
Halcyon Arts brings
the world of music and spirituality
to New England by presenting
programs that enrich and transform.
Photo of Glastonbury Tor thanks to Kev Pearson Photography, kevpearson.com


Why is our logo the kingfisher?
Watercolor
by Sarah Stribbling
Because the word "halcyon" is from a Greek myth about the Kingfisher.
According to Greek mythology, Alcyone, the daughter of the god of the winds, became so distraught when she learned that her husband had been killed in a shipwreck that she threw herself into the sea and was changed into a kingfisher. As a result, ancient Greeks called such birds alcyōn or halcyōn. The legend also says that such birds built floating nests on the sea, where they so charmed the wind god that he created a period of unusual calm that lasted until the birds' eggs hatched. This legend prompted people to use halcyon both as a noun naming a genus of kingfisher and as an adjective meaning either "of or relating to the kingfisher or its nesting period" or "calm." --from Miriam Webster
Thus, the phrase "halcyon days" owes its origin to this beautiful myth of Alcyone, when, for two weeks around the winter solstice each year, Aeolus, Alcyone's father, calms the winds and the waves so that Alcyone, in the form of a kingfisher, can safely make her nest, lay her eggs, and care for them until they hatched and fledged. Hence, the term "halcyon days" comes to signify a period of great peace and calm.
Background Image: photo by llee_wu
Global Music Institute Programs
- Friends DiscountSat, Dec 09All Saints' Episcopal ChurchDec 09, 7:30 PMAll Saints' Episcopal Church, 7 Woodbridge St, South Hadley, MA
- Friends DiscountSun, Dec 10All Saints' Episcopal ChurchDec 10, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PMAll Saints' Episcopal Church, 7 Woodbridge St, South Hadley, MA
- Friends DiscountSun, Jan 14All Saints' Episcopal ChurchJan 14, 2024, 4:00 PMAll Saints' Episcopal Church, 7 Woodbridge St, South Hadley, MA
Halcyon Oratory Spirituality Programs
- Friends DiscountSun, Jan 078 twice-monthly sessions online via ZoomJan 07, 2024, 7:00 PM8 twice-monthly sessions online via Zoom
- Friends DiscountSun, Jan 14Four Twice-Monthly Sessions Online via ZoomJan 14, 2024, 7:00 PM – 8:15 PMFour Twice-Monthly Sessions Online via Zoom
- Friends DiscountFri, Jun 14Mercy by the SeaJun 14, 2024, 4:00 PM – Jun 16, 2024, 10:00 AMMercy by the Sea, 167 Neck Rd, Madison, CT 06443, USA
Halcyon Arts New England
is grateful to all our sponsors and partners, including: