Sunday, September 23, 2007

Autumnal Equinox on Carrot Sunday

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

So, today is the Sunday afternoon before Michaelmas. Why is this important? Carrot Sunday! Well, in Scotland women once went into the fields to pull carrots, which, when found forked, indicate fertility and good luck. The finder would then present this charm as a "suggestive" gift to the unmarried man of her choice on Michaelmas (kind of like an "Olde World" version of a Sadie Hawkins Dance). These special roots were of particular value when employed to find a suitable mate at a local Michaelmas dance (the suggestive means by which this might have been employed is up to your imagination to think up), where women hid them nearby, or even carried a few (!) into the gathering.

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