Archive for the 'Nursery Rhymes about the Months' Category
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In April’s Sweet Month: A Nursery Rhyme
Sunday, April 5th, 2009Here’s a sweet little nursery rhyme about April, that can be found in The Only True Mother Goose Melodies (c. 1843)…
In April’s Sweet Month
Nursery RhymeIn April’s sweet month,
When the leaves ‘gin* to spring,
Little lambs skip like fairies
And birds build and sing.*begin
Enjoy the delights of Springtime!
Mama Lisa
Nursery Rhymes and Proverbs about March
Friday, March 17th, 2006March brings breezes loud and shrill,
To stir the dancing daffodil.March comes in like a lion
And goes out like a lamb.Sometimes it’s reversed…
March comes in like a lamb
And goes out like a lion.A March sun sticks
Like a lock of wool.There’s an old belief that if March is dry and dusty, there will be a better crop…
A bushel of March dust is worth a King’s ransom.
A fair March is worth a king’s ransom.
A dry March and a wet May
Fill barns and bays with corn and hay.A peck of March dust and a shower in May
Makes the corn green and the fields gay.March water is worse
Than a stain in cloath*.*That seems to be an obsolete spelling of cloth.
Here are happy ones to consider when you’re stuck inside because of the coming Spring rain…
March winds and April showers
Bring forth May flowers.And…
In beginning or in end
March its gifts will send.Be joyful, it’s almost Spring!
Lisa
Candlemas and Groundhog Day on February 2nd
Sunday, January 29th, 2006Groundhog Day, the popular American holiday, has it’s roots in the European holiday Candlemas.
Both seem to have developed from an ancient Celtic festival called Imbolc. Imbolc festivities involved lighting fires, in part in honor of Brigid, the Goddess of fertility, love and fire. Imbolc also celebrated the fact that the days would become longer and the sun stronger over the next few months.
Candlemas, Groundhog Day and Imbolc are all celebrated at the mid point between the Winter Solstice and the first day of Spring. They all involve the hope of good weather for the next 6 weeks… the remainder of winter.
I suppose this is why pancakes and crepes are the preferred foods for Candlemas… they’re round and yellow, like the longed for sun.
If you’ve ever wondered why it’s hard to remember how the weather on this day predicts the weather for the rest of the winter, it’s because all of the Candlemas and Groundhog Day sayings are counterintuitive. They say that if the weather is nice on February 2nd the rest of the winter will be colder, more severe. If the weather on the 2nd is crummy, the rest of the winter is supposed to have nice weather.
As for the groundhog, if he sees his shadow, that means it’s a sunny day on February 2nd and the myth is that the rest of the winter will be colder. So we all hope he will not see his shadow and that February 2nd will have miserable weather!
For Christians, Candlemas is the day that candles are blessed in churches. Another symbol of fire! So people put lit candles in their windows in honor of the day.
Lastly, this day is called the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary. It was believed that after giving birth women were unclean. They had to be purified 40 days after their child was born. Thus Candlemas is 40 days after Jesus was born, when Mary would have been purified.
Here are some rhymes and proverbs for Candlemas and groundhog day…
If Candlemas Day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flightIf on Candlemas Day it be shower and rain,
Winter is gone and will not come again.If Candlemas Day be damp and black,
It will carry cold winter away on its back.If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There’ll be two winters in the year.If the groundhog sees his shadow
We will have six more weeks of Winter.
If he doesn’t see his shadow,
We will have an early Spring.Groundhog Day Half your Hay
(Meaning you’d better have half of your hay left to feed the animals, because you’re only half-way through the winter)
Happy Candlemas and Happy Groundhog Day!
Lisa
A Nursery Song about New Year’s Day – “I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing By”
Saturday, December 31st, 2005I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing By
I saw three ships come sailing by,
Come sailing by, come sailing by.
I saw three ships come sailing by,
On New Year’s Day in the morning.And what do you think was in them then?
Was in them then, was in them then?
And what do you think was in them then,
On New Year’s Day in the morning?Three pretty girls were in them then,
Were in them then, were in them then.
Three pretty girls were in them then,
On New Year’s Day in the morning.And one could whistle, and one could sing,
And one could play on the violin,
Such joy there was at my wedding,
On New Year’s Day in the morning.A Couple of New Year’s Nursery Rhymes and a Quote by Ben Franklin
Saturday, December 31st, 2005Here are two old nursery rhymes related to the New Year…
He who is born on New Year’s morn
Will have his own way as sure as you were born.***
Married when the year is new,
He’ll be loving, kind and true.***
Here’s a quote from Ben Franklin about the New Year…
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
Happy New Year!
Lisa
Occitan Saying about the End of the Year
Thursday, December 29th, 2005Monique Palomares at Mama Lisa’s World en français sent me this Occitan saying about the end of the year. (Occitan was the language of the Troubadours.)…
“Per santa Luça lo jorn creis d’un pè de puça, per Nadal d’un pè de gal, per l’An Nòu d’un pè de buòu.”
“For St. Lucy, the day lengthens by a flea’s pace, for Christmas by a rooster’s pace, for New Year’s by an ox’s pace.”
Monique wrote, “…this saying was true before Pope Gregory XIII changed the calendar on October 15th 1582. At that time St. Lucy’s was on December 23th (after the solstice). On December 23rd, the sun sets 1 minute later than on December 21st. On December 25th the sun sets two minutes later and on January 1st it sets eight minutes later (at 50° North latitude).
Many thanks to Monique and Mr. Palomares for this Occitan saying.
Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Occitan Page for Occitan songs.
Some Nursery Rhymes about December, Wintertime and Christmas
Thursday, December 15th, 2005Here are some Mother Goose rhymes about December…
Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire and Christmas treat!___
When December snow falls fast,
Marry, and true love will last.___
The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor Robin do then?
Poor thing.He’ll sit in a barn,
And keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing.
Poor thing.___
More nursery rhymes about the winter season coming soon!
An Old Rhyme about Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 17th, 2005Here’s a pretty little poem about Thanksgiving…
Thanksgiving
The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest all is gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain,
So open wide the doorway …
Thanksgiving comes again!Come visit Mama Lisa’s Thanksgiving Pages with more Thanksgiving Songs, Poems, Nursery Rhymes and Recipes.
________
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