Once Around the Sun

Seasonal teaching tales from around the world, designed to be read aloud to children of all ages, and accompanied by recipes and crafts to enliven the learning. With illustrations and a pronunciation guide.

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An illustrated collection of stories and activities to celebrate traditional Pagan festivals and the changing of the seasons • Shares original stories, based on traditional folktales and designed to be read out loud, for each festival, such as Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Beltaine, Lughnasad, the solstices, and the equinoxes • Includes traditional games, hands-on projects special to each holiday, and seasonal recipes to enjoy the tastes and smells of each feast day • Discusses the sacred symbolism, magical lore, and cultural practices within each story and the healing and magical uses for the trees and flowers featured Once upon a time, when only candles lit the inside of homes and people traveled on foot or by horse, the family would finish their supper, wash and dry the dishes, and sit down before the hearth to hear a tale. These tales were not only entertaining but also passed down both history and tradition to the next generation. And as the wheel of the year turned, these tales also served to teach the children about the holy days and festivals of the Pagan calendar and the Gods and Goddesses who reigned over the changing seasons. In this beautifully illustrated book, Ellen Evert Hopman shares rich stories drawn from traditional folktales, hands-on crafts, and seasonal recipes to help families and classrooms learn about and celebrate the traditional Pagan holy days and festivals of the sacred earth year. Designed to be read out loud, the stories are complemented with pronunciation guides and translations for foreign words. You will learn of the Cailleach, the ancient Goddess of winter; La Befana, the Italian new year’s witch; Eostre, the Goddess of spring; Wianki, the Polish feast of wreaths at midsummer; Yule among the Vikings; Garlic Sunday; and many other deities and celebrations. For each story, the author includes traditional games, hands-on projects special to the holiday--from crafting magical wands, runes, and brooms to flower crowns, Brighid’s Crosses, and corn dollies--as well as seasonal recipes, allowing families to enjoy the tastes, smells, and sounds associated with the feast days and celebrations.