Weather report ... so to say
Punxsutawny Pete, the premier groundhog of the USofA, has spoken, Six more weeks of winter (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/02/02/groundhog-day-2015-punxsutawney-phil-sees-shadow-predicts-six-more-weeks-of-winter/).
I suspect it was more of a case of him seeing all the snow and saying "Heck no, I won't go!" and I can't say as I blame him but ...
In point of fact, this forecast is exactly contrary to the tradition of the day, at least according to the Celtic tradition. The ancient Gaels were a very contrary people (their word for small is 'beag' and when they call out to their mother, they say 'vather') and in their opinion, certain days (the cross-quarter days, perhaps?) could give a window on future weather patterns. To wit, an unseasonal day meant prolonged and destructive weather to come. They expected February to be cold, nasty and precipitating - either rain or, more likely, snow. A sunny and bright, clear day was obviously against the natural order of things and a harbinger of evil days to come - a prolonging of cold wintry weather.Faoilleach, Faoilleach, làmh 'a crios ... Faoilte mhór bu chòir 'bhi ris ; .. Crodh 'us caoraich 'ruith air theas, .. Gal 'u caoin bu chòir 'bhi ris.
February cold and keen, .. welcome hath it ever been; .. Sheep and cattle running hot, .. Sorrow that will bring, I wot.
Cha'n 'eil port a sheinneas an smeòrach 's an Fhaoilleach, nach caoin i mu'n ruith an t-Earrach.
For every song the mavis sings in February, she'll lament ere Spring is over.
When I speak of the Gaelic tradition, I should perhaps mention that the harbinger of spring for which they waited was not something as cute and potentially cuddly as the groundhog (unless you're like my elder son who was delighted to receive a stuffed plushie rattlesnake and hand-made skunk puppet). They believed that Imbolc was the first day of spring and that on that day, the serpents came from out their holes. Là Fheill-Bhrìghde thig an rìbhinn as an tóll ; cha bhean mise dha'n rìbhinn, 's cha bhean an rìbhinn riùm.
On St. Bride's day the serpent will come out of the hole; I won't touch the serpent, and she won't touch me.
The word Rìbhinn also means nymph (in my lexicon, I use it for snake-women such as Lamia and Melusine). Which would add another meaning to the verse above because ...well, a lot of men do seem to have trouble not touching unprotected females. And if an rìbhinn IS a serpent women, well, perhaps such blackguards would actually get what they deserve. (I'm probably waxing warmly on the theme because my belovéd just told me of a group of Muslim terrorists who did get what they deserved for behaving ... well ... like men. They clicked on photos of scantily-clad females and downloaded spy-ware to their computers which stole tactical data on their plans for fighting.)
According to the count of days from Winter Solstice to Spring Equinox, tomorrownight is the actual half-way point. But I figure today is close enough.
Happy Imbolc everyone.
I suspect it was more of a case of him seeing all the snow and saying "Heck no, I won't go!" and I can't say as I blame him but ...
In point of fact, this forecast is exactly contrary to the tradition of the day, at least according to the Celtic tradition. The ancient Gaels were a very contrary people (their word for small is 'beag' and when they call out to their mother, they say 'vather') and in their opinion, certain days (the cross-quarter days, perhaps?) could give a window on future weather patterns. To wit, an unseasonal day meant prolonged and destructive weather to come. They expected February to be cold, nasty and precipitating - either rain or, more likely, snow. A sunny and bright, clear day was obviously against the natural order of things and a harbinger of evil days to come - a prolonging of cold wintry weather.Faoilleach, Faoilleach, làmh 'a crios ... Faoilte mhór bu chòir 'bhi ris ; .. Crodh 'us caoraich 'ruith air theas, .. Gal 'u caoin bu chòir 'bhi ris.
February cold and keen, .. welcome hath it ever been; .. Sheep and cattle running hot, .. Sorrow that will bring, I wot.
Cha'n 'eil port a sheinneas an smeòrach 's an Fhaoilleach, nach caoin i mu'n ruith an t-Earrach.
For every song the mavis sings in February, she'll lament ere Spring is over.
When I speak of the Gaelic tradition, I should perhaps mention that the harbinger of spring for which they waited was not something as cute and potentially cuddly as the groundhog (unless you're like my elder son who was delighted to receive a stuffed plushie rattlesnake and hand-made skunk puppet). They believed that Imbolc was the first day of spring and that on that day, the serpents came from out their holes. Là Fheill-Bhrìghde thig an rìbhinn as an tóll ; cha bhean mise dha'n rìbhinn, 's cha bhean an rìbhinn riùm.
On St. Bride's day the serpent will come out of the hole; I won't touch the serpent, and she won't touch me.
The word Rìbhinn also means nymph (in my lexicon, I use it for snake-women such as Lamia and Melusine). Which would add another meaning to the verse above because ...well, a lot of men do seem to have trouble not touching unprotected females. And if an rìbhinn IS a serpent women, well, perhaps such blackguards would actually get what they deserve. (I'm probably waxing warmly on the theme because my belovéd just told me of a group of Muslim terrorists who did get what they deserved for behaving ... well ... like men. They clicked on photos of scantily-clad females and downloaded spy-ware to their computers which stole tactical data on their plans for fighting.)
According to the count of days from Winter Solstice to Spring Equinox, tomorrownight is the actual half-way point. But I figure today is close enough.
Happy Imbolc everyone.