A Hymn for Saint Brigid's Day

 Troparion

"St. Bride", John Duncan 1913

O holy Brigid, you became sublime through your humility,

and flew on the wings of your longing for God.

When you arrived in the eternal City and appeared before your Divine Spouse wearing the crown of virginity,

You kept your promise to remember those who have recourse to you.

You shower grace upon the world, and multiply miracles.

Intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls.

The well-known founder and abbess of the Monastery of Kildare has been revered and loved throughout Europe for almost fifteen hundred years. While she was still a young woman, her unbounded compassion for the poor, the sick and the suffering grew to such proportions as to shelter all of Ireland. St. Brigid’s tonsure at the hands of St. Mael of Ardagh inaugurated the beginning of women’s coenobitic monasticism in Ireland. St. Brigid soon expanded it by founding many other convents throughout Ireland. The gifts of the Holy Spirit shine brightly upon all through her—both men and beasts—to this day. After receiving Holy Communion at Kildare from St. Ninnidh of Inismacsaint she gave her soul into the hands of her Lord in 523. [Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/irishorthodoxchurch.aspx#brigid]

Happy first day of February - St Brigid's Day! You can read my past post, here, with a book recommendation for today The Life of Saint Brigid, Abess of Kildare, by Jane Meyer.

Tonight, on the eve of The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, we will have our candles blessed at church. This February 2 feast day (called Candlemas in the West) commemorates a prophecy and blessing given by St. Simeon in Luke chapter 2: 

"Lord now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace. 

For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation 

which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people. 

To be a Light to enlighten the nations 

and to be the glory of Thy people Israel."  

Tomorrow is also Groundhog Day - he'll be looking for light too! Will he see his shadow?  Traditionally, if the sun shone on "Candlemas Day", Europeans believed the hedgehog (groundhog) would cast a shadow and another six weeks of winter was inevitable.

"If Candlemas be fair and bright,

Come winter, have another flight.

If Candlemas brings cold and rain, 

Go winter, and come not again."

Need a Hug?

Around this time of year (and especially this year), we all could use a warm, cuddly hug. With  Groundhog Day and Valentine's Day approaching, I thought I'd share a heartwarming book with you that features a hedgehog (hey, it's pretty close to a groundhog!)

"Why will no one hug me?" Hedgehog sniffed. 

"You're just a little bit tricky to hug," replied Owl, "with all your prickly prickles.  But don't worry, there's someone for everyone."

The Hug, written by Eoin McLaughlin, and illustrated by Polly Dunbar, is a unique format picture book that flips over, providing two narratives - and two characters - to love.

Book description: Both a hedgehog and a tortoise are feeling sad and looking for a hug.  They ask all the animals they come across, but for some reason, no one will hug them. Until a wise owl explains: Hedgehog is too spiky; Tortoise is too bony.  And that's when they find each other!

What your child will like about this book: The story read from the front cover to the middle is Hedgehog's story; you turn the book upside down and read from back to middle for Tortoise's story.  Both creatures have the same problem: no one wants to hug them and everyone has an excuse.  Both their stories collide - with a big hug - in the middle of the book.  These two just had to wait until they found their match. 

One more from this writer/illustrator duo: While We Can't Hug, a new picture book for kids in response to social distancing. Hedgehog and Tortoise find other things friends can do besides  hugging - they can wave at each other, write letters, make funny faces, and sing songs...all in a show of their friendship.

New York Wanderings, Part I: A Unique Children's Library and a Book for Groundhog Day

I'm having a lovely visit in New York with my little grandsons.  Yesterday my daughter and I took them to an adorable children's library.  The unique thing about this library is that the whole building is dedicated solely to children's books!

And a unique thing about the building itself is that it was built in 1869 and used to be a private home.

Not only that, but it was the city of  New Rochelle's first brick building. You can read more about it's history and how it came to be a children's library in 1997, here.

This little "Huguenot Children's Library" was a perfect outing for my grandsons. The eight-month old slept, while the three-year-old explored...

Not only were there wonderful picture books downstairs, but also a train table, puzzle area, wooden doll house, and computer area - all of which my three-year-old grandson enjoyed immensely!

