Here was our own littlest person in 2014. Forgive me the use of these old photos. It is fun to remember and I don't do it often enough.
I'm sharing information from two books, Christmas in the Mountains and A Foxfire Christmas, in the event that this is your first reading from this series. I'm trying to mesh the chapters and topics as best I can. Thanks for reading along!
It is the custom in many places to ring bells to mark Christmas coming in. Clay Boy's grandfather does it in The Homecoming: A Christmas Story and the little girl and her mother ring in the day in The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree. In Hubert Davis's book, he tells of the custom of ringing the bells nine times with a pause and then another three rings. This was to signify the death of the devil and the birth of Christ. Then the bells were rung for as long as an hour. The Devil's Knell, as it was called, originiated in Yorkshire, England, and the devil was believed to have sickened and died at midnight. There was a similar tradition for the New Year.
Serenading is a tradition dear to my heart, and the easiest one to bring into one's family culture today. Mike and I first did it when we were newly married, walking my parents' road to see some friends and give them songs. We were inspired by Jean Ritchie's account in Singing Family of the Cumberlands. You can hear a little bit of it here. I e-mailed her that year and got a sweet reply! The kind described in her book involved singing very loudly, so that the folks of the house invite you in for some kind of treat. We certainly got that treatment when we serenaded our neighbors here in town. I'd really like to do it this year with the children, now that Willow can read along.
The last item for today involves the little folks that were very much a part of life in the British Isles, specifically the town of Glastonbury. There are many legends surrounding the origin of the Glastonbury Thorn, but the one shared in Christmas in the Mountains sounds like it could be a Sparkle Story. An old pious man takes a fall in the forest and witnesses little folks at work on Christmas Eve. Searching for just the right way to honor the Christ Child, he helps them find a twig and it bursts into bloom just as Christmas morning dawns.
More tomorrow. Goodbye!
Lovely photo of little Laurel. How lovely that you went carolling with your husband. We used to have Carol singers come to our house when I was younger- I imagined I would do it too when I was older, but people had stopped doing it so I never did. I think people don't want to open the door to strangers now in the City- too much fear- which is a shame, We just sing for ourselves now or at carol concerts, but so lovely to bring song (and seasonal joy) to people's homes. Sounds like you made that neighbours day.
ReplyDeleteYes, it does seem things have changed. It's too bad. I guess we will go on being the strange ones. ;-)
DeleteI love this post. How wonderful to get an email from Jean Ritchie! We had such a beautiful experience caroling last year with our living history group - I hadn't done it since I was a little girl. I really love all of the lore and legends surrounding Glastonbury. I would love to visit there someday, and see the Chalice Well and the Tor. I've read legends about the Glastonbury Thorn, too - I like the one you shared here. Love the photo of your littlest person. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! Your living history group sounds like it was so special. I'm glad you all got to do that. Let's run away to Glastonbury together!
DeleteI am enjoying your series! I found the bit about the bells fascinating. The Orthodox church rings bells at midnight at Christmas, and again at Pascha (Easter). I sometimes wonder what the neighbors think, as our little wood church is tucked into a residential neighborhood vs. a commercial one. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks! Oh, that sounds so neat. What is the name of your church?
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