So, it's been a while

I fell off the blogging bandwagon for the last fifteen months, but it's time to get back onto it. So many changes since that last post! I wrote about Caitriona and Duncan getting elevated to the Order of the Pelican a year ago. Well, last weekend at Drachenwald's Kingdom University, I am proud to say that my daughter received the same accolade and now is Mestressa Constanza of Thamesreach.

Here she is in full regalia. Cap of Maintenance by Mistress Victoria Piera Rosselli with embroidery by Mistress Lia de Thornegge,  medallion from Master Duncan Kerr, and cloak by me. The cloak insures she will never be cold at an event again, as it is fully fur-lined and weighs a ton! It closes with Pelican brooches from Armour and Castings.

Two other household members also received awards. Lady Cornelia vom Distlefeld is now a member of the Orden des Linquistringes.

And Lady Þora Sumarliđadottir is now a member of the Order of the Panache. She was also inducted as the premier member of the Society of the Golden Egg.  All of these lovely things occurred at Ingestre Hall, a Jacobean Manor House near Stafford, England. I'm so pleased for all of them!

a little post-Raglan recap

Before Raglan, we were pleased to find out that two of the members of our household would be marrying during the event. They went offsite for the official ceremony, then had a handfasting onsite with all present. The household made them a dowry chest, which included honey from Richard's bees, home brewed wine labeled just for them, lengths of linen for veils,  a pair of apron dresses with all the accessories, and many other gifts. I made the apron dresses and obtained brooches from Raymond's Quiet Press. Cat Weaver made beautiful custom tablet-woven trim, and Caitriona made them bead strands. I didn't get a picture of the two of them together, but there was a shot of Princess Alana with a visiting knight, that I can share.

Before Raglan, I made new banners for Lady Kytte, Princess Alana, and Lady Cornelia. Like a doofus, I took no pictures of them. I'll have to try and get some in the future. ETA: Thanks to my darling daughter Cat, I have a picture of Cornelia's banner!

I also made myself a new dark green linen underdress (again, no photos.)

Except for the intermittent rain and cold, Raglan was lovely this year. Caitriona was placed on vigil for the Order of the Pelican, Duncan received a writ for a Pelican vigil at a future event of his selection, and Constanza became a premier member of the new GoA order for Arts & Sciences. Amphelise got a Ffraid for service and Patrice received a Lindquistringes. I know I'm missing other people, but it was a court-filled event! (Seven scheduled and at least three pop-ups!)

Spent a fair amount of time doing heraldic consultation work, which was very enjoyable. Our encampment, along with Honest Achmed's coffee house (just opposite us), seemed to be the places to hang out this year. Here's a picture of our home away from home.

It was a pleasure to see banners I had gifted people in past years popping up all over the site. Nine in this picture alone! Only 350 or so days until it's time for Raglan again!

Raglan preparation

June went by incredibly fast, with many, many projects at work. When not in the office, here's a small sample of what I've been doing.

 

 

Three simple chemises, one circular veil, and three new household badges. That means I have enough chemises for the whole event. Yay for not having to deal with rinsing things out and hoping they will dry while in Wales. Three badges means one for everyone in the household. Phew! And a new veil for dressier outfits.

 

This one is for Constanza...

 

 

This is an "in progress" picture. The patch is finished now.

 

 

There's more, but the rest are surprises and will have to wait for August to be seen. Three weeks and a bit until Ffair Raglan XIII!



Feast Days and Rituals, water and fire

Here in Bulgaria, rituals and feast days for saints are still important and celebrated widely. Today, in addition to being graduation day at the University I work at, is the Feast Day for Saints Constantine and Elena. Their day is May 21 (or June 3 by the old calendar),

Before graduation at our university each May, women from staff carry ritual copper pails of water to the entrance of the central building, where the procession of graduates to the ceremony will begin. Just as the procession steps out of the door, they splash the water across the threshold to ensure that the graduates will have success that flows like water. This tradition is also carried out at the start of each school year by mothers across the country, who want to be sure their children have a good start to the year.

