Great cold (daikan)

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Great Cold (daikan)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Late Winter, around January 20
***** Category: Heaven

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Explanation

Great Cold, daikan, taikan 大寒
"Coldest Day" kan no hi 寒の日

According to the Asian lunar calendar, the 20th day of the first lunar month is one of the coldest days.
Now re-located in January, but it should be February.

(The adaption of the Gregorian calendar had its problems for the haiku poets.)

January here stands for "the first lunar month".

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Photo by Gabi Greve
- Cold Winter Morning -

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quote
January is also the extremely cold season in a year.
Shookan (less cold) fall on the 15th day after Touji (> winter solstice). It is on about January the 6th. Kan (cold season) continues from Shoukan to the day before of Risshun(the first day of spring).

So we refer to the period of these 30 days as Kan-no-uchi (midwinter)
from Kan-no-iri(beginning of midwinter) to
Kan-ake (the end of cold season).

Daikan(great cold) is on the 15th day, around January 20th after Shoukan. It is by far the coldest through the year.
It is wrong to refer to these 15 days between Shoukan and Daikan as Shoukan. Either Shoukan or Daikan shows only one day of the twenty four designated seasonal days, so now let's learn correctly how to use each word.
Inahata Teiko
http://www.kyoshi.or.jp/12month/12month-1.htm

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Contribution of Larry Bole

"Taikan Misogi" 大寒禊
3 days around 20 January
Kasuga Jinja, Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture

Held on what is decreed to be the coldest day of the year.
Participants soak themselves in a bath of cold water before hot drinks and porridge. Said to ward off colds in the coming year.
http://www.japanvisitor.com/


There is something similar in England:

"January 13th: St Hilary's Day:
In 1205 there was a terrible frost across many of the English counties, and after that time St Hilary's Day became known as the coldest day of the year in popular lore."
http://www.gardenhistoryinfo.com/medieval/medtime02.html

and also:

"There is an old belief in Yorkshire that January 14, the feast of St Hilary, is the coldest day of the year.

Although there is little evidence to support this, January has produced some extremely cold weather over the centuries and it is widely believed that this regularly occurs about three weeks after the winter solstice.

Not only is St Hilary's Day supposed to be the coldest of the year, but January is also reckoned to be our coldest month. It has certainly included some spectacularly chilly events - until the middle of the 18th century, for example, it was common for the River Thames in London to be frozen over, sometimes with markets, fairs [known as 'Frost Fairs'] and skating taking place on the thick ice.
Similarly, rivers and ponds across England were also frozen, with the ice being strong enough to support skaters, and this sort of cold weather occurred in fairly recent times."
http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/


Some "coldest day of the year" haiku I found:

coldest day of the year -
the moon lifts the tide
to overflowing

-Hoshika Katsumi, age 75, male
http://www.ecf.or.jp/shiki/2001/100haiku-e.html


coldest day of the year
the lone skater laps
his breath

-George Swede
http://www.terebess.hu/english/usa/swede.html

Compiled by Larry Bole
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cherrypoetryclub/message/29943

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The Asian Lunar Calendar.
Our Haiku Reference


kan no iri 寒の入 (かんのいり) "cold period begins"

kan no uchi 寒の内 (かんのうち)
"within the cold period"

kan doyoo 寒土用 (かんどよう) doyoo period of the cold


and a few more kigo :

. Cold in late winter .


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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

The School of the Seasons, a treasure trove
http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/archives.html

Signs of the Season: Winter
January Calendar & Holidays

by Waverly Fitzgerald

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HAIKU

Daikan ya nagarete mune ni hibiku kyoku

Great Cold Day
music floats
through my mind
(Tr. Etsuko Yanagibori and Gabi Greve)

Hakyo Ishida
http://www.lib.ehime-u.ac.jp/KUHI/ENG/hakyoeng.html


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kan no hi ni iku tabi kawaru umi no iro

Coldest Day !
changing all the time
the color of the sea
(Tr.Etsuko Yanagibori and Gabi Greve)

Heinosuke Gosho 五所平之助
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/heinosuke-gosho/


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coldest day -
an eagle's head
above the mist

Cindy Zackowitz

Winter Haiku by Cindy
http://www.tempslibres.org/cindy/en/idxhiver.html


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great cold day
even thoughts frozen
except for one

Great Cold Day
the face burned
by frosty wind

- Shared by Gennady Nov
Joys of Japan, March 2012


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great cold day
forefeels the approach
of the sakura front

- Shared by Hideo Suzuki
Joys of Japan, March 2012

sakura front, sakura zensen 桜前線, the way how cherry blossoms start in Okinawa and work their way up north, until the front reaches Hokkaido. It takes about two months and is in the daily news.


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Related words

***** January

***** . Heaven in Winter ... SAIJIKI .



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Grape Festival (Winzerfest)

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Grape Festival
Wine Festival (German : Winzerfest)

***** Location: Europe
***** Season: Mid-Autumn
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

First read about the grapes and the grape harvest .


In most contries of Europe, the autumnal grape harvest is preceeded by a grape festival or wine festival. The old barrels have to get empty and make space for the new wine... so in some areas, more than a week of rural festivities are celebrated.
Words like new wine, wine queen, wine parade and so forth are all kigo in this category.

In my hometown in Bensheim, a wine-growing area along the river Rhine valley, there was almost a week of festivities, with a small separate village erected around the market place (Winzerdorf). Every night for 10 days, there is dance and merrymaking, eating and of course drinking the old wine.

Gabi Greve

Bergsträßer Winzerfest in Bensheim
Das Winzerfest
http://www.buergergarde-neuhausen.de/html/winzerfest_bensheim.html
http://www.bensheim.de/


http://www.trachtenkapelle-lindenfels.de/20041.htm


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Worldwide use

China

Traubenfest in Xinjiang Grape Festival in Lüyou Guangchang, with the Uigurs.

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France

FETE DE VENDANGES, OUVEILLAN, AUDE, SOUTH OF FRANCE



The Fête de Vendanges is a wonderful weekend of festivities, parades, craftsmen and craftswomen plying their trade, folklore, and music, in the village of Ouveillan, about 15 kms from Narbonne, and a similar distance from Beziers.

BACKGROUND
The Fête de Vendanges, of Wine and Crafts takes place every year in Ouveillan in October. It continues an old and much loved custom of the Languedoc.

