Happy Wordless Wednesday!!
But if you DO need some words...
Don't forget that special someone on your list!
 |
| Christmas Dragon Bracelet |
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Showing posts with label Gift For Her. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gift For Her. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Wordless Wednesday!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Thursday, February 1, 2018
The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day
So many of us celebrate Valentines day, however, so few of us take the time to research it.
Well....when you blog...you research.
I came across this article, which had a slightly different twist on the origins of this celebrated world wide holiday, which I just felt had to be shared.
So without further preamble....here we go......
Valentine's Day is a time to celebrate romance and love and kissy-face fealty. But the origins of this festival of candy and cupids are actually dark, bloody — and a bit muddled.
Though no one has pinpointed the exact origin of the holiday, one good place to start is ancient Rome, where men hit on women by, well, hitting them.
Those Wild And Crazy Romans
From Feb. 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. The men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain.
The Roman romantics "were drunk. They were naked," says Noel Lenski, a historian at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Young women would actually line up for the men to hit them, Lenski says. They believed this would make them fertile.
The brutal fete included a matchmaking lottery, in which young men drew the names of women from a jar. The couple would then be, um, coupled up for the duration of the festival — or longer, if the match was right.
The ancient Romans may also be responsible for the name of our modern day of love. Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day.
Later, Pope Gelasius I muddled things in the 5th century by combining St. Valentine's Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals. But the festival was more of a theatrical interpretation of what it had once been. Lenski adds, "It was a little more of a drunken revel, but the Christians put clothes back on it. That didn't stop it from being a day of fertility and love."
Around the same time, the Normans celebrated Galatin's Day. Galatin meant "lover of
women." That was likely confused with St. Valentine's Day at some point, in part because they sound alike.
William Shakespeare helped romanticize Valentine's Day in his work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe.
As the years went on, the holiday grew sweeter. Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized it in their work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. Handmade paper cards became the tokens-du-jour in the Middle Ages.
Eventually, the tradition made its way to the New World. The industrial revolution ushered in factory-made cards in the 19th century. And in 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Mo., began mass producing valentines. February has not been the same since.
Today, the holiday is big business: According to market research firm IBIS World, Valentine's Day sales reached $17.6 billion last year; this year's sales are expected to total $18.6 billion.
But that commercialization has spoiled the day for many. Helen Fisher, a sociologist at Rutgers University, says we have only ourselves to blame.
"This isn't a command performance," she says. "If people didn't want to buy Hallmark cards, they would not be bought, and Hallmark would go out of business."
And so the celebration of Valentine's Day goes on, in varied ways. Many will break the bank buying jewelry and flowers for their beloveds. Others will celebrate in a SAD (that's Single Awareness Day) way, dining alone and binging on self-gifted chocolates. A few may even be spending this day the same way the early Romans did. But let's not go there.
Source: National Public Radio
I love to read comments so please, leave one here! To have your comment published, please leave your name so we know where to find you and read and comment on your blog too!
source: American Gem Society
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Well....when you blog...you research.
I came across this article, which had a slightly different twist on the origins of this celebrated world wide holiday, which I just felt had to be shared.
So without further preamble....here we go......
The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day By Arnie Seipel
Though no one has pinpointed the exact origin of the holiday, one good place to start is ancient Rome, where men hit on women by, well, hitting them.
Those Wild And Crazy Romans
From Feb. 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. The men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain.
The Roman romantics "were drunk. They were naked," says Noel Lenski, a historian at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Young women would actually line up for the men to hit them, Lenski says. They believed this would make them fertile.
The brutal fete included a matchmaking lottery, in which young men drew the names of women from a jar. The couple would then be, um, coupled up for the duration of the festival — or longer, if the match was right.
The ancient Romans may also be responsible for the name of our modern day of love. Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day.
Later, Pope Gelasius I muddled things in the 5th century by combining St. Valentine's Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals. But the festival was more of a theatrical interpretation of what it had once been. Lenski adds, "It was a little more of a drunken revel, but the Christians put clothes back on it. That didn't stop it from being a day of fertility and love."
Around the same time, the Normans celebrated Galatin's Day. Galatin meant "lover of
William Shakespeare helped romanticize Valentine's Day in his work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe.
As the years went on, the holiday grew sweeter. Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized it in their work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. Handmade paper cards became the tokens-du-jour in the Middle Ages.
Eventually, the tradition made its way to the New World. The industrial revolution ushered in factory-made cards in the 19th century. And in 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Mo., began mass producing valentines. February has not been the same since.
Today, the holiday is big business: According to market research firm IBIS World, Valentine's Day sales reached $17.6 billion last year; this year's sales are expected to total $18.6 billion.
 |
| Pink Floral Bracelet |
"This isn't a command performance," she says. "If people didn't want to buy Hallmark cards, they would not be bought, and Hallmark would go out of business."
And so the celebration of Valentine's Day goes on, in varied ways. Many will break the bank buying jewelry and flowers for their beloveds. Others will celebrate in a SAD (that's Single Awareness Day) way, dining alone and binging on self-gifted chocolates. A few may even be spending this day the same way the early Romans did. But let's not go there.
Source: National Public Radio
I love to read comments so please, leave one here! To have your comment published, please leave your name so we know where to find you and read and comment on your blog too!
source: American Gem Society
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
October Birthstone - Tourmaline
As we enter October, we celebrate one of the months birthstones (yes, it has TWO!) the Tourmaline. Birthstones are gemstones that accompany a birth month, each having a unique meaning and historical significance. The popularity of birthstones dates back to ancient times when civilizations believed that gemstones had incredible powers such as luck, health and prosperity. Traditionally, each month is associated with a single gemstone, but, there are a few months with multiple birthstones, such as October. The name tourmaline is derived from the Sinhalese (language spoken in Sri Lanka) “tura mali,” which means “the stone of mixed colors.”
Ancient legend has it that the tourmaline traveled down the rainbow and it is for this reason that it is found in so many colors. Like many other gemstones, it is believed that the tourmaline strengthens both the body and the spirit, particularly the nervous system, blood, and lymph nodes. Additionally, the tourmaline was viewed as a means of inspiring creativity and was thus used as a talisman by artists and writers.
Brightly colored Sri Lankan gem tourmalines were brought to Europe in great quantities by the Dutch East India Company to satisfy a demand for curiosities and gems. Tourmaline was sometimes called the "Ceylonese Magnet" because it could attract and then repel hot ashes due to its pyroelectric properties. Tourmalines were used by chemists in the 19th century to polarize light by shining rays onto a cut and polished surface of the gem.
Blue Tourmaline evokes the tranquility of deep blue water, gliding well beneath its surface. It invites surrender of all thought to the solitude of a liquid silence, a graceful world of letting go... then rising to the light. It is also known as Indicolite, a variation of the original Indigolite, and refers to its deep blue color. Rarer than other Tourmalines, it forms in shades of light to dark blue, some with a tint of turquoise.
In the metaphysical world, Blue Tourmaline is a crystal of Spirit and peace, providing for deep meditation and bringing past hurts to the surface for healing. It encourages the release of emotional bonds and frees the mind to explore a higher consciousness and spiritual connection.
Blue Tourmaline increases the ability for clear and honest communication, and lends the courage to speak from the heart. It encourages an open mind and tolerance for others’ differences and weaknesses, embracing a love for truth, ethics, and a sense of responsibility and service to humanity. It promotes living in harmony with all aspects of one’s environment.
Gifts of gemstone jewelry with a loved one’s birthstone are very popular because of the desire to wear beautiful color as well as something which has personal significance.
The tourmaline is sometimes given as an 8th wedding anniversary gift.
Give as a gift or give as a gift to yourself our Tourmaline inspired necklace which you can find on Handmade Jewelry Haven's Etsy Page Here.
I love to read comments so please, leave one here! I will visit your blog (if you have one) and love to comment too!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)