Firewalking is strongly associated with the feast of Saints Constantine and Elena in Bulgaria.  For the ritual, a large bonfire is burned down to glowing coals and raked out to a level circle. The firewalkers make their prayers to Sts Constantine and Elena, then ritually dance barefoot through the coals, often carrying an icon of the saints. I've had the good fortune to see the Nestinari, as the firewalkers are known. It is an eerie sight, particularly with the music of the gaida (the local bagpipe) playing. The circle of coals is so hot that bystanders cannot get too close, and I can attest to that! You can see an older black and white film of the nestinari here  or a newer, color video here.

First banner for the year

I'm over half way to my personal goal of making and gifting 100 banners to friends for heraldic display at SCA events. It started a couple of years ago when I made banners for everyone in my household (plus several non-household  good friends) to display at Raglan Fair in Wales and it grew to the idea of the banner project, when people liked them so much.

I love heraldic display and these are good, solid camp banners that can stand up to wind and weather. They're partly machine stitched and partly hand sewn and are not strictly period, but they make a good display. I've got four left to make for household members whose devices are still in the process of registration (That's actually my one rule - register with the College of Heralds or no banner!), but hopefully they will be approved in time for this summer's Raglan. Until then, I have a list of 17 surprise banners  to work on. This one is for Thora to take to Double Wars in May. I'm planning to show it to her tomorrow on Skype and she's travelling today, so I think the surprise is safe. It may well be my favorite, because it's an awesome fishy and you would never mistake it for anyone else's device! (Azure, a cod's head couped Or)

First finished item of 2017

One of this year's goals is to improve my SCA clothing. I've spent a lot of time for the last several years making garb for other people and very little on my own. I never looked bad or inappropriate, but I have decided that I'd really like to focus on a better wardrobe for 14th Century Southern Bulgaria. I've got a new base dress cut out from a nice dark green linen and am currently embroidering a heavy ochre colored linen overdress with split sleeves. It's coming along well, albeit slowly. That said, I've has a wool cap with fox fur trim languishing  half finished for months. I sat down and just finished it yesterday. In the end, it looks right, but I just don't like the way it looks on me. It may be better with a veil, but I need to get a much lighter weight linen to make that. We'll see how it all works out in the end! In the meantime, here's the hat. Fox is very hairy, but at least it doesn't shed like rabbit fur!

Well, that was unexpected. (This was supposed to post in February - oops!)

So, the Coronet of Love, for the rulers of the Principality of Insulae Draconis  was a lovely event. That part was not at all unexpected. Northern Ireland was unsurprisingly charming. Adding two new members to our little household was also not a shock, as one is the little sister of a current member and the other is a fiancée of a Linden. And two lovely, charming ladies they are indeed!

The unexpected - a dark horse fighter won Coronet. And his inspiration was one of the new household members! So suddenly we are a support household for the Princess for the next nine months. Huzzah! But for me personally, the biggest surprise was being asked to become a protégé, to not one but two Pelicans. Oh my! I said yes, of course, and now am happily working with Mistress Ariel and Master Pol.

January plans - not resolutions!

Here's hoping 2017 is much, much better than its predecessor! I'm trying to be a little more methodical in my SCA life this year, so here's my hopeful event attendance plan for 2017 (all in Drachenwald)

February 17 -19       Coronet of Love (Eplaheimr)
April 7-9                  Bow and Blows III (Saint John of Rila)
April 28-30              Flaming Arrow X (Glen Rathlin)
August 4-14             Raglan Fair (Insulae Draconis)
November 10-12      Kingdom University (Polderslot)

2018 SCA plans are already afoot, as our local group (Gods help us!) won the bid for Midsummer Coronation 2018. We're going to be really busy for the next 18 months!

