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reetings from Australia. 

Welcome to this Red-Letter Day. Below you will find today's global celebrations, birthdays and events.

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Carpe diem! (Seize the day!)

Pip Wilson

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Today is

On St Valentine's Day cast beans in clay
But on St Chad sow good and bad.
Huntingdonshire, England, cottagers' saying

If you feed your hens often with toasts taken out of ale, or with barley boiled, they will lay soon.
Markham, Cheap and Good Husbandry, 1613: today eggs should start being plentiful

Only death reveals what a nothing the body of man is.
Juvenal, Roman poet,  born March 2, c. 55 CE; Satires, tr. Hubert Creekmore

Remote though your farm be,
It's something to be the lord of one green lizard - and free.
Juvenal; ibid

This is his first punishment, that by the verdict of his own heart no guilty man is acquitted.
Juvenal; Satires

We should pray for a sane mind in a sound body.
Juvenal; ibid

Never does Nature say one thing and wisdom another.
Juvenal; ibid

Hold it the greatest wrong to prefer life to honour and for the sake of life to lose the reason for living.
Juvenal; ibid

A man who has nothing can whistle in a robber's face.
Juvenal; ibid

Revenge is always the joy of narrow,
Sick and petty minds.
Juvenal; ibid

Nature, in giving tears to man, confessed that he
Had a tender heart; this is our noblest quality.
Juvenal; ibid

I wish it, I command it. Let my will take the place of a reason.
Juvenal; ibid

An inveterate and incurable itch for writing besets many and grows old with their sick hearts.
Juvenal; ibid

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Who is to guard the guards themselves?)
Juvenal; ibid

Such an avalanche of words falls, that you'd say it's like pans and bells being beaten. Now no one needs trumpets or bronzes: this woman by herself can come help the Moon when she's suffering from an eclipse.
Juvenal; on a woman   Source

Now we are suffering from the evils of a long peace. Luxury, more ruthless than war, broods over Rome and takes revenge for the world she has conquered.
Juvenal;   Source

O Muse of satire, breathing fire!
Oh, come and heed my urgent call!
I do not need the thundering lyre,
Hand me the scourge of Juvenal!
Not the pedestrian imitators,
Not the penurious translators,
Nor rhymesters echoless, poor lambs,
Shall fester from my epigrams!
Alexander Pushkin (Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin; 1799 - 1837)

The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other.
Thomas Jefferson, slave owner: the importation of slaves was banned by US Congress, on this day in 1807

The best of all is, God is with us.
Last words of John Wesley, English evangelist, died on March 2, 1791

Sometimes ... when you stand face to face with someone, you cannot see his face.
Mikhail Gorbachev, USSR Premier, born on March 2, 1931

Without glasnost there is not, and there cannot be, democratism, the political creativity of the masses and their participation in management.
Mikhail Gorbachev

Surely, God on high has not refused to give us enough wisdom to find ways to bring us an improvement ... in relations between the two great nations on Earth.
Mikhail Gorbachev

Certain people in the United States are driving nails into this structure of our relationship, then cutting off the heads. So the Soviets must use their teeth to pull them out.
Mikhail Gorbachev

What we need is Star Peace and not Star Wars.
Mikhail Gorbachev

Our enemy sees us clearly .... They will not start a war. They're worried about one thing; If democracy develops here, if we succeed, we will win.
Mikhail Gorbachev

March 2 is the 61^st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (62^nd in leap years). There are 304 days remaining.
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Feast day of St Chad of Mercia (Ceadda), Bishop of Lichfield
(Dwarf cerastium, Cerastium pumilum, is today's plant, dedicated to this saint.)

St Chad of Mercia (Anglo-Saxon 'Ceadda'; d. March 2, 672) was a monk and priest in 7^th-Century England, in Mercia, one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. Ceadda was possibly derived from a pre-Christian deity of healing springs and holy wells, and the saint is the patron of such wells. His symbol was Crann Bethadh, the Tree of Life or World Tree.

Regarded as the missionary who introduced Christianity among the East Saxons, Chad was  a student of St Aidan at the Celtic monastery at Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, of which he became the bishop. He was also Bishop of Mercia and went about on foot, preaching, teaching the poorest. He travelled to Ireland as a monk, and there was ordained as a priest. 

