Month: February 2021

servants

livery – A company’s distinctive color scheme or emblem on vehicles is called the livery; livery first referred to the dispensing of clothes, food, or provisions to servants. More…

gardyloo – A warning cry derived from French gare de l’eau, “beware of the water”—referring to the water and slops that were once thrown by servants from higher stories of a building onto the street. More…

servants’ quarters – In Victorian days, they were usually referred to as below stairs; above stairs was the realm of the family. More…

family – First referred to the servants of a household and then to both the servants and the descendants of a common ancestor. It comes from Latin familia, “household; household servants,” which came from another Latin term, famulus, “servant.” It was not until 1667 that the term was used specifically for parents and their children. More…

Feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck

This feast is a commemoration in Malta of the shipwreck of St. Paul on the island in 60 CE, an event told about in the New Testament. When storms drove the ship aground, Paul was welcomed by the “barbarous people” (meaning they were not Greco-Romans). According to legend, he got their attention when a snake bit him on the hand but did him no harm, and he then healed people of diseases. Paul is the patron saint of Malta and snakebite victims. The day is a public holiday, and is observed with family gatherings and religious ceremonies and processions. Discuss

Grimoires

A grimoire is an instruction manual for performing magic. Such books have been written by members of various cultures throughout history, and copies of prominent, ancient grimoires are still in circulation. Frequently, grimoires are attributed to earlier or more notable authors than likely wrote them. Famous grimoires include the Key of Solomon, the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, and the fictional Necronomicon, which was created as a plot device by what horror author? Discuss

St. Maron's Day

St. Maron (also spelled St. Maroun), the patron saint of Lebanon, was a monk who died in 410 CE. The Feast of St. Maron, as it is known in Lebanon, does not have the cultural significance for its citizens that it had in past eras—today, Maronites only make up one-quarter of the Lebanese population (between one-half and one million). In Lebanon and abroad, the most common ceremony of the feast day is the Maronite liturgy, which is a distinctive blend of Catholic doctrine, Arabic music, and singing in Syriac-Aramaic, a classical language that was spoken by Jesus. Discuss

The Seleucid Empire

Carved from the empire of Alexander the Great after his death, the Seleucid Empire stretched from India to what is now Bulgaria, and included Babylonia, Syria, and Anatolia. Alexander had died without a viable heir, leaving the empire unstable, and Seleucus—who had served under him—saw his chance. By the year 305 BCE, he had declared himself king of a vast, diverse empire that would persist for centuries. The eventual collapse of the empire was hastened by the revolt of what group of people? Discuss