It was called "Dius oc vol" "Se Dius lo vol" or "Se Dius va vol", (What God wanted) - an expression that indicates a harvest feast at the end of the agricultural year. That marked a rite that was lost around about the last war. It was rediscovered in Languedoc: Aude, Arige, Tarn, Rouergue. It was a farewell to when the harvest was finished, a way to express thanks to fellow workers, and to enjoy a year that God had blessed. Towards the end of the harvest it was customary to work at a frantic speed "nos donaran pas solament lo temps de pissar" . Then there was the dinner: solenca, proferta sarda ou acabaira, a great feast offered to laborers, under a shelter or in the cart shed. It was the time for cassoulet with sausage and salt, poultry, legs of mutton. ..and wine. Afterwards during dessert everyone drank heartily of "brlot" - burnt brandy with sugar in large glasses.

Everyone was lively, ate more than they should, belched noisily (as was the polite custom to render homage to the generosity of the host) and sang. Singing was then a shout of triumph, - beautiful, free with a wonderful resonance. The peasant enjoyed himself fully, knowing after much work that this was the time to eat and drink to the full.

At this time, a drinking song was sung. It was popular because of its well chosen words, tone, the accompaniment of table banging, and stamping of feet, with a rhythm, and an energy that made glasses jump and dishes to break, finishing of course with shouts for more to drink!

http://www.le-guide.com/ouveillan/

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Germany and Swizerland

Winzerfest. Weinfest. Traubenfest, Winzerumzug, Winzerfestzug, Weinkönigin.

Vintners' festivals exist in many German and Swiss wine producing towns and villages. In both countries, these festivals bring the whole community together to celebrate work well done and accomplished, and can also be enjoyable fund-raising events, serving some community purpose -- e.g. in Efringen-Kirchen (Germany), towards new church bells and post-War rebuilding, in Döttingen (Switzerland), a donation to a children's home.

Isabelle Prondzynski

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Winzerfest in Efringen-Kirchen

Das erste Winzerfest in Efringen-Kirchen fand 1950 bei der Turnhalle in der Nähe des Nikolaus-Däublin-Wegs statt. Es wurde gefeiert, um Geld für neue Kirchenglocken sowie den Wiederaufbau der durch den Krieg zerstörten Häuser zu sammeln. Damals wurde das Fest von der Gemeinde, den Gesangvereinen, vom Handorgelverein und dem Musikverein organisiert.

http://www.winzerfest-efringen-kirchen.de/

Look at some photos
http://www.winzerfest-efringen-kirchen.de/31332.html

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Döttingen (Switzerland)

Der alljährliche Döttinger Winzerumzug erfreut sich einer langjährigen Tradition.
http://www.winzerfest.ch/main.asp?nav=1


http://www.winzerfest.ch/past/detail.asp?nav=6100&ID=40851&folder=28&event=27

Another typical scene :
http://www.winzerfest.ch/past/photos.asp?nav=6100&folder=28&event=27

Look at more photos from past years:
http://www.winzerfest.ch/past/photos.asp?nav=6100

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Italy

THE TUSCAN GRAPE FESTIVAL !
Have you ever taken part in a vintage?
Even so in the gorgeous Etruscan Valley of Tuscany?
We herewith would like to invite you to experience a very special vintage with real Tuscan flair!
http://www.urlaubtoscana.de/engl/vintage_tuscany.html

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North America

Traubenfest - Grape Festival - Cleveland, Ohio

The event is being sponsored by the Cleveland Saxon Dance Group. Enjoy a delicious schnitzel dinner, Dobos torte for dessert. Performances by the Youngstown Saxon Culture Group and the Cleveland Saxon Dance Group. Enjoy the show and then dance all night to the sounds of Bergvagabunden. Participate in the tradition of "Grape Stealing."

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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


harvesting grapes -
how soon a good wine
turns vinegar

Gabi Greve


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a stillness of grapes
awaiting the glass --
tractor now silent

Anthony Tidswell
http://www.fblog.com/?q=node/view/257

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along the fence
tasting a grape
from each vine

Michael Baribeau


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Related words

***** Grapes and Grape Harvest, Vendanges
budoo (Japan)


***** Harvest Thanksgiving (Europe)


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Grebe Bird

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Grebe (Podiceps family of Birds)

***** Location: South Central Alaska
***** Season: All Summer in Alaska, Winter in Japan
***** Category: Animal

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Explanation

Grebe (Podiceps family of Birds)

kaitsuburi, nio カイツブリ　ニオ

A migratory water bird which lives in Alaska from May to late September.

Red-necked Grebe 　
Podiceps grisegena

Description
18-20" (46-51 cm). A slender bird and, in the East, the largest regularly occurring grebe. In breeding plumage, has rufous neck, black cap, whitish cheeks, and long, pointed yellowish bill. In winter, mainly gray, with paler cheeks, pale (not necessarily yellow) bill. In flight, distinguished from loons by its smaller size and white wing patches.

Habitat
Ponds and lakes in summer; large lakes, coastal bays, and estuaries in winter and migration.

Nesting
4 or 5 bluish-white eggs, stained brown, on a floating mass of dead reeds and grass in reedy lakes. Rarely nests in colonies.

Range
Breeds from Alaska and northern Canada south to Oregon, Idaho, Ontario, and southern Minnesota; rarely east to southern Quebec. Winters south along coasts to southern California and Georgia, rarely to Florida. Also in Eurasia.

Voice
Usually silent. On breeding grounds, a variety of squeaks, growls, and wailing calls.

Discussion
Highly aquatic, grebes can swim with only their heads above water, concealing themselves in low pond vegetation. The young, handsomely striped in black and white, are often seen riding on the parents' backs. Like loons, grebes are expert divers, propelling themselves with their lobed toes as they pursue fish, crustaceans, and aquatic insects.
http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesIMG.asp?imageID=17006


Click on the photo to see more !

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The Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps
is a species of the grebe family of water birds. Since the Atitlán Grebe, Podilymbus gigas, has become extinct, it is the sole extant member of the genus Podilymbus.

The Pied-billed Grebe breeds in south-central Canada, throughout the United States, Central America, the Caribbean, and temperate South America.

Pied-billed Grebes feed mainly on aquatic invertebrates, and also on small fish and amphibians (frogs, tadpoles). Pied-billed Grebes have been shown to eat their own feathers to aid in digestion (prevent injury from small bones).
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Worldwide use

The grebes are an ancient family going back 80 million years, well-represented in the fossil record, and not closely related to any other birds. They are adapted for diving, with legs set well back on the body and toes lobed. They spend virtually all their time in the water and are very ungainly on land, even when just turning eggs at an anchored nest of floating vegetation. The highly migratory northern hemisphere species, like the Horned Grebe, are brightly feathered in summer but become plain dark-and-white in winter. More sedentary birds, such as the Pied-billed Grebe, wear more similar plumages throughout the year.

