Apple Day

I would like to tell you all about a lovely little festival, held mostly in the UK (but I see no reason why it should be limited to the UK) that I suspect isn't even on most Pagan's calendars.

Apple day has been held on October 21st since 1990 and was initiated by the charity Common Ground. The humble apple becomes the symbol of 'physical, cultural and genetic diversity' and events are held around the UK. It is a day to encourage locality, a day to encourage people to find all those old local varieties of delicious apples and discover the unique and colourful stories of these varieties that belong to the land we live on. It is a day to very much honour the spirit of place, the distinctiveness that each place has instead of the 'global' locality that we have become.

A festival to celebrate our connection to the land we live on and hear her stories sounds like a beautiful addition to the pagan calendar to me, and our family will certainly be taking part in the celebrations! If you would like to take part but can't find any celebrations near to you (which of course is the whole point!) then you could always have your own celebration! If you can find your way to a local farmers market to discover some local varieties of apples for you family to taste this of course would be perfect. Ask about the histories of these apples, where they come from - lots of them have their own stories. Spend a quiet evening telling local tales to your children - the internet is a valuable resource for things like this... I have discovered old tales of a 'stick man' that walks our local roads and the story of Joe Blunt who was accused of cheating by his mother-in-law and so hung himself on a local track way - his ghost now can be heard claiming his innocence. Everywhere has its stories.

Or how about drawing maps with your children to celebrate apple day? As part of Common Ground's work they encourage the drawing of parish maps - not to exact measurements and direction but to embody a true reflection of a place according to its residents. These maps are supposed to reflect what people think is important about their area rather than relay precise details. Why not make maps with your children to show what they love about their home and the places they think are important and then talk about how each persons drawings are different and how they are the same. You might even take a walk to find the wild edibles in your area, as apple day is all about eating locally, and you could add to your map the places you find local edibles?

Mummies and daddies might also be interested to know that Common Ground have also been involved in the publication of numerous books covering subjects that pagan hands would itch to hold, mainly focusing on place, local customs etc. For those of you living in the UK, or interested in its old customs Common Ground have also been involved in a wonderful website that keeps you up to date throughout the year on what local customs and festivities are coming up.
http://www.england-in-particular.info/