A Wee Bit About Celtic Cuisine

Hungry for foods from the Emerald Isle? Apparently, our guest blogger is. Her little introduction to a few common Irish dishes will get you started, and you'll find links to the recipes, too.

"The Celtic tradition always puts emphasis on life and family. No wonder traditional Celtic foods are homemade and are famed for their rich and mouthwatering flare. While a lot of people outside Ireland think that the ordinary Irish diet is composed of nothing but potatoes and mutton, the truth is, traditional Irish cuisine is truly varied. 

Modern day Celtic cuisine is the result of many influences originating from the time of the landing of the Celts in Ireland around 500 BC to the time when the Vikings and the English colonized the island. 

Until the potato arrived in the 16th century, Celtic dishes were actually cattle-based. The wealthy feasted on meat while the middle-class and poor ate milk, cheese, butter and grains. 

What are some of the most popular Celtic dishes? Keep reading to discover easy, basic foods that will add an Irish twist to any meal. 

Colcannon

Colcannon
Photo © ABP

Colcannon is a favorite Celtic dish featuring mashed potatoes with kale or cabbage. Colcannon is a staple during the St Patrick's Day. It’s also known for being served when a family wants to predict their unmarried daughter’s prospects during Halloween. Mothers would stuff colcannon with charms and an unmarried girl would need to search for them. Once found, they have to place the charms inside socks containing spoonfuls of colcannon. Then, the charms are placed on the handle of the front door. The first single man to enter will be intended groom.

Irish Champ

In his book Traits and Stories of the Irish peasantry volume 4, Carlton explains that champ is a mixture of mashed potatoes and chopped green onions. Butter, milk, salt and pepper are added for flavor. That's it. No Celtic cuisine is ever complete without a potato or two as an ingredient. Just like colcannon, Irish champ is another tribute to the humble but all-time favorite potato. Whether you use fresh or left-over potatoes, making champ is a delight for any foodie. 

Bread and Butter Pudding
Photo � RFB photography

Bread and Butter Pudding 

This dessert filled with a blend of raisins, butter, white bread, and is infused with Irish whiskey. No eating spree in Ireland is complete without a taste of this iconic bread and butter pudding, which is easy to make and takes only a few ingredients and less than an hour to bake up. Use left-over bread or cake, mix them with brown bread or croissants, add a few items as binders, and you’ve got a savory pudding that’s perfect anytime.  The Irish liqueur can be left out, but use it for a bit more of an Irish flair."

There's much more to Irish cooking than this. In fact, the book that accompanies my CD, Haste to the Wedding, contains recipes for Irish Blondies, Ginger Shortbread, Boxty Pancakes, a Guinness Wedding Cake, and even instructions on how to prepare a Proper Irish Tea. You'll find this combination book/CD on sale at my website at CelticHarpMusic.com, discounted when you purchase my other combination book/CDs.

Do you have some fabulous Celtic recipes to share? You're welcome to be the next guest blogger here at the Celtic Harp Music Blog. Contact me to be featured as a guest blogger through the email posted on my website at CelticHarpMusic.com.

About our guest blogger: Manilyn Moreno is writing on behalf of Better Cater. She loves organizing themed events like Celtic-inspired weddings. 

Time for Wedding Gifts

Harp Charms Available at CelticHarpMusic.com

I just discovered that my website store at CelticHarpMusic.com was down. It wasn't working, and it showed no signs of being offline for many months. But it's now back with a new clean look and fully operational!

Go there and find lovely gifts for upcoming weddings, including pretty Celtic Charms designed by my artistic friend, Liam Hughes. You'll also find my recording of Celtic wedding music. This recording is very special, because the actual CD is tucked neatly behind a little book filled with Celtic lore, poems, recipes, and beautiful antique color images. this  "Haste to the Wedding" CD and Book (go to the link and scroll down to listen and open the pages of this book) are available now at my completely refurbished online store. Check out the charms, my CDs, and more.

What are you waiting for? Go Shopping!

