#hyjneshanefron

[artatheartist]

Love seeing my work on people’s bodies! My original “Hyjnesha" design on @alti.n_ Gezofsh! • If you’d like one my pieces to grace your skin, dm me! My tattoo commissions are open 😉 • • • #artatheartist #tattoo #tattoodesign #albanian #art #albanianartist #albaniantattoo #oc #originaldesign #hyjnesha #hyjneshanefron #illyrian #illyriantattoo #traditionaltattoo #ink #lineart #linedrawing #witchyart #albania #kosova https://www.instagram.com/p/CTiCOdmrXna/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thebalkanwitch]

Dita e Verës! Verëza! Albanian Ostara! •  March 14th is celebrated as “Dita e Verës,” literally translated to as “Day of Summer” (as I mentioned in my earlier post, “Mesdimri,” it is important to keep in mind that most pagan beliefs were dichotomous; split between two extremes: light and dark/ life and death/ winter and summer/ etc). While “Verë” translates to “Summer,” this holiday is a celebration of Spring. • Dita e Verës marks the spring equinox, the equilibrium between the dark winter months and the bright, coming summer days. It was believed that at this time the mountain goddess Zana (aka Thana/Diana/ etc) would emerge from her forest dwelling and drive away the cold. •  Today, the holiday is celebrated with great fanfare, especially in the city of Elbasan. Corn meal cookies, known as ballokume are baked, bonfires are lit and bracelets made out of braided red and white thread are worn. These particular bracelets represent fertility and good luck, and at the end of the festivities are hung on branches, which eventually are used by birds to build their nests. • It is a sweet and joyous time, celebrating the awakening from winter’s slumber and the promise of warmer days. • • •   #thebalkanwitch #witch #shtriga #yshtese #ditaeveres #ostara #springequinox #ballokume #albanianholiday #balkan #balkanwitchcraft #tarot #childrenoflithatarot #astrology            #zodiac #pagan   #hyjneshanefron                     #witchesofinstagram #illyrian #witchblr #witchy   #witchyart            #witchcraft #magick #magji #magjik #spellwork           #occult    #albanianrunes    #albanianmythology   https://www.instagram.com/p/CMaCOlvnzfH/?igshid=1kmpre93h5u2l

[artatheartist]

(haven't done one of these in a while 😅) Paraardhësit • Ancestors • • • #artatheartist #albanian #art #folshqip #albanianwords #albanianlanguage #illyrian #illustration #wacom #sketch #traditionalart #digitalart #graphicdesign #calligraphy #lineart #illustrator #ink #drawing #hyjneshanefron #goddess #ancestors #albanianart #albanianartist #folkartist #blackandwhiteart https://www.instagram.com/p/CLmQkLul3ii/?igshid=tlpf448tgym2

[artatheartist]

Hyjnesha Ne Fron (Goddess on the Throne) • A terracotta figurine found in Prishtina, dating back to approx 4,000 BC • • • #artatheartist #hyjnesha #hyjneshanefron #goddess #kosovo #albanian #illyrian #art #ink #traditionalart #digitalart #magicart #witchyart #paganart #balkanart #folkartist #albanianfolk #folkart #tattoo #clipstudiopaint #albaniantattoo #illyriantattoo #arteza #coloredpencils #castlearts #linetattoo #sternumtattoo #linedrawing #drawing #sketch (at Prishtinë, Kosovo) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKO4HT1FR5m/?igshid=ec9r9j1rbe7n

[artatheartist]

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Please wash your hands and stay safe lol In the meantime, I'll be spring cleaning and working on some small tattoo designs • • • #artatheartist #hyjnesha #goddess #hyjneshanefron #illyrian #albanian #albanianmythology #albanianartist #albanianart #illustrator #illustration #illyrianmythology #fantasyart #magicart #witchyart #paganart #tattoo #sketch #drawingaday #tattoodesign #lineart #traditionalart #art #evileye #etsy #pencildrawing #albaniantattoo https://www.instagram.com/p/B9cawMjnIEU/?igshid=1jn6aaq7hpq0z

[thebalkanwitch]

