DVD/CD Winter, A Meditation

DVD and Audio CD.

The ancients believed winter was a time of tremendous spiritual power. 

In winter the Sun journeyed through the underworld gathering the secrets of life and death, until its verdant rebirth in spring.

Join master musician Áine Minogue in her collaboration with filmmaker Michael Yip for a visual and musical feast of eleven selections that celebrate this season of contemplative reflection and the Inner Fire.

The creator of eight original Celtic music albums including Between the Worlds and The Twilight Realm, and an Emmy award-nominated television producer, Áine Minogue "combines a hypnotic Celtic spirituality and contemporary sophistication in her playing and delicately lovely singing" (Boston Globe). 

Layering magnificent images of winter scenery with evocative dreamlike sequences in a candlelit castle, filmmaker Michael Yip’s Zen aesthetic infuses this beautiful piece with a stunning visual simplicity that is by turns solemn and joyous, yet always uplifting in its reflection of this loveliest of seasons.

WINTER: A MEDITATION is perfect as a companion for relaxation, meditation, or creating a mood for an evening of entertainment.  

WINTER, A MEDITATION: A Visual Collection

1. A Winter Story (3:25)
2. Noel Nouvelle (2:06)
3. The Grove (3:34)
4. Between the Worlds (4:02)
5. In Shadow’s Light (3:45)
6. Spirits of the World (3:46)
7. Jezebel Carol (2:18)
8. Greensleeves (3:20)
9. Horn Dance (1:49)
10. The Dove’s Return (3:01)
11. An Bhoutais (4:11)

Producer and Director
Michael Yip

Co-Producer
Aine Minogue

Assistant Producer
Peter Flynn

DVD copyright © 2008 Aine Minogue & Michael Yip
Music Copyright (c) 2008 Aine Minogue, Little Miller Music
All music written and/or arranged & produced by Aine Minogue
(Published by Little Miller Music, BMI)

SPECIAL THANKS

Thanks to Sounds True for the footage of the Irish landscape. For a free catalog of audio, video, and music for the inner life, you can contact Sounds True at www.soundstrue.com

Waterfire, Barnaby Evans and Tim Ray for permission to shoot Barnaby Evans amazing installation in Providence, RI
www.waterfire.org

Mrs. & Mrs. Tinney, Belcourt Castle, Newport, Rhode Island for permission to film indoor scenes at Belcourt Castle
www.belcourtcastle.com

Brian P. Meyers for use of his photography in “Spirits of the World” and the Ireland Slideshow

Carole Rossi & Crystal Springs Convent for permission to film dancer Kieran Jordan on the grounds of the convent in Plainville, MA

Rob Walker of Rob Walker Illustration for customization of font for Áine Minogue’s name

Carmel & Peter O’Reilly & The Sugan Theater for use of the Mummers costumes
www.sugan.org

Sardis Bonnie Currier – for use of scarves & other dancer tools

A Winter Story

Music Credits
Musicians:
Áine Minogue: Irish harp
Seamus Egan: whistle
Winnie Horan: fiddles
Takaaki Masuko: percussion
Barry Phillips: cello
Claudio Regazzi: guitar
Ben Wittman: drums (brushed surdo, floor toms, surdo, djembe)
Wesley Wirth: bass
Arden String Quartet:
Zioa Bologovsky- violin
Rohan Gregory – violin
Charae Krueger – cello
Louisa Sarkissian – viola
Recorded and mixed by Mark Wessel at Blue Jay Studios, Carlisle, MA

Film Credits
Director: Michael Yip
Camera: Peter Flynn
Belcourt Castle photography: Michael Yip
Lighting: Mike Lee
Lighting assistant: Billy Flanagan
Production Assistant: Diana Trudeau
Editor: Michael Yip

