byhisscourging

[byhisscourging]

sending all my love to all of you i may have had a bit too much moscato and im just overwhelmed with love and appreciation for all of you i hope you’re having a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening/day/night like truly you all are in my prayers and on my heart frrrrrrrr

[byhisscourging]

Almost started crying because I was thinking about how I'll never be able to physically kiss Jesus's hands (I would have made a superb ecstatic mystic). But my boyfriend's strong hands are right here, in mine. And I can talk to my bestfriend late into the night just like I would talk to God in a prayer and her voice will answer back. I think it's imperative that we take our love and devotion to the divine and project it outward. What is the point of devoting your life to 12 hrs of prayer a day or poverty or silence if it does not move you to enrich the lives of others? Serving the Light we find in each other is the chief way to serve the Savior. Kiss Him by kissing the hands of those you love, see His face in the ones who need you, listen when He speaks through others, and so forth

[byhisscourging]

-I got down on my knees and pretend to prey-

~The mamas and papas

[byhisscourging]

“The people who know God well—mystics, hermits, prayerful people, those who risk everything to find God—always meet a lover, not a dictator.”

— Richard Rohr

[byhisscourging]

MORE APPALACHIAN SUPERSTITIONS & OLD WIVES-TALES

As pertaining to Spirits:

To ward off spells, wear a rabbit's foot around your neck.

To make a death charm, shape a little wax figure and put the victim's hair in it, then put the figure in the fire. To break a spell, carry drinking water across a running stream.

A horseshoe hung over the door keeps witches and evil spirits away.

If you want to keep a witch out of your house, lay a broom across the doorstep.

To kill a witch, carve a heart in a tree; drive a nail in the tree, giving a tap every morning. On the ninth morning, drive the nail all the way in.

To keep away ghosts, put salt on the fire or carry the left hind foot of a graveyard rabbit.

A snakeskin bag with a toad's eye inside will ward off ghosts.

Death:

If you rock an empty cradle, the baby will die.

If your ears are ringing, you are hearing the death bell and a friend will pass away.

If you cut your hair in March, you'll die that year.

It's bad luck for a new bride to meet a funeral procession.

A bird flying out of a house of sickness means the patient will die.

If a broken clock suddenly strikes, it's a sure sign of death.

If you see a shooting star, a friend will die.

If a dog howls at night, someone in the household will die soon.

If you suddenly shudder, it means a rabbit has run across your grave.

If somebody dies, stop the clock until the next day, or someone else in the house will die.

It's bad luck to point at a graveyard.

If rain falls into an open grave, that means the deceased is bound for hell.

Love:

If your lover is going out to cheat on you, sprinkle salt in the path, and the lover will turn around and come back.

If two people put spoons in a cup at the same time, they will be married.

If you dream about death, it's a sign that a wedding day is near.

Strike a match and hold it upside down. If it burns to the end, it means your mate loves you truly.

If you look in a mirror held over a spring, you will see the face of the person you will marry

If you swallow a chicken's heart, you will win the hand of the one you love.

Name a fishing hook after the person you love. If you catch a fish with the hook, it means the love is true.

You will marry as many people as the number of seeds that will stick to your forehead.

If you put a four-leaf clover in your shoe, you will marry the first person you meet.

If a girl takes the last piece of bread from a plate, she will be an old maid.

It's bad luck to bathe on your wedding day.

Wednesday is the best day to get married, except in May.

Sunshine on wedding day means a happy marriage.

If your lips itch, it means you want to be kissed.

Luck

Always lend salt; if you give it away, you will have bad luck.

Tell a dream before breakfast and it won't come true.

It's bad luck to sew on Saturday unless you finish the job.

If you dream about muddy water, you will have bad luck.

It's bad luck to look in a mirror at midnight.

If a cricket chirps in your fireplace, you will have good luck.

It's bad luck to pass somebody on the stairs.

The third person to light a cigarette from the same match will have bad luck.

It's bad luck to put shoes back in the box before wearing them.

If you put on a shirt wrong-side-out, it's good luck. But you have to get someone else to turn it inside-out for you, or your luck will change.

It's bad luck to sneeze at the table.

If you wear an opal, it's bad luck, unless it's your birthstone.

If you sweep after the sun goes down, you will never be rich.

It's bad luck to watch a friend leaving if you continue watching until the person is out of sight.

If a black cat crosses your path, it's bad luck, unless the cat crosses from right to left.

It's bad luck to run backwards.

Healing:

If you scratch yourself with a nail, rub it in grease and throw it in the fire.

One cure for hiccups is to tickle the nose with a feather.

Eating parched corn or parched coffee will cure stomach ailments.

To get rid of warts, carve one notch in a stick for every wart you have. Bury or hide the stick, and the warts will go way.

To stop bleeding from a wound, apply chimney soot

Don't let birds gather your hair for nesting material: you will go crazy.

For toothache, rub a splinter around the gum until it draws blood; drive the splinter into a tree, and the toothache will go away.

Putting a handful of salt on your head will cure a headache.

If you eat snow before the third snowfall of the season, it will make you sick.

If you dream about crossing water, there will be an illness in the family.

To get rid of chills, tie a string around a persimmon tree.

If you sweep under the bed of a sick person, that person will die.

If your hand itches, it means someone will give you a present soon.

For snake bite, cut up the snake that bit you and press its flesh to the wound. This will draw out the poison.

Raw wet tobacco will draw the venom from an insect's sting

I post these for our entertainment only! Always seek out professional modern medicine.

Hope you enjoyed reading. Drop a comment. Share some of your own.

Remember, if you say it three times, it comes true! SpOoKy!

~~banjo~~

[byhisscourging]

"Old Time Burials" [1]

The following transcripts are from the second Foxfire book from the chapter "Old Time Burials." Trigger warnings for death, funerals and dead bodies.

While reading the following transcripts, please keep in mind that Appalachia has a unique dialect. Many of the words and phrases shown may be foreign to you. They are not misspellings; they are a reflection of Appalachia's dialect.

All transcripts are indented. Any quotes of peoples direct words are bold and italic. My own commentary will be normal text.

I'm making a particular note of the following transcript, because it reflects how society has lost its sense of community and empathy. Even if you choose not to read the rest of the transcripts below the cut, I encourage you to read the following.

While working on this chapter, we learned to value the qualities of unselfishness and concern that people had for others in the time of death and to appreciate the unlimited time they gave of themselves. Showing their genuine sympathy, respect, and love for the family of the deceased, people traveled great distances in wagons and on horseback to attend wakes, help dig and fill the grave, make the coffin, wash and dress the body, and to help the family in any possible way. And they did it, usually, free of charge. As Margaret Norton said, "Th'family didn't have t'pay nothin'. They dug th'grave free of charge. Men went in together and dug th'grave. And you made th'burying clothes, and you made th'box t'be buried in, and there wadn't no payin' goin' on. Th'preacher never charged for a funeral- for preachin' the funeral. They'll charge for funerals now, preachers will. They're not supposed to. See, most preachers is paid by salary, and that's one of his jobs. He ain't supposed t'charge y'. But many of'em'll take anything."

As soon as a person died, a number of things were traditionally done almost simultaneously: a bell was tolled announcing the death; a neighbor was contracted to produce a casket (unless it had been made in advance under the supervision of the person who had died); relatives who lived away from the community were notified as quickly as possible- sometimes by means of a letter edged with a black border; and the body was washed and laid out in preparation for the wake that would take place that night in the home of the deceased. The "settin' up" was held in the home since, as Maude Shope said, "They didn't have no funeral homes t'take'em to, y'know. If one was t'die here last night, we laid'im out. What neighbors was already here 'cause somebody'uz sick would strip th'bed off and put'im on a plain plank till y'got yer casket." Most of our contacts told us the number of times the bell tolled depended on the age of the person who had died. Ethel Corn, for example, said, "Quick as the news went that they was dead, why somebody would go ring th'bells. And then they'd toll th'bells for however many years old they were. You could count th'bells a'tollin' and you'd know just exact how old that person was."

The thing that stands out the most to me here is the fact that small communities made somebody's death a community-wide event. Showing up to the funeral was just the bare minimum. People made it a point to help the sick during their final days, as well as the family of the sick. Even after death the family's neighbors would contribute to make the wake and burial process easier.

This expression of sympathy and compassion is a rare experience these days. People will show up for funerals, offer the family of the deceased food as a sign of compassion and things like that. Nobody goes to such great lengths, as it has been recorded in this book, to help a friend or neighbor these days. Even in the largest of families, it is almost always left to a small few to sort out the funeral arrangements.

