Please, please join us in Paper Makeup Stamps
Digi Makeover Challange because we have awesome challenge theme this week. It's "Favorite Holiday"
Our Guest Makeup Artist is Wendy Keenan. Please visit her
blog and leave some love to her :)
Can you guess what is my favorite holiday? If you think about Valentine's Day, you're wrong. My favorite holiday is Jaanipäev (St John's Day). This day and Christmas are most important days in Estonia. Jaanipäev is celebrated in the night between June 23 and 24, a few days after the summer solstice, when night seems to be non-existent.
Jaanipäev celebrations are merged with the celebration of Võidupüha (Victory Day) during the War of Independence
when Estonian forces defeated the German troops on 23 June 1919. After
that Jaaniõhtu (St John's Eve) and the
lighting of the traditional bonfires became linked with the ideals of
independence and freedom.
On Jaaniõhtu, Estonians all around the country will gather with their
families, or at larger events to celebrate this important day with
singing and dancing.
Some of the rituals of Jaanipäev have very strong folkloric roots.
The best-known Jaanik, or midsummer, ritual is the lighting of the
bonfire and then jumping over it. This is seen as a way of guaranteeing
prosperity and avoiding bad luck. Likewise, to not light the fire is to
invite the destruction of your house by fire. The fire also frightened
away mischievous spirits who avoided it at all costs, thus ensuring a
good harvest. So, the bigger the fire, the further the mischievous
spirits stayed away.
Midsummer's eve is important for lovers. Among Estonian fairy tales
and literature there is the tale of two lovers, Koit (dawn) and Hämarik
(dusk). These two lovers see each other only once a year and exchange
the briefest of kisses on the shortest night of the year. Earth-bound
lovers go into the forest looking for the flower of the fern which is said to bloom only on that night.
Also on this night, single people can follow a detailed set of
instructions involving different flowers to see whom they are going to
marry.
~ Description of the holiday is from
Wikipedia
On my card are Koit (dawn)
- male and Hämarik
(dusk)
- female and their brief tender moment on the shortest night of the year :) Image is actually called
A Couple of Moodies. It's not in digi section jet but hopefully soon t is :) Mean while you can buy it as rubber stamp from
Paper Makeup Stamps shop :)
Background paper is my own design - in computer ofcourse :) Image, matting papers and flower are colored with ProMarkers. Ribbons are from my stash. Flower is a die-cut made with Memory Box HoneyBlossom Sprig. I added some Pergamono White gel pen on it and some atYouSpica Gold glitter marker on the pattern behind lovers.
