April Fools and Aphrodite

An old post, but I thought I would share this again! ...

I have quite a few "Avril" postcards that feature people holding fish! Little girls, ladies, even couples with big fish. What's with the fish on these old French cards?

In France, the victim of an April Fool's Day prank is called a "poisson d'avril," an April fish (which refers to a young fish easily caught!) But that's not the whole explanation...

April is named for Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty and fertility. The fish is one symbol of Aphrodite, who was born of the sea. While she is called the Love goddess, her domain is more accurately described as the sensual passion and romantic attraction that draws couples together. She doesn't care if it makes good sense or ruins your life, she just wants you to hook up! Think how sly Aphrodite uses desire and passion to "trick" creatures into love or at least lust and fertility and thereafter a lot of work and trouble! Nothing can make a fool out of you faster than love and lust. In the Greek myths Aphrodite is one capricious and "tricky" goddess.

For many centuries, in many cultures, this time of year has been associated with celebrations of frivolity, lightheartedness, and sometimes pranks. (The Romans had a festival called Hilaria around the end of March.) The coming of spring after the long months of winter brings out our pent-up energy and silliness, and we need a day to let it out! Spring fever, I know it well. Spring is also when Aphrodite goes wild in nature, as birds and bees get busy :-)

April 1 was the beginning of the New Year in some places in old Europe (right around the beginning of Spring), and that transition day from the old year to the new was frequently a time when the usual rules didn't apply and the world went topsy-turvy. Much of the tomfoolery associated with April Fool's Day could be attributed to this. Ancient customs allowed a few days when people could break the rules and get a little crazy, maybe to let off steam. Pretty wise, if you ask me.

This year April Fool's Day falls on a Friday, which makes it extra powerful! Because Friday is named for Freya, the Norse goddess of fertility who is another face of Aphrodite. Enjoy a little "Spring Fever" tomorrow!

"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year."- Mark Twain

Happy Leap Day!

February 29 was called Leap Day by the Victorians, and the whole year recognized as a Leap Year... Because Leap Day is an "extra" day that doesn't follow the rules, time-honored traditions were turned on their head on Leap Day. For example, you may have heard that women to ask the men for their hand in marriage on February 29. You may not have heard that if the man honored with such a proposal refused it, he would have bad luck for the rest of Leap Year!

Leap Year Balls were popular at one time in England and America, often to raise money for worthy causes. At Leap Year Balls, the ladies would ask the men to dance.

In English law, February 29 was "leaped over" legally, and no contracts or other legal agreements could be made on that date. In Greece, the entire Leap Year is considered unlucky for marriages, and in some places February 29 was considered an unlucky date for a birthday. However, many born on February 29 like their unusual special day... and of course they can count a birthday only every four years if they choose (an advantage as you hit those 4-0 s).

So why do we even have this weird "tacked on" extra day? Because the Earth's year is actually 365-and-1/4 days long. Instead of trying to count that extra quarter-day, the creators of the Gregorian Calendar (which replaced the old Roman Julian calendar in 1582) decided to add in an extra day every four years. Voila.

If it's your birthday.... hope you have a happy one! Extra big party! And ladies, if you've been thinking of popping the question, tradition is on your side today :-)

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

Here is a Victorian Easter bunny, ready for his big day with a pile of colored eggs!

We have over 100 Easter bunnies in our vintage images collection.  While I love the Easter angels and children and chicks, I have a special fondness for the bunnies! Like many holiday traditions, the Easter rabbit has its origins in pre-Christian times and was adapted to Christian celebrations. The rabbit or hare (like the egg) is an ancient symbol of rebirth and fertility, associated with the rebirth and renewal of plant life in the Spring.

The name Easter seems to have come from the ancient Germanic month of eostre, named for a goddess Eoster (similar to Ishtar and Aphrodite). In many countries the holiday is called Paques or Pask, from the Greek word for Passover -- our charming French postcards say Joyeuses Paques!

The Easter rabbit tradition began in Germany, where children filled their hats or bonnets with grass to create a special nest where the Easter rabbit might lay brightly colored eggs. Beautiful Easter baskets (still filled with grass) developed later, as did Victorian-era Easter greeting cards and postcards.

Did you know that RED and GREEN were the original traditional colors for Easter eggs?  Red and green are the colors most commonly associated with Life and Renewal/Rebirth (which is why they are Christmas colors!)  Our Easter pastels seem to be a later, Victorian custom inspired by the colors of spring flowers.