Even pastors, the people who are supposed to be the most compassionate and generous towards their communities, will demand payment or a donation to their church to perform any services for a funeral these days.

It's honestly disgusting to think about how many people profit so much off the dead and their grieving families. The viewing, burial, service fees, transport, casket, embalming and other aspects of a funeral can cost thousands of dollars. Putting the dead to rest shouldn't cost people so much money- especially when families are grieving.

By the time the casket was delivered at the home of the deceased, many of the neighbors in the community would have gathered around those who were mourning. "They'd go spend th'night, y'know," said Mrs. Tom McDowell. "They'd go set up of a night and sing, and people'd come in. And when they died, somebody'd go and toll th'bell at th'church. And that let th'community know. If we'uz workin' in th'fields and somebody died, we quit and we went. Tom's grandmother had a big old sheep horn. And when she died, they got up and blowed that horn. Now we heard that all around. They blew th'horn that noon, and th'horses heard it, they all come in. People didn't work no more till she was buried." "The neighbors usually did everything," said Mrs. E. H. Brown. "Usually they'd be someone go spend the night with them the first night. They thought they'd be lonesome or something." The night following the death, it was customary to have a wake, or a "settin'up with th'dead." In fact, this is often still done today. When we asked Fidel Crisp why, he remarked, "Show your respect to th'dead man is all I know. It's th'respect they have for you after you die. And they set up with'im on that account. But now y'die, they don't give a damn whether you live or walk."

The part about spending the night with the dead is intriguing. To many southern and Appalachian folk, it's believed that the dead need time to process their own death and pass on. "They thought they'd be lonesome or something" implies that the dead are still present shortly after their death occurs, and they want comfort. Spending time with the deceased after death wasn't just about comfort, but also respect.

Digging and filling in the grave was a sacred act that was often reserved for friends and neighbors who were close to the family. Ada Kelly verified this by saying, "Friends dug the grave and filled it up afterwards. And some do here now. They used t'be a bunch a'men had tools, shovels, and ever'thing that they needed t'dig graves. And some one person usually had charge of those tools. Different ones in th'community would dig th'grave. It was always very sacred. It'uz just a custom." Florence Brooks added, "They'd just carry th'casket up t'th'cemetery, and they'd have th'grave already dug. All th'neighbors helped dig it. They'uz a lot a'difference back then. Seemed like people had better feelin's for other people than they do now. Now they don't care if y'set up by yourself all night or not."

This is what I have been talking about this entire time: respect and compassion. Throughout these parts of the chapter it is constantly reiterated that all of these customs have meaning. It was a standard to give beloved members of the community a good send-off.

When reading this chapter I felt a sense of melancholy. It's amazing to see how much people cared about their neighbors way before profiting of the deceased was normalized, but it's a sad reality knowing that people just don't care like they used to.

[byhisscourging]

Conjure Cards: Fortune-Telling Card Deck and Guidebook

Conjure Cards: Fortune-Telling Card Deck and Guidebook

Paperback – May 1, 2021

by Jake Richards (Author)

A unique divination deck based on the authentic backwoods traditions, folklore, and superstitions of Appalachia.

For centuries, people living in Appalachia have used homemade playing cards for fortune-telling and dream interpretation. This tradition has arisen over many generations of backwoods conjurers, grannie witches, and yarb doctors.

The Conjure Cards fortune-telling deck was created by Jake Richards (author of Backwoods Witchcraft) and fashioned after the folklore, superstitions, and dream symbols that he grew up with in western North Carolina. Jake offers these common Appalachian methods of divination paired with the honored pastime of sharing and interpreting dreams.

Examples:

The Nine of Diamonds shows a headless rooster; to dream of a headless animal is a sign of a haint or plat-eye, which is a spirit who didn’t have proper burial.

The Ace of Spades, usually named the death card, is an old-fashioned baby cradle because to dream of a birth predicts a death.

The “little joker” is a witch or enemy and is represented by the folkloric black cat, while the “big joker” is the devil and is symbolized by one of the devil’s forms in Appalachia: the black dog. The black dog represents evil spirits, so if it is paired with the black cat and the Ten of Spades (a grave stone), it could mean a family haint is haunting you or an enemy has conjured the dead against you.

The Ace of Diamonds shows two wedding ring, ands predicts news, luck, and proposal. If shown with the Five of Hearts (a chapel with a stained-glass window) and the Ten of Diamonds (sunflowers), it would predict a happy marriage or undertaking.

