Wine gives us a connection with the natural world---the passage of time and the turn of the seasons...
Since the earliest times, the annual passage of the earth around the sun has led to a series of events in the vineyard and the winery. While they are far older than our current system of the Julian Calendar, they conveniently fit into a month by month chart of the work to be done, and the milestones to be celebrated.
January: Traditionally, pruning began on St. Vincent's Day--January 22. St. Vincent, the protomartyr of Spain, was a deacon of the 3rd century. According to details of his death (which seem to have been considerably developed later on), his flesh was pierced with iron hooks, he was bound upon a red-hot gridiron and roasted, and he was cast into a prison and laid on a floor strewn with broken pottery. But through it all his faith remained unmoved (leading to his jailer's conversion) and he survived until his friends were allowed to see him and prepare a bed for him, on which he died. The saint's fame spread rapidly throughout Gaul and Africa - we have several sermons of St. Augustine given on his feast day.
The Saint-Vincent celebrations of France trace their roots to the cooperative nature of communities in traditionally agricultural regions. To safeguard what the heavens offered those on earth, winemakers have always depended on each other. The resulting mutual aid societies were formed under the protection of a patron saint and were a sort of insurance against sickness or accident.
In Burgundy, the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Tastevin celebrations, which always take place during the last weekend of January, attract an ever increasing number of people from the four corners of the earth. Each village hosts the event once every 20 or 30 years. During the weekend of 29-30 January 2000, Gevrey-Chambertin saw approximately 200,000 people arrive for the celebrations.
The organization of these celebrations takes several years. Special wines are made in the village, and thousands of crepe paper flowers have to be made in the evenings to decorate the houses and streets in the village. The statues of the saints are kept from one year to the next by the winemakers of the village and parish.
The Champagne Festivities of Saint-Vincent
Held on and around January 22nd, the celebration of Saint-Vincent is devoted to the patron saint of vines and wines. Saint-Vincent's Day marks a moment of respite and satisfaction. The still wines made from the recent harvest have now fully completed their fermentation. The producers can relax before they start the slow artistry of tasting and marrying them together to recreate the house style. And the vines that yielded the grapes are relaxing, too. Asleep, they now recuperate in preparation for the next vintage.
The Saint-Vincent procession opens with a brass band that precedes the bâton of Saint-Vincent and an array of banners and statues to the effigy of the saint. Children and adolescents follow, dressed in traditional costumes, followed by members of the Confrérie of Saint-Vincent and a few personalities invited to partake in the festivities. Young people dressed in blue coats, white aprons and the traditional cellarman's cap, carry on two stretchers decorated with flowers, foliage and winemaking tools, the barrel of new wine which will be offered at the mass wine and a pyramid of brioches. The brioches, after having been blessed, will be cut and distributed to the congregation.
The festivities then move on to the festival hall where the president and the guests comment on the last harvest and on Champagne's situation. Then viticultural diplomas are presented and the bottles of Champagne that decorated the tables are opened. The rest of the brioches are distributed and the bouquet that adorned the stretcher is auctioned off to the benefit of the Confrérie.
The day ends with the banquets, balls, and festivities during which Champagne flows freely and the revelers discuss the respective merits of the different wines supplied by the participants.
In January, there is often snow on the ground, the vines are dormant, and the work of pruning the vineyards is hard. But the canes become firewood for the weeks to follow. In many regions, there are specific dishes to be cooked over fires made with these canes.
For wines in the barrel, it is a time for keeping the barrels full and the bungs dry. And a time to taste the barrels in preparation for the final blends
February :
Under the rule of Emporer Claudius II, Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. "Claudius the Cruel" was unsuccessfully trying to recruit men to serve as soldiers for his wars. He believed that the men did not want leave their wives, families and sweethearts. As a result, he became angry and forbade priests to perform any new marriages.
According to one legend, Valentine, Bishop of Interamna, feeling that this law was unjust, aided the Christians and secretly married couples. When Claudius learned of this "friend of lovers," Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to death. He was clubbed, stoned, then beheaded. (The Romans were a rather sadistic bunch.) Valentine suffered martydrom on the 14th day of February, 270 AD.
Again, depending on the source, we're told that Valentine was a kind-hearted physician who practiced medicine out of a small room in his home. He always made a special effort to offer his patients medicines that tasted good. He would take care to mix bitter tasting medicines with wine, milk or honey to make them more palatable for the sick and injured. He cleansed wounds with wine vinegar and would use freshly ground herbs and roots to relieve pain. Religion was also a significant part of his life and he would lead others to prayer. He often prayed for the health of his patients.
By St. Valentine's day in the vineyard, most pruning is finished. Those who wish to graft vines can use the cuttings to make their grafts. The wines in the cellar are now in barrels and tanks, and should probably be racked to leave sediment behind.
March:
Spring Equinox, one of the four great cardinal festivals of the solar year, occurs on March 21 or so. The spring season begins as the Sun enters Aries, and as James Joyce put it, the Ram has power. The festival period that begins now, and lasts for nearly a week, marks the return of Light, and of Mother Earth's vitality, from winter's long darkness and cold. The ancient Celtic and other central European peoples called the Spring Equinox Alban Eilir, or Ostara which has come down to us as the source of the word "Easter".
The Spring Equinox festival cycle extends over several days, from March 21 to 25. The closer the equinox festival is to March 21, the more recent its origin; the closer it is to March 25, the more likely that it is very ancient; or, as in the case of Christian festivals, superseded an older "pagan" festival.
In the ancient Roman calendar, the one before the Julian Calendar that we use, the first of March was the first day of the New Year, and the festival of Matronalia, in honor of the goddess Juno Lucina. Prayers for successful birth were offered on this day, and it was customary for men to give presents to women.
In the Roman Catholic calendar, feast of St. Patrick, takes place on the 17th of March. This Christian feast day has ties to the old Celtic and Britannic festivals in honor of the Green Man or Green George . This day was important to ancient Europeans because it meant that Spring was only a few days away, and now was the time for asking the Green God his favor and blessing.
And remember Dionysus? Dionysus, the god of wine was the son of Zeus and Semele, a mortal princess. Dionysus was raised by nymphs, and when he grew up he traveled to faraway lands, performing feats that proved his godhead. What he longed for was the mother he never knew, so he went to the underworld to find her. When he found her he defied death and escaped death with his mother. He brought her to Mt. Olympus where she was allowed to dwell with the gods.
The worship of Dionysus took place not in temples or wild places, but in the theatres, the plays put on about him were acts of worship and the forerunners of today's "Passion Plays." Dionysus was killed, but because he had overcome death, he rose again. As the god of the vine he dies each year and then resurrects. His rites were held in spring, when the vines put forth new shoots. In all the numerous myths having to do with resurrection, the element that causes the resurrection is love.
As weather and soil conditions permit, disk the vineyard to turn over the soil. The vines may begin to bud out at this time, and the earth is reborn. This is time to check trellises, irrigation systems, and make sure that all is ready for the new season.
In the cellar, the warmer temperatures also encourage malo-lactic fermentation--the wines come to life just as the vines do. As the sap rises in the vine, so does it rise in the wine itself.
April:
While frost may still be a problem, now is the time to plant the new vines and make sure that all in the vineyard is ship shape. This is also a good time to bottle the young white wines, fresh and lively.
May:
The ancient calendars abounded in festivals for the first of May. For the Celts, this was Beltane--long celebrated with feasts and rituals. Beltane means fire of Bel; Belinos being one name for the Sun God. As summer begins, weather becomes warmer, and the plant world blossoms, an exuberant mood prevails. In old Celtic traditions it was a time of unabashed sexuality and promiscuity where marriages of a year and a day could be undertaken but it is rarely observed in that manner in modern times.
In the old Celtic times, young people would spend the entire night in the woods "A-Maying," and then dance around the phallic Maypole the next morning. Older married couples were allowed to remove their wedding rings (and the restrictions they imply) for this one night.
In Germany, many customs and symbols are connected with May Day. Maybells are in bloom, houses and dance halls are decked with young green grass and flowers, and people sing songs to celebrate this joyous occasion.
A part of the celebrations are ceremonial plantings of young trees. The Maypole is put up and there are dances around it. There may be a May play or a May Queen contest. In some areas, a whole village may gather around a Maypole. Everybody holds hands, dances, drinks, and is happy not to have to be at work for a day. There may be a merry procession to Maypole or dance hall, where the May Queen ceremonially declares winter defeated and opens the dance.
