The winter solstice, also known as Yule, is a pagan celebration that honors the shortest day of the year. It is a festival that has been observed by various cultures throughout history, including the ancient Romans, Greeks, and Norse. In modern times, many people continue to honor the winter solstice as a way to reconnect with nature and celebrate the turning of the seasons. The main idea behind honoring the pagan winter solstice is to recognize the power and beauty of nature. As the days become shorter and colder, it is a reminder that the natural world goes through cycles of darkness and rebirth. By acknowledging and celebrating the winter solstice, people can cultivate a deeper connection with the earth and its rhythms.
Because the film was among the earliest to be shot in Technicolor, it required large sets with cameras hidden in different corners and elaborate lighting that rendered the set suffocatingly hot.
Actor Buddy Ebsen who later starred in The Beverly Hillbillies was originally cast as the Scarecrow, but popular Broadway actor Ray Bolger reportedly didn t want to play the Tin Woodman, so was given the part but he may have regretted it, in particular because of the face mask he had to wear. Actor Buddy Ebsen who later starred in The Beverly Hillbillies was originally cast as the Scarecrow, but popular Broadway actor Ray Bolger reportedly didn t want to play the Tin Woodman, so was given the part but he may have regretted it, in particular because of the face mask he had to wear.
By acknowledging and celebrating the winter solstice, people can cultivate a deeper connection with the earth and its rhythms. One of the key traditions associated with the pagan winter solstice is the lighting of candles or a bonfire. This symbolizes the return of the light and the hope that comes with it.
Curse of the Blue Nun
Writing about Riesling got me to thinking about great German Rieslings and, because I am a Dismal Scientist after all, I also started thinking about the not-so-great German wines that define that country for wine drinkers of a certain age. And so, inevitably, my thoughts strayed to memories of Blue Nun.
I haven’t thought of Blue Nun wine in years. I remember it from the 1970s as an unsophisticated Liebfraumilch wine in a tall thin blue bottle with a blue and white-clad nun on the label. She reminded me a bit of the “Flying Nun” television show (starring Sally Fields) that ran from 1967 to 1970. The wine was about as serious as the TV series, but apparently it sold hundreds of thousands of cases to aspiring wine drinkers like me.
I didn’t know that it was still around until I spotted it on a BBC television show about wine. It was a miniseries featuring Oz Clarke, notable British wine guru, and James May, co-host of the popular automobile series “Top Gear.” Oz and James were touring California with wine expert Oz trying to teach neophyte James a bit about wine. James resisted, put off by wine’s snobbish elitist ways.
Terrible. Disgusting. Must be European.
Blue Nun appeared in a sequence where James bet Oz $100 that he couldn’t identify an ordinary everyday wine in a blind tasting (from a plastic beer cup, as it turned out). Oz sniffed and swirled and made a bad face. Terrible, he said. Disgusting. So bad that it couldn’t be from America – market-savvy Americans would never make a wine this bad. This could only come from the Old World.
“Blue Nun!” he shouted, winning the bet, although I suspect that colored bottle gave him an unfair clue. Here is a taste of the show. The Blue Nun episode is not available online, but this will give you a good sense of what the show is like.
I’m not sure that Blue Nun is really that bad, but Oz Clarke’s revolting reaction is telling. Blue Nun and brands like it established Germany’s place on the lower tier of the World Wine Wall in the 1970s. The wines may not have been as cheap and nasty as memory suggests, but they were not expensive and sophisticated, either. They were the face of German wine abroad and that face, like the Blue Nun herself, was more or less a colorful cartoon version of the great wines of Germany.
The First Global Wine Brand
Blue Nun was by some accounts the first truly global mass market wine brand, an unexpected distinction for a German wine. Its story therefore has some bearing on the globalization of wine. Blue Nun’s roots go back to 1857 when Hermann Sichel started a wine business in Mainz. I know little about the early days of Sichel’s firm except that it managed to survive the political and economic chaos of the ensuing years, which in retrospect seems like a considerable achievement.
The real story begins with the 1921 vintage, said to be one of the best. Sichel sought to export these wines, especially to Great Britain, and the Blue Nun label was invented to facilitate sales abroad. One source holds that the nun on the label was originally clad in standard issue brown robes, but a printer’s error turned them blue and thus a brand was born.
The brand and the famous vintage it represented found a market in England, selling more than 1000 cases a year in the 1930s (quite a lot for a single brand of wine at that time) according to the official company history. The volumes increased after World War II, rising to 3.5 million bottles a year in the UK in the 1970s before sales collapse back to 800,000 in the 1980s. The quantity quality trade-off finally came back to haunt Blue Nun, it seems, and the fashion for red wine started by the famous French Paradox discovery did not help either.
Blue Nun, it seems was the original victim of the Curse of the Blue Nun: the simple, sweetish wines that make you will also break you. As tastes changed and wine drinkers sought to move up-market, Blue Nun wine petered out (although 800,000 bottles is hardly a trickle). Passé to some, a joke (as with Oz and James) to others, that was and to some extent is Blue Nun.
It is an over generalization to say that the whole of German wine suffered the Curse of the Blue Nun, but there is some truth in it. Great wines continued to be produced, of course, and snatched up by the educated wine elites (although not at the high prices they once earned), but Brand Germany was Blue Nun, Black Tower and their Liebfraumilch shelfmates. German wine hit its lowest point.
Blue Nun and the New Globalization
I am an optimist about globalization and wine (that’s why next book is called Grape Expectations) and this attitude extends to German wine. The bad news of the crisis of quality is matched by the good news that German wines have changed, even the big brands. Black Tower has moved upmarket into affordable quality wines, not just Liebfraumilch and not just white wines, either. It is the top German brand today.
Sichel sold the Blue Nun brand to Langguth, another German maker, who also upgraded the wines. Blue Nun is once again a major brand, selling 5 million bottles in Britain alone in 2005. It is a German brand but, significantly, reflecting the current wave of globalization, not just a German wine.
Popular wines from around the world are imported to Germany where they are bottled under the Blue Nun label. There are Languedoc Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, California Zinfandel, Australian Shiraz, Chardonnay from Chile, and a Rosé from Spain, for example. There’s even a Pinot Grigio from Germany, although its unlikely origin is not easy to learn from the front label.[i]
Blue Nun Light is low alcohol (0,5%), low calorie (27 calories per 100 ml glass). Tastes great, less filling.
My personal favorite (perhaps because I’ve never tried it) is Blue Nun Sparkling Gold Edition shown here. It’s a light fizzy wine infused with flakes of 22 carat gold leaf that glitter in the glass.
Young women seem to be Blue Nun’s target market according to both published sources and the look of the advertising copy. Women buy more wine than men, so this is not a crazy strategy, and young women are the market of the future, although the assumption that they are especially attracted to shiny floaty things like these gold flakes is sad if true. The idea that the attractive female image of the Blue Nun might particularly appeal to women never occurred to me … until now.
German wine is back, but it has changed. Quality has improved – even the mass market brands offer some good wines – but the reputation lingers, the legacy of the Curse of the Blue Nun.
[i] The ad copy says it is from the “sunny Palantine region,” which sounds Italian but isn’t. The geographical designation is Pfalz, Germany. I’m sure it is quite good as Pinot Grigio goes.
Young women seem to be Blue Nun’s target market according to both published sources and the look of the advertising copy. Women buy more wine than men, so this is not a crazy strategy, and young women are the market of the future, although the assumption that they are especially attracted to shiny floaty things like these gold flakes is sad if true. The idea that the attractive female image of the Blue Nun might particularly appeal to women never occurred to me … until now.
It is a way to bring warmth and light into the darkness of winter, both literally and figuratively. Another important aspect of honoring the winter solstice is spending time outside and engaging with the natural world. Many people choose to take walks in nature, meditate, or participate in rituals that involve the elements of earth, air, fire, and water. This helps to foster a sense of connection with the earth and celebrate its beauty and abundance. Additionally, feasting and sharing food with loved ones is a common tradition during the winter solstice. This emphasizes the importance of community and coming together during the darkest time of the year. It is a time to express gratitude for the harvest and the nourishment it provides. Overall, honoring the pagan winter solstice is a way to celebrate the cycles of nature and connect with the earth. It is a reminder to embrace the darkness and find hope in the return of the light. By participating in traditions and rituals associated with the winter solstice, individuals can cultivate a deeper appreciation for the natural world and the importance of living in harmony with it..
Reviews for "pagan winter solstice traditions that endure to this day"
1. JohnDoe - 1 star - I was really disappointed with "Honoring the pagan winter solstice". I expected a thoughtful and insightful exploration of the solstice traditions, but instead, I found a shallow and poorly researched book. The author seems to have just scratched the surface of the topic and didn't bother to dig deeper. The writing style was also quite amateurish, with repetitive phrases and awkward sentences. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a comprehensive understanding of the pagan winter solstice.
2. JaneSmith - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Honoring the pagan winter solstice", but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The book lacked organization and coherence, making it difficult to follow the author's arguments and ideas. The author also seemed to have a biased perspective on the topic, which hindered a balanced exploration of the traditions associated with the winter solstice. Additionally, the book was filled with unnecessary anecdotes and personal opinions, making it feel more like a journal entry rather than an informative read. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone seeking an in-depth examination of the pagan winter solstice.
3. Reviewer123 - 1 star - "Honoring the pagan winter solstice" was a complete waste of my time and money. The author didn't provide any meaningful insights into the traditions and significance of the solstice, and the information presented was scattered and poorly organized. I expected a well-researched and well-documented book, but instead, I was met with unsupported claims and unverified information. The writing style was also overly pretentious and verbose, making it difficult to engage with the content. Save yourself the trouble and avoid this book if you're looking for a comprehensive understanding of the pagan winter solstice.