Month: March 2019

Mothering Sunday

It was the custom in 17th-century England for Christians to pay their respects on the fourth Sunday in Lent to the “Mother Church” where they had been baptized. This day usually included a visit to one’s parents—to “go a-mothering,” as it was called back then. In the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, the fourth Sunday in Lent is known as Laetare Sunday. The Introit of the Mass begins with the word “Rejoice” (laetare in Latin), marking a slight respite in the solemn Lenten season. Priests may wear rose-colored vestments to mass, instead of the usual purple for Lent. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Chaperon

The chaperon was a type of hood worn throughout Western Europe in the Middle Ages. It was especially fashionable in 15th-century Burgundy. The French verb chaperonner, meaning “to cover with a hood,” was derived from the name of the headgear and later came to mean “to protect.” Under the influence of the verb sense, the French noun chaperon came to mean “escort,” a meaning that was borrowed into English by the early 1700s. Why was Joan of Arc denounced for wearing a chaperon? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Church of St. George, Lalibela

The Church of St. George, Lalibela, is a monolithic church in Lalibela, Ethiopia, hewn entirely from a single block of stone. Known as Bete Giyorgis in Amharic—a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia—it was built in the early 13th century as the last of the 11 stone churches in the Lalibela area. According to Ethiopian cultural history, the church was built after King Lalibela had a vision in which he was instructed to construct the church. According to the story, who told him to do so? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Apiculture

Apiculture is the practice of beekeeping—the care and manipulation of honeybees to enable them to produce and store more honey than they need so that the excess can be collected. Beekeeping is one of the oldest forms of animal husbandry. Early efforts at collecting honey required destroying the hive. However, modern beekeepers are able to extract the cells of the honeycomb without damaging them. To collect honey, beekeepers need a veiled helmet for protection and a smoker, which does what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Mi-Carême

This break from the strictness of Lent has traditionally been observed in France, Belgium, and various islands of the French West Indies. In Paris, it is customarily celebrated with the Fête des Blanchisseuses, or laundresses, who choose a queen from each of the various metropolitan districts. The district queens and the queen of queens chosen by them ride through the streets on a float, followed by their costumed courtiers and ladies-in-waiting. Then there is a colorful ball for the washerwomen that night. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Neanderthals

Neanderthals were a species of the human genus Homo that inhabited much of Europe and the Mediterranean approximately 200,000–28,000 years ago. They were short, stout, and powerful; used fire; and buried their dead. Some scholars do not consider them direct ancestors of modern humans—Homo sapiens. Others regard them as a late form that was absorbed into modern human populations in some areas while dying out in others. How did their cranial capacity compare to that of modern humans? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary