There is special language used during this season for Christians. Comments?

Well, this morning at church, the children put decorations on the Chrismon tree.

For an explanation, you can try http://pws.gamewood.net/~chrismon/Chrismons/

There is special language used during this season for Christians.
You mean secret symbol stuff like the "ichthus"? Or "eucharist" or all of the above?

I must confess, Anna, I don't know what you are referring to. However, here is an interesting (I think) bit of language trivia.

The Sunday which immediately precedes the season of Advent used to be called "The Sunday Next before Advent". (In the more modern Kalendar now in use, it's the Feast of Christ the King.) From Tudor times (i.e., from the publication of the first Book of Common Prayer in England, 1549) this day was popularly known as "Stir-Up Sunday", from the collect for the day (particular prayer for that Sunday), which went, "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." Thus, the goodwives of the parish were reminded that it was time to stir up their plum puddings and fruitcakes, which they did in the week following so they would have time to age before Christmas.

Thomas Cranmer wrote this on the basis of the collect for the 3rd Sunday in Advent (Gaudete Sunday) in the old Latin liturgy used before the English Reformation, which started, "Excite, Domine, quaesumus, potentiam tuam et veni ..." and which he replaced by a totally different prayer. While the old "Stir up" collect is gone now from Anglican prayerbooks, much to the sorrow of many lovers of the old Elizabethan liturgy, happily the old Latin collect has gained new life; after more than 400 years, it is now back where it belongs, Gaudete Sunday (Advent III), and starts, in the modern English version, "Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; ...", which is an almost literal translation of the old Latin version.

What does Gaudete mean?

I once made a plum pudding by a very old recipe--hardest part was finding beef suet.

WW

What does Gaudete mean?

Rejoice! (plural imperative)

re:What does Gaudete mean?
the third sunday of Advent, the vestments are Pink, (not the somber deep purple) and its supposted to be a time of rejoying-- (as i recall, and this is a dim memory) the gospel message is about John the baptist, who proclaims that the saviour is coming... and it was the only sunday in advent that there was song.. (oh come, oh come Emmanual, and randsom captive israel..)

and as for suet, butchers ususally have it, and grocery store meat departments can get it easily by request. warmed, (melted) and mixed with bird seed, it can be shaped for pretty bird feeders.. (the cold air keeps it stiff enough out side..) and the birds like the extra calories from the fat in the winter.
(avoid sunflower seeds, the shell have a chemical that acts as a herbiside.. the will inhibit anything from germinating.) all the other seeds should be toasted for an hour in a 200 degree oven... or you'll get a nice crop of weeds where ever you bird feeder was hung.. (or cheat, and use rolled oats with suet... rolled oats won't germinate, they are cheap, and left overs can (sans suet) can be served for breakfast!

Gaudete Sunday takes its name from the Epistle reading proper for that day, which is Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice! ..." In Latin, this starts, "Gaudete semper in Domino"

The 4th Sunday in Lent is called Laetare Sunday and is similar to Gaudete. The proper liturgical color for Laetare, like Gaudete, is rose, or pink, although rose vestments are rarely seen, since few churches could afford a special set used only twice a year. In Anglican churches, blue vestments are often used in Advent in lieu of violet.

[rant] Helen, the color used in Advent and Lent is not purple; purple is a color proper to Bishops and is more red than blue. What you are talking about is correctly called "violet", which is more blue than red. [/rant]

While I'm ranting, here's another one. I hate it when people, merchandisers in chief, refer to the period from roughly Thanksgiving to New Years as the "Christmas Season". Strictly speaking, (ecclesiastically, that is) we are now in the season of Advent, which begins on the Sunday nearest the feast of St. Andrew (Nov. 30) whether before or after, and goes to Christmas Eve. On Dec. 25, we begin the season of Christmas, which lasts exactly 12 days (the 12 Days of Christmas) to Jan. 5 (12th Night) and is followed on Jan 6 by the season of Epiphany.

I hate it when people, merchandisers in chief, refer to the period from roughly Thanksgiving to New Years as the "Christmas Season".

