Month: April 2020

Royal Easter Show

The largest and best-attended of the Australian agricultural fairs, the Royal Easter Show was first held in 1822 as a way of promoting the country’s agricultural industry and helping people sell their products. Now it attracts more than a million visitors each year and has expanded to include sports competitions, fashion and flower shows, and celebrity performances. It attracts more than 600 exhibitors each year and is similar to some of the larger American state fairs, such as the Iowa State Fair and the Eastern States Exposition. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Interpretation of Dreams

Dr. Sigmund Freud introduced his authoritative theory on why people dream and the true meaning of these dreams in his 1899 book The Interpretation of Dreams. In Freud’s view, all dreams are a form of wish fulfillment. They are the expression of desires that are ordinarily repressed—meaning hidden from consciousness—because they represent forbidden impulses. Even then, they are distorted and disguised so as to be acceptable to the conscious mind. How many times did Freud revise his book? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Pascua Florida Day

Although no one knows for certain the date on which Ponce de León landed at Florida in 1513, it is widely believed that he first stepped ashore on April 2. He named the land Pascua Florida because it was Eastertime. Pascua is a Spanish word meaning “Easter,” and Florida means “flowering” or “full of flowers.” The Florida state legislature designated April 2 Florida State Day in 1953. The week ending on April 2 is known as Pascua Florida Week, a time when people are encouraged to attend special programs devoted to the area’s discovery and history. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Ardashir I

Ardashir I was the founder of the last pre-Islamic Persian dynasty, the Sassanid dynasty, which began in 224 CE and ended with the Arab conquest in 651. At its peak, the Sassanid Empire stretched from the Arabian peninsula to India. Ardashir established Zoroastrianism as the state religion and strengthened it by collecting sacred texts and empowering the priestly caste. In the latter years of his reign, he invaded what nearby Parthian kingdom allied with Persia’s great rival to the west, Rome? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Ashokashtami

Lord Lingaraj, a name for the Hindu deity Shiva, receives praise and adoration from Hindus on this day. The festival takes place in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. Two venerated sites host the festival: the Lingaraja Temple, believed to be the city’s oldest temple, and the Rameshwar Temple. Thousands of people attend the festival to watch a traditional procession that features a giant wooden chariot carrying a Lingaraj idol and other deities. It begins at the Lingaraja Temple and, with the assistance of hundreds of attendees, the processional proceeds to the Rameshwar Temple. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Gourd

Though the gourd family technically includes cucumbers and watermelons, the name “gourd” is usually applied to fruits with hard, durable shells, such as squash and pumpkins. Colorful and oddly shaped gourds are picked for ornamental use, while others are hollowed out for use as instruments, cooking utensils, lamps, containers, and countless other purposes. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as “nature’s pottery.” In ancient surgery, gourds had what unusual and important use? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary