Day of the Dead Gatefold Card 死者の日

ゲートフォールドカード

Day of Dead Gatefold Card

I found this excellent stamp set on eBay and decided to make a Day of the Dead gatefold card. The stamp is from Crafter’s Companions’ Sheena Douglass Day Of The Dead set. The Mexican holiday, Día de Muertos, is on November 1st.

e-bayで好みなスタンプをゲットできたので死者の日のゲートフォールドカードを作りました。スタンプは Crafters Companion、Sheena Douglass さんのデザイン、Day Of The Dead stamps set です。

Front of the Card & Envelope

Day of the dead Card

Here you can see the front of the card and the envelope. I decorated it using an embossing folder from the same series and gold ink. I applied a glossy accent to the flower.

封筒とカード前面。同じシリーズのエンボスフォルダーとゴールドのインクで装飾。花にはグロッシーアクセントで表面に艶を付けました。

Message Tag & Pocket

The back of the card

This is the back of the card. I added a pocket that can hold a message tag using a brick-effect embossing folder and gold ink.

カード裏側。エンボスフォルダーとゴールドのスタンプを使って作ったメッセージタグを入れられるポケットを付けました。

Dia de los Muertos – Day of the Dead

Day of the dead card

I coloured the stamps using watercolour pencils. It’s hard to see, but I used glossy accents for the dark pink roses. For the decoration at the top of the card, I die-cut the black card and applied black embossing powder with Watermark Ink. For the sentiment, the process was the same as above, except I used bronze effect paper.

スタンプは水彩鉛筆で色付け。見にくいですが濃いピンクのバラにはグロッシーアクセントで艶を付けました。トップには黒のエンボスパウダーをのせたダイカット、文字版はメタルブロンズ加工された紙にスタンプ、同じ黒のエンボスパウダーをのせました。

Japanese Obon Festival

In Japan, we also have a festival which celebrates the return of our ancestor’s spirits to the earthly plane.

It takes place in August (or July in some places) and it is called Obon. It is believed that they will return home on the 13th until the 16th of August.

From the 13th, we make small fires of twigs outside our front doors, in order to light the way home for the returning spirits. The final fire on the 16th is to send them on their way back to the spirit world. 

日本の風習 お盆

メキシコの死者の日とは関係はないですが、夏のこの時期、日本では先祖や亡くなった人たちの霊を祀る行事が行われます。

8月(地域によっては7月)に行われ”お盆”と呼ばれます。8月(7月)13日から16日までの間、先祖が家に帰って来ると信じられています。

地域にもよりますが、ご先祖様が迷わず帰ってこられる様に13日の夕方に迎え火を、16日に送り火を焚きます。(小さめに切った松の木を玄関先で燃やします)

A Horse and A Cow

Obon

Japanese homes generally have an altar somewhere inside the house. It is used to pray for dead loved ones or for Buddhist ceremonies. During Obon, we decorate the altar for the festival. When I was a kid, my sister and I would make a spirit-horse.  In the photo above, you can see a horse made from a cucumber and a cow made from an aubergine. The horse is to allow our ancestors to return home quickly, and cows are provided to carry all our offerings back to the spirit world on their return. (By the way, cucumbers in Japan are much smaller than those in England!?)

Also, during this period, special care is taken not to kill insects. This is because our ancestors may have returned as butterflies, dragonflies or other insects! So, even if I was bitten by a mosquito, I’d just have to take it. No swatting allowed! ?

この時期、各家にある仏壇には特別な飾りがされお供えがあげられます。子供の時の私と妹の仕事は”精霊馬”を作ることでした。これは写真の様にきゅうり(馬)や、なす(牛)で作るお飾りで馬はご先祖が早く帰ってこれる様に、牛は供物をのせて帰っていただける様に作ります。

(ちなみに日本の特にきゅうりはイギリスのと比べるとかなり小さいのです。?)

またこの期間は特に虫も殺さない様によく注意をされました。それはご先祖様たちが蝶やトンボ、虫たちに姿を変えているからだと言われた覚えがあります。蚊に刺されても叩かずひたすら我慢です。?

Bon Odori

Obon

On the last day of Obon, the festival ends with Bon Odori. In the old days, the moon was full on July 15th / 16th (because we used the lunar calendar), so it was possible to dance all night long in the moonlight.

The Bon Odori is a traditional dance that is performed to calm the spirits of ancestors, but now the religious meaning has diminished and it has become entertainment. For this reason, Bon Odori is held in various places, not just samples and shrines, and on different days. This is so that people can enjoy it not only in their home towns, but also in neighbouring places. Big events and fireworks festivals are held throughout Japan at this time. Unfortunately, they have been cancelled for 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Let’s hope they can return in 2021.

そして最後の日にはフィナーレで盆踊りが開催されます。昔は7月15日、16日(旧暦)に満月になるので月明かりで夜通し踊ることができたからだそうです。

盆踊りは先祖の霊をなだめるために踊る伝統的なダンスですが今では宗教的な意味合いは薄れ娯楽になっています。寺社に限らずいろんなところでイベントとして開催され、日にちも近隣とかぶらない様にずらして行われています。大きなお祭りや花火大会がこの時期は日本全国、至る所で開催されます。

残念ながら今年はコロナウイルスの影響でほとんどのお祭りがキャンセルされています。2021年にはまた全国でお祭りが開催されることを願います。

Materials Used 使用品

Stamps: Crafters Companion Sheena by Sheena Douglass’s Day of the Dead Stamp Set.

Embossing Folders: Crafters Companion Sheena by Sheena Douglass’s

Die: Tattered Lace Westminster Corner

Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour Pencils Gift Box x 36 Colours & Brush

Ranger Glossy Accents Clear Plastic Varnish, 59 ml

Xcut Adhesive Sheets, Metal Effect

Docrafts 1 oz Embossing Powder, Black

Dovecraft Essentials Premium Non Toxic Pigment Ink Pad, Gold

Tsukineko Versamark Watermark Ink Pad

Prima Marketing Finnabair Art Extravagence Rust Paste Set

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6 thoughts on “Day of the Dead Gatefold Card 死者の日”

  1. So beautiful, the bright colours you’ve used to colour the couple really pop against the black and love that embossing. Emmax

    Reply
  2. I really enjoyed reading about the Obon festival Nozomi I can now see the meaning behind your beautiful card, love the added tag pocket and all the decorated panels, your colours stand out so well … Steph x

    Reply

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