Cuckoo Day
Apr 14
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
Dancing in the Cuckoo's Nest
The distinctive call and behavior of the cuckoo bird have fascinated for thousands of years. In Greek mythology, the cuckoo was sacred to the goddess Hera. In Europe, the cuckoo is associated with spring, and with cuckoldry, for example in Shakespeare's Love's Labours Lost as a result of some cuckoo species tendency to lay their eggs in the nests of other species. However, the majority of cuckoos raise their own young.
In India, cuckoos are sacred to Kamadeva, the god of desire and longing, whereas in Japan, the cuckoo symbolises unrequited love.
The first mention of of cuckoo clocks goes back to 1629, many decades before clockmaking was established in the Black Forest region of Germany.
Bellows and whistles create the characteristic "cuckoo" sound inside of the cuckoo clock, and are usually tuned to a minor or major third.
The world’s most extensive and finest collection of cuckoo clocks (with both old and new models) is at the Cuckooland Museum in Cheshire, England!
To see how a cuckoo clock is made, click the video below.
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
