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Winter Holiday Thread

Started by pyewacket, December 04, 2015, 12:33:34 AM



Rix Gins

Quote from: pyewacket on January 03, 2016, 05:02:11 PM
January 3rd- Fruitcake Toss Day



http://americanprofile.com/articles/fruitcake-toss-manitou-springs-colorado/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUudRdFC7E

At the 1:41 mark.  We have a winner!  lol  I wonder, are those the type of fruitcakes that K__Dubb says glow in the dark?

pyewacket

Quote from: K_Dubb on January 03, 2016, 05:10:00 PM
What a waste!  I'd signal fair catch and get under that.

I does look that way on the surface K_Dubb, but there's much more to it than that. I'm not certain about this, but I do believe the rule is if you keep your fruitcake past January 3rd you have to store it away to be used for the next year's toss. It's a fun/odd community gathering which is good in my book and it gives the engineering students a project to develop and demonstrate in competition. Not all bad.

Here's more on the history of fruitcakes and tossing of such cakes.  :)
Quote from: inquistr.com
Manitou Springs, Colorado shared a bit about the history of “Fruitcake Toss Day.” The city has turned the “Fruitcake Toss” into a charity event.

    “This one-of-a-kind event, where enthusiasts traveled from all over to compete for trophies and bragging rights, has been a community highlight for more than 22 years. The great fruitcake toss is the event of the winter season as the hapless dessert is launched into space with a variety of mechanical and pneumatic devices.

    “Competitions have included the Hand Toss, Kid’s Toss, Launch, Pneumatic Gun or Canon, Team Catch or Accuracy division. The cost of competing is simply a non-perishable food item, to be donated to the Westside Cares food bank.”

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/2674729/happy-fruitcake-toss-day-what-to-do-with-fruitcakes-after-christmas-videos-photos/#qAH4XqCDW49QHl5O.99

K_Dubb

Quote from: pyewacket on January 03, 2016, 05:26:26 PM
I does look that way on the surface K_Dubb, but there's much more to it than that. I'm not certain about this, but I do believe the rule is if you keep your fruitcake past January 3rd you have to store it away to be used for the next year's toss. It's a fun/odd community gathering which is good in my book and it gives the engineering students a project to develop and demonstrate in competition. Not all bad.

Here's more on the history of fruitcakes and tossing of such cakes.  :)
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/2674729/happy-fruitcake-toss-day-what-to-do-with-fruitcakes-after-christmas-videos-photos/#qAH4XqCDW49QHl5O.99

Oh no, they're fine, vintage fruitcakes?  Double the tragedy!

Seriously I'm sure they're still good after being hurled through the air.  They're quite indestructible.

They're also, in my experience, one of the most expensive things you can bake when you figure in that well over half the volume is candied fruit, plus handfuls of spice.  Not to mention your liquor of choice with which you lovingly bathe it.  I'm sure each loaf-pan I make is $25 in ingredients alone.

pyewacket

Quote from: K_Dubb on January 03, 2016, 05:30:43 PM
Oh no, they're fine, vintage fruitcakes?  Double the tragedy!

Seriously I'm sure they're still good after being hurled through the air.  They're quite indestructible.

That's what they say.  :) At any rate, if they do become confection shrapnel- the birds and furry creatures will have a feast.


Rix Gins

Quote from: pyewacket on January 04, 2016, 07:39:09 PM
Powamu Festival- The Hopi Bean Ceremony, Cycle of Renewal

http://askdrjudi.blogspot.com/2013/02/powamu-festival-hopi-bean-ceremony.html



What a beautiful ceremony, Pye. Thanks so much for posting it.  The Dr's first photo literally took my breath away when clicked on to enlarge.  I notice the article was a couple years old.  I hope that those folks are all doing OK and that Grandfather Monroe is still with us.

pate

After this performance there is no way I believe Dave was ever a sniper, or SF...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoQW6S4rRKg

I do however believe that Dave met John Wayne.

John Wayne wore a helmet for show, and didn't fasten his chin-strap for reasons, Not Sure if that information is de-classified yet, but hear is photographic evidence of God, Family & Country.  A triumvirate of prehistorical(sp) magnitude:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gcp4oT7vOY

Both Jim and John are American heros.  Dave may or may not be a damn Turk, and therefore sat out a historic battle of the mynds.  Why?  Perhaps we never shall know.

Parsnips, I'll never know.

It is still winter until March sumtheen, and I think there are moar Nat'l HolyDaze left of center(depending on your maths POV/FPS, Eye digress) of the Vernal(venal>?sp?)...

uh, was it a Polar Vortex?

Ima Idjet, Disregard.

