As I told in my previous post some of the posts I will share in December are going to have a very Christmas or Yuletide (Winter) vibe. I am myself a December child as I was born mid December, so for me it's a very special time of the year, a time of new resolutions.

I write this article to draft a glimpse of the background story behind this tradition of using "Evergreen" during the closing of the year, Winter or Yule. But also I take the chance to say how sad is that millions of trees are chopped just for the sake of this tradition. If you must use a real tree, please consider to buy it in a pot instead of chopped off, even deprived of light it might make it if you plant it again after the festivities are over.

There are always ways to do things with balance.

I understand that for some people this is a very important tradition and I respect... I only call for moderation... There will be always be debate as Faux plastic trees are a poor alternative and also rise another kind of environmental concern... so as I say there are pros and cons... still sharing just my personal approach and then moving on to the origins. I'm also aware of the jobs that it provides in rural areas but there is something very sad in a "clone forest" perfectly programmed to be consumed, used and thrown away.

As for me, trees belong to the woods (not farms), growing and living

That is why I always take a fallen branch from the forest floor or use a tiny faux tree as ornament. Most of live Christmas trees that are sold as objects have grown for over a decade just to be used and neglected after a handful of days. I also cover one particular sad XIX century fairytale "The Fir Tree" by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen (who wrote also The Little Mermaid) which actually contemplated this very thought almost two centuries ago and that broke my heart at a very tender age. I include a synopsis and a link to a full read of the tale (now public domain) at the end of the article. I want to say that this is my personal opinion, and I'm not trying to preach anything to the ones following this tradition but always a call to moderation, because as usual things are getting environmentally out of hand (even Amazon will sell live trees this year) and vast surfaces in protected rainforests being replaced by Christmas tree farms, which is just sad. It could be argued that fake trees in fact (most of them ) are made of plastic which are even worse for the environment... but still we can be recycle it many years or be creative and use other materials like paper or fallen foraged materials from the woods. Growing 10 years just to be adorned and then cut down or burnt after a few days is sad. There are some that can be replanted and come in pots, but people usually want the bigger more sumptuous one. More than 30 million trees are cut down and sold in USA alone each year. Oh but they plant trees right... yes but that land takes away from wild forests land with higher diversity... so yes, there are pros and cons. and again this is just my opinion and is not intended to generate debate, keep on reading because this article is not only about my personal opinion but about the origins, stories and curiosities behind this tradition.

The Origins of Christmas Trees

The origins of of Christmas trees date to pre-Christian era, for thousands of years evergreen plants (mistletoe, holly) and trees (pine, spruce, fir) has been used during winter as "promise" of the life to come after the bleak winter, and thus keeping evergreen plants (including holly and mistletoe) is meant to brighten our spirits during the stark bare winter. They are symbols too of everlasting life.

Boughs of evergreen would adorn the doors of houses to keep away evil spirits.
It was considered in many cultures that the Sun God was weaker or ill during Winter. Egyptians would use evergreen palm rushes. Old Vikings also provided special powers to evergreen plants for the same reason so did the Druids of Ancient Celts.

Evergreen plants were used by Romans in Saturnalia Festivals (17th -23rd of December), and also by countries in the far North of Europe who used Evergreen as a token of "hope" during the bleak Yule and usually included December and January. Nowadays Yule starts 21st of December (Winter's Solstice) and last for 12 days... those are the 12 days of Christmas. There is no real evidence of Jesus being born the 25th of December though it felt sensible to adapt the already existing "Pagan Winter Feast" as after the Solstice days become longer and they could relate it with the light of God entering the World. But just to say date was picked as convenient and not as accurate

Christians later changed this meaning of "evergreen" to represent the everlasting love of god. And thus Yuletide became Christmastide.

First Christmas Trees as we know them were originated in Lavonia (now Latvia and Estonia) and placed in the Square for everyone to enjoy. First indoor trees are usually placed in Germany.
Later on Martin Luther , 16th-century Protestant reformer Luther was credited for starting to decorate the trees with "candles" to resemble the trees against the starry sky. This was the origin of the Christmas Tree lights (despite a very dangerous practise that was finally replaced by safer electric lights in the XX century). If you are a traditionalist and still use real candles on your tree, never leave them unattended... custom was responsible of a great deal of unintended casualties though no electric light can replace the warm vibe of those vintage Christmas Trees that our ancestors remember.

The origin of tinsel and the story of the Christmas Spider

As for the famous tinsel , the word means spark and before being made of plastic it was extruded from real silver hammered into a thin foil and then cut into strips.
It is believed that the idea of tinsel came from the sparkling frosted cobwebs. And thus in many European countries spiders are considered good luck and are related with Christmas this way. There is even an Ukrainian folk tale about the "Spider of Christmas Cobweb" that tells the story of a very poor family that found their bare Christmas tree all adorned by iridescent cobweb woven by the spiders during the night and how they never felt poor again grateful for the gifts life had provided them. That is why some ornaments are shaped as cobwebs, especially in Ukraine where the legend is originated. I will talk more about this in another post as I have a collection of frosted cobwebs I've made myself, but meanwhile it's not difficult to imagine how tinsel was inspired by it.

Oh Christmas Tree: The Christmas Carol

"O Tannenbaum" (literally "The Fir Tree") is a german traditional folk son which origin can be tracked back to the XVI century though was provided the modern lyrics by Ernst Anschütz in 1824. The song that now we know as "Oh Christmas Tree" was not related with Christmas but to the evergreen quality of the fir tree to represent the faithfulness in love. And thus "true" was replaced by "green" in the English translation as it became a Christmas song. There are many English variants. But I'll include here an excerpt of the original.

Hans Christian Andersen tale: The fir Tree (very sad fairytale, very real though)

^{Above an illustration of The Fir Tree in one of the Andersen compilations I own}

 

For me one of the saddest and more pessimist fairy tales that Danish author Hand Christian Andersen ever wrote and one that as a child (as Andersen was the first book I ever owned) made me opt for a faux tree or just a fallen branch token. Childhood trauma about Christmas trees... ;-) But still a must-read.

The tale is about a fir tree anxiously looking to grow up, aspiring to grow tall, and it is told as if the tree has a will and awareness. And as sparrows chant of trees in warm rooms with decorations and being worshipped, the tree longs to be cut... until one day it happens and feels the delight of being admired with all the decorations then to be abandoned in a dark room.

That night many people gathered in the room around the little fir tree. They sang and told stories. They placed gifts at his feet. And the fir tree, trembling with joy, listened to the stories they told.
"I wonder what will happen tomorrow?" he thought. He longed for the next day to come.
The people returned the next day. This time they removed the popcorn and the candles and the dolls and the angels from the little fir tree's limbs. Then they lifted him up in the air and carried him up a flight of steps, into a dark, airless room.

And there in the attic is left forsaken, withered in the darkness until one day it's taken outside, and the fresh air reminds it of the forest, but then it's chopped and burnt...

Did I mention this was a traumatic fairy tale for me as a child? This was likely the origin of my conviction. LOL You are warned... if you are curious it's just a short read and as it's Public Domain it's available at Project Gutenberg Online Library at this link:

• https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1597/1597-h/1597-h.htm#link2H_4_0005

My Christmas Decorations

So here a snippet of my usual Christmas Decorations that will go up of course with Fufunchis. It's just a small faux tree, something symbolic and humble.

The Power of Christmas / Yule Spirit transcends our beliefs

I confess I'm not religious but spiritual, and also I'm not pagan but I celebrate Yule, The Closing of the Year. For me it represents the Wheel of the Year coming to an end, also Winter's solstice is the shortest day, but also the day light starts to return, days will become longer as Winter reigns... such contradiction and quandary... that the "dark season" is precisely the bringer of light.
And wether you are religious or not, whatever your beliefs are, this is a season to reconsider what we've done during the year, to build new resolutions and determinations... The year closes and it's always a time to think thoroughly of what it has yielded... To start afresh with new dreams and resolutions, to fix whatever we did wrong... It's a time of new hopes and new chances... As weather turns cold outside and we spend more time indoors it is a time to organize, to enjoy our family and friends along with a hot mug of chocolate. It provides a reason to gather, to go home, to hug our beloved, to be giving...

So if you ask me if I believe in Christmas Spirit, as an excuse to bring us together and remember the power of kindness, yes I believe in its power.

I wrote in my own song Grow

As seasons flow,
once more it all
turns bare and cold
but save green in your heart

And that's all the green I need in Winter

So let me think of Christmas trees like this

>

All pictures taken by me or in collaboration with Héctor Corcín.
PD. My collar is faux fur. I don't wear real fur.

Priscilla Hernandez
singer-songwriter & illustrator
http://yidneth.com

Nature can transform everything... even an industrial munition factory into a fantasy scenery... A little imagination can wipe out the ugliness and transform it into an enchanted location.

As I mentioned in my recent article, I have a fondness for ruins and abandoned places. I find them very eerie but melancholic and romantic... I think places are haunted by desolation and disuse but in some cases they are transformed into something magical when overgrown Nature claims them back and this is the case of Orbaizeta.

Above: Orbaizeta archs. My photo entry to the contest. Archs over Irati River (Navarre, Spain)

Orbaizeta is a village located in Aezkoa Valley (Navarre, North of Spain) about 5 Km away from the French Border where you can find the remains of the XVIII century Royal Factory of Arms and Munitions of Orbaizeta
It was in fact built over a XV century old forge located over Irati river.
The whole place is now abandoned and taken over by Nature. It is located over Irati River and by Irati forest, one of the largest beech woods in Europe. The factory was precisely built here to use its wood and water after the older Royal Munition factory (Eugi, also located in Navarre) run out of resources due to over exploitation.

For almost a hundred years it provided munition and supplies to the army, iron and lead and even canyon balls, but it felt into disuse after the death of the Spanish king Carlos III . As it was very close to the border the site was frequently pillaged and caught fire many times to finally be shut down and abandoned in 1873. The ruins have since been covered by moss, lichens and vines. The main structure still stands and has been declared Site of Cultural Interest.

The place was overrun with trees and has become shelter for small animals. The archs that remain mostly intact over the river look now the remnants of an ancient Elven Fortress out of the pages of a Tolkien's book.

Below: Me in these damp mossy ruins... I love when Nature claims abandoned places back. Despite its not very romantic origins and industrial function the actual ruins have been strikingly transformed by Nature into fantasy Elven Halls... A magic portal to a fantasy realm... This is what they are NOW for me.

Enigmatic and now almost mystical looking, it stirs with new life... as birds perch on the scattered trees, lizards lay on its stone seeking the warmth of sun and little voles hide in the bushes. A recovery process is now under way but somehow I think there is a romantic vibe of the place engulfed by overgrown vegetation. Some years ago when Héctor and me visited this location you could access and walk it entirely but after a few accidents due to the decay of the structures the place has very limited public access now until being restored.

Black Legends about Orbaizeta

Its otherworldly eerie aspect reminds me to a distant past or maybe even a dystopian greenpunk future. It's not strange many claim it is haunted. A common target in several wars (as a factory of guns close to France) it was sacked and burnt out several times... And that violent imprint stayed in the minds of many tainted its memory. The place has a mysterious aura and it has inspired several local novels, mostly modern thrillers and mystery like "The Factory of the Shadows" by Ibon Martín which begins with a girl hanging from the archs on a misty night and the research of the case. Curiously after being chosen as background of these murder the skull of a missing hiker was found in its surroundings causing great stir on the national press. All of these has impregnated the place with darker tones but the truth is that it's rather peaceful and the way the light is filtered through the plants and is cast over the river is really entrancing.

Eugi, an even older munition factory in the same province

There is another old munitions factory, very similar but older and smaller in size even closer to me called Eugi, it features the same structure, with archs over a river. But I will cover it in another article, there I have made too countless photo shoots and even filmed part of my music video Off the Lane. The Eugi factory when active exhausted the forest around it and that is why the Orbaizeta was built.

Above: One picture from last Summer taken in Eugi Factory, a smaller (and older) "replica" of Orbaizeta but located in Quinto Real Forest and over Arga River. I only post this picture so you can see the similar structure though humbler in size. I will cover Eugi in another article in the near future.

Conclusion: One with Nature

As a Nature Lover I am glad to see the woods around both factories now recovered, both rivers now hyaline and crystalline and its ugly original purpose of Royal Munition factories long time gone... Their structures are engulfed and becoming one in the forest... It reminds me to the movie "The Princess Mononoke" by Hayao Miyazaki, that tells precisely the story of a munitions factory destroying the forest and finally claimed back by its guardian. The outcome is almost the same. Though there are now some programs for the preservation of the ruins they lay now in perfect harmony with the environment. They are places full of peace now surrounded by slender beech trees and gurgling creeks.

All pictures (c) to Priscilla Hernandez

I wanted to share these series of photos of me  along with a little motivational story for all artists out there.  As a singer-songwriter and illustrator I have faced discouragement so many times, but I have always stood up and kept on fighting. It doesn't matter if you are emerging or if you have already decades of experience. Sometimes we move forward, sometimes we stall. In my case there have been sweet moments, there have been struggling ones, but I've never stopped perceiving myself as an artist. This has been my journey half of my life already.

