Month: August 2019

Jhapan Festival (Manasa Festival)

Jhampanias, or snake charmers, gather in the city of Vishnupur, West Bengal State, India, every August for one of the region’s most notable annual festivals. Accompanying them, of course, are snakes of all kinds of local varieties, especially dangerous cobras. Jhampanias train their snakes to perform tricks with them, which attendees can observe to their hearts’ content. The patron goddess of snakes is Manasa, a daughter of Shiva, and the festival attracts many who follow her cult. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Bowerbirds

Bowerbirds are several species of songbirds found in Australia and New Guinea. To attract female mates, males of the species build elaborate bowers on the ground, decorate them with bright, shiny objects, and then display and sing loudly above them. Females observe the courtship displays, inspect the quality of the bowers, and select a mate. After mating, the female builds a simple nest away from the bower in which to lay her eggs. What objects do bowerbirds often use to decorate their bowers? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Bennington Battle Day

During the Revolutionary War, Colonel Seth Warner and 350 soldiers from Vermont played a vital role in defeating the British forces who had come to capture the American supply depot at Bennington, Vermont. The anniversary of the fighting that took place along the Walloomsac River on August 16, 1777, is a legal holiday in Vermont, and a 306-foot tower has been erected in the town of Old Bennington, two miles west of Bennington proper. The Bennington Battle Monument State Historic Site hosts historic reenactments and displays on the weekend nearest August 16. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Benjamin Britten

Considered the most significant British composer since Henry Purcell, Britten first won international acclaim in 1937 for his Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge for string orchestra. His operas, admired for their skillful setting of English words and their orchestral interludes, include The Rape of Lucretia, The Turn of the Screw, and Death in Venice. In 1976, he became the first British composer in history to be ennobled. What honor did he decline? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Acadian Day

The original Acadians were 17th-century French colonists who settled in what is now Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and parts of northern Maine and Quebec. Their French-speaking descendants in the Maritime Provinces continue to honor their heritage by holding many local Acadian Day celebrations. The Acadian Festival in Caraquet, New Brunswick, is the largest of these celebrations. The festival takes place for 14 days in August each year and includes Acadian dance performances, cabaret, and concerts as well as sporting contests and a blessing of the fleet. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Disco

Disco is a style of dance music characterized by hypnotic rhythms, repetitive lyrics, and electronically produced sounds. It arose in the mid-1970s in New York City underground nightclubs where DJs played dance records for hours without interruption. With considerable input from producers, artists such as Donna Summer, the Bee Gees, and Diana Ross developed the disco sound and had many hits. Disco peaked with the release of the film Saturday Night Fever and “died” soon after on what date? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Battle of Aljubarrota (1385)

At a time of war, famine, and plague in Europe, the Portuguese village of Aljubarrota became the site of a momentous battle in which the Portuguese, aided by English archers, defeated the forces of the Spanish King John I of Castile, assuring Portuguese independence from the Castilian crown. Nuno Álvares Pereira, the man who led the revolt against Castilian domination, emerged from the battle a hero. He later became a monk and was recently canonized. Who was the Portuguese king at the time? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary