Far Beyond Designs: Samhain Sale!

Happy Samhain!

Wait, what? You mean Old Hallows Eve, right? Look back a bit further my friend:

According to our good friend Wikipedia, "Samhain was a Gaelic harvest festival held on October 31–November 1. It was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and was popularised as the "Celtic New Year" from the late 19th century, following John Rhys and James Frazer.^[2] The date of Samhain was associated with the Catholic All Saints' Day (and later All Souls' Day) from at least the 8th century, and both the secular Gaelic and the Catholic liturgical festival have influenced the secular customs now connected with Halloween.^[3]"

Samhain is currently very popular as a Neopagan festival (any google search will tell you that) but for those of every creed, it is a very cool tradition that we carry with us today in a lot of ways. There's a lot of myths and fear surrounding this holiday, but take it from this good Catholic girl: Samhain is a wonderful celebration that we can tip our hat to without a worry of compromising our own beliefs. It's just plain fun, guys! I bet you already celebrate it, maybe without even knowing it.

Here's a few things we do around the end of October that come from Samhain traditions:

Bobbing for apples: Marriage diviniation! First to make a bite in an apple will be the next to be married
Jack-o-lanterns: Allegedly named after an Irish Legendary figure who was cursed after death to enter neither heaven nor hell, and bear a burning ember from Hell inside him. The Celts used turnips - using a pumpkin is an Irish-American tradition!
Costumes: The thought here is that the ancient Celts dressed up to try to blend in with the plethora of spirits that wandered the earth during the festival.
Fall Bonfires: A symbol of the warmth and light of the sun, bonfires were used throughout the ancient Irish countryside as a "cleansing," warding off evil and inviting goodness.

Sources: http://www.new-age.co.uk/celtic-festivals-samhain.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain

In celebration of this too-cool time, I'm offering 1/2 off all my Irish Heritage and Irish Proverb prints. 4 different finished pieces or a custom proverb of your choice, all for 50% off. Prices starting at only $3! Hurry - this offer ends after All Souls Day! (I did say I was a good Catholic girl!)