However you celebrate, have a blessed Easter weekend!
Check out the links below for more vintage Easter:

• Digital collage sheets for springtime and Easter: Bunnies, chicks, decorated crosses, angels, eggs, flowers, butterflies... and more!
• Lunagirl Victorian Holidays Volume 2: Valentines Easter Mother's Day (on sale today)
• Lunagirl Victorian Religious Ephemera
• Lunagirl Easter Photos & Postcards

April Fool, April Fish?

I have quite a few "Avril" postcards that feature people holding fish! Little girls, ladies, even couples with big fish. What's with the fish on these old French cards?

In France, the victim of an April Fool's Day prank is called a "poisson d'avril," an April fish (which refers to a young fish easily caught!) 

Why is April 1st a day for fools and foolishness? Nobody seems to know for sure. There are stories about the change of calendars in the 1500s, but they don't hold up well because April Fool's celebrations existed before that time. Some people connect it to the unpredictability of weather and nature at this time of year. 

We do know that for many centuries, in many cultures, this time of year has been associated with celebrations of frivolity, lightheartedness, and sometimes pranks. (The Romans had a festival called Hilaria around the end of March.) Maybe it's just that the coming of spring after the long months of winter brings out our pent-up energy and silliness, and we need a day to let it out! Spring fever, I know it well.

April is named for Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty and fertility. The fish is one symbol of Aphrodite, who was born of the sea. While she is called the Love goddess, her domain is more accurately described as the sensual passion and romantic attraction that draws couples together. She doesn't care if it makes good sense or ruins your life, she just wants you to hook up! Think how sly Aphrodite uses desire and passion to "trick" creatures into love or at least lust and fertility and a lot of work and trouble! Nothing can make a fool out of you faster than love and lust. In the Greek myths Aphrodite is one capricious and "tricky" goddess.

April 1 was the beginning of the New Year in some places in old Europe (right around the beginning of Spring), and that transition day from the old year to the new was frequently a time when the usual rules didn't apply and the world went topsy-turvy. Much of the tomfoolery associated with April Fool's Day could be attributed to this. Ancient customs allowed a few days when people could break the rules and get a little crazy, maybe to let off steam. Pretty wise, if you ask me.

"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year."- Mark Twain

Mistletoe Lore & Traditions

Mistletoe has been considered a magical plant at least since Roman times, when it was part of the Saturnalia festivals held at the winter solstice. It was sacred to the ancient peoples of Europe, especially the Celtic Druids, who gathered it at both the Summer and Winter solstices. Its ability to stay green through the cold dark winter made it a symbol of renewal and "life-giving" power.

There are two kinds of mistletoe: One is the European plant known to the ancients, found in apple and oak trees. The kind Americans know as a Christmas decoration is native to the eastern United States. Both have poisonous white berries.


The Name Mistletoe
The name for this plant in Celtic languages is “all-heal” for its supposed abilities to cure diseases, make humans and animals fertile, protect against poisons, and bring good luck. However, the English name “mistle-toe” (from Anglo-Saxon) translates as “dung-on-twig”! (Mistletoe seeds are spread when birds eat the berries and then.... well, sit awhile in oak trees...).

Kissing Under the Mistletoe

In Norse myth, when the god Balder was struck down by an arrow made of mistletoe, his mother Freya cried tears of white berries. She brought her son back to life and promised her kiss of blessing to anyone who rested beneath mistletoe.At least since the Middle Ages mistletoe has been hung in doorways to ward off evil spirits (it seems ghosts are especially active at the seasonal transitional festivals such as Yule). It was sometimes used year-round to protect houses against lightning.

Kissing under the mistletoe dates back at least to the Romans, probably because of its association with fertility and luck. Because it was associated with peace, enemies (and warring spouses) would “kiss” or declare a truce under mistletoe.


Victorian Customs

In Victorian England some created a special decoration called a “kissing ball” using evergreens, colorful ribbons and ornaments, finished with a sprig of mistletoe. The kissing ball was hung from the ceiling, and partygoers played kissing games underneath!

Each time a man kisses a woman under the mistletoe, he should pluck one of the berries, and when all the berries are gone the kissing should stop!

If you want those who’ve kissed under the mistletoe to marry, be sure to burn it on the Twelfth Night of Christmas... which is Epiphany, January 6.

To find out about our Holidays image collections from Lunagirl... click here.

Victorian Floral Christmas Cards

The custom of sending Christmas cards began in Victorian London in about 1840, and in 1875 Boston lithographer Louis Prang began publishing Christmas cards in America. The earliest cards usually featured colorful flower blossoms or pictures of birds, children or angels.