Noel Nouvelle

Music Credits
Musicians
Áine Minogue: Irish Harp, vocals, spoken word
Johnny Cunningham: Fiddles, spoken word, percussion
Cillian Vallely: Irish pipes, whistles
Byron Duckwall: Cello
Alasdair Halliday: Vocals
Kathy Halvorson: Oboe
Recorded and mixed by Cameron Wiley at Evergreen Music Studios, Westwood, MA

Film Credits
Directer: Michael Yip
Camera: Michael Yip
Editor: Michael Yip
Dancer and Choreographer: Kieran Jordan

The Grove

Music Credits
Musicians:
Áine Minogue: harp, percussion
Seamus Egan: nylon strung guitar, whistles and flutes
Winnie Horan: fiddles
Takaaki Masuko: percussion
Barry Phillips: cello
Recorded and mixed by Mark Wessel at Blue Jay Studios, Carlisle, MA

Film Credits
Director: Michael Yip
Camera: Peter Flynn
Belcourt Castle Photography: Michael Yip
Lighting: Mike Lee
Lighting assistant: Billy Flanagan
Production Assistant: Diana Trudeau
Editor: Michael Yip

Between the Worlds

Music Credits
Musicians:
Áine Minogue: vocals, Irish harp, percussion
John Arimond: tenor vocal, backing vocals, whistling
Alasdair Halliday: harmony vocals
Jeramie Hammond: harmony vocals, bass vocals
Seamus Egan: nylon strung guitar, whistles and flutes
Winnie Horan: fiddles
Takaaki Masuko: percussion
Barry Phillips: cello, bass vocals
Recorded and mixed by Mark Wessel at Blue Jay Studios, Carlisle, MA

Film Credits
Director: Michael Yip
Camera: Peter Flynn
Belcourt Castle photography: Michael Yip
Lighting: Mike Lee
Lighting assistant: Billy Flanagan
Production Assistant: Diana Trudeau
Editor: Michael Yip

In Shadow’s Light

Music Credits
Musicians:
Áine Minogue: Vocals, harp, harmonies, percussion
William Coulter: Guitar
Alasdair Halliday: Vocals and harmony vocals
Paul Machlis: Keyboards
Barry Phillips: Cello, tabla, keyboards
Shelley Phillips: Oboe, English Horn
Gerry Putnam: Mandolin
Recorded and mixed by Gerry Putnam at Cedar House Sounds, New London, NH

Film Credits
Director: Michael Yip
Belcourt Castle photography: Michael Yip
Additional photography: Peter Flynn
Editor: Michael Yip

Spirits of the World

Music Credits
Musicians:
Áine Minogue: Irish harp, percussion
Tim Archibald: Bass
Tom Hill: Clarinet & Clarinet arrangements
Winifred Horan: Fiddle
Takaaki Masuko: Percussion
Engineer for harp, fiddle and whistle tracks: Seamus Egan
All other tracking: Mark Wessel
Mixed by Mark Wessel at AdelMark Studios, Lincoln, MA
Produced by Aine Minogue

Film Credits
Director: Michael Yip
Ireland footage courtesy of Sounds True
Still Photography: Brian P. Meyers
Editor: Joey Korenman
Additional Editing: Michael Yip

Jezebel Carol

Music Credits
Musicians:
Áine Minogue: Irish harp, percussion
Seamus Egan: whistles and flutes, mandolin
Lindsey Horner: double bass
Takaaki Masuko: percussion
Barry Phillips: cello
Recorded and mixed by Mark Wessel at Blue Jay Studios, Carlisle, MA

Film Credits
Director: Michael Yip
Camera: Michael Yip
Additional photography: Peter Flynn
Editor: Michael Yip

Greensleeves

Music Credits
Musicians:
Áine Minogue: Irish harp, percussion
Tim Archibald: bass
Sheldon Mirowitz: guitars
Randy Roos: soundscape
Joannie Madden: whistle
Recorded and mixed by Mark Wessel at Blue Jay Studios, Carlisle, MA

