January Rituals

My part of the world is drenched in rain all this week. It is a gift in this land of drought. Stuck inside I have been exploring some sites today. I came upon an interesting post about traditions originated outside of the US.

Since next week I am going to help 500 children plant seeds in soil blocks to place in cold frame tables, this first one, Sementivae, is fun.

24, Sunday
Sementivae
- Old Roman festival of sowing honoring goddesses of earth, grain, and seed.
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30, Saturday
Mahayana New Year
– The Mahayana Buddhists celebrate their new year with the first full moon in January, which makes sense to me.
Tu B’Shevat – A Jewish birthday party for trees. Because all trees like a party.
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31, Sunday
Imbolc
– BIG DEAL old-ass festival. It’s ancient. And, just like Vasant Panchami, it’s about the first signs of Spring.
"Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders." - Henry David Thoreau, The Dispersion of Seeds 

5 comments:

Rosa said...

We were in the park Saturday and there were people playing drums and dancing and having giant puppets, and a sled race...I thought, Imbolc!

But it was just the annual art sled races.

How did the planting go?

katecontinued said...

I am so very pleased with the seed planting. There are seeds already sprouting this week. I will try to get some pictures. This week we are demonstrating composting and vermicomposting to every kid. Big fun.

Simply moving children around campus and timing issues are huge. This week we did better as we had staff members work with us. For me it is seriously exhausting because I am non acculturated to hundreds of kids surrounding me with their energy. I look forward to several weeks with more writing, planning and stopping by - rather than child immersion.

Rosa said...

Awesome!

I am jealous of your climate. And your ability to be or not be around kids at various times.

katecontinued said...

Can't do much about the first, but the latter is just a matter of time. How do teachers work into their 60's and 70's. Yes, the lunch lady is 75 and one of the first grade teachers is in her mid-60's. I'd rather do field work. What a sorry grandma I will be.

katecontinued said...

I am getting sloppy with punctuation, spelling and writing complete sentences. I think I need to clear my head, clear my schedule and take a deep breath.