'HER BRIGHTNESS'

Since the Hello Dolly Group were making Moon Goddess dolls in March, there have been a number of queries and emails flying round about the naming of lunar months. Lila gave a link to some names in the Farmers Almanac and Gemma mentioned some wonderful Native American names. I know three other sets of lunar month names, two sets of Celtic names and an Anglo-Saxon set. I am setting out a table below of these lunar names and telling a little bit about them.

First of all there is the Celtic Lunar Tree calendar. There is great controvesy over this calendar and some people think that Robert Graves made this calendar up, others think that is is the original Celtic Calendar, the months are male and female. I am putting down below which trees own which month. I may tell you more about this calendar each month on the appropriate day, and some of the tree lore that goes with it.



Birch ~ Dec 24 - Jan 20
Rowan ~ Jan 21 - Feb 17
Ash ~ Feb 18 - March 17
Alder ~ March 18 - April 14
Willow ~ April 15 - May 12
Hawthorn ~ May 13 - June 9
Oak ~ June 10 - July 7
Holly ~ July 8 - Aug 4
Hazel ~ Aug 5 - Sept 1
Vine ~ Sept 2 - Sept 29
Ivy ~ Sept 30 - Oct 27
Reed ~ Oct 28 - Nov 24
Elder ~ Nov 25 - Dec 23
Furze/Gorse ~ Spring Equinox
Heather ~ summer Solstice
Poplar/Aspen ~ Fall equinox
Yew ~ Day before Winter Solstice
Silver Fir ~ Winter Solstice

Mistletoe ~ Day after Winter Solstice



The earliest known Celtic calendar is one called the Coligny calendar, and it probably dates from the 1st Century BC. It names the lunar months, but is slightly more complicated than than as it begins each month with a full moon and the calendar covers a 30 year cycle with 5 cycles of 62 lunar months and 1 cycle of 61. It divides each month into fortnights instead ofweeks and the year is divided into 13 months.

Samonios October/November Seed-Fall
Dumannios November/December Darkest Depths
Riuros December/January Cold-Time
Anagantios January/February Stay-home time
Ogronios February/March Ice Time
Cutios March/April Windy Time
Giamonios April/May Shoots-show
Simivisonios May/June Bright time
Equos June/July Horse-time
Elembiuos July/August Claim-time
Edrinios August/September Arbitration time
Cantlos September/October Song time

The celts never referred to the moon by name preferring to use names such as Her Brightness and Queen of the Night. This custom prevailed amongst fishermen in the Isle of Man until the ninteenth century.

Bede gave the earliest version of the Anglo Saxon calendar in 725, these are the names they gave the months.
January - Later Yule
February - Sol Month
March - Hreth Month
April - Easter Month
May - Three Milkings
June - Earlier Litha
July - Later Litha
August - Weed Month
September - Holy-Month
October - Winter-Full
November - Blood Month
December - Earlier Yule

Sol means month of mud when cakes were offered to the gods. Hretha and Eastre are two spring goddesses that March and April are named after. Three milkings means that the cattle needed three milkings at that time of year. Litha, the summer festival was given two months as was Yule. Weed month is obvious, quick growing weeds, Holy month was when the offerings were made to the gods and the month of blood was when the animals were slaughtered for winter food. I find these old ancient names for the months really interesting, but nothing seems to me as sweetly lyrical and poetical as the Native American tribes' names of the months.




Already we are nearly at Easter, this coming weekend. We are having a quiet Easter this year, the children are both working and can't get up from London, so it is just the two of us, so I am hoping for good weather and being able to enjoy some relaxing time in the garden. Even though there are just the two of us, I have promised to make my Easter Sunday dinner of fresh plump roast chicken and all the spring vegetable trimmings and a home made traditional English sherry trifle for pudding. Bit by bit I have been going out into my garden and tiding it and hoeing it and even planting one or two shrubs etc, but this week end I want to get everything ready to go right into action when my plant order arrives. Pots ready to fill with plants etc. I am over the moon I have so many planters and pots in my garden and every year comes the tricky issues of heaving large bales of compost from the local garden centre causing damage to life and limb, now I have found an old fashioned supplier who will actually deliver compost to my door where upon I just pay cash on delivery to the driver, and I mean cash on delivery not cheques or plastic. Wow! I was so excited to find this traditional way of doing business alive and well. I can also have my bark chippings delivered in a couple of weeks. The ease of it all.

Tomorrow I will decorate my Easter branch, thought I have looked everywhere and all I have been able to buy are 2 dozen chicks, so I will put them up and some fripperies and may be some cute gingham bows. My daughter discovered too late that there was a shop in London selling painted Easter ornaments exactly like christmas ones. Still maybe next year. I have also got lots of bunches of daffodils, and of course I will be dying eggs to put in a basket. I do love having small decorative touches to match the seasons.




Treats for Easter after doing some gardening, if warm to be had in the garden, if cold inside. A lovely glass [or two or three] of some chilled white fragrant wine, something that embodies the smell of Spring. Of course, some chocolate of some description. A couple of magazines to oooooohh over and some long luxury time to really indulge in some reading. Time just sitting listening to the collared doves that arre nesting in the nearby trees, their cooing is just so calming, letting the warm sun hit my head and watching the silver birch dance and wave her branches. Alternativeiy, if the weather is horrendous, a couple of dvds I have been waiting to watch, warm room, incense and candles.