Thanksgiving - 10 Things

1.Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday of November in the USA and on the second Monday of October in Canada

2.The first Thanksgiving was in 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared a Harvest Festival feast.

 3.U.S. President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving Day a national holiday in 1863.

4. Canada's Thanksgiving established in 1879 was based on the USA's Thanksgiving but in 1957 it was decided to have the annual holiday in October due to Canada's colder weather conditions.

5.That first feast  included many different meats:
"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, among other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed upon our governor, and upon the captain, and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”   A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth by Edward Winslow

6. There were no forks at the first Thanksgiving. The pilgrims didn’t use forks, they ate with spoons, knives, and their fingers.

7.That first Thanksgiving feast lasted 3 days.

8.Today's classic Thanksgiving menu is turkey, cranberries, root vegetables including sweet potato followed by pumpkin pie.

9.Television now plays an important part in Thanksgiving celebrations with many families watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and football (American) games on TV.

10.The "Turkey Pardon" is a Thanksgiving Tradition where the President of the USA officially pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey who is then allowed to live out it's days on a farm rather than going to meat.

 Happy Thanksgiving.

Guy Fawkes, The Gun Powder Plot and Bonfire Night - 10 Things

1. The Gunpowder Treason Plot of 1605 was an assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of Catholics who were unhappy at the treatment of Catholics in England.
2. There were 13 conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot: Robert Catesby, Thomas Wintour, Jack Wright,Thomas Percy, Guy Fawkes, Robert Wintour, Christopher (Kit) Wright, Robert Keyes, Thomas Bates, John Grant, Ambrose Rookwood, Francis Tresham, and Everard Digby.
3.  They hid 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars under The House of Lords, planning to blow up The Houses of Parliament, King James, The Prince of Wales and Members of Parliament.
4.  One of the conspirators decided to warn a friend against going to The Houses of Parliament on the day of the planned explosion, 5th November 1605. An anonymous letter was sent to Lord Monteagle who passed it on to the authorities.
5. Guy Fawkes was the conspirator who was supposed to ignite the gunpowder but due to the anonymous letter sent to Lord Monteagle the cellars were searched and Guy was arrested.
6.  Word soon got out about the foiled plan to kill the king and bonfires were lit to celebrate the safety of the King. 
7. Guy Fawkes who gave his name as John Johnson was interrogated and tortured  for 2 days before he finally gave in and told the authorities about the other conspirators. He told the authorities that his intention had been "to blow you Scotch beggars back to your native mountains."
8.  Robert Catesby  Rookwood, the Wright brothers, Percy and John Grant died in a siege at Holbeche House  on 8th November.
9.  Francis Tresham died in prison while awaiting trial, the other 8 conspirators including Guy Fawkes were sent to trail and sentenced to be hanged drawn and quartered.
10. The Gunpowder Plot is commemorated in England on 5th November with firework displays and bonfire parties.

Halloween - 10 Things

Did you know that the custom of trick or treating is believed to have developed from a medieval custom called souling?
 The poor would go from door to door asking for food in return for prayers for the dead.

And do you know why folk dress up for Halloween?
Why to fool the spirits that are wandering on All Hallow's Eve when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is said to be at it's thinnest.

Do you know the legend of the Jack O Lantern?
 Apparently Jack tricked the devil into agreeing never to collect his soul. Unfortunately for Jack when he died he wasn't allowed into Heaven and because of the agreement the Devil had made he wasn't allowed into hell either. Jack's spirit was left to wander the earth moaning about how dark it was. Someone took pity on Jack and tossed him a lump of glowing coal which he put into a hollowed out pumpkin which he now uses to light his way - especially on Halloween!

And did you know that large turnips (swedes, rutabaga) were once used to make Jack O Lanterns in the UK?
Pumkins were very much a North American crop but now they are very popular in the UK too and they make a far more dramatic, and easier to carve Jack O Lantern.

Do you know why orange and black are such popular Halloween colours?
Well orange is a symbol of strength and endurance and black symbolizes death and darkness. These two colours  symbolize the demarcations between life and death and as the veil between the living world and the world of the dead is said to be at it's thinnest during Halloween they have been adopted as Halloween colours.

And did you know that some people suffer from a Halloween phobia?
No me neither but they do and it's called Samhainophobia.

Do you know that Halloween is also known as Samhain?
Samhain is a Celtic festival, a pagan sabbat, that marks the end of harvest.

And did you know that Samhain / Halloween is also The Celtic New Year?
In the old Celtic calendar the New Year began at sunset on Samhain.

Do you know that Halloween is the perfect time for scrying, trying to see the future?
There are many ancient Halloween traditions for trying to see into the future, especially for finding out who you are going to marry.

And did you know that Halloween is a time to honour  the dead?
Many cultures honour their dead and remember their ancestors at this time of year in a way we do it too with Remembrance Sunday in November.

(Image copyright James Caton)

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