My latest letter is out! If you would like to hear about building festive traditions and rituals with food, the importance of celebrating at midwinter in your own way without detracting from the beliefs of those that celebrate differently, and for those that are not celebrating: a recipe for a completely none festive food which can still lift your spirit on a bad day. Link in bio & completely free to read or even subscribe for your convenience. https://bit.ly/3GzXdrZ
Are you looking for some hitherto unknown fairy tales to buy as a present for the book-lover in your life? May I suggest a volume of 20 folk- and fairy tales by the Norwegian writer, Regine Normann?
Wassailing- for a good harvest, cake soaked in cider is put at the foot of a tree or pushed into crevices in the branches & cider is poured round. Toasts are made to the tree & shotguns fired. This is intended to drive away evil spirits & wake the spirit of the tree into life for a new year.
As well as being naturally dressed in festive colours, it is believed to bring good luck if you eat an apple on Christmas Eve. Also If you slice an apple in 1/2 on Xmas day and it reveals a star, you will have health & happiness for the year ahead. Some also believe you can use the pips on St Thomas Eve to foretell a wedding.
The Hour of Meeting Evil Spirits: An Encyclopedia of Mononoke and Magic (Yokai Series Book 2)
In Japan, it is said that there are 8 million kami. These spirits encompass every kind of supernatural creature; from malign to monstrous, demonic to divine, and everything in between. Most of them seem strange and scary—even evil—from a human perspective. They are known by myriad names: bakemono, chimimoryo, mamono, mononoke, obake, oni, and yokai.
cfp: DEVILS & JUSTIFIED SINNERS
24–25 Aug 2024
An online conference from Romancing the Gothic to mark the 200th anniversary of James Hogg’s THE PRIVATE MEMOIRS & CONFESSIONS OF A JUSTIFIED SINNER – seeking papers on
It used to be considered unlucky to cut either the Christmas cheese or Christmas cake before Christmas Eve. They must then last through the 12 days of Christmas but be eaten by 12th Night. I’m struggling to not eat all the lebkuchen by next weekend.