Candlemas

Candlemas on February 2nd marks the end of the old forty day Christmas period, along with being the halfway point of Winter.

It commemorates the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple, in accordance with Jewish tradition of the time. Any Christmas greenery that may still be up in the house, had to be down by Candlemas Eve. Not to do so was thought to invite all sorts of bad luck into the household.

It's also the day when some people predicted weather patterns. Farmers believed that the remainder of winter would be the opposite of whatever the weather was like on Candlemas Day.

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas bring clouds and rain,
Go winter, and come not again.

So if the sun cast a shadow on Candlemas day, more winter was on the way; if there was no shadow, winter was thought to be ending soon. This practice led to the folklore behind Groundhog Day, which coincidentally falls on Candlemas!

Thanks to the Old Farmer's Almanac and Churchyear.Net for the info.

Click Groundhog Day (above) to go to the official website of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club

The Wolfman

I thought I'd revive this post from last year as the new Wolfman movie is FINALLY out in the U.K., February 10th! The film's release was put back three months to add more scenes, previews look good too so here's to hoping!

The Hollow Spotlight

Today I would like to spotlight one amazing yard haunt, The Davis Graveyard, in Milwaukie, Minn. U.S.A. The owners take Halloween to a whole new level with one of the most professional looking yard haunts I've ever seen. Award-winning dedication? You better believe it!

Please pop over to Frog on the Pumpkin to see the 2009 Davis Graveyard Haunt Video. While you're there, go to the Davis Graveyard website.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch the video again!

Seeing Out January

It may seem like Christmas 2009 was only days ago, but here we are coming up on the end of the first month of 2010. Here's a couple of noteworthy dates to close out a frosty January;

St Vincent's Day - January 22nd

The inspiration for all sorts of weather lore, St Vincent is the patron saint of both winemakers and tipplers. Grape vines were not to be pruned on his feast day. What happened if you did I've not been able to find out. Know a grape grower who'd be interested in challenging this one?

Burn's Night - January 25th

Still a popular date in Scotland, the birthday of one of Scotland's most famous sons, poet Robert Burns, is celebrated around the globe. See Scotland.org for loads of great information!


Thanks to The Old Farmer's Almanac for the date info.

Post Share & A Giveaway!

I'm always happy to promote the contests offered by all the wonderfully talented craftsfolk out there. This latest one came to me via my friend Becky at Purple Sparkle Crafts.

The giveaway is by Annie, owner of Birdcages & Butterflies. Please pop by her gorgeous site and see the work she does. While you're there, read the contest rules and post for a chance to win.

Good luck!

Ali

The Hollow Spotlight

A new feature on Holiday Hollow is "Spotlight", where I will showcase seasonal blogs and sites that I think you'd enjoy visiting too. Spread the luv!

I recently found this wonderful Autumn themed blog called The Halloween Tree.

Original artwork, poems and highly enjoyable posts make this blog by Wendy Amdahl a real "treat" for the senses. Her blog's dedication, "to the Autumn people who would willingly chose to live in perpetual Autumn if we could only figure out how.", beautifully sums up how many of us feel about this very special time of year.

Thank you Wendy!

Back In Black

I just couldn't stay away! The Hollow is back online with a new look and direction.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and all the best for 2010!

Ali