Celebrating the life and birth of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)

Civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King is honored with a holiday in his memory today. Martin Luther King Day is commemorated on the third Monday in January each year. This year’s official holiday is Monday, Jan. 19.The  day  honours his birthday and his fight for racial equality through nonviolent protest, becoming a national day of service to reflect on his legacy of justice and peace.

Efforts to honor King with a federal holiday began just months after his April 4, 1968 death. Those efforts failed, as did a 1979 vote by Congress that came after Dr.King's widow, Coretta Scott King, spoke out in favor of the day. Momentum for the holiday grew in 1980 when entertainer Stevie Wonder released "Happy Birthday" in Dr.King's honor, leading to a petition calling for MLK Day and, in 1983, House passage of a holiday bill.Today it is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer and improve their communities.

Dr.King was born Jan. 15, 1929 in Atlanta. Although the King family were relatively economically privileged, this did not fully shield him from the experience of racial prejudice when he was young – he was, after all, born in 1929, during an era of legal segregation. 

A pivotal experience occurred in 1944 as he returned to Atlanta from an oratorical contest in Dublin, Georgia. He and his teacher were forced to stand on an overcrowded bus so whites could have the available seats. This left an indelible imprint on the young Dr.King, who had just delivered perhaps his first important public speech, on ‘The Negro and the Constitution’. 

Dr.King’s home city of Atlanta was racially progressive by the standards of the American South. He would have suffered less exposure to white racism than did many other black children, but that didn’t stop his experiences of discrimination informing his understanding of injustice. Losing his white playmates when he and they had to attend separate schools provided an early lesson in the inequities of institutionalised racism.  

Dr.King was greatly inspired by a confluence of factors, the foremost being the African-American church. His philosophy and practice of nonviolence was also influenced by his time as a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta from 1944 to 1948. Its president delivered weekly chapel talks in which he often spoke about social justice issues and the world leaders who were addressing them, including Mohandas Gandhi. In 1959, Dr.King would travel to India with his wife, Coretta Scott King, to learn more about the Gandhian practice of nonviolence. 

Dr. King’s study of the works of western philosophers and theologians framed his thinking about nonviolence. Ultimately, he synthesised these influences – the black church, Gandhi, western philosophy and theology – to create his own, unique expression of nonviolence as evidenced in the American civil rights movement.  

Dr.King’s faith was at the very core of his commitment to the struggle for black equality. As he put it: “Christ furnished the spirit and motivation while Gandhi furnished the method.”  

Nonviolent protest was undoubtedly connected to King’s Christian faith and a tradition of redemptive suffering. However, the use of nonviolence within the movement predates King’s rise to prominence: the boycott of segregated transport by black communities, for instance, can be dated back to the late 19th century. 

The 1955/56 Montgomery bus boycott [in which leading civil rights figures, including King, protested against the segregation of Alabama’s public transport] was part of a longer history of nonviolent protest in black communities.  

Nonviolence also served a tactical role for the movement. By contrasting the nonviolence of protesters with the lawlessness and brutality of white supremacists, King was able to present an image of respectability and thereby secure support from white liberals.  

Dr.King later helped form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and went on to lead protests throughout the South and, in 1963, was a central figure in the March on Washington.

King’s political career coincided with the communication revolution that occurred through the mass ownership of TVs. Suddenly, the black freedom struggle was being beamed right into people’s homes. News footage of racist police officers brutally assaulting peaceful black protesters mobilised public support for the civil rights cause. This in turn pressurised the federal government to take interventionist action.  

Television also enabled King to reach an international audience. Thanks to a Telstar satellite, British audiences were able to watch live on August 28, 1963 the end of the March on Washington in 1963 at which Dr. King delivered his famous  ‘I Have a Dream’ oration.  King’s words were as powerful as his deeds, and his moving and eloquent addresses, which gave hope to millions, continue to inspire people throughout the world.  

Martin Luther King - I Have A Dream Speech - August 28, 1963

While only 9 per cent of American households owned a TV in 1950, 93 per cent did so in 1966. This contributed significantly to the success of King’s movement. It also helped catapult the charismatic King into the spotlight of global attention.  

King once declared that he would compel segregationists to do their evil in the spotlight of television and that this would make the world see their crimes. His protest campaigns in the Alabama towns of Birmingham in 1963 and Selma two years later were moral spectacles that made it hard for ordinary Americans to feel comfortable with what was happening.  

Race was a controversial issue that most leaders in the United States wanted to avoid, which meant that King was usually seen as a problem rather than an ally. He met three presidents during his lifetime. Dwight D Eisenhower largely ignored him; John F Kennedy, typically via his brother Bobby, tried to control him (the Kennedys believed that King should be grateful for their attempts to help him); and Lyndon B Johnson wanted King to act in ways that supported him, and felt betrayed by King’s outspoken stance on Vietnam. FBI director J Edgar Hoover also told Kennedy and Johnson that King was dangerous and probably controlled by the communists. 

Attorney General Robert Kennedy’s authorisation of FBI wiretaps on King’s home and office in 1963 reveals how the White House mistrusted King and attempted to control and manipulate him. Federal authorities were also more reactive than proactive on civil rights, meaning that King had to force their hand – as was the case in 1963, when first his campaign in Birmingham, Alabama and then the March on Washington pressured the Kennedy administration into pushing for the enactment of what eventually became the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Similarly, without the demonstrations that King led in Selma, Alabama, Lyndon B Johnson would not have pushed so hard for passing the outstanding legislative achievement of the civil rights movement – the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

By the end of his life, Martin Luther King Jr was an avowed socialist. He understood that you cannot have liberation and justice for all under a capitalist system that profits off exploitation, war, and inequality.  His vision was one of equality - across race and class. And he always saw the fight for civil rights as intricately tied to the fight for workers’ rights. As MLK said, “The problems of racial injustice and economic injustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of political and economic power.” The legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. has been deliberately softened to serve the interests of a select few. 

His last speech was delivered on April 3, 1968 to a crowded church, in Memphis Tennessee. King spoke of the injustice he felt for the city's sanatoriam workers who were on strike protesting low pay and poor working conditions. Amid the call for African-Americans to boycott businesses that mistreated workers , he delivered a sermon, without notes, that focused on his life and disavowed any concern that he might be killed for his role in the fight for civil rights. 'Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about tat now,' the Rev. Dr. King said that evening. 'I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, But I want you to know tonight, that we as people , will get to the promised land,!' Now known as ' I've been to the Mountaintop,' the sermon was called Dr.King's ' ,most apocalyptic' by King scholar James Washington. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennesee the next day, today April 4, 1968. 