From Wikipedia: Shortly after the Synod of Whitby in 663/4, Chad was invited to become Bishop of York by King Oswiu of Northumbria after the first choice for the position, Saint Wilfrid, failed to return from France, where he had gone in order to be consecrated to the position. In 666 Wilfrid returned from France freshly consecrated as Bishop of York, only to find Chad already occupying the same position. In 669 the Archbishop of Canterbury persuaded Chad to step down and allow Wilfred to take over; Chad stepped down gracefully.

Later that same year, King Wulfhere of Mercia requested a bishop. Impressed by Chad's humility (he refused to ride a horse, preferring to walk as Jesus had), Archbishop Theodore of Tarsus sent Chad. Under Chad, the See of Mercia was fixed at Lichfield. He was the first bishop of Mercia and Lindsey. Chad then proceeded to carry out missionary and pastoral work within the kingdom.

In old age he settled with some monks near Lichfield. Seven days before his death, a monk named Arvinus, who was outside the building in which he lay, heard music of a host of angels who attended the dying saint.

Chad became the patron saint of medicinal springs (see Sacred Springs and Wells). According to the Venerable Bede, once when Chad spoke, angelic singing descended from heaven and went into his voice for half an hour, then went back up to heaven. When he died he was attended by musical angels and his brother's soul.

He died in Stow, 700, and later his bones were 'translated' (moved) to the church of Saint Mary at Lichfield. The number of pilgrims raised it from a small village to a large town.  In his tomb there was a hole, through which pilgrims used to take out portions of the dust, which they mixed with holy water and gave to animals and humans to drink, for it could cure disease. Or, so it is said.

On the east side of the town is St Chad's Well, at the bottom of which is a stone, which they say Chad used to stand on, naked in the water, while preaching. The well, above which a shrine was erected, is supposed to cure sore eyes, among many diseases.

In 1643 the Royalists fortified Lichfield and were besieged in it on St Chad's Day by the Parliamentary troops under Lord Brooke, who prayed that if his cause were unjust he should be killed. At that moment he was killed by a shot from the church tower by a deaf and dumb man named Dyott. There is now an inscription at Lichfield:

'Twas levelled when fanatic Brooke
The fair cathedral stormed and took;
But thanks to heaven and good St Chad,
A guerdon [guardian] meet [good] the spoiler had!

It was perhaps Chad's reputation as a nature-loving saint that makes his feast day such a favourite for weather prognostication and agricultural lore.

In ecclesiastical art, St Chad is a bishop holding Lichfield Cathedral and a branch (usually a vine). He may also be depicted either holding the cathedral in the midst of a battlefield with the dead surrounding him, or with a hart leading hunters to him by a pool. Saint Chad gives his name to many churches around the Birmingham area including its Roman Catholic cathedral, St Chad's, as well as St Chad's College at the University of Durham.

"He had great qualities of mind and spirit, but greatest of all was his sense of the presence of God and the influence it had upon others, for it is said that all who met him were aware of God's glory. It was this experience, no doubt, which underlies the story that Wulfhere was so angry when his sons were converted that he slew them and, breathing fury, sought out St. Chad, but as he approached the bishop's cell a great light shone through its single window, and the king was almost blinded by its brightness …  

"… Many legends gathered round his name, and the familiar one which relates to his death reflects at least the inner beauty of his life. After two and one half years of steady, unremitting labor, when Chad came to die, his oratory was filled with the sound of music. First a laborer heard it, outside in the fields, and drew near in wonder, then ran and told others. St. Chad's followers gathered outside, and when they asked what it was, he told them that it meant that his hour had come and it was the angels calling him home. Then he gave each of them a blessing, begged them to keep together, to live in peace, and faithfully fulfill [sic] their calling. St. Chad's body simply wore out."   Source

More    More

The Celtic Tree of Life

"To the Celts, the [Celtic Tree of Life] was a source of basic sustenance – a bearer of food, a provider of shelter and fuel for cooking and warmth. Without trees, life would have been extraordinarily difficult.

