Happy Beheading Saint John the Baptist Day!

Thanks John the Baptist!

Today you will find true love if you squeeze the leaves of St. John’s Wort and they bleed red. This is all down to the FACT that the juice from Saint John’s Wort IS the blood of John the Baptist shed during his beheading.

 

It's over Swithun! Put that cloud down!

 

The reign of Saint Swithun is finished.

The 40 day tyranny of his weather curse is over.

Saint Bartholomew has taken the weather from his hands and now all bets are off.

He'll be back next year, but for now we can expect 10 months of unpredictable weather, unlike the last 40 days of course.

Ploughboys and Horses - WKTV

 In the second episode of Strange Folk Games Find out about the Orkney ploughing competition, urine on plough blades and Billy Whizz!

Happy Ploughing!

Happy HARMONIC CONVERGENCE Day!

According to the art historian Jose Arguelles’ interpretation of the Mayan Calendar the alignment of celestial objects* (on august 16th 1987) was expected to herald the start of a five year period of peace** and heavenly cleansing. This would prepare the way for a visitation by other worldly beings.***

New age enthusiasts joined together at specially selected sites around the world (Lake Titicaca, Ruins in New Mexico) ready for rebirth.

*The planets did not align as expected.

**There wasn’t a period of peace.

***No-one came to visit.

(Source – The Mystical Year – Time-Life Books)

Don't Swing on a Sunday!

 

If children swing on 

Sunday 

the Devil 

will either come 

or rattle his chains…

"YOU MUST NOT PLAY ON SUNDAY

BECAUSE IT IS A SIN;

BUT YOU MAY PLAY ON MONDAY

TILL SUNDAY COMES AGAIN."

(Source: Household Tales with other Traditional Remains – Sidney Oldall Addy)

Get Lazy! It's Saint Laurence's Day!

Today is a day to relax. Thanks to Saint Laurence, martyred by being cooked on a gridiron, today is a day you are allowed to be lazy due to the heat.  

Thank you Saint Laurence!

Saint Laurence (as well as championing the lazy) is the Patron Saint of Bakers. Because he was cooked to death. He laughs about it now.

Decorate your milk pail! It's Kit Dressing Day!

It is August the 4th.

The sun is shining.

The cattle are lowing.

And you the hearty milk-maid are ready for the kit-dressing.

You have your best kit (pail) and you have wound intricate twigs of willow around the handle and the sides.

Into these you insert flowers, silk and muslin ribbons and other trinkets.

Then you join the procession to the willow tree.

The Kit dressing ritual of August 4th is the inspiration behind the Wyrd Kalendar story "The Weeping will Walk" which you can purchase here.

This also inspired Icarus Peel to create this tune for the August track of the Wyrd Kalendar album.

The Game of Lammas - WKTV

What is the Game of Lammas? 

Find out in this the first episode from WKTV. 

Subscribe for more Wyrd Kalandar fun! You never know there may be another episode! 

 You will need: a piece of straw 

And this phrase: "I bought a beard at Lammas Fair, 

It's a' awa' but ae hair - wag, beardie wag!"

 

Oi Witches! Stop bothering my cows!

Witches are such a problem at Lammas time. 

One of their main crimes (alongside curses, hexes and general chicanery) is of course COW BOTHERING.

Nobody wants to see a cow being bothered. No-one wants to see the results of cow bothering.

You’ve asked the witches nicely and yet on they bother.

Bothering the cows so the milk goes sour.

Bothering the calves so they forget to grow.

Bothering the bulls so their pintels droop.

What can you do? The answer is simple: 

Put a ball of hair into a pail of milk today and that will keep the witches from your cows!