, Bastet rode in Ra’s chariot as he crossed from one horizon to the other. At night while Ra rested, Bastet transformed into a cat to protect Ra from his enemy Apep, the serpent. Bastet carried a sistrum in her right hand.

Sekhmet, the Egyptian goddess of war, protected the pharaohs she led into battle. It was she who created the fire in Ra’s eye so he could destroy his enemies. She was alternately depicted as a lioness, or a woman with the head of a lion. She was associated with healing and medicine.

Finally, there is Mafdet, a woman with the head of a cheetah and braided hair that ended in scorpion tails. She too protected Ra, keeping his chambers clear of snakes, scorpions and evil. She also served as goddess of judgement, justice, and execution by ripping out the hearts of miscreants and bringing them to Pharaoh’s feet.

Over time, domestic cats became sacred as a living incarnation of Bastet. When they died, they were mummified, placed in a coffin and buried in cat cemeteries. Mummified cats were also placed in tombs to provide the occupant with protection in the underworld.

Deities in subsequent ancient civilizations also had associations with cats. The Roman goddess Diana’s primary identification was as a huntress, but she could also change into a cat form to take refuge with the moon. Diana is often shown with a crescent moon in her hair.

Libertas, the goddess of Liberty, was often depicted with a cat. In her temple, the goddess wore a white robe with a scepter in one hand and a velvet Phrygian cap in the other with a cat at her feet. The cap was worn by freed slaves to signify their liberty while the cat represented independence. Romans honored feline attributes with the saying Libertas sine Labore – Liberty without Labor.

Felines Fall From Grace

As the Christian Church became more powerful, its leaders had little patience for what they perceived as pagan connections between humans and animals. In particular, Pope Gregory IX wanted to weed out so-called heretics. On June 13, 1233 the pope issued Vox in Rama to King Henry of Germany in an effort to stop the heretical Luciferian cult that revered the devil. The document described some of the cult’s devil worship, including how the devil took the form of a black cat and required initiates to kiss the cat’s behind. It didn’t take long before people associated black cats with the devil, and began killing them in order to break evil spells.

In Denmark, the period before Easter known as Lent became a time when evil had to be purged so that spring could return. Since black cats were the devil, they were killed. The same was true in France. In Belgium cats were thrown down from the church belfry during Kattenstoet. The Festival of Cats still continues with stuffed cats substituted for live animals.

Superstitions about black cats continue today, though they can be contradictory. On the one hand, if a black cat crosses your path it’s bad luck due to their connection to witches. But another legend says that if a black cat crosses your path, a guardian angel is sending good fortune. Interesting how the more common superstition is the negative one.

Black Cat Facts

Negative superstitions about black cats result in their low shelter adoption rates and high euthanasia rates.

Black cats are more common than other feline cat colors, because eumelanin, the pigment for black fur, is their dominant pigment gene. Kittens get two copies of a given gene from their parents. If one of the codes is for black fur, the kitten has black fur.

However, the only cat that is entirely black is the Bombay cat, a breed developed in 1952 by crossing a Sable Burmese cat with a black American shorthair. Breeders hoped to create a cat resembling a miniature black leopard. The breed was given the name “Bombay” [now Mumbai] after the city near the habitat of the Indian black leopard.

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Sandra’s Books: Sea Tigers & Merchants. Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.

Illustrations & A Few Sources

“A Merry Halloween” postcard, 1910; Goddess Bastet by Eternal Space; Goddess Sekhmet by Eternal Space; Goddess Mafdet by Eternal Space; Mummified Cat in Fitchburg Art Museum; Diana the Huntress by Guillaume Seignac; Cat Festival in Belgium by Zeisterre; Bombay Cat by Pititebilette. Natasha Sheldon. “Thou Shalt Not Suffer a Cat to Live.” History Collection. May 5, 2018. Granny Syufy. “Myths & Superstitions About Black Cats.” Spruce Pets. August 14, 2024.

The post Black Cats —From Revered to Feared first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Every month comes with unique events and symbols, but April is the only month associated with fools, i.e., those people who are easily deceived, or unable to accept facts. Most people do not see themselves as fools, which may be why Mark Twain pointed out in his usual succinct way, April 1 is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four.

