bangles and burlap

scenes from last year’s garden party - getting excited.

june 5, la plaza cultural (corner of 9th street & avenue c)

6pm-9pm

$20

the loss of red:

“While the color carries a sensual connotation in Western culture, women in Nepal wear it as a sign of purity, dignity and honor.  The color is especially meaningful for married women as the red sari and other adornments visibly convey their cherished status.

Because of the enormous significance the color red holds for a woman, losing the privilege of wearing it when her husband dies is devastating. A widow, viewed as a harbinger of bad luck, endures a shaming ceremony in which her mother-in-law or older sister wipes the sindoor from her hair and the tika from her forehead.  They remove her rings and smash her glass bangles.

Even today, most widows in Nepal are forced to endure this “social death.”  Widows are forbidden to remarry. As a sexual being no longer under the protection of a father or husband, she is constrained by a set of strict codes enforced by other women.  A widow may be banned from attending public ceremonies and forbidden to speak to men outside her family. These women often find their fate — and that of their children — lies in the hands of the men in their dead husbands’ families. Many lose their inheritance, land or property and become victims violence or sexual abuse.”

change is coming: “groups are being formed to educate villagers about women’s rights.  At one group meeting, women embraced a young widow by rubbing vermillion powder onto her head and wrapping her in a red shawl.  Her mother-in-law said, “Girls wear bright colors and bangles before they get married. Being happy is not just a privilege of marriage. My son is dead, but my daughter-in-law is not.” 

FROM: woman in red by Julie West in Hand/Eye (fall 2011). full article here.

ever wonder how the model works?

“Africa does not need charity — Africa needs investment and partnership,” said Mr. Ban. “Joining forces with civil society and private sector, including non-traditional players, like the fashion industry, has become indispensable. Sustainable development is my top priority.”

a quick pop in abc carpet on the way to a meeting and found two nest artisan made items! what a sweet surprise.

a series on yoga and how it relates a life of compassion.

Our entire life is meditation. All other specific forms of meditation technique are secondary. By drawing in the qualities of attention, awareness, caring and insight into all areas of living, we reach the deeper core and more essential meaning of meditation.

In order to discover and especially sustain our own dharma path, we have to commit to Sahana: daily spiritual practice. We can avoid it, defer it, lose it for awhile or bypass it altogether, but sooner or later we figure out that without daily practice, our path becomes overgrown, tangles and sometimes entirely invisible even to ourselves.

Sadhana doesnt have to be complex, it doesnt have to be lengthy. Everything can become part of your sadhana, as long as its done with a heart of devotion, as though it were a prayer.

Choose a practice that suits your life (the life you actually have, not the one you wish you had), commit to it, and watch what happens.

from sva(own)dharma(path) by Janet Stone

the dutzi design workshop.

be inspired.

meet founder & designer, ariane dutzi and shop these mexican totes.

may 8th. 8:30pm. La Colombe (400 Lafayette)

the history of RED:

“white, black and red were [historically] available. white was linen and hemp, grown in fields bleached with cow dung and sunlight. black was wool, the natural color of the sheep and goats kept for fiber, milk and meat. but red required more work. the madder plant must grow for three to five years before the root used for dyeing is dug up, occupying valuable field space. perhaps, that is one of the reasons it was considered such a powerful protection for those who wore it.”

(hand/eye, powerful protection, by bobbie sumberg)

these beautiful bags make us excited for our event with DUTZI DESIGN on May 8th at La Colombe (400 Lafayette Street) from 8:30 - 10pm.