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Kinnaird Bagpipes Newsletter

October 2012

in this issue
:: News
:: Upcoming Events
:: Featured Article
:: Scottish Humor
 

Greetings!  

  

  
Last month's survey question:           
 

Complete this sentence: I wear my kilt _________.
-Around the House 12.1%
-To Work 10.9%
-To Scottish Events/Highland Games 85.3%
-To Formal events (weddings, funerals, etc) 70.7%
-To the Pub/to a Party 40.2%
-To Sporting Events (football, soccer, golf, etc) 9.7%
-Everyday 6.0%

-Nowhere because I don't have a kilt 1.2%

 

  

This month's survey question:         

As the weather gets colder, how often do you play your pipes/drums compared to during warmer weather?

 
Answer the Question 

 

        

 

 Like us on Facebook

 

  

News   

    

Free Shipping
It's that time of year again!! 
This Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend we are offering you Free Shipping on purchases of $100 or more received from October 5-11. Enter Coupon code:
BlackFridayNews

Pink Sportkilt
THINK PINK
October is Breast Cancer Awareness and Prevention Month.  To support this cause, 10% of all "Pink" sales will go towards Cancer Research. This includes items such as the Pink Instakilt and Pink Sportkilts.


The World Online Piping and Drumming Championships is accepting applicants until October 15th.

 

is currently on special- 2 for the price of 1! While supplies last.     


Surprise Trick or Treaters this Halloween with UK treats and be the envy of the block! Curly Wurlys, Walker Toffees, Flake bars, Fruit Pastilles, Tablet, Cadbury buttons, and more are available in multi-packs and cases.  If you don't see what you want on our website, just ask! Many other items can be brought in.

 

Many new products are available:

New Clan products including Glassware and Plaques
 Clan Crested Beer Stein Clan Plaque
New Clogau Welsh Gold Jewellery items 

Clogau Welsh Gold Locket Clogau Welsh Gold Cufflinks Clogau Cariad Welsh Gold RIng

New Highland Dress Accessories including Gift Sets
Accessories Gift Set   

 Don't forget to Pre-Order your Worlds 2012 CDs and DVDs. These should be available for shipping mid-October. 

Worlds 2012

 

Upcoming Events  

   

Oct 5-13 Celtic Colors International Festival

Oct 5 Virginia Celtic Gathering & Highand Games 

Oct 6 Scotland County Highland Games 

Oct 8 Indianapolis Scottish Highland Games & Festival 

Oct 8 Thanksgiving Day- Kinnaird Bagpipes will be Closed.  


Oct 8 Indianapolis Scottish Highland Games & Festival 
 
Oct 10 Echoes of Erin- 2012 Comhaltas Tour of North America at Holy Cross High School, Saskatoon, 7:30pm.

Oct 17 Blues Emergency Tour with Morgan David & Don MacLean

Oct 20-21 Stone Mountain Scottish Festival & Highland Games


 

See More Upcoming Events in our NEW Events Calendar

 

 Featured Article

  

     Happy Halloween
     Happy Samhain! 

 
Many Halloween traditions have roots in the Celtic celebration of Samhain (SOW-in). Meaning "End of Summer", Samhain occurs Oct. 31st and lasts for 3 days.  It is often referred to as the Celtic New Year.    


Samhain is the final harvest of the year. Crops left in the fields were sacrificed to Nature spirits. Supplies were counted and animals were slaughtered for winter. Huge bonfires were lit and people would dance around them. Cattle were driven between two fires as purification for the winter. The term bonfire comes from "Bone fires", as the bones of slaughtered animals were thrown into the fire as an offering for healthy livestock the following year.  Ashes from the fires were spread over the fields to bless the land for the next year.

 

According to the Druids, Samhain was one of two times of year when the veil between this world and the Otherworld was blurred and ghosts and otherworldly creatures could walk the earth. Food offerings were left on doorsteps and lit candles were placed in windows for guidance. Some would set extra chairs and place settings at the dinner table for ghostly guests. People went "souling" from door to door to pray for those who had passed in that home. They were given small cakes in exchange. This could be where trick-or-treating evolved from. Ghosts, goblins, and fairies would play pranks on humans and may take their souls back to the Otherworld. People would dress up like these creatures to trick them so they would not be taken. This was known as "guising".  

 

Turnips were carved into faces and placed on window sills with candles inside. Since the head was the most powerful part of the body, the "head" of a vegetable was used to frighten off spirits. If a spirit managed to get past the lantern's protection, offerings of food were given. As immigrants moved to North America, turnips were less abundant, so pumpkins were carved instead. According to Irish legend, "Stingy Jack", a greedy farmer, tricked the devil into climbing a tree and trapped him there by marking it with a cross. The devil cursed Jack to forever wander the earth at night with a candle inside a hollowed turnip as his lantern. This is where Jack-O-Lantern comes from. 


Many games were played on Samhain. Since apples were an abundant fruit that could last well into the winter, it was commonly used in games. Snap Apple was a common game where apples were hung from a string and blindfolded children would try to bite the apples. If you could peel your apple in one go and then drop it onto the floor, it would reveal the initials of your future spouse. Blind date was a game where girls were blindfolded and sent out into the fields to pull the first cabbage they could find. If the cabbage had a large amount of dirt attached to the roots, their future husband would have money. They would then bite into the cabbage to see if their future husband would be bitter or sweet! 

 

 

Have a Happy Samhain!

 

Scottish Humor

 

A very popular Scotsman dies in Glasgow and his old widow wishes to tell all his friends at once so she goes to the newspaper and says "I'd like tae place an obituary fur ma late husband" The man at the desk says "OK, how much money dae ye have?"
The old woman replies "�5" to which the man says "You wont get many words for that but write something and we'll see if it's ok" so the old woman writes something and hands it over the counter and the man reads "Peter Reid, fae Parkheid, deid"
He feels guilty at the abruptness of the statement and encourages the old woman to write a few more things. The old woman ponders and then adds a few more words and hand the paper over the counter again. The man then reads "Peter Reid, fae Parkheid deid. Ford Escort for sale".



Video Clip


Here's comedian Bill Kirchenbauer's idea of Inventing the Bagpipes.



Recent Reviews

    

Scots Guards (Volume 3 now also available)  Scots Guards

-"It's amazing how much of the piping repertoire is covered by these 2 volumes. The tunes run the gamut of complexity and it's fun just to page through in idle moments to pick out a familiar melody. I hold my copies of these very dearly and wouldn't trade them for anything!"

-"When you are relatively new to piping and looking to start collecting tune books - there is no doubt this is the starting point. Great collection of amazing composers, Willie Ross, GS McLellan, Donald MacLeod - all the essentials for any marching band set you could want."
  
Sincerely,

Kinnaird Bagpipes Logo  
Rauncie Kinnaird

Kinnaird Bagpipes

923 Emmeline Terrace

Saskatoon, SK
S7J 5G7
Ph: 1-877-249-2939
Fax: 1-306-249-2933
email: [email protected]  

website: www.kinnairdbagpipes.com