Well said, Byb - as a fully paid-up nit-picking pedant, I thoroughly agree with your rant, and will stand beside you (or even behind you, if the going gets rough !) to support you to the hilt!

Aw, shucks, whatever became of good old Dies Natalis Solis Invictus? It made much more sense to me.
What would all the merchandisers do with it, do you suppose?

Geoff the pagan

Rhu might be right-- in england, the christian church is the official religion.. but here in US, there is no official religion.. So its not the Advent season, any more than it is the Ramadam season..

our "seasons" are secular.. for most of us, "summer" is defined as the period from Memorial day (May 31st, to Labor day-- this is not the Summer as defined by the position of the sun--(which would move summer to apx. June 21 to Sept 21st)

hunting season depends on where you are, and what your are hunting. same too, with fishing season, and if any one is interested, some where, in some thread, are the open dates for frog hunting in CA!

christmas season in US is commercial season.. and to make it even less christian, its usually Holiday season.. after all, Ramadan requires a fast during daylight hours, and family feasts in the evening.. and sunday is the start of hanukkah and merchants want all of these people to come out and shop too, even if they don't give gifts, they are encouraged to purchase new table where, or candles.

all to often the Christ is taken out of christmas, and all that is left is the chi..happy Xmas and have fun shopping..
in Japan, christmas is also celebrated, usually with small gifts for children, and with a "christmas cake" --every one has christmas cake.. the cake is chocolate, cream filled rolled cake, decorated like a log-- a Buche do Noel-- i think is the french name.. like irish soda bread in US for st Pats.. everyone gets a chrismas cake.. and thats about it... in Japan, christmas is a bakers holiday!

What I hate is when the term Lent got taken over for the religious period, when it is properly used to refer to Springtime. Do you know that we limped along for a couple of hundred years with no word for Spring because the Christians stole the word for their own nefarious purposes? The song Sumer is i-cumen in, which is obviously a song about Spring to anyone who pays the slightest attention to the lyrics, dates from this period.

I don't know, Helen, that the views of Rhu or any other Englishperson would depend on the fact that the C of E is the state religion in England. Fact is, the percentage of the population which attends C of E services or otherwise gets involved in the church (everyone is by law presumed a member of it) is even more miniscule than the corresponding percentages of US Christians and Jews of all stripes who are active church or synagogue members. Strange that the U.S., which is specifically forbidden to have any state religion or to allow the govt to support any religion, is a far more religious country than any European country, most of which have state religions; but that's not saying much, since the vast majority of USns have no religion or just some vague religious notions which impose no religious practices or duties.

[Rant]Be that as it may, what gets my goat is that Wall St. and Madison Ave. have done a pretty good job of taking over religious holidays, including Christmas and Hannukah (which is not a major festival among Jews), assigning new limits for the seasons, continually introducing new icons and symbols (like talking snowmen, red-nosed reindeer and such ilk), and in general making them over into whatever they think will assist in moving merchandise. If they would just carry on merchandising campaigns for The Holidays and work on more music like "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" and dream up as many secular cutesie-wutesie moose, mice, hippopotami, elves, dancing fir trees, or whatever, and leave our religious traditions alone. What with their continually assaulting our ears in the malls with carols, you now can't convince anyone that We Three Kings of Orey and Tar is not a Christmas carol, or that I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus is not an update of a 13th century sequence antiphon in the Phrygian mode, for Lauds on Christmas Day. Here endeth this year's Christmas rant.

Red-nosed reindeer and such elk?

>I hate it when people, merchandisers in chief, refer to the period from roughly Thanksgiving to New Years as the "Christmas Season".

The nun who was the headteacher of a primary school that my children once attended took the concept of the "real" Christmas season to it's logical conclusion. She said that there was no reason to put up a crib or any Christmas decorations before the end of term as this was not appropriate in Advent. She went into the school on 24th December and decorated it, so that it was decorated when the children came back on the 5th (ish) Jan, only to be taken down on the 6th Jan, when she arranged Christmas parties. A little strange in these days of mammon but it did make a point to the children.

>We Three Kings of Orey and Tar

Last year I complained about the GAP advert "holidays are here" being inappropriately used here as we have our "holidays" at all times of year but mainly in the summer. Someone pointed out that it related to the "holidays are coming" Coca Cola advert with Father Christmas.

