BS: Favourite Traditions

Subject: Favourite Traditions
From: Hawker
Date: 03 May 01 - 06:10 PM

Mayday set me thinking.......somewhere along the lines of 'Hell, this is really great!' and I just wondered....What is your favourite tradition? and why?

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: Sorcha
Date: 03 May 01 - 06:46 PM

4th Of July (US Independence Day). Old time picnic with all day singin' and dinner on the ground at Historic Ft. Laramie. Pickin' included, grinnin' optional. Fried chicken, potato salad, deviled eggs,homemade pickles and Sourdough Chocolate Cake.....little bit of heaven!

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: Tyke
Date: 03 May 01 - 07:12 PM

Carol Singing! Some people say that it's unlucky to sing Carols when it's not Christmas. However I have disproved this as just not true. I went out Carol singing last week and do you know that every door that I knocked on someone came out and told me that I would be Lucky!!

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: GUEST,yum yum
Date: 03 May 01 - 08:23 PM

ST. Patrick's day, happens every Friday, Saturday and Wednesday night when I sit in on a session and play a few tunes, (and with a little bit of luck / and a few hints) sing a couple of songs and feel that, 'WOW! isn't life great! How can one get more traditional than that??? regards - Yum Yum.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: GUEST,petr
Date: 03 May 01 - 08:33 PM

beltaine, just came from the annual beltaine celebration. Its held at a fiddle player/archeologists house in the country,always the last weekend in April/first in may). usually quite a few people attend a lot of musicians, morris dancers and there is a pot luck dinner & music several young virile men march around the house with a maypole and plant it in the ground. This is followed by a maypole dance. There is also a mini play (last year it was Pyramus and Thisbe) and this year it was Orpheus and Euridice) the play is followed by a quest in which participants follow a prescribed route (either through the woods, this time through the house (garage and bsmt) since it was Hades after all) and encounter various characters from the play. There is also a bonfire for virgins to jump over. Its a great time for everyone.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: Peg
Date: 03 May 01 - 08:41 PM

all of them.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: GUEST,Dancing Mom
Date: 03 May 01 - 09:28 PM

Every 4th of July all of my husband's siblings meet at the old home place in the NC mountains, with all the grandkids, the dogs,and the cousins who still live on the mountain. We have a huge blowout party, and David's sister always brings a load of fireworks. A few of the brothers and sisters shoot off the fireworks down in the "hollar", and we sit on the enormous front porch steps, drink beer and watch the show. This year it will be bittersweet. My father-in-law passed away Wednesday, with complications from surgery and Alzheimers Disease. Wonderful memories.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: roopoo
Date: 04 May 01 - 02:43 AM

Too many to mention them all, and they're not all nationally known ones. Padstow 'obby 'oss is always a good thrill. Being in Winster on the Saturday for the Wakes procession, and seeing Winster Morris coming up the street "gutter to gutter". Watching CRAAPPS perform their plough play in their local pubs in January. Going to the session in Farnsfield on Boxing Day lunchtime. So many of them...

Dancing Mom, many, many condolences. I am in there with you: I lost my mum suddenly 3 weeks ago. Treasure the memories. He'll be there with you still in your hearts, and maybe watching with you, which is something that he might not have been able to do this year if he was ill. Make sure you set off some good big fireworks to make sure he sees them!

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: Kim C
Date: 04 May 01 - 10:35 AM

That would be hard to say. I love Christmas but often find myself stressed out and dreading it even before Thanksgiving. But I love putting up my little tree (only about 2 feet tall, sits on a table so the pets can't mess with it) and wrapping presents and drinking egg nog.

Mister and I attend a Colonial Trade Fair every year, have done so even before we started reenacting. It's always blocked off on the calendar and takes priority over everything else happening that weekend.

Well, the Fair starts tomorrow, and this year it's a little different, because...

WE'RE ACTUALLY PERFORMING. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: Les from Hull
Date: 04 May 01 - 10:49 AM

South Yorkshire Carols

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: Mrrzy
Date: 04 May 01 - 11:03 AM

Hmmm, this is another fun one. I have started something I hope will be enjoyed, which is leaving presents on the twins' beds so that when they wake up on their birthday, they have something right away. I started this because their party was never ON their birthday. Other new ones include attending as many of our Friday summer outdoor concerts as I can (Fridays After Five. Superb thing, anyone anywhere near Charlottesville, VA should come). I am very fond of our $mas rituals, where children all open all their presents in fair chaos (the only rules are a)know who gave it before opening, b) try to make eye contact so they can see you open it, and c) whether they saw you or not, say Thanks before opening the next one). Then the kids go play with their presents, and the grownups open one present at a time, going around and around in turns. Eating all the while if possible, and drinking too much coffee. *sigh of contentment*

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: Caitrin
Date: 04 May 01 - 11:42 AM

I'm a quarter Slovak, and every Easter we have huge amounts of people and traditional food and a big ol' party to end all parties. This year I didn't get any time off school for Easter, so I made the whole 6 and a half hour drive home Friday night after class got out at 4, then drove the whole stretch back Sunday evening. I didn't get back here until midnight, but the roshky, paska, family, and friends made it worth every minute I spent on in my '88 Volvo on I-40.

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 04 May 01 - 11:48 AM

The two mummers plays I participate in each December; the May day bonfire and maypole dance, the solstice - all with lots of singing! I love the community of singers I know. I just wish they'd learn some new songs!

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 04 May 01 - 11:56 AM

Everytime I drive past the office when I am on holiday I shout "Yah Boo Sucks!!!"

Does that count as a favourite tradition?

Cheers

Dave the silly Gnome

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 04 May 01 - 11:59 AM

The tradition of change... that all things change... sometimes slowly... sometimes quickly... and that things will never be exactily the same as they once were!

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 04 May 01 - 12:03 PM

Oh,and did I mention Old Songs Festival? I love the late night singing- in the Dutch Barn or anywhere!

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: GUEST,JohnB
Date: 04 May 01 - 12:43 PM

I guess I will be there in the Dutch Barn experiencing new traditions at the Old Songs Fest this year. I just love all the traditions that conbine drinking beer and singing. Even if you have to get up at 3.00 am in the morning, drive 1 1/2 hours to get to High Park in Toronto to Morris Dance. No beer till the afternoon though, we had to finish the champers and OJ and all that stuff that gets passed around in small containers. JohnB

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: mousethief
Date: 04 May 01 - 01:00 PM

Caitrin, is paska that gooey cream cheese stuff like the russians make? Waaaaaaay too sweet for MY tastebuds, but I know it's a very old tradition.

I love traditions. I love parades and carol singing and trick-or-treating (although now it's just my two youngest that still do that) and all manner of traditions that are comfortable and familiar and fun.

One of my favorite traditions occurs in our church service. At one point the deacon cries out, "The doors! The doors!" and then he goes on with the rest of the service. It's unconnected to anything else in the service. We have explanations for what it used to mean but I'm not entirely certain they weren't just made up to describe something whose meaning had been forgotten. But it's tradition, so there's no way we would toss it out of the service! It's so existential, like a breath of fresh air on a muggy day. Helps you to remember that there are roots and rocks beneath your feet that are older than you are.

alex

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: Jande
Date: 04 May 01 - 02:13 PM

Hmmm... Traditions...

Everything in my life has changed in the last year. Mostly for the better!

That said, James and I have been living together since August last year. I'm Canadian, as some of you know (the Orillia faction of the'Cat) and James is originall from Illinois and we are now both living in Upstate New York.

What I have found is that some of our "traditions" are clashing. For example: James has a tradition of going off before Christmas with the kids and chopping down a tree at the treefarm, bringing it into the house an ddecorating it, etc.

My tradition is to drag the bedraggled fake tree (Hey! It looks okay!) out of hiding and decorate it.

We had a loooong talk about it and finally decided to get the *real* tree this past christmas and see how it works out.

Well, it did, and it didn't. I have bad reactions to anything the has menthol-like properties (which is why I have used a fake tree for many years).

We had *enormous* fun getting the tree. But after a few days I got sick and we had to put it outside. (luckily we had gotten indoor/outsoor lights for it!) We could still see it though the sliding glass doors, so that was ok, but it was a bit disappointing, nevertheless.

Our *tradition* looks like from now on we go on the Tree Hunt, put lights on it and decorations and treats for the birds and other wildlife --outside on the deck! And we put up the fake tree inside.

we started another tradition this past Christmas. We bought three sets of shiny unadorned 3"-diameter glass Christmas balls and each decorated one, added the year date, signed them, and hung them on the tree. We had much fun doing it and we turned out three beautiful unique ornaments. Next year we'll add three more.

Another tradition James is used to is a big, and I mean BIG celebration at Thanksgiving. It looked almost like Christmas except for the presents. I felt bewildered at first because in Canada it's not such a big deal that you take off a number of days from work and go visit family. I never did anyway. (And it happens in late November here --waaaay too close to Christmas, rather than in October in Canada) But now it has become an adopted tradition for me, though it feels rather more like a grafted-on tradition... ;`)

He is also BIG on carving pumpkins at Hallowe'en. Now THAT was fun! Got some great pics, too.

One tradition that we shared was having candles lit at the evening meal. There is something very warm and cosy about a well-set table, good food and drink, soft candle-light, and the company of those you love.

Traditions...

Traditions!! ~ Fiddler On The Roof

~ Jande

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: John J at home
Date: 04 May 01 - 06:06 PM

I NEVER miss our Souling Play. Dancing out on Plough Monday. I do like to be up at sunrise on Mayday, midsummer day and the shortest day, midwinter day I suppose. If I can, I'll spend those sunrises up on Kinder Downfall in Derbyshire or Alderley Edge in Cheshire. The foot & mouth has buggered up most activities in the countryside so far this year. John

Subject: RE: BS: Favourite Traditions
From: Hawker
Date: 05 May 01 - 06:33 AM

WONDERFUL STUFF! Keep it going, I am also learning about what goes on where, and remembering that there are so many traditions carried out all over the world for many reasons that WOW! isn't it great to be alive to enjoy them! Cheers all,
Lucy