If you listen to the words, it's almost as if he was predicting his own death,  powerfully prophetic.His strong voice still speaking out and touching us.

Martin Luther King Jr. “I've Been to the Mountaintop” - April 3, 1968 - Final Famous Speech

In  this age of Trump and rising Bigotry we need voices like King's more than ever. A man who refused to dilute his ideas, with integrity and passion for the causes of equality, justice and freedom, long may we celebrate his brave voice and his powerful legacy.

Though Martin Luther King Day is an American holiday, the man himself was thoroughly international. His political thoughts traverses all borders. Like so many strugglers in the long fight against racism, Dr.King appreciated that it was, at it's heart a global project. 

Many years later  despite some victory's and gains, the march for equality is unfinished, and for some his dream is unrealised, take for instance the case of the Palestinians who are daily imprisoned.

Dr. King also  knew that bombs dropped abroad would return home as batons and cages. He knew that a nation willing to brutalize others in the name of order would eventually turn that brutality inward, especially toward those already marked as disposable—or worse yet, as a threat to their power.Dr. King called for a radical revolution of values. Not cosmetic reform, but a refusal to live in a world organized by force.  That call still stands.

We cannot  let go of Dr King's dream, because, surely it is everybody's dream, we must continuously try to change the world, remember those in the U.S.A fighting for jobs and freedom, a land  still lanquishing to find itself, while perpetrating injustice, discrimination and inequality. A country that imprisons more  of their citizens than any other country in the world. African Americans in particular, though they are 12% of the population, make up 38% of the state prison population, despite their crimes being no different from their white and hispanic counterparts.

Today, we celebrate the life and birth of Martin Luther King Jr. We celebrate his legacy as a radical activist and anti-imperialist, who rightfully saw militarism, capitalism and fascism as the root causes of injustice in our society, and across the world.

Sadly King's legacy is gravely dishonoured every day that Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office.Trump scrapped free entry to National Parks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and replaced it with his own birthday.Nevertheless even in the Trump era  Dr King's words can still be  be both sobering and inspiring, his words are a timeless representation of the struggles that disenfranchised people face..Lets continue to honor him and continue to live his legacy through our  actions. In the face of cruelty and injustice, speak out, and speak up, for surely history will judge us all for our silence. we can still find the courage to stand up and say enough.

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor … it must be demanded by the oppressed!” King determined. Reminding  us that “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in the moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at during times of challenge and controversy,” He also warned us that “We must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools,” 

Now more than ever, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s memory serves as a shining light in the darkness—and is a reminder that the fight for justice is far from over. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we are  also reminded that justice is not automatic and freedom is not complete without equality and dignity for all. True freedom demands action standing against injustice, discrimination, and systems that deny people their rights.

As we honor the legacy of a true champion of equality and justice. Let's celebrate by spreading love, kindness, and unity. Seek common ground and shared purpose. Commit to peace, courage, and moral leadership. Lift up those who have been left behind and affirm the inherent dignity and worth of every person. While demanding a just society, guided by his courage to resist injustice, his vision of equality, and his unwavering belief that freedom is won through relentless, righteous action.

We at  same time  still need to abolish ICE. liberate Turtle Island, Palestine, Congo, Haiti, Sudan, West Papua, and the rest of our world. 

Every one of us who refuses to be silent or defeated in the face of injustice and inequity has joined a rich tradition of fighting forward, and we owe it to Dr. King not to let anyone send us back to darker times. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

Here is an old poem of mine in Martin Luther King Jr  honour

Strength to Love

Martin Luther King had a dream
That still today stirs our conscience,
He rejected violence to oppose racial injustice
Spread a message of peace, love and understanding,
His only weapons were his words and faith
As he marched in protest with his fellow man,
A force for good, but radical with intention
Pursued civil disobedience was not afraid
                                            of confrontation,
We are all born equal under skin
This noble struggle never stops within,
The causes of poverty must still be eradicated
There is so much more room for change,
As fresh iniquities call, lets keep hope alive
Standing firm let our voices ring out,
Keep sharing deeds of deep principle
In the name of pride and in the name of love,
We are all still citizens of the world
As Martin Luther carries on reminding,
“Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever.
The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself.”
We must continue to resist and overcome,
One day soon, all our dreams will be realised.

The house that Donald Trump couldn’t buy and the Widow who defied him.

Photo of  the home of Vera Coking, a widowed retired boardinghouse owner,  who refused to sell her three-story boardinghouse despite pressure from Donald Trump and city officials. 

For more than thirty years, a retired widowed retired boardinghouse owner Vera Coking   had lived quietly in a three-storey clapboard house just off the Atlantic City Boardwalk. Her home, at 127 South Columbia Place, wasn’t much to look at: white paint peeling, lace curtains faded by sea air, but it was hers. She and her husband had bought it back in 1961 for $20,000 as a seaside retreat. To Vera, it was more than property; it was memory, family, and the simple satisfaction of owning something she loved.

In the late 1970s, Atlantic City was booming. Casinos were rising like glittering towers, promising fortune and spectacle. Vera’s modest house happened to sit in a prime location, just a short walk from the Boardwalk. Developers came knocking, but Vera wasn’t interested.   

Her first test came from Penthouse magazine publisher Bob Guccione, who was building the Penthouse Boardwalk Hotel and Casino. He offered Vera $1 million for her house, about $5 million in today’s money. She turned him down flat.  

When she refused, Guccione didn’t back down. Instead, he literally built around her house, erecting steel framework that loomed over Vera’s roof like a giant cage. The sight of her small home surrounded by beams and girders became a local curiosity, an early “holdout house” story long before that phrase became internet-famous. But Guccione’s empire ran out of money in 1980, and the half-finished casino was left to rust. The skeleton stayed for over a decade until it was finally torn down in 1993. Through it all, Vera remained.  “I loved my home,” she would later say. And she meant it.  

Enter Donald Trump By the early 1990s, Donald Trump had become Atlantic City’s golden boy, or at least, he liked to think so. His name was plastered on hotels and casinos, and his Trump Plaza towered just next door to Vera’s little house.  

Trump wanted to build a parking lot for limousines next to his casino to serve his high-rolling guests. Several property owners nearby agreed to sell. But Vera, along with a couple of other holdouts, refused. She had lived there for over three decades by then. She wasn’t going anywhere.