The Original Court Fool

Historically, court fools were unique individuals who provided entertainment during long, medieval nights. They played music and told stories. They told sarcastic jokes about their hosts with no repercussions. In fact, the court fool often delivered news a king did not want to hear. In 1634, for example, when the English destroyed the French fleet at the Battle of Sluys, Phillippe VI’s jester announced that English sailors didn’t have the guts to jump into the water like our brave French.

April Fools

An April Fool, however, is a different sort of entertainment. Before 1582, French people celebrated New Year’s Day on April 1, preceded by a eight days of entertainments. That changed in 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII promulgated the new Gregorian calendar and moved the first day of the new year to January 1, where it remains.

News traveled slowly in the 16^th century. People in cosmopolitan areas made the change while those living in the country didn’t know about it. And some people heard about the new calendar and refused to switch dates.

These “traditionalists” were ridiculed as gullible April Fools or poisson d’avril, the young fish that were easily caught. Pranksters attach the picture of a fish onto their victim’s back.

Harvesting Spaghetti in Switzerland

Over time April 1 devolved into a day of pranks. In 1957, producers of BBC news program Panorama convinced their audience that spaghetti came from Spaghetti Trees in Italy and Switzerland.  “The last two weeks in March,” respected reporter Richard Dimbleby said, “are an anxious time for the spaghetti farmer. There’s always the chance of a late frost which, while not entirely ruining the crop, generally impairs the flavor.”

Many viewers wanted to know where they could purchase a spaghetti tree. The BBC recommending placing a sprig of spaghetti in  a tin of tomato sauce and hoping for the best. I wonder how long people watched their “gardens” before giving up.

Spaghetti Trees in Northern California

According to Robert Couse-Baker, Swiss-Italians who settled in the San Francisco Bay Area brought vine stock of spaghetti trees from Lake Lugano, and the tree shown was first planted in the 1890s in Sonoma County. I’m not saying Couse-Baker’s story is a prank, but I’ve yet to see pasta fresh from a Spaghetti Tree offered anywhere. And that’s a shame, because what could be more delightful than spaghetti, fresh from the tree?

Sandra’s Books: Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.

Illustrations & A Few Sources

April drawing by Eugene Grassett, 1796; Troccas-Karte der Narr (Vordergrundextraktion); Petit garçon de 6 ans et demi “victime” d’un poisson d’avril, le 1^er avril 2018 by Benoît Prieur; Spaghetti Tree Harvest in Northern California by Robert Couse-Baker; Spaghetti with Parsley by Bairuilong. Michael Bartiromo. “Greatest April Fools’ Prank of all time?” Fox59. Apr 1 2024. Jeff Dean. “April Fools’ Day might be the world’s longest-running joke. No one knows how it began.” NPR. Apr 1 2023.

The post April Foolishness first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Valentine’s Day will soon be here, a day for romance & flowers; cupids & candy in heart-shaped boxes. Like many days our calendars commemorate, Valentine’s Day is largely an invention from the Victorian Age. Romantic love has a much longer history, but was not always the foundation of courtship and marriage.

In doing research for my Salem Stories series, I discovered New England Puritans did not marry for love. Marriage was a contract that had little to do with religion. It was a civil matter presided over by a magistrate. Most marriages were arranged when two young adults decided it was time to marry someone suitable to their social rank. Parents were involved, but the couple selected each other.

The courtship process was less than private in overcrowded houses. There were probably stilted conversations in the parlor surrounded by the woman’s family. In good weather, there could be walks. But as a couple drew closer, they bundled. The practice gave the couple privacy to talk in the warmth of the young woman’s bed, without easily being able to touch each other. A wooden divider called a bundling board was placed down the center of the bed, and the couple remained fully clothed. If a couple fell into temptation and a pregnancy resulted, they married.

After the couple accepted each other, they and their parents drew up a contract. Marriage banns were published to announce the couple’s intention to marry. The wedding took place in the bride’s home with her family and a few friends. A small meal that usually included cake, rum, and a fortified wine called sack followed the ceremony. The marriage was not valid until it was consummated.

Marriage — A Mostly Permanent Condition

Once a couple married, a permanent separation was not allowed. In fact, a man who refused to live with his wife could be flogged. However, since marriage was a civil matter, a divorce could be obtained on grounds of adultery, desertion, or the husband’s failure to support his wife. Between 1639 and 1692, there were 27 divorces in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Marriage was a partnership, and though Puritans did not marry for love, the sentiment was essential in marriage. In the words of William Whately, marriage was a pleasing combination of two persons into one home, one purse, one heart, and one flesh. Indeed, spouses should come to love each other so much that both are persuaded that their spouse was the only fit and good match that could be found under the sun for them. Despite such declarations, a married woman remained under her husband’s authority and was considered a physically and mentally weaker vessel to her husband.

On the other hand, if the husband was frequently away at sea or for other reasons, or was otherwise unable to act, the wife acted as a deputy husband and took on his responsibilities. For example, in a deposition recorded in Essex County in 1672 Jacob Barney of Salem went to Philip Cromwell’s house to negotiate a marriage settlement. Goodwife Cromwell was also present. Barney expected Philip Cromwell to speak on the matter, but he had a severe cold that affected his hearing. Cromwell pointed to his wife and said whatever she negotiated, he would make it good.*

Marriage was a companionable business and domestic partnership, but it often also had a romantic component.

Anne & Simon Bradstreet: A Romance

Anne Dudley Bradstreet married Simon Bradstreet in 1628 at the age of 16. Her father Thomas Dudley was a founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Anne’s husband was a prominent leader in the colony, and was often away from home. Anne gave brith to eight children.

Anne, a well-educated woman for the time, was a prolific poet. Her first volume of poetry, The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America published in 1650 was well-received in England and America. Anne expressed her love for Simon in the poem below.

TO MY DEAR & LOVING HUSBAND

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women if you can.

I prize that love more than whole mines of gold,
or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.

Thy love is such I can no way repay;
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

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*Anecdote in Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Good Wives. 1982. p. 36.

Illustrations & A Few Sources

Saint_Valentine by Ntametrine; New England Bedroom; Puritans by John Cassell; Frontispiece of An Account of Anne Bradstreet; Simon Bradstreet from Henry W. Smith’s The Signers to the Declaration of Independence. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Good Wives. Oxford UP. 1982; Joel R. Beeke. “How Did The Puritans Understand Marriage?” Tabletalk. Sept 2023. Isabella Connor. “Anne & Simon; A Puritan Romance.” Finding Ann Bradstreet. Feb 12, 2019.

Sandra’s Books: Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.

The post Puritans — More Romantic Than You Might Think first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Year of the Wood Dragon begins in just over two weeks on February 10. Dragons are considered the luckiest sign in the Chinese zodiac, and people born in a dragon year are said to be charismatic, confident, and powerful. Dragons are also known to be stubborn and dogmatic.

Those born in a wood dragon year are said to be especially energetic and creative.

Red is a lucky color for people born in a dragon year. Red underwear in particular is said to boost good fortune, provided the red garment is purchased by someone else. Jade jewelry is also auspicious.

The Great Animal Race

Legend says that during the Ming Dynasty, the Jade Emperor wanted to implement a new way of measuring time so he announced a swimming race. The first twelve animals to cross a fast flowing river would win, and each would have a zodiac year named in their honor.

There are stories about each of the competing animals and the skill each used to complete the race. The dragon was the fifth animal to cross the finish line. This surprised the Emperor. The dragon was favored to finish first, because he could fly. So the Emperor asked the dragon what slowed him down.

The dragon replied that he had to make rain, because people and animals needed water to drink. Also, he saved a village that was on fire. Then, when the dragon was neared the finish line, he saw a rabbit floating on a log, so he blew a puff of air so the log would float to the river bank. 

The rabbit, meanwhile, had decided to hop across the river. He hopped over several stepping stones, before hopping onto a floating log that took him to shore.

The rabbit was the fourth animal to finish the race, and the dragon, the fifth.

The lesson from the dragon’s sacrifice is that strength is not a source of power, but a gift to lend those less fortunate.