We couldn't find out much more about floral cards, except that they were part of the Victorians' (and Victorian-era Americans') love for flowers, and that the early, expensive cards were probably sent by wealthy people.

It was inexpensive holiday penny postcards, somtimes imported from Germany, that were sent by most Americans until WWI.



We think these floral cards are lovely and quaint -- they certainly reflect the "shabby" romantic spirit that so many of our customers like!



While cards featuring caroling children, nativity scenes, holly wreaths, and of course dear old Santa Claus fit our traditional idea of Christmas, these old flower cards are sweet for something different.

You'll find them (and hundreds more holiday images) in our Holidays & Occasions 3CD set -- and with holiday greetings removed in our Victorian Flowers collection, to use as flower pictures in your scrapbooking, card making and art.

Between the Worlds: Part Four

Black Cats & Witches

Cats have long been the objects of much superstition, and they are frequently associated with Halloween.  Cats were sacred to the Druids; it was believed that they had once been human beings.  Perhaps the cat had magical power because it was supposedly the most common "familiar" of witches (probably just the favorite companion of old ladies living alone).  Feline behavior towards a person on Halloween was often taken as an omen.  For example, if a cat jumps into your lap on this night, good luck is foretold.  Probably more prevalent is the belief that cats, particularly black cats, can be ill omens.  Everyone in the U.S. has heard that a black cat crossing your path means bad luck ahead. The bad reputation of the cat may have been a medieval Christian reaction against the honor given them by the pre-Christian Druids.  Medieval Christians burned cats along with accused "witches" (leading to an overpopulation of rats, which bred fleas, which carried the bubonic plague...now that's bad luck).

The figure of the witch is now an integral part of Halloween in our minds, but she may be a relatively late arrival.  How she got there is a story extremely long and complex.  I suspect that originally witches were just another of the various supernatural beings thought to walk or fly about the earth on Halloween.  Witches tended to get confused with sorcerers, who, since they may supposedly used evil spirits to carry out their work, would be particularly active on this night.  

The Real Witches - Wise Old Ladies in the Woods? Some today regard the so-called witches of old Europe as simply survivors from the pre-Christian, nature-focused religions of the ancients.  In other words, pagans who revered nature (not Satan).  The idea of older, traditional folks living off in the woods, continuing their seasonal celebrations, magical beliefs, and herbal medicine, is not far from our image of the witch.   As Christianity gained ascendancy in Europe, witches were reinterpreted through Church dogma and came to be viewed (incorrectly) as Satan-worshippers.  Many of the popular (and often incorrect) notions about witchcraft derived from "confessions" extracted by torture from the accused "witches" of earlier centuries. Most who were executed as witches during the "burning times" were most likely "strange" old ladies living alone in the woods, the mentally ill, midwives and herbalists, people who followed the "old ways" of the Celts, women whose remarkable ugliness or beauty brought attention.....those whose "difference" aroused suspicion in a fearful, ignorant, and tumultuous age.

Bats and owls are associated with Halloween probably because they are nocturnal -- active only at night.  Perhaps they join the spirits to fly about the night sky.  Owls were for thousands of years associated with knowledge and wisdom, especially feminine wisdom, and so are a fitting companion for the witch, the Old Wise Woman.  (Owls were a symbol for Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, as well.)

The witch's cauldron may represent the "cauldron of Cerridwen" of Celtic myth, source of wisdom and rebirth -- and the direct symbolic predecessor of the Holy Grail.  In myth often one was cut up and boiled in the cauldron, to emerge again reborn in wholeness, health & wisdom The cauldron and later the Grail were believed to be guarded by a hideous woman-beast.  In many Celtic stories it is through this terrifying creature that the magic vessel is finally encountered, and only the person who can accept and kiss her can gain access to the wisdom and renewal she guards.  By embracing the pain and struggle of life we gain wisdom and greater strength.

 

This image of the old witch hovering over her cauldron embodies beautifully the original symbolic meaning of Halloween. 
This is the night when we confront perhaps the ultimate riddle: As winter approaches, the world comes face to face with the power of death and darkness, which holds within it the promise of rebirth.  On the wheel of the year, the cold stillness of the coming winter will take us around again to the warmth and renewal of spring. 

Behind our holiday called Halloween lies the eerie, magical mood of the ancient festival of Samhain and All Hallow's Eve.  Perhaps we would do well to remember some of its original meaning -- not to conjure up real fears again, but rather to rekindle a feeling of wonder toward the great cycle of death and rebirth in nature and in our lives.

All pictures shown are included in Lunagirl's Victorian Holiday Cards Graphics 3-CD set
(Click to see a full description of the set -- over 3,000 vintage images for all holidays!)

Visit Lunagirl.com to see all our Image CDs: Vintage Graphics, Victorian Cards, Vintage Photos, Ads & Labels, Collage Sheets & Ephemera on CD

Entire text copyright 2005, 1983, K. Goode and SummertownSun Publishing, all rights reserved.  Illustrated feature article copyright 2005, SummertownSun Publishing, LLC, all rights reserved. 
This entire text is an original work of authorship, and all intellectual property rights are retained by the author and copyright holder. Any unauthorized copying or reproduction in any form, in whole or in part, is strictly forbidden and a violation of copyright law.  Please contact us for permission if you wish to use parts of this article.

Between the Worlds: Part Three

Jack-o-Lanterns & Halloween Pranks

There is an Irish story explaining the origin of jack-o-lanterns:  It seems a man named Jack was barred from heaven because he was so stingy and forbidden to enter hell because of his practical jokes on the devil. The devil, angered by Jack's practical jokes, threw a live coal at him.  It landed in a half-eaten turnip in Jack's hand, creating the first jack-o-lantern.  (Early jack-o-lanterns were turnips as well as pumpkins and other gourds.)  He is condemned to walk the earth with his lantern until Judgment Day!   Closed out of hell as well as heaven, Jack is suspended between life and death, and thus his jack-o-lantern is particularly appropriate to Halloween.

As a child in the southern U.S. I was told (teasingly) that the grinning pumpkin face in the window helped frighten evil spirits away from the house.  Although this may keep away the spirits of the dead, it seems to have little effect on the pranksters -- young people who become demons for a night and roam the neighborhoods making mischief.  Halloween provides an irresistible opportunity for the practical joker.  If the farmer's outhouse ends up in the creek, or your trees end up full of toilet paper, it was the evil spirits who did it -- once a perfect alibi for the real culprits.  Again, the limits placed on day-to-day behavior were weakened for a night.  today, most of it is of course harmless, although I do wish people wouldn't smash jack-o-lanterns!

Some once-common Halloween pranks, such as window-tapping, gathering vegetables to bombard house fronts and drop down chimneys, and removing carts and other belongings to faraway fields, were practiced in altered form in the United States when I was growing up (with the variation, of course, that we took things from the garage and left them in other neighbors' yards).  Soaping windows (especially car windows), stealing jack-o-lanterns, and "rolling" yards (adorning the trees and shrubs in toilet paper) were also popular.

Halloween Bonfires

Halloween bonfires are direct descendants of Samhain/All Hallow's fires of the Celts, lit in honor of the weakening sun at summer's end.  

The fires helped ward off the growing power of darkness and cold.  Perhaps they were meant to strengthen the fire of the sun by means of sympathetic magic.  They were also a means of purification.  Even in recent times the ashes of the Halloween (and New Years) bonfires were scattered throughout the community to protect against evil powers and fertilize the fields. Every hearth fire was first lit for the new year from the Samhain or new years bonfire.  In ancient times it was considered an act of great impiety to kindle winter fires from any other source.

In parts of England, a large bunch of wood was gathered, dressed as a person, then burned under the name Le Vieux Bout de l'An, "the old end of the year."  Here again we see a similarity to Yule customs -- the traditional Yule log that burnt all night was originally also dressed as a person.  

In Scotland we find the custom called "Burning the Witch," which involved burning an effigy and continued well into modern times.  Guy Fawkes Day, named for a rebel who tried to blow up Parliament around the turn of the seventeenth century and celebrated in England on November 5, also involves the burning of a human effigy and is sometimes combined with the Halloween celebration.

These mock sacrifices represented the death of the old year.  Probably such sacrifices were intended to appease the spirits of the dead, for it was believed that the spirits might continue to disrupt human affairs throughout the year if not properly honored.  People often left food out on the table for the returning dead on Halloween.  (Another ancestor of our trick-or-treating custom.)

Halloween Superstitions & Divination Customs

As it is the beginning of the new year and a time when the everyday and the supernatural were believed to be in such close contact....Halloween was considered the perfect time for divining the future.

The divination traditions associated with Halloween are numerous and fascinating!

There were many superstitions involving mirrors. 

Some believed that if a young woman looked into a mirror at midnight on Halloween, she would see the face of her future husband or true love.  A smooth pond surface or wishing well reflection would also work!  There were similar beliefs about looking into a pond or well at dawn on May Day (Beltane).  Others might gaze into the mirror at midnight on Halloween and see their future revealed.

Mirrors and reflections were long considered magical and mysterious, because the reflection was associated with the soul of the person reflected; a mirror could capture or reveal one's soul.  Some of us are still a little superstitious about breaking a mirror.

APPLES Halloween divination usually involved apples, nuts, grain, or other agricultural products, combining the harvest aspect of the holiday with its magical nature.   Apples were particularly popular, and the apple rites seem to be the customs most often found in the United States.   (To the Celts, a perfect apple was the charm by which one might be admitted to the Otherworld and gain "second sight.")

Many customs involve apple peels.  For example, people would peel apples trying to keep the peel all in one piece; whoever had the longest peel would have the longest life.   Young girls would peel an apple and then throw the long peel over their left shoulder, believing that it would form the initial of their future husband's name!   When bobbing for apples, some believed that the first person to get an apple would be the first to marry.

PUMPKINS Pumpkins are of course another agricultural product always associated with Halloween.  Like apples, they are plentiful in October.  Also like apples, they were sometimes used for divination.  Some ladies reportedly put pumpkins on their heads at midnight on Halloween, to see their future husbands!

TO BE CONTINUED...

© 1983, 2005, all rights reserved. 
This article is an original work of authorship protected under copyright law, and it may not be copied in whole or in part without permission of the author and copyright holder.

Watch for the last installment of our article on the origins of Halloween and its customs -- part four features witches and black cats!

Send New Year Greetings: Revive This Edwardian Tradition!

Sending Happy New Year postcards to family and friends was a very popular tradition with the Victorians and Edwardians (and French ladies of the time) ~ as popular as sending Christmas cards, judging by the great number and variety of New Year cards we find!

 

These charming cards often showed illustrations of children, cherubs, Old Father Time, happy couples, benevolent angels, lucky horseshoes and shamrocks and pigs (yes, a symbol of luck and prosperity), even New Year gnomes who bring wealth and happiness to your home.  

Other New Year cards, especially the French ones, featured photographs and the wish for Bonne Annee (a good year) or Heureuse Annee (a happy year), like these from our collection.

You will find a lovely selection of illustrated cards on our Victorian Holidays Volume One CD and beautiful photo cards of children, ladies, and couples on our Christmas New Years Photos CD.

We altered some of the photographs into Christmas cards on the CD, but we left many with new year greetings in French. 

 I think New Year postcards should make a comeback! They would be a wonderful tradition to revive, especially in these anxious times. 

 

  

Just print onto cardstock, embellish if you like, and send to wish your loved ones a happy 2011.  The best wishes of a friend mean just as much now as they did a hundred years ago in 1911!

Valentines Day

Ah, Valentine's Day. Some love it, some hate it (there is a growing tongue-in-cheek "hate Valentines Day" movement, mostly among those without a partner and young men who don't like being expected to buy presents!) I think it's nice to have a day just to celebrate romance.

Personally I don't care for the commercialization of any holiday, but you can look past that if you try and find the true meaning, a celebration of romantic love. And if you don't have (or want) romance in your life right now, why not give yourself some dark chocolate and a bubblebath!

Great Saturday Project: Easter Eggs with All Natural Dyes!

Did you know you can make natural egg dyes from stuff around your kitchen? I looked around for tips on dyeing Easter eggs with natural dyes and picked a few of the best links to share! This is a great "old-fashioned" way to dye eggs, but also a "new-fashioned" way to avoid artificial dyes and over-commercialization of holiday celebrations. It's a fun experiment and a fun way to spend some time with your kids!

The earliest traditional colors for Easter eggs were red and green, btw. Red is the most ancient sacred color, the color of life energy. Green of course is also symbolic of life and vitality and renewal. Pastel colors became popular later, probably in imitation of the pinks and yellows and lavenders of Spring flowers. Supposedly teal is the "hot" color this year!!

Here are some links ~ have fun:
http://www.floridaherbs.com/Newsletter_Archives_Dyeing_Easter_Eggs.htm
http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/eggs060405.cfm
http://www.aeb.org/kidsandfamily/eastereggs/naturaldyed.asp

On that last link, you'll want to click the "next" button at the bottom a couple of times, because the next few pages have wonderful ideas for decorating eggs with stencils, leaves and seeds, ribbon, even postage stamps!

The vintage egg greeting card pictures are from
Lunagirl Victorian Holidays & Occasions.