About the Author

About the Author: Jake Richards holds his Appalachian heritage close in his blood and bones. His family has tilled the soil in Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina for a good 500 years. He spent most of his childhood at his great-grandmother’s house on the side of Mount Mitchell in North Carolina. Jake has practiced Appalachian folk magic for almost a decade and teaches classes on the subject in Jonesborough, Tennessee, where he owns Little Chicago Conjure, a supplier of Appalachian folk magic supplies and ingredients.

Publisher : Weiser Books (May 1, 2021)

Language : English

Paperback : 64 pages

ISBN-10 : 1578637449

ISBN-13 : 9781578637447

Item Weight : 9.6 ounces

[byhisscourging]

WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN: APPALACHIAN DEATH PRACTICES.

I said to that undertaker

Undertaker please drive slow

For this lady you are carrying

Lord, I hate to see her go.

A hundred years ago when the absence of funeral homes and churches made families responsible for the wake and burial the deceased family took care of these things. In those days, the women prepared the body by stretching it out on a “laying out” board, made from boards or a door laid on top of two sawhorses. A table could also be used. The body was washed and camphor was applied with a cloth. The camphor was used as a preserver. The deceased was dressed in his or her best clothing. Long black dresses for the women and black suits for the men. Their hair was combed. A piece of cloth was placed under the chin and tied on the top of the head. This was done to hold the mouth together. The eyelids were shut and a coin was place over each eye. Sometimes irons were placed next to the feet to help prop them up. The hands of the deceased were usually placed resting just below the chest area. These rituals were done before rigor mortis set it. After this the cloth around the jaw, the coins and the irons were removed. When rigor mortis set in, it was possible for the body to jerk upright, so the deceased was often tied down with ropes and covered with a sheet. While women washed and dressed the body, men hand-dug the grave. The coffin was made by the local carpenter or more likely, a family member handy with tools, and the women lined it with cloth or a funeral quilt, made for this express purpose. Often, the outside of the coffin was covered with black cloth.

If the family owned a clock, it was stopped at the time of death. This was for two reasons – to record the time of death and because for the deceased, time stood still. Any mirrors in the house were covered for two reasons – when the spirit left the body, it was believed if it saw itself it would remember the world it was leaving behind and not want to go. It was also believed if a person in the death room saw himself in the mirror, he would die shortly thereafter. Often pennies, or nickels, were placed over the closed eyes of the dead. If the mouth would not close, a handkerchief was tied around the head. Lastly, the arms were crossed over the chest.

If you were of Scottish descent, the family performed “saining” (the Scots word for blessing). The oldest woman in the family waved a lighted candle over the body three times and then place three handfuls of salt in a wooden bowl. The bowl was placed on the corpse’s chest to ward off evil spirits that could try to steal the deceased’s soul.

Oh, I followed close behind her

Tried to hold up and be brave

But I could not hide my sorrow

When they laid her in the grave

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, houses were built with death in mind. The body was always brought home to be made ready for burial, so houses were built with a funeral window or door. A funeral window had to be wide enough to slide the coffin into the part of the house where the parlor or “front room” was located. The funeral door was in addition to the front door and was placed where it would open on the mourning or bereavement parlor. The coffin was usually set between two chairs where it waited for the prepared body. The wake was held in the evening of the day the body was laid out. Family and neighbors came with the women carrying food, and the men bringing liquor, which was usually moonshine. The custom of bringing flowers and herbs into the house came from the need to mask the smell of death. Women were supposed to cry over the dead while the men stayed in the background. At night, chosen family members would “set-up” with the body. Mountain superstition decreed the soul didn’t leave the body until twenty-four hours after death, and the body had to be watched to keep the devil from stealing the soul. Burial often took place at the end of that twenty-four hours, especially in hot weather. Mountain people who prepared the dead and buried the body, this did not count as a funeral. The lack of a funeral home, church building, and more importantly a preacher, made a proper funeral impossible. Families often waited until several members died before they held what they called a funeralizing. A funeralizing was essentially a memorial service. It could take place in a church, cemetery, or person’s home, and be arranged for members of one family, members of a church family, or even the community.

