Plan Your Harvest!
Spring is the time of new hope and new beginnings. A time to plant what is to become the harvest. What do you want to see growing in the fields of your life? It’s time to make a plan for your harvest.
Happy Spring!
Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
~An Old Irish Blessing~
Marian McCoy Boveri
The word Easter originates from the Old English Eostre, the original name for the month we know as April. It is a derivative of Austro with an original root meaning of “to shine”. It has been commonly identified as the name of an Old English goddess of the dawn–although the only reference to this is from a monk named Bede circa 7 AD. It is also translated from Eosturmonath into Paschal month originating from German and Latin Pascha and named for the month in which Passover happens. Bede concluded:
“Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated “Paschal month”, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance.” (1)
As with many traditions, things commonly associated with a season were brought along into a celebration resulting in new meaning at the same time incorporating things of old. It is important to note that contrary to popular belief, the association of this mythical goddess with the bunny as a part of her lore does not happen until the late 19th century. So where does this bunny come from?
The tradition of bunnies being associated with the arrival of spring and new life goes back to antiquity and would then find itself woven into early Christianity. The hare would eventually become a symbol commonly found in religious art during the Medieval period as well. Due to the bunnies’ ability to proliferate life, they were also seen as a symbol of virgin birth and thereby associated with purity and Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
As for the Easter Bunny himself as we commonly celebrate today, this tradition arrives long before the age of Hallmark with many crediting it origins to the Germans who arrived in America circa 1700s. The Germans held the tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” and naturally brought this tradition with them to America during that time period. This hare also had many similarities to Santa Claus, aka Saint Nicholas, in that he judged children’s behavior during Eastertide. This hare brought children colored eggs along with small toys and candy and placed them in nests the children built outside their homes. (2) The earliest written reference to this hare can be found in a German medical dissertation circa 1682 about how eating the brightly colored eggs without proper condiments resulted in tummy aches. (3) Either way, the hare eventually became a bunny and the nest became a basket.
While eggs are an ancient symbol of new life, they are also connected to Easter through the original fasting obligation that included no eggs during the Lenten fast observed as early as the 5th century. (4) Eggs having a shelf life somewhat longer than other foods if kept in a cooler location allowed for their collection and keeping to be then used in breaking the Lenten fast on Easter. Decorating the eggs would have naturally added to the festivity and celebration of Easter morning. The tradition of dyeing Easter eggs long surpasses any Hallmark influence on the holiday once again with a written record of King Edward I having received “boiled and stained” eggs and distributed them to his household on Easter circa 1290 AD. (5) This evidences the tradition of dyeing eggs and Easter being practiced in the British Isles long before America even existed.
It is not hard to see how common symbols associated with spring and the beginnings of new life would naturally find their way into the traditions of Easter as it celebrates new life through Jesus Christ and the Resurrection. Traditions have a way of incorporating common things into the celebration of special moments while giving us both a sense of familiarity and connectedness. Happy Easter!
Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
~An Old Irish Blessing
Marian McCoy Boveri
(3) www.livescience.com (easter bunny and eggs)
St. Brigid is one of Ireland’s most popular saints–second only to St. Patrick who was responsible for her conversion. Her feast day coincides with ancient Imbolc which heralds the return of Spring. Brigid shares the name of the Celtic goddess that is associated with Spring, fertility, and healing. St. Brigid was born to a pagan father, who was a chieftain, and a Christian mother, who was a slave. Hence Brigid was born a slave and spent part of her childhood in slavery.
St. Brigid was known for her charity and freely gave whatever she had to the poor. When just a child she gave away all the butter in her home to help feed the poor. It is said to have been miraculously replenished when St. Brigid prayed. Butter plays a part in some of the traditions that are celebrated on St. Brigid’s Day. One of these traditions includes dressing the butter churn as St. Brigid. Another is to leave butter outside on the window sill so that St. Brigid can bless it on the eve of her feast day. It is said she visits homes throughout Ireland to bestow a blessing on that very night. The story of St. Brigid and the butter is captured here in this book for ages 4-7 that shares the delightful story of St. Brigid’s charity. http://amzn.to/2nAvb6Y (not an affiliate link)
St. Brigid is known for founding a monastery called the Church of the Oak on the site of a pagan shrine to the Celtic goddess Brigid. She is known for helping to establish communal consecrated religious life for women in Ireland. She also established two monastic institutions–one for men and the other for women. In addition, she is credited with founding a school of art that was known for metalwork and illumination. The Book of Kildare, which was lost during the Reformation, was created at the school and was said to have been so beautifully illuminated it was as if done by angels.
The most common symbol of the day is St. Brigid’s cross which is made from rushes or straw. The tradition includes making a cross that would then be hung within the home or at the front door as a symbol of blessing and protection of the home from fire.
Making your own St. Brigid’s cross is a simple way to celebrate St. Brigid’s Day. Follow this link for a larger picture of the instructions below: http://www.carrigalineparish.ie/download/st-brigids-cross/
You can discover more about St. Brigid and the traditions of this day at Irish Central by following this link: https://goo.gl/qGHzHC
Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
~ An Old Irish Blessing
Marian McCoy Boveri
Sources: Wikipedia
“It is the most profound work of motherhood that a mother prepares her family for a world she will never see. She creates the connection to the generations past and the generations to come. Traditions by their very essence create this connection and keep her work alive.” ~ Marian Boveri
Generations to Come
Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
~An Old Irish Blessing~
Marian McCoy Boveri
What a beautiful and touching blog post from Natasha Lehrer Lewis
about her mother’s belief in the ability to put back together again an old tattered teddy bear. Indeed it even received a newly-knitted red sweater.
On this Mother’s Day, may all the broken people receive a mother’s love–whether from their own or another. I pray that the broken, tattered pieces of you are repaired. May others then gather around you and knit you a brand new sweater.
Happy Mother’s Day.
Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
~An Old Irish Blessing~
Marian McCoy Boveri
It is said that many people break their New Year’s resolutions by the end of January. In fact nearly 40% of the New Year’s resolutions made will have been abandoned by this time. There is even a day designated as “Ditch Your New Year’s Resolution Day” on January 17 to alleviate the guilt that often accompanies the giving up on these good intentions. The year has barely begun and people have stopped walking on the path they set for the New Year because they fail to realize that the harvest they want to see is dependent on time for its season.
The truth is that we still stand at the threshold of the year. Agriculturally speaking the seeds haven’t even been planted for this year’s harvest. We still remain in the season of planning and preparation. Giving up on this year’s harvest before it has even been planted reflects a lack of awareness on how harvests come to bear fruit. The harvest takes time and work. Indeed you will reap what you sow but the reaping comes in due season. It doesn’t happen overnight.
Women Pulling a Plough circa 1917
In this picture circa 1917, three French women took it upon themselves to bear the burden of pulling the plough because their lives and the lives of their children were dependent upon the harvest. The men were off at war and the retreating German army took the horses which were relied upon to carry the burden of pulling the plough. Planting needed to be done but the ground could not take the seeds until it was cultivated. So the women themselves took on the necessary task of pulling the plough because nothing was going to stop them from receiving a harvest.
Are you willing to do what needs to be done to see the harvests in your life? Start by looking upon the year as the farmer does. The farmer takes time to develop a harvest strategy in order to receive what is needed. What if you looked upon all those things you want to accomplish as potential harvests in your life? A harvest requires some planning and p-l-o-u-g-h-i-n-g and cultivating along with a lot of hard work long before one can even begin to see a harvest.
Is the goal you want to accomplish as important as the harvest was to these women whose families depended upon it to survive? Maybe your survival doesn’t depend on your goal—or maybe it does? The point is that your goal will produce a harvest in your life if you approach it as something that is planted into a field that in turn needs planning, ploughing, planting, cultivation, and harvesting.
