Trouble Sleeping?

 The Japanese Baku was a mythological beast comprised of the parts of a bear, an elephant, a tiger, an ox and a rhinoceros

Do you have trouble sleeping at night? Do really bad nightmares wake you up?

A Japanese grandmother would say that you need a BAKU talisman by your bed.  When you wake, repeat this phrase three times: “Baku-san, come eat my dream. Baku-san, come eat my dream. Baku-san, come eat my dream.” The BAKU will then enter your room and eat the bad dream.  Then you will be able to drift off and awake the next morning after a peaceful sleep.

Just make sure that it was really a bad dream. Should the BAKU still be hungry after eating your nightmare, it might keep munching and eat some of your good dreams and hopes too! In that case, you might end up living an empty and unfulfilled life.

 National Magazine Awards rounded up this list of grants, with opportunities from coast to coast to coast. The roundup includes grants for emerging artists and students pursuing a career in the arts, to professional artists practicing in various disciplines. Well worth a look.

Did you know that spaghetti grows on trees?

 

It’s April Fool’s Day!

Widely recognized as the best April fool’s dayjoke ever, on 1 April 1957, the BBC produced a television documentary on theSwiss spaghetti harvest.

Inspired by the Egyptian legend of Osiris and Seth, Romans celebrated Hilaria at the end of March. People dressed up and joyfully mocked important people.

In 1582, France switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. A lot of people were slow to get the news that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March, leading to a lot of laughs on and about April 1. Paper fish were fastened to the backs to symbolize how these gullible people were easily “hooked.”

In the United Kingdom, during the 1700s, people were sent on phony errands searching for gowks (a word for cuckoo bird, which became the symbol of a fool.  The following day became known as Tailie Day, when pranks were played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or “kick me” signs on them.

April Fools’ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event, starting with “hunting the gowk,” in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, the symbol for a fool.) Tailie Day, which followed, involved pranks played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or “kick me” signs on them.

This year, may you enjoy your April fools day and, if you are out and about,  remember to watch your back!

 

Get your bling on for Spring, and join the Victoria Storytellers Guild for some glittering stories! Stories at Fern starts at 7:30, virtually. Connections accepted from 7:00 pm onward

Stories at Fern is the Guild's regular monthly meeting. Admission is free for members who have paid their dues. If you would like to become a member or pay your $25 annual dues, you are always welcome. If you are just dropping in to a virtual event, the suggested donation is $5, which can be made in three ways: via Paypal (paypal.me/storytellersvictoria), an e-transfer to treasurer@victoriastorytellers.org, or you can contact them to obtain a mailing address for a cheque.

They use Zoom, the online conferencing system. Admission is free, and there is no need to create a Zoom account, however they ask folks to register in advance for a secure, enjoyable experience.

To register now click here, or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtdu6hqTsuGNRrE-y1Sapbrt98180m_OsG

When you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email with the specific instructions for joining us by computer, tablet, smartphone, or regular phone.

Today, April 7, is the birthday of the innovative African American, social activist, jazz and swing music singer Eleanora Fagan (April 7 1915 – July 17, 1955.) She was known professionally as Billie Holiday.

After a troubled life, Holiday died handcuffed to a hospital bed. Posthumously,  she won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

At the end of her show each night, the lights would go down, all movement and chatter stopped, and Holiday would sing the piece called "Strange Fruit." In 1999, Time magazine declared that song “song of the century.” The song was originally written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish school teacher, poet, and activist from New York City. A photograph of a lynching in Indiana some years earlier had deeply disturbed Meeropol, inspiring him to write “Strange Fruit,” and the song eventually made its way to the Greenwich Village nightclub where Holiday sang.

The lyrics of "Strange Fruit." Not a pleasant story but one that must not be forgotten!

Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swingin' in the Southern breeze
Strange fruit hangin' from the poplar trees

Pastoral scene of the gallant South
The bulgin' eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burnin' flesh

Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather
For the wind to suck
For the sun to rot
For the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop

 

 Black Cats: Beware!

 What would you do if a black cat walked across your path? Would that be good... or bad?

With hallowe'en soon upon us, perhaps, for the safety of all, we should concern ourselves with such topics. Black cats have featured in stories for over 2,000 years! In Celtic folklore, it was believed that black cats turned into fairies and back. In Great Britain, as in Egypt and Japan, having a black cat would bring you luck and good fortune. In the English midlands they make the ideal wedding gift that will bring luck and happiness to the bride. In Japan, it is believed that a single woman who owns a black cat will attract more suitors. On the other hand, in Europe, in the Middle Ages, they decided that black cats were evil and foreboding; that they were really witches or demons. Many black cats were destroyed. People caught with a black cat were severely punished. When European settlers took over North America they declared that if a black cat crossed your path it would bring bad luck.

 

Come out of the weather … and share the warmth by the fire. Stories at Fern starts at 7:30, virtually!

You can sign in from 7:00 pm onward – Please come early to sort out any technical glitches before Al, our host, starts the storytelling at 7:30 pm

We are using Zoom, an online conferencing system. Admission is free, and there is no need to create a Zoom account, however we are asking our friends to register in advance for a secure, enjoyable experience.

To register now click here
or copy and paste this link into your browser:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqdeivrj4tGN0ZNffLh_VmwdHQgax7n4x4

When you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email with the specific instructions for joining us by computer, tablet, smartphone, or regular phone.

We are looking forward to seeing you again and having you join us for our second Fern St. of the season!