 Trump, of course, wasn’t used to hearing the word no.  As Ivanka Trump once put it, introducing her father at a campaign rally years later: “Donald Trump doesn’t take no for an answer.”  

Trump personally visited Vera’s home to persuade her to sell. He tried charm, small talk, even gifts, once offering her tickets to a Neil Diamond concert. Vera famously told reporters later, “I didn’t even knonow who Neil Diamond was.”   

When the soft approach failed, Trump took another route: legal pressure.

When Trump began expanding his Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino nearby, he offered to buy her property so he could tear it down and build a parking lot for limousines serving his high-roller guests. Coking refused to sell, turning down offers reportedly as high as $1 million. 

Trump turned to a powerful ally, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), a state agency created to channel casino profits into public and private projects that supposedly benefited New Jersey. By law, 1.25% of all casino gross revenue went to the CRDA, funding everything from housing to road projects. But the agency also wielded a controversial tool: eminent domain.  Eminent domain, rooted in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, allows the government to take private property for public use, provided the owner is given “just compensation.” 

Over time, the definition of “public use” had broadened, sometimes including private developments deemed to serve the public good.In the early 1990s, the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) attempted to use eminent domain to seize her house and transfer the land to Trump, arguing it would serve a public benefit.  

In Trump’s case, the CRDA offered Vera $250,000 for her home, just a quarter of what Guccione had offered her ten years earlier. When she refused, the CRDA filed to seize her property in court. The plan was simple: bulldoze Vera’s house and turn it into a parking lot for Trump Plaza limos.  

Trump defended his actions by painting Vera as a greedy obstacle. “This is a tough, cunning, crafty person who has purposely allowed this property to go to hell, right at the foot of the entrance to Atlantic City so that she can get a higher price,” he said at the time.   

Vera’s response was sharper. She called Trump “a maggot, cockroach, and crumb.”

"If Trump's thinking I'm gonna die tomorrow, he's having himself a pipe dream," she said then. "I'm gonna be here for a long, long time. I'll stay just to see he's not getting my house. We'll be going to his funeral, you can count on that."

Words that reflected  a force that seemed to disregard her humanity.

Peter Banin and his brother owned another building on the block. A few months after they paid $500,000 to purchase the building for a pawn shop, CRDA offered them $174,000 and told them to leave the property. A Russian immigrant, Banin said: “I knew they could do this in Russia, but not here. I would understand if they needed it for an airport runway, but for a casino?”

Public outrage followed  and Coking fought back with help from public-interest lawyers, while  her small white home,  wedged defiantly between rising steel frames of Trump Plaza  became a national symbol of resistance to corporate and government overreach.

Vera Coking walks past Donald Trump, partially obscured against wall at left, in a courtroom hallway at Atlantic County Superior Court in Atlantic City, N.J., Thursday Feb. 13, 1997. 

In 1998, after a lengthy legal battle, Coking’s persistence bore fruit. The New Jersey Superior Court ruled in her favor, blocking the CRDA from seizing her home through eminent domain, declaring the action an overreach that did not meet the standards of public use and preserving her right to stay. The decision was heralded as a landmark victory for property rights, an assertion that government powers could not be wielded to serve private ambitions alone.  The New York Post celebrated the decision with the headline: “TRUMPED!”

Vera’s battle had  not just  been  in the courts. Accounts detail a steady campaign of intimidation.  City officials, reportedly spurred by Trump’s influence, conducted frequent visits under the guise of inspections or appraisals. Every knock at her door was a reminder of her defiance and the power arrayed against her. During the construction and demolition around her property, workers allegedly damaged her home. At one point, they even started a fire in her attic. Vera sued Trump and the demolition company for the damage and settled for $90,000.    

To many, Vera Coking’s story became emblematic of the fight against the unchecked influence of corporate power and the misuse of eminent domain. Her battle exposed a darker side to Trump’s ambitions, a side that used influence and pressure against a single, determined woman. The case resurfaced during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, with politicians like Jeb Bush citing her story to criticize Trump’s stance on property rights.  

Today, Vera Coking’s defiance stands as a reminder of what it means to resist intimidation when the stakes are deeply personal.Her fight became a symbol of ordinary people standing up against the misuse of power, especially the kind that disguises private gain as public good. 

Her court victory  also underscored that property rights are about more than just money; they symbolize memory, identity, and the right to make choices free from coercion. Against the backdrop of corporate ambitions, her story remains a quiet but potent testament to resilience.

The casino boom  eventually began to fade, and Trump’s empire wasn’t immune. His properties went bankrupt multiple times, and by the late 1990s, his flashy reputation had dimmed in the city that once embraced him.  

Long after Trump’s casino closed, Vera simply stayed put. Her house became something of a local landmark, a stubborn reminder of resistance amid the city’s garish sprawl. Tourists would stop and point, marvelling at the tiny home that defied the billionaire next door.  

Her victory, though satisfying, was bittersweet. Atlantic City was no longer the neighborhood she had cherished. In 2014, at 91, Coking moved to California to be near family, leaving the home she had defended so fiercely. Her house sold for $530,000—a figure that barely mattered in the face of her prolonged struggle.“It was never about the money,” she said. “I loved my home.” The building was soon demolished, erasing one of the city’s last physical connections to its past.

Vera Coking passed away quietly in California, far from the Boardwalk she once fought to protect. Remembered  as a folk hero who refused  to be bullied against powerful forces, developers, government agencies, and a  thorn in the side  of a future president. 

Let's  not  forget either  that Trumps actions have always been about himself,  an  arrogant individual who does not  give  a damn  about the feelings of anyone else, unless  they serve his own interests. He  should keep his  hands  of Greenland  too, or any other land  he seeks to own.

