"cursum.mid" ( Enya - Watermark)

Autumnal-Equinox - Next Big Bonfire
September, (3rd Quarter: 21 Sept 2000)
They are fun any time of year.  They seem especially enjoyable near ancient holidays:
(8 per year at Solstices, Equinoxes, & the mid-way points between them)
21st Dec Winter Solstice,
2nd Feb Imbolg (Candlemas!*, FM 31Jan) , 21st Mar (Sunday 15th Mar, NM 17Mar) ,
May 1st, Jun 21st, Aug 2nd, Sept 21st,
Halloween to Guy Fawk's Day(Nov5th)
.
Bonfires (according to the OED): Comes from Bone-fire.  In Britain, up til the 1800's,
bones were saved for special celebrations to be burned (sheep, cows, saints :-)
.
A bonfire goes through several stages:
Flareup:  After being lit, a successful fire grows rapidly, flames leaping 20-50 feet in the air
(depends on dryness & amount of wood, lasts 30 - 45 min)
Collapse: After the flareup, the pile collapses (amidst shower of sparks - beware jackets & tents!)
Burndown:  When the fire cools enough to approach spectators are urged to throw the surrounding
partially burned branches & brush into the center of the fire. (takes several hours)
Conclusion:  A successful conclusion to the life cycle of the fire is a pile of cooling ash & embers in
the center of the burn circle - not a single branch, twig, stump left over - a clean site! It can take several days to burn out completely.

Call more Info/Directions at 860-684-4574 or email " RNW(at)cox.net"

Winter-Solstice, Imbolg (Candlemas), Vernal-Equinox,. Beltaine (May Day),
Summer-Solstice, Lughnasadh, Vernal-Equinox, & Samhain (Halloween)
All the above links broken :-( 3/16/03

Of the eight festivals of the Celtic year,
Samhain and Beltaine, Imbolg (spring)and Lughnasadh (fall) are lunar fire festivals,
their position in the year fixed by the pastoral lifestyle of the early Celts.
The four lesser celebrations of the equinoxes & solstices are solar,
as they mark the sun's path through the year.
By C. Austin

Moon Calculations