The Night the Animals Talked

I first heard about the legend of the talking animals about 20 years ago and as an animal lover, thought it was a great story.  Over the years I’ve always tried to be in the right place at the right time -  at midnight on Christmas Eve - so that I could hear the animals talk. Something always happened that would keep me away and I’d miss the opportunity for that year. Maybe I didn’t want to be disappointed, maybe it wasn’t meant to be, but now as I think about the story, I know that our critters do talk to us every day! Merry Christmas and may your animals all have good things to say to you!

“The Night The Animals Talked”

In the frosty mountains and on the snowy fields of Norway, there was a legend that drew children to all kinds of stables and stalls throughout the country on each Christmas Eve at midnight. Why would they go to these places on Christmas Eve of all nights? They were hoping to “hear” a miracle. They had hope, or faith, that each one would be blessed to hear the animals talk. Now, whether the animals were miraculously endowed with the speech of humans or whether the humans miraculously understood the speech of animals was not clear. But, they believed they could definitely communicate with one another.

But why? Well, over 2,000 years ago, Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem. It was a working stable, filled with animals of all kinds. Into these humble surroundings, Jesus was placed in a manger. Encircled by the innocent creatures of God, the Savior of man came into the world.

Now, according to the legend at least, Christ’s birth occurred at exactly midnight. Inside the stable, the animals watched in wonder as the new-born babe was lovingly wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in that manger. Then suddenly, God gave voice to the animals and they immediately began to praise God for the miracle they had just witnessed. The miracle that God’s only son was born in human form.

Shepherds, who had been keeping watch over their flock at night, were told by an angel of the miracle birth and hurried to the stable. But just before they entered to worship the baby, the animals were silenced and the voices of humans in praise took their place.

So, the stories were told and the legend of the talking animals grew.  To this day, the story continues to be told in many places in Scandinavia, and when midnight on Christmas Eve comes around, there are wide-eyed children who creep into stables in hope of hearing the animals once again praise God for the wondrous birth of His Son.

Legend retrieved from:  https://tarapollard.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/the-legend-of-the-talking-animals-2/

Other great Christmas animal stories:
Native people of the Americas tell of deer who kneel on Christmas night, looking to the sky as if praising the Great Spirit. Cribs handcrafted by tribes of the United States and Canada include the fox, buffalo, and the bear in their mangers.

On Christmas Eve in Britain, bees gather to hum hymns and oxen and cattle rise in their stalls or kneel in adoration of the new-born king.

Spiders provided the original version of tinsel by decorating trees with cobwebs. Legends credit Santa or angels or Jesus for turning the gray webs into gold and silver. To this day, it is said that every tree should have a spider ornament to acknowledge the happy spirit of the Christmas spider.

Santa provides for the animals as well as children according to European legend. He places grain all about for them on Christmas Eve. Polar bear cubs know that Santa only comes after they go to sleep. In his off time, Santa is known to play with the animals around his North Pole home as well as feed and care for them.

Tabby cats received the letter “M” for Madonna on their forehead as a reward for a tabby kitten comforting baby Jesus in the manger. 

Retrieved from: http://minnakrebs.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-legend-of-animals.html

Rainbows, butterflies and Rocky Mountain High

I have the best job in the world! After an amazing day with amazing people, I want to express my gratitude to all who helped make our second annual John Denver Celebration weekend possible and for those who made yesterday and today so memorable. We have one more day of the event – tomorrow is a Day of Education and Inspiration, but the inspiration definitely started today. I always knew Marsh Haven is a very special place – a “kindness magnet” as Larry Vine calls it, but today the magnet attracted even more kindness.

Marsh Haven is like a family, we care about each other. I know my many hours are appreciated by our volunteers and I appreciate all their hard work knowing that I could never do all this without them! It was so rewarding to look around the Respect Our Earth theater tonight to see so many people that I care about enjoying themselves, listening to the music, singing along, reliving old memories and hopefully creating new ones. There were also friends from far and wide and people that I had just met. We were all connected through the power of song and I am very grateful to the talented and kind Brad Fitch (that’s cowboybrad.com) for creating that opportunity and for sharing his time and talents with us.

What a rich and rewarding experience I get to have every day at Marsh Haven Nature Center and I am so very grateful for the people I have met and worked with that has made this experience even more enjoyable. Thank you for your time, your energy and what you bring to our world.

Not only did we have one of our last two monarchs eclose from their chrysalis today, but there was a rainbow without the rain just as the sun was setting.

Educator Open House

     Area educators of all grade levels are invited to enjoy a summer outing at Marsh Haven Nature Center before the school year begins. Guests are encouraged to discover a local educational resource during this event on Friday, August 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Explore the class-friendly museum, ecosystems, trails and grounds free of charge and learn more about academic, recreation, and service learning opportunities that can be adapted for all age groups.
     Author-artist-illustrator Doris Voss Dasenbrock will be a special feature of the event, sharing her children’s nature books from 10:30 to 11:30 that morning. Dasenbrock writes children’s books under the name of “Madam Zucchini” which is a name her young son gave her many years ago because she baked zucchini bread often. She grew up in Horicon, graduated from Horicon High School and has now been living in Bowie, MD for the past 46 years. Autographed books will be available for purchase.
      The staff at Marsh Haven Nature Center is looking forward to sharing the many educational opportunities and nature connections available and being a partner in the upcoming school year plans. All grade levels, public, private and homeschool educators are invited, along with scouting leaders, parents, grandparents and children. Refreshments, resources, ideas and door prizes will be provided. Marsh Haven Nature Center is located three miles east of Waupun at W10145 Highway 49. For more information, visit marshhaven.com, call (920)318-9518 or email director@marshaven.com.