This year the advert is running on TV and I saw it for the first time (my children say that it has been on every year forever, so maybe I have been asleep). So I tried to decipher the song that is being sung. I asked my children what it said and they didn't know and I asked several others. Most people recognise the tune but don't know that it says "holidays are coming" which, as I said before, wouldn't really make sense here. I wonder if our version is different and the have "fuzzed out" the words or if it always sounds like that?

Gaudete

Jo

I've been in Singapore just before Christmas a number of times in the last few years. The Singaporeans go crazy over Christmas - well, the trappings, anyway - and decorate the main streets with much more gusto and bravura than anything I've seen in Christian countries.

I asked a Singaporean friend why it was so popular. It appears that it's a hangover from the colonial days when Britain ran the island. It was the longest holiday that Singaporeans got at that time, so they celebrated that rather than the religious basis. Now, of course, the retailers have a field day ...

One of the biggest Christmas trees I've ever seen was set up across the road from the Raffles Hotel in 2000.

...roughly Thanksgiving to New Years as the "Christmas Season"...

This year they "crossed a line in the snow" (even though we haven't had snow...yet). In many years past, merchandizers have waited until after Halloween to start thier *images of the holiday season... and about ten years ago it was hinted at but never blatantly *displayed before Thanksgiving... now we have a "major package delivery service" starting the *push in the middle of October... and it's the last time I'll use them.

This means we should be seeing the Easter bunny doing egg deliveries by... oh, say... the day after Valentine's day, no later.

Thank y'all for your contributions!

Bobyb, yes, what I meant by my rather inarticulate "special language" was exactly whaat you and others addressed. I want to learn more about Advent, the rituals and language associated with it.

Meanwhile, from the wonderful "How Stuff Works" site (Max, want to add this to your valuable references link or is it off the mark?), here are the answers to questions on "How Christmas works" -- including "Why do I keep hearing the same songs over and over again?":

http://www.howstuffworks.com/christmas.htm

Hannukah (which is not a major festival among Jews)

Just another example of God's Sense of Humor; take a holiday for His people, albeit a minor one, but one that celebrates religious purity against foreign influences and schedule it up against what He must have known was to become the major celebration of Mammon, disguised as a celebration of the Birth of the Messiah that His people would not accept.

Bob, the way i see it, there are 2 separate and distinct christmas's-- one is religious one, one is secular.

In countries where there is an established religion, there might be some control over the second (secular) holiday, but in a country like US-- there is no control. the two holiday's have very little in common, except that they share a name and date.

I am not very religious, but i don't let the secular holiday interfere with, or effect Christmas.. i actually rather dislike the secular christmas, i think all the hype and focus on material things can only lead to disappointments, and all the pressure to have an idealize, perfect christmas lead to christmas being one of the most depressing holidays.. Like scrooge, i tend to say bah, humbug! to most of the stuff..

when my kids were young, we focused on making christmas presents, as they got older, it took them a while to learn, i actually liked getting homemade gifts, rather than store bought. and we never went into the feeding frenzy of shopping.. if everyone was like me, christmas season would be a huge financial bust..

(ie. this year for christmas, i got my son and his family a supporting membership in a local museum, for the 10 year old son of my D-I-L, i got a package of modeling clay-- since he enjoys making things.. he made me a miniature dog, fashioned after his own a few weeks ago, with clay i had in the house.)

as for the fine difference between advent, christmas and epiphany, well, i am just not that religious.
what upsets me, was coming out of the train station, and hearing Salvation Army (a religous organization!) "bell ringers" singing secular christmas songs!

the state religion in England... C of E ... (everyone is by law presumed a member of it)
Bob, are you trying to tell me that every last person in an entire country is presumed to be a member of one religion??? [Eyebrows shooting through the ceiling e] (I can't even touch that 'by law' part...)

I was taught that the 12 Days of Christmas take place Dec 25 through January 6th, the 6th being variously called Epiphany, 12th Night, the Feast of the Three Kings or Little Christmas.
When my sons were young we had a Nativity scene set up and the Three Kings were placed far away and moved every night a bit closer to the "Crib," arriving on the morning of Jan 6th (via Mom magic) That day the boys each received a present brought by the Kings. We had a "favorite" dinner and a special dessert.
This gift aspect very handy if I had not intuited the exact gift they *really wanted for Christmas. What a life saver! And it could be bought at the after-Christmas sale too!
But mostly it is a way to extend the Christmas spirit into the new year. I am always pleased my sons remember that childhood experience when they contact me on Jan. 6th to wish me a "Happy Little Christmas."

Warning long, rambling post, feel free to skip this post

>the state religion in England... C of E ... (everyone is by law presumed a member of it)
Bob, are you trying to tell me that every last person in an entire country is presumed to be a member of one religion???

A difference between UK and the USA is that the Church of England is an "established church". I can't find an exact short definition of what this means but Google on "England Established Church" to get several versions. I'm sure Rhu can fill us in as you have to wade through a lot of history from Henry VIII onwards to get anywhere. Strangely, the Church of England's own website doesn't give an exact definition of the implications today, even though there are regular discussions about disestablishmentarianism.

Since I have not lived through an age when people who were not members of the Church of England were barred from public office it has little impact on daily life, we currently have a Catholic Speaker of the House of Commons, for example, although the accession of a Catholic monarch is still probited by law. http://www.royalreport.com/newscharles1.html

The main use that is made of the Church of England by those who are not regular church goers is as a place to get married. We do not have a long tradition of people marrying in places other than churches (or other places of worship)(although the law recently changed), so a CofE wedding is the norm amongst those are baptised members of the the Church of England or those (eg those baptised in another church) who do not choose to follow any other religion. See: "Entitlement to marry. Any person of British Nationality who normally resides in England is entitled to marry in his or her Church of England parish church, provided that (1) the other partner is also of British Nationality and also normally resides in England, (2) that there are no legal impediments of the kind described below [Section 6], and (3) that neither of the couple is a divorcee whose previous partner is still living (the Church of England's regulation on this matter is recognised in law [Matrimonial Causes Act 1965, s.8] - see below, section 10.1). This entitlement applies irrespective of whether either of the couple normally attends church and irrespective of whether either of them has been baptised. It also applies irrespective of whether either partner is a member of the Church of England, or of another denomination (or of none)"http://www.cofe.anglican.org/lifechanges/index.html

Although the Queen is the head of the Church of England, decisions are made by the Synod. Although bishops sit in the House of Lords and are appointed by the Prime Minister (I think) my understanding is that the Church runs its own affairs and the political stuff is just a rubber stamping exercise. I doubt that a Prime Minister would dare to try to get involved in the real process of selecting a Bishop, although there are plenty of conspiracy theorists who dislike any political involvement in the process.

Here's some current information:
"Almost half of all adults in the UK say they have no religious affiliation, according to a new survey.
The decline in religious belief is most apparent in the Church of England which now claims the loyalties of just over a quarter of the population. ... The report found that 48% of people in the UK claim to belong to a religion, compared with 86% of people in the US and 92% of Italians."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1043000/1043986.stm

From the Church of England's Website:
"Church of England Weddings
In 1996 there were 71,000 weddings in Church of England churches*. These comprised 27% of all weddings and 41% of all first weddings. In 1995 there were 80,000 Church of England weddings.
Baptised Population
It is estimated that over 25 million people living in England today (about half the population) have been baptised by the Church of England."http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/frame_organisation.html

Sorry that I couldn't give a shorter answer!

Jo

Thank you, Jo, for that wonderfully enlightening post. All very strange to me, but. That reminded me a little of the sideways look I got while examining different denominations of coins from New Zealand. Every last one had a picture of Elizabeth on it, and I said, "Man, you-all really like the Queen, don't you?". Why is that, please? Is it technically considered to be her money, like in Roman times when there was a picture of Caesar on it? Could she ask for it? And while I'm at it, to sort of make this seem like a language post, I have some questions about royal capitalization. Should it be written The Queen, or the Queen, or does it matter? Is monarch ever capitalized? Should I write the Monarch? (Perhaps when it is specific, as in: Elizabeth, the Monarch)?