"Wood from sacred trees had magickal properties, which was reflected in the Celtic Ogham alphabet, wherein each letter represents a particular sacred tree (modern Ogham divination is based on the uses and importance of these sacred trees to the Celtic people). Some trees provided food, some wood for making hunting weapons; others were sacred to the fairy-folk or to the Gods. In Celtic creation stories, trees were the ancestors of mankind, elder beings of wisdom who provided the alphabet, the calendar, and entrance to the realms of the Gods.

"Trees were also associated in the Shamanic beliefs of the Druids and other Celtic peoples with the supernatural world. Trees were a connection to the world of the spirits and the ancestors, living entities, and doorways into other worlds.

"The most sacred tree of all was the Oak tree, which represented the axis mundi, the center of the world. The Celtic name for oak, daur, is the origin of the word door – the root of the oak was literally the doorway to the Otherworld, the realm of Fairy. The word Druid, the name of the Celtic Priestly class, is compounded from the words for oak and wise – a Druid was one who was "Oak Wise," meaning learned in Tree magick and guardian or the doorway."   Source

Celtic Tree Calendar Months

(Articles evolving in the Book of Days;
tree mythology, folklore, quotes etc)

Beth  Birch  Dec 24* - Jan 20
Luis  Rowan  Jan 21 - Feb 17
Nuin/Nion  Ash Feb 18 - Mar 17
Fearn  Alder  Mar 18 - Apr 14
Saille  Willow  Apr 15 - May 12
Huath  Hawthorn  May 13 - Jun 9
Duir  Oak  Jun 10 - Jul 7
Tinne  Holly  Jul 8 - Aug 4
Coll  Hazel  Aug 5 - Sep 1
Muin  Vine  Sep 2 - 29
Gort  Ivy  Sep 30 - Oct 27
Ngetal  Reed  Oct 28 - Nov 24
Ruis  Elder  Nov 25 - Dec 22
Secret of the Unhewn Stone Dec 23

* The first date is the one with the article for the month

See also Yggdrasil, Nordic Tree of Life, and Odin, in the Scriptorium    More on the Tree of Life

St Chad lore for wells and fountains

Today, St Chad's day, is the day to clean and groom holy wells and fountains, known in Britain as well-dressing. Other days include Ascension Day, when in places such as Lichfield in England, villagers walked around the boundaries of the cathedral precinct area, carrying elm boughs and beating the eight places where wells had once been or still were present. In some places, such as Wirksworth, England, Pentecost Day was a day for well dressing.

Wells traditionally have mystical significance. Even today, wishing wells are common in parks and even may be found in shopping malls. Ancient Britain gives us many well customs. The first water drawn from a well on January 1 is supposed to  bring fortune and happiness, and is called 'the cream of the well'. It is customary to leave petals floating on the water. The wells at Wark, in Northumberland, UK, are supposed to have magical powers on New Year's Day. In Wales, drawing fresh spring water as a New Year's Day custom might have survived at the town of Tenby (a town in Pembrokeshire, west Wales) as late as the 1950s.

It was believed by the Druids of Britain that when a new spring or well bubbled up, its location was like a bridge or doorway to eternity, and eternal life that may sometimes be had by drinking of the waters there (cf, baptism). The Chalice Well, at Glastonbury, England (the Avalon of King Arthur) is one such sacred site.  More    More

Keyne, a Celtic saint who lived in the 5^th Century, was the daughter of Brychan, King of Brecknock, England. There is a quaint tradition associated with St Keyne's Well, near Liskeard, Cornwall. Folklore has it that the first spouse to drink from its waters will have the upper hand in the marriage. England's Poet laureate, Robert Southey, wrote a poem on it, The Well of St Keyne.  More

In ancient Rome, the Fontinalia festival (about October 13) honouring the freshwater goddesses, the Camenae, who were oracular water-nymphs, was a time in which holy wells and springs were garlanded and venerated. May 4 in Roman times was the day of venerating the hawthorn tree, sacred to the Good Goddess (Bona Dea). It is also called the may tree and white thorn. These are holy bushes and trees, associated with sacred wells and shrines and on such days will have ribbons tied to them.

