Golden light is turning grey,
Mists begin to rule the day.
Bare the trees, their branches lift;
Clouds of dead leaves earthward drift.
Through the field the farmer goes,
Seeds of ripened corn he sows;
Trusts the earth will hold it warm,
Shelter it from cold and harm.
For he knows, that warmth and light
Live there, hidden from our sight;
And beneath a sheltering wing,
Deep below, new life will spring!Deep below, deep below, new life will spring!
* * * * * * * * * * *
Lantern Making session for Parents and Children
Thursday 10th November 10 to 12 at Church of Ascension - FREE!
In preparation for the Lantern Walk on Saturday 12th in Mycenae Gardens.
Inviting all families who have not had the chance to make a lantern yet.
Join Susannah and the Thursday group session as we will be making lanterns.
Hope to see you all there.
The actual day of Martinmas falls each year on the same day, St Martin's day on November 11th;
it is not commonly celebrated in the United States, or UK, but it’s such a lovely festival that I wanted to tell you all about it. I love celebrating these ‘smaller’ festivals because they have not been taken over by commercial interests, and you can really shape them to be special events for your family.
Sing and Tell StoriesWhile you make your lanterns, sing songs! A song that many people know is “This little light of mine (I’m gonna let it shine).” That’s a good one. I can’t find the songs I used to sing online, but here are a couple more that are sung on a YouTube video that you could use, sung by David Darcy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKgUFAytb2k&feature=related.
You can sing one or two songs over and over again. Children love repetition!
Between the songs, you might tell a story like this:
Lying in the meadow grass
And gazing at the autumn sky,
“Dear Father Sun,” said George out loud,
“It will be winter by and by.”
“The nights will be long, dark, and cold.
Jack Frost will freeze the ground.
How shall I find the light
With so much darkness all around?”
Said Father Sun, “I’ll give you from my
Last autumn rays, a spark,
If you will make a little house
To hold it in the dark.”
With paper, paint, some windows
And a candle it was done!
George came out and held his lantern
Up to Father Sun.
Suddenly the windows lit,
The spark was dancing bright.
Carefully,
George carried home
His lantern in the twilight.
(Now, some lantern songs):
The sunlight fast is dwindling.
My little lamp needs kindling.
It’s beam shines far in darkest night,
Dear lantern guard me with your light.
***************************************
My lantern, my lantern, shining near and far,
shining like a moon, shining like a sun,
shining like a silver star.
****************************************
Glimmer lantern glimmer, little stars a-shimmer.over meadow, moor and dale,
flitter flatter elfin vale,
pee-wit, pee-wit, tick-a-tick-a-tick, roo- coo, roo- coo
Lantern Making session for Parents and Children
Thursday 10th November 10 to 12 at Church of Ascension - FREE!