Jackie, you are getting so good at the minutiae of British culture, soon you'll be a Dame.

Here's where to look for correct forms of address and how we shall have to address you in the future - quite an eyeopener!

http://www.debretts.co.uk/

Once you have that under your belt you'll know more than most Brits!

As for the currency. All British coinage has the queen or king on one side and something else on the other. I don't know much about New Zealand coinage, I assume that it must follow the same pattern.

Her's the website for the Royal Mint http://www.royalmint.com - You'll have to order your Jubilee coins soon!

Jo

Jo, thank you for the links. Look what I found under forms of address (note--there's that weird ...arm = ...alm again): Ma'am is pronounced Mam (as in spam) rather than Marm (as in palm)
• Interesting pronunciations include:

Althorp - All-trup
De la Warr - Della-ware
Beaulieu - Bew-ly
Le Fanu - Leff-new
Blenheim - Blen-im
St John - Sin-jun
Cholmondeley - Chum-li
Theobald - Tibbald

The other site answered another question of mine, about capitalization: throughout the land the accession was declared of the youngest Monarch to succeed to the throne since 1837, when the 18-year-old Princess Victoria became Queen. So, now I know: Monarch is capitalized, at least sometimes. But, should it be, if it is used as a general ref.? As in, "England has had many monarchs"?


Signed,

Dame Jacqulyn ("Jackie" is simply fah too pedestrian for a Dame...) (Oh, this is great fun! But I'll be so glad when the rest of you realize the board's back up, so I won't be talking to myself any more.)

Yes Musick, these outrages make you sometimes long for a real old-fashioned Christmas, like those in the Massachusetts Colonies under the government of the Pilgrim fathers, when you could be put in the stocks for taking off work, or singing a Christmas tune (even to yourself), or indulging in any kind of celebration on Dec. 25.

I often wondered if it was just sheer perversity that made the pilgrims and their English counterparts, the Puritans, try to ban Christmas. Then I read a book by Pierre van Paassen, who told of his youth in Holland in a strict Dutch Reformed milieu. The Dutch Reformed Church, like the early followers of John Knox, orthdox Presbyterians, the Puritans and the Pilgrims, was (and still is) strictly Calvinist.

As van Paassen tells it, the Calvinist doctrine was that Christmas marks the descent of Almighty God into that charnel house of corruption and depravity, the human state, and is therefore nothing to celebrate -- only an occasion to contemplate anew the fathomless and almost hopeless depth of wickedness and sin which is the normal state of humans and the goodness of God in deigning to become human so that at least a few might be rescued. A theology which, although logical from the Biblical premises, is pretty repulsive to most Christians today.

Being a devout and practising agnostic (my science degree and devotion to matters scientific make it impossible for me to personally take on board any hint of creationism or a higher being), I'd like to get the thread back down to a level I feel at home with....

Does anybody remember a parody on the carol "Deck the Halls" by Weird Al Yankovic (or somebody of a similar ilk) called something like "The Vivisectionists' Christmas Party"? The only line I remember was "Deck the halls with parts of Molly".

BTW - any comments about my comment above will be ignored. I will defend anybody's right to have a belief and express it, be it religious, cultural or whatever. Coupled with this is a major problem I have with those that seek to change the religious and cultural beliefs of others. For these reasons I prefer not to discuss politics and religion with friends - and you are all my friends.

stales

BTW - any comments about my comment above will be ignored.
Mercy me, son, we had all that settled, ages ago. I don't think you need to worry that anyone here will try to tell you what you "ought" to believe.

You said: Bob, are you trying to tell me that every last person in an entire country is presumed to be a member of one religion??? [Eyebrows shooting through the ceiling e] (I can't even touch that 'by law' part...)

Jackie:

There's a great deal of Confucian about that, Buddhism our job here to do something other than Hindu people in their understanding? Jew wish to know more? Jain and I will tell you, Friend, and we will Sikh to leave no Mormon (or woman) without an answer. Gnostic left unwhittled, if you know what I mean.

