*Ø* Blogmanac May 20 | Ascension lore

Ascension is the end of the Easter season, when almanackists can take things a bit easier for a while.

During the 40-day period beginning with Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the time when Jesus Christ reappeared to some of His followers. This period ends on Ascension Day, or Ascension Thursday ...

On Ascension Day in Tissington, England, wells are traditionally dressed with flowers, and sometimes Bible verses are made out in letters of flowers. Well-dressing, practised in many other places throught Britain, is the art of decorating springs and wells with scenes, usually made from local plant life. The dressings are set in clay-filled wooden trays, mounted on a wooden frame and take up to seven days to complete.

Some believe the custom arose during a drought in Derbyshire in 1615, but it is known that the custom of well-dressing began in Celtic times ...

In another custom associated with today, farmers hung in their roof, an egg laid on Ascension Day, in order to protect against lightning and fire.

Thor's hammer
Thursday was named after the Viking god, Thor, and to the Vikings today was also the Festival of Mjollnir, Thor’s hammer, on a Thursday, at around the time that Christians celebrate Ascension Day. Mjollnir was made by Brok and Eitri and had enormous destructive abilities; it was associated with lightning ...

This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date when you're there.