PO Box 765, Rapid City SD 57709 BlackHillsCelticEvents.org Info@BlackHillsCelticEvents.org Volume 9 Issue 10 October 2007 Serving the Celtic Communities of: Wales, Isle of Man, Cornwall (England), Galicia (Spain), Brittany (France), Scotland and Ireland You may contribute news and photos by email to Info@BlackHillsCelticEvents.org We will combine our General Meeting and Samhain Celebration at our meeting on October 18th,, 7:00, at the Celtic Connection (517 6th Street). Sally Knight (a.k.a. Queen of Halloween), will be providing our program. Among other topics to be discussed at the business portion of the meeting will be the possibility of holding the board meeting prior to the general meeting AND looking for nominations for officers and board members too. The election will be in December. Oct 18 7:00 p.m. General membership Meeting & Samhain, at the Celtic Connection, 517 6th Street, Rapid City PROGRAM: Sally Knight on Celtic Halloween (our resident All Hallow’s Eve QUEEN!!) Oct 27 6:45 p.m. Samhain (AGAIN :)) – this time we’re invited to join the Celts Of America at Dublin Square Pub Nov 1 7:00 p.m. Board Meeting Nov 3 TBA Heather Payden and Darren Williams’ WEDDING!!!!! Nov 15 7:00 p.m. General membership Meeting, American Legion Post 22, Rapid City PROGRAM: Genetics + Celts + Basques (John Burke presenting) Dec 6 7:00 p.m. Board Meeting Dec 20 7:00 p.m. General membership Meeting, American Legion Post 22, Rapid City PROGRAM: TBA Dec 31 TBA Black Hills Symphony’s Celtic New Years @ Civic Center *American Legion Post 22, 818 East St. Patrick St, Rapid City Loss of a friend I had planned this month to write about what one would expect.... Samhain, or Halloween since it is an important event in the Celtic world. But once again I realized just how fast things can change for better or worse. Unfortunately this week, it was the worse and I’m sure all of you know by now of the passing of our friend, Jim Marrs. Looking back on Jim he could often be just a bit cantankerous, often humorous, or have the biggest smile in the world- particularly when discussing his Celtic culture. Jim took pride in his heritage as well as his knowledge of many different cultures and believed that it helped to understand each other. To Jim, our pasts were and are directly linked to our present and held many of the answers for our futures. So often, we hear the phrase that we learn from our past mistakes. Jim felt strongly that we learn from our cultural past and that it affects our everyday life. I know I learned more about the Picts than I ever thought possible and the best part of all is that it wasn’t from a book, but from Jim Marrs—a man who was so very proud of his heritage: an ancient tribe called the Picts. One bit of information that has stuck with me for whatever reason was the term Highlander. Whenever we would discuss a “highlander” topic, Jim would remind us that it is actually pronounced hee-lan-der and then proceed to inform us on how this came about. I never tired of hearing of this or any information about Celtic culture that Jim could pass on. I know that Jim is in a better place now, a place that he had devoted his entire life to. But I can’t help but smile when I think of him and that day when I learned from him that his ancestors painted themselves blue before they screamed out war cries. I wonder if the Lord may have warned everyone that a Pict was coming, but it was okay because he was also a reverend. God bless you Jim, we will miss you. Bill Knight President/SIS This month’s welcome goes to Robert & Susan Jean Peterson. With this family, our Society gets Susan who’s both Irish and Scottish, as well as a bit of Swedish and German with Pete. Their clan affiliations are Robertson and Donnachaidh. They are interested in travel, photography, single malts, cooking, music & bagpipe (playing & teaching). I KNOW they’ll find lots of comradery with those interests in our group! WELCOME! Hope to see you at the next General meeting on October 18th.   Courtesy of John Duggan: Celtic Halloween - Happy New Year!                 It was once believed that at Samhain, the Celtic New Year, the veil between our world and the spirit world was very thin. The festival of Samhain (sow-en), celebrated on November 1st, was a gateway to the otherworld, when spirits wandered the earth in search of new bodies to possess. People made their homes as inhospitable as possible, so the spirits would be less likely to enter them. All fires - candles, fireplace, etc. - were extinguished to make the house dark and uninviting. The tradition of dressing in Halloween costumes and painting faces in an ugly way also came about because people wanted to make themselves unappealing as possible to these wandering spirits. Even loud noises were encouraged to frighten the spirits away! The holiday is very much about avoiding wandering spirits, whatever you may have heard about Samhain rituals to honor the dead.                 The origin of All Hallows Eve is a bit different than you may have heard. Some time in the 8th century A.D., the Catholic Church began to commemorate All Saints Day and All Souls Day at this time of year. The Church realized it could not wipe out the popular pagan feast of Samhain, so it was “christianized” instead. The notion of a close connection to the dead was attached to a newer holiday called The Eve of the Feast of All Hallows, or Halloween.                 Many Americans don’t realize that Halloween was never celebrated here in America until the arrival of the famine-era Irish. The U.S. was a Protestant country with a Puritan leaning. When the Irish came in the 1840's, they brought their own brand of Catholicism with them. This included the Halloween rite, with its eccentric mix of Christian and pre-Christian customs. Divining Your Future                 Because Samhain coincided with the year’s final harvest, the wheat, apples and nuts that were so plentiful at this time became part of Halloween customs. When I was growing up in the New England, My Irish parents had us “duck” for apples into which coins were inserted, and play "Snap Apple," where an apple would be hung on a string -- you had to get a good bite of the apple while keeping your hands behind your back to get the money inside.                 Some Irish customs were meant to divine your fortune for the coming year. Barmbrack (from Bairín Breac - meaning "speckled loaf"). This is a type of fruitcake containing charms that foretold your future. If you got the slice with the ring, you would soon marry. A button or thimble meant you would remain a bachelor or a spinster. A coin, of course, foretold wealth, while a rag predicted poverty.                 To discover whom you would marry, you tried to peel an apple all in one go, without breaking the peel. If you succeeded, you threw the peel over your shoulder. The way it came to rest on the floor would give you the initial of the one you would marry. Stingy Jack’s Lantern                 The jack-o'-lantern comes from a story told in many variations. Here's an interesting version: There was a man named Jack, who was notorious for his sinful ways - the worst of which was stinginess. When the Devil came to claim Jack's soul one evening, Jack cleverly persuaded him to have a drink first. Being so stingy, Jack made the Devil pay for the drink. To pay for the drink, the Devil turned himself into a sixpence, thinking he could turn himself back when the barman wasn't looking. Stingy Jack immediately grabbed hold of the sixpence and jammed it into his pocket along with his rosary. You can imagine the devil’s discomfort at being in the same pocket with a rosary. The Devil pleaded with Jack to release him, which Jack did, on the condition that the Devil wouldn't bother him again for a full year.                 After a year, the Devil returned to take Jack. But somehow Jack persuaded him to climb a tree. Then, Jack carved a cross in the tree, and the poor old Devil was stuck there for a long time. When, at last, Jack grew old and died, he was refused entry into heaven because of his stinginess. But when he approached hell, the Devil was so fed up with his practical jokes, he turned him away as well!                 Poor Jack was doomed to wander until Judgment Day. But the Devil gave him a hot coal from the hobs of hell to help him see his way around. Jack placed the coal in a turnip and is supposedly still wandering with his "lantern,” waiting his chance to plead his case. In America, pumpkins were more plentiful than turnips, and probably easier to carve. Hence the modern Jack Lantern o origin.                 After all this time, it’s amazing how Halloween clings to America’s culture. This year, as you celebrate Halloween, you can remember your Celtic forbears and wish one another a happy and prosperous New Year.  