Labor Day: A Tribute to the American Worker



Work

by Ford Madox Brown, 1865

The summer sun is still high in the sky but we all know how fleeting the wonderful warm months really are. Although the first day of fall is not until September 22, the Labor Day holiday, on September 2 this year, traditionally heralds the end of summer here in New England. Many celebrate with the traditional family cookout, parades, picnics and even fireworks; a sendoff to summer before school begins again.

Yet, the real reason for the holiday isn’t so we can say goodbye to summer in style, but to pay tribute to the American worker and their contributions to the well-being of the country. Below I offer you some multicultural folktales about workers around the world to add to your repertoire, and of course some crafts and curriculum resources as well. But first, a little history of the holiday…

• Labor Day, is the first Monday in September every year and is a creation of the labor movement in the United States.
• The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City.
• Some state that Matthew Maguire proposed the holiday in 1882 when he was secretary of the Central Labor Union of New York.  Others argue it was proposed by Peter J. McGuire of the American Federation of Labor in 1882 after he witnessed the annual labour festival in Toronto, Canada.
• Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday on February 21, 1887.
• President Grover Cleveland signed it into law as a national holiday in 1894 in an effort to conciliate organized labor after the Pullman Strike.

The above information came from the following websites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day

https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history    

STORIES

Gluskabe Changes Maple Syrup – Native American/Abenaki

http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/GluskabeChangesMapleSyrup-Abenaki.html

John Henry, the Steel Driving Man – United States

http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/07/john_henry.html

Lazy Jack – England

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/efft/efft73.htm

Manabozho and the Maple Trees – Native American/Ojibewe

http://www.native-languages.org/ojibwestory.htm

Stand the Toil - Swedish

http://oaks.nvg.org/stal13-15.html#toil

The Ant and the Grasshopper – Aesop/Greece

http://www.bartleby.com/17/1/36.html  

The Calabash Kids – Tanzania

http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/024.html

The Devil and the Werewolves – French Canadian

http://tinyurl.com/lzklawm

The Disobedient Son – Mayan

http://tinyurl.com/l9u9e2r

The Elves and the Shoemaker – Grimm/Germany

http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-39.html

The Great Drum - Africa

http://www.folktales.net/ujima.html
The Golden Mountain – Russia

http://www.compassrose.org/folklore/russian/Golden-Mountain.html

The Hard Working Girl and the Lazy Girl – Hungary

http://tinyurl.com/ptwzmwc 
The Hired Hand – Iceland

http://www.theicelandguide.com/folktales/the-hired-hand

The Husband Who Was To Mind the House – Norway

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/norway010.html

The Labors of Hercules - Greece

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/labors.html

The Little Red Hen – England

http://archive.org/stream/thelittleredhen18735gut/18735.txt

The Speaking Stone - England

http://tinyurl.com/kn9ev5a

The Success in Life of Three Brothers – Japan

http://enargea.org/tales/Japanese/3_bros.html

  

BOOKS

Apples4theTeacher – Children’s Books for Labor Day and Community Helpers

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/labor-day/kids-books/

CRAFTS

Enchanted Learning – Labor Day Crafts, Activities

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/laborday/

Apples4theTeacher – Labor Day Coloring Pages

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/labor-day/

CURRICULUM

Education World - Great Sites For Teaching About... Labor Day and U.S. Labor History
http://www.educationworld.com/a_sites/sites045.shtml

National Education Association - Labor Resources Help Students Learn More About Working Men and Women

http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/labor-resources.html

The Strike that Shook America – Bread and Roses
http://www.history.com/news/the-strike-that-shook-america-100-years-ago
(My thanks to Nicolette Nordin Heavey for reminding me of this piece of  history.)

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

Karen Chace 2013 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Public Domain VI : Ballads, Folktales, Fairytales and Legends

The Golden Slipper
from
Serbian Fairy Tales

It has been awhile since I posted a collection of public domain books. Here is the sixth in the installment that will continue to for who knows how long! This one offers a collection of ballads, poetry, prose, folktales, legends and fairy tales. I hope you find something delicious to tell among these tasty offerings.

 

A Book of New England Legends and Lore in Prose and Poetry by Samuel Adams Drake 1901. Delve into both these imaginative tales from the New England region of the United States.

http://tinyurl.com/amjox2u

Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan by Richard Gordon Smith, 1918. A collection of “historical legends and folktales from Japan. Themes include ghosts; unrequited love across social boundaries; Shinto landscape, tree and ocean spirits; and tales driven by Bushido and Buddhist ethics.”

http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/atfj/index.htm

Czechoslovak Fairy Tales by Parker Fillmore, 1919. “The old king reached into his pocket, drew out a golden key, and handed it to the prince.” So begins the story of Longshanks, Girth and Keen, one of the many tales that await you within.

http://tinyurl.com/baw8ysh

Fairy Legends of the French Provinces, 1883 – Thirty-four lovely stories filled with charm and enchantment.

http://tinyurl.com/be5ly4j

Mighty Mikko: Finnish Folk and Fairy Tales by Parker Fillmore, 1922. Trolls, princesses, animals and a sixteen part nursery epic await you among the pages of this book.

http://tinyurl.com/acj7atk

Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney, 1903. Myths, Wonder Stories, Historic Traditions and Legends will whisk you away.

http://tinyurl.com/awx8gmj

The Russian Story Book by Richard Wilson, 1916. Fifteen tales, several featuring the hero Ilya, others with Nikita the Footless, the Cake-Baker and more.

http://tinyurl.com/awqvoe2

Serbian Fairy Tales by Elodie L. Muatovich, 1918. Seeking some longer stories to share? This book offers a number of tales in three, four and six parts.

http://tinyurl.com/aqer7bc

Silesian Folk Tales (the Book of Rübezahl) by James Lee and James Thomas Carey, 1915.In legends Rübezahl is a giant, gnome or mountain spirit. He is friendly with good people but if you ridicule him he will take his revenge. Sometimes he is the trickster in folktales.http://archive.org/details/silesianfolktal01caregoog

  

Stories from the Ballads Told to the Children by Mary Macgregor, 1923. The stories of Young Tamlane, Thomas the Rhymer and others await you.

http://tinyurl.com/aguwxro

 

And if you missed the previous blog posts of public domain story collections here are the links for posts 1-5.

• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/05/public-domain-folktales-myths-legends.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/06/public-domain-ii-folktales-myths-and.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/09/public-domain-iii-folktales-fairy-tales.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/10/public-domain-iv-folktales-fairytales.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/07/public-domain-v-folktales-fairytales.html

If you found this post useful please take a moment to leave a comment* on the blog. It is always lovely to know that I am not “shouting down a hole.” :)

 

*Please note, if you do leave a comment it will not immediately appear until I have hit the publish button on my side of the Internet street to prevent any spam messages.

  

Karen Chace 2013 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

 

A Day of Renewal and Hope

Tomorrow is more commonly known as Groundhog Day but it is also The Feast of Candlemas, a celebration of light, renewal and hope. Whichever you choose to celebrate, and whatever this month may bring, I wish you the warmth of a winter fire and the beauty of flickering candlelight.

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas bring clouds and rain,
Go winter, and come not again.

GROUNDHOG DAY
By Hal Borland

Tomorrow brings that secular occasion known as Groundhog Day, when an almost incredible amount of guesswork, speculation, superstition, and error is taken for divination. The groundhog, or woodchuck, is supposed to rouse from hibernation, emerge from its den, and decide about the weather for the next six weeks. If the sun shines and the woodchuck sees its shadow it will return to its bed and winter will continue for another six weeks. If it is cloudy and the woodchuck sees no shadow it will end its sleep and winter will be at an end.

That is the old belief that reaches back to primitive times. Early tribesman credited various animals with the ability to forecast weather. The Egyptians relied on bears. Europeans turned to wolves for prophecies. In England they put their faith in otters and badgers. Early English colonists in America, never skilled in identification, mistook woodchucks for badgers, which often were called groundhogs in England. The badger was the Candlemas forecaster in England, so the American marmot inherited the prophet's mantle. And just to round out the tangle of identities, the name "woodchuck" came from the Algonquin "wejac," which means fisher, a cousin of the weasel.

And that is the way the old Candlemas legend was credited to a misnamed creature that usually slept right through the event. Not even countryman put stock in the old belief, anyway. But in upper New England there is a wry twist to it. Folks up there hope for sunshine so the groundhog can see its shadow. That, they say, means there will be only six more weeks of winter.

This is one year we can echo their hope. May the sun shine bright on Groundhog Day.

More interesting information on the Feast of Candlemas

All  theYear Round by Charles Dickens
http://tinyurl.com/yfj8uhn

Traditions on Candlemas Day from around the world:

• In Ireland, Feb. 2 was also the festival day of Brigid, known in various sources as the pagan goddess of fertility, grain and fire. Candles were lit on her festival day.
• In some cultures, children brought money to school so their teacher could buy treats. The boy or girl bringing the most money was crowned king or queen of Candlemas.
• In Luxembourg, children sang and carried candles door-to-door. They were treated with candy at the houses where they stopped.
• Any Christmas decorations not taken down on Epiphany were to be left up until Candlemas. At that time, all decoration had to be taken down. http://tinyurl.com/yjo6mx9

Before Groundhog Day, It Was Candlemas - New England Historical Society

tinyurl.com/82hqip18 

And of course, one of my blog posts with stories about candles. 

Countless Candles and Gratitude
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2015/06/countless-candles-and-gratitudes.html 

Candlemas is a celebration of light, the day of candles, but in many parts of the world it is thought of by both young and old as pancake day! http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/traditions/candlemas/

For the children. Help the groundhog find his shadow: http://www.bry-backmanor.org/actpag26.html

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

 

An Ocean of Fun!

I had the most delightful and insightful storytelling day yesterday. I drove to beautiful, scenic, Rockport, MA to take part in the annual Story Train, sponsored by the wonderful libraries and librarians around the Cape Ann area.