I suspect we'll be Arian on the side of those who lost at Dunker, but if you're Gideon a better understanding, That Sufists for me.

Athanasian, we don't have an established religion here on this side of the pond, Buddhist not a knock against the English, particularly those who tithe at the Orphism. Lutheran Huguenot agree on that principle, and though we disagree with them Bryanite would Quaker to Stundist group by arguing.

Gentoo, the Brahman who went to Parsee with Wesleyan Yogi would be Russian Orthodox would be checking their Unitary Tractians, which is enough to Shaker them up no end.

Eusebian to be asking the right Christians, but perhaps your Jansenism revealing enough Tao get the same questions that Zoroaster Doukhober a quietist Calvin-tage.

Wahabi gun, but Zen I found out that Rosicrucian around trying to Baptist poor correspondent on the head.

(Now, if someone can find a way to use Puseyite without the gutter police's whacking you, let me know.)

TEd

Ma'am is pronounced Mam (as in spam) rather than Marm (as in palm[!])
• Interesting pronunciations include:

Althorp - All-trup
De la Warr - Della-ware
Beaulieu - Bew-ly
Le Fanu - Leff-new
Blenheim - Blen-im
St John - Sin-jun
Cholmondeley - Chum-li
Theobald - Tibbald

And y'all accuse US'ns of spelling funny. Harrumph!®

>For these reasons I prefer not to discuss politics and religion with friends - and you are all my friends.

Oh well, one less person to engage with in a long meaningful/less conversation at parties. I like to stick to religion, sex and politics but then I do like to play with fire hmmm - wonder why no-one talks to me anymore ....

During this Advent season, I attended a church musical presentation. I had heard that the presentation was stunning.

Well, I was stunned and confused. It was Buxby Berkley in the sanctuary where, among the anomalies, were two sumo wrestlers in a rock routine, actors dressed as geriatrics doing a walker rock routine, and a glitzy fashion show, to mention three of the low points. It felt to me as though this were a way of appealing to the crowd through secular humor. Very, very strange evening it was...

However, there were a live sheep, goat, horse and camel. They, at least, were natural and exquisitely refreshing.

Very different strokes for different folks,
WW

There is special language used during this season for Christians. Comments?

He's no Christian, but

in the past weeks my four-year-old has repeatedly asked to watch Frosting the Snowman.


And yesterday, he greeted me with "Hey mom! Look at my peanuts!

jmh - Well, two outa three ain't bad... and "whenever two or more are gathered..." there's a party.

TEd - As a good Pantheist, I *have to agree... except for that crack about Puseyites.

BYB - I think weave now covered *all the extremes... and thanks for the modifier charnel. I'll try to use it sparingly.

The (first and) last time I went to a Catholic Mass (other than weddings) it was billed as "A Disco Christmas". (I'll let you infer the year.) Other than that, the liturgy seemed so close to the Lutheran "counterpart" that the differences were purely symbolic (all puns intended).

Today is the Orthodox Christmas Eve, and I thought this would be the appropriate thread to share this. I'm of Slovak descent on my mother's side, and her parent's (whom I never never met) were born in the foothills of the Carpathian mountains in what was then Austria-Hungry, and spoke a Russian-tinged dialect of Slovak. The liturgy of the church they attended, and the one they and my mother and her relatives continued to attend in Perth Amboy, NJ, (St, John's), used a "Church Slavonic" liturgy, which was a sort of Russian/Slovak . Thus we called the Julian calendar (Greek Catholic) celebration of Christmas on January 7, "Russian Christmas." My mother converted to Roman Catholic when she married my Dad, but every year when I was a boy we'd go over to my Aunt Annie's house to celebrate Russian Christmas Eve with traditional ethnic foods like stuffed-cabbage, bobalky (little baked bread-balls mixed with either sauerkraut or poppy-seed 'n' honey), mushroom soup, and roshki (special cookies filled with lekvar, or apricot and nuts). We'd eat dinner, and then sit and sing around the table. And my Uncle Andy, of full-blooded Russian descent, would sing Christmas carols in Russian with my Mother and her relatives, and play his harmonica like the whole soul of ancient Russia was pouring through it. Since this was all so detached from the commercial accoutrements of the Dec. 25th Christmas, I got a sense of what a simple family Christmas was like before all the material clatter. And one thing my Uncle Andy always used to say is, "It always snows for Russian Christmas!" And, you know, 99% of the time throughout my life, he's been right! So now, before, I join my mother for a Russian Christmas Eve dinner she homecooked...bobalky and mushroom soup, and the traditional honey 'n' clove of garlic on bread to begin...I'd like to wish all our Orthodox friends out there a Merry Christmas!