So you have a dream... and it´s like touching the Moon...!

So very often you will stumble upon people who will tell you straightforward "it is useless", "it is impossible", "You cannot touch the Moon, it is out of your reach and that is an actual scientific fact!". And sometimes you are overwhelmed by the logic of it all, and suddenly what you aim for feels like "just another silly dream", a source of frustration and wasted time...  But it is not. Keep the Moon at sight!

But they don't understand that you are already "touching the moon in your own way" because that is precisely the magic of "ART" that it is a for to express our spirits and share a piece of our souls. True Art is not ruled by the "actual facts" but by "feelings". And when I say "True Art" I make no mention if it´s good or bad (that depends on everyone´s taste and is another matter entirely) I mean if it´s something born from the heart.

Even an illusion or a metaphor it is able to carry and convey the MEANING and purpose of an artist creation. All is real in your mind eye and that thrill is enough to keep a dream alive. The spark of imagination creates your own and unique way to do it. Howl, dance, sing believe! Create!  Do not become obsessed to measure your worth in numbers,. Just worship and appreciate how you evolve and improve...  that´s the biggest success of all.  And this is also a reminder to myself, in those moments I forget.

You have a dream, and you can touch the Moon!

Thoughts are boundless.

PD: All photos were taken by my partner Héctor Corcín during a Super Moon in Navarre, 2015

Sigh, back from a week visit to Barcelona... Oh my god, How I miss the city and my friends there...! It was not long enough and I'm already yearning to return. It's been a couple of years I moved to Navarra, Spain, and though the Nature and forests here and gorgeous, still I miss my former home-town too much.... Said that I want to thank to all the friends that had time to spend with me in this brief visit :). As one of the highlights my friend Vany Miranda kidnapped me into this Steampunk-Vodoo-Witchy photo shoot, very fitting for the forthcoming Halloween... SO MUCH FUN! as you can see in the pictures :)

It was really darker and different set for me, to play a witch among book of spells, poisons and even a crystal ball to foresee the future... :). But don't worry, I won't curse you if you're good with me :) ;-) Happy Halloween/Samhain/All Hallows´eve

Credits for all the pictures below:

Photographer: Alassie from El Costurero Real
Props by Felix Goggles and  Marc Zorrilla from Crisálida Creaciones
Models: me, Priscilla Hernandez (blonde) and Vany Miranda

Garments: Vany's by herself, all I'm wearing is from El Costurero Real

Taken at 274Km Studio (Barcelona, Spain)

As it is about witches I also share my cover of Come little Children from  Hocus Pocus

Last picture: our assistant Felix Goggles from Factoria Goggles.

Oh what a lovely afternoon! And what a delicious treat we got from nature! We had plans to go somewhere else but sadly the place was closed and we were forced to change our plans, so accidentally stopped by a lovely forest full of shrubs fully loaded of ripening wild berries!

And I return with half a box of wild blackberries, and I ate hands full of them. Vivid colourful and lovely little packages of health, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins... such a gift!. Thank you Mother Nature! Now I have some tough decisions to make... pie? jam? hmmm LOL a wealth of yummy possibilities!

Our purple stained hands revealed us guilty of gluttony! :) Nom! Nom! Nom!

Above: me collecting blackberries... sometimes painful but rewarding! :)

pd. All pictures above by Héctor Corcín.

Above: Ritva (October 2011-December 2014)

Ritva is gone... she left us last Christmas Eve and we buried her with her sister Tuula in Christmas day. She fought stubbornly and was a loving creature until her last breath. She covered me with kisses and groomed her sister Taika in farewell, and there she was gone... :( 3 years and 3 months my strong birch branch is flying now free in the wind (that´s what Ritva means because she was mostly white and light grey). We have dealt with a lot of sadness during this holiday season, we miss them both (our fufunchis Tuula and Ritva) so much! :(  Ritva was so strong and she proved she loved to live and made her own decision to fight until the end. She showed us she wanted so and it's also a worthy lesson to make us appreciate the gift of life a little bit more.  Taika is still here, mourning and really sad, she´s not coping very well to be alone and I really do not wish to grow old on her own, wondering if we must allow new "life" in, but missing my girls so dearly.  I want to think of a place where I can be with them again, with Kira, with Toto and with my fufunchis. That´s all I long and wish for if it could exist, but meanwhile it can exist in my heart, my imagination and in my dreams, and they are indeed still around me.

