Wednesday, December 26, 2012

New Year's Folk Song



Auld Lang Syne
 This Scottish poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 was a traditional folk song. In English the literal meaning is “old long since” or mostly known as, “long long ago” and also equivalent to, “Once upon a time…”  Robert Burns restored the piece and re-wrote the lyrics of the New Year’s song that was made before his time. 

Canadian band leader Guy Lombardo is credited for making this folk song popular at New Year’s celebrations in the United States. He first recorded the song in 1939 and it soon became his trademark. It is now a celebratory song that is sung after a countdown when the clock strikes midnight of the New Year.

Lyrics:
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?

Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Chorus:
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

Chorus:
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

Chorus:
And there’s a hand my trusty friend!
And give us a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Tamales: Holiday Food lore



The world of food lore is filled with beliefs and traditions concerning what to eat when and how. During the Christmas season, one of the most common Hispanic dishes is tamales.  Made from masa (Spanish dough made from corn) they come in different flavors and can be made different ways. 

The earliest recorded mention of the tamale was 5000 BC in the Pre-Columbian history. Women were taken into battle as army cooks to make the masa for the tortillas but the demand for preparing the meal became too overwhelming of a process. A more portable food item was needed. Hence, the tamale. It could be made in advance and put directly on top of the coals to be warmed. 

Even though there no one knows for sure which Pre-Columbian culture initially created this now popular food item, it quickly found its way into many cultures. People adapted the tamale ingredients to fit their geographics. That’s why some are made with red, green and/or black chili while others were made with fish or rabbit. There were also pineapple, cinnamon and berry tamales. Outer wrappings also reflected the terrain and so included cornhusks, banana leaves, avocado leaves and more.

Still a food item that takes time to make, tamales are a much-sought after holiday food. Made in advance they can be cooked dozens at a time and the sauces poured over them are as creative as the cooks want them to be. Meat sauces and sweet sauces alike reflect cultural diversity.

According to Lonely Planet, “no one  is entirely certain how tamales came to be associated with Christmas, but the general explanation is this: no one wants to go through the effort of making them more than once, so you might as well do it for the biggest  meal of the year. Tamales also fulfill an important Christmas food function: they make your house smell incredible.”

Personally I think it's because, like any other holiday gift, they are supposed to be unwrapped (opened) so that the delicious contents can be enjoyed.

Want to make tamales this year? Here are a few recipes to try:

Monday, December 10, 2012

Folk Symbol: Christmas Tree




Folklore celebrates the beliefs and customs of folk. These traditions – how special occasions like birth are recognized, how food is prepared and served, how dance steps are selected, how tools and other useful implements are decorated and how important information is passed on through stories and games– reflect the common wisdom that has helped people understand the mysteries of the world they live in. 

During winter one of the most common celebrations is Christmas and one of the more popular folk symbols is the Christmas tree. This festive occasion is similar to winter darkness festivities around the world. All of them ‘light the darkness’ with hope in the coming of spring; a time of birth and re-birth.

The decorated Christmas tree can be traced back to the ancient Romans who during their winter festival decorated trees with small pieces of metal during Saturnalia, a winter festival in honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture.

Once designed for community-wide gatherings, these specially forested trees were village centerpieces. Over time the winter celebrations became less communal and more personal with people taking the holiday indoors, literally. 

Christmas trees were sold at local markets and set up in homes undecorated in Germany in the 16th century.  Devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes or they built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles.  It is believed that Martin Luther, the protestant reformer, was the first to add lighted candles on the trees.

In the 19th century the Christmas tree began to appear in the United States. It was first introduced during the War of Independence by Hessian troops. Folklore reports that a Christmas tree was set up by American soldiers at Fort Dearborn, Illinois, the site of Chicago, in 1804. Most other early accounts were among the German settlers in eastern Pennsylvania. 

While Europeans used small trees, Americans preferred trees that reach from the floor to the ceiling.  Tree decorating hit a new height in the 20th century when American started using homemade ornaments. Christmas lights came shortly after electricity.

Franklin Pierce was the first president to introduce the Christmas tree to the White House in 1856 for a group of Washington Sunday School children. The first national Christmas Tree was lighted in the year 1923 on the White House lawn by President Calvin Coolidge.

In America today, Christmas trees are grown in all fifty states, including Hawaii and Alaska. The top six Christmas tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Washington & Wisconsin. The Christmas tree farm industry employs about 100,000 each year until recently, all trees came from forests. 