Even More Celtic Wedding Traditions!

photo credit: neate photos
via photopin cc

It looks like I haven't exhausted the list of Celtic wedding traditions on this blog, yet. Here are a few more by guest blogger Kim Wellington. Enjoy!

More Celtic Wedding Traditions

Celtic wedding traditions have a long and rich history as old as Ireland itself. Traditions for the ceremony and other wedding customs are steeped in symbolism and are meant to portend a long and happy marriage.

If you want to explore your Irish heritage in your wedding, or you just enjoy the culture and want to adapt some of its customs, here are some of the top Celtic wedding traditions that you could consider incorporating into your own celebration:

Locking the Door

Grooms are known for getting cold feet. To prevent the groom from letting his nerves get the best of him, friends and family would lock the door of the church to prevent him from running out. We're thinking that if you have to lock the door to keep the groom inside, the wedding might be facing bigger problems.

Irish Wedding Toast

There is a special toast that is shared at many traditional Irish weddings. It requires that all the guests gather around the married couple, and then the couple says "Friends and relatives, so fond and dear, 'tis our greatest pleasure to have you here. When many years this day has passed, fondest memories will always last. So we drink a cup of Irish mead and ask god's blessing in your hour of need."

The guests would then respond "On this special day, our wish to you, the goodness of the old, the best of the new. God bless you both who drink this mead; may it always fill your every need."

photo credit: infomatique
via photopin cc 

The Month of Honey

The first month after the wedding is known as "the month of honey," and it is celebrated by drinking mead (or wine in the modern day). The couples are given enough of the honey drink to enjoy until the first new moon after their wedding, coining the term "honeymoon." The practice was meant to get the marriage off to a good start and to promote virility and fertility.

There are many more superstitions and traditions in Celtic weddings. These are some of the most often celebrated, and some of these have made their way into mainstream culture (or remnants of these traditions have). 

Did you include any of these Celtic traditions into your wedding ceremony? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Kim Willington is a freelance researcher for Helpdesksoftware.org, where she has recently been researching ticketing software. In her spare time, she enjoys antiquing and taking long walks with her retriever, Spencer.

Did you include any of these Celtic traditions for your wedding? What traditions did you use? Share your  thoughts in the comments below!

You'll find my own personal favorite wedding traditions, along with Celtic toasts, poems, and lore in the book that accompanies my CD "Haste to the Wedding" (but this book only accompanies the physical CD--the info isn't contained in downloads). Buy this CD at my website, on amazon.com, and CDBaby.com.

For Valentine's Day and Beyond

Today, Valentine's Day, I received a few articles and links about love, so I thought I'd spread the love and post them here for you to peruse. Don't forget to read through to the bottom of this post, so that you can try out my hubby's wonderfully decadent Two-Tone Guinness Brownies!

• The Harp Connection's Romantic Harp Music Albums for Valentine's Day and Beyond! View all of their recommendations, including my Haste to the Wedding CD, filled with traditional Celtic love songs.*

• It's never too late to send an e-card to your sweetheart. You could send a silly card from RubberChickenCards.com loaded with fine dating advice (get a free six month subscription right here). Or some Hunny Bunny e-cards or the little-bit-naughty Bunny Burlesque e-cards from the folks at BanjoBunny.com. Or head on over to my other blog for special ways to say "I Love You".

• Acupressure Point CV17, for Healing Your Heart Emotionally. Stressed out because you are head-over heals for a certain someone? Or are you getting over a relationship? Check out this link.

• Does Dark Chocolate on Valentine's Day Help Your Heart? You bet it does, according to RealAge.com. But did you know that not all chocolate is healthy for you? For it to contain the maximum amount of antioxidants, the chocolate needs to be cold-processed--Healthy Chocolate! Join and make income while enjoying the benefits of high antioxidant chocolate.






