Celebrations . . .
. . . without them most of us would have no traditions or joyous occasions. And, whether it is a public holiday like Labor Day, a religious holiday such as All Souls Day (Day of the Dead), Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan or Diwali (Indian Festival of Lights, October 25th), or personal -- weddings and births, we celebrate with (among other ways) food and decoration.
We will be building what we expect to be a full calendar of celebrations throughout the entire year. The wealth of family origins brings not only culture, but gardening, cooking and more celebrations. We want to embrace this wonderful melting pot we call America, and celebrate all the richness we all have to offer.
Little by little we will be building this calendar of celebrations, so come back and visit often to see what has been added.
There will be history, traditions and of course food, with a special emphasis on herbs to complete the theme. Herbs have been associated with celebrations for thousands of years, many originating with harvest time festivals and celebrations, in addition to religious, public and private, and so . . .
. . . WE INVITE and welcome your contributions to these pages. To make this a fun project, we are instituting our first ever CONTEST! CONTEST RULES:
Contest will run for 10 weeks, beginning November 2 (first drawing is November 7th)
Each Monday a winner will be drawn, notified and their name posted on this page (if you are bashful you can elect to be Herb Anonymous Week One, etc.)
Only ONE entry per person (other entries will be DELETED) and we need your answer, your email and your name. No fair using automated entries--they will be deleted! Open to USA and Canada only this time.
Send an email to info at herbs2u dot com - in the subject line you must put "Herbal Celebrations Contest" - if you are an Old Fashioned Living subscriber please add "OFL" to the subject line.
TO ENTER: Send a tradition and/or recipe associated with a specific holiday or celebration, which occurs between October 1 and through mid-January (100 Days of Celebrations), or one associated with weddings or births.
The tradition/recipe should use at least 1 or 2 edible herbs or flowers. Each week we will select 1 winner who will receive a package of one of our flavorful Herb Blends and credit on the holiday page for their contribution. If the celebration is not well known in the USA, please include some historical information on it and the significance of the herb(s) or flower(s).
Honorable Mention will be given to those submitting the first listing of a tradition or recipe. NEED SOME EXAMPLES? THANKSGIVING: A roasted turkey with a dressing made of herbs is a classic example of using herbs both for flavoring and with a purpose. Like many of the aromatic herbs Sage is a digestive aid. But more than that it was discovered during the middle ages in England that Sage was particularly useful in the digestion of the very fatty meats which were a normal part of the huge meals they partook of - much like our current love affair with our sumptuous Thanksgiving Dinners. The rest of the usual poultry seasoning: thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram (our Private Blend "PoultryPlus" also includes ginger) all also aid in the digestion. So pass the turkey but always include the Sage! BITTER HERBS: Used in Jewish feast dinners, bitter herbs remind them of the bitterness of their slavery under Egyptian rule. Historically the bitter herbs were chicory, dandelion, endive, lettuce, sheep sorrel, watercress and by association Rocket (arugula). Again all these herbs are digestive aids, contain high amounts of Vitamin C and even calcium. RAMADAN: During this feast of Islam special desserts and teas are prepared with Hibiscus Flowers or Rose Flower Water (and rose essence is also used as a perfume). Aside from their special attributes for desserts, Hibiscus Flowers contain high amounts of Vitamin C and Rose Flowers are an uplifting and rejuvenating fragrance. CHRISTMAS: Rosemary and Lavender have long been associated with Christmas. Legend says that during their flight to Egypt, Mary and Joseph stopped to rest and Mary spread her cloak on Lavender and Rosemary bushes. As a result Lavender was given its beautiful fragrance and Rosemary's originally white flowers were turned to blue.
Click on the links below for available celebration info (remember - we are in the process of building these so new information will be added regularly). P.S. if the link is not operating there is no info in that area as yet.WEDDINGS: BIRTHS:
SEPTEMBER: OCTOBER: NOVEMBER:
DECEMBER: JANUARY: FEBRUARY: MARCH: APRIL: MAY: JUNE: JULY: AUGUST: Click here for contest winner information If you are not familiar with the incredible art of Jackie Lawson's e-cards click on the link below. Beautiful, fun, soothing are just some of the words I use to describe her work. 
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