What makes a great story?
For Ken Burns a great story is 1+1=3. A great story is a lie. A great story is everything and much more. In this short documentary he shares with us his experience in storytelling and his inspirations for creating great stories. More about the project you can find here on The Atlantic.
All That Glitters: The History of Shiny Things
Etsy did it again! Turning the simplest thing into an amazing explosion of colour, magic, and beauty is their specialty. Beware - the raw story of glitter and shine in all its glory - filmed solely by Etsy!
If after seeing the video, you too feel like browsing for blinky items to make your usual daily outfit - unusual (and sparkling), visit Etsy’s glittering section for inspiration: http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?search_submit=&q=glitter
The Traditional Bulgarian Wedding
A Modern Tale of Magic and Myths
“Marriage is the main goal/theme in many Bulgarian tales, and the main characters are those who are ready to get married. The traditional Bulgarian wedding is almost mythic in action, and rich in symbolism. It provides the key to several enigmatic elements in these stories.
Bulgarian wedding rituals are concerned with ensuring a successful and fertile marriage. During the wedding period, the bride and groom are at the centre of the cosmic drama of creation that has been enacted over and over again since the beginning of time. The young couple are imbued with a special life-giving power that bestows blessings and fertility upon the whole community, guaranteeing the future. The consummation of the marriage on the wedding day becomes an act of magic.
Symbolism of the Wedding Banner
The wedding banner consists of a flag attached to a pole that has been ritually cut from a tree. The banner is topped with a red or gold foil-wrapped apple symbolising the sun and fertility, and decorated with flowers, ivy, strings of popcorn and chilli peppers. In some areas, the bride and the groom have a separate banner, with a white flag for the bride and a red flag for the groom. In other areas the groom’s family prepare a single banner with both red and white flags upon it.
Braiding and Shaving Rituals: the Comb and Razor as Magical Objects
On the night or the morning before the wedding itself, two important rituals take place. The bride’s hair is braided and the groom is shaved at their respective homes. Both rituals are accompanied by special songs and ceremony. After the wedding, the bride will not appear again in public with her head bare or with her hair loose like a wild samodiva. She will always wear a headscarf. The groom is no longer a boy, but a man ready to take on responsibility. The hair is tamed; the wild years of youth will be put aside and a new life will begin.
In the language of fairy tale the comb and the razor, the tools of braiding and shaving, become symbols of initiation into sexual maturity. They take on magical transforming properties and represent the transition from one stage of life to another.”
For the full text and the rest of the photos visit:
Photo source: http://vassilnikolov.com/ or Facebook album
Text Source: http://www.spellintime.fsnet.co.uk/Folklore.htm
I adore Sting. His album “If on a Winter’s Night” is my favourite one to listen to when the weather outside gets cold, snowy, and windy. The album is a collection of songs, carols, and lullabies with a great historical heritage, for example “The Snow It Melts the Soonest” (a traditional Newcastle ballad), “Soul Cake” (a traditional English begging song which has its roots in Halloween/All Souls Day), “Gabriel’s Message” (a 14th century carol). I am also greatly touched by the way Sting talks about this album, very genuine and personal. It makes me daydream, want to go to England, walk on the sea shore on a windy day, and read books with spooky stories on a winter’s night:
“Winter is the season of the imagination more than any other for me. Landscapes are magically transformed by snow… And so that magic extends into everything about winter. The stories, the spookiness, the ghost in the chimney, the silence of the snow - all that stuff I wanted to bring to this album - my feeling of mystery and story telling…”
Simple video with a great emotional impact. Rob Ryan is an artist that gives his work a deep meaning and a thoughtful touch - it’s handmade, it’s personal, it’s real. So much of his wisdom, life experience and inspiration packed in this video. It made me ponder (anew) on a few questions that have been on my mind for quite some time now, mainly about the importance of crafts and handmade products in our daily lives; going back to basics, to nature; having a fulfilling life by leaving behind true, tangible pieces of (any kind of) art which we’ve put our heart and soul into - things that make simple sense and have a meaning to the other 7 billion people in the world.
