A news fluff piece I chanced across today was about the music chosen for funerals in recent years. The data came from a poll of 300,000 funerals in Britain commission by Co-operative Funeralcare. While certain standbys like "Amazing Grace" still top the "funeral charts" there has been a increased amount of pop/rock chosen either by the deceased ( Read more... )

Courtesy seems to be a recurring theme in SCA-related discussion. Afterall, the perceived courtesy of the middle ages is part of the attraction. However, what exactly courtesy consists of is a point of some contention.

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While doing my research for the posts on the traditions of the days following Christmas, I came across the following article:

The Real Twelve Days of Christmas by Edwin and Jennifer Woodruff Tait.

I was particularly struck by the following portions:

"It is easy to dismiss all these customs as ... harmless follies ... But perhaps there's a ( Read more... )

Today is the Fifth day of Christmas. It's a little bit different than the preceding three days as traditionally there was no specific focus for this day (unlike the charity associated with the Feast of Stephen, or the antics associated with Childermas). However, it and the remaining seven days of Christmas (between now and Epiphany, or the Feast ( Read more... )

Today is Childermas, or the Feast of the Holy Innocents, in Western European tradition (Syrian and Chaldean tradition observed it yesterday and the Eastern Orthodox will observe it tomorrow).

The haunting "Coventry Carol" was written as part of a mystery play, The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors, that commemorated the events:

Herod the king ( Read more... )

There is cedar on my railing and holly on my door ( Read more... )

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1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both and occassionally boxes.
2. Real or artificial tree? REAL
3. When do you put up the tree? About a week before Christmas
4. When do you take it down? 12th Night (January 6th)
5. Do you like eggnog? LOVE it!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hmmm. Hard to say. Maybe the Indian jewelry maker.
7. Do you ( Read more... )

Last month at the "Fruits of our Labour" event, I met a delightful lady named Celeste who had lived in Iceland. One night at The Raven, she told a story of attending a celebration of "Þorrablót" and being served "rotten shark." She explained how the shark would be caught in warmer weather and buried in the sand and come January it was the only ( Read more... )

A friend recently posted displeasure at seeing a yellow "Support Our Troops" magnetic ribbon on a utility truck, saying, "Partisan political messages have no place on publicly owned vehicles." I disagree that that example is partisan.

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