Defying The Darkness

Defying The Darkness

I'm not Shakespeare, but feel all of his words

As I witness all the unfurling tragedies of the world,

From Palestine, Congo, Yemen, Myanmar to Sudan

Releasing tears, wounds that greatly touch my soul,

Nightmares all around us, days of sadness, grief and pain

Plunged into a sea full of profound misery and despair,

Human indulgence comes at such an enormous price

As man faces nature's slow brutal death sentence,

International pariah state USA endorsing injustice

Out of control spreading fear and sowing hate,

Was the land of freedom, liberty, and justice for all

The American Way has been buried under tyrannical misrule,

The country we were raised to believe in is no longer real

What’s left is a hollowed-out skin suit, propped up by lies,

Enforced, held hostage by a lunatic named Donald Trump

Now like the land of the greedy, home to capitalist slaves,

Rotten to the core with an extremely violent disposition

Leaving an innocent woman poet lying dead on the street,

Robbing oil for the country, with no dignity or respect

Holding Venezuelans hostage against international law,

Looking to engulf Greenland, Colombia, Mexico and Cuba

All should be condemned by people of faith and goodwill,

We cannot give up hope, must keep resisting the darkness

Songs of sorrow to be silenced, glorious harmonies instead,

Light candles bright, while covering the world with flowers

Petals of peace, stems strong with grace, difficult to erase,

That we water gently with constancy and loving care

Guarding them through the seasons of joy and despair,

Enabling them to give us the spirit of justice, freedom

To share more joy, kindness, compassion with each other,

In truth love is all we ever need, helps create brighter days

Wherever we are in the world, has the power to heal,

Let's inhale her essence, start giving her a chance

Lifting the weight of yesterday, deserves our allegiance.

Justice for Renee Nicole Good

When an ICE agent shot and killed poet, musician, and mother of three Renee Nicole Good  aged  37 on January 7, 2026, in Minneapolis, widely available evidence suggests that this level of deadly violence was uncalled for. ICE agents are not immune to prosecution for illegal actions. The evidence we have seen is strong, and it demands immediate action.  

The agent who shot Renee had options. He was not in the path of her vehicle, the wheels of which were turned away from him, and which was moving very slowly. Agents were shouting at her conflicting commands: to stop, to go, to get out (of here, or out of the car?) when the third agent abruptly pulled out his gun and fired at least three shots in her face at point blank range.  The officer could have stepped back – which he did, enough to fire the second and third shots into the driver’s side window at a 90 degree angle as the car slowly passed by. He could have shot out the tires to slow the car further. He did not need to use his gun at all. But he did, and now a 37 year old woman is dead and her children have lost their mother.  

Renee Nicole Good was a  mother, partner, and community member in the Twin Cities.Officials and family describe her as a kind, loving person who was not the target of any law‑enforcement investigation. She was a U.S. citizen born in Colorado and appears to never have been charged with anything involving law enforcement beyond a traffic ticket. 

In social media accounts, Macklin Good described herself as a “poet and writer and wife and mom.” She said she was currently “experiencing Minneapolis,” displaying a pride flag emoji on her Instagram account. A profile picture posted to Pinterest shows her smiling and holding a young child against her cheek, along with posts about tattoos, hairstyles and home decorating.  

Her ex-husband, who asked not to be named out of concern for the safety of their children, said Macklin Good had just dropped off her 6-year-old son at school Wednesday and was driving home with her current partner when they encountered a group of ICE agents on a snowy street in Minneapolis, where they had moved last year from Kansas City.  

Video taken by bystanders posted to social media shows an officer approaching her car, demanding she open the door and grabbing the handle. When she begins to pull forward, a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the vehicle at close range.  

In another video taken after the shooting, a distraught woman is seen sitting near the vehicle, wailing, “That’s my wife, I don’t know what to do!”  Calls and messages to Macklin Good’s current partner received no response.  

Trump administration officials painted Macklin Good as a domestic terrorist who had attempted to ram federal agents with her car. President Trump compounded the false narrative, claiming Good had “violently, willfully, and viciously” run over the officer. That claim was false on its face. The officer remained standing throughout the encounter, and video clearly shows space between his outstretched gun and the car window at the moments he fired. 

Her ex-husband said she was no activist and that he had never known her to participate in a protest of any kind. He described her as a devoted Christian who took part in youth mission trips to Northern Ireland when she was younger. She loved to sing, participating in a chorus in high school and studying vocal performance in college.  

She studied creative writing at Old Dominion University in Virginia and won a prize in 2020 for one of her works, according to a post on the school’s English department Facebook page. She also hosted a podcast with her second husband, who died in 2023. 

Macklin Good had a daughter and her son from her first marriage, who are now ages 15 and 12. Her 6-year-old son was from her second marriage. Her ex-husband said she had primarily been a stay-at-home mom in recent years but had previously worked as a dental assistant and at a credit union.  Donna Ganger, her mother, said the family was notified of the death late Wednesday morning. Her mother,  called her “one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” describing her as loving, forgiving, and affectionate.​ Renee’s story deserves to be heard. 

Marvel Cinematic Universe star Simu Liu posted her shock and outrage on X:  “beyond appalled at the murderous actions of ICE agents in minneapolis. dont be manipulated by rhetoric; there is a video, and it clearly shows the murder of an unarmed woman driving away. AWAY. immigration laws can be enforced in a dignified way. fuck ICE forever.”  

The video evidence does not support the need for lethal violence. But restraint requires training, and it requires intent. It requires seeing policing as essentially being about the protection of human beings, not the subjugation of animals. But trained in a partisan ideology that defines fellow citizens with differing views as “vermin,” ICE agents across the country are getting the message that they will be rewarded for using maximum violence.   

Sex in the City star Cynthia Nixon expresses her view clearly:  "Arrest that ICE agent and charge him with murder!!!"  

As does Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria:  "This is murder!... Arrest the shooter."  

The ICE agents’ criminal behavior went beyond the shooting itself. Immediately afterward, video shows ICE agents blocking a bystander who identified himself as a doctor from providing emergency aid as she lay dying. For more than 30 seconds, the agents prevented any medical assistance from being rendered, raising additional, serious questions about their conduct.  

Poor Things actor Mark Ruffalo:  “The beige brigades now roaming the streets like packs of coyotes… hide their faces for shame or fear of justice and stamp their boots… It will come back on you as well one day. You are pointing your guns in the wrong direction.”  

After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, only a few blocks away from this scene, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison successfully prosecuted the officers who kneeled on Floyd’s neck as he told them he couldn’t breathe. Now, Ellison has announced an investigation into Renee’s killing as well – even as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem insists only Trump’s FBI will investigate.  

In homicide cases every day, suspects are arrested based on probable cause, the legal standard for arrest, which exists when facts and circumstances would lead a "reasonable person" to believe a crime has been committed, and that the suspect committed it. However much they may share his hubris, ICE agents do not share in Trump’s immunity.    

Singer and actress Reneé Rapp doesn’t mince her words:  “Fuck ICE fuck this administration fuck all of yall who are complicit in ensuring that this happened this is a fucking disgrace.”  

What Americans saw happen in Minneapolis is stunning. An ICE agent killed an unarmed 37-year-old US citizen , Renee Nicole Good , for no reason. Then, Donald Trump and Kristi Noem told us not to believe our own eyes.