Tropical grebes tend to be small and dark, from the Australasian Little Grebe of Australia & New Guinea to the Least Grebe of the American neotropics.

For pictures see this LINK.
http://www.montereybay.com/creagrus/grebes.html

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Japan

Kaitsuburi かいつぶり　(or the reading of nio to make it shorter for counting 5-7-5) is a
kigo for winter.

Nio no su, the floating nest of the grebe at Lake Biwa and other lakes, is seen in spring (May), as in the following haiku by Basho. They are found so often and in great numbers, so the Lake is called “Nio no umi”, “Sea of the Grebe”.

１６８７年（貞享４年）の夏、芭蕉は江戸にあって二度目の長旅を計画していた。再び関西をめぐる「笈の小文」の旅である。こころは既に近江にあった。琵琶湖の葦の根本に作る鳰（にお）の巣でも見に行ってみようかと、友に旅の計画を打ち明けた。鳰はカイツブリのことで琵琶湖に多く棲息する。よって琵琶湖のことを「鳰の海」という。葦と鳰をみるには近江八幡の水郷がよい。　　

五月雨に 鳰の浮巣を 見にゆかん
samidare ni nio no ukisu o mi ni yukan

in the rain of the fifth month
let us go and see
the nest of the grebe
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Matsuo Basho
(This is the fifth lunar month, now June, the rainy season in Japan.)




四方より　花吹き入れて　におの海
shihoo yori hana fuki-irete nio no umi
Basho

from all directions
cherry petals blown in
the Sea of the Grebe
(Tr. Gabi Greve)
http://www.takase.com/Haiku/HaikuSource01.htm


Genju-An no ki (The Hut of the Phantom Dwelling)
by Matsuo Basho

I too gave up city life some ten years ago, and now I'm approaching fifty. I'm like a bagworm that's lost its bag, a snail without its shell. I've tanned my face in the hot sun of Kisakata in Ou, and bruised my heels on the rough beaches of the northern sea, where tall dunes make walking so hard. And now this year here I am drifting by the waves of Lake Biwa.

The grebe attaches its floating nest to a single strand of reed, counting on the reed to keep it from washing away in the current. With a similar thought, I mended the thatch on the eaves of the hut, patched up the gaps in the fence, and at the beginning of the fourth month, the first month of summer, moved in for what I thought would be no more than a brief stay. Now, though, I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever want to leave.
http://terebess.hu/english/haiku/basho1.html


Matsuo Basho -
. - Oomi 近江 89 poems written in Omi, Shiga - .


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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .


水鳥よ今のうき世に寝ぼけるな
mizudori yo ima no ukiyo ni nebokeru na
mizu-tori yo

hey water birds,
in today's floating world
you've gotta stay wide awake!
Tr. Chris Drake

This humorous winter hokku was written in the 12th month (January) of 1815, when Issa had returned to Edo from his hometown for a visit. In it Issa refers to two meanings of "floating world": 1) the world of the migrating ducks, geese, and other water birds who spend the winter floating on the ponds, lakes, rivers, and bays of Japan, and 2) "today's" floating world (ukiyo 浮世), the material world of economic concerns and momentary but precious pleasures, entertainments, and interests.

The big city of Edo, where Issa is staying now, is the center of "today's" life- and pleasure-affirming floating world, whose culture can still be seen as portrayed in many woodblock color prints -- known as ukiyo-e, "floating world pictures" -- of various aspects of worldly commoner life. The word "today's" contrasts this commoner-centered, change-affirming floating world (ukiyo) with the traditional Buddhist view of the world as a place of transience and sorrow (also ukiyo, but one of the characters is different) that was predominant in the medieval period. Issa's True Pure Land school of Buddhism is also more affirmative of the material floating world than many of the older schools of Buddhism, and Issa does not seem to be denying this contemporary world and asserting the superiority of the older medieval belief that the world is full of change and sorrow. At the same time, Issa was critical of many aspects of contemporary life in Edo.

The hokku is in the form of direct address to the water birds, so Issa is probably near one of the many ponds, canals, or rivers running through Edo that generally didn't freeze over in winter. Since the birds have flown south for the winter, Issa may assume they are naive and don't know much about "today's floating world" in Edo very well. As a former country boy who came to Edo and gradually learned about life there the hard way, Issa seems to want to give them some helpful advice. The birds are apparently napping or drowsy when Issa sees them, so he tells them to wake up. If they don't keep their eyes wide open, there are all sorts of people in the contemporary floating world who are just waiting to con and deceive them into buying all sorts of nice things and engaging in all sorts of interesting but expensive activities.

In Edo the word 'duck' also referred to humans and meant 'sucker, chump, pushover,' and Issa's warning is obviously aimed at more than the wintering birds only. Still, though Issa is talking mainly to human readers, he no doubt tries to wake up the water birds as well, since, although hunting was forbidden to commoners in Edo, duck and goose meat were considered a delicacy if you could get them.

Chris Drake



Matsuo Basho and
. - ukiyo 浮世 floating world - .

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the upturned edges
of lily pads –
grebe calls

Cindy Zackowitz
(unpublished)

a shadow drifts
across the pond-
the grebe's tucked head

Cindy Zackowitz
http://haiku.cc.ehime-u.ac.jp/~shiki/shiki.archive/html/9805/0211.html

autumn sky -
the grebe rises
from it's wakeall

Cindy Zackowitz
http://home.gci.net/~alaskahaiku/saijiki.html

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flying through snow
a grebe's calling
moonlit voice

Anna Holley
http://www.ahapoetry.com/wtcrowbk.htm

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In the next haiku we are back in Japan,
where the grebe is a kigo for winter.


the little grebe..
disappears.. .. .. .. .gone..
into the year end sea...
Basho
http://www.villarana.freeserve.co.uk/zipschool/haiku%20translation%20one.htm


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Related words

*****　Loon birds (Gavia family)

***** Water birds, mizudori (#mizutori) 水鳥

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Groundhog Day

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Groundhog Day

***** Location: North America, Europe
***** Season: Late Winter (February 2)
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

In 1723, the Delaware Indians settled Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania as a campsite halfway between the Allegheny and the Susquehanna Rivers. The town is 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, at the intersection of Route 36 and Route 119. The Delawares considered groundhogs honorable ancestors. According to the original creation beliefs of the Delaware Indians, their forebears began life as animals in "Mother Earth" and emerged centuries later to hunt and live as men.

The name Punxsutawney comes from the Indian name for the location "ponksad-uteney" which means "the town of the sandflies." The name woodchuck comes from the Indian legend of "Wojak, the groundhog" considered by them to be their ancestral grandfather.

When German settlers arrived in the 1700s, they brought a tradition known as Candlemas Day (Lichtmess), which has an early origin in the pagan celebration of Imbolc. It came at the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Superstition held that if the weather was fair, the second half of Winter would be stormy and cold.

For the early Christians in Europe, it was the custom on Candlemas Day for clergy to bless candles and distribute them to the people in the dark of Winter. A lighted candle was placed in each window of the home. The day's weather continued to be important. If the sun came out February 2, halfway between Winter and Spring, it meant six more weeks of wintry weather.

The earliest American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center at Franklin and Marshall College:

February 4, 1841 - from Morgantown, Berks County (Pennsylvania) storekeeper James Morris' diary..."Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog (Dachs) peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."

According to the old English saying:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.

From Scotland:

If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There'll be two winters in the year.

From Germany:

For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until May.
For as the snow blows on Candlemas Day,
So far will the sun shine before May.

And from America:

If the sun shines on Groundhog Day;
Half the fuel and half the hay.

Pennsylvania's official celebration of Groundhog Day began on February 2nd, 1886 with a proclamation in The Punxsutawney Spirit by the newspaper's editor, Clymer Freas: "Today is groundhog day and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen its shadow." The groundhog was given the name "Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary'' and his hometown thus called the "Weather Capital of the World.'' His debut performance: no shadow - early Spring.
The legendary first trip to Gobbler's Knob was made the following year.

http://www.stormfax.com/ghogday.htm

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http://wilstar.com/images/groundhog.jpg

The lowly groundhog, often called a woodchuck, is the only mammal to have a day named in his honor. The groundhog's day is February 2. Granted, it's not a federal holiday; nobody gets off work. But still, to have a day named after you is quite a feat.
How did the ground hog come by this honor?
We have read most of it already. Here is another nice link.
http://wilstar.com/holidays/grndhog.htm

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A page with songs of the Groundhog Day.

Away in a meadow all covered with snow
The little old groundhog looks for his shadow
The clouds in the sky determine our fate
If winter will leave us all early or late

http://ourworld.cs.com/DonaldRHalley/ghdsongs.htm

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.. .. .. Groundhog Day Photo Album

http://www.ontv.com/bulletin/jan2996/groundpix.htm


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Worldwide use

Germany



Maria Lichtmess / Mariä Lichtmeß (Candlemas)
Fest der Darstellung des Herrn im Tempel

Farmers sayings about this day:

Scheint zu Lichtmess die Sonne heiß, gibt's noch viel Schnee und Eis.

Ist's an Lichtmess kalt, kommt der Frühling bald.

Lichtmess schön und trocken, muss der Winter lange hocken.

Wenn der Nebel zu Lichtmess fallt, wird's gewöhnlich sehr lange kalt.

Wenn an Lichtmess der Dachs seinen Schatten sieht, er noch 4 Wochen in seinen Bau flieht.
(If the Groundhog sees his shadow, he will run back to his hole for another four weeks.)

Wenn die Bienen vom Baum aus keine Wolke sehen am Lichtmesstag, werden die Bienenvölker besonders gut.

Many more local German lore about every month.
http://www.wetter-mensch-natur.de/wetter/monate/lostage/lostage_feb_.htm

"Sonnt sich der Dachs in der Lichtmeßwoche,
bleibt er vier Wochen noch im Loche."
(If the groundhog is sunbathing in the week of the candlemass, he will stay in his hole for another four weeks.)
http://de.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bauernweisheiten



Two from Horst Ludwig, February 2014:

Hellere Sonne
über der Weite des Schnees. —
Mariä Lichtmeß

The brighter sun
above the expanse of the snow. —
Mary's Candlemass.

- source : tageshaiku.blogspot.jp


My graceful daughters
coming down the stairs after
Mary's Candlemass.

Anmutig die Töchter
die Kirchenstufen herab
nach Mariä Lichtmeß.

- source : tageshaiku.blogspot.jp


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Japan

seishokusai 聖燭祭 (せいしょくさい) Candlemass
..... shu no hooken 主の奉献（しゅのほうけん）
Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
主の迎接祭(しゅのげいせつさい)


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Things found on the way

Play the Groundhog Day Word Search Puzzle!

When do the Seasons begin?

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HAIKU

Groundhog Day --
my first son came out
into the cold

"chibi" (pen-name for Dennis M. Holmes)

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dragging its shadow
back to the den---
a sleepy groundhog

Ed Schwellenbach

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Haiku and arrangement : Linda Papanicolaou
Photo credit: US Dept. of Environmental Protection

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Related words

***** Couple’s Day (fuufu no hi, Japan) .. .. February 2



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. SAIJIKI
OBSERVANCES, FESTIVALS, RITUALS


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Graduation

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Graduation (sotsugyoo, Japan)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Mid-Spring
***** Category: Observance / Humanity

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Explanation

graduation (sotsugyoo 卒業）
graduation ceremony (sotsugyooshiki 卒業式）
graduation song (sotsugyooka 卒業歌）


source :　funahashi-toshimitsu.jp

The academic year starts in April, so the Graduation ceremonies take place around the Spring solstice, March 22.

Since the schoolyear worldwide is different, the use as kigo will differ from place to place. See the entries below for your area.

Gabi Greve

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The Japanese school year starts in April and ends in March, so there's a rush of graduation ceremonies from mid- to late March.

The ceremony consists basically of students receiving graduation certificates, but because it's the last event of the school year, it's conducted in a very solemn manner. The principal opens with an address, followed by speeches from invited guests. The certificates are then handed one by one to the students by the principal. It's an event in which everyone graduating is a hero or heroine.

After the students receive their diplomas, all participants sing "Hotaru no hikari" (light of fireflies) together. Other songs may be performed, too, but "Hotaru" is sung at virtually all schools. The song's melody comes from the Scottish folk tune "Auld Lang Syne," with lyrics in Japanese. The Ministry of Education approved the song for singing in schools back in 1881; today it's performed not just at graduations but any time people must part.