Dragon Birth

You might wonder how dragons originated. According to legend, there was a woman in the village of Lotus who was pregnant for 999 days before giving birth to a boy. The infant was unusual because he had glittering dragon scales on his chest and back.

The village chief surmised the babe was a dragon god, and tried to kill it. The mother put her son in a foot basin and hid him in the lotus pond. The chief found the child, and raised his knife to kill him. But the child jumped out of the foot basin and leaped into the pond. The dragon child grew until it was tens of feet long. As time passed, any time there was a drought, the dragon returned to the village to provide rain. In gratitude, villagers used 999 lotus petals to make a flower dragon, and performed a dragon dance every Spring Festival, which we now call the Chinese (Lunar) New Year.

Dragon Dance Brings Good Luck & Prosperity

Dragon dances are performed to welcome prosperity and chase away evil spirits. The dragons have four different colors: green for a good harvest; yellow for respect for the empire; gold or silver for prosperity, and red to usher in good fortune. 

The costume for the dragon dance has a large head, and a long body of various sections that are lifted up on poles. The costume is made of  materials such as grass, bamboo, paper and cloth that are woven in a tubular shape using thin bamboo strips to create the segments. The completed dragon is covered with a red cloth and dragon scales. The longer the dragon, the more good luck it brings. 

The body is placed in a local Dragon King Temple until the day of the dragon dance. People connect the dragon’s head and tail to the body, followed by a ‘eye-pointing’ ceremony.

During the dance, one person holds a rod with a large ball, known as the Pearl of Wisdom, at the top to lead the dragon during the dance. In the picture on the left, the Pearl of Wisdom is above the tip of the dragon’s tongue, behind the front teeth. The dragon follows the Pearl of Wisdom as it moves up and down, left and right, back and forth to create waves that correspond to the dance. As he follows the Pearl of Wisdom, the dragon demonstrates his continual pursuit of wisdom.

When the dance is over, the dragon’s head and tail are burnt, and the body returns to the temple until it is used the following year.

Enjoy the video from the 2014 Smithsonian Folklife Festival Program “China; Tradition & the Art of Living. Dragon dancers are from the Zhejiang Wu Opera Troupe from Jinhua in eastern China

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Illustrations & A Few Sources

Dragon clip art by ebaychatter0; Jade Emperor, Ming Dynasty 16^th century; Kushida Shrine, Chinese Zodiac Relief by Hirho; Indonesian stamp for Year of the Rabbit; Dragon on Rooftop by Zhao-Ying Chi; Head of a Dragon Dance Costume by Leonard G.; Cindy. “What is Chinese Dragon Dance?” China Highlights. Jan 19 2024. “Dragon.” Chinese Zodiac. Reda Wigle. “Year of the Wood Dragon.” New York Post. Jan. 11, 2024.

Sandra’s Books: Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.

The post Year of the Wood Dragon first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Sleigh bells ring

Are you listening?

In the lane

Snow is glistening

A beautiful sight

We’re happy tonight

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland is one of several songs featuring sleigh bells that has nothing to do with holiday celebrations. The focus is on winter chill and sleigh bells. The Sleigh Ride Song, another example, was composed by Leroy Anderson during a heat wave in July 1946. Ah, the power of suggestion.

Sleigh bells, which may or may not be worn by Santa’s reindeer, have a long history as a symbol of wealth and status, good luck charms to prevent evil and disease, and a warning to bystanders that a sleigh is near. The latter is probably the most important feature of sleigh bells, because sleighs are both quiet in the snow and unable to stop quickly.

In fact, Massachusetts General Law Annotated, Part I, Table XIV, Chapter 89, Section 3 stipulates that: No person shall travel on a way with a sleigh or sled drawn by a horse, unless there are at least three bells attached to some part of the harness.

The Sleigh Bell, more properly a Crotal, has a ball or spherical shape with one sloth, an inferior clapper, or metal ball, and small holes or a slit to emit the sound.

William Barton opened the first American bell factory in East Hampton, Connecticut in 1810. In 1839 bell factories in East Hampton produced 1400 bells. Demand increased until in 1850, the factories produced almost a million bells.