Film Credits
Director: Michael Yip
Belcourt Castle photography: Michael Yip
Additional photography: Peter Flynn
Lighting: Mike Lee
Lighting assistant: Billy Flanagan
Production Assistant: Diana Trudeau
Editor: Michael Yip

Horn Dance

Music Credits
Musicians:
Áine Minogue: Irish Harp
Johnny Cunningham: Fiddles, percussion
Cillian Vallely: Irish whistle
Byron Duckwall: Cello
Kathy Halvorson: Oboe
Recorded and mixed by Cameron Wiley at Evergreen Music Studios, Westwood, MA

Film Credits
Director: Michael Yip
Camera: Peter Flynn
Editor: Joey Korenman
Additional Editing: Michael Yip

The Dove’s Return

Music Credits
Musicians:
Aine Minogue: Irish harp, vocals, percussion
(Aine Minogue, Little Miller Music (BMI)

Recorded and mixed by Brian Capouch at Soundwork Studio, Watertown, MA

Film Credits
Director: Michael Yip
Camera: Michael Yip
Editor: Michael Yip

Choreographer: Kieran Jordan
Children:
Rachel Dillon
Michael Dillon
Arcadia (Cady) Travalik
On location assistance from:
Karen Daly, Karen Dillon, Paul Dillon. Jackson Yip
Children’s outfitting courtesy of Rosie Caine

An Bhoutais

Music Credits
Musicians:
Áine Minogue: Irish harp
Brad Hatfield: Strings and orchestration
Recorded by Todd Windmill at the Regent Theater in Arlington, MA
Mixed by Mark Wessel at AdelMark Studios, Lincoln, MA
(Trad. Arr. A. Minogue, Little Miller Music (BMI)

Film Credits
Director: Michael Yip
Camera: Michael Yip
Editor: Michael Yip
Dancer and Choreographer: Kieran Jordan

WINTER, A MEDITATION - PARTIAL READING LIST

Adler, Margot. Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today. Boston: Beacon Press, 1986.

Baigent, Michael, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. Holy Blood, Holy Grail. New York, Delacorte Press, 1982.

Berg, Elizabeth. Family Traditions, Celebrations for the Holidays and Everyday. Pleasantville, N.Y., Reader's Digest, 1994.

Burland, C. A. Echoes of Magic: A Study of Seasonal Festivals through the Ages. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1972.

Campanelli , Pauline and Dan Campanelli. Ancient Ways: Reclaiming Pagan Traditions. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1991.

Campanelli , Pauline and Dan Campanelli. Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1989.

Charlton, Jim and Robbins, Maria. A Christmas Companion: Recipes, Traditions and Customs from Around the World. New York: Perigee Books, 1989.

Child, F. J. English and Scottish Ballads. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1904

Count, Earl W. 4000 Years of Christmas. New York: Henry Schuman, 1948.

Del Re, Gerard & Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1979.

Flynn, Tom. The Trouble with Christmas. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1993.

Frazer, James George. The Golden Bough, A Study of Magic and Religion Scribner, 1996 reprint edition.

Freeman, Mara Kindling the Celtic Spirit. Harper San Francisco, 2000.

Green, Marian. A Calendar of Festivals: Traditional Celebrations, Songs, Seasonal Recipes & Things to Make. Rockport, MA: Element Inc.,1991.

Hadfield, John, ed. The Christmas Companion. New York: E. P. Dutton & Company, 1941.

Heinberg, Richard. Celebrate the Solstice; Honoring the Earth's Seasonal Rhythms. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 1993.

Heilbron, John L. The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals As Solar Observatories. Harvard University Press,1999.

Henes, Donna. Celestially Auspicious Occasions; Seasons, Cycles & Celebrations. New York, NY: Berkley Publishing Group, 1996.

Hole, Christina. Christmas and Its Customs. New York: M. Barrows and Company, 1958.

Hottes, Alfred Carl. 1001 Christmas Facts and Fancies. New York: A.T. De La Mare Company, 1954.

Jackson, Ellen and Ellis, Jan Davey. The Winter Solstice. Millbrook Pr Trade, 1994.

Karas, Sheryl Ann The Solstice Evergreen: History, Folklore and Origins of the Christmas Tree. Aslan Pub, 1998.

King, John Robert. The Celtic Druids' Year: Seasonal Cycles of the Ancient Celts . New York, NY: Blandford Press, 1996.

McKibben, Bill. Hundred Dollar Holiday: The Case for a Joyful Christmas. Simon & Schuster, 1998.

Matthews, John and Caitlin. The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Chrismas. Wheaton, Illinois: Quest Books, 1998.

Mayer, Bernadette. Midwinter Day

Morrison, Dorothy. Yule

Panati, Charles. Sacred Origins of Profound Things: The Stories Behind The Rites and Rituals of The World's Religions. New York, NY: Penguin Arkana, 1996.

Pfeffer, Wendy. The Shortest Day

Pilcher, Rosamunde Winter Solstice

Ralls-MacLeod, Karen, Music and the Celtic Otherworld. St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Ave., NYC, NY, 2000 ISBN# 0-312-23241-1

Robinson, Jo and Coppock Staeheli, Jean. Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back into the Season. Quill, 1991.

Santino, Jack. All Around the Year, Holidays and Celebrations in American Life. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1995.

St. James, Elaine. Simplify Your Christmas : 100 Ways to Reduce the Stress and Recapture the Joy of the Holidays. Andrews & McMeel, 1998.

Starhawk, Anne Hill, Diane Baker Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions. Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1998.

Van Renterghem, Tony. When Santa Was a Shaman: The Ancient Origins of Santa Claus & the Christmas Tree. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.

Wentz, Evans, The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries (originally published in 1911)

Between the Worlds

And as you move between the worlds
Great sorrow will I feel
As first and last they journey same
Through nature's passageway

Chorus:
You're welcome, soul, to be with me
I'll happy be your guide
Teach to me what's been forgot
The old ways, by and by.

I've begged the wise to lead me to
The places you have been
But glimpses in these waking dreams
Is all they'll let me see.

And as you move between the worlds
Such sorrow makes us reel (real)
As first and last they journey same
Through nature's passageway.

Boston Globe

"Winter Warmth"

Irish harpist and singer Aine Minogue collaborated with filmmaker Michael Yip on "Winter, a Meditation."

The DVD weaves Minogue's music with winter scenes and dreamlike sequences set in a candlelit castle, all celebrating this season of contemplative reflection.

Áine Minogue, Loreena McKennitt and Enya do a Celtic Christmas

by John Diliaberto (You can hear John\\\'s wonderful program 'Echoes' on NPR)

Celtic music and Christmas go together as well as Handel’s Messiah and Christmas. If you want to tap into that contemplative, fireplace, snowflakes and Christmas tree mood, there’s nothing like a good Celtic aire to get you there.

Áine Minogue is an Irish harpist and singer. She touches a different side with a DVD called Winter: A Meditation. She takes songs from across her catalog that evoke the mystery of the winter season and marries them to beautiful slow mo nature scenes and vaguely ritualistic tableaus. Áine says that songs like “The Grove” draw a lot of inspiration from Druid myths, where it’s believed many Christmas traditions have their origins.

Áine Minogue: 'The groves were very precious and holy to the ancient Druids and it centers around the idea of creating a sacred space to invite in the other world, particularly at the power times of the year like the winter solstice.'

DowntownWomensClub.com by Susan Hammond

An Exquisite Holiday Gift

I had the good fortune to receive a copy of Aine Minogue\\\'s recently released DVD Winter, A Meditation. Early this morning I watched the DVD after mastering our surround-sound system. It was instant calm as the lush and soothing music and images filled the TV screen. I felt like I was wrapped in a soft blanket, hypnotized, as multiple senses experienced the sounds and breathtaking scenes.

The jacket description reads:

"The ancients believed winter was a time of tremendous spiritual power.

In winter the Sun journeyed through the underworld gathering the secrets of life and death, until its verdant rebirth in spring...

Layering magnificent images of winter scenery with evocative dreamlike sequences in a candlelit castle, the filmmaker Michael Yip’s Zen aesthetic infuses this beautiful piece with a stunning visual simplicity that is by turns solemn and joyous, yet always uplifting in its reflection of this loveliest of seasons."

At this time of year when many of us are already stressed, coupled with the dour economic news, this DVD could be a temporary oasis away from it all, for yourself and those you care for.

Musicmania.gather.com by Kerry Dexter

Aine Minogue is known for music which evokes the mystery and spirit of Ireland. This season, the harpist and singer has taken all that in an added direction, offering a dvd called Winter, A Meditation. With her images Minogue invites you to follow along through the light and dark of winter, opening doors for reflection as well as suggesting quiet stories through her harp and voice.

Many of these winter traditions are listed in the 'traditions' section here.
However, a great source of inspiration was Newgrange and its relationship to the winter solstice.

Here is a rundown on Newgrange - hope you enjoy. Stay warm! Aine

Newgrange is an ancient burial tomb located about an hour north of Dublin.
It remains in darkness throughout the year except during winter solstice when the tomb floods with light, illuminating the beautiful spiral designs on the stones. Yes, the double spirals all over this web site are from the Newgrange stones!

Lots of fun factoids here:

• 1,000 years older than Stonehenge (see Stonehenge slideshow below)
• Discovered in 1969 by laborers searching for building stones
* Charles Campbell was the landowner at the time
* On Campbell's instructions, stones were sought and the entrance discovered
• The mound is in the shape of a kidney (Riverdance, Liverdance?)
* Constructed around 3200BC (Stone Age)
* 600 years older than the Giza Pyramids in Egypt
• Covers an area of approximately one acre
• Surrounded by 97 kerb-stones
• Megalithic art on many of the kerb-stones
* Arwork includes spirals, lozenges, zigzags, and other symbols
* These designs are similar to designs found in Brittany (France), at Gavrinis
• Entrance stone has the most famous designs; triple spiral
• Long passage leads to a cruciform chamber with a corbelled roof
• Historians building time estimate (passage tomb): 300 workers 20 years +
• 200,000 + visitors to Newgrange each year
• Most visited archaeological monument in Ireland
• One of the finest European passage-tombs
• Located in the Boyne Valley in a 3 square mile area
• Within this 3 mile area, there are 30 prehistoric monuments
• The stone circle was probably built about 1000 years later (Beaker period)
• Over the entrance passageway is the 'roof box' (allows the light in)
• The roof box aligns perfectly with the sunrise on the winter solstice
• At sunset on the winter solstice, the center of the tomb floods with light
• The illumination lasts about 20 minutes
• You can see the spirals for those 20 minutes....
• The cruciform chamber inside the mound measures 6.5 x 6.2m (21ft 6in x 17ft)
* The corbelled roof stretches 6m (20ft) above the floor
• Considered to have have been the burial place of the Kings of Tara
• Home of those pre-historic supernaturals, known as the Tuatha De Danann
* Home of King Dagda, leader of the Tuatha De Danann
* When you go to Ireland, visit this place.... special....
* If you can't manage a visit. Check out the webcast of the solstice from 2007:
http://www.newgrange.com/webcast.htm.

Slideshow of Newgrange coming soon! In the meantime, you can check out Stonehenge, Glastonbury & Stonehenge...

(go to "resources" in the main menu and click on slideshows. Or, go to "background" menu for this DVD and you'll find the slideshow as well are more related articles and music)

MID-WINTER POETRY

A Leaf From The Tree of Songs

By Adam Christianson

When harpers once in wooden hall
A shining chord would strike
Their songs like arrows pierced the soul
Of great and low alike

Aglow by hearth and candleflame
From burning branch ot ember
The mist of all their music sang
As if to ask in wonder

Is there a moment quite as keen
Or memory as bright
As light and fire and music (sweet)
To warm the winter's night?

