Milestones (Amy's diary)
- Thread starter aiminglow
- Start date
Thanks, Em! It's touch and go, but so far, so good!Hope you get a rest in amongst the scrambling!
I'll say! The struggle with the royal icing alone! (I've made it successfully before - why wouldn't it work this year? Thankfully, I discovered the alternative - toffee!)Thank you - it's been a pretty amazing year for me, weight-wise, and it's the support here which has made the difference, I think. Thanks especially for the kindness insights.
Hear, hear!
Today is full to the brim with Christmassing, but it's also Yalda, an Iranian longest-night-of-the-year festival. In honour of Yalda, and because I'm so rushed I probably won't get to many diaries for a day or two, and in case anyone else is feeling a bit of seasonal stress, here's a quote for you all from the poet Hafez:
Be kind to your sleeping heart. Take it out into the vast fields of light... and let it breathe.
alligatorob
Respected Member
I like that, many cultures have winter solstice holidays, that what our Christmas was originally. Yours of course is a summer solstice holiday. Here are a few others:
Soyal, the winter solstice celebration of the Hopi Indians of northern Arizona.
Inti Raymi, a June solstice celebration in Peru, but being south of the equator it's a winter solstice; an Incan celebration is in honor of the Sun god.
Saturnalia, the Roman holiday, probably the precursor to our Christmas.
St. Lucia’s Day, a festival of lights in Scandinavia around the time of the winter solstice. Although now named for a Christian martyr, it's origins date to pre-Christian Norse solstice traditions.
Dong Zhi, the “arrival of winter,” in China.
I am sure there are a lot more.
Petal001
New member
Traditionally today is the winter solstice but this year it is tomorrow in the northern hemisphere. We have a Neolithic passage tomb in Newgrange where you can watch the winter solstice . Thousands apply every year but only a few get picked to enter the tomb and weather permitting you get to see the tomb lit up for a while .
Amy likewise I will be hit and miss here . Enjoy the festivities and hopefully touch base with you on and off .
Amy likewise I will be hit and miss here . Enjoy the festivities and hopefully touch base with you on and off .
alligatorob
Respected Member
Thanks Petal, that is interesting. I suppose keeping track of the calendar was quite important, and not so easily done, thousands of years ago. It helped know when to plant, when to harvest, how much longer your food stores had to last, etc.
I have a long narrow metal shed that faces more or less east, a couple of years ago we noticed that for a few weeks in summer the sunrise shines the full length of the shed, lighting the back wall. Not sure there is any religious significance to it, and we have no crowds gathering to watch, but the grandkids find it interesting.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Amy, does Australia have any kind of winter solstice celebration in June?
Thanks, Liza! And to you!
Thanks everyone for all the solstice-y things, especially the Neolithic tomb. I find things like this really fascinating.
Australia doesn't have any traditional solstice festival that I know of, Rob. Aboriginal people used astronomy to keep track of the times and season, but the only one I know is that when you can see the Emu constellation standing directly over her eggs, it is time to look for real emu eggs on earth. In my own life, in our house we have a stained glass window, and as it gets close to Christmas, the setting sun, swinging around towards the south, will shine through it to throw a Santa Claus (for those with vivid enough imagination - in the window it's representing fruits and curlicues) onto the internal wall opposite.
I've been very busy with gingerbread and gingerbread houses - nearly, nearly done, as far as the houses go, but distribution of biscuits will go on over Boxing Day, and maybe beyond. Today I made the borscht for tomorrow's evening meal, but that and the gingerbread are the only cooking I've done so far.
No, not really panicking - I have all the ingredients for everything, and que sera, sera as far as what gets on the table.
I may not be back until Boxing Day, so good and healthy and delicious eating to you all, and a joyful and peaceful season.
alligatorob
Respected Member
I like that!
What's "Boxing Day" about? I know its the day after Christmas (or think so anyway), we don't celebrate it here, but I think Canadians do.
alligatorob
Respected Member
Happy Holidays and Merry X-mas!
Just quickly, on a lovely, lovely day, with thanks and warmest greetings to you all!
(idea via Petal, in the 170sClub - sorry everyone for my not-very-ept uploading - and Boxing Day is the day after Christmas, Rob, the 26th, when traditionally servants of the big house could go home, taking with them a Christmas box of goodies etc for their family.)
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(idea via Petal, in the 170sClub - sorry everyone for my not-very-ept uploading - and Boxing Day is the day after Christmas, Rob, the 26th, when traditionally servants of the big house could go home, taking with them a Christmas box of goodies etc for their family.)
In addition to the origin already mentioned, it is when all the stores have sales on, making it a very busy shopping period.