I went back home, my home was lonesome

Missed my mother, she was gone

All of my brothers, sisters crying

What a home so sad and lone

Months or even years after a death could pass before the funeralizing. Another reason for funeralizing was that family members often had to save money to pay the preacher or preachers who led the service. Some families sent for a preacher of a specific religious denomination, and others depended on the circuit riding preacher, who came generally once a year through the mountain communities. Most traveling preachers who came through the Appalachian Mountains were of the Methodist – Episcopal faith.

We sang the songs of childhood

Hymns of faith that made us strong

Ones that Mother Maybelle taught us

Hear the angels sing along

These ministers were assigned a circuit by the archdiocese and crisscrossed central Appalachia during the summer, preaching When the funeral was completed the coffin was lowered into the grave. The closest relative such as a spouse would place a hand full of dirt into the grave. Once the immediate family started leaving the graveyard the rest of the people followed. A few men would stay behind to fill in the grave. It was the custom for many in the community to go back to the home of the deceased and stay most of the afternoon with the family. Food was served to all. Everyone offered their condolences to the family before they made their way back to their own homes.

Life could be hard in the mountains, and Appalachian burial customs served to help people cope with the sometimes brutal experience of living there. Many families still practice these old ways

Will the circle be unbroken

By and by, Lord, by and by

There's a better home a-waiting

In the sky, Lord, in the sky.

Hope you enjoyed reading, remembering, honoring . . . . .

[byhisscourging]

just walked past a guy whose shirt said PLINY THE ELDER huge across the back like a jersey

[byhisscourging]

Mary Gardens and Saintly Plants

Hello my fellow Catholic witches! So while I was looking through stuff to do for May, I came across Mary Gardens and I thought they sounded like something full of potential witchery.

What is a Mary Garden?

A Mary garden is a garden dedicated to Mary. It is full of plants relating to Mary and her son, Jesus. They also contain a statue of Mary and sometimes have benches and candles for prayer. Some people also add plants relating to other saints. Sometimes they are dedicated to a certain aspect of Mary (such as Our Lady of Sorrows). They can be as big as a park or as small as a flower pot.

Plants for a Mary Garden

Relating to Jesus

Grapes- His blood

Wheat- His Body

Hyssop- Used at the Crucifixion

Begonia- Heart of Jesus

Geranium- Heart of Jesus

St. John’s Wort- Jesus’ Blood

Snapdragons- the Child Jesus’ shoes

Passion flowers- Christ’s Passion (the stamens and pistils look like the nails and the crown of thorns)

Red Roses- Christ’s Passion (as the crown of thorns and the five petals are Christ’s five wounds)

Plants with thorns- the crown of thorns

Dogwood- the Crucifixion

Relating to Mary

All flowers are associated with Mary but here are some that have more specific associations.

Roses- The Marian flower. Said to be found in her tomb, and appear in most of her apparitions. Used during May Crowning. Their colors symbolize her as follows:

White - Mary’s Purity

Red- Mary’s Sorrow

Gold- Mary’s Glory

Lilies- Said to be found in her tomb and given to her by the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation

Forget-Me-Nots- Our Lady’s Eyes

Baby’s Breath- Our Lady’s Veil

Bachelor’s Buttons- Our Lady’s Crown

Bleeding Hearts- Mary’s Heart pierced by swords

Iris- the swords that pierced Mary’s Heart

Marigolds- Mary’s gold

Violets- Our Lady’s Modesty

Lavender- one legend says this plant got its scent when Mary laid Jesus’ clothes out to dry on it

Lily-of-the-Valley- Said to have grown from Mary’s tears as she stood at the foot of the cross

Damask Roses- the roses Our Lady of Guadalupe told St. Juan Diego to gather

English Daisy- Mary’s Love

Maidenhair Fern- Mary’s Hair

Field Bindweed- Our Lady’s Cup (from a German legend that Mary freed a wine seller’s cart after giving her a drink. Because he did not have a cup, Our Lady used the flower of Field Bindweed instead)

Morning Glory- Our Lady’s Cloak

Hawthorn- traditionally used during May Crowning

Honeysuckle- Our Lady’s fingers or Our Lady’s stick

Hydrangea- Ave Maria

Jasmine- Mary

Larkspur- Mary’s tears

Moonflower- Our Lady of the Night

Primrose- Mary’s candlestick

Juniper- Our Lady’s Shelter, said to have hidden the Holy Family during the flight to Egypt

Snowdrops- used at Candlemas

Sweet Alyssum- Blessed by Mary

Tulip- Mary’s Prayer

Water lily- Our Lady of the Lake or Stella Marius

Parsley- Our Lady’s Little Vine

Sage- Mary’s shawl

Thyme- Mary’s humility

Fennel- Our Lady’s Fennel

Spearmint- Mary’s mint

Horehound- Mother-of -God’s tea

Dandelion- Mary’s bitter sorrow

Catnip- Mary’s nettle

Valerien- Our Lady’s Needlework

Chamomile- Maiden’s weed

Other plants

These relate to saints or to God.

