Restoring furniture and reducing landfill

There is lots of talk about recycling, repurposing, upcyling, you name it....everybody is doing it with plastic, paper, food scraps, rubbish, but how often do people do it with furniture? Repurposed furniture comes and goes in trends, retro, vintage mid century...many pieces are still enjoying a resurgence in popularity but what about the less ‘cool’ but still quality material pieces that are destined for the rubbish tips? 

Like most people I love beautiful new furniture but I have always felt very strongly about reducing landfill and a huge part of the landfill problem is furniture. So repurposing furniture is a sustainable choice. These days everybody loves the sleek minimalist contemporary and modern designs and the ever changing trends the furniture chain stores churn out seasonally. I love them too. However there is also so many beautiful vintage and quirky pieces of existing furniture that with a little TLC can add lots of character to your home, but how can you bring out the best in them, simply and easily without any complicated tools or experience? 

Some pieces just need a few basic techniques to transform them to blend with your more contemporary pieces or whatever your style. Restoration can range from sanding, waxing, staining, painting repairing, adding wheels, reupholstering or new surfaces to make them more usable. Here are a few examples I’ve used in recent years.

Butchers block restoration- sanding, chalk paint and polyurethane 

My most recent project was a restoration of a timber butchers block, this was a great example of how to blend a dark old piece with an existing kitchen. It isn’t a vintage piece so I was more comfortable to paint it. Often if I have a truly collectable vintage piece it’s hard to decide if painting it is the right thing to do.

I always wanted to try chalk paint and this was the perfect opportunity to create a kitchen island that blends with the rest of the kitchen.

The original finish was dark and it has seen better days. It was also a little lower than the rest of my kitchen benches and the knife storage slots were nothing but crumb collectors.

My solution was to sand it right back to wood using an orbital sander.  Then I added wheels (with locks so it doesn’t roll around the kitchen but can be moved around easily which is great for entertaining). The wheels also brought it up to the same height as the other benches. To solve the crumb collecting slots issue I cut a few strips of wood and sanded them into shapes that suited the slots and predrilled holes and nailed them on over the slots. Then I got to painting. Two coats of the Dulux chalk paint was all it needed. Ensure you allow it to fully dry between coats. You can also do two different colours and gently sand certain spots to create a distressed look with the undercoat showing through.

I chose a chalk paint that matched several pieces in kitchen and blends with my bench tops.. However if you are using chalk paint in a kitchen I strongly recommend a coat of polyurethane on the top surfaces as oils and food may stain the paint finish. As you can see our cat Shadow is pretty happy with the transformation of one of his favourite hiding spots.

Jacobean dining table refinish

You’re probably familiar with Jacobean furniture, it’s very ornate and very dark, quite gothic looking pieces and these days it’s not a style that’s very sought after in contemporary homes, but as you can see when you tone down the wood colour the furniture itself is quite beautiful and most Jacobean pieces have stunning hand made details which are better appreciated in a lighter wood as seen below.

If you have a sentimental piece as I did it’s a great chance to give it new life and make it more in keeping with current trends particularly if you like to mix styles. 

This piece simply needed sanding and a lighter stain finish (I hand stained this by wiping over a grey stain and rubbing it off) once dry I hand waxed it rather than lacquering it to give it more of a provincial feel, the detailed carving means a lot of hand sanding but it is well worth it. 

The finished table is light and inviting and has a more French Country look than the dark and gloomy Jacobean style.

Draftsman drawers  - add some fence pickets and glue and you’re done.

This lovely old piece was literally left for dead on a building site. Missing it’s top and the drawers falling to pieces all it really needed was a bit of wood glue and the odd screw and nail to firm up the drawers. The top I made out of repurposed fence pickets. The deep drawers are perfect for my son’s activity books and drawing supplies. I left the front as is as the bumps and marks seem to speak of the history behind the piece, I can only imagine what might have been stored in these drawers many years ago by is previous owner.

Army Ammo chest coffee table - Just add wheels

I have several of these and I have to say they are my absolute favourite. I simply added industrial style locking wheels to them after predrilling the holes and they make great coffee tables with storage. I keep magazines and blankets in them. Plus you can simply roll them out of the way.

Old metal patio furniture - Spray paint and reupholster 

Inexpensive furniture like this patio couch from  Kmart are probably some of the most common landfill offenders. However as you can see they scrub up incredibly well. Fortunately I’m an avid sewer so it was easy for me to reupholster these and make cushions after spray painting the entire chair white with a gloss enamel spray paint. If you are not a sewer, you could easily replace the cushions with new ones that are readily available and just selvage the frame. 

Rattan chair -  painted and upholstered  

This sweet old rattan chair was my grandparents, then my fathers, he has lots of memories of my sister and I sitting in it at children at my grandparents so when he gave it to me I felt I needed to restore it. I decided to follow the same colour and upholstery theme as previously so all my pieces could be spread along me veranda to create a bit of an old Out of Africa veranda theme. So now the 3rd generation uses this chair, it’s one of my son’s favourite places to sit, right by the front door. The rattan needed gluing, and a few nails. The cushions had to be replaced and I spray painted it with the gloss enamel paint.

Cane Patio Furniture set restoration - repair, paint and reupholstered 

This was one of those road side rubbish finds I just couldn’t resist. So after finally getting  this huge set of 2 tub chairs and a couch home it really just needed some light repairs, paint and upholstering. This set was particularly well made and worth the effort.

This couch now doubles as my alfresco office and is a beautiful spot for meetings. 

Once all the pieces I had collected were  restored in the same white enamel paint and fabrics  it created a true oasis on the verander with a flowing theme that transforms the area into a different time. 

Buffet restored

This lovely old buffet was yet another building site rubbish piece rescued from landfill, with just a regular coat of external paint it’s made a great veranda buffet. I use it for gardening tools and outdoor candles etc. 

Even the cute old meat chest has been given a second life as a candle holder. 

Potting table and drawers - repurposed dining table and drawers with polyurethane 

Finally my 50 year old teak kitchen table has been given a new home as a potting bench. I just give it a light sand and polyurethan now and again to keep it fresh and the road side rubbish selvage drawer underneath has been repurposed into a potting bench storage drawer. Both need nothing but a light sand and polyurethane. As long as they are kept out of the rain they’ll see another 50 years.

I hope these give you some inspiration so you might see some old pieces destined for landfill as future projects that will be  easy and enjoyably brought back to life. So look around your house or local second hand stores or even your road side rubbish with a creative eye and you might see potential in the neglected pieces you spot.

Financial Issues for Women - Wealth protection, financial planning, what is it, what can you do now?

In terms of financial matters, women have come a long way over the last few decades. From the days when a man was a plan, and the ‘fairer sex’ relied on their fathers or husbands for security, women have only become more independent and financially savvy. That’s not to say there is no room for improvement, you just have to look to the gap in relation to wage parity to know that we still have a way to go. Although the gender pay gap in Australia is decreasing over time to a new current low of 16%, women tend to dominate in lower paid industries and be under represented in senior roles and on boards.

That said, this is changing, stats published on International Women’s Day this year show that there are more women on ASX top 20 boards than ever before – now over 30 per cent. The proportion of female enrolments in traditionally male-dominated courses, like information technology, has grown by nearly 12% per year for the past five years. Encouragingly, the number of women working in the best paid industry (mining) has quadrupled over the past 20 years. While it is heartening to see these changes, the fact remains that Australian women are still struggling to save enough for retirement.

Closing the final gaps

In the most recent report on super balances by gender, the ABS revealed that the average woman has just 70% of the super balance of the average man, however just four years prior, the figure was 75%. There’s a gap from the very beginning,  older women tend to have an even lower share of super than their male counterparts. Women aged 60 to 64 – prime retirement age – have just 47%.

There are a few different theories as to why this is. The first and most obvious is that many women take a significant amount of time off work to have children. Nearly 20% of women permanently leave their jobs before the birth of their children, meaning they have to re-enter the workforce afresh after a significant career break. Around 16% of women take just one to four weeks’ paid leave, with the rest of their leave being unpaid. Many couples don’t even think about the fact that super isn’t generally paid on parental leave payments. Even if a woman has parental leave and only takes the maximum 18 weeks’ leave, that’s still a significant loss of earnings.

Another theory suggests that risk appetite is also having an impact on women’s super balances, compounding the impact of time out of the paid workforce. Women may be psychologically predisposed to be conservative with their superannuation investment choices. One survey found that only 30% of women have a ‘high risk’ allocation in their super, 7.5% lower than men. In other words, taking the time to examine your biases against risk could pay off.

It is important to seek professional help with your financial journey when it comes to superannuation, investments and insurances.  There is a lot you can do to take back the power and change your financial future. So what things can you do right now. Research has put the share of the population living pay day to pay day at between 32 per cent and 46 per cent. What’s more, many Australians say they don’t have (or couldn’t raise) even $500 to pay for an unexpected expense. In a way, these numbers reflect the laidback ‘she’ll be right’ attitude that pervades our culture. But the reality is that we all live with risks, both big and small, that we can’t avoid.

That’s where a financial safety net comes in handy. Making sure that you are prepared for financial setbacks or unanticipated costs does not come down to any single measure. Rather, it’s a comprehensive approach to risk that’s designed to protect you and your family’s financial wellbeing, come what may.

Maintain a rainy day fund

The first line of financial defence for women is to have some money tucked away in a ‘rainy day’ fund for emergencies and unexpected costs. If you are living from one pay day to the next and your hot water heater bursts or your car needs urgent repairs, the temptation is to whip out the credit card. If you are only able to make the minimum monthly repayment you could be paying off that hot water heater for years to come. Whereas paying cash will save you money and make your financial goals that much easier to achieve.

Most experts suggest you aim to put aside three to six months’ living expenses. This can take a while to build up so one time-honoured strategy is to ‘pay yourself first’. It’s a good idea to keep your emergency cash in a separate account from your everyday money.

Reduce debt

Even with the best willpower in the world it can be difficult to save if you are weighed down with debt. The good news is that with interest rates at or near their historic lows, there is no better time than the present to tackle debt. Aim to pay down loans with the highest interest rate first – typically this will be your credit cards. If you have a mortgage, aim to pay more than the minimum monthly payment. By keeping at least three months ahead of schedule you can build a buffer to provide some wriggle room with your lender if you experience financial difficulties.

Review insurance

No financial safety net is complete without adequate personal insurance. We tend to insure our car and our house before we think about our most precious possession, our health and our ability to earn an income. While health insurance will cover some of your medical costs, it won’t pay the mortgage and food bills or take care of your family while you are unable to work. Worse still, what would happen if you were to die prematurely? That’s where personal insurance comes in, to cover your life, total and permanent disability, trauma and income protection. It’s possible you already have cover for some of these through your superannuation fund, but it may not be sufficient.  It’s important to make sure you know where you stand on these. Seek professional help if needed and conduct a review of your situation. Then work towards having a plan that you and your family are comfortable with. 

Follow us for more articles to come.

Written by Sam Tabit

Senior Financial Planner

Bamboo Wealth

www.bamboowealth.com.au

Mind Conditioning for Success, Fulfilment and Happinesss

Happiness and Achievement...Og Mandino style

As an ex-business teacher and University Business School Manager my head has been buried in business strategy, learning and development texts for over 20 years...but one book in particular made a significant and unforgettable impact ‘The greatest salesman in the world’ by Og Mandino. Applying the principles of the 10 scrolls written in this book can be life altering for anyone choosing to commit to them. I found them incredibly useful when applied along side my Life Goal Setting strategies which are based on Maslow’s Hierarachy of Needs where the driver is focussing ‘on what motivates you’ it helped me to meet all of  my (at the time) goals I had set. So I’ve personally found this book beneficial. The  strategies for success and fulfilment documented are highly applicable to everyday life. Particularly if you have found yourself becoming despondent and unclear about your future or unplanned circumstances have thrown your life into disarray (who hasn’t been there?).

Have you ever been surprised by the simplicity of some strategies in self-help books. I certainly have, and I’ve  found sometimes the most simple methods are the most affective? Og Mandino’s book ‘The  Greatest secret in the world’ is based on a very simple premise (from his previous book, The Greatest Salesman in the World) that is to ‘change the way you think’, or as he puts it ‘to mind condition yourself’. How is this done? Through repetition. The aim is to reread the same passages (the Ten Scrolls) for 30 days, 3 times a day. Almost like a beefed up version of affirmations but far more detailed. This imprinting seeps into your subconscious. Having done this myself, using this text over 15 years ago I can categorically support the notion of mind conditioning. However it isn’t for the faint hearted, it takes incredible self discipline. 

I’m going back for my second ‘imprint’ because I can feel I need to refocus, work on my confidence and zest for life. Having recommenced this imprinting process  I can already feel myself becoming more self disciplined, focussed and excited about the future.

So what are the underlining principles of these 10 scrolls and how might this book benefit you?

1. I will form good habits and become their slave.

The importance of creating good habits is often overshadowed by our focus on releasing ourselves  from bad habits. In this text the author puts a rather uncommon positive spin on habit forming, he goes on to explain ‘Good habits are the key to all success. Bad habits are the unlocked door to failure....I will form good habits and become their slave.... As a child I was a slave to my impulses now I am a slave to my habits as are all grown men/women. I have surrendered my free will to the years of accumulated habits and the past days of my life have already marked out a path which threatens to imprison my future.....My actions are ruled by appetite, passion, prejudice, greed,  love, fear, environment,  habits and worst of all these tyrants is habit.  Therefore if I must be a slave to habit let me be a slave to good habits. My bad habits must be destroyed and new furrows prepared for good seed.  I will form good habits and become their slave. 

Why is it so important to read and reread affirming literature, because it imprints and instills good habit forming behaviour via the encouraging texts and affirmations. This passage from Og Mandino  explains...“As I repeat the words daily they will soon become a part of my active mind, but more important, they will also seep into my other mind, that mysterious source which never sleeps, which creates my dreams, and often makes me act in ways I do not comprehend” In modern terminology what that key sentence means is that you are about to mind-condition yourself. You are about to begin the process of imprinting new relays and transistors onto your subconscious mind... that ‘control box’ which mysteriously directs many of our actions and our ambitions. There's nothing weird about this technique. Many of the nations outstanding examples of success constantly "program" themselves so that they instinctively react to various situations in a manner that will provide them with the greatest possible benefit.

2. I will greet this day with love in my heart.

This can be a tough one. Particularly when you’re require to greet everyone including your ‘enemies’ with love and silently tell them you love them. However what I found is that practising this actually does start to break down bad feelings like bitterness and resentment. In this section Og Mandino suggests, ‘But how will I react to the actions of others? With love. For just as love is my weapon to open the hearts of men, love is my shield to repulse the arrows of hate and the spears of anger.’ 

 Most importantly this principle talks about the importance of self love. ‘I will love myself’ it says ‘ for when I do I will zealously inspect all things which enter my body, my mind, my soul, and my heart. Never will I over indulged the requests of my flesh, rather I will cherish my body with cleanliness and moderation. Never will I allow my mind to be attracted to evil and despair rather I will uplift it with the knowledge and wisdom of the ages. 

Certainly reading this section 3 times a day for a month is going to reset you brain to take time to care for your mind, body and soul and the melt resentment or grudges you may or may not even be aware you hold towards those that have wronged you. 

3. I will persist until I succeed.

These days it’s too easy to just give up, and try something else, we have a wealth of opportunity and options. however persistence is one of the great character traits that often are attributed to our greatest heroes, imagine if they gave up and simply took the easy path...the path of least resistance. 

 ‘I will persist until I succeed. I was not delivered on to this world in defeat nor does failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my Shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk,  to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not those who weep and complain for their disease is contagious’. 

This is certainly a reminder to surround yourself with inspiring positive and innovative people rather than small minded or the ignorant or worse still the unmotivated and ‘ambitionless’ sheep.

‘I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine eyes on the goal above my head for I know where dry desert ends green grass grows’. A reminder that to surrender your life goals and ambition is to give up when the going gets tough when in fact that hard learning curve is often the catalyst for the success to come. Obstacles are often lessons and until we have learnt them we will not reach the other side.

4. I am natures greatest miracle.

‘I am a unique creature. Vain attempts to imitate others no longer will I make instead will I place my uniqueness on display.... I will begin now to accent my differences and hide my similarities.’ This principle is a rather poignant reminder to embrace your individualism. In the days before social media, young people particularly were not bombarded with such absurd standards of perfection and worse still conformity to normalised and accepted beauty, lifestyle and fashion standards. Acceptance  of the innate beauty you possess and the miracle of your simple existence is a great first step to casting off the pressures to conform to fashion, style, body image and gender stereotypes. 

Instead identify your unique characteristics and focus on celebrating and enhancing them just as we encourage children to do, we need to persist with this attitude right through our adolescence and adulthood. Societal pressures to conform should be cast aside and honouring individuals incomparable innate beauty needs to be our goal. 

5. I will live this day as if it were my last.

‘I will avoid the killers of time’... I think we all know we need to confront this demon. We each have our own time killers, be they social media, tv, eating, games, internet, crafting, gardening, partying.  The key is to allow yourself down time, but ensure it does not encroach on what should be productive time. 

‘This day is all I have and these hours are now my eternity.......Each hour of this day will I cherish as it can never return......Procrastination I will destroy with action; doubt I will bury in faith; fear I will diminish with confidence.’

As a parent I’ve become not only more aware of being mindful of my son’s procrastination and distraction with games, tv etc. but I’ve also become more aware of my own procrastination temptations. Mine are more likely to be pottering in the garden or making things, however either way I’m aware of when I’m using them as a tool to avoid what must be done. I’ve even started reviewing myself, “How was my last hour... was it a well used hour.” Each hour of the day has new significance when you start to evaluate it as potentially being your last. 

6. Today I will be master of my emotions. 

More than ever, these days we are aware of the impact of mood, emotion and mental health contributing to anxiety and depression. It is comforting and confronting to read in the following passages that this is often a natural and very common occurrence for people. There is a beautiful acceptance of this cycle in these words and a rather refreshing re-evaluation of the never ending roller coaster of life and emotion. 

‘It is one of natures tricks that each day I awaken with moods that have changed from yesterday. Yesterday’s joy will become today’s sadness; yet today’s sadness will grow into tomorrow’s joy. Inside me is a wheel constantly turning from sadness to joy, from exultation to depression, from happiness to melancholy. Like the flowers todays’s full bloom of joy will fade and wither into despondency, yet I will remember that as today’s dead flower carries the seed of tomorrow’s bloom so, too, does today’s sadness carry the seed of tomorrow’s joy.

This principle continues with the affirmation ‘I will master my emotions so that every day is a happy day, and a productive one. I will learn this secret of the ages: Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts. Each day when I awake, I will follow this plan of battle before I am captured by the forces of sadness, self-pity and failure. 

If I feel depressed I will sing.

If I feel sad I will laugh.

If I feel ill I will double my labor.

If I feel fear I will plunge ahead.

If I feel inferior I will wear new garments.

If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice.

If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come.

If I feel incompetent I will remember past success.

If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals.

Today I will be master of my emotions.

Henceforth I will recognise and identify the mystery of the moods in all mankind, and in me. From this moment I am prepared to control whatever personality awakes in me each day. I will master my moods I will control my destiny.’

7. I will laugh at the world.

The healing benefits of laughter were not lost on Og Mandino. In this principle he encourages you to see the lighter side of life, laugh at yourself, and most of all to live by the mantra ‘This too shall pass’ when tough times hit. See the humour in the absurdity of drama and life’s upsets and remember these words when you are under fire by those with ill intentions.

‘I will smile and my digestion will improve; I will chuckle and my burdens will be lightened; I will laugh and my life will be lengthened for this is the secret of long life and now it is mine.’  

‘I will paint this day with laughter; I will frame this night in song. Never will I labor to be happy; rather will I remain too busy to be sad.’

8. Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.

‘Like the wheat grain which will sprout and bloom only if it is nurtured with rain and sun and warm winds, I too must nurture my body and mind to fulfil my dreams. But to grow to full stature the wheat must wait on the whims of nature. I need not wait for I have the power to choose my own destiny.’ 

This principle is a reminder to constantly ensure your efforts are focussed and will be utilised for maximum benefit. ‘I will raise my goals as soon as they are achieved’. My takeaway from this principle is to ensure my efforts are strategic and will contribute to growth in some aspect of my life. Think of it as a return on investment. Where are your efforts and focus going to provide you the greatest return, then make those activities your focus. 

9. I will act now!

As they say ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’... it’s a motto I find constantly repeating in my mind. Putting things in action means having a plan of attack. So bear this in mind when reading the following suggestions:

‘My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust my goals are impossible. All are of no value unless they are followed by actions... I know that to conquer fear I must always act without hesitation...  I will not avoid the tasks of today and charge them to tomorrow, for I know tomorrow never comes.’

We’ve all heard of the sayings like ‘bite the bullet’, ‘Just do it’, ‘All talk and no action’, why? Because sadly this is a very common phenomenon. However it doesn’t have to be. The beauty of mind conditioning is that you can reset your brain to be addicted to the euphoria of ‘Getting this done!’ Ticking off your To Do List has an immeasurable impact on your subconscious sense of self satisfaction. I challenge you to try it, Just take a look at the current trend of Marie Kondo Tidying Up devotees. Getting stuff done, especially stuff you’ve been avoiding or procrastinating about done (like Tidying Up) has a deep impact on your subconscious mind. A sense of achievement in removing activities (or objects) that are burdening you can reduce stress and anxiety so the benefits of this principle to your life goals and your health are clear.