Goodness me ... all these years I have celebrated Russian Christmas and never knew ... and missed all that delicious food. I have always celebrated 12th Night also known as The Feast of the Three Kings, or Epiphany or Little Christmas.
Thank you WO'N for another reason to celebrate.
Today, I have to take down all the decorations and put them away until Dec 2002.
By the way, anyone hear of the superstition that you must take down the mistletoe before Feb 2 or risk bad luck for the year. Why Feb 2 ? Anyone know?

The slightly mistimed cross quarter day; the end of the quarter with midwinter smack in its center. AKA Imbolc AKA Groundhog Day AKA Brigid Candlemas.

In Winnipeg, where I grew up, that would be "Ukrainian Christmas", and I think both the Ukrainian Orthodox and Ukrainian Catholics celebrate it then. There's a huge Ukrainian population in the Canadian west, especially in Winnipeg and Edmonton. The world's largest Ukrainian Easter Egg (http://www.icomm.ca/emily/pictures/vegreville.jpg) is in Vegreville, Alberta, near Edmonton, and there is a world's largest perogy somewhere, I just can't seem to find it right now. I have more links of photos of large monuments of strange things in Canada. PM me if you're bored and want some amusement!

[edit]

Here is the largest perogy, in Glendon, Alberta: http://www.infomagic.net/~martince/wlpyrogy.htm

Thank you for the pierogi (Polish spelling) link, Bean! I make them from scratch myself twice a year (too much work to do more often), and, astoundingly, they look very much like the one memorialized in the monument - except much smaller. My youngest son is the pierogi addict in our house, so I'll send the link along to him.

Jackie asked, over a month ago now, why the Queen's mug shot was plastered all over New Zealand's legal, if pretty much worthless, tender. (Wonder where she got that money from, hmmm?)

Well, the fact is that Zild is a Dominion of Her Nibs. She is Queen of New Zealand, of Australia (and I think) of Canada. She can, if she choses to do so, come on down and queen it up anywhere she likes.

Why? you may ask, and probably will, being such a crotchety, contrary and nosey set of sods. "Because we haven't thrown the English monarchy out yet," is the only answer I can vouchsafe. Although the Strine is desperately trying to do just that for reasons which I fail to understand so completely that it frightens me.

Because I can't really understand why anyone would want to throw the monarchy out. For Britain actually foots the bill for a Head of State for those countries which acknowledge Lizzy 2 as head of state, no matter how tenuous and tongue-in-cheek that acknowledgement may be. I feel this is a very important and noteworthy point, if I may make so bold as to state it. Boldly.

Note that for Zild and the others, we don't have to have nasty and expensive elections for a head of state. Costly business, really, and the outcomes aren't always that crash-hot. You can wind up in Chad, if I remember correctly.

In our neck of the woods, the government puts up some worthy citizen (or not, as the case may be) to be the Governor-General, the GG, who will stand in for the usually absent monarch (HoS pro tem, so to speak). The Queen says, "Fine, waddever," because she actually has no power to refuse the person that the Zild government puts up. In theory, Zild could put up a serial killer as GG, and 'Er Nibs would have to smile and say "Fine!". But Zild doesn't do that, it would rather have its serial killers in Parliament.

Queenie generally knights the GG-to-be if that worthy has not yet been dubbed. (Down, Wordwind, I didn't mean you!) Or dam(n)ed in a number of recent cases. The GG is then installed in a house of some antiquity for a three-year term, gets to wear a ridiculous uniform which appears to have been handed down from GG to GG since the 1840s, and goes around making (usually) boring speeches, cutting ribbons, handing out gongs and generally having a fun time. Not. Occasionally the GG says something controversial, but that's rather rare and is usually brought about by an overindulgence in his or her favourite tipple.