More on sacred springs and wells

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First Tuesday in March Town Meeting Day, Vermont, USA.   On the dating of items in the Almanac First Tuesday in March Old English custom: to conjure the moon, to lie upon back, with laurel leaves blocking the ears. Festival of the god Mars, ancient Rome (Mar 1 - 19) Feast day of St Angela of the Cross Guerrero Feast day of St Basileus Feast day of St Charles the Good, Earl of Flanders, martyr Feast day of St Cynibild Feast day of St Henry Suso Feast day of St Heraclius Feast day of St Joavan, or Joevin, bishop in Armorica Feast day of St John Maron Feast day of St Jovinus Feast day of St Luke Casali Feast day of the Martyrs under Alexander Click for Eastern Orthodox liturgical days    Shop saints Sounkyo Ice Festival, Sounkyo Onsen (spa), Hokkaido, Japan (Jan 29 - Mar 5) Awashima Jinja Grand Festival, Uto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan (Mar 1 - 3) Todai-ji Shunie, Tōdai-ji temple, Nara, Japan, (Mar 1 - 14) Holy Wells Day Time of the Old Woman, Morocco (Feb 25 - Mar 4) Feast of 'Alá (Loftiness), Bahá'í Faith; First day of the 19th month of the Bahá'í Calendar Beginning of the Fast, Bahá'í Faith; sunrise to sunset fast for 19 days Mother March, Bulgaria "Women do no work on this day, or the Goddess will send storms to destroy instead of rains to nourish." Source: The Phoenix and Arabeth 1992 Calendar "March is the only female month of the year in the Bulgarian calendar." (Stein, Diane, The Goddess Book of Days, Llewellyn Publications, St Paul Minnesota, 1989). Stein identifies today with world goddesses Yemaya, Oya, Kwan Yin, Chalchiuhtlique, Isis, Tonantzin, Erzulie, Mawu, Iduna, Demeter, Spider Woman. Independence Day, Morocco Holiday commemorating the termination of the Treaty of Fez and establishment of sovereignty on March 2, 1956. Ruth W Gregory, Anniversaries and Holidays, American Library Association, Chicago, 1983, p. 32 Peasants' Day, Myanmar (Burma) Public holiday; features meetings of representatives of the Peasants' Council; a part of a one-week educational and cultural event. Gregory; ibid Victory of Aduwa Day, Ethiopia Commemorates victory over Italian forces in the 1896 Italian-Ethiopian conflict, resulting in the Treaty of Addis Ababa and the recognition of Ethiopia's independence. Gregory; ibid Texas Independence Day Anniversary of the declaration of independence from Mexico in 1836; a legal holiday; the first day of Texas Week; also Sam Houston's birthday (see above) 1793 - first president of the Republic of Texas. Gregory; ibid Hime-no-Miya, Oagata-jinja shrine near Inuyama, Honshu, Japan (dates vary; first two Sundays in March) On the first two Sundays in March, the Japanese celebrate the Izanami, the mother goddess of Japan. Her temple at the Oagata-jinja shrine near Inuyama in central Honshu features large cleft rocks, huge clamshells and other sacred items that resemble female genitalia. At her festival, worshippers carry these items through the streets in procession. Anneli Rufus, The World Holiday Book: Celebrations for every day of the year, Harper San Francisco, 1994       c. 55 CE (Date uncertain.) Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis, Latin satirical poet known as Juvenal. Little is known about his life, and most of the early biographies are fictitious.  However, it is known he spent time in the military and ended his life in exile for having criticised a popular stage performer, a favourite of the emperor Domitian. He is best known for coining the phrase 'panem et circenses' ('bread and circuses') which describes the primary pursuits of the Roman populace, and is applied to modern political agendas for the public – governments giving the people entertainments and big displays, fancy buildings, and so on, in order to distract them from such things as war and economic problems. "His verse established a model for the satire of indignation … Little is known about his life except that during much of it he was desperately poor. A tradition tells that as a youth he was banished from court for satirizing an imperial favorite; later his work reveals a deep hatred for the Emperor Domitian. He is known chiefly for his 16 satires, which contain a vivid representation of life in Rome under the empire."   Source More on Juvenal     1316 King Robert II of Scotland (d. 1390)<