Her  death has fueled protests nationwide and drawn criticism from civil rights groups and elected officials. A candlelight vigil for Renee Nicole Good outside the Abraham Ribicoff Federal Building in Hartford drew hundreds Thursday night calling for accountability and changes to federal immigration enforcement .The gathering was briefly disrupted by a confrontation behind the courthouse in which several protesters were pepper sprayed.

In Hartford, advocates, clergy, labor leaders and community members said Good’s death reflected what they described as a broader pattern of aggressive federal immigration enforcement. 

 “Her citizenship status does not tie to her life’s value, but serves as a symbol that no one is safe,” said Lynn, who was identified by her first name only and is an organizer with Hartford Deportation Defense. “This is an immediate and urgent call to action.”  Lynn said that since January 2025 there have been more than 30 deaths in ICE custody nationwide, including multiple shootings by immigration agents.  “There is no choice but to organize, educate and learn how to protect each other,” she said.  About 30 minutes into the vigil, organizers reported a disturbance behind the courthouse along South Prospect Street. Witnesses said vehicles leaving the building’s parking garage moved into a group gathered near the rear of the courthouse.  

According to accounts from those behind the courthouse, a gray sedan passed through the area, followed by a white van with New Hampshire license plates. A protester threw an object at the van, breaking a rear window, after which the vehicle stopped, and briefly reversed before continuing north on Prospect Street.  

The incident occurred at the back of the building, while speakers and most attendees remained at the front of the courthouse. Event marshals assigned to the vigil moved to assess the situation and relayed information to organizers, who paused the program briefly and urged the crowd to remain calm.  

“That’s not the approach we came here for tonight,” an organizer told the crowd over the public-address system. “We need to be in a place where we can use mass numbers to keep people safe.”

After several minutes, the program resumed.  A Hartford police official said the vehicles were driven by agents with either ICE or Federal Protective Services, a law enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security. The official said the person who was knocked down declined medical treatment and that no arrests were made.  

As the vigil continued, speakers returned to calls for sustained organizing rather than a one-time protest. Other speakers connected immigration enforcement, surveillance and what they described as broader systems of state violence, while urging coordination and restraint at local actions.  

State lawmakers also criticized the killing. In a statement, Senate President Martin Looney, D- New Haven, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, and members of the Senate Democratic caucus condemned the killing and blamed the Trump administration’s immigration policies for escalating violence nationwide. The senators said they would explore ways to hold federal authorities accountable at the state level when the legislative session begins.  

In a post on X, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT wrote: “Renee Nicole Good was not obstructing ICE agents — she was not even a protestor. And yet, she is gone because of an excessive use of violence by ICE. Masked, armed ICE agents do not belong in our communities. Kristi Noem must be fired & ICE must leave our cities. The person who committed this crime must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”  The Hartford vigil was one of several demonstrations held across Connecticut in response to Good’s killing. Organizers said additional actions are planned and emphasized that Thursday’s gathering was intended as the beginning of longer-term organizing rather than an endpoint.  

The vigil was organized by a coalition that included the Connecticut Civil Liberties Defense Committee, the ACLU of Connecticut and Indivisible CT.  Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam released a statement late Thursday about both the shooting and the incident involving ICE vehicles at the rally.  “What happened at tonight’s vigil in Hartford is the direct result of the lawlessness and recklessness cultivated by the Trump administration over the past year, which culminated in the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis this week,” Arulampalam said. “It is imperative that anyone protesting do so peacefully and safely. We cannot give this administration the chaos it craves. But let no one mistake the cause of tonight’s conflict: federal agents have acted with impunity and a clear intent to antagonize local communities across our country. When you govern by brutality, you incite unrest.”  

He said he directed Hartford police to investigate the vehicle strike “as we would any incident where a driver strikes a pedestrian,” adding that his administration would work with police and have more information to share as it becomes available.  “Unlike the Trump administration, we believe in laws, facts, and due process,” Arulampalam said.

Protesters rally against ICE in Hartford for the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.

Renee Good should still be here. She had inherent value and infinite worth. She was murdered by her own government in broad daylight in what is supposed to be the greatest democracy on the planet.

It is time for the Minnesota legal system to intervene. If prosecutorial action is delayed, it can only be seen as a green light for further escalation by ICE agents, who are already heavily militarized in civilian neighborhoods.  

We must demand justice for Renee Nicole Good and  her family and an end to ICE’s reign of terror. The video evidence confirms this was a cold-blooded murder, and any claim that the ICE killer was acting in self-defense is an outrageous lie. 

The ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis is the latest in a string of deaths related to ICE raids, traffic stops, and detention facilities. Last year 32 people died in ICE custody―the most in more than two decades. Border Patrol agents have also shot, wounded, and killed civilians during Trump’s mass deportation raids.

The Minneapolis ICE agent responsible for the murder of Renee Nicole Good has been identified as Jonathan Ross. local authorities must press charges against Jonathan Ross immediately! It’s about justice for Renee Nicole Good, and it’s about drawing a line in the sand to prevent the next injustice. No one should live in fear due to the harms of unchecked power of state brutality. Renee Nicole Good is being remembered today a woman whose life mattered and who did not deserve to die. 

Justice means consequences. Renee Nicole Good was killed by ICE and those responsible must be held accountable: investigated, prosecuted and punished under the law. No cover‑ups. No excuses. No immunity for state violence. 

SAY HER NAME. Renee Nicole Good . She deserved to live. A family lost a mother, a son without a mom, a daughter without a mom.Condolences to her family.  Justice for Renee! R.I.P

Signage at a protest in Hartford on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, against ICE for the killing of Renee Nicole Good 

Remembering Roger Keith Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006)

 

Remembering   the  legendary Pink Floyd co-founder and early frontman / principal songwriter Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett on his heavenly  80th birthday, his music had  a  huge  impact  on me .A poster  of  him  hangs  in my  hallway. An unquestionably brilliant musician and  artist. 

"Syd" was  born 6 January 1946 in Cambridge, England. He acquired the nickname "Syd" at the age of fifteen, a reference to an old local Cambridge drummer, Sid Barrett. Syd changed the spelling in order to differentiate himself from his namesake. 

Starting in 1964, the band that would become Pink Floyd underwent various line-up and name changes such as "The Abdabs", "The Screaming Abdabs", "Sigma 6", and "The Meggadeaths". 

In 1965, Barrett joined them as The Tea Set (sometimes spelled T-Set), and when they found themselves playing a concert with a band of the same name, Barrett came up with the name "The Pink Floyd Sound" (also known as "The Pink Floyd Blues Band", later "The Pink Floyd"), possibly after two obscure bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. 

Sadly, Barrett was musically active for less than ten years. With Pink Floyd, he recorded four singles, their wonderfil debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, portions of their second album A Saucerful of Secrets, and several unreleased songs. 

Syd Barrett’s life came to be defined by withdrawal – a gradual slipping away from music, fame, and the self he once inhabited. By the late 1960s, heavy LSD use and an underlying mental fragility led to erratic behaviour, vacant absences, and moments where reality seemed to lose its coherence. 

He  nevertheless  recorded two charming  albums, The Madcap Laughs (1970) and Barrett. They sold poorly at the time, though a devoted cult of believers has tended to his flame all the way to  this  day.)They  are  shamefully often overlooked by critics more concerned by the legend of Barrett’s drug-induced psychosis.

During the  period of  his  solo  records  Syd lived quietly in his sparsely-furnished London flat among his stereo equipment, piles of paintings and a heap of battered LPs. He took things easily, composing, writing and painting as inspiration came, and making some plans for the future.

In 1972, Syd formed a short-lived band called Stars with ex-Pink Fairies member Twink on drums and Jack Monck on bass. Though the band was initially well-received, one of their gigs at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge proved to be disastrous and Barrett decided to leave soon afterwards.

Syd had one noted reunion with Pink Floyd in 1975 during the recording sessions for Wish You Were Here. Syd  attended the Abbey Road session unannounced and watched the band record Shine On You Crazy Diamond - coincidentally, a song about him. 

 In 1988, EMI Records released an album of Barrett's studio outtakes and previously unreleased material recorded from 1968 to 1970 under the title Opel. In 1993 it issued another release, Crazy Diamond, a box set of all three albums, each loaded with further out-takes from his solo sessions that illustrated vividly Barrett's inability or refusal to play a song the same way twice.   

His  tracks like "Astronomy Domine", "Bike", and "See Emily Play" carried a playful surface but hinted at something deeper and more fragile underneath. His lyrics bent language into new shapes while his guitar work refused to follow rules. It was experimental without trying to be clever. It was honest because it came straight from wherever his thoughts happened to be travelling that day.His guitar work shimmered with invention, bending noise, melody, and texture into something no one had heard before.

Syd Barrett is remembered not for what he lost but for what he gave. 

Syd  in  his  later  years  reverted to using his original name Roger, continued to live in his late mother’s semi-detached home, and had returned to painting, creating large abstract canvases. He was also said to have been an avid gardener. His main point of contact with the outside world was his sister, Rosemary, who lived nearby. He was reclusive,and strictly guarded his privacy until his death  while  his physical health declined, as he suffered from stomach ulcers and type 2 diabetes. Barrett died at home in Cambridge on 7 July 2006, aged 60, from pancreatic cancer.  

His death was reported five days later. He was cremated at a funeral at Cambridge Crematorium on 18 July 2006; no Pink Floyd members attended. Dave  Gilmour said: "Do find time to play some of Syd's songs and to remember him as the madcap genius who made us all smile with his wonderfully eccentric songs about bikes, gnomes, and scarecrows. His career was painfully short, yet he touched more people than he could ever know."

NME produced a tribute issue to Barrett a week later with a photo of him on the cover. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Barrett's sister, Rosemary Breen, said that he had written an unpublished book about the history of art.

 A tribute concert, "Madcap's Last Laugh",was held at the Barbican Centre, London, on 10 May 2007 with Barrett's bandmates and Robyn Hitchcock, Captain Sensible, Damon Albarn, Chrissie Hynde and Kevin Ayers. Gilmour, Wright and Mason performed the Barrett compositions "Bike" and "Arnold Layne", and Waters performed a solo version of his song "Flickering Flame".

 In 2006, Barrett's home in St. Margaret's Square, Cambridge, was put on the market and attracted considerable interest.After over 100 showings, many to fans, it was sold to a French couple who knew nothing about Barrett. On 28 November 2006, Barrett's other possessions were sold at an auction at Cheffins auction house in Cambridge, raising £120,000 for charity. Items sold included paintings, scrapbooks and everyday items that Barrett had decorated.

This fragile genius  didn’t just help invent British psychedelia – he embodied its most poetic possibilities. He reminded us that in music imagination matters, vulnerability can be powerful, and that sometimes the most lasting art comes from those who burn brightly with utter brilliance even if only for a moment.  

His legacy in psychedelic music will  live on forever.  His short but influential career left an indelible mark on music history, inspiring countless artists and shaping the direction of Pink Floyd's later, highly successful work  who showed wonder through his music, influential with and without Pink Floyd. A poetic soul, fearless creativity, and timeless influence.  "Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky."  Shine on you crazy diamond

In his honor, check out the mini-doc Understanding Syd Barrett as well as a  rather  fine  bootleg  of  some  of  his  amazing  songs.

 

'I don't think I'm easy to talk about. I've got a very irregular head. And I'm not anything that you think I am anyway. ' - Syd Barrett  

Understanding Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett - Melk Weg {Full album playback}

Desiderata - Max Ehrmann ( 26/9/1872 –9/9/45)

 

Bought a  wonderful LP of  Richard Burton  earlier today reading some poems  that held a special significance to him , that  has the following poem Desiderata" (Latin: 'things desired')  written  in 1927  by the American writer Max Ehrmann on it.

I know how dark it is currently. The ongoing conflicts in various countries obviously comes to mind.The poem Desiderata  however still resonates down the ages and reminds us to be kind , respectful, accepting, honest and never to  give up hope. 

It is a simple little poem, with a simple little message. But sometimes simple, little messages are the most important ones.A poem that highlights the significance of preserving inner tranquility despite the world's turmoil and the desperate  times  we live  in.

Desiderata -   Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Desiderata  read by Richard Burton

Feed Palestine

 

While we keep  warm in our homes and food keeping us alive, spare a thought for the  people in Gaza.  They  need  proper, balanced, nutritious meals made with fresh food, not hyper-processed, tinned food. While food staples are accessible in Gaza right now, fresh produce remains too expensive for most families. If you can spare some change …  please  help them. People in Gaza are living in freezing, flooded tents. Contributions are falling. 

Support is so desperately needed for the folks in Gaza living through the absolute worst of conditions. The situation is catastrophic. Happening at  a time  when Israel shamefully on new years day ordered 37 NGOs to cease aid operations in Gaza and West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The restrictions are totally unacceptable barriers to life-saving relief amid Gaza's ongoing crisis. 