About 89,200 students graduated from public middle schools in Tokyo in March 1998, some 3,000 fewer than the year before. The figures are in keeping with the trend for families to have fewer children.
kidsweb/calendar/march/

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According to a survey by the Ministry of Education and Science, this spring's graduation ceremonies' enforcement rate of singing "Kimigayo" (the Japanese national anthem) crept ever closer to their target of 100%.

Kimigayo, the Japanese Anthem


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The History of Graduation
http://www.brownielocks.com/graduation.html


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Worldwide use

Germany

Schulabschlussfeier, Abitur
kigo for summer

The school year begings after the summer holidays, usually sometime in August.
The final days of school are therefore in June/July, varying by the state and every year.

Reference : Abitur


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Kenya

Graduation ceremonies
kigo for "Short Rains" (October)

most universities celebrate for the day, the students roam the city in their colourful gowns and get their pictures taken, lots of parties are held, and the ceremonies get reported on the prime evening news. A lovely time, when many a proud family gives thanks after years of work and encouragement for the happy child!

Isabelle Prondzynski


. Graduation in Kenya .


. School exams KCSE / KCPE .


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

warm tears
and icecold hands -
graduation day

The big hall of our grammar school is usually sub-zero during the ceremony, when we have to sit straight and motionless, listening a last time to the six-graders reciting grouptalk.
It is an endearing ceremony in a village school with only 24 students and getting less every year... On the way out we shake hands for the last time with the little ones, before they enter the BIG school down the valley in the city.

Gabi Greve, Japan 2005

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black and gold
shining among the stars
my lovely child

arm in arm
blow a kiss to the street girl --
graduate tomboys

Isabelle Prondzynski, Kenya 2005


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graduation day—
my son & I side by side
knotting our ties

Lee Gurga in Modern Haiku
http://www.modernhaiku.org/essays/AmericanHaikuFuture.html


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Related words


***** . School life in all seasons


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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO　　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]

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Grapes (budoo)

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Grapes (budoo) and wine

***** Location: Japan, Europe, other areas
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

Grapes, and one of their products, the wine, give us pleasure during the whole year. Here I will introduce some kigo related to this fruit.

The origin of the grapes is probably Western Asia, but now it is grown almost everywhere in the world. In Japan, grapes were introduced during the Heian period in a special way, using separate shelves for each plant. Now the region of Kooshuu 甲州 in Yamanashi is maybe the most famous wine-growing area.

In my area of Okayama prefecture, Japan, huge pione grapes are grown for eating (or rather giving away as presents), since they are extremely expensive.

Gabi Greve, September 2005


Look at a few more PIONE photos
岡山のピオーネ
http://www.bizen-okayama.com/pione/index.html

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SUMMER

flowers of the grapes, budoo no hana　葡萄の花
..... kigo for early summer

The flowers are very small and of a yellow-greenish color. They look almost like the stem, but they have a faint sweet smell.


http://www.furano.ne.jp/melon-ikeda/photo/photo45html.htm


kigo for late summer

aobudoo, ao budoo 青葡萄 (あおぶどう) green grapes

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AUTUMN

kigo for early autumn

wild grapes, mountain grapes, yamabudoo　山葡萄
Vitis coignetiae)
They are extremely delicious and loved by the wild animals too. They can grow in colder areas than the usual grapes. In autumn, they also show a lovely red color of the leaves. When ripe, the small fruit are almost black. They make a delicious wine out of it in my area in Okayama, Japan. You can only drink it when someone gives a bottle as a present, it is just tooo expensive.

Two more types of wild grapes as kigo

nobudoo 野葡萄 (のぶどう) wild grapes
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata Ampelopsis
hebibudoo / jabuoo 蛇葡萄（へびぶどう）"serpent grapes"
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata var.heterophylla


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kigo for mid-autumn

grapes, budoo, budō　葡萄
Muscat マスカット
Pione　ピオーネ

grapes from Kooshuu, kooshuu budoo　甲州葡萄
black grapes, kuro budoo　黒葡萄
vinyard, budoo-en　葡萄園

shelf for growing grapes, budoo tana 葡萄棚


http://www12.plala.or.jp/grapes/tana/tana.html

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kigo for late autumn

red leaves of the vine, budoo momiji 葡萄紅葉


budooshu kamosu 葡萄酒醸す (ぶどうしゅかもす)
to make wine
. . . budooshu seisu 葡萄酒製す（ぶどうしゅせいす）
. . . budooshuu tsukuru 葡萄酒作る（ぶどうしゅつくる）
. . . wain tsukuru ワイン作る（わいんつくる）
. . . wain matsuri ワイン祭（わいんまつり）

***** Grape Festival (Winzerfest, Wine festival)


　WASHOKU
Japanese wine 　


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kigo for all winter

dried vine plants, budoo karu 葡萄枯る

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Worldwide use

China

Dancing under the Grape Shelves in the oasis Turfan

Look at a beautiful photo here:
http://dsr.nii.ac.jp/photograph/turfan/0052.html.ja

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Germany

Trauben. Weinberg. Weinlese, Traubenlese.

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Things found on the way

The Father of Japanese Grapes and Wine
Kawakami Zenbei

The history of wine in Japan goes back to the beginning of the Meiji Era (1868-1912). At that time, young grapevines were imported with official encouragement from the government and winemaking was attempted. However, it was difficult to adapt it to the Japanese climate and almost all attempts at growing grapes or making wine ended in failure.

In 1890, Kawakami Zenbei set up the Iwanohara Vineyard in Takada, in snowy Niigata Prefecture and three years later, using grapes he had harvested with his own hands, began making wine.

Read more of this pioneer here:
Kawakami Zenbei

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2. Japanese wine production

Legend has it that grape-growing began at Yamanashi, where is major wine and grape produce region now. Wine may have been made from local grapes in Yamanashi in early times and consumed very locally. Yamanashi has the least rainfall and less fatalities soil, therefore rice can not be grown in Yamanashi. It is not difficult to assume that people live in Yamanshi compelled to drink wine instead of rice wine called "sake" which is more popular alcohol beverage.
In 1875, the first commercial winery was established in Katsunuma, Yamanashi, which is now a part of Mercian winery which is the second largest company in Japan.

As Mt Fuji provide rain shadow effects in Kofu Valley, Yamanshi has the least rainfall in Japan. But it still has excess 1000mm annual and 800mm rainfall during growing season. Especially, flowering season, in June and early in July is a monsoon season, this causes serious downy and powdery mildew problems. Worthily, just before harvesting, in September, we have typhoon season, sometimes it causes wind damage as well as bunch rot problems. Excess water and fertile soils makes vine vigorously, grape quality can be reduced without careful yield control. 　

