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The Winter Solstice
The Boar's Head Carol
The Boar's Head is Part of a
Yuletide Tradition About Boars. There are many versions of the Boar's
Head Carol, including one with a Latin line about serving the boar with
mustard. In antiquity the fierce boar was feared and respected. With its
ferocious nature the boar was associated with death, just as the winter
solstice was associated with the death of light. In northern climates,
where the land was frozen in winter, hunters needed to kill to feed
their families. Even if dangerous, a boar was a large enough animal to
provide a feast for quite a few. Its head, suitably dressed up, was fit
for a king or queen or god.
Famous Boars
Adonis
Adonis, who died in Aphrodite's loving arms, was killed by a boar that
might have been sent by a jealous Ares.
Calydonian Boar Hunt
Atalanta was accorded honor for being the first to hit the Calydonian
Boar.
Hercules
The 4th Labor of Hercules was the capture of the Erymanthian Boar.
Norse Mythology
The Norse fertility brother and sister god and goddess Freyr and Freya
each rode a boar. Freya's was Hildisvin and Freyr's boar Gullenbursti
was made by the dwarves.
A boar was sacrificed to Freyr at the Winter Solstice. Amid trumpets
blaring and minstrels singing, the boar's head with an apple in its
mouth, was carried in on a gold or silver platter.
Here is a familiar version (from a publication by Thomas Wright in 1841)
of the Boar's Head Carol that was first published in 1521, with
translation of the Latin.
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The boar's
head in hand bear I
Bedecked with bay and rosemary
I pray you, my masters, be merry
Quot estis in convivio.
(However many are at the feast)
Chorus:
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||: Caput apri defero,
Reddens laudes domino. :||
(I bring the boar's head,
giving praises to the Lord)
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The boar's
head, as I understand,
Is the rarest dish in all this land,
Which thus bedecked with a gay garland
Let us servire cantico
(serve with song).
[A tastier version of this line:
Servitur cum sinapio.
(It is served with mustard)]
Chorus
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Our steward
hath provided this
In honor of the King of bliss
Which, on this day to be served is
In Reginensi atrio
(in the Queen's hall).
Chorus
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The
winter Solstice is older than recorded history and was the religion
of Cornwall before the coming of Christianity. It is interesting
that when we study the Saints of Cornwall, and we probably have more
parishes named after saints than anywhere else in Britain, we find that of
the 18 parishes in the West of Cornwall 12 have feast or fairs on dates
connected to the worship of the sun.
One
tradition of the winter Solstice was for the Druid / Bard to gather them
around the yule log or block and then to tell them a story. Our
story can be found
here
This
page is still being worked on so come back in a few days to see it again.
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Dates of Pagan Festivals |
Dates of parish
feasts & Fayres |
Feb
2nd Imbolc Also called Oimelc and Candlemas,
Imbolc
celebrates the awakening of the land and the growing power of the
Sun.
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St
Ives Feast Feb 2nd
St
Kew. Feast Feb. 8th
St
Breward nearest Sunday Feb.22nd
Porthlevan
Feast Feb. 22nd |
Mar
Fri 20 The Spring
Equinox -
Eoster
Spring Equinox celebrates the renewed life of
the Earth that comes with the Spring.
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Easter
Celebrations All parishes |
May
Fri 1 Beltane
Pagans
celebrate Beltane with maypole dances, symbolizing the mystery of
the Sacred Marriage of Goddess and God.
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Helston Feast 8th
of May (Flora Day) |
Jun
Sun 21 Summer
Solstice - Litha
Longest
day of the year
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Penzance
Feast 23rd of June |
Aug
Sat 1 Lughnasadh
- Lammas
A
harvest festival and one of the Pagan festivals of Celtic origin
which split the year into four.
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Harvest
Celebrations all Parishes |
Sep
Tue 22 Autumn
Equinox
This
day is celebrated when day and night are of equal duration.
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Oct
Sat 31 Samhain
(Hallowe'en)
Samhain
(pronounced 'sow'inn') marks the Feast of the Dead. Many Pagans also
celebrate it as the old Celtic New Year (although some mark this at
Imbolc).
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St Earth Feast Oct. 31st
St Just Feast First Sunday and Monday in
November.
St Ewe Feast Nov.1st.
St Cury Feast Nov. 2nd |
Dec
Mon 21 Winter
Solstice - Yule
Yule
is the time of the winter solstice, when the sun child is reborn, an
image of the return of all new life born through the love of the
Gods. Within the Northern Tradition Yule is regarded as the New
Year.
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Christmas Celebrations all
Parishes
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