Speaking of chocolate, here's that special recipé from my hubby, "Mr. Bakerman", for Two-Tone Guinness Brownies:

Ingredients for Bottom Toffee Layer: 
Cooking spray
6 Tbs. softened unsalted butter
1 1/2 C. packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking power
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. chopped pecans or walnuts

Ingredients for Chocolaty Top Layer:
3 oz. finely chopped unsweetened chocolate (or you could use 3 Healthy Chocolate Power Squares if you cut back a bit on the granulated sugar)
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 C. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C. Guinness stout
1 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 13 x 9" baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Prepare the bottom layer by combining butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour, baking powder, salt and nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 20 minutes and remove from oven.
3. Prepare the top layer by placing chocolate and butter in a double boiler. heat gently and stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar, then add eggs, vanilla and Guinness, stirring until well-combined. Whisk in flour and salt until all ingredients are combined. Slowly pour over partially baked bottom layer.
4. Bake 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan, placed on a wire rack, before slicing.
Serves 24 (or more, if you slice them into smaller squares). Serve within 2 days.


Sending loving thoughts,
Anne :-)

* Purchase my Haste to the Wedding Album all over the Internet, including at my website, where you can request an autographed copy. Or download it from CDBaby.com, amazon.com, and iTunes.

Your Chance to Win $350 In Wedding Prizes Ends This Friday!

The subject line says it all. See the last post for directions for entry into the "Get Ready for Your Wedding" Contest. Simply "follow" this blog by scrolling down and clicking "follow" in the right hand margin of this blog. Then add your comment. Enter a second time and increase your chances of winning by reading the directions in the last post.

Good luck!!!!

The "Get Ready for Your Wedding" Contest!--Contest Extended to July 15th!

Is your wedding around the corner and would you like to win over $350 in wonderful prizes? 

Here's a contest geared just for you or for your friend or loved one who is preparing to "tie the knot"!

Here's all you need to do to enter the contest: 

1. Subscribe to my blog at http://celticharpmusic.blogspot.com

2. Post a comment on any one of the articles that live there

Do this before July 15th, and you'll automatically be entered into my raffle. In addition, when you post the following on Twitter and/or Facebook (you need to friend me on Facebook so that I see your comment in the newsfeed), your name will be entered into the drawing twice, increasing your chances to win. 


Wondering how to follow to this blog? Simply scroll down and click "follow" on the right hand column of this blog.

RT: Brides, win over $350 in prizes by subscribing to http://j.mp/66I0Rs and leaving a comment there. Good luck, @anneroos

Here are the prizes:

10 lucky subscribers will be awarded:

- A free copy of my latest book, "The Bride's Guide to Musicians: Live Wedding Music Made Easy and Affordable” , published by Hal Leonard Books ($20 value)

5 very lucky subscribers will be awarded:

- A free copy of my latest book, "The Bride's Guide to Musicians: Live Wedding Music Made Easy and Affordable” , published by Hal Leonard Books ($20 value)

- My Celtic wedding music CD, "Haste to the Wedding" ($18 value)

1 exceptionally lucky subscriber will receive the Grand Prize:

- A free copy of my latest book, "The Bride's Guide to Musicians: Live Wedding Music Made Easy and Affordable” , published by Hal Leonard Books ($20 value)

- My Celtic wedding music CD, "Haste to the Wedding" ($18 value)

- Hand-made Celtic-style earrings ($24 value)

- Relaxing Heart Rock herbal bath gift set ($20 value)

- My soothing "Through the Mist" CD, filled with environmental sounds ($16 value)

- A Beachbody workout kit, including DVDs and a diet and exercise book containing simple guidelines to get you in shape for your wedding day and keep you in shape long thereafter ($129 value)

- A one-months supply of Xocai Healthy Chocolate High-Antioxidant Protein Meal Replacement Shake to enjoy while you are shaping up for your big day ($165 value)

Winners will be chosen at random from among followers to this blog who add a comment to any article on this blog between June 7th and July 14th. People who subscribe and tweet the above message will be entered into the drawing twice. Winners will be announced July 15th right here at http://celticharpmusic.blogspot.com. If you already happen to follow my blog,  no worries… simply post a comment on the blog and you can take part in the raffle as well.