I've also made a crafting spreadsheet (with help from the lovely Constanza) to get my garb under control. I really need to update my own stuff and this is the year to do it. I've got some lovely terracotta-colored heavy linen that I've cut out and have started to make into a dress based on a fresco in the Zemen Monastery (dated to 1354).  Here's a picture of the fresco (Not my photo - from the Bulgarian Medieval Costumes website owned by Kalina Atanasova)

This will be fun to make and I hope to wear it at Coronet next month.

Kingdom University follow-up

I'm just back from Drachenwald's annual Kingdom University, a wonderful weekend of all things Arts & Sciences. I took classes on posament weaving, medieval Irish food, and tournament authenticity & spiffiness. It was tremendous fun.

The event was at Ufton Court, an Elizabethan Manor, and the atmosphere was amazing. I took no pictures myself, because I was too busy taking classes, but there is a set here, courtesy of Master Rafe Cuthbert.

As always, the best part was spending time with family and friends!

Happy St. George's Day - feels like a long time coming!

     So, it's my first post of 2016. The start of the calendar year was fairly miserable, in that I was very sick for a long time. But I'm better now and ready to get back to things.

     Happy St. George's Day from those of us here in Bulgaria. Yes, to my English family, I know it's a different day! Честит Гергьовден!  I'm glad this day is here, because he traditionally kills the dragons of drought and hail today.  Not much drought this year, but the hail and wind have been damaging, so hopefully they are done for now!




     There's lots to catch up on, but this is good for today. :)

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

This is a special day, not just because it is the name day for many of my good friends, but because it is also the anniversary of the first official event for the College  of Saint John of Rila!

That was back in 2011, although it seems like yesterday!  Here are some photos so we can remember!

                                                               

              

Saint Andrew's Day

     November 30th is Andreevden (St Andrew’s Day), also known as the Bears’ Day (Mechkinden) in Bulgaria. It marks the start of the winter cycle. In Bulgaria, St Andrew is traditionally the master of the bears.

      In Bulgarian folklore the bear has the power to heal, protect from illness and bring fertility but it is also a symbol of great physical strength. So to ward off attack, on Andreevden, people symbolically feed the bear by throwing a little boiled grain up the chimney, ...saying “Here you are, bear. Here’s some boiled corn so you don’t need to eat raw grain or people or animals.” (From Bulgarian Folk Customs by Mercia MacDermott)

 

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Autumn day in Varosha

The Wolf Days are over and winter will soon be here, but for now it is unseasonably warm and sunny and we are all taking advantage of the weather!

Saint Clement of Ohrid

November 25 is the feast of Saint Clement of Ohrid, a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In 893 CE, Clement was elected the first Bishop of what would come to be the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

 

 

 

St. Clement would have been important for Tamara for several reasons. First, he was a local saint and was the bishop for the region, albeit some years before she was born. Here's a regional map of the Kutmichevitsa administrative district for reference:

 

 

 

 

Today this area is in Macedonia (FYROM), not Bulgaria. Tamara and her family would have been influenced by Clement's teaching, since he was a founder of the Ohrid Literary School and was revered as a patron of education. He was an important writer in Old Church Slavonic and wrote the oldest church service dedicated to saints Cyril and Methodius.

 

 



Saints' Days, Fast, and Feasts

     Both today in Bulgaria and historically for my SCA persona, saints' days and church fasts and feasts would be very important. I'm going to try and record the ones still celebrated here in Bulgaria which would also have been important for Tamara.

     November 14 is an important day in the church cycle. It is Zagovezni, the day before the start of the Christmas fast and, like Mardi Gras, is a day to eat meat, eggs, and dairy products and feast with your family. A chicken was traditionally served and I will do the same tonight for dinner. Many families also serve sauerkraut and roast pumpkin. I think I'll do a pumpkin pie instead.

Today is also St. Phillip's Day, the apostle who was martyred while preaching to the heathen. Честит имен ден to all my friends names Phillip or Phillipa!

Home and garden updates.

We've been here for four years now. Four years of construction rubble and upheaval and moving boxes. Things are finally getting done and I have pictures to prove it! These are just for you, Genny!

Living Room/Dining Room

 

And the garden is coming along too. The last section that needed leveling was the front courtyard, which abuts the driveway. It's now leveled and ready for grass, a cherry tree, and flower beds. Before we plant, the builders are finishing the stucco on the front wall and completing the well cap. You can see there are just a few more days of work and we'll be planting spring bulbs in the new flower bed and planting the Japanese cherry tree that's being delivered on Saturday!

 

 

 

School's in Session!

     The academic year opened this week and the students have returned, so the College is also back in action. We had our first organizational meeting today and set schedules for fighter practices and A&S sessions. What a difference from last year! With so many returning students in the College, there is so much energy and we're actually going to have two fighter practices each week and A&S on Wednesdays and Saturdays! We've also got a new Castellan, who is really excited to work with the first year students who signed up to join the College at the club fair during Orientation Week. There were 32 of them and if we get a third of them as regular participants, it will be great. We've got other returning students stepping up as Web Minister/Social Media officer and Exchequer, which will take a burden off some of the non-student members.

     We've got the College's birthday coming up next month and our first group projects will focus on getting garb finished and banners and other decorations made for the event. Lord Guy is coming in from Insulae Draconis to serve as our archery marshal and everyone is excited to get back to shooting. A number of people got bows over the summer and several more are waiting for equipment to arrive. We've also got an event on the Kingdom calendar for April 2016 - Bows and Blows II. It will be concentrating on archery and heavy fighting, but there will also be A&S classes and maybe a surprise activity. I'm quite proud of our students. They are really interested in heraldry and six of them had names and devices registered over the summer. Six more have names and devices submitted and they should hear by January if they are registered by the College of Heralds.

     All in all, it bodes well for the College and its activities for the upcoming academic year!

Let the planning commence.

I've currently got 6 new  banner/other heraldic display commissions post-Raglan to finish by Yule,

When those are done, I've finally settled on what I want to make for myself in the way of SCA clothing - proper Slavic dress for the 2nd Bulgarian Kingdom in the mid 13th century. I'll be working from fresco portraits in various churches and monasteries, beginning with the portrait of Boyarina Desislava from the Boyana Church in Sofia, which dates to just that time period.

 

I have an enlargement of the full portrait (got it at the church) in my home office, so I can see the details well. I'm starting with the cap, circlet, and veil. The project may take all year!

In case you were wondering

why I go back to Raglan Fair, year after year, this photo by Lady Agnes des Iles should say it all.

 

 

 

The banners are the work of Lord Nicholas de Estleche dictus le Tardif. (and they are huge - 2 meters wide or so!)

Post Raglan musings

     I really enjoyed Raglan this year, despite being busier there than ever. I was reservations steward and I found that as much as I love talking to everyone and meeting new people, I have to schedule in a little down time away from the registration  tent. Plans afoot on that for next year.

     I loved participating in the fencing prize-playing as a time keeper for both the Free Scholar and Prefect bouts. I got the best seat in the place and could really concentrate on the fighting. It was my first time as time keeper and I hope it will not be the last.

     I taught a class in making basic thread-wrapped buttons that seemed to be well received. I also took a basic naalbinding class (for the third time) and this teacher was really good. Mistress Rogned actually made sense and now I can naalbind. I had a private lesson in sprang from Jahanarabanu and I think that may become a favorite activity. Her lord, Eldgrimr, made my sprang loom and it is a lovely thing.

     Our first student heavy fighter from the College of Saint John of Rila came to Raglan this year and after jumping right in and helping to set up around 10 encampments, he was authorized as a heavy fighter. He fought in the bridge battle and the Oxford Roll, as seen here.

 

He got his first two archer scores with his longbow.

And watching him become Lord Samuil Simeonov was just great. Good job, Sam!!!

 

More musings to follow...