Dear Gina,
Today the headlines do not connect with the environment we are in, as Beth and I survey the lovely surroundings.
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| Upriver Pastoral |
I found some solace and, admittedly, escapism, in this sketch in the Times:
"Tonight is
Midsummer, a celebration in Sweden and Finland and other Northern European
countries that falls during the week of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer
solstice.
"In ancient
times, the festival welcomed the season of human fertility and included rituals
to assure a good harvest in the autumn.
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| Today we can fall back on ancient agrarian ritual as an escape. |
"Houses get
decorated — inside and outside — with garlands and greenery. Many people dance
and sing around a newly raised maypole and bonfires are lit to keep evil
spirits away.
"It’s a very
popular day for weddings, and it’s known as a night for romance. Girls and
young women are told to pick seven different flowers and put them under their
pillows. Then their future husbands are supposed to appear in a dream.
"Shakespeare’s
popular play 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream,' written toward the end of the 16th
century, alludes to the festive time around the summer solstice with a story of
two young couples who wander into a magical forest. It concludes with multiple
weddings.
"More than 200
years later, Felix Mendelssohn composed music to accompany performances of
Shakespeare’s play at the Prussian court. 'Wedding March,' the best-known movement in Mendelssohn’s 'Midsummer Night’s Eve,' is one of the
most popular wedding songs today." listen here
What is the world coming to...?
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| River, Take Me Away |