Read a lot more about the
Japanese Wine Industry

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HAIKU

山葡萄むらさきこぼれる山日和
yamabudoo murasaki koboreru yama-biyori

wild grapes -
purple shimmers through
on a fine day in the mountains
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

水原秋桜子 Mizuhara Shuuooshi
http://www.cityfujisawa.ne.jp/~m-itazu/autum.html

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わが腋も葡萄の花をこぼすべし
waga waki mo budoo no hana o kobosubeshi


阿部青鞋 Abe Seiai
http://tinyurl.com/9djx5

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葡萄食う一語一語の如くにて
budoo kuu hitokoto hitokoto no gotoku nite

munching grapes -
like saying one word
and one more word
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

中村草田男

.....

待つといふことの寂けさ青葡萄　　　
matsu to iu koto no sabishikesa ao-budoo

how lonely it is
to wait for someone -
green grapes
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

林翔 Hayashi Shoo
http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~yamabito/special/pc_qa/haiku_saijiki_021225.html#n47

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kuroki made murasaki fukaki budoo kana

purple unto
blackness:
grapes!

Masaoka Shiki
http://terebess.hu/english/haiku/shiki.html

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Reife

Der Herbst reift ins Jahr.
Sonnenselig räkeln sich
Die vollen Trauben.

© Hans-Jürgen Murer
http://kurztexte.de/zKATJA/haiku/haiku01_04.htm

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> > um den jungen Trieb
> > ein Band knüpfen –
> > lose

> > Pfirsichblüten
> > zwischen den Rebstöcken
> > die jungen Triebe abgebissen

Gerd Börner, 2005

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All of New England
in a jar of wild grape jelly
and a clambake

© Helen Stiles Chenoweth
http://www.ahapoetry.com/PP900..htm


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grape smell
invite us for a hike
in the autumn hills

Alex Serban, Romania
autumn 2010



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Related words

***** Grape harvest (Weinlese, Traubenlese, Vendanges)
kigo for autumn

France

Grape Harvest and Grape Festival in Nizas Taken from a blog by Anthony Tidswell, written over a number of years ~ For a village like Nizas in the heart of the Midi in the South of France, the "vendange", the havest, is the most important time of the year. The main crop in our village is grapes to make wine. The fields all around the village and for as far as the eye can see are vineyards, but it was not always like this. In the 17th century the cloth from the sheep in this region was world famous, the Port of Sête and the weaving town of Villeneuvette were "New Towns" created by King Louis the 14th. Olives are also grown and are an important commercial crop The photos are of Akiko, a young lady from San Francisco who stayed with us for a week and was determined to do the vendange. http://www.nizas.com/vendange/ http://www.nizas.com/vendange/aki-2.html http://www.nizas.com/vendange/aki-press.html ... ... ... The dates for the grape harvest vary a little depending on the grape variety and the place. Here in Nizas it is usually the first week in September give or take a couple of days, further south it can be a week or so earlier and north a week or so later. The whole shebang is over in a month, then we drink the wine. Olives are picked in late September for the green ones and in January for the black ones Most picking is by machine, hand picking is one of the hardest jobs on this earth, no farmer here would employ a 'dude' ranch person even if they paid the farmer for the week. It has been tried and failed, now the quality grapes and the production are too valuable. Teams of hand pickers used to come from Spain, now it is eastern Europe, pay is $5 per hour for a 10 hour day starting at 7.00 am, you are bent double most of the time, unless you are used to it a beginner very rarely gets to the second day. The best thing is to come and watch and drink last years harvest to make room for this years. http://www.francevoila.com/archives/3.html The French phenomenon that the size of the tractor is inversely proportional to the driver is evident everywhere as the miniature vineyard tractors haul huge trailers full of grapes and these are driven by giants of men who look as if they could carry the toy tractor back to the farm in their pockets. From five in the morning until after midnight, the machines are in the vines driving over the rows with their floodlights playing in the fields. These machines 'whine' like a lost banshee as their hydraulic systems are driven at full throttle. http://www.francevoila.com/archives/6.html I have written a few times about "the vendange", the grape harvest. I am getting many letters from readers asking if they can come to France and spend happy days picking grapes and pleasant evenings sitting at rustic tables eating fresh bread and cheese with friends and singing songs until the wine jugs are empty. The vendange will start soon, but the reality is less romantic. Officially no one can get casual work without being registered, most grapes are now picked by machine and there is nothing romantic about a giant blue or yellow contraption like something from a Star Wars movie thundering along the vines and stripping them of the grapes by the ton. The few remaining vineyards requiring hand picking are often jealously guarded by the regular workers. By the evening after 8 hours of hard work for a fixed rate of 42FF (US60c) an hour, the last thing most vendangers want to think about is a jug of wine and a sing song, a hot bath is more likely. http://www.francevoila.com/archives/38.html So now the grapes are nearly in, we wait with bated breath for the wine festivals. A continuous series of overindulging in speeches by every Mayor in the region and all the officials from every winery plus all their assistants, various other people wearing very bad suits and atrocious ties, some almost sober entertainers and more speeches. This will happen in every one of hundreds of villages in the south of France from mid October for about eight weeks. After these illuminating speeches there is unlimited food and drink supplied free for all who remained awake. The trick is to arrive not too late to be rude, but late enough to miss at least a couple of hours of speaking. My friend and Jazz saxophone player, Terry Thompson, has this technique of optimum arrival time down to a fine art. It is important to get to the groaning tables at just the right time. The wiser and older villagers know which bottles are worth drinking and you see them sidle up to these with deft movements they flick the best bottles closer to their reach so that when the talking has ceased and the applause had subsided, they are in position to get the first of the best. Fortunately these festivals are staggered (a very apt word) so you can go from one festival to the next for almost two months and eat, drink and be "merry" to your heart's content. Then there are the new year celebrations to prepare for. http://www.francevoila.com/archives/55.html Anthony Tidswell

Début des vendanges
Le coteau n'est plus, dès l'aube
Qu'un vaste parking

HAIKU DE COEUR
http://tinyurl.com/76k76

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***** Wine pressing, Stoarcerea strugurilor (Romania)
usually October,
Kigo for Autumn

pressing Riesling grapes
in the most high-tech fashion—
the song is the same …

watching the courtyard
and thinking of my father—
wine-pressing season

the “boring” neighbour
to whom no one will talk, joined
the wine-pressing rush …

Cristian Mocanu
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***** Sweet Wine, Must (Romania) Most (Germany)

In October, even cityfolk get to enjoy sweet wine in (sometimes open air) locales. A whole range of urban folklore has flourished in connection with this Must.