Scroll 10. 

This scroll reminds us to focus on seeking guidance. No matter your religion or beliefs. ‘Never will I pray for material things of this world’. ‘I ask not for gold or garments or even opportunities equal to my ability; instead, guide me so that I may acquire abilities equal to my opportunities....help me to remain humble through obstacles and failures; yet hide not from mine eyes the prize that will come with victory.....Guide me in my words that they may bear fruit; yet silence me from gossip that none be maligned..... Discipline me in the habit of trying and trying again.... Bathe me in good habits that the bad ones may drown’. 

In all ‘The Greatest Secret in the World’ provides you with 45 weeks of daily focus on self love, care for you body, focussing on creating good habits, discarding bad habits, controlling and recognising your emotions, displaying compassion and love for all those around you, even those that may have treated you poorly, treating your body as the miracle of nature that it is and feeding your mind with kind and motivating words that will galvanise and stimulate you into action and help you achieve your dreams.  

Gingerbread House

GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Cooking: 20-30 mins

Ingredients

125g brown sugar

14 teaspoon salt

270 golden syrup (or substitute with a small amount of honey)

1 1/4 tablespoons ground ginger

80g soft butter

520g  plain flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

extra flour for rolling

Method

Preheat oven to 170C.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, salt, treacle or golden syrup, ginger and butter together with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until mixture forms a thick dough.

Place on floured work surface. Roll out to 7-8mm thick. Cut to template shape or use cutters or moulds. Place on a baking tray and bake in oven for 25-35 minutes or until slightly firm to touch and becoming golden. 

Let almost cool on tray and with a hard sharp large flat spatula move to flat surface. Do not move while hot.

Royal Icing for decorating

500g pure icing sugar 

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

3 small egg whites

Methods

Place sugar and cream of tartar in medium bowl, add egg whites, mix with an electric mixer until a thick, stiff and white paste, add more icing sugar if necessary. Put in piping bag and use to ensemble house.

Ensemble

Add icing to the base of the pieces, start with the front and lean against side walls. Use heavy glasses to prop up until icing starts to harden. then add the back wall. Allow to harden for approx 30 minutes. The add roof. You can use wooden skewers as beams to brace the roof. Sometimes if you roof is too thick and heavy this us necessary.

Decorate

Use whatever lollies you like to create the look you want and use the icing to glue them on and create patterns. 

Also try cookie cutters or making mini gingerbread houses.

Halloween Cookies and Customs

I love Halloween, the dressing up, the spiritual significance, the whimsy and the food. As a family with strong Scottish Celtic and Gaelic roots it’s great to keep this bit of history and tradition alive. 

One of my traditions is to bake my Halloween cookies. I use my sister Melindas recipe and my son and I decorate them together. I’ve added the recipe below. 

However what is Halloween all about? Well it’s certainly not about scary movies and blood and guts as Hollywood movies might have us believe. It has much more spiritual significance and is quite a lovely tradition to share with your children. 

So as children and adults participate in the fun of Halloween on the night of October 31st, few will be aware of its historic Celtic roots in the Samhain (Samain) festival. In Celtic Ireland about 2,000 years ago, Samhain was the division of the year between the lighter half (summer) and the darker half (winter). It is believed at Samhain the division between this world and the otherworld was at its thinnest, allowing spirits to pass through.

Hence family's ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. 

People wore costumes and masks to disguise themselves as harmful spirits and thus avoiding harm. Bonfires and food played a large part in the harvest festivities. Food was prepared for the living and the dead, food for the passed ancestors was ritually shared with the less well off, and shared with the children who often collected food for the festivities.

     

Christianity incorporated the honouring of the dead into the Christian calendar with All Saints (All Hallows) on November 1st, followed by All Souls on November 2nd. The wearing of costumes and masks to ward off harmful spirits survived as Halloween customs. 

So why is it considered such an American custom? The Irish emigrated to America in great numbers during the 19th century especially around the time of famine in Ireland during the 1840's. The Irish carried their Halloween traditions to America. Over time other traditions have blended into Halloween, for example the American harvest time tradition of carving pumpkins. 

So whether you’re from Scottish Gaelic and Celtic ancestors as my family are or Irish, Italian, American we all feel a connection to this celebration and it’s a great way to keep tradition and history alive for our children whilst honouring our departed loved ones. 

    

Have fun on Halloween, honour your departed loved ones and enjoy the festivities.