-SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 21-
Summary
In this episode, we share some of the winter lore we received in our recent contest. We look at the various wonderful traditions from around the continent (and the world), and share some of our own holiday practices. Plus, we have a special guest! We also discuss reclaiming the holiday season, and we have the winners of our contest! Thank you to all who contributed!
Play:
Download: New World Witchery – Episode 21
-Sources-
Most of our lore comes from either us or our listeners this time around. But if you’re looking for some good books on holiday customs and traditions, I can recommend:
All Around the Year, by Jack Santino
The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas, by Caitlin & John Matthews
The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice, by Carolyn M. Edwards
Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain, by Ronald Hutton
Pagan Christmas: The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide, by Christian Ratsch
Promos & Music
Title music: “Homebound,” by Jag, from Cypress Grove Blues. From Magnatune.
Promo 1 – Borealis Meditations
Promo 2 – Forest Grove Botanica
Promo 3 – Appalachian Witch Doctor Tales
New World Witchery - The Search for American Traditional Witchcraft 
Fantastic episode! So neat to hear you read my lore submission on the show. I loved hearing about all the other lore and traditions too, especially “flying baby Jesus”!
Loved the show you two! I’m a long time listener but first time commenter and I really enjoyed this episode. I loved that Cory referenced the movie Saved and I found all the lore really interesting. Also, now that it’s cold outside, whenever I knit ans listen to the show I think of Laine as a fellow knitter. You two are awesome.
Invisible Flying Baby Jesus FTW.
Yay for fellow witchy knitters! 🙂
-Laine
It’s a Catholic thing (fish on the 24th); my wife is Polish and that’s how they roll.
In response to the brief mention of the German pickle ornament, here is an interesting article on its mysterious origins!
Just downloaded and looking forward to this one big time. The Winter Solstice is my biggest celebration of the seasons. I love all of the festivities that go on this time of year, form all paths. Great food, great sights and lights, and of course all the stories and lore that seem to emerge!
Oh, I bought this book, that you had on the recommended reading list, last season, and it is amazing. If you enjoy or follow a solar path, buy it today!
“The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas, by Caitlin & John Matthews”
Just listening to the show and you are right, almost everyone has a tradition where you hide something in food.
In my mother’s side of the family (born in Uzbekistan but they are all Koreans) we make Pelmeni (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelmeni) and we hide a coin in one of them. Whoever gets it will have luck for the new year that is coming. And if we cook this during the year, whoever gets the coin has good luck for the rest of the year 🙂
Feel free to share! 🙂
Lusete, UK
Okay, so I thought I didn’t have any unique lore so didn’t write in (figured that Germanic open a gift on xmas eve, orange in the stocking, etc. would be covered).
I haven’t even finished the episode, but the talk of ornaments reminded me of a family tradition that may be unusual.
We would make ornaments out of styrofoam balls covered in folded oval strips of fabric. You pin the oval at top and bottom and then put the next one layered slightly over the cut edge of the first piece (also pinned top and bottom). You work your way around the whole ball that way until the whole thing is covered (usually took about 14? ovals). The last one is the hardest of course to put on as you have to get the loose edges underneath the folded edge of the first piece.
They would then get decorated with glitter at top and bottom (to hide the pins) with a loop of some kind of yarn/string/whathaveyou to hang it from.
But the really interesting part was that we each had our own ornament with our initial done in glue with glitter over top on it. And we hung our own ornament on the tree (the only ornament my dad would ever do – he did the lights and that was it lol).
I’ve continued that tradition for every cat that I’ve had (they’re my family after all). So every year when I put up my tree I’m reminded all of my furry friends, present and past.
I also discovered the pickle about 8 years ago and have a special present each year for the ‘lucky’ person who finds it. Muwhahaha.
Thanks everyone for your praises and your comments! All sorts of new winter lore is coming in and we LOVE it! Hopefully I’ll be able to write some more posts or we will be able to save the lore for next year’s episodes.
Again, so many thanks to everyone who reads or listens to the show, and especially to all of you who write to us with comments, suggestions, stories, and even just a general “hello” or two. We are so thankful that we have such wonderful and brilliant folks tuning in, and it makes me really happy that we get to make so many new friends from so many walks of life. Thank you thank you thank you!
Happy holidays, and stay warm with the ones you love!
-Cory