John C Duggan Our current Newsletter Editor, Pat Hamilton, has served for 2 years and is ready to help train a new person to enjoy this monthly endeavor. Replacement will start by January. Please contact Pat if you are interested, info@BlackHillsCelticEvents.org. Pat will gladly work with anyone interested to bring them up to gear. AND, they are welcome to make any changes they see fit – Call it Newsletter Editor’s artistic liberty. Your Input Needed This newsletter would be far more interesting with your input: news, events, culture, history, photos, new Celtic businesses, anything. Submit your articles in MS Word doc and photos in jpg format. E-mail to info@BlackHillsCelticEvents.org If you missed getting a Festival T-shirt, there is still time! Mark Roland graciously stepped in at the last minute to provide Festival T-shirts when our first vendor fell through! THANKS MARK & Therese! There are 2 colors. Royal Blue and Black;  Limited sizes and quantities.  $10.00 S-XL    $12.00 for XXL and XXXL. Mark says “I take cash, personal checks, Paypal.  If I need to mail it is $3.75 for first shirt and $2.00 for each additional shirt.  Or, I can deliver in Rapid City for free or bring to Sept or Oct SIS membership meeting.” Mark can be contacted at boos_tees@rap.midco.net. We’ll be bringing a portion of our Society’s Library collection (books, videos and CD’s) to each meeting. Members are welcome to check out these materials. We’ve got tattoos, history books, novels, Celtic folktales. If anyone wants to give a ‘review’ on anything from the collection for the newsletter, just let Pat Hamilton know and she’ll give you some ‘ink’ space! Celtic Connection in downtown Rapid City, (517 6th Street) is letting the Scottish & Irish Society of the Black Hills have space in their basement to store our supplies. Be sure to stop in and THANK THEM for their generosity. This will be a regular feature of our Newsletter with your help. Please share any of your favorite Celtic Shopping locations with our Newsletter editor, Pat Hamilton. Send any suggestions to info@BlackHillsCelticEvents.org . Celtic Connection: 517 6th Street, Rapid City, SD 57701; 381-1500. They have jewelry, women’s clothing, trinkets, framed work. Dream Shoes (Bald Mountain): http://www.DreamShoes.com/ They have great sandals and shoes for both men and women. Pyramid Collection: http://www.PyramidCollection.com/ Clothing, jewelry, goblets (mail-order catalog available) Creative Irish Gifts: www.ShopIrish.com Clothing, trinkets, jewelry, caps, mugs (mail-order catalog available) Cashs of Ireland: www.cashs.com Dishes, glassware, clothing (mail-order catalog available) Shannon: www.ShopShannon.com Clothing, trinkets, glasses (mail-order catalog available) Sofi’s Stitches: http://www.sofisstitches.com/ Medieval and renaissance clothing Gael Song: http://www.gaelsong.com/ (mail-order catalog available) Celtic Croft: www.kilts-n-stuff.com Kilts, clothing, jewelry, etc (mail-order catalog available) The Celtic Shop: http://CelticShopDunedin.com This is our old friend Coleen Coble’s web site. Check out her wide assortment. Old Business Festival: profit versus loss still pending. Burns dinner: Jim Byrne will check on the Masonic Temple for our dinners. Flags and banners: in need of new ones. New Business Heritage Festival: Merge with Gathering of the clans? Bill will check with Heritage Festival staff for direction. Senior citizen volunteers to help with projects was discussed. Decision still pending. Tartan Ball: voted down. Entertainment committee: Discussion will continue. Meeting location: In need of change. Possible idea is to meet at the Celtic Connection Store. Hogmanay: Gary will check with Civic center. Standing Business Fund raising/membership drive. Website Newsletter help Halloween program by Sally Meeting adjourned at 8:40 Sally Knight, secretary assistant. Minutes not available at time of publication. President Bill Knight info@BlackHillsCelticEvents.org Vice President John Burke Secretary Heather Payden (Sally Knight, co-secretary) Treasurer Carole Conrad Board Members Aliyah Sanders, Kerry Smith, Jim Byrne, James Marrs, Paul Smith Past President Gary Hamilton Membership Sally Knight Web Site Gary Hamilton Newsletter Pat Hamilton, info@BlackHillsCelticEvents.org If you would like to contribute an article or story, list an event, submit a photo, etc. to the newsletter, please email the item to me by the 5th of each month. to our Festival sponsors For your Support! Rapid City Journal Hayman and Associates Pennington Title M & K Knifeworks MAC Construction The Exchange Club of Rapid City Elks Theatre Scull Construction Telco Federal Credit Union String Thaw (Traditional Irish music) Horizons, Inc. We appreciate all the Support of all of our vendors in making this Festival a SUCCESS!!! Hope to see you NEXT year too! 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