Columbine- the Holy Spirit (because they look like doves)

St John’s Wort- Named after one of the many St. Johns

Chicory- the Heavenly way

Coriander- St. John’s head

Dill- Devil away

Tarragon- Named for St. Martha’s dragon

Shamrock- St. Patrick

Lilies- St. Joseph’s staff

Peony- Pentecost Rose

Nasturtium- St. Joseph’s flower

Tritium- the Holy Trinity

Ivy- Where God has Walked

Hollyhock- St. Joseph’s staff

Gladiolus- 12 Apostles

Grape Hyacinth- St. Joseph’s bells

Basil- St. Anthony of Padua

Cosmos- St. Michael’s flower

Aster- Michaelmas daisies

Chrysanthemum- All Saint’s flower

Cherry- used on St. Barbara’s feast day

Pussy willow- used on Ash Wednesday

Palm- used in Palm Sunday

Pansies- the Holy Trinity

Blackberries- last gathered on Michaelmas

What does this have to do with witchcraft?

Well, many of these plants are commonly used in witchcraft. They can be used to call upon a certain saint for help (doing a protection spell, use Cosmos- St. Michael’s flower). Or they can be used based on their association (Maidenhair fern for beauty spells because it’s associated with Mary’s hair).

[byhisscourging]

(Folk) Catholic Mourning?

︵‿୨��୧‿︵

i just learned that my aunt passed away. my head is spinning and i feel so numb. i want to pray, i know i’m going to be praying the rosary profusely tonight. but i’ll be honest, all of the other catholic ways of praying for and honoring the dead have completely slipped my mind

if anyone could please just remind me of different ways catholics grieve and mourn i would really appreciate it. i know i know them but i just can’t remember them right now.

i would also love to hear about folk (catholic, ideally) ways of going about funerary rites and prayers, especially especially especially appalachian folk practices, and even more especially if they’re from the Southwest PA region. that side of my family also has slovakian, czech, and irish roots. any christian folk traditions from those cultures would also be appreciated.

︵‿୨♱୧‿︵

i’m gonna keep this pinned instead of my introduction for a short while because if anyone with this knowledge happens to find my page i want them to see this first.

[byhisscourging]

for my fellow witches who practice christian folk magic and use the rosary, I've written a special set of prayers for Palestine. Feel free to use and distribute this if you wish.

[byhisscourging]

"No matter what bitterness has befallen you say, 'I shall endure this for Jesus Christ' and it will be easier for you. For the name of Jesus Christ is powerful. Through it all unpleasantness is stilled, demons disappear & your disappointments will be calmed."

~St. Anthony of Optina

(Icon via OrthodoxChristianSupply.com)

[byhisscourging]

clearing negative energy (a twitter thread):

cr: wetneptune on twitter

[byhisscourging]

On Christmas Eve in the past, housewives used to get up very early, as early as around one o'clock in the morning. The night before, they had the dough for the Christmas bread and cakes risen. The rule was that by the time the sun rose, everything should be baked.

They chopped enough wood, drew water from the well, harrowed the cattle, and prepared fodder for all the days. A special pancake was baked for the animals, more food was added and they were given different treats so that they too would know it was Christmas Eve.

All over Slovakia, Christmas Eve dinner had several courses. It was a common meal that was eaten throughout the year, but several meals were concentrated into one dinner to symbolize abundance.

In the east they had up to 12 courses, 5 courses was common. But it wasn't about large portions, it was more about moderation. Each member of the family was given a spoonful of each dish to sample and nothing was to be thrown away.

Dinner started between 5-7pm and lasted about an hour. It started with a prayer, then a toast. In the mountain areas, it was hriatô, or brandy with sugar and melted bacon, which was drunk warm; in the wine-growing regions, it was wine.

