Wassailing in South Yorkshire
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Lyle Tompsen, Student Number 28001102, Masters Dissertation
Lyle Tompsen, Student Number 28001102, Masters Dissertation The Mari Lwyd and the Horse Queen: Palimpsests of Ancient ideas A dissertation submitted to the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Celtic Studies 2012 Lyle Tompsen 1 Lyle Tompsen, Student Number 28001102, Masters Dissertation Abstract The idea of a horse as a deity of the land, sovereignty and fertility can be seen in many cultures with Indo-European roots. The earliest and most complete reference to this deity can be seen in Vedic texts from 1500 BCE. Documentary evidence in rock art, and sixth century BCE Tartessian inscriptions demonstrate that the ancient Celtic world saw this deity of the land as a Horse Queen that ruled the land and granted fertility. Evidence suggests that she could grant sovereignty rights to humans by uniting with them (literally or symbolically), through ingestion, or intercourse. The Horse Queen is represented, or alluded to in such divergent areas as Bronze Age English hill figures, Celtic coinage, Roman horse deities, mediaeval and modern Celtic masked traditions. Even modern Welsh traditions, such as the Mari Lwyd, infer her existence and confirm the value of her symbolism in the modern world. 2 Lyle Tompsen, Student Number 28001102, Masters Dissertation Table of Contents List of definitions: ............................................................................................................ 8 Introduction .................................................................................................................. -
The Boar's Head and Yule Log Festival
The Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival January 3 & 4, 2015 IN THE CITY OF CINCINNATI The Festival’s roots. Oxford University’s Queens College, The Boar’s Head Tradition Oxford, England. From Medieval Terrors to Modern Magic 1340 - 2015 The Boar’s Head Festival is probably the oldest continuing festival of the Christmas season. When it came to Cincinnati in 1940, it already had a 600-year history. The pageant’s roots go back to medieval times when wild boars were the most dangerous animals in European forests. They were a menace to humans and were hunted as public enemies. Like our Thanksgiving turkey, roasted boar was a staple of medieval banquet tables—symbolizing the triumph of man over ferocious beast. As Christian beliefs overtook pagan customs in Europe, the presentation of a boar’s head at Christmas time came to symbolize the triumph of the Christ Child over the evils of the world. The festival we know today originated at Queen’s College, Oxford, England, in 1340. Legend has it that a scholar was studying a book of Aristotle while walking through the forest on his way to Christmas Mass. Suddenly he was confronted by an angry boar. Having no other weapon, the quick-witted student rammed his metal-bound philosophy book down the throat of the charging animal and the boar choked to death. That night, the beast’s head, finely dressed and garnished, was carried in procession into the dining room accompanied by carolers. By 1607, a similar ceremony was being celebrated at St. John’s College, Cambridge. -
Community Carol Sing Deck the Halls I Saw Three Ships
COMMUNITY CAROL SING DECK THE HALLS I SAW THREE SHIPS TABLE Deck the halls with boughs of holly, I saw three ships come sailing in, Fa la la la la, la la la la. On Christmas day, On Christmas day. OF CONTENTS Tis the season to be jolly... I saw three ships come sailing in, Don we now our gay apparel... On Christmas day in the morning. DECK THE HALLS page 3 Troll the ancient Yuletide carol... And what was in those ships all three… The Virgin Mary and Christ were there… O COME, ALL YE FAITHFUL page 3 See the blazing Yule before us... Pray, whither sailed those ships all I SAW THREE SHIPS page 3 Strike the harp and join the chorus... three.. Follow me in merry measure... O they sailed into Bethlehem… HERE WE COME A-WASSAILING page 3 While I tell of Yuletide treasure... page 4 IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR Fast away the old year passes, HERE WE COME A-WASSAILING Hail the new, ye lads and lasses... HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING page 4 Here we come a-wassailing Among Sing we joyous, all together... the leaves so green; Here we come GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN page 5 Heedless of the wind and weather... a-wandering, So fair to be seen. RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER page 5 Chorus: Love and joy come to you, O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL JINGLE BELLS page 6 And to you our wassail, too. O come all ye faithful, And God bless you and JINGLE BELL ROCK page 6 joyful and triumphant. -
December 2020: the Peaceful Transfer of Mumming
Folklife Today December 2020: The Peaceful Transfer of Mumming Announcer: From the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Music: “Breaking Up Christmas” played by Norman Edmonds, Paul Edmonds, and Rufus Quesinberry. JOHN FENN: Welcome to Folklife Today! I’m John Fenn, the head of research and programs at the American Folklife Center, and I’m here with Steve Winick, a folklife specialist at the Center and the creator of the Folklife Today blog. Steve: Hi, everyone! John: We have kind of an unusual episode for December. Every year, in the week or two before Christmas, staff members of the American Folklife Center put our research and performance skills into play, bringing collections to life in a dramatic performance that tours the halls of the Library of Congress. The performance is based on traditional mummers’ plays. And this year, since we can’t actually perform our mummers’ play live, we decided to do it as a podcast episode, sort of like an old-time radio play. We did all the recording remotely over the Web, so sound quality varies. Steve: Right, but we don’t want to throw our audience in at the deep end, so we’re going to say a little about the tradition first. And for that, we’re joined by Jennifer Cutting, another folklife specialist at the American Folklife Center. Hi Jennifer! Jennifer: Hi John! Hi Steve! Hi everybody out there! John: So Jennifer, what are mummer’s plays? Jennifer: Well, “mumming” is an old word for a tradition of getting dressed up in costumes and going from house to house, doing a performance in exchange for food, drink…sometimes money. -
December 2018: Christmas Songs from the American Folklife Center
Folklife Today December 2018: Christmas Songs from the American Folklife Center Steve Winick: Welcome to the Folklife Today podcast. I’m Steve Winick, the editor in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, and the creator of the Folklife Today blog, and I’m here with John Fenn, the head of Research and Programs at the Center. John Fenn: Hello. You’ve probably noticed that the holiday season is here. You hear Christmas tunes everywhere this time of year – on the radio, in the mall, in your family’s home. I thought we could look into some more unusual traditional Christmas songs. Steve Winick: So we had our staff here at the American Folklife Center pick their favorite songs to talk about today. John Fenn: That said, would you like to start us off? Steve Winick: I’d love to. John Fenn: What song do you have to share with us? Steve Winick: I’m a big fan of “The Cherry Tree Carol.” It’s one you can hear sung by a lot of people, from Joan Baez to Annie Lennox. It tells a story derived from one of the apocryphal gospels, which came into English in the middle ages, both in this ballad and in Christmas mystery plays. John Fenn: Wow! So this is medieval caroling. How did you first hear it? Steve Winick: Well, I was a medievalist a long time ago, and I came across the song back then when I studied the N-Town plays, a set of medieval mystery plays that tell the same story. -
Apple Wassail
Apple Wassail The word wassail comes from the Anglo-Saxon toast Wæs þu hæl, meaning "be thou hale" — "be in good health". There are two different types of wassail – the house-visiting wassail and the orchard- visiting or apple wassail. The house-visiting wassail, also known as caroling, is the practice of going door-to-door singing Christmas carols. Apple wassailing refers to the practice of visiting orchards, drinking the health of the trees and singing to them to promote a good harvest next year. The first recorded mention of apple wassailing was at Fordwich, Kent in 1585 when groups of young men went around orchards performing the rite for a reward. It was common in the cider orchards of South West England and many of the traditional wassail songs are indeed from this area – primarily Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. The practice was carried out to ‘bless’ the trees, to wake them up and scare away evil spirits and so to encourage a good crop for the following autumn. The date for wassailing apple trees varies widely – from Christmas Eve in some areas, to Twelfth Night Eve (Twelfth night is January 6th) or New year’s Day in others. Many areas perform the ceremony on January 17th which corresponds to January 6th before the calendar was changed in England in 1752. Apple wassailing was sometimes referred to as ‘howling’ and was historically performed by men. The elements of the ceremony varied and included some or all of the following: • a wassail King and Queen leading the song and/or processional tune played/sung from one orchard to the next • lifting the wassail Queen up into the boughs of the tree • soaking slices of bread or toast in last years cider and lying these on the tree roots or hanging them in the branches – by the wassail Queen if there is one – as a gift to the tree spirits • pouring cider over the tree roots • drinking cider from a wassail bowl which was passed round • singing and chanting apple wassails around the trees • firing of shotguns to scare away any evil spirits. -
2020 Program
NOTES from the Artistic Directors Welcome Yule 2020 continues to celebrate the turning of the year notwithstanding the ongoing global pandemic. Despite the travails facing us now, comfort can be found in the constant rotation of the stars and planets. Although we may not meet in person with most of our friends and families, we depend more than ever on the care and support of our communities. And our efforts to work toward achieving a just and equitable world for Music, Dance, Songs and Stories all continues unabated. To Drive the Dark Away Darkness is always followed by light. After sorrow, comes joy. This year, our annual celebration of the winter solstice occurs courtesy of the marvels of technology. We have pored over hours of video recordings from the past 30 years of Welcome Yule performances. Careful attention has been given to selecting clips representative of the range of material we have staged, and in- cludes singing, dancing and general carrying-on. Children's A Virtual Celebration of the Season choruses from years past include cast members who are now featuring parents of today’s youngest cast members! Performances Both Old and New We collected images that combined wonderful performances with good video and audio quality. This year’s live perfor- Opening online mances have been recorded safely at cast members’ homes near December 11th, 2020 and far...as far away as Barcelona! www.welcomeyule.org It is our hope that the 2020 audiences will enjoy seeing and in cooperation with hearing cast members past and present singing and dancing to drive the dark away. -
Offical File-Christmas Songs
1 The History and Origin of Christmas Music (Carol: French = dancing around in a circle.) Table of Contents Preface 3 Most Performed Christmas Songs 4 The Christmas Song 5 White Christmas 5 Santa Claus is Coming to Town 6 Winter Wonderland 7 Have Yourself a Merry Christmas 8 Sleigh Ride 9 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer 10 My Two Front Teeth 11 Blue Christmas 11 Little Drummer Boy 11 Here Comes Santa Claus 12 Frosty the Snowman 13 Jingle Bells 13 Let it Snow 15 I’ll Be Home for Christmas 15 Silver Bells 17 Beginning to Look Like Christmas 18 Jingle Bell Rock 18 Rockin’ Round Christmas Tree 19 Up on the Housetop 19 Religious Carols Silent Night 20 O Holy Night 22 O Come All Ye Faithful 24 How firm A Foundation 26 Angels We Have Heard on High 27 O Come Emmanuel 28 We Three Kings 30 It Came Upon a Midnight Clear 31 Hark the Herald Angels Sing 33 The First Noel 34 The 12 Days of Christmas 36 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 36 Lo How A Rose E’er Blooming 39 Joy to the World 39 Away in a Manger 41 O Little Town of Bethlehem 44 Coventry Carol 46 2 Good King Wenceslas 46 I Saw Three Ships 48 Greensleeves 49 I Heard the Bells/Christmas Day 50 Deck the Hall 52 Carol of the Bells 53 Do You Hear What I Hear 55 Birthday of a King 56 Wassil Song 57 Go Tell it on the Mountain 58 O Tannanbaum 59 Holly and the Ivy 60 Echo Carol 61 Wish You a Merry Christmas 62 Ding Dong Merrily Along 63 I Wonder as I Wander 64 Patapatapan 65 While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks by Night 66 Auld Lang Syne 68 Over the River, thru the Woods 68 Wonderful time of the Year 70 A Little Boy Came to Bethlehem To Bethlehem Town 70 Appendix I (Jewish composers Of Holiday Music 72 Preface In their earliest beginning the early carols had nothing to do with Christmas or the Holiday season. -
Wassailing in the Park
Wassailing in Harrold-Odell Country Park On a dark, cold but clear night on 'Old Twelwy Night' (January 17th), a group of Friends assembled in the park for a special experience - Wassailing. This is a very ancient custom that is rarely done today. The word 'Wassailing' comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase ' waes Gael ' meaning ' good health '. Visiting or orchard wassail refers to the ancient custom of visiting orchards, reciting and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year. Park Ranger Nicky Monsey had suggested the idea at a Friends’ Committee meeting and with the help of Janet Munro they organised a good event. It started at the overspill car park with the drawing of lots to find the ‘wassail king and queen’ who were to be responsible for a special ceremony around a pre-selected apple tree. 1 | Page We then walked along the path lit with tea candles in jam jars to meet around the tree. As we were walking along we were banging drums and pots and pans and generally making a terrible racket, to awaken the apple trees and to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest of fruit in the autumn. Janet had to warn a party of anglers in case they called the police! Upon reaching the selected tree, the king and queen woke it up by feeding it with cider we all chanted our good wishes for a productive season using 'The Apple Chant' Here's to thee, old apple tree Whence thou may'st bud, and whence they may'st blow And whence thou may'st bear enow. -
Wassailing Goes Back to Pre-Christian Times in a Tradition Meant to Bring Luck for the Coming Year
houses gave them drink, money and Christmas food. Christmas and money drink, them gave houses to the health of those they visited. In return, people in the the in people return, In visited. they those of health the to wassail bowl filled with spiced ale and sang and drank drank and sang and ale spiced with filled bowl wassail regions, the wassailers went from door to door, with a a with door, to door from went wassailers the regions, hael,’ meaning ‘drink and be healthy.’ In cider producing producing cider In healthy.’ be and ‘drink meaning hael,’ ‘waes hael.’ The assembled crowd would reply ‘drinc ‘drinc reply would crowd assembled The hael.’ ‘waes start of each year, the Saxon lord of the manor would shout shout would manor the of lord Saxon the year, each of start Old English term “waes hael,” meaning “be well.” At the the At well.” “be meaning hael,” “waes term English Old to bring luck for the coming year. Wassail gets its name from the the from name its gets Wassail year. coming the for luck bring to Wassailing goes back to pre-Christian times in a tradition meant meant tradition a in times pre-Christian to back goes Wassailing Wassailing goes back to pre-Christian times in a tradition meant to bring luck for the coming year. Wassail gets its name from the Old English term “waes hael,” meaning “be well.” At the start of each year, the Saxon lord of the manor would shout ‘waes hael.’ The assembled crowd would reply ‘drinc hael,’ meaning ‘drink and be healthy.’ In cider producing regions, the wassailers went from door to door, with a wassail bowl filled with spiced ale and sang and drank to the health of those they visited. -
Es & the Language Centre
DEPAnT:lm,;T OF FOLKLOr.E MeUlorial Uniycr~ity of ?\cWfo\uHUand The journal of The Survey of Language and Folklore The University of Sheffield Departments of ~~~~~S~u~~7~~~~es & The Language Centre DEPART~Ir::XT OF rOL!{LOaE Memorial Univcr::;lty of )l"c-,',follnJ!and Editorial Launching a new jo urnal is at best a risky business, not least at a time of economic stringency. It was with high ho pes, t ho ugh wit h some misgiv ings, t hat t he Survey of Language and Fo lklore first decided to publish Lore alld Language in July 1969. Si nce then t he journal has established itself in the small but select. field of similar publications, and has a steadil y increasing circulation not only in the British Isles but also elsewh ere in Europe, North America and beyond. Our policy is to publish articles, notes and queries on the full range of cultural tradition, concentrating on language and folklore as topics of central concern . A journal o f this kind offers a unique opportunity for the exchange of information o n t he extremely wide-ranging aspects of cultural tradition. It also offers younger writers, as well as those o f established reputation, a chance to ma ke their views known. Indeed, one o f the most heartening developments in the journal has been the response of both the established and t he lesser known writers who have contributed material for publication and so in creased the continuing d ialogue bet ween all of those concerned with these kindred fi eld s of research. -
Distant Book
A Distant Land to Roam Anglo-American songs and tunes from Texas to Maine MTCD516 1 Mountain Rangers Mellie Dunham’s Orchestra 2 Oh Molly Dear B F Shelton 3 Mountaineer’s Courtship Mr & Mrs Ernest V Stoneman 4 Wild Hog in the Woods Lonesome Luke & His Farm Boys 5 Ethan Lang Emry Arthur 6 Old Molly Hare Riley Puckett 7 Cat Man Blues Blind Boy Fuller 8 The Two Sisters Bradley Kincaid 9 Silly Bill The Hill Billies 10 The Fox Hunter’s Song Will Starks 11 Soldier, Will You Marry Me? Riley Puckett 12 Jimmie and Sallie The Dixon Brothers 13 The Export Girl Louisiana Lou 14 Hop Light Ladies Ernest V Stoneman and the Dixie Mountaineers 15 Two Babes in the Woods The Red Fox Chasers 16 Darby’s Ram Bascom Lamar Lunsford 17 Tom Sherman’s Barroom Dick Devall 18 Money Musk Medley John Batzell 19 Fair Ellen Bradley Kincaid 20 Little Glass of Wine The Stanley Brothers 21 Soldier’s Joy Taylor’s Kentucky Boys 22 The Railway Flagman’s Sweetheart Frank Jenkin’s Pilot Mountaineers 23 Leather Breeches Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers 24 The Nick Nack Song Ridgel's Fountain Citians 25 Wind the Little Ball of Yarn The Southern Melody Boys A Distant Land to Roam to America by the early European settlers. And so I approached Rod Stradling, suggesting that we might Anglo-American Songs & Tunes issue some of these recordings so that they could from Texas to Maine become better available to a British audience. The result is A Distant Land to Roam, a show case for twenty-five of the greatest recordings ever made of Introduction.