Aid deliberately being used as a weapon is truly evil shit. Israel's blocking of foreign aid agencies is aimed very straightforwardly at facilitating genocide. Cutting off food, blocking aid, and punishing an entire population is collective punishment in its most brutal form.

1.6 million people in Gaza face extreme hunger and critical malnutrition risks. Sufficient food is not allowed to enter. UN agencies and NGOs reiterate that humanitarian access is not optional, conditional or political. It's a legal obligation under international humanitarian law, particularly in Gaza where Israel has failed to ensure the population is adequately supplied. 

International humanitarian organizations operating in the occupied Palestinian territory warn that Israel’s recent  measures threaten to halt operations at a time when civilians face acute and widespread humanitarian need, despite the ceasefire in Gaza.

Remember that most Palestinians are homeless and are freezing! Children and families are surviving on unsafe water and little food as malnutrition spreads. No one should be expected to live under these conditions.

The following  links are  a good way of  helping  the  people  there,  though  there  are ways  of  giving  directly. Their future depends on our continuous support. Amid hardship, your support helps deliver food packs, dignity, and hope to those in need. Donate now. Keep feeding Palestine. And make sure there not  forgotten. It can  make a huge difference in the lives of those worn down by hardship.   - 

http://muslimaid.org/palestine-emergency

https://www.dec.org.uk/      

https://www.map.org.uk/

 And If the British Government really cared about Gaza - and the occupied West Bank - then it would stop arming Israel; impose sanctions; back the ICC's arrest warrant for Israeli war criminals, including Benjamin Netanyahu; expel the Israeli Ambassador and close the Israeli embassy.

Could you  please write to the Foreign Secretary to demand that the government imposes sanctions on Israel, including a full arms embargo, in response to Israel's ban on 37 aid organisations from operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory:

https://palestinecampaign.eaction.org.uk/aidorgsban?fbclid=IwY2xjawPFNX5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeU6tCtPGpQtx4vMpYIq2Gltk9fKrdh696YJmQOZzig0is7SUxxgQ5332ThKI_aem_RD0tP3KgcNcy3BWpMG-1xg

Phone blockade for Teuta Hoxha's demands

Teuta Hoxha (29)  a Palestine Action  activist is  one  of the  anti genocide campaigners currently on hunger strike.One of the Filton 24 detained indefinitely under the UK's "Terrorism Act" imprisoned without trial since November 24. She  is alleged to have participated in the heroic dismantling of an Elbit Systems weapons factory, causing €1 million in damages.

She  hasn't even been convicted of an offence and yet is being treated worse than any dangerous criminal. Her only crime is standing with Palestine.

She has now  reached day 55 of her protest, with reports stating she can barely stand without blacking out and is experiencing severe cognitive difficulties.struggling to stand up without blacking out, and extremely fatigued.

Join  all-day phone blockade today (Friday 2nd January) to demand that Peterborough engages with T Hoxha to agree on her individual demands. Call HMP Peterborough on 01733 217500 and use the following script: 

Hi, I am calling regarding Teuta Hoxha who is currently being held on remand at this prison. She is on her ninth week of hunger strike and is in critical condition. I am demanding that:  

1.`Her and her codefendants are granted a meeting with Pete Wiggans (Jexu Officer) to remove non-association orders and ban on activities and jobs. 

2.The governor, Ralph Lubkowski, writes to David Lammy to ask him to meet with the hunger strikers' lawyers and recommend her for bail for her health. 

Ask for your call to be logged and insist on speaking with a manager or team leader as only they will have  authority in the matter. The prison must engage to ensure her safety. We must remind them that they are responsible for the lives of the hunger strikers.

Health updates of  the other hunger strikers

Heba Muraisi 31, Day 61  – has dangerously low thiamine levels, expressed an inability to formulate sentences as easily, has difficulty sleeping on her side as it hurts her face too much due to fragility. 

In October 2025, Heba was transferred to HMP New Hall having already spent almost a year on remand at HMP Bronzefield. 

The prison is hundreds of miles away from her family, friends and community in Brent, London. She has been left feeling isolated as the journey is too far for her family. 

Her mum, unable to travel the 178 miles from London to Wakefield due to health conditions, hasn’t seen her daughter in over four months. HMP Bronzefield is 17 miles away from Brent in comparison.

Kamran Ahmed 28 , Day 54 – suffering from intermittent hearing loss, experiencing dizzy spells when he stands up, has regular dips in his heart rate. 

Lewie Chiaramello 22,  Day 40  –  who  has  1 diabetes   is experiencing dips in his blood sugar and in energy.

Each one of them is accused of destroying the tools and weapons used to massacre the Palestinian people.

Medical experts and historical data from the 1981 Irish hunger strike indicate that the 60-day mark is a critical threshold where the risk of sudden death becomes imminent.

At this advanced stage of starvation, the body has typically depleted all fat reserves and is actively consuming its own vital organ and muscle tissue for energy.  

The heart muscle itself begins to break down, leading to a slow heart rate (bradycardia), heart arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac failure.  

By day 60, damage to the brain, liver, and kidneys is often permanent, even if the person resumes eating.  Strikers may experience "progressive confusion," loss of hearing or sight, and an inability to maintain speech or consciousness.

For context, this is an open-ended hunger strike, and the Northern Irish strikers – including Bobby  Sands – died after between 46 and 73 days on hunger strike. Most of the strikers have already been hospitalised; https://prisonersforpalestine.org/ an organisation representing all those detained under charges related to Palestinian liberation,  reports that some of the strikers are unable to stand. If the strikers’ demands are not met, some of the strikers seriously risk not seeing 2026. 

UN experts have expressed grave concern for the lives and fundamental rights of pro-Palestinian activists imprisoned in the United Kingdom, who have been on indefinite hunger strike since 2 November.  

Hunger strike is often a measure of last resort by people who believe that their rights to protest and effective remedy have been exhausted,” the experts said.  Read the full statement here https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/12/un-experts-urge-uk-protect-lives-and-rights-pro-palestinian-detainees-hunger?link_id=1&can_id=dc3a87c4b00455c28953a76b1b992301&source=email-kamran-ahmed-hospitalised-his-whereabouts-undisclosed-2&email_referrer=email_3037740&email_subject=free-them-all-in-2026&&

The reality of increasing political repression in Britain - led by the despicable Labour Party - has been brought into the stark light of day by the Palestine Action hunger strikers.    