Cristian Mocanu

For more see Romanian Saijiki

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continue here:

***** Grape Festival (Winzerfest, Wine festival)



WASHOKU : Yamabudoo 山葡萄 wild grapes


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Back to the Worldkigo Index
http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/

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Gorse (enishida)

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Gorse, Furze (enishida, Japan)

***** Location: Japan, Europe
***** Season: Early Summer
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

Enishida エニシダ　金雀枝、金雀花、金雀児
The Chinese characters mean "Gold - Sparrow - Twig", or "Gold - Sparrow - Flower". They are very unusual and did not show in my Japanese wordprocessor.

The plant originates in Southern Europe and was introduced to Japan around 1670 by the merchands from Holland. The long green branches hang down like a bend bow and start flowering around May. The plant belongs to the family of beans, and the yellow or brownish-yellow flowers hang thickly on the branches. They are often used for hedges.
We also planted some around the home, but they did not last the many rainy season and the many storms of last year made an end of them.

By the way, the English FURZE reminds me of the German word for "I am farting", so I choose GORSE as main name. The plant in German is called GINSTER.

Reading the below text from an English explanation, I think the Japanese use of the GOLD is also explained very nicely.
Gabi Greve

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Ulex Europaeus, Ulex Galli, Ulex Minor




"I am the blaze on every hill”

Fiona Ware 2003

After the bleakness of winter, furze clothes the hillsides and heaths with a welcome blanket of headily scented yellow flowers. It is one of the first flowering plants of the Spring, with most bushes in full bloom by April. With the newly awakened bees busy among the flowers it fills the senses with the promise of honey and other good things to come

Furze, also known as gorse or whin, is a perennial evergreen shrub belonging to the pea family. It forms a much branched, stunted shrub usually no taller than six feet high. The leaves are very small and in older plants they form into long needle-like thorns. It is found in rough pastures, heaths and rocky places, preferring a dry soil. The word furze is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name fyrs, and gorse from the Anglo Saxon gorst, which means ‘a waste’ this being a reference to the open moorlands where it is often found.

The plant’s thorns, and its dense habit, makes furze an excellent hedging plant. It can also be used as a barrier to protect young tree seedlings in coppices and as cover for game birds. Chopped up branches were placed in vegetable beds to keep mice and birds off newly planted crops. Pliny, who first named the plant Ulex, stated that the branches were placed in streams to collect gold dust from the water. When dried and burned, the gold could be collected as tiny nuggets from the ash.

The thorny nature of the plant means that it is often viewed as having protective powers. In Wales it was said to guard against witches.

The flowers are a deep yellow and have a pungent coconut scent. Although the main flowering period is from march to august, flowers can be found on bushes throughout the year. There are three species of furze, which all have slightly different flowering seasons, so that to the casual observer it would appear that the bush is almost always in bloom. This lengthy flowering led to the country saying:

“ when the gorse is out of bloom, kissing is out of fashion.”



The habit of adding a sprig of furze bloom in a bridal bouquet is thought to allude to this, the all-year-round blossom being a symbol of continuous fertility.

As well as it’s use as a hedging material, furze was traditionally gathered into faggots and used as tinder to start fires. In 1864 it was cultivated in Surrey and other English counties especially for this purpose, being popular with bakers to whom it was sold as fuel for their ovens. It has a high concentration of oil in its leaves and branches, and so catches fire easily and burns well, giving off a heat almost equal to that of charcoal. Because older plants can carry a lot of dead wood, furze can be a hazard in hot, dry summers. The ashes have a high alkali content and can be mixed with animal fat to produce soap, or clay, to form a soap substitute. They were also spread onto the fields to improve the soil.

Furze can also be used as fodder for animals. It was said that an acre of furze could provide enough winter feed for six horses. It has half the protein content of oats. Horses and goats can strip the leaves and eat them straight from the plant, but it was usual practice to run the branches through stone mills or hit them with wooden mallets. This crushed the thorns and reduced the wood to a moss like consistency, which made it more palatable, especially to cows and sheep. The bushes were often deliberately burnt down in order to encourage new growth, the fresh sprouts of furze and grass providing easily accessible food for stock.

The bark and flowers produce a fine yellow dye. In Eire the flowers were also used to flavour and add colour to whiskey and the Danes were reputed to use them to make beer. They can also be used to make wine and tea. Flower buds, collected and potted with a blade of mace and some peppercorns, in a white wine vinegar and salt solution, make a fine pickle.

Culpepper states in his herbal, that furze was good to open obstructions of the liver and spleen.

“A decoction made with the flowers therof hath been found effectual against the jaundice and also to provoke urine, cleanse the kidneys from gravel or stone ingendered in them”

Studies in the nineteenth century confirmed that the high alkaline content of the plant had a purgative effect. An infusion of the blooms, as a drink, was given to children suffering from scarlet fever. It was also used to cleanse the home;

‘ .. against fleas, take this same wort,
with it’s seed sodden;
sprinkle it into the house;
it killeth the fleas”

In homeopathy furze is used to help people who have given up hope, who have no faith in the future. It puts people in touch with their own inner resources and helps them move forward by releasing courage and determination.

In the Scottish highlands holly and gorse were sacred trees of the Cailleach Bheur, a blue hag, who was associated with winter and the protection of animals during the season. She was reborn every All Hallows Eve and brought back the winter weather with her magical staff, which froze the ground with every tap. On Beltane Eve she returned to the Earth, throwing her staff beneath a gorse bush before turning to stone.

As one of the sacred trees, furze was included in the Celtic Beltane bonfires. The stock would be herded between these for purification and protection before being released onto the summer grazing. When this tradition diminished, torches of furze were still carried around the herds and farm buildings in order to cleanse the air and protect the animals against sterility.



Thy yellow blooms – oh, they to me
Are gold and sunshine blent together
Moses Teggart 1908

Furze is closely associated with the sun god Lugh, the Celtic god of light and genius and with the Spring Equinox, at which time it’s one of the only plants in full flower. However folklore attaches it to festivals throughout the spring and summer months as a symbol of the power of the sun. In Brittany the Celtic festival of Lugnasdagh, on August 1st, is known as The Festival of Golden Gorse.

As an evergreen that flowers the whole year round, furze is seen to carry within it a spark of the sun’s life giving energy, a spark that can be seen even through the darker winter months. It is a symbol of encouragement and a promise of good things to come. Furze tells us to remain focused and optimistic, even in the darkest days. To keep hopeful and remain constant throughout the inevitable periods of difficulty we all experience.

