Month: April 2019

Lazarovden (St. Lazarus’s Day)

In Bulgaria, St. Lazarus’s Day (Lazarouvane or Lazarovden) is the great Slavic festival of youth and fertility. The day takes its name from a series of ritual games and songs studied in advance by young girls during Lent. Although there are many versions of the ritual, they all have a common focus, which is the “coming out” of girls who are ready to be married. Particular attention is paid to dress, which usually involves colorful traditional costumes and heavy jewelry. In former times, people believed that the more elaborate the rituals devoted to marriage, the better the chances for happiness. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Marvin Heemeyer’s “Killdozer”

In 2004, Heemeyer, a muffler repair shop owner, went on a rampage following a feud with city officials in Granby, Colorado. His vendetta stemmed from a zoning dispute involving a concrete factory constructed near his shop that he believed caused his business to fail. Heemeyer, who was a welder, armored a bulldozer—later dubbed the “Killdozer”—with layers of steel and concrete and used it to demolish the town hall, a former judge’s home, and other buildings in Granby. How did his rampage end? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Farewell Dossier

The Farewell Dossier was the name given to the collection of documents that KGB defector Colonel Vladimir Vetrov—code-named “Farewell”—gathered and gave to French intelligence officials during the Cold War. An engineer, Vetrov had been assigned to evaluate information on Western hardware and software gathered by spies. Disillusioned with the Communist system, Vetrov passed along nearly 4,000 secret documents between 1981 and 1982, including a complete list of what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Olives

Differences in appearance, flavor, and oil content distinguish different varieties of olives, of which there are several hundred. Many have been cultivated since ancient times, with some developed especially for oil extraction. Of the olives meant for eating, green ones are picked when full-grown but unripe and are often pitted and stuffed with pimientos or anchovies. Ripe olives, usually purplish black, are richer in oil. According to Greek mythology, the olive was a gift to mankind from whom? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Lac Long Quan Festival

This six-day festival, held in the Vietnamese village of Binh Minh, honors the legendary king Lac Long Quan. According to tradition, his wife, Au Co, “hatched” 100 people who ended up populating what is now known as the Ha Tay Province. During the festival people celebrate their ancestors with offerings of fruit and flowers paraded by young women accompanied by folk musicians, then elders bestow blessings on the offerings. Although Lac Long Quan and Au Co are the focus of the proceedings, Buddha is also included and considered a special guest. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Tidal Bores

A tidal bore is an inrush of water with a wavelike front that advances up a river or narrow bay, against the current, with considerable force and velocity. It is caused by the progress of an incoming tide from a wide-mouthed bay into its narrower portion and occurs in relatively few places in the world. The largest, China’s Qiantang River bore, can reach 30 ft (9 m) in height and travel as fast as 25 mph (40 km/h). Although dangerous, bores are sought out by athletes who engage in what sport? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary