anukkah is one of the most celebrated holidays in the Jewish calendar. It’s known by some as the Festival of Light, and usually falls in December each year. Many people outside of the faith know about the traditions of lighting the menorah and giving gifts, but fewer understand the meaning behind these customs. The temple […]
Mistletoe is known to most people for its Christmas associations, but holds a long folklore of magical associations, where it is connected with healing, travel to the Underworld, and even resurrection.
At present I am tangled in brambles and ivy, steeped in acorns and oak and painting the rhythm of the air as it moves through the feathers of a raven’s wing. I am working, as ever, on a new book, The Lost Words, written by Robert MacFarlane, illustrated by me, to be published by Hamish […]
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.
From midwinter feasting at Neolithic British sites like Durrington Walls, to the Haloa of Ancient Greece and the Norse Yule celebration, humans have always needed a reminder during the depths of winter of light, community and the promise of good things to come.
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