Here are few sites that provide do-it-yourself ornament making ideas:

Homemade Ornaments
Recycled Ornaments 

Sunday, November 25, 2012

December in Austria



In Austria, the last month of the year - Dezember - is dominated by the folk customs and traditions of the coming of Christmas. In late November Christmas Markets pop up in many communities all over Austria. Common fare includes crafts and food items like Glühwein, Maroni (roasted chestnuts) or Gebrannte Mandeln caramelised, roasted almonds with a hint of cinnamon).  
Here is an overview of some popular events:

December 4 is St. Barbara′s Day. She is the patron saint of miners. People cut branches of cherry trees and put them into a jug of water. It is believed that if they cusp and bloom by Christmas, good luck and health will be forthcoming in the next year.

December 6 is St. Nicholas′ Day. This folk hero is the Austrian counterpart to Santa Claus, although he does not bring presents. He visits children′s houses and is sometimes accompanied by a Krampus (a furry, scary creature) that can punish the naughty children.  St Nicholas traditionally brings small gifts, like fruits, nuts and some sweets.

December 24. Shops close midday and people attend a night church serve where they sing familiar carols, such as Silent Night and then celebrate at home with food and presents.  

December 26 is Boxing Day and many people will travel distances to visit relatives and exchange gifts.

December 31 is Silvester,  the day of St. Sylvester. The common tradition is to have parties and fireworks at night that bring in the New Year.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Turkey Then and Now



Yesterday's Turkey:
The turkey is known to be clan animal in some Native American cultures. Their feathers have been used in the traditional regalia of many tribes, particularly the feathered cloaks of eastern Woodland Indians like the Wampanoag and the feather headdresses of southern tribes like the Tuscarora and Catawba. The Turkey Dance, one of the most important social dances of the Caddo tribe, is associated with songs about war honors and tribal pride. Turkey dances are also found in other eastern tribes, such as the Lenape, Shawnee, and Seminoles.

In folklore, some legends portray the turkey as a wily, overly- proud trickster while others make the bird out to be shy and elusive. In parts of Mexico and the American Southwest, turkeys were domesticated and kept as food animals by some tribes, and their role in stories from these tribes is similar to chicken stories from Europe, with the birds mimicking the concerns and activities of human farmers. 

At the time of the first European contact wild turkeys were abundant because the and management skills of native people, which including burning forest undergrowth, provided a good habitat for wild turkeys (bison & elk, too). 

Ben Franklin nominated the wild turkey as a national symbol, citing the bird’s modesty, alertness, self- reliance and ability to live off the land. 

Today's Turkey: 
It's estimated that turkeys have 3,500 feathers at maturity. Some of the feathers are still used in the making of  Native American costumes and pen quills. 
Big Bird, of Sesame Street fame, is actually dressed in turkey feathers. Although he is not a turkey, his costume is made of nearly 4,000 white turkey feathers, which have been dyed bright yellow.
Turkey feather down has been used to make pillows.

More About Turkeys:
Only tom turkeys gobble.

Hen turkeys make a clicking noise.
Domesticated turkeys cannot fly.
Wild turkeys can fly for short distances up to 55 miles per hour and can run 20 miles per hour.




Monday, November 5, 2012

Paul Bunyan's Babe the Blue Ox

Here is a winter tale about a legendary American man and his companion, Babe the Blue Ox. 
And so, the story goes:
Paul Bunyan is an American folk legend. A North American lumberjack he was considered to be a giant man with tremendous strength and skills. And he was often accompanied by his animal friend, Babe the Blue Ox.


Paul Bunyan is an American folk legend. A North American lumberjack he was considered to be a giant man with tremendous strength and skills. And he was often accompanied by his animal friend, Babe the Blue Ox.

How Babe came to help Paul Bunyan:
One winter, when it was so cold that the snow turned blue, Paul Bunyan went out walking in the woods.  He heard a funny sound and looked down to see a tiny baby blue ox trying to hop about in the snow.

Paul Bunyan picked the ox up and brought it home. Warmed up by the fire, it was still as blue as the snow outside. Paul named him Babe the Blue Ox and he grew up to be very big.

Babe the Blue Ox helped out at Paul Bunyan's logging camp. Because he was strong enough to pull anything that had two ends, he was able to straighten out twisted logging roads. He also pulled the heavy tank wagon which was used to coat the newly-straightened lumber roads in the winter.

Here are some of the duo’s accomplishments
(according to legends): 
  •   The lumberjack was so fond of his four-legged companion that he formed the Great Lakes so that Babe had a large enough drinking hole.
  •  The 10,000 Lakes of Minnesota were made by the footprints Paul Bunyan and Babe left as they wandered blindly in a deep blizzard.
  • Paul Bunyan dug the Grand Canyon with an axe he dragged behind him as he walked with Babe.