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With one on its way this weekend, it’s time to celebrate the magical powers a full moon elicits.

The moon has long been associated with cycles of days, months, tides and time, and is a symbol of change, growth and time, as well as a magical symbol of reflection, knowledge and dreams. The moon constantly changes and so does its symbolism and meaning.

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BIRD LORE

Early records show that birds were thought to be the messengers of the gods and empowered to bring omens. Their songs have inspired us for centuries. In Britain, sea birds were commonly thought to be the reincarnated souls of dead soldiers.

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Happy Primrose Day one and all! The primrose is the first rose of the year and can be found in woodlands, hedgerows and shady meadows. Every year on the 19th April, it is tradition to wear one in commemoration of the late Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.

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Happy Easter one and all. Eggs are a symbol of birth and resurrection. During Lent, the eating of eggs was not permitted. Hence, when Lent was over, Easter was celebrated with the eating of eggs. But remember! Always break empty egg shells: it was thought witches could make boats out of unbroken shells and sail away to destroy sailors’ ships.

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This Folklore Thursday, we are preparing to celebrate mothers everywhere. From wax roses to sea salt chocolate truffles, The Magpie & the Wardrobe has all sorts of wonderfully unique Mother’s Day gift ideas. The perfect gift itself, you and your mother can practice palm reading, make your own jam or even create a festive feather headdress together.

Available at

http://store.pavilionbooks.com/9781910496459-the-magpie-and-the-wardrobe.html

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It’s nearly the end of January, and the end of the planting season for the indoor winter plant amaryllis. If this stunning flower could brighten up your winter days, it’s the perfect time to get planting. 

The amaryllis is a large, trumpet-like flower that is shaped like lilies or bells, and comes in a range of colours. However, the red one is particularly well known, due to the Greek legend of how amaryllis was named. 

According to Greek mythology, Amaryllis was a love-struck maiden who sought the heart of Alteo by shedding blood outside his cottage. On the thirtieth day, beautiful red flowers appeared, and Amaryllis won her heart’s desire.

Amaryllis can also be translated as ‘sparkling’ or ‘fresh’. 

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Happy New Year!

Enjoy the day but don't do your laundry today as it washes away good luck.

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Merry Christmas! Enjoy this story of the Christmas orange from The Magpie & the Wardrobe: A Curiosity of Folklore, Magic & Spells

It's believed animals are able to talk on Christmas Eve, so keep your ears open!

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When Prince Albert brought over the Christmas tree from Germany in 1841, he reintroduced the tradition of tree decorating. During Victorian times, Christmas trees were decorated with candles to symbolise the stars in the sky at the nativity. This festive star garland is equally beautiful on the tree or hung around the home. 

MAKE A STAR GARLAND

Roll out some air-dry clay. Cut out shapes using a star cutter. Pierce a hole at the top of each star and leave to dry. You can paint them, although we like the chalky effect so we left ours plain. Tie the stars onto some vintage braid and hang the garland in your window.

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We like to make bay leaf garlands at this time of year and write our wishes on the leaves. They make pretty decorations on doors, walls or tables and have the added advantage that you can then use the leaves to flavour your cooking.

Ancient Greeks awarded bay laurel wreaths to victorious heroes and athletes. From this comes the expression ‘resting on your laurels’ which referred to having achieved something but then not striving to achieve more.

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If you need any more encouragement to start your Christmas pudding for Stir-up Sunday, here’s a lovely recipe from the National Trust Complete Traditional Recipe Book by Sarah Edington.

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This Sunday is Stir-up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent when traditionally the Christmas pudding is made and all members of the family take a turn at stirring it while making a wish. Some people choose to add (sterilised we hope!) silver coins to the mix, to bring the finder luck for the new year.

The day takes its name from an Anglican prayer for the day in preparation for Advent, which begins: ‘Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord...’

The day serves as a reminder that it is time to start making your pudding to give it time to mature in time for Christmas. We’ll be posting a delicious Christmas pudding recipe a little later to get you started!

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Today is St Clement’s Day and St Clement (Pope Clement I) was the patron saint of metalworkers and blacksmiths. Celebratory events include a blacksmiths’ competition in Devon, attended by blacksmiths from around the country, where ‘anvil firing’ is one of the main attractions.

St Clement was a martyr and legend has it that he was the first person to refine iron from ore and make a horseshoe from it. Traditionally the day was celebrated by the Guild of Blacksmiths who collected donations door-to-door to fund their celebrations, or ‘clementing’. This tradition then evolved so that children began to sing songs of the season in return for autumnal fruits such as apples and pears.

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The fourth question in the Curiosity Challenge is now up on the competition page and the Grand Prize Draw is open for entries! Find out how to win a magical break on the competition page.

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Trees have always been surrounded by myth and legend, from the image of the tree of life occurring in many mythologies, to the old english folklore legend that knocking on wood prevents the tree sprites from making mischief. 

More information on wood magic can be found in The Magpie & the Wardrobe book and on Trees for Life. Trees for Life and The Woodland Trust both work to conserve British woodland, and you can find out more about their work by clicking on the links above. 

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Today, some behind the scenes magic! Our lovely editor Krissy takes us through the steps for a Magpie & Wardrobe photoshoot.... 

Formulating page ideas - Sam and Alex would gather treasures from their collections, and test how they worked together on a spread. We created a mock up of the spreads, and these provided the framework for each page. 

Shooting the images - The palmistry image was achieved with the help of Mia, Alex’s daughter, and her amazing collection of rings! As we shot everything overhead, to get this shot Mia had to lie down under the camera.  

The very last shot - We wanted to get a picture of falling glitter but it was very difficult to capture. A lot of laughing was involved... and a lot of glitter!