Happy Sukkot

I must admit. This is one of the holidays I envy the most. I would love to celebrate it. Maybe next year... Maybe next year in Jerusalem :) Just teasing.

Happy Sukkot

The best thing about Sukkot is the tent-like structures. Yes, it recalls forty years of wandering in the desert.

 

Yes, it's probably every Jewish kid's dream come true. Camping in our own backyard all together?! My sister and I always had to camp in our backyard by ourselves. Our parents were much to grown up to leave their mattress behind. Pity.

Thinking about wandering around the desert between Egypt and Israel made me wonder if there is any parallel in the New Testament.

Ahhh... of course.

You should totally check out this movie if you haven't seen it. It's about Sukkot in Jerusalem.

Modesty Update

A long time ago, I mentioned my interest in developing a fashion style that was modest and comfortable.

I've come to a few conclusions about what needs to be included in my fashion line.

1. Tunics- great for casual days over jeans, and also ok for dressier days over slacks.

2. Pockets are a must!- I love to wear skirts, but they never have pockets these days. I think we should bring pockets back.

ReVamp Vintage

From Revamp Vintage (click the photo for link)

3. I don't want to mess with zippers or button holes, so I'm going to make lace up bodices.

4. Today lace up bodices are associated with corsets and weddings or corsets and lingerie. Therefore, I'll make a few stomachers to hide the laces or have the laces go straight across. 

5. The above photo of a stomacher and bodice has a great kerchief that covers of the neckline and makes the dress more modest. It tucks into the bodice. That's a great idea!

6. You've gotta have an apron! Also, this look will be compatible with different types of headcoverings. More about those later.

6. As for the silhouette of these dresses, I'm going with a 1916 look. I think 1916 was the best fashion year. Plus, it will easily translate to modern clothing. It's also not elaborate, but still feminine.

 

 

 

 

Look out world 1350, 1760 and 1916 are going to join forces in defense of fashion, modesty, and lack of sewing skills!

Awesome symbolism

This year has been a great one for symbolism.

Back in April Easter Sunday fell very close to Passover. Since the original Easter happened shortly after Passover. I thought this coincidence was very fitting.

This Saturday September 18 is another joint Catholic and Jewish celebration day. For both faiths it is a day of fasting.

For Catholics (Traditional ones because around Vatican II these days were dropped from the calendar) September 15, 17 and 18 are days of fasting called Ember Days. These days were meant for fasting and public prayer and petition for the forgiveness of our sins. There are four other sets of Ember Days throughout the year. A fun rhyme was invented to help laypeople to remember when these days occurred.

"Fasting days and Emberings be

Lent, Whitsun, Holyrood, and Lucie."

From this little rhyme you can see that Ember Days occur after the first Sunday in Lent (usually), after Whitsun Day (or Whitsunday) which is better known as Pentecost, after Holyrood (Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which is Sept. 14, it's still not too late to remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the Cross!) and after St. Lucy's Day (Dec. 13). So there are Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter times to fast. As you can probably guess, these fasting times were especially important to medieval society since they were completely at the mercy of nature and harvest each year. (Maybe in modern times we should have four times a year to fast and pray for our government and economy since we're at their mercy?)

So, each set of Ember Days includes a Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Wednesday and Friday are traditional fasting times for Christians. To this day, observant Orthodox Christians fast on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year. Friday, also observed by traditional Catholics, was the day of the week Jesus gave his life for our sins. Wednesday, only observed today by the Orthodox, was the day of the week Judas betrayed Our Savior. Saturday is a fasting day in memory of Jesus being placed in the tomb.

In another awesome coincidence, the extra day of fasting on Saturday this week coincides with Yom Kippur, the most solemn fast and petition for the forgiveness of sins in the Jewish calendar. 

Maybe this symbolism of the two fasting days happening on the same day is a call to prayer and fasting?

What's to come? If you look at a Jewish calendar around the December 15, 17, and 18 Ember Days, you'll see that Asera Be'Tevet falls on December 16th. This day is a day of fasting in remembrance for the day Nebuchadnezzar began his siege of Jerusalem.