Lord of the Dance

Traditional

I danced in the morning when the world was begun
I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun;
I was called from the darkness by the song of the earth,
I joined in the singing and she gave me birth.

(chorus, repeat after each verse)

Dance, then, wherever you may be!
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you on, wherever you may be, I will lead you all in the Dance, said he!

I sleep in the kernel and I dance in the rain,
I dance in the wind, and through the waving grain,
And when you cut me down, I care nothing for the pain --
In Spring I'll be Lord of the Dance again!

I see the maidens laughing as they dance in the sun,
I count the fruits of the of the harvest, one by one;
I know the storm is coming, but the grain is all stored,
So I sing of the dance of the Lady and the Lord.

We dance ever slower as the leaves fall and spin
And the sound of the Horn is the wailing of the wind;
The Earth is wrapped in stillness and we move in a trance,
but we hold on fast to our faith in the dance.

The sun is in the south and the days lengthen fast,
And soon we'll sing for the winter that is past,
Now we light the candles and rejoice as they burn,
and Dance the dance of the sun's return.

They cut me down, but I leap up high!
I am life that will never, never die.
I'll live in you and you'll live in me --
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he!

The moon in her phases and the tides of the sea,
the movement of Earth, and the seasons that will be
Are rhythm for the dancing and a promise through the years --
The Dance goes on through joy and tears.

The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper

So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, fest, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!!

I have news for you

(9th century Irish)

I have news for you:
The stag bells, winter snows, summer has gone
Wind high and cold, the sun low, short its course
The sea running high.
Deep red the bracken; its shape is lost;
The wild goose has raised its accustomed cry,
cold has seized the birds' wings;
season of ice, this is my news

The Olde Year Now Away is Fled

(sung to Greensleeves) 13th Century English
Translation By Lawrence Rosenwald

The olde year now away is fled,
The new year it is entered
Then let us now our sins downtread
And joyfully all appear
Let's be merry this holiday
And let us run with sport and play
Han sorrow, let's cast care away -
God send you a happy new year

Come, give us more liquor when I do call
I'll drink to each one in this hall
I hope that so loud I must not bawl
But unto me lend me an ear
Good fortune to my master send
And to my dame which is our friend
God bless us all, and so I end
And God send us a happy new year

The Wren Song

The Wren, the Wren the king of all birds,
St. Stephenses day, he was caught in the furze.
Although he is little, his honor is great,
Rise up, kind sir, and give us a trate.
We followed this Wren ten miles or more
Through hedges and ditches and heaps of snow,
We up with our wattles and gave him a fall
And brought him here to show you all.
For we are the boys that came your way
To bury the Wren on Saint Stephenses Day,
So up with the kettle and down with the pan!
Give us some help for to bury the Wren!

Winter by Tommy Makem

WINTER, a sharp bitter day
the robin turns plump against the cold
the sun is week
silver faded from gold
he is late in his coming and short in his stay
Man, beast, bird and air all purging, all cleansing,
earth already purified awaits the rite of spring
Her bridal gown a virgin snow and frosts in her hair
A snowdrop by the road today bowed gracefully
and high upon the wing up in the sparkling nothingness,
a lone bird began to sing
Can gentle spring be far away?