Jingle Bells aka One Horse Open Sleigh

In 1857 James Lord Pierpont wrote One Horse Open Sleigh as a holiday song for Thanksgiving. He was inspired while riding in a sleigh in New Hampshire. Some years after that event, he wrote the song we know as Jingle Bells.

The song was first performed by Johnny Pell who worked with a minstrel troupe known as Ordway’s Aeolians. The Boston performance was at Ordway Hall across from the South Meeting House

Fun Fact: In 1965 American astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra smuggled bells and a harmonica onto Gemini 6, and on December 16th played Jingle Bells for Mission Control.

Illustrations & A Few Sources

Waking up the Old Mare, Currier & Ives, 1881; Sleigh & Bells, UBC Library Digitalization Centre; Crotal bell cast by Robert Wells Bell Foundry of Aldbourne, Wiltshire before 1826; Title Page to One Horse Open Sleigh. Marilyn Helmers. “What’s It Wednesday — Bells, Bells, Bells.” History Buzz. Dec. 22, 2021. Miki Onsudinjo. “10 Fun Facts About Sleigh Bells.” OUP Blog. Dec. 18, 2014.

Sandra’s Books: Ambition, Arrogance & Pride. Saxon Heroines. Two Coins. Rama’s Labyrinth.

The post December Sleigh Bells first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

The first holiday trees appear like Halloween ghosts foretelling Christmas Future. Then, during the first two weeks of November, decorated synthetic evergreen trees stand in shopping malls, grocery stores & check-out counters. Some are tall. Some are short. All seem to whisper, “Forget the turkey, it’s time to fill Santa’s sleigh.”

As Thanksgiving draws near, trees sprout in living rooms. Sometimes boxes filled with a family’s favorite tree ornaments come out of storage while people talk about Christmases Past.

And now it’s December, the traditional festive tree season.

In the northern hemisphere, the history of festive winter trees and greenery is longer than we realize, but in every case the tree represents new growth and hope. So here is a brief overview of winter trees through the ages.

Ancient Egyptians worshipped Ra, the Sun God with a hawk’s head who carried the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. Egyptians believed that when days grew shorter, Ra became ill. After the Winter Solstice on December 21, Ra began to recover. Believers filled their homes with green palms and papyrus reeds to celebrate Ra’s renewed health, and the triumph of life over death.

Romans enjoyed an annual Saturnalia to celebrate the agricultural god Saturn between December 17 and 23. Participants adorned Saturn’s temples with evergreens, anticipating the farms and orchards that would soon be fruitful. No doubt evergreen decorations were the most staid part of the annual celebration.

Moving northward, Druids believed trees were a gift rom the gods to mark time and seasons. During the dark months, Druids decorated sacred oaks with mistletoe and lights to celebrate life’s wisdom.

Vikings also worshipped trees, especially evergreens which they viewed as a plant unique to the sun god, and a reminder that the darkness of winter would end. Often people decorated the trees with carvings of the gods and food as a way to entice spirits to return with spring.

In particular, the Norse cosmos featured a tree called Yggdrasil. This immense ash tree was the site where the gods held their courts. Its branches extended into the heavens. There were also three roots that extended into the well Urðarbrunnr in the heavens; the spring at Hvergelmir, and another well, the Mímisbrunnr.

St. Boniface Cuts Down the Yggdrasil

According to Christian legend, during the 8th century an Anglo-Saxon missionary named Boniface worked to convert pagans in Germany. In the area known as Hesse, he came upon pagans preparing a ritual sacrifice at an oak tree called the Donar Oak. Boniface picked up an axe to fell the tree when suddenly a wind blew it over. Shocked by events, particularly the fact their gods did not immediately smite Boniface, people accepted Boniface’s god, who was clearly stronger than theirs. Legend says Boniface used the tree’s wood to build a chapel to St. Peter, and planted a small fir tree at the spot where the Donar Oak once stood.

???Medieval Trees???

Adam & Eve & the Paradise Tree

December 24 is the feast day for Saints Adam & Eve, the individuals who disobeyed God and were evicted from the Paradise known as the Garden of Eden. Most saints gained their status by living obedient lives and performing miracles; Adam & Eve were evicted from Paradise for disobedience, but never mind the incongruity.

