i've just got 'Gardening and Planting by the Moon 2002', which gives days best for jobs with roots/leaves/flowers/ fruit, something i've always meant to try and not got round to. Any of you any experiences with this approach?
Thread 'Easter Eggs' got me thinking. Most of our current festivals are based on those from before christianity and are tied to the moon and seasons. the ancients seem to have been very accomplished astronomers (read Uriel's Machine etc etc) Mark's right about the hare/rabbit (shapeshifting not being acceptable to the church).
SAMHAIN (pron. sawan) began the old calendar on october 31st and is our hallowe'en
YULE was next on c.december 21st (22nd this year)the winter solstice - longest night. interesting that this name is still acceptable.
IMBOLC (our candlemas) is any day now!! February 1st/2nd. This is when they used to 'beat the bounds'.
OSTARA is the spring equinox (March 21st this year)so easter is the following sunday - wonder where that name came from LOL. Hyacinth named after it too.
BELTANE April 30th Spring has arrived
MIDSUMMER on summer solstice - longest day 21st June this year.
LAUGHNASADH presumably pron.like our Lammas, (though not sure where the m's came from)is the 1st harvest, August 1st.
MABON is on the autumn equinox c. september 21st (23rd this year)and celebrated the main harvest.
Most of these have been incorporated into christian ritual, makes you think (well it does me anyway)
Gardening by the moon and traditional festivals
I put up a thread about activities being affected by the full moon, about a year ago, different site. Got a lot of responses. Something called the Transylvanian phenomenon, or somthing like that. Transylvanian something anyway.
Just had Groundhog Day in the States, yesterday.
I used to do a lot of folk-singing (traditional) at the folk-clubs and used to know lots of folk-customs - bit out of practice now.
I don't know a lot about folk customs - thought it would be interesting to see what other people knew, particularly the ideas linked to growing things.
A lot of people seem to lay store by doing their gardening to 'biorhythms'. i have trouble remembering to do jobs at roughly the right time of year, let alone at a particular phase of the moon, so wondered whether others had had success using this method.
I've never had anymore success growing and sowing plants while the moon is waxing than when the moon is waneing although there are others here who will testify to the fact that it works for them.
I think its great to experiement, you never know it may work for you.
Imbolc is the Celt word for spring. I have a snowdrop called Galanthus x 'Imbolc' because it is one of the last flower usually middle to late March.
Mark
another book worth reading is the Cassell Book of Superstition. Back in the day people were terrified of everything. I'll post some items from it in the next few days when I can find where I put the book.
Mark
Thanks Mark:)look forward to that
Northerner, would love to hear of any folk customs you can remember pleeease;) particularly those to do with cultivation.
i found there was another thread going here just before i joined DG - 'Planting by almanac'. it was either in general or garden talk. Some people seem to think the system works!