Natural light
Daylight is a blessing. Moonlight is
magical. Starlight is bewitching.
Starlight, star bright,
First star I see tonight –
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight.
This little rhyme is a nursery rhyme which
originated in America in the late 1890s and travelled to Britain and other English-speaking nations by the early 1900s.
Wishing on the first star of the evening is
a superstition that may have had its origins in ancient times, when people
believed the heavens were peopled with gods. Shooting stars or meteors had special
significance because they were rarer and an indication that the gods were
watching the people below. The Ancient Greeks thought the sbooting stars were the souls of the departed rising
to heaven, although as shooting stars descend, I can't quite understand that.
The Ancient Romans thought that making a
wish when seeing a shooting star would bring good luck and prosperity. If the
wish could be completed before the shooting star disappeared, it was more
likely to be granted.
In some cultures, a falling or shooting
star is thought to be a new soul coming to earth to be reborn.
In the Disney film of Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket
sings –
When you wish upon a star,
Makes no difference who you are,
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you.
If your heart is in your dream,
No request is too extreme,
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do.
Fate is kind,
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfilment of
Their secret longing.
Like a bolt out of the blue,
Fate steps in and sees you through;
When you wish upon a star,
Your dreams come true.
There is a British charity called, ‘When You
Wish Upon a Star,’ dedicated to fulfilling the wishes and dreams of seriously
ill children. The founder is Barbara White, also known as the Fairy Godmother.
There is more information here.
There are many songs about stars or
inspired by stars. Here is a small selection:
Catch a falling star
Waiting for a Star to Fall
All of the Stars
Shining Star
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Choose one of the above, or think of a personal favourite, and let it haunt your brain all day.
I’ll take the Disney song. It’s too late for it to haunt my day, but maybe it will give me pleasant dreams.
ReplyDeleteLovely post. I love the first little poem.
ReplyDeleteThere is a charity here called the Star Foundation, I think, and it's job is to make wishes come true for critically ill children, many of them have cancer in one form or another and the money is raised by people's donations. Two of my children donate every month.
ReplyDeleteAs for wishing on a star, I've never had any of those wishes come true.
I love the idea that charities are called ‘When You Wish Upon a Star,’ especially if they are dedicated to fulfilling the wishes and dreams of seriously ill children. The name is much more child friendly than, say, "Preventing Dangerous Cancers in Children".
ReplyDelete