Reflections On a Scottish Christmas by Johnny Cunningham

The dark of winter wraps around us tight.
The lamps are fired, and flickering light
beats time to the fiddle as notes float softly down, like the years' first snow.
While outside the window a blast of late December wind
whistles harmony to the drone of the pipes.
We push the old year back against the wall
so we can dance a jig for Christmas and welcome in the new

A Childhood Christmas

by Patrick Kavanagh (1905-67)

I

One side of the potato-pits was white with frost-
How wonderful that was, how wonderful
And when we put our ears to the paling-post
The music that came out was magical
The light between the ricks of hay and straw
Was a hole in Heaven's gable. An apple tree
With its December-glinting fruit we saw-
O you, Eve, were the world that tempted me
To eat the knowledge that grew in clay
And death the germ within it! Now and then
I can remember something of the gay
Garden that was childhoods. Again
The tracks of Cattle to a drinking-place,
A green stone lying sideways in a ditch
Or any common sight the transfigured face
Of a beauty that the world did not touch.

II

My father played the melodeon
Outside at our gate
There were stars in the morning east
And they danced to his music.
Across the wild bogs his melodeon called
To Lennons and Callans.
As I pulled on my trousers in a hurry
I knew some strange thing had happened.
Outside in the cow-house my mother
Made the music of milking;
The light of her stable-lamp was a star
And the frost of Bethlehem made it twinkle.
A water-hen screeched in the bog,
Mass-going feet
Crunched the wafer-ice on the pot-holes,
Somebody wistfully twisted the bellows wheel.
My child poet picked out the letters
On the grey stone,
In silver the wonder of a Christmas townland,
The winking glitter of a frosty dawn.
Cassiopeia was over
Cassidy's hanging hill,
I looked and three whin bushes rode across
The horizon-the Three Wise Kings.
An old man passing said:
'Can't he make it talk' -
The melodeon. I hid in the doorway
And tightened the belt of my box-pleated coat.
I nicked six nicks on the door-post
With my penknife's big blade-

There was a little one for cutting tobacco.
And I was six Christmases of age.
My father played the melodeon,
My mother milked the cows,
And I had a prayer like a white rose pinned
On the Virgin Mary's blouse.

Celtic blessings for the season

"Nollaig Faoi Shean Is Faoi Mhaise Dhuit"
Knoll-ig f'wee haan ss f'wee shun-ah g-with
(A Christmas of Happiness and Joy to you) (old Irish Saying)

"May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch on your door, and happiness be guided to your home by the candle of Christmas."

"In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship and never in want."

The Magic of Christmas lingers on
Though childhood days have passed
Upon the common round of life
A Holy Spell is Cast

(old verse)

AN OLD MAN'S WINTER NIGHT by Robert Frost

All out of doors looked darkly in at him
Through the thin frost, almost in separate stars,
That gathers on the pane in empty rooms.
What kept his eyes from giving back the gaze
Was the lamp tilted near them in his hand.
What kept him from remembering what it was
That brought him to that creaking room was age.
He stood with barrels round him -- at a loss.
And having scared the cellar under him
In clomping there, he scared it once again
In clomping off; -- and scared the outer night,
Which has its sounds, familiar, like the roar
Of trees and crack of branches, common things,
But nothing so like beating on a box.
A light he was to no one but himself
Where now he sat, concerned with he knew what,
A quiet light, and then not even that.
He consigned to the moon, such as she was,
So late-arising, to the broken moon
As better than the sun in any case
For such a charge, his snow upon the roof,
His icicles along the wall to keep;
And slept. The log that shifted with a jolt
Once in the stove, disturbed him and he shifted,
And eased his heavy breathing, but still slept.
One aged man -- one man -- can't keep a house,
A farm, a countryside, or if he can,
It's thus he does it of a winter night.