Honey was considered a magical product with healing properties. The ancestors attributed similar properties to garlic, claiming that it protected them against half-demons and witches, so they ate it to keep them healthy and out of harm's way.

Specially fried carp is a post-1945 affair, before that the fish was bought in the market or hunted and after that year carp were purposefully kept for Christmas. Mayonnaise in a salad means bounty. Potato salad was until then without mayonnaise, where there were only potatoes with vegetables or onions.

Then it was pasta dishes such as perky, šúľance or bobalky with poppy seeds, slathered with butter. But they also served pierogi. Finally, there was dried fruit from the garden and sourdough cakes.

Only one person was allowed to serve during the dinner, as it was tradition that whoever got up early from the Christmas dinner would die. In some regions, no one was allowed to leave the table, so everything had to be set up so that everyone could load up and everyone had food to hand.

The first Christmas day usually started with an early morning mass, usually attended only by the women, who would start cooking when they got home. Poultry dishes were prepared in the homes and everything had to be cooked fresh. A festive lunch of several courses was served. There was chicken broth with home-made noodles and roast duck or goose.

Friends and neighbours were already visiting for the Second Christmas Day. On this day they went skating, skiing, walking and to churches to admire the nativity scenes. The nobility organized the first hunts, which then lasted all winter. Young people especially looked forward to the evening, as it was the first St. Stephen's Day parties. The last entertainment was on St. Catherine's Day, and it was said that Catherine denied the violins to the musicians. Then it was Advent, or a little fast, and no entertainments were organised. They were mostly organised by bachelors. Girls brought food and boys brought drinks. Christmas would gradually come to an end with the feast of the Three Kings and the beginning of fašiangy, the season of revelry.

[byhisscourging]

Silvester's Eve celebrations are New Year's Eve celebrations held on the last day of the Gregorian calendar year in Slovakia, December 31. Historically, the first such celebrations were recorded in Mesopotamia in 2000 BC, but the New Year was welcomed in mid-March, at the time of the vernal equinox. The Greeks began writing the new calendar on the day of the winter solstice. Looking back in time, the new year was welcomed on different days in different cultures: December 25, March 1, March 25, September 1, etc.

The last day of December is dedicated in the Roman liturgy to the memory of Pope Silvester I, and it also has a symbolic meaning: he reigned at a time when the age of fierce persecution of Christians was over (Silvester himself had to hide in the forests around Rome because of this - hence his choice of Silvester as his name when he became Bishop of Rome: lat. silva=forest) and the golden age of the Church had begun. St. Silvester I was one of the first saints venerated and his cult spread throughout Europe.

The last day of the year was also called "Babí Day". So-called Kurine baby ("Chicken grandmothers") used to go around the village - two men disguised as women. One with a straw wreath and a bell, the other in a fur coat with a skirt made of straw girdled with rope. The women plucked the straw and put it in the hen house so that the hens would lay eggs well the next year.

In the past, on New Year's Eve, the faithful gathered in the church to give thanks to God for the past year at Holy Mass. In the evening a feast was held. This tradition began after World War II, because until then parties were forbidden until the Three Kings Day.

On New Year's Eve, almost the same dinner was prepared as on Christmas Eve - but meat could be eaten. The tablecloth and the bread were the same. Cabbage soup, soups of legumes and mushrooms were eaten, meat, sausages, goose meat were eaten - fasting was no longer kept, and often poppy seed wafers and Christmas wafers were served. The atmosphere of the evening was completed by the young men shooting and cracking whips. Ceremonial washing and changing into clean clothes was also customary.

New Year's Eve, however, already had magical powers: it was believed that whatever you dreamt would come true. If you sneezed on New Year's Day, you would be healthy all year round. Magic also had an effect on weather forecasts: red dawns in the morning foretold storms, whirlwinds, crop failures and misery; a little heavy rain was a harbinger of thick, full ears of grain.

In Slovakia, the old superstition that good luck comes from a piglet still holds true, so you must not have a goose or pheasant on the New Year's table - a poultry that flies, lest all your possessions (and good luck and health) fly away. There must be pork, beef, roasted small pig for sure (cutlets came to us from Austria after 1945, at first they were manor dishes). Lentils and dishes with poppy seeds were again served, as they symbolised abundance and wealth. It was to be eaten to the full - so that there would be plenty of food in the New Year.

On visits, wishes were made: "I wish you a happy new year, that God may give you the old to live through and the new to live up to!"

