8729 - Happy B'day to me!

[scottobear]

Happy Groundhog's Day, Candlemas, Pidyon Ha-Ben,Imbolc, Lughnasadh, Thesmophoria, Farewell to Lords of Misrule's Trickster phase, etc.

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More lovely pics received for my bday!

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I didn't see my shadow this morning. No more cold?

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Well, I got my Nose buttered twice by BHK already - (In a few places around the world, the traditional birthday trick is what is often known as 'grease face.' The same custom is known in parts of the Maritime provinces of Canada as 'buttered noses.' As early as is convenient on the birthday someone tries to reach from behind the birthday boy or girl and dab on their nose a fingerful of grease, often butter. This is accompanied by best wishes for the year, now lubricated with the greasy face. Among schoolchildren this custom sometimes takes the form of pushing a sweet, creamy cake in the face) (See also BHK's entry from about 6 years or so ago)



Also, my morning was brought to a lovely start with blueberry pancakes and a cheese omelet for b'day breakfast. YUM!

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Candlemas Day (February 2nd) is known as "La fête de la chandeleur" among the francophones of the West Coast and is celebrated with a beribboned bachelor King visiting houses of eligible young women. Elsewhere in the province it is known as a day to watch for bears' shadows in order to predict the weather. Candlemas Day is the same date as the American Groundhog Day but retains the old Christian calendar name, which derives from the tradition of blessing the annual supply of church candles on that day, the official end of the liturgical Christmas season. In older European traditions, bears step outside their hibernation caves to check the weather on February 2nd. If it is fine they will stay out for the remainder of the season. In Newfoundland this belief has remained more or less intact in the rhyme "If Candlemas Day be clear and fine, the rest of winter is left behind; If Candlemas Day be rough and grum, there's more of winter left to come" (cf. Hiscock 1996:35).

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1 year ago - I'm 37, dance monkeys dance, afterlife quiz, kind wishes, 40 faces, ID, Danny Sick

2 years ago - I'm 36, no shadow, cleaned Mel's system, under the bed, birthday type pics

3 years ago - I'm 35, Birthday factoids, walkies

4 years ago - I'm 34, the Museum F Art, Tinkle-pig, Newt, and other palm-cam pics, Groundhogs seek sex, not shadows

5 years ago - I'm 33, saw my shadow, blah day, daredevil, nice end of day

6 years ago - I'm 32, many holidays, nice ecards, saw my shadow, got my moonmama penguin pic

7 years ago - I'm 31



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Comments

[pilarcruz.livejournal.com]

Happy Berfday!!!!

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

thanks to you and Clydee!!

[rosin-dubh.livejournal.com]

Very sunshiney here, so I'm afraid we're in for some more cold.

Oh wait. That's a good thing! :)

The nose buttering tradition still seems odd to me, but I'm getting used to the idea. Sure beats birthday spankings (which is what we always got - one for each year old... from everybody that could hold you down long enough). :P Maybe it was supposed to be encouragement to behave for another year? *shrug*

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

cheers! keep warm!!

[ilenebook.livejournal.com]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTTOBEAR.

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

thank you!! I love the flower monster!

[peradouro.livejournal.com]

Happy B-day!

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

thank you!!

[shangalangshang.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday!

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[legal-beagle555.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday! Lots of people seem to share it with you :-)

http://imdb.com/OnThisDay?day=2&month=February

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

one person in 365, give or take!!

HP here - Happy Birthday Scottobear :)))

[(Anonymous)]

Another take on Candlemas celebrations: It’s the "Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary" -- or it was in one period. (The modern Church calls it the "Presentation of Christ in the Temple".) In the Mosaic Law there's a rule that for forty days after she gives birth to a son, a woman is “unclean” and can't attend religious services. Why is she “unclean”? Because she is "bleeding". Just as if she were menstruating, she is taboo until she finishes -- well, actually, the fluid she's producing, called "lochia", is mostly water with enough blood in it to make it look like blood. Her uterine lining is shrinking and contracting and healing after having the placenta detach from it shortly after the birth. Takes about six weeks to dry up. In other words, forty days. What the purification was that the Virgin (and other Jewish women as well) was going through was a visit to the local "mikveh" or ritual bath. It wasn't that she was "unclean". The Jewish word is "niddah", which is really not translatable. Perhaps "taboo" would be a little closer. As Jesus was her first-born male child, the ceremony that was happening is "pidyon ha-ben", or Redemption of the Firstborn , which is why Joseph and Mary were going to the Temple. Only the children of Levites were exempt from this, as they were already “redeemed”. Women who were "niddah" slept seperately from their husbands, and it wasn't until after the visit to the "mikveh" did normal spousal relationships resume. This pattern applied on the birth of a son. If she has given birth to a daughter, the mother has to wait sixty days, just for good measure. The ancient Hebrews were not what you'd call egalitarian....) At the end of the forty days, the mother is brought to the Temple (if within range, otherwise the local synagogue) and ritually purified. After this she can go to religious services again, and generally go out in public. Candlemas, February 2nd, is forty days after Christmas.

Re: HP here - Happy Birthday Scottobear :)))

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

Thank you!! long time no see!