May 13th, 2012

Today is the first day of the Celtic Hawthorn Tree Month! Huzzah! Ironically, we picked today to go to the local Arboretum, since it was also Mother's Day. Now, the Hawthorn, also called the Thornapple, or Huath, to the Celts, is a part of the rose family, Rosaceae, native to the temperate regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. Hawthorns grow as shrubs and small trees, averaging five to fifteen meters in height, and they bear a kind of pome fruit, with typically thorny branches. The fruit, sometimes known as a "haw" contains a small pit, and the flowers that precede them are important to many nectar-eating insects.
In mythology, the Hawthorn is a symbol of hope; the Greeks used it in wedding procession, and those branches that are in bloom by May 1st may be used in Beltane rituals. Even in Christian lore it is rumored that Jesus' "crown of thorns" came from the Hawthorn tree. In Croatian lore, it is the wood of the Hawthorn, sharpened into a stake, that can kill the vampire, and the tree has an exceptionally strong tie to the Fey. Don't hurt the tree, or they will find you!
In magick, the tree has many uses. The Celts used Hawthorn wood for rune inscriptions, and a piece of cloth tied to the tree branch as an offering will bring healing. Also, since the tree is in flower at Beltane, it is tied to the raw masculine side of fertility, and the element fire. One hoping to conceive will find the Hawthorn month profitable, and using the wood in a fertility rite will help usher forth results. Since the tree has such a strong connection to the Fey, using it with other woods sharing that energy, Apple and Oak in particular, can call the faeries into circle.
The fruits of the Hawthorn are indeed edible, and are made into a host of spreads: jaws, jellies, etc. They can also be made into wine; however, the berries are rarely eaten raw. The flower petals are likewise edible, and early in the year, the leaves are tender enough to make a salad.