In protest at having been locked up for over a year ‘awaiting trials’ that will not take place until at least June (when the average wait is 6 months), 8 of the 24 people arrested on charges of having been involved in sabotage of military facilities under the aegis of Palestine Action, put themselves on hunger strike with a view to gaining publicity  for the injustice of their plight, and  for the Palestinian cause. 

These  brave young people are being held unjustly and in ridiculous conditions – and they have taken the ultimate decision to express their views and most particularly on what’s happening to people in Palestine. We must demand that the courageous hunger strikers with Palestine Action be released from jail on bail, and that we repeal the acts and laws that criminalize dissidence. 

Provide bail for Palestinian hunger strikers - Sign the Petition! 

https://www.change.org/p/provide-bail-for-palestinian-hunger-strikers?recruiter=209936721&recruited_by_id=b62d1990-99ca-11e4-b2a0-916650828d0c&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=psf_promote_or_share&utm_term=psf&utm_medium=twitter

For the latest updates, instructions, and set of demands, go to instagram.com/prisoners4palestine and x.com/Workshops4Gaza.

The Ancient Custom of Calennig

 

1st/ 13th January marks the tradition of the Calennig across  parts of Wales and  the Marches  to  celebrate and welcome in  the New Year. This  ancient custom of Calennig can trace it roots back to the middle ages and though still active in some areas of Wales today the custom has sadly almost died out.

Calennig is a Welsh word meaning "New Year celebration/gift", although it literally translates to "the first day of the month", deriving from the Latin word kalends. The English word "calendar" also has its root in this word.  And yet ‘calennig’ in Welsh, rather than denoting New Year’s Day itself, or the custom associated with it, instead points to the fruit at its heart.

'Old New Year', Hen Galan, is traditionally celebrated on January 13th, Cwm Gwaun, a Welsh villages near Fishguard in Pembrokeshire, still celebrates Hen Galan. The tradition dates back to 1752, when the Gregorian calendar was adopted.according to the Julian Calendar.Traditionally this day was more important than Christmas with a large meal of goose and plum pudding.

Although we associate Christmas Day as the traditional day for gifts, New Year’s Day was also often associated with gift giving. This was more often associated with the idea of First footing . Across Britain, the practise of ‘first-footing’, passing between neighbours with a new year greeting, was common practice – and superstitions held that the person you saw first on January 1st (or the 13th in the Gwaun valley) – carried a portent for the remainder of the year. It still  survives albeit in a weakened form across England.

The practice of gift-giving during the Calennig celebrations is believed to have similarities with ancient Roman customs at the “kalends.”  While Rome celebrated the first day of each month, the Welsh adapted this to focus on New Year’s Day, fostering a unique cultural tradition.  

Calennig (New Year gift) was a popular New Year’s custom that brought joy and togetherness to communities in Wales.Calennig embodied the cultural essence of community and goodwill by promoting the exchange of well-wishes and small gifts to commence the New Year positively. This tradition underscored the value of social bonds and helped preserve Welsh cultural heritage.  

In some parts of Wales, traditionally groups of children (usually boys) would set about the village from dawn until dusk on the first of January and would come to  their neighbours doors singing rhymes and wishing the occupants a healthy and prosperous new year .in exchange for bread and cheese, sweets or money, while carrying a skewered apple/ Perllan  pierced with three sticks and adorned with a sprig of box and hazelnuts, and represents the festive gift.

In his book Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain (2001), Ronald Hutton describes ‘an apple or an orange, resting on three sticks like a tripod, smeared with flour, stuck with nuts, oats or wheat, topped with thyme or another fragrant herb, and held by a skewer.’

These peculiar-looking items were seen as emblems of good luck; they were also often put in windows of houses, or given as good luck presents, as a consequence.Some would also carry jugs of water, used to splash householders in a ritual that in common with so many new year traditions across the world with  the intention to bring good luck to recipients.  

Every village had its own version of verses and melodies, full of local flavour and improvisation. It required no organisation beyond the shared understanding that doors would open and voices were heard. Calennig depended on community, proximity and familiarity.

While the specific origins are hard to pin down, the practice has been documented in Welsh literature and passed down through generations, maintaining its charm and importance in Welsh culture.

Newport writer and teacher Fred Hando, in his book The Pleasant Land of Gwent, 1944  Hando quoted his friend, the author and mystic, Arthur Machen, who was then in his final years, recalling the Calenning tradition as it played out in his Caerleon boyhood in the 1860s and 1870s.  ‘The town children got the biggest and bravest and gayest apple they could find in the loft,’ Machen recalled. ‘They put bits of gold leaf upon it. They stuck raisins into it. They inserted into the apple little sprigs of box, and they delicately slit the ends of hazelnuts, and so worked that the nuts appeared to grow from the ends of the holly leaves.’

As well as noting that the Calennig would then be ‘borne from house to house’ where ‘children got cakes and sweets’, he also says ‘these were wild days [with] small cups of ale’.  

The decline of the tradition is as scantily documented as its rise, with one notable piece of evidence featuring in an archive of documents collected by a local historian of Ceredigion, the late Donald Davies. In Those Were The Days (1936) it is noted that: ‘Lately the carrying of an apple has been discontinued and only the recitation of brief verses or greetings and the collection of new pennies mark the custom in those districts where it has survived.’  

Nevertheless following World War II, there was a renewed interest in Welsh folklore, including the Calennig tradition, leading to its documentation and the reinvigoration of New Year customs in rural communities.  

A blend of holiday cheer and ancient blessings. Calennig is the children’s version of the scary but friendly Y Fari Lwyd (Grey Mare) a hobby-horse with a horse’s skull decorated with ribbons,where  in some parts of Wales makes visits to homes around New Year. The Mari and its attendants traditionally engage in pwnco, a ritualized exchange of rhymes and challenges with the householders, before being granted entry. https://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-tradition-of-mari-llwyd-y-fari-lwyd.html 

These traditions not only connect the present with the past but also contribute to the vibrant  tapestry of Wales’ cultural heritage. I find  it rather sad that traditions  like  this are  fading,  the  sign  of  our  times I  guess. Anyway Blwyddyn Newydd Dda! ❤️ Happy New Year ❤

 

This is Calennig, the song Welsh children sing to their neighbours’ doors on the first of January to bring luck and happiness . It  translates as :  

 

A Happy New Year to you 

And to everyone in the house 

This is my wish 

a Happy New Year to you  

Artist: Lizzie Spikes