We gather around the table, give thanks for the plentiful food, and talk about the weather.
Beyond the sheltered circle of house and barns the world is a bleak and dangerous place for birds. Food is buried and the winds are bitter.
Here are a few Celtic New Year traditions to bring you luck and keep you out of trouble in 2009.
Do open the front door at the stroke of midnight to let the old year out and the new year in.
Do hold a silver coin to bring you wealth in the new year.
Do give your spouse a kiss to welcome in the new year.
Don’t wear shoes which have a hole in them or financial problems will stay with you the whole year long.
Don’t wear new clothes on this day.
Don’t sweep the floor, else you’ll sweep a friend away.
Don’t do any washing, as throwing out water on this day is considered unlucky.
Don’t remove the ashes from the fire or take a burning ember from one house to another.
Don’t let the fire go out.
Don't make any money deals as money made on New Years Day will only bring bad luck.
Don’t carry any debts over into the New Year.
Don’t pay out any money on the first Monday of the New Year.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year. May 2009 see an end to these troubling times.
49 comments:
I really like some of those Celtic traditions. Especially the ones about not cleaning:) I can do those easily enough.
Happy New Year to you too, Marnie
I only wish I could not carry any debts over into the new year. A good idea in theory anyway! We always have blackyeyed peas New Year's Day for a prosperous year. My grandmother would always put a coin in the peas, and the one who found it was going to have prosperity...they would at least be a penny richer! LOL! Have a wonderful new year, Marnie.
Amen to that Marnie! Happy New Year to you too. :)
I shall apply all of these I can to my new year! Marnie, you have inspired me to put up four new feeders, but so far the birds are ignoring them. Wish me luck! Happy New Year to you!
Hi Flydragon, I love any tradition that suggests it's bad luck to clean;)
MorningGlories, I should have asked people to comment on their traditions. I remember the blackeyed peas from when I lived in Alabama. Folklore is so interesting.
PerennialGardener,thanks and you too.
Jamie and Randy, if the birds don't find the feeders soon, try some black oil sunflower seed. Good luck.
Marnie
I love how the New Year gives hope for new beginnings and a chance to start over new. Aren't the traditions and superstitions fun?
Amy
Those traditions are neat.
OH my goodness..your pictures are crystal clear and I can feel the cold right to my bones. Poor little critters. They probably wonder why we act so spoiled when God has provided so much for us. They have to work hard every minute just to stay alive. And here I am with minutes to relax and play on my puter.
I knew some of the celtic observances but not all you have listed. I like opening the door to let the old out and the new in. I'll be more than happy not to do laundry.
Hi, Marnie--Your poor birdies look so cold! Thank goodness they have you looking out for them. I thought of you the other day--my mom's roses are in full bloom, and I've discovered that there are NO Japanese beetles in Arizona (and apparently not much mildew, either). So we're enjoying the sunshine. The New Year's tradition here is to eat menudo, a Mexican stew made of hominy and spices and, um, tripe. It's actually very good, but the less adventurous substitute posole, which is made with pork or chicken instead. Best of luck for the new year!
Marnie, the pictures are just beautiful.
Tis' the time of year for tradition.
Do you know what the birds are in the first photo? Closely to the common redpole which our state wants reported sightings of because of the migrating patterns.
They are pretty finches.
Marnie,
I love the Celtic traditions! Thank you for listing those for us.
Your poor wild birds. It looks so cold and snowy. Good thing they have gardeners like you to provide them food and shelter.
Cheers,
Cameron
Hi Dawn, the birds are house finches. Very, very common in this area. I had redpolls last year but haven't seen any so far this winter.
Marnie
Hi Amy, my Mom is one to follow traditions strictly;)
Hi Darla, I think they are interesting too.
Hi Flowergardengirl, imagine living without all the safety nets family and society provide.
I enjoy the Celtic traditions too.
Hi Cosmo, I would move to Arizona except they also have no water;)
Marnie
Hi OldCrow, thank you, I always admire your bird/animal photos too.
Hi Cameron, I feel so sorry for them too.
Marnie
Marnie, all your pictures are beautiful. I especially love the male and female cardinal one! How beautiful!! Happy New Year to you and your family also!!
Best wishes to you too Marnie. I had no idea on most all of these traditions and superstitions.
Happy New Year to you Marnie! I enjoyed reading those Celtic traditions and will plan to do some of them. I absolutely love the last photo of the birds!
I love the Celtic traditions...OK if I kiss Scratchy instead of the mate...I think it's a better deal...ha!
I love the House Finch, one of my favorites, their song is just magical and boy after that ice storms, my feeders were packed, I just threw seed out on my porch floor and the doves all huddled 'round...maybe talking about the weather, you think.
Have a wonderful New Year, stay warm and dry...I'll be freaking out all night, my Grandson turns 21 at 12:01 New Years Eve, yes a New Years baby. But I told him NO birthday money unless he promised to get a designated driver...do you think he lied...ha!
See ya next year friend...PEACE!
Happy New Year to you too Marnie. I haven't heard of any of these traditions but I could easily try them. I also hope 2009 will be better in every way. SO many things to worry about these days. I try to help the birds out too. I can't imagine fending in the cold, bitter weather like they do. Your feeder is great, the tray at the bottom would catch a lot of spillage.
How interesting Marnie and I do love the birds..
Marnie, your picture of the cardinal is gorgeous! 'suitable for framing' as they say.:} Those Celtic traditions were fun to read.Can I pick and chose the ones I want to do? Oh well, it was worth a try.
The Happiest of New Year's to you!
Fascinating on the Celtic traditions! I don't think I was in danger of carrying a burning ember from house to house, but I'll have to be careful to remember not to do any washing or sweeping!
I love your snowy pictures. The shot of the Cardinals is superb. They look cold though don't they?!
Happy New Year!
Gorgeous, gorgeous cardinal photo.
Why is it that the don'ts always outnumber the do's? Kind of like the 10 Commandments and the Thou Shalt Nots. Still, ad(monition)s like not carrying over debt into the new year could have saved a lot of people from a lot of grief caused by ads. Good advice, Marnie! Happy New Year!
Beautiful photos, Marnie; the poor birds look sooo cold! Thanks for all the Celtic traditions--I can certainly keep the one about not sweeping my floor:)
Ah, those pics are wonderful! I saw the memory for Ivan. HE was a handsome dog! Dogs like that will always live in our hearts and memories!
HappY New Year!
The red bird photo would make a beautiful Christmas card (hint- hint)...
Snow- nobody believes me when I tell them the midwest snow is colder than California snow......
Stay warm!
A Death In The Blogger World
A blogger friend lost her husband suddenly last Sunday night. I thought it would be nice to go and leave a message for her on her blog...You may know her as 'mommanator' at grannies ramblings
Happy New Year, Marnie!
with best wishes,
Nan
Happy New Year Marnie. And may your wish for the New Year come true for all of us.
Dear Marnie,
Happy New Year..it has been a pleasure to get to know you this year and I have loved meeting your birds and learning more about them. Thank you for educating me! Yes on an end to the troubled times! Gail
Hi Marnie, This is a very nice post, and your photos are lovely:)
What a nice New Years wish for everyone. I hope that your New Year will be a healthy & happy one!
Jan
I just stumbled upon your blog and have so enjoyed my visit. I will stop by often. Loved the pictures of the Christmas drive by's. What lovely homes you have in your town. We also feed the birds, they never fail to lift my spirit.
Happy New Year Ms. Marnie!!
I don't think the birdies will have trouble finding food around your house. ;~)
Happy New Year to you too Marnie. I sure hope I followed all those instructions. Ha...
Amen, Marnie! Your heart speaks to all of us ... your photos beautiful and the last ... award winning! It's been a joy sharing this past year with you. Hats off to a beautiful New Year!
Your photos are lovely...I especially love that last one!
My favorite of the sayings is "Don't let the fire go out". We depend on our wood stove for heat, but we also have to keep the home fires burning.
Happy New Year.
I love the cardinal picture.
I love the quaint old Celtic customs, as well as keeping a little food on hand for the birds ... I'm sure they appreciate a little "bird cafe", no scratching around on the frozen ground in the midst of snowy weather.
Hi Marnie, I am positive that I left a comment on this post yesterday, let's see if I can remember it, blogger hates wordpress, that wasn't it, no wait, yes...
The birds around the table in the first photo looks so happy and cheering, then the leaning birdhouse and snow is a slap in the face! Poor little birdies, they look so cold all fluffed up, pretty but cold!
Frances
You are very right, I do always loose my stuff. When I was younger I would always leave my jacket every where. It was terrible, to this day I still leave my jacket places, just not as much. I found it today, so lets hope that soon I will be able to get a post up soon.
Marnie, What gorgeous photos of gorgeous birds. I am always so surprised how birds even hang around where it is so cold. You'd think they'd all fly south.
I do hope you had a very Happy New Year... it has been a pleasure visiting your blog this year and I look forward to seeing what spring brings to your garden.
(that's a lot of snow in these photos and the Christmas houses... hard to imagine)
meems @ hoe&shovel
Dear Marnie,
Your photo essay tells the story so very well. I love the olde traditions too.
Looking forward to 2009, Year of the Ox.
Namaste,
Sherry
Love the cardinals and the snowy bush!
Marnie, I just gave you The Butterfly Award-got to my blog and check it out. You don't have to do anything I just wanted you to have it!
Great photos, Marnie, and I enjoyed the Celtic sayings...here's wishing you a wonderful, blessed New year too.
Marie
More beautiful shots! The last shot of the cardinals is stunning!
Also enjoyed the Christmas lights in previous post!
Enjoy your week!
Cat
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