The GG has absolutely NO political power. Australia Rules used to allow the Ozzian GG some leeway, but that was soundly abused in 1975 (or it wasn't, depending on your view of the situation) and the GG in Oz now has exactly the same powers as the GG in Zild. That is to say, none. It's a purely ceremonial post that doesn't even pay very well, at least in the Zild. And s/he doesn't get to have his/her mug shot on the currency. That's the Big Cheese's perogative.

There is a fringe movement to remove the monarchy trying gain some headway in Zild. I don't think it has a prayer of success. Most Zildians are actually rather attached to a head of state who is safely and more-or-less permanently stashed 12,000 miles away at no expense to them. They believe, I believe, that that is the best place for any head of state. Come to think of it, most Zildians would actually rather like the rest of their government to be 12,000 miles away, as well. Preferably also paid for out of the privy purse.

Admittedly, we are sometimes jealous of the American system. Why can't we, we plaintively cry, have a Monicagate? Why can't we, we bark, have a First Dog, run over or not as the case may be? Why can't we, we stammer, have a head of state who is hopelessly tongue-tied and short on knowledge of the finer points of English? Like, how to speak it? Most of our GGs are depressingly articulate, being formerly judgmental. Why can't we, we opine, have Republican and Democratic conventions in a town near us, instead of tawdry little election meetings over stewed tea and wine biscuits in cold and draughty church halls? Why can't we, we beseech the unfeeling heavens, pay through the nose via our taxes to support all three branches of government in the style to which they wish us to accept that they should become accustomed? Instead of the two that we ... hang on, hang on. Did I get that last one right?

Oh, well.

Just confirming that CK was right about Canada, the Queen is also our head of state, we also have a Governor General, although of course they won't be knighted because it's against the law for a Canadian citizen to be knighted (and ever since Vincent Massey sometime in the 50s, I think, all the GGs have been Canadian). Our current GG (Adrienne Clarkson) is a woman (though not the first); apparently they made her and her common-law husband (author John Ralston Saul) get married before she became GG. Each province also has a Lieutenant Governor (pronounced Leff-tenant, the Canadian way - Edit - also of course the British way ), same symbolic role as the Governor General. And yes, the Queen's head is on all our coins as well. I think we've done the coin discussion before.

(Aside: An interesting scandal arose when the Canadian newspaper magnate Conrad Black was offered a knighthood and told he had to renounce his Canadian citizenship to accept it. So he did. Farewell, and don't return, I say! He was kind of a jerk anyway.)

Oh, CK, I have tears streaming! As a matter of fact, I believe Florida DID wind up in Chad...

Your HoS pro tem is GiGi? So that's where all those bad movies were made! I gather that Zildeans don't give any financial support to the Queen, then, since you said this comes from the outhouse funds (the privy purse).

But you still didn't answer one question: Is it her money?

But you still didn't answer one question: Is it her money?

No. And she wouldn't want it. The NZ$ isn't known as the South Pacific peos for nothing, which is exactly what it's worth in worldwide terms.

The most interesting GG we've had in recent times was Dame Cath Tizard. She is the wife of a former cabinet minister and she was also Mayor of Auckland for at least one term. She's apparently a gin drinker and gets quite "chirpy" when she's had a couple. That was fun.

The current GG is Dame Sylvia Cartwright who was Chief District Court Judge for some time and was also the head of a Royal Commission into a medical imbroglio a few years ago. She's very smooth, very earnest, and very, very boring. Unlike Zild's current Prime Minister, Helen Clark, who is very rough, very direct, usually wrong about everything and yet, in spite of this, she is also very, very boring.

Which is less than you could say about Rob Muldoon. He was a lot of things and usually drunk with it, but boring he was not ...

Lizzie 2 love it! Is that as in Tin Lizzie or Lizzie Borden?

And this from the mouth of President Bush today:

And terror will never enable us to achieve peace. D'oh!

And, yesterday: Not over my dead body will they raise taxes. Well, I guess not.