At one end of the big room downstairs, a colorful tiled wall mural not only encourages kids to "READ", but leads them upstairs to the chapter books for older kids...

Now, on to the cute picture book we found for Groundhog Day: Gregory's Shadow by Don Freeman...

Gregory is a shy groundhog, so having his friend Shadow close by makes him feel brave.

But one day Gregory and Shadow go outside to look for food, and they get separated.

Scared and lonely, they search and search for one another.

To make matters worse, tomorrow is Groundhog Day, and everyone will be waiting to see if Gregory and his shadow leave their home together.

You'll have to find the book at your local library to find out how they reunite, and to find out whether Gregory's shadow joins him on Groundhog Day.

Note: When Gregory is searching for Shadow, he thinks he sees a ghost.  If you're leery of ghosts being frightening for young children, you can easily leave out the word "ghost" and replace it with "a dark blue shape", etc.  (The "ghost" ends up being Shadow).

Shadow Play and Groundhog Day: Contemplating Candles, Shadows, and the True Light

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February is drawing near! The second day of February might be Groundhog Day in the United States, but from ancient times Christians have observed it as a holy day celebrating the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem, 40 days after His birth.

On this day in many Christian churches, we will bless candles and celebrate the Light of the World.

Luke 2:27-32 ...And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: "Lord, now let Your servant go in peace according to Your promise, because my eyes have seen Your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory to your people Israel."

Jesus's Presentation in the Temple with Simeon and Anna
(icon source)

Shadows Aren't Just for Groundhogs! 
In the early days of Christianity in Europe, a folk custom arose that on this day (mid-way through winter, known as Candlemas in the West for the blessing of candles) if a hedgehog came out of its burrow and saw his shadow, he would return because there would be six more weeks of winter. 

Sound familiar? When German immigrants came to America, there weren't any hedgehogs here, so they put forth the test for light and shadow to groundhogs on February 2nd. (Go here for my past post, "Celebrating Groundhog Day with some Famous Hedgehogs.")

Making Beeswax Candles is a fun activity to celebrate Candlemas and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. You can order kits from Bella Luna Toys or Magic Cabin.

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Here are some fun books exploring shadows and shadow play, as a fun prelude to Groundhog Day...

Shadow by Suzy Lee - a nearly wordless book. (2010)

An adventure that begins in a cluttered attic with a little girl and the click of a lightbulb.  When you open Shadow, you'll notice the pages are designed with the images on the top page being reflected as upside-down silhouette images on the page below.  The book becomes the attic room itself, as the pictures reveal what the girl sees in reality along with the shadowed fantasies her own shadow-poses inspire. This book is a true "page turner", as your engrossed child will be excited to see what the imaginative little girl will think up next! Ages 4-8

Count! by Agnese Baruzzi. (2012)

Reminiscent of shadow puppet theatre, Count! will help your child to learn to count from one to ten, with dark, lacy silhouettes of creatures such as squirrels, owls, rabbits, and butterflies. Though the pages themselves are sturdy, the die-cut illustrations are very intricate - making this book appropriate for the hands of careful 3-year-olds and up. 

Shadow Play - a partially wordless book - by Paul Fleischman, pictures by Eric Beddows. (1990)

 

I love Shadow Play, but it's out of print, so you'll have to search for it at your local library.  A boy and a girl buy tickets for a tent show shadow performance of Beauty and the Beast.  But taking into account that appearances are "as thin and deceptive as...shadows", who are the real players?  Read it and find out! Ages 4-8

Step-by-Step Tutorials to Help You Make Your Own Shadow Puppet Theatre...

Make a Cereal Box Shadow Theatre - go here for instructions.

Go here for a fun tutorial for making a Shadow Puppet Theatre - with links to books, templates, and resources about shadow puppets.

First Feasts of February: St. Brigid's Day and a Day for Candles and Hedge- um, that is - Groundhogs

St. Brigid's Day is today, February 1st.  Celebrate by reading a special book and making a St. Brigid cross!

"Brigid saw Christ in everyone she met, and had

a particular love for those less fortunate than herself."

St. Brigid, a contemporary of St. Patrick, founded a monastery in Kildare in the 6th century. It is said that she converted her father to Christianity while making a cross from rushes. You can try your hand at making a St. Brigid cross, like this one, by going here.

In those early Christian times the farmers adopted the custom of making crosses of straw at the beginning of spring to protect their holding, placing the St. Brigid's Crosses in prominent positions in their houses and buildings.The tradition of making St. Brigid's Crosses on St. Brigid's Feast Day continues to the present day.

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THE LIFE OF SAINT BRIGID, Abbess of Kildare, has been lovingly told by Jane G. Meyer. Zachary Lynch's captivating and colorful illustrations are full of Celtic influence. 

Brigid's father, a chieftain, becomes weary of Brigid's generosity and takes her away to be sold to a neighboring king.  While the deal is being settled with the king, Brigid gives away her father's sword to a poor leper.  The king, realizing that Brigid would give away his wealth as well, advises Brigid's father to release her from slavery and grant her freedom. 

Her prideful father yields to the plan, but tries to force Brigid to marry - which leads Brigid to scar her own face, in order to be left alone by her family.  They finally understand her desire to devote herself purely to Christ, and she is allowed to become a nun,

"...marrying Christ and His Church instead of man.

And as a sign of God's hand upon her, the scar on her cheek was healed

as the priest placed the white veil upon her head."  

In this book, your child will learn how Brigid, Abbess of Kildare, tended sheep and the poor, founded convents, worked miracles, and visited kings.  St. Brigid is known today as a patron of travelers, healers, and midwives; and a protector of flocks and herds, and newborn babies.

A second February Feastday:
Tomorrow is another big day - many of you may be thinking about the Super Bowl or even Groundhog Day, but February 2 is one of the important 12 Feasts of the Church, when we bring our candles to be blessed.

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In the Eastern Orthodox Church, we refer to it as "The Presentation of Christ in the Temple" (described in Luke, chapter 2); it is known as "Candlemas" in the West.

Why the emphasis on candles and light?  Because of St. Simeon's prophecy in Luke:

"Lord now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people. To be a Light to enlighten the nations and to be the glory of Thy people Israel."

Traditionally, if the sun shone on "Candlemas Day" - February 2 - Europeans believed the hedgehog would cast a shadow and another six weeks of winter was inevitable.

If Candlemas be fair and bright, 

Come, winter, have another flight. 

If Candlemas brings cold and rain,
Go, winter, and come not again.

A Hedgehog stand-in: The Groundhog
When the first Germans arrived in North America, no hedgehogs were to be found. But another similar animal, the groundhog - or woodchuck - was here.

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Believed by the native Indians to be "a wise and sensible animal," the groundhog became a hedgehog stand-in. So that is how the American the tradition of "Groundhog Day" was born.

Find my past posts, HERE about some literary hedgehogs (they're waaay cuter then groundhogs)!

 

CELEBRATING "GROUNDHOG DAY" WITH SOME FAMOUS HEDGEHOGS...

If you read my February 2nd post last year, you may remember that hedgehogs have everything to do with what we Americans call "Groundhog Day" and the simultaneously occurring Christian celebration of "Candlemas" (last year's post is HERE).

Paper sculpture by Canadian artist, Calvin Nicholls [photo source here]

This year, I thought it would be fun to remind you of some famous literary hedgehogs.  As you will see, they show up quite often in British children's literature...

Hedgehogs were an intricate part of Alice's game of croquet:
"Get to your places!" shouted the Queen in a voice of thunder... and the game began. Alice thought she had never seen such a curious croquet-ground in her life; it was all ridges and furrows; the balls were live hedgehogs, the mallets live flamingoes, and the soldiers had to double themselves up and to stand on their hands and feet, to make the arches.

illustration by Sir John Tenniel
from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)

The chief difficulty Alice found at first was in managing her flamingo: she succeeded in getting its body tucked away, comfortably enough, under her arm, with its legs hanging down, but generally, just as she had got its neck nicely straightened out, and was going to give the hedgehog a blow with its head, it would twist itself round and look up in her face, with such a puzzled expression that she could not help bursting out laughing: and when she had got its head down, and was going to begin again, it was very provoking to find that the hedgehog had unrolled itself, and was in the act of crawling away: besides all this, there was generally a ridge or furrow in the way wherever she wanted to send the hedgehog to, and, as the doubled-up soldiers were always getting up and walking off to other parts of the ground, Alice soon came to the conclusion that it was a very difficult game indeed.


