Commemorative Days
No knitting content today -- still finishing up the Mindless Bit O'Fluff discussed in the last entry -- but I have Lots More Information than you can possibly need:
Several commemorative days happen very close together, here at the beginning of February. This explains why, should you be around the department today and catch a glimpse of me, I am so gussied up.
Yesterday was St. Brigid's day -- patron of, among other people, poets, blacksmiths, and healers. One of the most important Irish saints, she founded the abbey at Kildare (Cill Dara, Church of the Oak), and was crucial in the formation of the Church in Ireland. Hence, I'm wearing my St. Brigid sweater. Which has made a good impression on today's candidate, who says she now wishes to practice her knitting. Well, come work here. We've got some Scholarly Knitting Guild going in the department. You can join. The more, the merrier.
Or, yesterday was Imbolg, (Oímelg), the beginning of Spring, sacred to the goddess Brighid, a good day to burn up all the leftover greenery with which you decorated the house a couple of months ago, and which is so dry that if you burn it in the fireplace you're going to have a visit from the holy sacred Quenchers of the Flames, in the form of your local fire brigade. So don't do that.
Or, if you like, it was the day sacred to both.
And then, today itself is Candlemas, the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin. There's a nice story about why it's ok that St. Brigid's day directly precedes the feast of the Purification, which I found in Dáithí Ó hÓgáin's lovely tome --
The Holy Family was fleeing into Egypt, and ran into a bunch of soldiers, and St. Brigid came by and very intelligently distracted the soldiers by sticking lighted candles on her head, in, I gather, an imitation of either St. Lucia OR Hannibal's cattle, I'm not sure which.
Ok, so much for that.
But if you don't celebrate Candlemas today, perhaps you prefer Groundhog Day, sacred to the Western Pennsylvanians. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. Six more weeks of winter. Sorry.
Fine, fine, fine. Like I care. Bring it on! More snow days! Shut the schools! Cause me to have to repeat the Hail Mary over and over whilst driving home on icy roads!
Oh, sorry, back now.
Then, tomorrow is St. Blaise's day (Roman rite), in case you haven't, by that time, gotten heartily sick of candles and sun feasts and the fires of the forge and all the burning greenery -- you can go and get your throat blessed in a lovely ceremony which involves the priest crossing candles over your throat.
I love that ceremony. And it's so timely, too, what with the winter weather and all.
(Cough, cough.)
Several commemorative days happen very close together, here at the beginning of February. This explains why, should you be around the department today and catch a glimpse of me, I am so gussied up.
Yesterday was St. Brigid's day -- patron of, among other people, poets, blacksmiths, and healers. One of the most important Irish saints, she founded the abbey at Kildare (Cill Dara, Church of the Oak), and was crucial in the formation of the Church in Ireland. Hence, I'm wearing my St. Brigid sweater. Which has made a good impression on today's candidate, who says she now wishes to practice her knitting. Well, come work here. We've got some Scholarly Knitting Guild going in the department. You can join. The more, the merrier.
Or, yesterday was Imbolg, (Oímelg), the beginning of Spring, sacred to the goddess Brighid, a good day to burn up all the leftover greenery with which you decorated the house a couple of months ago, and which is so dry that if you burn it in the fireplace you're going to have a visit from the holy sacred Quenchers of the Flames, in the form of your local fire brigade. So don't do that.
Or, if you like, it was the day sacred to both.
And then, today itself is Candlemas, the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin. There's a nice story about why it's ok that St. Brigid's day directly precedes the feast of the Purification, which I found in Dáithí Ó hÓgáin's lovely tome --
The Holy Family was fleeing into Egypt, and ran into a bunch of soldiers, and St. Brigid came by and very intelligently distracted the soldiers by sticking lighted candles on her head, in, I gather, an imitation of either St. Lucia OR Hannibal's cattle, I'm not sure which.
Ok, so much for that.
But if you don't celebrate Candlemas today, perhaps you prefer Groundhog Day, sacred to the Western Pennsylvanians. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. Six more weeks of winter. Sorry.
Fine, fine, fine. Like I care. Bring it on! More snow days! Shut the schools! Cause me to have to repeat the Hail Mary over and over whilst driving home on icy roads!
Oh, sorry, back now.
Then, tomorrow is St. Blaise's day (Roman rite), in case you haven't, by that time, gotten heartily sick of candles and sun feasts and the fires of the forge and all the burning greenery -- you can go and get your throat blessed in a lovely ceremony which involves the priest crossing candles over your throat.
I love that ceremony. And it's so timely, too, what with the winter weather and all.
(Cough, cough.)
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