What are you doing this Month?
By
Joan Cripps (and you)
In March, we look forward to St. Patrick's Day, the first day of spring,
Maple Sugar Time and Mardi Gras.
St Patrick's Day March 17th
History and legend
intertwine when it comes to St. Patrick. Born in Scotland, he was kidnapped and sold into Irish slavery where he became fluent
in the Irish language before escaping. Eventually, he became a bishop and Pope Celestine sent him back to Ireland to preach
the gospel.
Renowned for having driven the snakes from the country, different tales
tell of his standing upon a hill using a wooden staff to drive the serpents into the sea. In one legend an old serpent resisted,
but the saint overcame it by cunning. He made a box and invited the reptile to enter. The snake insisted the box was too small
and they argued. Finally, the snake entered the box to prove he was right, whereupon St. Patrick slammed the lid and cast
the box into the sea.
While it is true there are no snakes in Ireland, there probably never have
been since the time the island was separated from the rest of the continent at the end of the Ice Age. Serpent symbols were
common in many old pagan religions. Driving the snakes from Ireland was probably symbolic of putting an end to pagan practice.
St. Patrick died on March 17, 493 AD.
Now, have some fun for St. Patrick's Day. Make this easy candy
holder with your children.
What You Need:
Baby food jar and lid, washed, rinsed, and dried
Green
craft paint
Paintbrush
Green "Painters" paint markers
Candy
How To Make It:
Use the paint markers to draw a few shamrocks on the
side of the jar. Note: To make easy shamrocks, paint tiny green hearts with the points meeting in the middle. Add a stem.
You may wish to add a TO/FROM on the jar itself. Let dry. Paint the lid with green paint. Let dry. Fill the jar with St. Patrick's
Day (or green) candy. Screw the lid on the jar. Give the candy jar to someone special to wish him or her luck on St. Patrick's
Day!
Here are some St. Patrick's Day jokes:
Why do people wear shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day?
Regular
rocks are too heavy.
Why can't you borrow money from a leprechaun?
Because they're
always a little short.
How can you tell if an Irishman is having a good time?
He's
Dublin over with laughter!
How did the Irish Jig get started?
Too much to drink and
not enough restrooms!
The First Day of Spring March 20th
The first day
of spring is March 20th (sometimes March 21st), and it is known as the vernal equinox. This means it is the exact day separating
winter from spring. Actually, to be more precise, it is the first day of spring north of the equator - in the south, it is
the first day of autumn.
Equinox is a Latin word that means, "equal night." This is the time of
the year (and there are two days in each year) during which the day and night are of equal length.
Spring is the time of year when winter is ending yet summer has not yet
begun. It is time to put away the winter coats and get out the swimming trunks. Soon flowers will bloom and the air will buzz
with insects.
Traditionally, spring has been associated with the start of life. This
is when the earth wakes up from its winter sleep and the world appears to be reborn.
In the past, this was a very important time when people stopped eating
their winter stores and began planting crops. Warmer temperatures meant people did not need to spend much energy figuring
out how to stay warm.
Eggs play a very important part in ancient myths regarding the vernal
equinox. Birds begin to lay their eggs in spring, which was very significant to ancient folks. Folklore says this is the only
time of year when an egg can be stood on end. If an egg can be balanced on end during this equinox, at exactly the same time
when the day and night are also in balance, then Earth and nature are said to be in harmony.
The spring equinox was considered the start of the Pagan New Year. This
was the day of resurrection of the sun god from the underworld of winter.
Blowing bubbles makes great springtime fun for children.
Here's a recipe, so you can make them at home:
Materials Needed:
1/2 cup dish soap
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons
sugar
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients. Don't stir or shake too much. Store
in a sealed bottle.
Maple Sugar Time
An old Indian legend says the sap
of the maple tree at one time was almost pure syrup. When one of the gods tasted it, he found it too good and too easily obtained.
He thought it would be too little prized. So, he diluted the sap of the maple until its sweetness was barely discernible.
"Now my nephews," he said, "will have to labour hard to make sugar from this sap, and it will be much more valuable to them
in the future time." The settlers of Colonial America learned from the Indians the value and the toil of maple sugar because
of the expense and difficulty in securing cane sugar from the Indies.
Maple sap is thin, barely sweet, and as colourless as water. Forty gallons
of sap are required to produce one gallon of syrup or eight pounds of sugar. In the spring, when the days and the nights and
the sun and the frost are about equal, the sap begins to run.
Eastern Canada is the world's number one producer of maple syrup, supplying
about 75 percent of the world's stock. About 90 percent of Canadian production comes from Quebec and the remainder from Ontario,
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. "Sugaring-Off" season has become a popular tourist attraction, particularly in Quebec, where
visitors enjoy sleigh rides or snowshoeing, old time music and dancing, a warming drink called CARIBOU made with red wine
and maple syrup, and a feast of traditional cooking. Everyone loves 'tire sur la neige' or hot syrup dribbled over fresh snow
to make maple taffy.
Here are some maple syrup recipes for the season:
Maple Milk Shake
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
2 Cups Milk
1 Pint Vanilla
Ice Cream softened in a large bowl
Beat all ingredients until well combined. Serve at once in glasses. Yield - 4.
Maple-Glazed Walnuts
Ingredients:
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon
butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups walnuts
In an iron skillet or saucepan, stir together syrup,
cinnamon, butter, and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture becomes brown and starts to thicken. Add vanilla,
then nuts and toss until the nuts are covered evenly with glaze. Quickly spread and cool on wax paper.
French Canadian Maple Syrup Pie
Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold water
1
cup pure maple syrup
2 egg yolks, beaten lightly
2 tablespoons butter
1 baked 8-inch pie shell
Stir together the
flour and water until smooth. In a heavy saucepan, pour in the maple syrup. Stir the flour mixture into syrup then add the
beaten egg yolks. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until thickened. Add the butter and stir
until melted. Pour the mixture into the pie shell. Cool to room temperature before serving with whipped or ice cream. This
traditional recipe is so rich that only small serving pieces are needed. The recipe can be easily doubled.
Mardi Gras
My good friend, Lance, of Louisiana sent
some information about Mardi Gras to share with you. Thank you Lance! Here's what he has to say:
|
| ** Photo Courtesy Lance M. Pitre ** |
Twelve days after Christmas is known as the 12th night. The 12th night
is the official beginning of the Mardi Gras season but Mardi Gras preparations are a yearlong task. Mardi Gras always falls
on the day before Ash Wednesday, a religious holiday. The Catholic religion was the most popular religion back then and many
of our traditions were formed around Catholic holy days. Mardi Gras began as the "final" party before the Catholic Lenten
season. It has since grown into the Mardi Gras that we know today.
In the city where I live, we have eight krewes that parade during the
Mardi Gras season. A krewe is a group consisting of invited members who pay annual dues to be a part of the celebration.
The actual Mardi Gras festivities for the general public last about two weeks ending on Mardi Gras Day, which is also known
as "Fat Tuesday". A parade usually consists of marching groups, school bands, city/parish officials, special guests and
floats. Specific groups organise each parade.
|
| ** Photo Courtesy Lance M. Pitre ** |
Mardi Gras is known as the "Greatest FREE show on Earth". The official
colours of Mardi Gras are Purple, Green and Gold and each colour has a specific meaning. Purple represents justice; green
represents faith; and gold represents power. There are many "symbols" of Mardi Gras such as the court jester, clowns and of
course royalty.
Each krewe selects its own royalty according to its policies. It is a huge honour to be
selected as a member of the Royal Court. Some of the krewes have all male members and some have all female and some are mixed.
The court usually consists of a king and/or queen, dukes and/or maids and pages. The pages are usually children or grandchildren
of someone in the krewe. Some krewes have other members in their courts but these are the basic members.
Most krewes have tableaus and formal balls also. The tableau is the formal
introduction of the Royal Court and the Ball is the formal dance. These two events usually are held on the same night and
the ball usually follows the tableau. The costumes for the Tableau are usually very colourful and beautiful. The most common
and most known part of the costume is called the "collar" and it is made usually of very colourful plumes arranged in such
a manner that it forms a "background" of that person wearing it. It is usually about as wide as the arms can reach when held
straight out. It is decorated in different colours usually with very flashy beads, sequins and small mirrors. The King is
usually in the most lavish costume of all. The tableau is such a grand majestic production. Different krewes follow different
"traditions" for their event. The public is usually allowed to attend this if they get a ticket from a member and it is at
no cost usually. The court usually changes into a different, more comfortable, costume for the ball. It is most common that
the members and guests are only allowed to attend the ball and formal attire is required. Black tux and long formal gowns
are usually the dress codes. The krewe members usually have the option of wearing their costume or the formal attire. Locals
consider it a great treat to attend such an event. Tourists often get a chance to attend also and they really enjoy the pageantry.
|
| ** Photo Courtesy Lance M. Pitre ** |
During the parades, Krewe members throw trinkets and beads to the people
that line the streets for the "Greatest FREE show on Earth". Krewe members spend thousands of dollars on this event and really
enjoy tossing the items from the floats. I personally think everyone should get a chance to ride the floats. Most Krewe members
describe it as a "natural high".
So, next time you want to plan a vacation, think of Mardi Gras. I can promise you, it will be worth your time. Happy
Mardi Gras!
Thanks again to Lance in Louisiana for sharing what he'll be doing in
March. Now it's your turn. Looking ahead to April, the month of Fools and Easter, what will you be doing? Send me your traditions
and family times.
Joan Cripps of Chatham, New Brunswick, is a frequent contributor
to Bread 'n Molasses. She's also the founder of the Purple Hat Ladies Tea Society, a group she formed in 2001. Email
Joan at rayjoanc@nbnet.nb.ca
Back to Atlantic Lifestyle & Leisure
|