It remains that this picture inspired other nations to send women out into the fields to insure there was a harvest while men fought in the war.I pray that it inspires you to do the hard work that needs to be done so that you receive the harvest you have been wanting for. Should the time come for ploughing and there is nothing to pull the plough with, may you remain determined to overcome any difficulties in order to cultivate the field for planting. I hope this inspires you to find a way to put your hand to the plough and plough on.
A Call to the Harvest
Plough on dear friends. Plough on.
Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
~ An Old Irish Blessing ~
Marian McCoy Boveri
Copyright: Marian Boveri @ www.AllThingsHarvest.com
Picture copyright: https://goo.gl/896YLg
St. Brigid
Source: Saint Brigid Church
February 1 is known as St. Brigid’s Day in Ireland. She is an Irish saint that was born in circa 451 AD and her feast day celebrates the arrival of Spring. In the old Irish calendar there were four quarter days that marked the shift in season and upon which celebrations were held. St. Brigid’s Day, also known as Imbolc, was the quarter day that signified the ending of the long, hard winter and the arrival of spring. It falls about half-way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.
It is believed that St. Brigid’s parents were Dubthach, a Leinster chieftain and a pagan, and Brocaa, a slave and a Christian baptized by St. Patrick. When it was discovered that she was pregnant, Dubthach’s wife had Brigid’s mother sold to a Druid landowner. Brigid was known for her charity and gave away anything she could to the the poor. Her Druid owner returned Brigid to her father when she was about 10-years-old. Her father soon tired of her giving away his belongings so he sought to sell her to the King of Leinster. As Dubthach spoke with the King, Brigid gave away her father’s sword to a beggar so he could barter it for food. The King, who was a Christian, spoke with Brigid, saw her heart and declared, “Her merit before God is greater than ours”. The King then convinced Dubthach to grant Brigid her freedom.
It is said that Brigid, who was very beautiful, prayed that God would remove her beauty so that she could live a consecrated life devoted to Christ rather than accept the many hands of marriage that were offered to her. Once her father saw that her beauty had been taken, he agreed to allow her to enter a religious life. Upon taking her vows, Brigid’s beauty was restored.
Brigid founded the first monastery for women religious in Ardagh. Before this, women who consecrated themselves to God lived in private homes. Shortly thereafter, the monastery was moved to Kildare and became known as “The Church of the Oak” as it was built above the shrine to the Celtic goddess of the same name which was under a large oak tree. Brigid also founded a monastery for men as well and went on to set up monasteries all over Ireland. It was during her travels that her Christ-given healing abilities and wisdom became known and she affectionately was called “The Mary of the Gaels”.
Brigid later founded a school of art and metallurgy that produced the Book of Kildare. This work was said to have been “created by angels”.
A tradition in Ireland is to make a new St. Brigid’s cross for the home out of rushes or reeds on St. Brigid’s Day to insure protection of the home, especially from fire, throughout the coming year. Legend has it that St. Brigid picked rushes from the floor and made a cross in an effort to convert a dying pagan chieftain. “He asked her about what she was doing and, in explaining, she told him about christ and the meaning of the Cross. He came to faith and was baptized.”
“Once the cross is woven, it is blessed with holy water and with the words:
May the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost be on this Cross and on the place where it hangs and on everyone who looks at it.” (1)
Click here for instructions on how to make a St. Brigid’s Cross.
St. Brigid’s Cross
Source: Wikipedia
Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
~ An Old Irish Blessing
Marian McCoy Boveri
Sources:
(1) http://fisheaters.com/customstimeafterepiphany2a.html
http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/st-brigids-day-1st-february-marks-the-start-of-celtic-spring-189211061-237561961.html
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=453
http://www.crosscrucifix.com/articlehome.htm
It has become a tradition to sign my blogposts with a portion of this Old Irish Blessing. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
~ An Old Irish Blessing
Marian McCoy Boveri
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