The Maypole and the dance around it is a major symbol of spring's reawakening of fruitfulness. In the old days, young unmarried men of the village would organize and sponsor parties, dances and celebrations, to get the unmarried maidens of the village into the spirit of May. If then a wedding would take place, a tree decorated with colorful streamers and ribbons would be placed in front of the bride's house.
The traditional Maypole dance starts with long ribbons attached high up on the pole. Each dancer holds the end of a ribbon. The circle of dancers begins far out from the pole, so the ribbons are kept fairly taut. There should be an even number of dancers, facing alternatively clockwise and counterclockwise. All dancers move in the direction they are facing, passing right shoulders with the next, and so on around to braid the ribbons over-and-under around the pole. Those passing on the inside will have to duck, those passing on the outside raise their ribbons to slide over.
Maiwein (May Wine) is a German drink, dedicated to springtime and flavored with fresh sweet woodruff--a fragrant herb, a small plant with white blossoms. In Germany it grows in the forests. However, the variety which grows wild is not usable for flavoring. This decorative plant may be grown in a shady corner of a herb garden. It should be used for flavoring only in May when the new leaves are tender. Cut up and soaked in the wine, it will produce the distinctive May Wine taste. You can make your own Maiwein by using a good white wine and flavoring it with woodruff.
Ingredients: *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
12 sprigs young Woodruff 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1 bottle Moselle or Rhine wine or other dry white wine
Cooking: *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Cover the mixture for 30 minutes, no longer. Remove the Waldmeister. Stir contents of bowl thoroughly and pour over a block of ice in a punch bowl. Add: 3 bottles Moselle 1 quart carbonated water or champagne
Thinly sliced oranges, sticks of pineapple and, most appropriately, sprigs of Woodruff, may be used to decorate the Maiwein.
In the early part of the month, make sure that your heaters are working--save those grape vine cuttings to burn on a cold night. Sucker the vines to force their growth into the branches. Rack the red wines again, this time into new barrels. Warm weather increases the angels' share--be sure to keep the barrels topped up.
June:
The Summer Solstice is the shortest night of the year--a time when the sun is at its highest elevation overhead at noon. It is marked by temples from Stonehenge to Chichen Itza, and must have been one of the most important days of the year in any primitive culture. In the arctic, the sun may never set on this day.
Ancient China: Their summer solstice ceremony celebrated the earth, the feminine, and the yin forces. It complemented the winter solstice that celebrated the heavens, masculinity and yang forces.
Ancient Gaul: The Midsummer celebration was called Feast of Epona, named after a mare goddess who personified fertility, sovereignty and agriculture. She was portrayed as a woman riding a mare.
Ancient Rome: The festival of Vestalia lasted from JUN-7 to JUN-15. It was held in honor of the Roman Goddess of the hearth, Vesta. Married women were able to enter the shrine of Vesta during the festival. At other times of the year, only the vestal virgins were permitted inside.
Ancient Sweden: A Midsummer tree was set up and decorated in each town. The villagers danced around it. Women and girls would customarily bathe in the local river. This was a magical ritual, intended to bring rain for the crops.
Christian countries: After the conversion of Europe to Christianity, the feast day of St. John the Baptist was set as June 24th--one of the oldest feast days in the Christain Calendar. Why is it celebrated on the day of John's birth, instead of his death, as with the other saints? One theory is that it forms the perfect counterpoint to the date of Christ's birth, on December 24th.
The warm weather and vine maturity brings on flowering. This is also a time to tend to the vines, removing the odd cane and tying up the vines to the trellises. Beware of mildew! Begin bottling the red wines
July:
Why is it that so many revolutions begin in July? The Fourth of July, Bastille Day, July 26th….is it because people are warm, relatively fed, and ready for action?
St. James, patron saint of Spain and Oporto
On July 25th, Saint James' feast day is celebrated around the world with fireworks, traditional dances, and religious ceremonies. James and his brother John were Jesus's cousins, and were called away from their work as fishermen to become "fishers of men".
Spain
According to legend, James went to Spain, where his missionary efforts failed, and the Virgin Mary appeared to him on a pillar. This is why so many Spanish girls' are named Pilar. James left Spain for Jerusalem, where he was beheaded.
James' followers put his body in a stone boat, which then floated to Northwest Spain. In 814, Bishop Theodomir was guided to the unmarked grave by a star, took a shovel to it, and unearthed the long-forgotten apostle.
The discovery started an epic pilgrimage in Spain, which was then almost completely under the domination of the Moors. In return, Santiago appeared during battles against the Moors, riding a white stallion and swinging a terrible sword. Even today, you will still hear Spaniards invoke Santiago in moments of crisis.
Today, more than 1,000 years after the discovery of St. James' body, millions of pilgrims still make the trip to Santiago de Compostela along a classic route through France and Spain. They can often be identified by their walking sticks and scallop shells--the symbols of St. James.
Give me my scallop shell of quiet My staff of faith to walk upon My scrip of joy, immortal diet My bottle of salvation My gown of glory, hope's true gage And thus I'll take my pilgrimage
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The Camino de Santiago is, and has been since the Middle Ages, one of the major European pilgrimage routes to venerate the tomb in which, according to tradition, the remains of the apostle Santiago lie at rest. This pilgrim route, of equal importance to those whose goal is Rome or Jerusalem, originated in the year 813 AD when one man, Pelayo by name, observed a shower of stars which fell over one spot which was later named Santiago de Compostela. There he found a tomb in which there were remains claimed by the church to be those of the apostle Santiago. The first group of people to go to this place in order to pray to before the saint did so in 840 AD and since that time pilgrimages have been made thus converting the Camino ("way") into an important vehicle for the transmission of cultures and traditions.
PAMPLONA, THE FIRST CITY OF THE CAMINO
For those that cross the Pyrenees by Roncesvalles (where Roland died, protecting the army of Charlemagne), Pamplona is the first large city of the Camino. The pilgrim enters through the Magdalena district, or Camino de Burlada, which runs alongside the river and leads the walker to the XVth century medieval bridge which crosses the river Arga and at one end of which is a cross beam with the image of Santiago.
After crossing the bridge the pilgrim finds herself at the foot of the walls, in pristine condition, which hide the city from view and, after passing the old dry moats of the fortification the city is reached via the Portal de Francia or Zumalacárregui. (The 'France Gate' or 'Zumalacárregui Gate').
Thus, on entering the Calle del Carmen, formerly the Calle Mayor (High Street), the walker is obliged to wind her way through the streets of the three ancient boroughs and their churches: Navarrería, with the cathedral of Santa María la Real, San Nicolás with its parish church of the same name, and San Saturnino, with the church of San Cernin.
After walking round the park of the Ciudadela, the pilgrim's way continues along the Vuelta del Castillo and is lost among the streets of the modern part of the city before it arrives at the campus of the University of Navarra. There there is a stone bridge that puts the pilgrim en route once again as far as Cizur Menor.
REFUGIO
This is located at number 2, Calle Ansoleaga, next to the church of San Saturnino. It has 24 beds with mattresses and blankets, a kitchen and showers with hot water. When full a room in a school is made available for the pilgrims to be able to rest. Also, visit the Association of Friends of the Camino de Santiago in Pamplona - in the Calle Blas de la Serna, 58, 1º dcha. Here you can find information on hostels, lodgings, and any other matter related to the Jacobean Route.
THE LANGUAGE OF THE SHELLS
Pamplona marked the route clearly. There is a yellow shell next to the names of the streets that form a part of the Route--with a sign that says "Camino de Santiago en Pamplona/Santiagoko Bidea Iruñean." The shell is positioned so that the grooves of the shell act as an arrow to point the way.
Disk under any cover crop, keep the vine in balance by removing suckers and pruning if necessary--even dropping fruit during some years. In warmer regions, veraison may happen in this month.
In the winery, finish up bottling the red wines, so that you have room for the next year's vintage. Clean all your equipment, sharp your knives, and get ready for harvest. Take a short vacation.
August:
In most of Europe, this is a time for holidays. All of France closes down completely for 3 or four weeks, and Paris is a desert. No wine is shipped, no letters answered, and no business is done.
In southern Europe, the grapes may well get ripe in August. There are wine festivals that begin in late August in many countries. In South Moravia the harvest is celebrated at vinobrani--the wine festival. And it is celebrated with Burcak - a dark, bubbling mixture of fermenting grape juice.
Only the vintner, his family and friends are allowed into the vinny sklep (wine cellar) during the mysterious build-up to burcak season, sometimes staying up all night - even two nights - waiting for the magical one-to-three-hour period when the vintner officially declares that burcak flows. High in Vitamin B complex, essential minerals and sugars, burcak is believed by many to possess the life-giving energy of sun and soil - the secret of good health.
Local superstition has it that one should drink at least seven liters of burcak during the season to ensure good luck until the next harvest. Thus, while the pleasures of drinking the sweet stuff are fleeting, quaffing enough may be the key to a prosperous year.
Several villages in the 14,500-hectare wine region observe vinobrani in some way: from parades in folk costume through historical districts to outdoor concerts. The largest, best-known events are held in the towns of Znojmo, Mikulov and Valtice.
Of these, Valtice's celebration is the most low-key and clings more to the old folk traditions. According to town custom, vintners gather with the mayor at the Valtice Wine School to recognize the year's ten vineyard guards - students chosen from the local school who vow to protect the surrounding vineyards throughout the harvest. After an induction ceremony, the mayor and other town officials, on horseback, lead the vintners and new guards through the town to herald the start of the wine harvest.
During the vinobrani festivities, south Moravians, renowned for their relaxed pace of life and warm hospitality, throw open their wine cellars to neighboring provinces as well as to visitors from around Europe. Unlike fine aged wines, burcak is meant to be drunk almost immediately, as it goes sour after about four hours. Though burcak is the focus of the festival, there is more to the celebration than drinking.
Traditions include the dulcimer music that echoes through the narrow Mikulov streets during the festival. Ornately clad musicians belt out traditional song-and-dance numbers, frequently joined by festival goers decked out in folk costumes.
Costumed jugglers, sword fighters and dancers on and around the main square in Znojmo create a festive, Renaissance-style extravaganza, capped off with a massive fireworks display. Last year, approximately 10,000 guests visited Mikulov and more than 30,000 celebrated in Znojmo over the course of the events.
Now it is time to check the grapes regularly for ripeness. Most vintners estimate that it will be 60 days from veraison to harvest. Beware of mildew, rain, oidium, hail, and the full variety of disasters. In the cellar, get everything ready for the harvest--every barrel clean, every tank and hopper cleaned and painted, every hose checked, every foot washed!
September:
Michael (September 29) -- The name of this Archangel means "who is like unto God" His feast, originally combined with the remembrance of all angels, had been celebrated in Rome from the early centuries on September 29. The Synod of Mainz (813) introduced it into all the countries of the Carolingian Empire and prescribed its celebration as a public holiday. All through medieval times Saint Michael's Day was kept as a great religious feast (in France even up to the last century) and one of the annual holiday seasons as well. The churches of the Greek Rite keep the feast on November 8, and a second festival on September 6. In France the apparition of the Archangel at Mont-Saint-Michel is commemorated on October 16. The Amish celebrate it on October 11.
From the early centuries it had been a favorite practice in the Oriental Church to build Saint Michael shrines on the tops of mountains and hills. Saint Michael's protection over holy souls is also the reason for dedicating cemetery chapels to him. It was the custom in past centuries to offer a Mass every week in honor of the Archangel and in favor of the departed ones in these mortuary chapels.
Among the Basques in northern Spain, whose national patron is Saint Michael, the feast is kept with great religious and civic celebrations. An image of the Archangel is brought from the national shrine to all churches of Navarre for a short "visit" each year, to be honored and venerated by the faithful in their home towns.
The Feast of Saint Michael coincides with the ancient "quarter" celebration of the Germanic nations, held at the end of a three-month season. It was the time of the fall meeting of all freemen for the purpose of making laws and sitting in court. Great markets and celebrations were held in all cities and towns. Some of this ancient lore has come down to our time: Saint Michael's parades, Michael's fairs, Michael's plays, and similar customs.