American author/artist Jan Brett's Picture Books: 
Have you noticed who's wearing The Hat?  Hedgie also shows up in Jan's books The Mitten, and Hedgie's Surprise.  Her website has some easy instructions on "How to Draw a Hedgehog".

Hedgehogs often show up in the Redwall Series by Brian Jacques:
These prickly beasts come from all walks of life, from warriors to cooks to riverbeasts. They are typically easy-going and friendly, though a few have been known to become eccentric or insane in old age. Many Hedgehogs come from a clan or tribe, such as the Dillypins or Waterhogs, and it is traditional (though not exclusive) for the cellarkeeper of Redwall Abbey to be a hedgehog. [source: Redwall Wiki]

Note: British author Brian Jacques died last year on February 5th.  His wonderful series was a family favorite.  To read my short tribute, click here.

Hedgehogs can do laundry. 
Well, at least Beatrix Potter's "Mrs. Tiggywinkle" could.  (She is probably my favorite hedgehog.)

Water Color Artist, Valerie Greeley...
I'll leave you with this cute little hedgehog, by Valerie Greeley. You can buy the print here from her Etsy shop, Acornmoon. The print is a reproduction of a water color illustration from her children's book, Down the Lane.  Another picture book by Valerie featuring hedgehogs is Field Animals.  (Both books - though currently out of print - are available on Amazon.)

Hedgehog, by Valerie Greeley

GROUNDHOGS, HEDGEHOGS, AND THE "LIGHT" OF THE WORLD

Photo by Jay Dickman, National Geographic Stock

Tradition holds that lots of folks will be watching to see whether or not Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow today.  But the history behind this American tradition has everything to do not only with groundhogs, but also hedgehogs...and Light!

February 2nd is recognized as Groundhog Day, but from ancient times Christians have observed this as a holy day celebrating the Virgin Mary's Presentation of Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem, 40 days after His birth.  The Gospel account of this story tells us that an old man named Simeon held the Christ Child in his arms and said that He would be a "Light of revelation for the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32).  In some Western traditions, the day is known as "Candlemas", because candles are also blessed on this day, reminding us that Christ is Light of the World.

In the early days of Christianity in Europe, a folk custom arose that on Candlemas (which is mid-way through winter, between the December solstice and the March equinox), if a hedgehog came out of its burrow and saw his shadow, he would return because there would be six more weeks of winter.  Sound familiar?  Groundhogs are next...

During the 1800's, immigrants from Germany to America brought this custom with them as they settled in Pennsylvania.  Since there were no hedgehogs, groundhogs were substituted and "Groundhog Day" came into being.

According to the old English saying:
"If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again."
From Scotland:
"If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There'll be two winters in the year."
From Germany:
"For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until May.
For as the snow blows on Candlemas Day,
So far will the sun shine before May."
And from America:
"If the sun shines on Groundhog Day;
Half the fuel and half the hay."

CHILDREN'S BOOKS AND A FILM ABOUT HEDGEHOGS... (since I don't have any favorites about Groundhogs)

I am so excited to share this mesmerizing video, The Hedgehog in the Fog by Russian animator Yuri Norshteyn, with you.  It is a beautiful short animated film from 1975, based on the story by well-known Russian fairytale writer, Sergey Kozlov.  There is also a picture book that has been adapted from the film, with sketches made by Francesca Yarbusova.
Hedgie's Surprise by Jan Brett 
 
The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter




I am grateful to Fr. Stephen Freeman, whose post "Candlewax and Hedgehogs: Groundhog Day" brought this history to my attention.  You can read it here at his blog, GLORY TO GOD FOR ALL THINGS.  My two other sources were National Geographic.com and this "Candlemas" article from timeanddate.com.