The Contest is open only to men and women who: (a) are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States, Washington, DC, and at least eighteen (18) years of age) at the time of entry; and (b) possess a valid e-mail address.  Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. P.D.T., July 14, 2011. 

One entry per blog follow who adds a comment on the blog. A bonus entry is added for that follower who also posts the specified verbiage above on the Facebook newsfeed, and/or Twitter newsfeed. 

More Celtic Wedding Traditions

In the last few posts, I’ve shared some traditions about Irish and Scottish weddings. Here are a few more Celtic wedding traditions:

• The Welsh Lovespoon--This may have been an early type fof engagement ring, or perhaps the accesptance of the cared spoon at least meant the beginning of a serious courtship, “going steady”, so to speak. Could this be where the term “spooning” originated? This giving of an elaborate, carved wooden spoon, decorated with keys hearts and balls, origanated in Wales during the 17th century.

• The Celtic Love Knot Design--The lines of the Celtic love knot entwined hearts, indicateing theat the two separate lives become one. Other populare knot designes are animals such as the heron, because  the heron mates for life. These designs are used to adorn invitatins, napkins, wrappings for favors, and embroidered into the wedding dress and the bride’s hanky. 

• Harvest Love Knots--In Northern Ireland, young men and women would take long braids of straw and twist them into decorative knots to give away as love tokens. When one’s lover accepted a harvest knot, it was assumed that a wedding would follow the next spring. Today, these knots are made with raffie and attorned with flowers and colorful ribbons. They’re used as boutonnieres for the groom, worn int he bride’s haire, attached to the bride’s bouquet, and even used as napkin rings at the wedding reception.

• Handfasting--This is a type of Celtic wedding ceremony dating back to the middle Ages, or possibly earlier. Many small villages did not have a local minister or jpriest to perform marriage ceremonies, so couples would perform a handfasting, which legally bound them until someone of the clergy could perform a ceremony. It was a temporary marrieagethat lasted for a year and a day. Handfasting is now included in may wedding ceremonies as a way to honor the couple’s celtic heritage. Their hands are bound together with a cord or a tartan cloth during the vows to show that from that pint foward, they will live and love as one. 

These wedding traditions, and more, can be found in the liner notes of my CD, “Haste to the Wedding” (Copyright©2005 Anne Roos):

“May all your joys be pure joys and all your pain champagne.”

--Traditional Irish Toast

Have your own Celtic wedding traditions to add? Please add a comment or two....Next time: Romantic wedding traditions (new and old) for everyone in honor of St. Valentine’s Day!

Interesting Scottish Wedding Traditions

My good friend and
great musician,
Marc Gunn

The first several months of the year, many brides are making plans for their upcoming weddings in the summer months. In the last post, I shared some traditions about Irish weddings, courtesy of my friend, Reverend David Beronio. You’ll find more traditions at his website.

Here’s what he shares about Scottish weddings:

The groom and his groomsmen often wear Scottish kilts, and traditionally, there are no undergarments worn! (Here's the classic joke, “What does a Scotsman wear beneath his kilt?” Answer: “His shoes!”). The groom may present the bride with an engraved silver teaspoon on their wedding day to symbolize that they will never go hungry. And the traditional sword dance is sometimes performed at their wedding reception. 

Here’s more information about Scottish traditions from the liner notes of my CD, “Haste to the Wedding” (Copyright©2005 Anne Roos):

In traditional Scottish weddings, the groom wears the kilt of his clan, and after the vows have been exchanged, he places a shawl or sash of his clan’s tartan over the shoulders of his bride. This signifies the acceptance and protection of her in the goom’s family clan.

In Scotland, shortbread has been used in wedding celebrations for centuries. An uncut round of shortbread has been broken over the bride’s head at her wedding, showering her with blessings. A safer way to include them would be to wrap individual slices of shortbread in cellophane, tied with neat bows, and provide them as favors at the reception. Either way, including shortbread in the wedding celebration is said to bring good luck and prosperity to all those who partake. (a great recipe for ginger shortbread is found within the pages of my “Haste to the Wedding” liner notes).