In some sections of Europe, especially in the north and in England, wine consumed on this day was called "Saint Michael's Love" (Michelsminne). In Denmark the drinking of Saint Michael's wine on September 29 has been preserved as a popular custom to the present day.
Because this was also the day that taxes were collected in Germany, the Amish celebrate the day with fasting--it was after the harvest, and so taxes could be paid.
In the vineyard, the waiting becomes excruciating. You must protect the grapes from birds and other pests, pray for good weather, and then begin the harvest as the grapes ripen to perfect maturity. It is a time to call the community together to pick the grapes.
Each lot goes into a separate fermenter, days turn into nights, exhaustion becomes a habit. But the grapes have to be picked, the wine has to be made.
October:
As harvest continues, the celebration looms. As the last grapes are picked, the first have now become wine, and it is time to celebrate.
The Greeks
The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods and goddesses. Their goddess of corn (actually all grains) was Demeter who was honored at the festival of Thesmosphoria held each autumn.
On the first day of the festival married women (possibility connecting childbearing and the raising of crops) would build leafy shelters and furnish them with couches made with plants. On the second day they fasted. On the third day a feast was held and offerings to the goddess Demeter were made - gifts of seed corn, cakes, fruit, and pigs. It was hoped that Demeter's gratitude would grant them a good harvest.
The Romans
The Romans also celebrated a harvest festival called Cerelia, which honored Ceres their goddess of corn (from which the word cereal comes). The festival was held each year on October 4th and offerings of the first fruits of the harvest and pigs were offered to Ceres. Their celebration included music, parades, games and sports and a thanksgiving feast.
The Chinese
The ancient Chinese celebrated their harvest festival, Chung Ch'ui, with the full moon that fell on the 15th day of the 8th month. This day was considered the birthday of the moon and special "moon cakes", round and yellow like the moon, would be baked. Each cake was stamped with the picture of a rabbit - as it was a rabbit, not a man, which the Chinese saw on the face of the moon.
The families ate a thanksgiving meal and feasted on roasted pig, harvested fruits and the "moon cakes". It was believed that during the 3 day festival flowers would fall from the moon and those who saw them would be rewarded with good fortune.
According to legend Chung Ch'ui also gave thanks for another special occasion. China had been conquered by enemy armies who took control of the Chinese homes and food. The Chinese found themselves homeless and with no food. Many staved. In order to free themselves they decided to attack the invaders.
The women baked special moon cakes which were distributed to every family. In each cake was a secret message which contained the time for the attack. When the time came the invaders were surprised and easily defeated. Every year moon cakes are eaten in memory of this victory.
The Hebrews
Jewish families also celebrate a harvest festival called Sukkoth. Taking place each autumn, Sukkoth has been celebrated for over 3000 years.
Sukkoth is named for the huts (succots) that Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before they reached the Promised Land. These huts were made of branches and were easy to assemble, take apart, and carry as the Israelites wandered through the desert.
When celebrating Sukkoth, which lasts for 8 days, the Jewish people build small huts of branches which recall the tabernacles of their ancestors. These huts are constructed as temporary shelters, as the branches are not driven into the ground and the roof is covered with foliage which is spaced to let the light in. Inside the huts are hung fruits and vegetables, including apples, grapes, corn, and pomegranates. On the first 2 nights of Sukkoth the families eat their meals in the huts under the evening sky.
November:
November 10, (St. Martin's Day)
Originating in France, the tradition of celebrating St. Martin's Day spread to Germany in the 16th century and later to Scandinavia and the Baltics. In Estonia, St. Martin’s Day signifies the merging of Western European customs with the local Balto-Finnish pagan tradition, containing elements of earlier worship of the dead, as well as certain year-end features of pre-Christianity.
St. Martin's Day actually has two meanings: in the vineyard it marks the beginning of the natural winter, but in economic terms it is seen as the end of autumn. St. Martin's Day also marks the end for the period of all souls, as well as the partition time in the Estonian popular calendar, a period in autumn when the souls of the ancestors were worshipped.
Like St. Michael's Day, celebrated on September 29, St. Martin's Day is also known as the celebration for the end of working in the field and the beginning of period of harvesting the crops and souring the cabbage. Following these holidays, women traditionally moved their work indoors for the winter, while men would proceed to work in the forests.
St. Martinus himself was considered the patron of beggars, and this has contributed to the West European custom of begging for charitable gifts on this day. In Estonia, children often go from house to house on St. Martin’s Day, singing their St. Martin's Day songs and wishing households good luck for crops, cattle, and the household in general.
Because the day honours a male saint, in the past groups of men have also gone door-to-door, with at least one disguised as a woman. The most cherished time for going door-to-door is St. Martin's Eve, when traditionally the leader was a male, called the Martin Elder, or Elder Saint. Masks of animals, such as bears, goats and rams have been common in both Estonia and the rest of Europe this night.
The customary culmination of the holiday is the St. Martin's Day supper, which is involves many rich foods, especially meat products. In Western Europe people eat goose, which has been depicted as the bird of St. Martin in sacral pictures since 1171.
St. Martin's Party, the entertainment part of St. Martin's Night, has traditionally been the culmination of the activities. The event is elaborate, filled with traditional folk dances, musical performances and games. At the same time, sharing and using the commonly gathered St. Martin's harvest takes place.
Cover the vines with dirt, cultivating the soil while protecting them from frost. This is when manuring is done, and maybe some initial pruning.
In the cellar, punch down the caps of the red wines, take the pomace out into the vineyards to replenish the soil and add to the yeast culture.
December:
The Winter Solstice marks the longest night of the year--a year of both celebration and fear for earliest man. Hundreds of other megalithic structures throughout Europe are oriented to the solstices and the equinoxes. Likewise, sacred sites in the Americas, Asia, Indonesia, and the Middle East. Even cultures that followed a moon-based calendar seemed also to understand the importance of these sun-facing seasonal turning points.
In Russia, there's a Christmas divination that involves candles. A girl would sit in a darkened room, with two lighted candles and two mirrors, pointed so that one reflects the candlelight into the other. The viewer would seek the seventh reflection, then look until her future would be seen.
The early Germans built a stone altar to Hertha, or Bertha, goddess of domesticity and the home, during winter solstice. With a fire of fir boughs stoked on the altar, Hertha was able to descend through the smoke and guide those who were wise in Saga lore to foretell the fortunes of those at the feast.
In Spain, there's an old custom that is a holdover from Roman days. The urn of fate is a large bowl containing slips of paper on which are written all the names of those at a family get-together. The slips of paper are drawn out two at a time. Those whose names are so joined are to be devoted friends for the year. Apparently, there's often a little finagling to help matchmaking along, as well.
In Scandinavia, some families place all their shoes together, as this will cause them to live in harmony throughout the year.
Apple wassailing was the medieval winter festival custom of blessing the apple trees with songs, dances, decorations and a drink of cider to ensure their fertility. In Romania, a traditional Christmas confection called a turta is made of many layers of pastry dough, filled with melted sugar or honey, ground walnuts, or hemp seed. When the wife is in the midst of kneading the dough, she follows her husband into the wintry garden. The man goes from barren tree to tree, threatening to cut each one down. Each time, the wife urges that he spare the tree by saying: "Oh no, I am sure that this tree will be as heavy with fruit next spring as my fingers are with dough this day."
In Iran, there is the observance of Yalda, in which families kept vigil through the night and fires burned brightly to help the sun (and Goodness) battle darkness (thought evil).Winter solstice celebrations are also part of the cultural heritage of Pakistan and Tibet. And in China, even though the calendar is based on the moon, the day of winter solstice is called Dong Zhi, "The Arrival of Winter." The cold of winter made an excellent excuse for a feast, so that's how the Chinese observed it, with Ju Dong, "doing the winter."
The placement of Hanukkah is tied to both the lunar and solar calendars. It begins on the 25th of Kislev, three days before the new moon closest to the Winter Solstice. It commemorates an historic event -- the Maccabees' victory over the Greeks and the rededication of the temple at Jerusalem. But the form of this celebration, a Festival of Lights (with candles at the heart of the ritual), makes Hanukkah wonderfully compatible with other celebrations at this time of year. As a symbolic celebration of growing light and as a commemoration of spiritual rebirth, it also seems closely related to other observances.
As vintners, we give thanks for the previous year, and pray for better fruit next year!
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