It was also customary to sweep the rubbish into a corner of the room, not outside, so that someone would not be "swept out" of the house, i.e. die. Certain household chores, such as washing and hanging laundry, were also forbidden, because the person hanging the laundry could die severely or even hang themself.

[byhisscourging]

Fašiangy

The period from the Three Kings to Ash Wednesday is called Fašiangy. Fašiangy was and still is one of the merriest times of the year. It is a symbol of joy, abundance and merriment. Folk festivities, hog-killing time and weddings were frequent during this period.

During the carnivals, the main foods eaten were slaughterhouse specialities, doughnuts, fánky and other rich dishes. A typical custom of the carnival period was a procession in masks through the village. The masks often depicted various animals. The parade was exuberant, accompanied by singing and dancing. At the same time, various contributions were collected from the people, mainly sausages, bacon, smoked meat, eggs and money. During the parade, the song was sung: Fašiangy, Turíce, Easter is coming, who does not have a fur coat, it will be cold for him. I don't have one, I'm just shivering, give me bacon, let me feed myself. They didn't give us any there, these will give us some, they killed a mosquito, they've got bacon.

Nowadays we can come across different names for the last three days of carnival. That the carnival season is coming to an end is indicated by names such as Ostatky, Končiny, or carnival finale.

There is a long tradition of carnival celebrations in Bohemia and Slovakia, which can be documented by written records dating back to the 13th century. In these, you can read that it was a folk entertainment which various moralists actively tried to suppress. However, they never succeeded in disrupting the popular tradition, because it was a feast attended by all people, from the poorest to the rulers of the day.

Although the carnival period practically started after the Three Kings Day, today we know as carnivals the Slovak traditions that took place during the last three days, i.e. from Carnival Sunday to Carnival Tuesday, or just before it.

Preparations for the Carnival celebrations traditionally began on the Thursday before Carnival Sunday. During this day, everything that was subsequently needed was prepared, such as the traditional home slaughter of the pig in the village. Since superstition had it that people should eat and drink as much as possible on this day in order to be strong for the whole of the following year, it was called Fat Thursday or also Tučniak.

The main celebrations began on Shrove Sunday, which was always marked by fun, dancing, feasting and general merriment. It was therefore sometimes referred to as Dance Sunday, with the idle feasts organised by women being particularly popular. The latter paid for musicians and a tavern so that they could have the entertainment to themselves. Smoked ham was cooked in every house as early as Saturday. During the last days of the carnival it was on every table.

Of course, there was also dancing on carnival Monday. Unlike the previous day, however, this time one of the popular carnival customs was the men's balls, which were only for married people, so the unmarried flock had no access to them. At these balls, there was a lot of jumping up and down while dancing, because people believed that as high as a peasant woman jumped up, so high would her corn, flax or hemp grow the following year, for example.

The climax of the carnival celebrations, feasting and general merriment was the annual Carnival Tuesday, when a traditional Fašiangy procession made its way through the village or town. People in all sorts of masks went round the houses, not missing a single one. Everywhere there were stops, singing, playing, dancing and, as there was no shortage of little treats for the masqueraders, everyone drank and tasted whatever they wanted, which made the unruliness of the parade even greater.

In some places the carnival ended at midnight with the "burial of the bass", symbolizing the fact that during the Lenten season the musicians would not play their instruments and for a time the dancing also ended, or even with the burial of the god Bacchus. The next morning, then, greasy rolls with milk or coffee were eaten one last time, but lunch was already strictly Lenten.

Various humorous customs were then (or still are) observed in different regions, which the masqueraders practised as they made their rounds through the village. In some places, people in disguise would burst into houses and chase young girls and local housewives, who then had to be bailed out. Paths were sanded between the lovers' houses and hearts were painted on house gates. Another favourite prank was, amongst other things, taking carts up to the roof and chairs into the pond.

Other traditional masks for carnivals, which featured heavily in carnival processions, apart from the bear, the bad character traits and the jester, included the necessary figures of the chimney sweep with a ladder, the baba with a costume, the assman, the hunters and the haymaster. However, a traditional part of the carnival fun was also the mask of a turoň, an animal that resembled a grey ox. Symbols of fertility include, for example, masks of the groom, the bride and the gypsy woman with a pram. Male fertility was then represented by various animal masks, including a horse, goat, rooster or stork.