“My wife’s a winsome wee thing,

She is a handsome wee thing, 

She is a bonnie wee thing,

This sweet wee wife o’ mine.”

--Robert Burns

Have your own Scottish wedding traditions to add? Feel free to comment....Next time: More Celtic wedding traditions.

Harvest Love Knots

"Drawing by John Roos ©2005"

In Northern Ireland, young men and women would take long braids of straw and twist them into deocrative knots. These harvest knots were then given as love tokens for men to wear on their lapels and women to wear in their hair. When one's lover accepred a harvest knot, it was assumed that a wedding would follow in the next spring.

Today, love knots are made with raffia and adorned with flowers and colorful ribbons. They are used as a boutonniere for the groom, worn in the bride's hair, attached to the bride's bouquet, and even used as napkin rings for the reception feast.

Copyright © 2005 by Anne Roos, excerpt from the liner notes to "Haste to the Wedding" CD, available on the Cambria Master Recordings Label. All rights reserved.

The Irish Fireside Podcast, Episode 97-Christmas In Ireland

If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to spend Christmas in Ireland, this is the podcast for you! Learn about holiday traditions from Imen McDonnell, an American married to an Irish farmer. She'll keep you enthralled with her discussion of holiday delicacies from the Emerald Isle in this November 24, 2009 episode of the Irish Fireside Podcast.

During this episode, you'll hear my rendition of “Shanghai Brown” from Mermaids & Mariners CD and “Mairi's Wedding” from Haste to the Wedding CD. Listen to this episode at the Irish Fireside website and download this and other episodes from iTunes.

The Irish Fireside Podcast is the ultimate place where you can get the inside scoop on Irish travel and culture from hosts Corey and Liam. And while you are visiting the Irish Fireside website, enter the Irish Fireside Holiday Gift Giveaway 2009 where you can win one of my CDs! Happy Holidays and a Very Happy New Year!

Sample my CDs-take a trip to my Listening Room.

The Irish Hanky

Irish brides usually carry a linen handkerchief down the aisle to catch their bridal tears, a custom that may have started bylinen companies in Norhern Ireland.

These companies suggest that the hanky cam be saved as a christening bonnet for the couple's first baby and that the child can in turn, use the hanky for her own wedding. In this way, the hanky turns into a family heirloom as it carries many generations of tears of happiness. Tying a piece of rosemary to this family hanky symbolizes remembrance of those who used it in the past.

Copyright © 2005 by Anne Roos, excerpt from the liner notes to "Haste to the Wedding" CD, available on the Cambria Master Recordings Label. All rights reserved.

The Bell of Truce

The tradition of the bell of truce comes from the peasants in the west of Ireland, but it may also be attributed to St. Patrick. He thought the sound of a bell ringing would help perform miracles.

In a wedding ceremony, the bell of truce is blessed and presented to the bride and groom by the ceremony officiant. The couple is asked to give the bell a good hardy ring while thinking of each other and their future together. It's then taken home as a reminder of the wedding day. Whenever arguments arise, the rining of this bell sounds a truce. It serves as a reminder of the couple's wedding vows.

A bell of tuce also provides a decorative addition to the wedding ceremony an to the home-it may be made of Irish crystal, pewter, or iron.

Your heart is never away,
But ever with mine, for ever,
For ever without endeavour,
To-morrow, love, as to-day;
Two blent hearts never astray,
Two souls no power may sever,
Together, O my love, for ever.

D.G. Rossetti

Copyright © 2005 by Anne Roos, excerpt from the liner notes to "Haste to the Wedding" CD, available on the Cambria Master Recordings Label. All rights reserved.

The Celtic Loving Cup

In Scotland, the Loving Cup is known as a quaich, which comes from the Gaelic word cuach, meaning cup. This is used for the wedding toast. It is often highly decorated and has a handle on either side of the cup.