In the 12th century people celebrated Saints Adam & Eve with a Paradise Play depicting their creation and eviction, and a constant prop was the Paradise Tree made from an evergreen tree with adorned with bright red apples.

Martin Luther & An Indoor Tree

According to legend, in the 16th century religious reformer Martin Luther was walking home one winter evening when he observed bright stars in a dark sky. Inspired he created a way to share the magical experience with his family by bringing an evergreen tree into his home, lighting candles on its branches, and decorating it with gold and silver ornaments. Some say that Luther saw this tree as a perfect image of the cosmos — a symbol of the new Yggdrasil.

An alternate legend explains that it was Luther’s wife Katherine who inspired the custom. One Christmas Eve she placed paper roses in their windows. Martin decided to improve on her decorations by bringing a small fir tree inside and decorating it with the paper roses.

Birth of the “English” Christmas

Christmas trees became a German tradition, and after Prince Albert married Queen Victoria he wanted to bring Christmas trees into his home. In 1846 an illustration of this exotic import appeared in the Illustrated London News.

Everything Queen Victoria’s family did became popular, and Christmas trees were no exception. As the 19th century continued, England sourced trees from German forests.

Christmas tree harvesters chopped off the top of young evergreen trees to create Christmas trees that were between four and six feet tall. Once the top was removed, the remaining tree was unable to grow taller. This created a deforestation problem in Germany.

Enter the Artificial Tree

In response to the forestry crisis, people began creating feather trees. Goose, turkey, and swan feathers were dyed green and attached to a wooden dowel with wires or sticks that formed the branches. The branches were tipped with artificial berries to hold candles. The trees became quite popular in America during the 1920s, but fell out of use in the 1930s when real trees became more abundant.

In 1930 Addis Houseware Company introduced an artificial tree made of the same animal hair bristles the company used in toilet brushes. The resulting tree branches were stronger than feathers.

Aluminum Christmas trees made their appearance in 1958 and continued to be popular into the 1970s. The sparkling trees were sleek, modern, and they didn’t drop needles. A 6-foot tree cost $80.

The shiny trees reached the height of their popularity in 1965. But disaster struck aluminum trees on December 9, 1965 when approximately 36 million Americans tuned in to A Charlie Brown Christmas. When Charlie Brown and Linus looked for a tree they could use in their Christmas play, they found an aluminum tree display. Linus tapped on the shell, and sarcastically concluded the aluminum tree brought Christmas close to a person. [snark] Charlie eventually selected a spindly living tree. Aluminum trees, by comparison, were false pretenders. Sales plummeted.

Today Christmas trees come in all sizes. Artificial trees range from a one-foot sparkly pre-lit tree to over 9 feet of glittering festive fun. Live trees also abound with their unique scent. Some folks string lights through potted palm fronds. But no matter what tree you enjoy, large or small; living, cut, or artificial, Christmas trees bring joy and hope as we close out one year and begin another.

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Illustrations

Children Decorating Christmas Tree. Woolson Spice Company.

Ra by Eternal Space.

Saturn. Naples Archeological Museum. Carole Radiate.

Druids of Old England. 1868.

Yggdrasil from Northern Antiquities by Oluf Bagge. 1847.

Boniface Chops Down Sacred Tree. Bernhard Rode. 1781.

Adam & Eve. Workshop of Lucas Cranach. 1527. Gotogo.

Paradise Tree. E. M. Lilien. 1914.

Martin Luther’s Christmas Tree. Sartain’s Magazine. 1860.

Royal Christmas Tree. 1848.

Replica of Feather Christmas Tree. By a2gemma.

Aluminum Christmas Tree by Michelleration.

Photo by Author.

David Murray. “How Charlie Brown Killed the Aluminum Christmas Tree.” Great Falls Tribune. Dec. 8, 2017.

Amy Tikkanen. “How Did the Tradition of Christmas Trees Start?” Britannica.

“The Symbolism of Christmas Tree Decorations.” CTB. Nov 2 2021

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