Month: April 2020

Margrethe’s Birthday

The birthday of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (b. 1940) is observed in the capital city of Copenhagen, where people congregate in the courtyard of Amalienborg, the royal palace. Carrying small Danish flags, children cheer and sing for the Queen, refusing to go home until she comes out to greet them. She often appears on the balcony at lunchtime and makes a speech, which is followed by a changing of the Royal Guard in its scarlet dress uniforms. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Lorem Ipsum

Lorem ipsum is the nonsensical Latin text that publishers and graphic designers commonly use to demonstrate typeface or page layout. Because it has no meaning—even in Latin—it does not draw attention away from a page’s overall presentation. The traditional version, a scrambled passage derived from Cicero, has been used since the 1960s, and possibly centuries before. Some versions include extra letters that were uncommon in Latin, such as z and k. What did the original text mean? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Komitas

Komitas was an Armenian composer, conductor, and ethnomusicologist now regarded as the founder of modern Armenian classical music. Orphaned as a boy, he was educated at Echmiadzin Seminary and ordained a priest. After establishing a choir at the monastery, he went to Berlin to study music. Upon his return, he traveled around Armenia collecting thousands of folk songs, many of which he adapted for choirs. Why do some consider him a martyr of the 1915 Armenian genocide, even though he survived it? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Vaisakhi

Vaisakhi is the Hindu New Year and a harvest festival, celebrated primarily in northern India and Bangladesh. For Sikhs, it is their most important holy day. It is particularly significant in Malaysia and India, especially in the Indian state of Punjab, where the gospel of the Sikhs began. There the holiday is celebrated in the temples, with a 48-hour reading of the Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh holy book), prayers, hymns, and sermons. Afterwards, there is feasting and dancing of the bhangra, a popular and athletic folk dance for men, depicting the entire farming year. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Hellenistic Religion

As Greek culture spread into the lands conquered by Alexander the Great, it came into close contact with the civilizations of the Near East and Egypt and was, in turn, influenced by them. Most Greeks continued their traditional religious beliefs, but a small number began to worship other deities, such as Isis, an ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, and Cybele, the Great Mother Goddess of Phrygia. What new cults and religions arose from the intermingling of cultures? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Annual Bottle Kicking and Hare Pie Scramble

This 700-year-old event is the highpoint of the local calendar in the small village of Hallaton in Leicestershire, England. Opposing teams from Hallaton and the neighboring town of Medbourne scramble to maneuver two out of three small wooden beer kegs across a goal line. The event begins when the local rector blesses the Hare Pie—originally made of hare but now of beef. After handing out slices to some of the villagers, he scatters the remainder on the rectory lawn, where people scramble for it. Then comes the contest for the beer-filled kegs. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary