Martinmas Photos and Weckmann Recipe

So I finally added photos to my last post on Martinmas here.

Here is the recipe for Weckmann.

Formed out of sweet yeast dough, this man goes by many names in Germany— Weckmann, Nikolaus, Stutenkerl, among others—and is a popular treat for either St. Martin’s Day on November 11, or St. Nicholas Day on December 6. For the traditional Weckmann, the dough is shaped by hand into the form of a man, and raisins and/or nuts are used for eyes and buttons. In Germany, a clay pipe is often added, but this detail is hard to find in the United States.

Males: 10

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup sweet butter
• 3 tablespoon (1/6 cup) shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons real vanilla extract
• 1 grated lemon peel
• 1 packet rapid yeast (1/4 ounce)
• 3 tablespoon warm water
• 4 whole eggs
• 6 2/3 cups flour

1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water for glazing

Preparation:

1. Mix yeast with warm water and 1 tablespoon of sugar. 
2. Combine milk, butter, shortening, and sugar, in a saucepan and heat gently then set aside to cool. 
3. Place flour in a large bowl, make a well in the middle of the flour and pour yeast mixture into the well, cover and let rise for 20 minutes. 
4. Add milk mixture to flour and mix all the ingredients together. 
5. Knead into a ball, dust with flour and let rise for 45 minutes.
6. Roll dough and divide into 10 pieces to form into men. 
7. Place the men on a large baking sheet covered with parchment or wax paper, making sure to leave enough room between each shape.
8.  Let rise for a further 20 to 45 minutes
9. Brush with egg and water mixture, decorate with raisins and dried cranberries for the eyes and buttons

Bake at 325 to 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy! 

Hey Ho for Halloween!

Halloween is my favorite time of year. 

For years when I wrestled with questions of religion and spirituality and sought clarity on what made meaning for me, Halloween stood out as a holiday I could fully and whole heartedly embrace with no uncertainty or feelings of discomfort. Halloween does not invoke the sort of stress that other holidays seem to call forth for me.

Halloween is all fun. Dress up and go out and play with the crunch of leaves underfoot and darkness everywhere.

I had the good fortune of living in San Francisco's Mission District for four years in my young and carefree days and experienced the celebration of the dead, with The Day of the Dead celebrations, procession and rooms. This deepened my passion for Halloween and created a bridge from my Catholic upbringing to the beliefs and values I embraced. It was empowering and awakening for me along with Z. Budapest's Spiral Dances for women at Halloween.  

Twenty years later as a parent, I bring aspects of these celebrations to my children whose ages span from seven to fifteen.

Some favorite songs:

Who are the Witches?

Chorus:

Who are the witches? Where do they come from?

Maybe your great, great grandmother was one.

Witches are wise, wise, women, they say,

There's a little witch in every woman today, 

There's a little witch in every woman today, 

Witches knew all about flowers and trees

How to use the bark and the roots and the leaves,

When people grew weary from hardworking days,

Witches made them feel better in so many ways

Repeat chorus

Women had babies and witches were there,

To help and to feed them and give them some care,

And witches knew stories of how life began,

Don't you wish you could be one, well maybe you can......

Repeat chorus

Some people thought that the witches were bad,

Some people were scared of the power they had,

The power to give and to heal and to care,

Is not something to fear, it's a treasure to share.

Repeat chorus

A fingerplay:

Five little witches sitting on the gate,

The first one said, " oh my it's getting late,"

The second one said, "Halloween is in the air,"

The third one said, "let us take to the air"

The fourth one said,  "when I finish my brew,"

The fifth one said, "my black cat comes too "

The night wind whispered whooooo, whoooo

So they put on the hats
And flew into the air, 

Singing all together, 

Hall-o-ween is here!

A Song:

Hey ho for Halloween!

When all the witches are to be seen.

Some in black and some in green,

Hey ho for Halloween!

Hey ho for Halloween!

In 1973, Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English wrote Women, Witches and Nurses: A History of Women Healers , online and at Amazon. It is well worth the read, still timely and sheds light on healing, medicine, the role of women and the divine feminine.

Blessings!