Mesdimri! Ngrijesi! Midwinter! Balkan Imbolc! •  February 5th is celebrated as midwinter, or “Mesdimri” • Similar to other pagan cultures, this is a time for reflection and prayer. Following “Buzmi” (or as I like to call it, “The Balkan Yule”), Mesdimri is a more contemplative and dark time. While Buzmi is more festive and celebratory, Mesdimri asks us to look inward and think about the year ahead. • Mesdimri literally means “mid-winter” and it represents the halfway point of the year. Traditionally, the concept of time was split between 2 halves: day and night, light and dark, cold and warm, winter and summer, etc The same was true for the cycle of the year. Mesdimri represents the turning point of the year, when we leave the darkness behind and head into the warmer, brighter, upcoming summer season(s). • A large meal is eaten, with Fli being the traditional main dish. Later on, towards the end of the month, a large scarecrow-like figure is constructed from sewing shuttles and sticks and dressed in clothing. A large bonfire is lit near the figure, to herald the imminent heat of spring and summer. •    With the arrival of Christianity, “Mesdimrit” morphed into “Shën Vlash” (St. Blaise) and the later celebration became known as “Todorja,” after Saint Theodore, and celebrated on a Thursday towards the end of February. While intricate details of these festivities may have been lost over time, partially due to the Church’s proselytizing and insistence of the removal of pagan rituals, the irony of their resurgence cannot be ignored. “Todorja” may have successfully been named after a Christian Saint, but the fact that it’s celebrated with fire, and on a Thursday no less is amusing to say the least. In ancient Albanian mythology, “En” was the god of fire, and his day was and remains "e enjte," you guessed it, “Thursday.” • • • #thebalkanwitch #witch #shtriga #yshtese #witchblr #balkanmythology #balkanwitchcraft #albanian #illyrian #albanianmythology #albanianwitch #albanianwitchcraft #pagan #imbolc #paganalbanian #mesdimri #midwinter #ngrijesi #witchesofinstagram #tradition #instawitch #albanianholidays #todorja #shenvlash #buzmi #yule #hyjnesha #hyjneshanefron   https://www.instagram.com/p/CK60Fb-nU9R/?igshid=1jftzmh2j04n5

[thebalkanwitch]

I want to take a moment to discuss ancestor veneration, specifically in the Albanian tradition.

Connecting with ancestors was not a ritual that was performed on specific holidays, rather it was an every day occurrence that was woven into the very fabric of day-to-day life.

The impact family had on the Albanian tradition is huge. Historically, we lived in multi-generational households and it was common knowledge to know previous generations of our ancestors. Marriage, kin ties and friendships revolved around the concept of family. Albanians track their lineage through blood relations as well as tribal relations. Each family is directly tied to a larger tribe within the Albanian community. As such, it was imperative that marriages did not occur within blood lines, as well as tribal ties. This was considered a serious taboo and Albanians were very careful not to marry within families, going as far back as your 7th cousin, so matchmaking was no easy task. Yes, 7th cousin. I honestly don’t even know how to begin calculating that. I’m just going to assume that once you get that far, they’re either dead or don’t exist… 😆

Albanians also maintained a mostly oral tradition, up until the mid-18th century; and there wasn’t a codified Albanian alphabet until 1911. That being said, elders were held in high regard and respected within their familial units as they were the sources of knowledge and tradition. Skills, songs and information was passed down from father to son, and from mother to daughter. This strengthened the family unit and ensured the knowledge was not lost.

Family members were also shown the utmost respect in death, as well as in life. Funerary meals were customarily served with a seat set for the deceased, so that they too may partake in the meal. This custom was repeated during holidays, in the belief that the soul of the dead would visit the family.  

I bring this up not only because the history is fascinating, but because this is the time to revisit this type of veneration. Maybe cultures feel this on a collective level. @tess444 said it perfectly: “In November, we sit with death.” Halloween is a celebration of death and Christmas is a celebration of life, with no real pause in between. We need that pause. We need the month of cold and the leaves falling before we jump into snow and winter wonderlands.

This resonated with me. I always felt as though autumn, my favorite season, passed far too quickly and I was always left with a feeling of wanting more, almost regret or zhig as we say in Albanian.

So if you’re in this same boat, and feel compelled or called to do something, do it! Trust your gut. If you’re not sure where/ how to start, put a glass of water out for your loved ones that have passed on. The dead are thirsty and would appreciate that. We are leaving scorpio season and moving into Sagittarius season, so sit with these feelings. Just as the snake sheds its skin and is “reborn,” the earth will too. But first, it needs time to rest, and so do we.  

 

#thebalkanwitch

#witch

#shtriga

#yshtese

#SagittariusSeason

#witchy  

#albanian         

#witchcraft

#magick

#magji

#magjik

#balkan

#balkanwitchcraft

#albanianwitch

#albanianwitchcraft

#ancestorworship

#ancestorveneration

#hyjneshanefron

#pagan  

#ritual

#spellwork          

[artatheartist]

Autochthonous au·toch·tho·nous /ôˈ täk THənəs/ adjective (of an inhabitant of a place) indigenous rather than descended from migrants or colonists. • • • #artatheartist #albanian #art #autochthonous #indigenous #shqiperiaetnike #shqiperia #dardania #malesia #ilirida #çameria #presheva #kosova #Kosove #kosovo #kosovoiskosovo #albania #greateralbania #ethnicalbania #balkan #plis #hyjneshanefron #shok #brez #map #lineart #blackandwhiteart #albanianartist #albanianart https://www.instagram.com/p/CMpejUJroGW/?igshid=z7l90ifqjxnd

[artatheartist]

I love color, but sometimes a simple black and white line drawing is more effective and dramatic • • • #artatheartist #art #lineart #linedrawing #drawing #sketch #traditionalart #digitalart #contemporaryart #clipstudiopaint #wacom #procreate #illustration #illustrator #tattoo #tattoodesign #albanian #albaniantattoo #illyrian #illyriantattoo #pagan #symbol #runes #witchyart #goddess #hyjnesha #hyjneshanefron https://www.instagram.com/p/CKg9cgMlIra/?igshid=1ewy0jnynzjs