A Loving Cup ceremony, or Anam Cara, can be included as part of the wedding vows or during the wedding reception. The purpose of this ceremony is for the bride and gtoom to share their first drink together as a married couple. The meaning of the cup is "togetherness". The cup is then passes down throughout the generations to insure happiness and good fortune to all who drink from it.

Copyright © 2005 by Anne Roos, excerpt from the liner notes to "Haste to the Wedding" CD, available on the Cambria Master Recordings Label. All rights reserved.

The Welsh Lovespoon

The lovespoon may have represented an early type of engagement ring, or perhaps the acceptance of the carved spoon at least meant the beginning of a serious courtship, "going steady", so to speak. Could this be where the term "spooning" originated? This custom
originated in Wales during the 17th century.

The most elaborate lovespoons are carved from one piece of wood, demonstrating the skill of the carvers. The handle of the spoon is often intricately decorated with various symbols-keys, hearts, balls, wheels, and bells-each representing such blessings as love, good luck, children, wealth, and health.

Copyright © 2005 by Anne Roos, excerpt from the liner notes to "Haste to the Wedding" CD, available on the Cambria Master Recordings Label. All rights reserved.

Celtic Art and Designs

Celtic artwork dates back to 3,000 B.C. and can still be seen on stone carvings throughout Ireland. Much of the current fascination with Celtic art may have originated with the Book of Kells, an eighth century manuscript currently house at Trinity College in Dublin. This book features knots, and animal designs. The Celts created their designs using one or several unbroken lines. They believed that the more these lines interlaced each other, the greater their protection against evil. The unbroken lines symbolized infinity.

Celtic wedding rings may be made of one of these unique design styles, the most popular of which is know as the Celtic love knot. The lines of the Celtic love knot are forever entwined, as the two separate lives become one. Animal designs are also used. One of the most popular animals used for Celtic wedding rings is the heron, because herons mate for life.

Other Celtic symbols, including the Celtic cross, a family coat of arms, and horseshoes with the open ends up (so that the good luck won't run out), may be used to adorn invitations, napkins, wrappings for favors, and embroidered into the wedding dress and the bride's hanky. National Celtic symbols are also used as wedding decorations: the thistle to display Scottish heritage, the leek for Welsh heritage, and the shamrock for Irish heritage.

Copyright © 2005 by Anne Roos, excerpt from the liner notes to "Haste to the Wedding" CD, available on the Cambria Master Recordings Label. All rights reserved.

The Claddagh Ring

This may be the most well-known symbol of love in Ireland. It is said tha this ring, a crowned heart held by two hands, is a symbol of love, friendship, and loyalty, best explained in the phrase, "Let Love and Friendship Reign." It was the traditional marriage ring of the fishermen of Claddagh, a small village on Galway Bay. Legend has it that the ring was developed for sailors to wear as a means of identifying their heritage in case they went overboard, were lost at sea, or were washed ashore on foreign soil.

A more romantic legend is the story of Richard Joyce, captured by Algerian pirates on his way to the West Indies, he was forced into slavery working for a Moorish goldsmith. Joyce became a master goldsmith and handcrafted this ring design for his ladylove back home. He was released in 1689 and returned to the village of Claddagh, to his true love. He gave her the ring and she used the Claddagh as a wedding band when they married. Joyce set up a goldsmith shop, his ring design became popular, and examples of his handiwork still exist.

The ring grew in popularity, outside of this local region, spread by the help of vast exodus out of Ireland diring the Great Potato Famine in the mid 1800s. Claddagh rings were kept as heirlooms with great pride and passed from mother to daughter for use as wedding bands.

Today, this ring is worn extensibely across Irleland, either on the right hand with the heart pointing towards the findertips to signify that the wearer is "fancy free," or on the left hand with the heart pointing towards the wrist to indicate that the wearer is "spoken for."

Copyright © 2005 by Anne Roos, excerpt from the liner notes to "Haste to the Wedding" CD, available on the Cambria Master Recordings Label. All rights reserved.

