January 6th, Epiphany-Twelfth Night
Ceremony upon Candlemass Eve
down with the rosemay, & so
down the baies & mistletoe
down with the holly, ivie, all
wherewith ye drest the Christmas hall
That so the superstitious find
no one least branch there left behind
for look how many leaves there lie
neglecther there(maids trust to me)
so many goblins you shall see.
It's the end of the Yule and Mithra mas season, it’s now even the end of the 12 days of Christmas, and Imbolc is fast approaching. In the Rastafarian tradition today is seen as the actual birth of Christ, to many Orthodox Christians, it's today and to some Christians this is the day he is baptized.
Epiphany means "an appearance or manifestation especially of a deity; a sudden or intuitive insight into the reality or essential meaning of something" taken from dictionary-reference.com Or as Oprah loves to call them the "a-ha moments".
These moments can come fast, or can take decades to manifest, epiphanies share an insight for many of us into the deeper meaning of who we are and why we are here on this blue planet. Take the time to write them down, so that you can look them over and allow them to help shape the life you wish to lead.
For me today is the day to start or really complete the taking down of the decorations (unfortunately Holda is not cooperating all the snow which had started to melt, just got freshly snowed on so there is no way to take down the outside decorations), for as the poem suggests, leaving them up gives the little trouble makers a home in which to hide.
To help with the sugar rush needed to take these decorations down and burn them in the fire and all those lights (Gods why were they so easy to go up, but are now tangled??) You can make a 12th night cake.
12th night cake:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups currants, raisins, sultanans (optional)
- 3 tbsp brandy & honey
- 1/4 cup candied cherries
- pinch cinnamon
- 1 dried bean
Directions
- Grease pan set aside
- cream butter and sugar together
- then stir in well beaten egg and brandy
- sift in flour with cinnamon then stir in fruit
- add the bean
- pour into tin & bake for three hours @ 150c or 300f
- allow to cool for 30mins before taking out
- melt the honey and glaze the top of the cake and decorate with cherries
Farewell to Yule
When all twelve days are done, it's time to dismantle the decorations and the solstice shrines. As you put things away give thanks for the Solstice and the many gifts that it brought, the new traditions formed & the old ones remembered.
here is a French carol to bid Yule Adieu
Noel is leaving us
sad to say
but he will come again
adieu Noel
His wife and his children
weep as they go
on a grey horse
they ride through the snow
the kings ride away
in the snow and the rain
but after 12 months
we shall see them again
pg 211 in Winter Solstice
Happy 12th night everyone.
here is a little goodbye to the solstice gift for the ladies Enjoy
Time to get those decorations down and prep for the next esbat and sabbat. Ahhh the fun of being pagan, there is always another party around the corner.
information from Winter Solstice by John Matthews, image courtesy of bing.com/images/sexysanta
Be blessed
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