Good morning.
Wow, it sure has been a while. I have been slammed at work and out of town. I have also been trying to write the second book, so forgive my long absences.
I was fortunate enough to go to Savannah this week for work. While I didn’t get to do much sightseeing during the day, I went on a ghost tour and shopping at night. I also participated in a wonderful mead tasting at Savannah Bee Company. Try to visit there if you’re in town! I picked up a bottle of amazing ginger mead called “Sting” by Nectar Green. I’ll be drinking that on Yule – the Winter Solstice to welcome back the sun (get it? Ginger – heat- sun.).
I’m sharing some pics below.
The ghost tour was fun, even if it was misting and soggy. I learned a little more about low country voodoo, something I’ve been reading up on lately. Skippy, our tour guide, was a fun guide and very informative.
The food was wonderful. I had a great crab stew the first night at Tubby’s – had to have seafood in Savannah!
YULE 101
I’ll be going into more detail about Yule over the next two weeks. For now, here is a quick explanation courtesy of http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulethelongestnight/a/About_Yule.htm
“A Festival of Light:
Many cultures have winter festivals that are in fact celebrations of light. In addition to Christmas, there's Hanukkah with its brightly lit menorahs, Kwanzaa candles, and any number of other holidays. The Pagan holiday called Yule takes place on the day of the winter solstice, around December 21 in the northern hemisphere (below the equator, the winter solstice falls around June 21).
On that day (or close to it), an amazing thing happens in the sky. The earth's axis tilts away from the sun in the Northern Hemisphere, and the sun reaches at its greatest distance from the equatorial plane. As a festival of the Sun, the most important part of any Yule celebration is light -- candles, bonfires, and more.
Origins of Yule:
In the Northern hemisphere, the winter solstice has been celebrated for millenia. The Norse peoples viewed it as a time for much feasting, merrymaking, and, if the Icelandic sagas are to be believed, a time of sacrifice as well. Traditional customs such as the Yule log, the decorated tree, and wassailing can all be traced back to Norse origins……
In some traditions of Wicca and Paganism, the Yule celebration comes from the Celtic legend of the battle between the young Oak King and the Holly King. The Oak King, representing the light of the new year, tries each year to usurp the old Holly King, who is the symbol of darkness. Re-enactment of the battle is popular in some Wiccan rituals.”