As one of the first Spring flowering plants, the furze provides a plentiful supply of pollen for bees when they first come out of hibernation. The product of the bees labour, honey, is the Celtic symbol of wisdom, achieved through hard work and dedication. The furze tells us that if we apply ourselves and keep faith in the future, we will be rewarded. However bleak things may appear, there is always the possibility of periods of fertility, creativity and well being. Whilst its thorns remind us that there is protection from unwanted ideas or influences.
source : www.druidry.org/obod/trees/furze


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Worldwide use

Germany


source :　Marie-Hélène Cingal

Stechginster (Ulex europaeus)



Besenginster, Broom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broom_%28shrub%29
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Besenginster


a prickly fall
into the gorse bush
alas not broom

Isabelle Prondzynski

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Ireland

Gorse is an excellent kigo in Ireland for late winter / early spring.
Its conspicuous yellow flowers and pervading presence on less fertile, stony soils, means that it is part of rural awareness throughout the country. Its heavy scent brings a whiff of summer into the cold season, reminding one of tropical greenhouses.

Isabelle Prondzynski


Other texts and photos here :

http://www.irelandseye.com/aarticles/travel/nature/trees/gorse.shtm

http://www.shee-eire.com/Herbs,Trees&Fungi/Herbs/Gorse/gorsefacts.htm


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Things found on the way

A page of the Flower Park in Shinjuku, in the middle of Tokyo, where many flowers are raised.
They list a "Princess Gorse" Hime Enishida, which flowers from April to May.

source :　garden/shinjukugyoen


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HAIKU

Sharp in the sunlight,
The new flowers on the bright gorse
Smell of coconut.

Helen Kenyon
http://www.baradel.demon.co.uk/haiku/

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gorse flowers
another burnt out car
in the lay-by

Paul Conneally


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rimming the valley
a buttress of
yellow gorse

Jon Iddon
http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/record.asp?id=11732

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spring sun
the deeper yellow
of the gorse

Alison Williams
http://haiku.cc.ehime-u.ac.jp/~shiki/shiki.archive/html/9904/0213.html

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grazing snails
on the gorse
this year's flowers

Matt Morden
http://haiku.cc.ehime-u.ac.jp/~shiki/shiki.archive/html/9711/0523.html

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Ein Tag zu zweit in
den Grenzen der Harmonie.
Ginster am Wege.

A day for the two of us
in the limits of Harmony.
Gorse on the wayside.
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Günther Klinge
http://kulturserver-nds.de/home/haiku-dhg/Archiv/Texte%20der%20Mitglieder%20Maerz%202004.html

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Der Ginster leuchtet
über dem feuchten Rasen.
Die Sonne geht auf

Gorse sparkles
above the wet lawn.
The sun rises
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Stefan Wolfschütz
http://www.wortgetreu.de/stefanwolfschuetz-gast.html

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busy bees
head for the hilside -
gathering gorse

- Shared by Jimmy ThePeach ‎
Joys of Japan, March 2012



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Related words

***** WKD : Ireland Saijiki


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Girl Scout Cookies

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Girl Scout cookies

***** Location: USA
***** Season: All Spring
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Pre-teen girls go from door to door in neighborhoods to sell Girl Scout cookies to help raise money for the Girl Scout organization. This has traditionally happened this time of year. Even at work, the parents of such children are eagerly supporting their daughters by soliciting co-workers to buy cookies.
I think the most popular type is thin-mint.

"chibi" (pen-name for Dennis M. Holmes)

In some areas, they are prepared in December or January, in some others later in the year till March.

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Girl Scout Cookies are a familiar part of American culture.



For more than 80 years, Girl Scouts, with the enthusiastic support of their families, have helped ensure the success of local Girl Scout Cookie activities. From its earliest beginnings to its current popularity, the sale of cookies has helpd Brownie and Junior Girl Scouts and Girl Scouts 11-17 have fun, develop valuable life skills, and make the world a better place by helping to support Girl Scouting in their communities. Girls are proud that their efforts provide resources for their local Girl Scout councils and for their own Girl Scout troops/groups.

© 1998-2005, Girl Scouts of the United States of America.
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/cookie_history/

Girl Scout Cookies® had their earliest beginnings in the kitchens and ovens of our girl members, with mothers volunteering as technical advisers. The sale of cookies as a way to finance troop activities began as early as 1917, five years after Juliette Gordon Low started Girl Scouting in the United States. The earliest mention of a cookie sale found to date was that of the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, which baked cookies and sold them in its high school cafeteria as a service project in December 1917.

In July 1922, The American Girl magazine, published by Girl Scout national headquarters, featured an article by Florence E. Neil, a local director in Chicago, Illinois. Miss Neil provided a cookie recipe that was given to the council's 2,000 Girl Scouts. She estimated the approximate cost of ingredients for six- to seven-dozen cookies to be 26 to 36 cents. The cookies, she suggested, could be sold by troops for 25 or 30 cents per dozen.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Girl Scouts in different parts of the country continued to bake their own simple sugar cookies with their mothers. These cookies were packaged in wax paper bags, sealed with a sticker, and sold door to door for 25 to 35 cents per dozen.

AN EARLY GIRL SCOUT COOKIE® RECIPE

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar plus additional amount for topping (optional)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Cream butter and the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, then milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into trefoil shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired. Bake in a quick oven (375°) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Makes six- to seven-dozen cookies.
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/cookie_history/early_years.asp

ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo

Look at some photos of these delicacies:

http://tinyurl.com/pb7gd
http://tinyurl.com/pjea4
http://tinyurl.com/oyc8r
http://tinyurl.com/rnl7q
http://tinyurl.com/m2ksw

and one more link :
http://www.girlscout.or.jp/aaa/index_e.html

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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

Girl Scout cookies;
office coffee perks our conversation

"chibi" (pen-name for Dennis M. Holmes)

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thin mints
I polish off
the box

Linda Papanicolaou

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My sister, eternally trying to diet, refers to the Girl Scouts selling
cookies as: "Those dirty little pushers!"

She always succumbs
Down to the crumbs

Winnie Cross
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/happyhaiku/message/2730

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Twin girl scouts -
double order of cookies,
one for each.

Zhanna P. Rader, 2006

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on the concourse
at O'Hare . . . Girl Scouts
hawking cookies

Johnye Strickland

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Related words

***** . The North American Saijiki Project .


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