birth folklore – #FolkloreThursday

Food & New Beginnings: How We Celebrate by Eating Circles

January 2, 2020 by Madeleine D’Este

We humans, love to eat and we love to celebrate with food, from weddings to birthdays to a Sunday family lunch. Whilst our customs might be different, all around the world we celebrate new beginnings, whether that is a new year, a new marriage or a new baby. And while the food we serve to celebrate new beginnings may be slightly different in our own corner of the globe, there seems to be a universal theme in the type of food we eat. We celebrate the new with circular-shaped food.

Putting Their Faith in the Fairies: BBC Northern Ireland’s Fascination with the ‘Wee Folk’

January 25, 2018 by Portia Ellis-Woods

Fairies were frequently blamed in Irish culture for events out of the ordinary or scenarios that were difficult to explain. An interest, curiosity, and belief in the fairies also holds an association with Irish cultural identity.

The Fairy Midwife and the Magic Ointment

July 13, 2017 by Melanie Warren

An old woman in the cottage gave the midwife a box of ointment and asked her to anoint the baby all over, but to not get any of the ointment in her own eyes.