MID-WINTER TRADITIONS

Is there a moment quite as keen
or memory as bright
as light and fire and music sweet
To Warm the Winter's Night "

(from the poem 'To Warm a Winter's Night' by Adam Victor Christianson)

Here are some winter traditions that have come down to us:

Winter Solstice
Going Door to Door
The Kylemore Carols
Yule and the Yule Log
Little Christmas
December and the Sun Gods
The Mummers
Hunting the Wren

Winter Solstice

While the Solstices were not as important to the ancient Irish as the major fire festivals; Lughnasadh (August 1); Beltane (May Day, May 1); Imbolc (February 1- Bridgit); and Samhain (November 1, Halloween), they were none the less celebrated. Of the Solstices and Equinoxes, the Winter Solstice was the most important, since it marked the rebirth of the sun after the shortest day. Many cultures celebrated this time to commemorate the birth of various gods. The Winter Solstice falls between two major fire festivals Samhain (sow-an) or Halloween and Imbolc. In Newgrange, County Meath, there is an ancient tomb covered with beautiful artwork, which remains in darkness for much of the year. The double spiral on this site is one of the symbols which can be seen at the Newgrange site. Once a year, on the Winter Solstice, the tomb fills with light to reveal the beautiful artwork on the walls. While it seems best to leave its origins to the historians, there is no doubt that the ancient Irish considered this day important. It also marked "The Shortest Day" or "The Darkest Midnight" and was cause for celebration, since - once the shortest day has passed, it meant the journey toward Spring could begin.

Going Door to Door

While the tradition of "caroling" and going door to door to sing for ones neighbors is only done during the Holiday Season in recent years. In times gone by, it was common to carol from door to door for many of the major festivals. It is thought that certain tunes were found particularly useful for this tradition. The album "To Warm the Winters Night" celebrates this tradition. A dance entitled "The Horn Dance" was performed from All Souls to the Twelfth Night in hopes of bringing in the luck for the New Year! In many of the Celtic cultures, the tradition of going door to door and caroling or the idea of procession was common. All Souls Night or Samhain (sow- an) has come down to us as Halloween, when going door to door is still part of our culture. "The Horn Dance" comes from Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire. Eight men danced through the village with antler horns on their heads in order to "bring in the luck" for the New Year. The tradition still continues in Abbots Bromley. This dance is thought to have its origins in Pre-Christian Fertility Rites.

The Kylemore Carols

The Kylemore carols are a beautiful collection of Christmas carols from the village of Kylemore. In the depths of harsh winter, a reminder of sacred celebration invests these haunting old melodies, many of which are sung to this day in Kylemore and elsewhere. For a sample of "The Darkest Midnight," arguably the most well-known and loved Kylemore Carol, see track number six on the album To Warm the Winter's Night.

Yule & the Yule Log

Yule marks the rebirth of the suns power. It is yet another symbol of death and rebirth - going from the darkness into the light. For many, Yule runs from before the Solstice until New Year's Day. Many people associate Yule with the "Yule Log," a piece of wood decorated with evergreens, mostly holly and candles. Holly was another ancient symbol for the Irish; it was thought to hold special properties, since it was "neither tree 'nor bush".

Speaking of logs - here's a lovely poem from Mother Goose that teaches children about the best logs to burn for a good winter fire:

In the Green Wood from Mother Goose

(making the fire)

Oak-logs will warm you well,
That are old and dry;
Logs of pine will sweetly smell
But the sparks will fly.
Birch-logs will burn too fast,
Chestnut scarce at all;
Hawthorn-logs are good to last -
Catch them in the fall.
Holly-logs will burn like wax,
You may burn them green;
Elm-logs like to smoldering flax,
No flame to be seen.
Beech-logs for winter time,
Yew-logs as well;
Green elder-logs it is a crime
For any man to sell.
Pear-logs and apple-logs,
They will scent your room,
Cherry-logs across the dogs
Smell like flower of the broom.
Ash-logs, smooth and grey,
Burn them green or old,
Buy up all that come your way -
Worth their weight in gold.

Little Christmas

Traditionally Yule ended on January 6th. The Christian Calendar celebrates "Little Christmas" on January 6th also. During my childhood, this was the day that the decorations were taken down and yet another turkey was cooked to mark the end of the season.

December and the Sun Gods

December marks the celebration of many solar "saviors" and Gods, usually on December 25th. Many of them have the word "Light" in their titles. They include, Baal, Dionysus and of course, Jesus Christ.

The Mummers