"To Pastures New" Jamie Guthrie (June 1859 – 1930)
Goose Day (Michaelmas)
Sep 29
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"Nay, if thy wits run the wild-goose chase, I have done, for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five."
~ Mercutio, Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene IV
Keep your wits about you, dancers, for this "wild goose chase" of a 5 couple jig! This lively dance features a hodge-podge of double triangle setting, rights and lefts, and hands across figures to keep you in flying formation! The phrase "wild goose chase" dates back to the 1500s, originally describing a type of horse race in which riders followed a lead horse through an unpredictable course, resembling the V-shaped formations of flying geese.Goose Day is tied to Michaelmas through a legend involving Elizabeth I. On Michaelmas in 1588, while enjoying one of her favorite meals—roast goose—the Queen received news of England's victory over the Spanish Armada. Overjoyed, she decreed that goose should be part of the holiday feast every year. It is also a day for St. Michael's Bannocks (Struan Micheil). Check out the dance and the recipe! Honk! Honk! 🤪 🦢 🦢 🦢 🍞
Chasing the Wild Goose
September 29th is Michaelmas, also sometimes known as Goose Day.
Some traditional foods and ritruals associated with the feast of St. Michael and the Archangels are the bringing in of carrots, cooking of a roast goose, St. Michael's Struan (also known as St. Michael's Bannocks or Cakes), and picking of blackberries.
The custom of baking a special bread or cake, called Struan Micheil, St Michael's bannock, or Michaelmas Bannock on the eve of the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is thought to have originated in the Hebrides.
The bread was made from equal parts of barley, oats, and rye without using any metal implements.
Strùthan or struan is traditionally made of a mixture of meal from cereals grown on the land, such as oats barley and rye, and moistened with ewes milk. The struan is baked by the eldest daughter under close supervision of her mother. If the cake broke in the turning it was a token of bad luck. A broken struan is never eaten. For a traditional recipe said to come from the Hebrides, try here.
Some other customs associated with The Eve of St Michael are the bringing in the carrots and the stealing the horses.
The Sunday before Michaelmas the women would harvest carrots while saying a rhyme. It was considered particularly lucky to pull up a two pronged carrot.
In the meantime, whether or not goose is on the menu, you can chase the wild goose with a Scottish Country Dance using the wild geese formation, or fly along with them in a spectacular video, just chase the goose below with a click.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
