Nativity of the Mother of God

This icon of the Nativity of the Mother of God (see the baby in the cradle in the center of the bottom row of the icon) was painted in Lebanon in 1702.

This icon of the Nativity of the Mother of God (see the baby in the cradle in the center of the bottom row of the icon) was painted in Lebanon in 1702.

A feast in honor of Mary’s birth seems to have been held in Syria and Palestine in the sixth century. This celebration was accepted and adopted by the Roman Church at the end of the seventh century. It spread very slowly through the rest of Europe but by the twelfth century, it was observed throughout both Western and Eastern Europe as one of the major feasts of Mary. It remained a holyday of obligation among Roman Catholics until 1918.

In many places of central and eastern Europe the Feast of Mary’s Nativity is traditionally connected with ancient thanksgiving customs and celebrations. The day itself marks the end of the summer in popular reckoning; September 8 marks the beginning of “after-summer” and the start of the fall planting season. A blessing of the harvest and of the seed grains for the winter crops is performed in many churches.

In central and northern Europe, according to ancient belief, September 8 is also the day on which the swallows leave for the sunny skies of the South.

In the Alps the “down-driving” (Abtrieb) begins on September 8. Cattle and sheep leave their summer pastures on the high mountain slopes where they have roamed for months, and descend in long caravans to the valleys to take up their winter quarters in the warm stables. The animals at the front of the procession wear elaborate decorations of flowers and ribbons; the rest carry branches of evergreen between their horns and little bells around their necks. The shepherds and other caretakers accompany the procession, dressed in all their finery and decorated with Alpine flowers, yodeling, and cracking whips to provoke a multiple echo from the surrounding mountain cliffs. Arriving at the bottom of the valley in the evening, they find the whole village or town awaiting them in a festive mood. Ample fodder is served to the cattle in the stables, and a banquet unites the family and farm hands in each house. In some sections of Austria all the milk obtained on Drive-Down Day is given to the poor in honor of our Lady, together with the meat, bread, and pastries left over from the feast in the evening.

If, however, the farmer who owns the cattle or one of the Sennen has died during the summer, the “downdriving” is performed without decorations and in silence. Each animal then wears a mourning wreath of purple or black crepe.

In the wine-growing sections of France, September 8 is the day of the grape harvest festival. The owners of vineyards bring their best grapes to church to have them blessed, and afterward tie some of them to the hands of the statue of the Virgin. The Feast of Mary’s Nativity is called “Our Lady of the Grape Harvest” in those sections, and a festive meal is held at which the first grapes of the new harvest are consumed.

Near Record Set! 2nd Most Visited Day

We had the second-most visits ever on Friday, May 1, 2015! HUZZAH!

We had the second-most visits ever on Friday, May 1, 2015! HUZZAH!

I was flabbergasted! I checked on the statistics for this site last week — who doesn’t like to know how often people are checking in and reading something you have to say? — and guess what? There were 135 visits to the site on Friday, May 1! That is the second most busy day we have ever had here at stephenmorrisauthor.com! The most popular post on May 1 was the one featuring the Lily of the Valley, the Folkloric “flower of the month” for May.

Another surprise was that 100+ of those visits on May 1 were from readers in France! 🙂

What was the #1 most busy day, you might wonder? That was April 4, 2014 when we had 145 visits — only 10 more visits than last week! The most popular post on that day was the one about Emerald, the traditional birthstone/gem of May. May folklore certainly seems to be popular! (These two posts are generally among the most popular in the archives here but the daily visits rarely reach into the stratospheric heights recorded on April 4 last year and May 1 last week!

I also discovered last week that there are 78 readers who follow my blog through the Goodreads website. (That’s in addition to the 400+ readers who follow the blog via Facebook.) It was great to see how many people follow the blog through so many different venues. I’m amazed!