I recently learned about Plough Monday, a tradition dating back to the middle ages where, on the Monday after Twelfth Night, communities would parade and bless their plough in preparation for the growing season. The blessing would often come from the local church and plough boys would apparently go knocking on doors and get up to all sorts of antics that people would give them money for (or to prevent!); it was a bit of a fundraising event at a time of year when agricultural work was short. More info by much more knowledgeable people can be found here.
I liked the idea of celebrating of the tools and the land that grow us our food. The sentiment of this festival has similarities with wassailing; acknowledging the bounty previously enjoyed and the hopes for a good harvest in the coming year. Of course, we don’t have a plough for our little urban garden, just hand tools as modelled here by my two year-old gardening assistant back in the autumn! We need to spread some horse manure around our rose bushes, apple trees and in the extra spaces in our garden that we want to add to our veg-growing area this year anyway – as well as topping up our potted acid soil-loving blueberry bushes’ ericaceous compost. I planned to do this with a little giving of thanks to our tools and the lovely colleagues and relatives who gave us the garden centre vouchers that we bought them with when we got married. Also to clean any tools that didn’t get a good clean in early winter, and to visualise the nutrients from the fertiliser seeping down into the soil, aided by the rain and the worms (of course they’d get a thank you too!), nourishing that earth to make it good for growing in. For us to visualise the plants that we hope to grow – to see them in our minds growing strong, green and beautiful. To ask for the blessing of the spirits of this little piece of land that we may do so with respect for them and for every living thing that our garden provides habitat for. The moon is waxing at the moment so I’d also have in mind that energy of nourishing, increasing, creating and growing. ♥
spin your circle bright 