“Twelve To Gogh” Almond Tree Eco Tote Bag

Description

While the spirit of peace makes every year relentless efforts to descend upon us during Christmas, in an effort to make us ‘to speak in tongues’ and spread the word, the year has been full of fear and fight. The end of the year is a time of evaluation but reflecting on this past year may invoke a sense of despair for some. Peace seems so far away.
But the basis of Christmas is more than a traditional ‘pagan festival’ that was ‘Christianized’ by the church. Long before Jesus Christ’s birth, the ‘winter solstice’ was not only celebrated by the Germans and the Celts, but also in many other cultures. All over the Mediterranean the birth of the Sun God was honored under various names, mostly on December 25. We know him as the god “Ra” in ancient Egypt, as “Helios” in Greece, and as “Mithra” or Mitra in ancient Persia, Greece and the Roman Empire. ‘Sol Invictus’–the ‘Invincible Sun’–as it was called in Rome was the personification of the light that conquered the darkness. Often that also stood for the victory of good over evil.

During our celebration the sun is still weak but promising to grow and return with warmth and life. It makes it a message of hope and an anticipation on the spring season to come and with that: New Life.

To us it makes sense to give some extra attention to the concept of Hope during the holiday season, since we desperately need it in this era: Spring is coming, New Life will develop, New opportunities.

A painter expressing that emotion of hope so genially is the post impressionism painter Van Gogh with his paintings of blossoming trees. Vincent wrote to his brother that this theme (blossom-spring) makes everyone happy!

• Almond Blossom. Since they bloom early spring they truly are a symbol of new life. 1890 st Rémy-de-Provence. Inspired on Japanese woodblock prints
• Small Pear Tree in Blossom Arles 1888
• Sprig of Flowering Almond in a Glass Arles 1888

Courtesy: The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam The Netherlands

• Printed on both sides of the Bag
• Detail of the image
• 100% certified organic cotton 3/1 twill
• Fabric weight: 8 oz/yd² (272 g/m²)
• Dimensions: 16″ × 14 ½″ × 5″ (40.6 cm × 35.6 cm × 12.7 cm)
• Weight limit: 30 lbs (13.6 kg)
• 1″ (2.5 cm) wide dual straps, 24.5″ (62.2 cm) length
• Open main compartment