Happy WinterThyme, Yee'al!

ediot: DaveSucks, Mia.  FurGoat that bit about the broken triumvirate, 'pologies for being me...

pate

Quote from: K_Dubb on January 03, 2016, 05:30:43 PM
Oh no, they're fine, vintage fruitcakes?  Double the tragedy!

Seriously I'm sure they're still good after being hurled through the air.  They're quite indestructible.

They're also, in my experience, one of the most expensive things you can bake when you figure in that well over half the volume is candied fruit, plus handfuls of spice.  Not to mention your liquor of choice with which you lovingly bathe it.  I'm sure each loaf-pan I make is $25 in ingredients alone.

You cannot possibly be single.  J'adore!  Heh.

Bourbon, sir.  The cheaper the better.  None of that vodka swill.  Good day.

I said, good day!

Cheers, and Merry Winter!

pyewacket

Quote from: Rix Gins on January 06, 2016, 03:17:43 AM
What a beautiful ceremony, Pye. Thanks so much for posting it.  The Dr's first photo literally took my breath away when clicked on to enlarge.  I notice the article was a couple years old.  I hope that those folks are all doing OK and that Grandfather Monroe is still with us.

I thought it was special and worth sharing. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Rix. I hope they are well and able to carry on with their traditions.

pyewacket

Quote from: wikipedia.org
The festival takes place on 14 January of each year during the Makar Sankranti and continues until 15 January. This date marks the end of winter and the return of a more clement weather for farmers of the Gujarat region. These days have also become a public holiday within the Gujarat state of India so that everyone can take part in the celebration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Kite_Festival_in_Gujarat_%E2%80%93_Uttarayan







http://www.aryabhatt.com/fast_fair_festival/festivals/international%20kite%20festival.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ON_w59sXzs

K_Dubb

Quote from: pyewacket on January 04, 2016, 07:39:09 PM
Powamu Festival- The Hopi Bean Ceremony, Cycle of Renewal

http://askdrjudi.blogspot.com/2013/02/powamu-festival-hopi-bean-ceremony.html



Beautiful!  That has got to be the most sympathetic account of a Hopi ceremony I've read.

pyewacket

Feast of the Black Nazarene



January 9th marks the largest annual procession in the Philippines, Asia's only majority Catholic country. The Black Nazarene is a life-size statue of Christ carved from ebony. It was brought to the Philippines from Mexico in the 17th century and placed in Manila’s Quiapo Church in 1767.

http://www.philippines.hvu.nl/culture4.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_NTavNuwIs


K_Dubb

Quote from: pyewacket on November 25, 2016, 04:54:52 PM
I'm sure traditions run deep in your family and that is the spirit of the holidays, but there are people who enjoy discussing current affairs with the people they feel closest to. Maybe not the most appropriate time for many people, but I've never seen it actually drive anyone out. Sometimes it even causes people to rethink their position. Not always a bad thing.  :)

The winter holidays will soften attitudes a bit, I hope. I remember our discussions about baking on the Winter Holiday Thread last year. Did you ever try those emulsions I suggested? I've got to reorder a few for my baking needs.

The 2016 Liturgical Year is nearly done- Advent starts on the 27th! Funny that after all these years away from the church- I still remember. I know it's early, but Happy St. Lucy's Day! :)

Oh goodness, thank you for reminding me!  They're at the back of the spice cupboard, forgotten over the summer.  This will be fun!

I know from facebook there's at least a couple Trumpets and a Berner among us, but we're too busy reminiscing.  I've got grandma's accent about right, so my job is to say all the things she used to say at the table -- "Yust Eat!" (direct translation of Bare Spise) and "Dat vass good, Ã...LL of it" at the end.  Spent most of the evening trying to remember how the song went my aunt and my dad used to harmonize on -- auntie died twenty years ago and Dad can't remember any more.  Finally got it.  Those who've passed beyond are very much with us this time of year.

Perfect excuse to resurrect the thread -- Happies and Merries all around as appropriate.


pyewacket

Quote from: K_Dubb on November 25, 2016, 05:55:38 PM
Oh goodness, thank you for reminding me!  They're at the back of the spice cupboard, forgotten over the summer.  This will be fun!

I know from facebook there's at least a couple Trumpets and a Berner among us, but we're too busy reminiscing.  I've got grandma's accent about right, so my job is to say all the things she used to say at the table -- "Yust Eat!" (direct translation of Bare Spise) and "Dat vass good, Ã...LL of it" at the end.  Spent most of the evening trying to remember how the song went my aunt and my dad used to harmonize on -- auntie died twenty years ago and Dad can't remember any more.  Finally got it.  Those who've passed beyond are very much with us this time of year.

Perfect excuse to resurrect the thread -- Happies and Merries all around as appropriate.



Keeping the tradition of family history in the storyteller fashion! They pass from this life too soon - what a wonderful way to keep them with us. Almost all of my elder family members are gone now.

In some Lithuanian households, Christmas Eve tradition includes feeding the souls of the dead. A candle or drink would be placed at the table for them.

Being more of a Pagan nature, I see the season as magical and try to keep some old traditions as best as I can.

You might enjoy this link, I hope I haven't already posted it last year.

Happy baking, K_dubb!

http://thelithuanians.com/bookanthology/christmas.html


K_Dubb

Quote from: pyewacket on November 25, 2016, 07:45:43 PM
Keeping the tradition of family history in the storyteller fashion! They pass from this life too soon - what a wonderful way to keep them with us. Almost all of my elder family members are gone now.

In some Lithuanian households, Christmas Eve tradition includes feeding the souls of the dead. A candle or drink would be placed at the table for them.

Being more of a Pagan nature, I see the season as magical and try to keep some old traditions as best as I can.

You might enjoy this link, I hope I haven't already posted it last year.

Happy baking, K_dubb!

http://thelithuanians.com/bookanthology/christmas.html

Absolutely, Pye, watching the grandson she never knew (who's now taking music theory in college) trying to make out auntie's fiddle part was pure magic.  I was the kid who paid attention when the old people were talking, and I'm sure as a real pagan (and not a winking one like me) you understand my duties better than I do.

Those Lithuanian customs are wonderful!  Makes me sad for how much we must've lost -- we still put wheat on a pole (instead of a tree) and leave porridge out since Grandma and Grandpa aren't around (they're the last ones who'd have objected to it as pagan) but have no spells or charms to speak of.  Though herring on an empty stomach before bedtime confirms what I've long suspected about dubious protein and dreams!

GravitySucks

Quote from: K_Dubb on November 25, 2016, 09:11:16 PM
Absolutely, Pye, watching the grandson she never knew (who's now taking music theory in college) trying to make out auntie's fiddle part was pure magic.  I was the kid who paid attention when the old people were talking, and I'm sure as a real pagan (and not a winking one like me) you understand my duties better than I do.

Those Lithuanian customs are wonderful!  Makes me sad for how much we must've lost -- we still put wheat on a pole (instead of a tree) and leave porridge out since Grandma and Grandpa aren't around (they're the last ones who'd have objected to it as pagan) but have no spells or charms to speak of.  Though herring on an empty stomach before bedtime confirms what I've long suspected about dubious protein and dreams!

When I was a teen in Chicago, my mother got obsessed with a Lithuanian museum and took us there several times around Christmas and Easter. I think this is the one.

http://balzekasmuseum.org

http://www.lithaz.org/museums/balzekas/

Or it might have been this one

http://www.lithaz.org/museums/ldm/

K_Dubb

Quote from: GravitySucks on November 25, 2016, 09:19:07 PM
When I was a teen in Chicago, my mother got obsessed with a Lithuanian museum and took us there several times around Christmas and Easter. I think this is the one.

http://balzekasmuseum.org

Your mother must have been a woman of real sensitivity.  From what I understand, it's the last region of Europe to be converted -- there was actually a crusade -- and, even more so than in Scandinavia, Christianity and paganism reached a sort of accommodation.

We have straw ornaments, but I've never made them -- those are beautiful.

Here is appropriate music for this little trip.  It's a horse song, like the St. Stephen ones in Sweden, that I'm guessing preserves the veneration of that animal inherited from way back in the past:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XSWGTzaFlY

pyewacket

Quote from: K_Dubb on November 25, 2016, 09:11:16 PM
Absolutely, Pye, watching the grandson she never knew (who's now taking music theory in college) trying to make out auntie's fiddle part was pure magic.  I was the kid who paid attention when the old people were talking, and I'm sure as a real pagan (and not a winking one like me) you understand my duties better than I do.

Those Lithuanian customs are wonderful!  Makes me sad for how much we must've lost -- we still put wheat on a pole (instead of a tree) and leave porridge out since Grandma and Grandpa aren't around (they're the last ones who'd have objected to it as pagan) but have no spells or charms to speak of.  Though herring on an empty stomach before bedtime confirms what I've long suspected about dubious protein and dreams!

That is a wonderful gift to your children! I'm sure they'll appreciate your efforts as they grow older and have something of their family history to pass on to the next generation.

I'm not as dedicated as I'd like to be, but I try to revive some of the 'old country' feel to the holiday. I dislike the commercialization because it drains the energy from what should be the spirit of the season. Have you noticed the difference in certain holiday music? One version could be done in a traditional or folk style and another in a 'modern' rendition that falls flat and seems sterile? Maybe it's just me, but I'm becoming more sensitive to it. I'm sure the modern versions are well done and popular, they just don't feel like Yule to me.

I'm glad you liked the article. I find old folk magic and practices interesting. I like to read about the history behind them, too.

K_Dubb

Quote from: pyewacket on November 25, 2016, 09:38:56 PM
That is a wonderful gift to your children! I'm sure they'll appreciate your efforts as they grow older and have something of their family history to pass on to the next generation.

I'm not as dedicated as I'd like to be, but I try to revive some of the 'old country' feel to the holiday. I dislike the commercialization because it drains the energy from what should be the spirit of the season. Have you noticed the difference in certain holiday music? One version could be done in a traditional or folk style and another in a 'modern' rendition that falls flat and seems sterile? Maybe it's just me, but I'm becoming more sensitive to it. I'm sure the modern versions are well done and popular, they just don't feel like Yule to me.

I'm glad you liked the article. I find old folk magic and practices interesting. I like to read about the history behind them, too.

Yep, sterile is a good word for it.  I ain't gonna lie -- I love the cheer and good-will, but it's gotta be balanced against the darkness, something I think our ancestors understood more.

pyewacket

Quote from: K_Dubb on November 25, 2016, 10:21:31 PM
Yep, sterile is a good word for it.  I ain't gonna lie -- I love the cheer and good-will, but it's gotta be balanced against the darkness, something I think our ancestors understood more.

I agree- the seasons had far more impact on their survival back then which made the celebrations and communal bonding far more meaningful.

Lt.Uhura

American holiday traditions are so crass...


pyewacket

Quote from: K_Dubb on November 25, 2016, 10:21:31 PM
Yep, sterile is a good word for it.  I ain't gonna lie -- I love the cheer and good-will, but it's gotta be balanced against the darkness, something I think our ancestors understood more.

I like many traditional holiday songs and I add more modern pagan style music as well. You might like the group, Faun. Here's Federkleid, one of my favorites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0XTr78Ketk

plumage
Across the heath, in the early morning glow
Birds pass on by, where may they be tomorrow
I follow the sizzling of the wings into the somber moor
Age-old songs resound from the haze

Come and fly away with us
Let the wind carry you
Far away from this place
Come and fly as high as you can
Let us chase the skies
In our dance

Silken Haze, so chilly, brushing my skin
Further and further, where shall I find my yearning's goal
I close my eyes and grow a plumage
I feel the wind already and spread my wings to fly

Come and fly away with us
Let the wind carry you
Far away from this place
Come and fly as high as you can
Let us chase the skies
In our dance

The heavens in you, how can I know them, can I see them
In flight we dance like the stars, moving on their paths

Come and fly away with us
Let the wind carry you
Far away from this place
Come and fly as high as you can
Let us chase the skies
In our dance

K_Dubb

Quote from: pyewacket on November 26, 2016, 02:32:22 AM
I like many traditional holiday songs and I add more modern pagan style music as well. You might like the group, Faun. Here's Federkleid, one of my favorites.

Thank you Pye, it's beautiful; I will look up more of their stuff.  I love the hurdy-gurdy!  The tune is similar to an old Red Army song -- I found one without the words.  I'll just leave this as a sample:

Hey, girls, look,
We are ready to engage the enemy,
Our horses are fleet-footed,
Our tanks are fast-driving.
Hey, while on the collective farms,
The work is efficiently progressing...

I'd say your lyrics are a definite improvement!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDJ-tvuZUG4

pyewacket

Quote from: K_Dubb on November 26, 2016, 02:01:38 PM
Thank you Pye, it's beautiful; I will look up more of their stuff.  I love the hurdy-gurdy!  The tune is similar to an old Red Army song -- I found one without the words.  I'll just leave this as a sample:

Hey, girls, look,
We are ready to engage the enemy,
Our horses are fleet-footed,
Our tanks are fast-driving.
Hey, while on the collective farms,
The work is efficiently progressing...

I'd say your lyrics are a definite improvement!

I do remember this as the song you posted. A totally different song for the same music with a change in the heart and mind. I wish we could see more of that, especially since societies are now so divided.

They're a creative group and their videos are beautiful.

Rix Gins

Thanks for bringing the Winter Holiday Thread back, Pye.  I really enjoyed it last year and did you know that it was the inspiration of the 100 Years Ago thread?  (Hope we get to sing karaoke together at the 2016 BellGab office party.)


ItsOver

Quote from: Rix Gins on November 26, 2016, 05:44:32 PM
Thanks for bringing the Winter Holiday Thread back, Pye.  I really enjoyed it last year and did you know that it was the inspiration of the 100 Years Ago thread?  (Hope we get to sing karaoke together at the 2016 BellGab office party.)


Yes, absolutely, thank yeeewww, Pye.

One of my favorite holiday events, Angel Night, is this Thursday night.  I plan on firing-up my camera this year and will post photos.  It is really a magical event.




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