About six hundred family members board a train that brings them to a lovely spot by the ocean, Millbrook Meadow, to picnic and listen to stories. Three storytellers, Tony Toledo, Nora Dooley and myself shared tales for 45 minutes. At the end, Tony decided we would all do a quick story improv, a real surprise to us! Tony started the tale about a tree and, a tree that could walk no less! As we each too turns it grew and grew (no pun intended). At one point I said "And the willow made it's way to the city where a great folk festival was taking place. He took out his harmonica and began a wild riff." Now it was Nora's turn. I hadn't noticed she was wearing tiny harmonica earrings and quick as a wink she took one off and began to play. The audience erupted in laughter. One of those "we couldn't have planned it any better moments." Great fun!

Afterwards, Tony and I spent the day roaming the quaint and eclectic seaside
shops of Rockport, finding fun at every turn and he made sure he took me to see the most painted spot there. The red fisherman's shack has been the subject of so many paintings it is now called Motif I.

One store was like stepping back in time into one of those all purpose General Stores, filled with penny candy, popcorn, postcards, games,and of course books. There I found a slim volume, New England's Mad and Mysterious Men, which looks like it will be an interesting read.

Later, we went for a tour of Manchester by the Sea, another gorgeous, New England seaside town. We stopped at a used bookstore, Manchester by the Book, which is chockfull of nooks and crannies to ramble through. Mark, the owner, guided me to a small back room where I found two folktale books, one with stories from Vietnam and another from Central America.


Later, we went to a new open mic venue Tony hosts at an eclectic restaurant, the Gulu Gulu Cafe and he is the consommute MC, making each performer feel valued and appreciated. My plan was to go, listen and support him but he secretly signed me up to tell in the second slot and before I knew it I was being introduced. Since we'd spent the day together by the sea I decided to tell my adaptation of a Massachusetts folktale, Long John and the Mermaid. I am so accustomed to telling for children it is a rare treat when I get to share a story with an adult audience. It was grand to see that they were just as attentive and appreciative and were delighted with the story.

The other folks who took the stage offered a wide-range of pieces from
poetry, to excerpts from plays, to creative writing, to political essays. Some of
their work gave me chills. One multi-talent artist (poet, photographer and
musician) shared a poem he wrote that needs to be read by all of the politicians in America!

There was even a sixteen year old young man who shared something he had just written that day; he displayed such talent and poise, amazing! The headliner was comedian George Seibel who was not only funny but politically charged, a la the late great George Carlin. There were many powerful, thought-provoking pieces and I began to think that the offering I'd brought to the table was a bit trite but I was assured by many that they loved the storytelling and asked me to come back and tell again. I guess in this upside world we especially need fantasy in our lives all the more!

Bravo to Tony and the Gulu Gulu Cafe for giving us all the chance to gather, play, laugh and think!

Serendipity and a Leap of Faith

Serendipity, I have always loved that word. It comes from the Persian folktale, The Three Princes of Serendip; "as their highnesses travelled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of..."

You see, my entry into the world of storytelling back in 1999 was a very serendipitous event.It was then that I attended a teacher's conference in New Hampshire and one day, during our lunch break, we were treated to a wonderful storyteller. She shared amazing tales of growing up in Africa, woven around lush folktales from her culture. I was hooked! Although I graduated with an degree in English Literature I was unaware of this ancient art of Oral Tradition or a career in storytelling. When I returned home I immediately began to research. This is not as easy as it sounds, we are talking pre-Google time! Within a few months I attended my first storytelling workshop and within a year my first Northlands Storytelling Conference in Iowa. I began my new journey, at first taking baby steps, then skipping along for a bit, and later running to catch up, thankful for the many hands and voices that lifted me up when I stumbled along the way.

So in this Leap Year I decided to take my own personal leap. After 14 years working at my local elementary school I submitted my resignation. I have decided to move from part-time/sometime storyteller to full time teller. I finish in three weeks but will continue to work with my student storytelling troupe. My administrator has assured me that as long as he is there the program will continue. I am blessed.

As I leave the cold, crisp days of February in New England behind and welcome in the windy days of March, it is with a mixture of hope, faith, and a wee bit of trepidation that I begin another journey. I know it won't happen overnight but if not now when? As the Chinese proverb teaches, "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now."

The Gentle Nudge of a Friend

Welcome all and Happy February!

Here in New England the night is unseasonable warm and thunder shakes the night after a cold start and a day of rain. The day has also been filled with some discussion about blogging, so thanks to the gentle nudge of my friend and colleague, Granny Sue Holstein http://www.grannysu.blogspot.com/ I have decided to add blogger to my resume.

I am sure days and even weeks may go by when I will be hard pressed to share anything of consequence. However, Granny Sue assures me that there are those who will be interested to know about our world, my work, and the ancient art of Oral Tradition.

So here I go, jumping in with both feet, as I have done most of my life, sometimes without even looking. I hope there will be moments when you find my comments useful, thoughtful or amusing, and maybe, if the stars are aligned just right, a combination of all three.

Karen Chace
Professional Storyteller
www.storybug.net