Here me singing to Ritva "you'll be in my heart" I sang it to her in her last moments too, she was turning 3 in the video but though she was already frail she leaves almost three months more.

I love you Tuula. I love you Ritva... the wind and the birch branch. Mummy, Daddy and Taika miss you.

Your love lives in me and so you live too!

Here you can see many videos of my fufunchis 1.0 Tuula and Ritva since they were babies. I'm happy to think they had a happy life, they indeed were very loved.

As some of you know I enjoy fantasy costumes, I have the pleasure to wear pretty things I've been endorsed or even made myself :) and I also keep a blog of fantasy costumes for fun. Said that, as it's pretty obvious I love to Cosplay a lot being my preferred style fairy of course. I really had a hard week, my rat Ritva got sick and underwent surgery, and sleep deprivation and stress did wrong on my energy that needed very much to be boosted.  My baby is doing better :) and now wants attention all the time. She's so cutteeee. And I'm so relieved.

Above: Ritva... "Mum, I'm feeling better, but I enjoy the extra care. More cuddles....!

But I reached my top of stress so I took one day to record with my ensemble and create music, what makes me feel better almost inmediately and then  me and my friend (also make up artist Arashi Hyou) organized a mini-cosplay wig party just to mess around and have fun and have chocolate hehe :) And I'm sharing some snippets and candids right now, though there are a couple of pictures from the photoshoot I'll work on and will share later on, these are the way they were taken.

It made me wonder how different we can look by simply changing our hair, or the colour of our eyes. It´s almost scary LOL

Above: me with red  short red hair wig. I can´t barely recognize myself LOL... :) Still I'm devoted to long hair, always, but like the dark lush read on me.

My contact lenses are courtesy of Kiwiberry 1 Collection :) (thank you). These are brown-orange. Feel tempted of a lush green or purple, or light gray right now... hmmm. must check their site again, they really have affordable cute lenses. It wasn't intended but with this look It reminded me of my own "little red Riding hood" drawing I painted some time back. Definitely wolf-eyes! There is no color correction in this photography except for the light we used when it was taken, so that's how the contact lenses look like with no alteration.  I have a lolita wavy wig in a tone darker than my natural, :) I love fringe, not intending to dye but starting to think "fringe" can be an option :) As I said, though not intended I thought of the Red Riding Hood I painted myself some time back

Here's the drawing I'm referring to

me and Arashi waving "hi" on an instant shot we networked when we were having fun. The white wig is from Lockshop wigs and you'll see it soon on me (next videoclip hint hint LOL hahhaa)

Lots of fun LOL

Above: getting silly, but don't worry, among hundreds there's like "two serious" pictures hahah you might see soon XD

Above: me and Arashi on a cell instant shot :) we shared in our networks when we were having fun! Another me! Many faces, one heart :) <3

Still more make overs LOL hahha :)

Last thursday me and some friends had fun in a photoshoot with reknown spanish photographer Rebeca Saray. We all gathered in El Costurero Real workshop where Alassie arranged our hairs and spent all day working hard in 14 different stylisms, hairdos and make ups,  then me and friends were photographed in 274 Km studio (Barcelona).

It was exhausting, friendly and cozy :) and indeed we all had a great time

All these snippets I share in this entry are silly pictures I took with my hand camera, for the final and proper pictures we have to wait still quite a bit :) but you can make an idea of what might come out :) and the great time we shared :)

This is before taking any pictures, when we were rehearsing poses, I made the dress. The wings were also designed by me and manufactured by Enchanted costumes.

Had a great fun with all my friends Duncan Trisquel, Felix Goggles, Vany Miranda, Wui de Lue,  Nimue Arianhrod, Dramian Corvus and Jafet that were photographed too. Thanks everyone for the super-funny (though exhausting) day :)

Above: Vany Miranda and me. She was teaching me to strike a pose... :) by the way I handmade the butterfly feather eyelashes :) and dress :). Make up and hair by Alassie :), pendant by Inner Fae Creations :)

Above: Wui de Lue, me and Duncan fooling around the camera, of course I say again these are not the proper shots, for the serious and good ones we must wait till Rebeca finish the edition :) but I'm sure it will worth the wait. You can guess we had loooooooooooots of fun :)

And when I returned, I had a hard time washing my face and disarranging the hairdo, snif... it felt like Cinderella at midnight. :)

this is me and Tuula in my bathroom mirror... mirror mirror on the well who´s the fairiest of them all? Of course my beautiful rat Tuula :) she needs no make up :)