My Angelic Visit with the Folks from the Good Day Sacramento Show

I played Led Zepellin in December of 2008, and Metallica in March of 2009 (scroll down below), and I'm back again on CBS affiliate, CW Channel 31’s Good Day Sacramento show. I am joined by two TV hosts dressed up as angels, in honor of National Be An Angel Day, August 22, 2009.

Cody Stark interviews me, and you'll hear a little sampling of me playing "Wind Beneath My Wings"--a perfect tune for the angel in all of us. Cody also refers to my CD, Haste to the Wedding, in the broadcast. Check out this CD here.

Just click here to watch the video.

Special thanks to the entire production crew at Good Day Sacramento!

July/August Celtic Trivia: The Bridal Veil and Old Shoes

"The love you give away is the only love you keep"--Elbert Hubbard

Fairies are said to covet anything that is beautiful, which includes the bride and all her fineries.

The wedding veil has special meaning in Ireland. In ancient time, it was believed to hide the bride away from leprechauns and fairies who would try to capture the bride and take her beautiful dress. Today in Ireland, veils are often embroidered with shamrocks or the Claddagh symbol.

It is also lucky for the bride and groom to wear old shoes when they get married. This would prevent their being kidnapped by fairies. In County Cork, it is believed that fairies would whisk away the wedding couple to the "Land of the Ever Young," just to get a hold of a pair of handsome new shoes.

Read more Celtic wedding traditions and toasts in the liner notes of my "Haste to the Wedding" CD, ©2005 Anne Roos.

June Celtic Trivia: Flowers and Herbs

"Come live in my heart and pay no rent."
--Old Irish Proposal

Ancient brides used herbs, not flowers, in their bouquets. They believed that herbs had the power to ward off evil spirits. If a bride carried sage, she became wise, if she carried dill, she became lusty. Rosemary ensured the powers of remembrance.

Brides used to carry marigolds that were dipped in rose water. They later ate them because they were believed to be aphrodisiacs. Wheat was also used in the floral bouquet to symbolize fertility, not only in family matters but also with crops.

Flowers eventually replaced herbs and carried many different meanings of their own. They were later dried and hung in the bride's new home to preserve their meanings.

Brides wore their hair loose, which symbolized virginity. A wreath of flowers, matching those in her bouquet, adorned their heads, or they would have just a few single flowers and precious stones scattered in their hair.

Read more Celtic wedding traditions and toasts in the liner notes of my "Haste to the Wedding" CD, ©2005 Anne Roos.

Renaissance Magazine Calls Anne Roos’ Wedding CD "One of the Best Collections of Celtic Harp Music"

“Haste to the Wedding is one of the best Celtic and Renaissance harp CDs you will ever find. It is also an excellent guide for any Olde World wedding,” proclaims Michael Lohr in Issue #67 of Renaissance Magazine. You’ll find his full review of Anne Roos’ wedding CD on pages 72 and 73 of this issue. Here are some highlights of the review:

“Anne Roos is a superb harpist...Haste to the Wedding is one of the best collections of Celtic harp music you will find. Full of Irish and Scottish courting and wedding songs, the CD is grouped by ceremonial sections: prelude music, processional music, unity candle/exchange of vows music, and recessional music.

Anne, who studied music theory at UCLA, proves to be a musical historian...A 48-page booklet accompanies the CD and provides a wonderful overview of traditional ceremonies and songs.

Haste to the Wedding is one of the best Celtic and Renaissance harp CDs you will ever find. It is also an excellent guide for any Olde World wedding.”

Renaissance Magazine is a print publication that features articles on history, castles, heraldry, culinary and herbal arts, and in-depth interview with the movers and shakers of the re-enactment and faire communities. Regular columns review period books movies, music, web sites, and games.

Haste to the Wedding is on the Cambria Master Recordings label. This and other albums by Anne Roos are available for purchase online at Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, and many online stores. It is also available for purchase at retail outlets such as Barnes & Noble and Borders stores. Autographed copies can be purchased at www.celticharpmusic.com.