Top 10 Christmas Decorating Mistakes

Submitted By: Sylvia Stevens
Pick a color scheme and stick to it. Many people make the mistake of being too “loud” with their decorating colors and end up with a chaotic mess instead of a calming holiday effect. Of course, when there are children involved, there are more knick-knacks and decorations that won’t exactly fit in, but that’s the fun of youth. However, for adults who want to pull a seasonal room together, carefully think what decorating you really need and if those items gel harmoniously.

Keep Decorations Balanced in the Home:

Again, when placing the tree, wreathes, centerpieces, and religious icons around the interior and exterior of your home, keep a tasteful balance. Many light up the night sky with far too many lights around windows, around porches, and sometimes on the roof. Make a more prudent choice and go with a more minimalist approach. Plan out where fairy lights and the tree will go in relation to the picture window neighbors can see through. Keep a close eye on the distance put between items on mantles and table. You never want to create a more chaotic look which makes any room feel less comfortable to occupy. That’s not what you want for those who visit your home.

Keep Inflatable Ornaments Out of Your Yard:

If there are children in the home who fall in love with a Frosty the Snowman snow globe the size of your home, perhaps it’s nice to appease them. However, make sure that the ornament is securely attached to the ground due to high winter winds or an unexpected storm.

If you do not have children, the wise choice to maintain a sophisticated look is to avoid these type ornaments like the plague. It draws away completely from any tasteful decorating you may have hung. No one is looking at the handmade wreathe you spent hours putting together. Neighbors see only the Santa and reindeer that are perpetually inflated by a loud generator will make all your creativity moot.

Choose Lights and Related Illuminates Carefully:

Not only does this apply to the lights on your tree matching those on the porch outside, this includes such items as a string of icicles across your roof or around a column. These icicles could be light up, or reflect that the light. It’s not a bad idea to have a tree outdoors, again have a theme going with the lights you use.

Never Half-Finish a Job:

Even though life can be fast-paced, especially those with children, have a million different events to prepare for as well as attend. When you choose to decorate, perhaps have grandparent look after children, or if business keeps you away, schedule one, free day to devote to decorating. This can make sure everything is done in-whole, and all the stress of getting it done is behind you.

Don’t Hide Your Christmas Tree:

Many make the Christmas tree the focal point of all interior decorations. Don’t hide this prized-decorating item in a corner, but in front of a window which adds cheer to those who drive by.

Avoid Using Candles:

There are many, tasteful, natural-looking alternatives sold in decorating stores to prevent one from using candles at all. When decorating a home, many candles were lit and placed on windowsills. This proved to create many house fires due to the heat igniting holiday cloth window treatments.

Carefully Choose the Wreath for Your Front Door:

When looking at the exterior of the home, many eyes are drawn first to the wreath adorning your front door. There are a plethora of fun, adventurous, or traditional looks to meet any personality. However, be mindful of how this wreath corresponds with the other decorations.

Pick the Right Time to Put Up or Take Down Decorations:

It seems that Christmas decorations go up earlier and earlier every year. Where many didn’t break out the tinsel until the first week of December, however, during current years, many Christmas trees go up before Thanksgiving.

Likewise, there are a few who don’t seem to want to let go of Christmas, let those lights keep blinking well into January. Think before you put up decorations and remove those decorations no later than New Year’s Day. This marks the time of a new year, and another time to put the last holidays behind us.

Avoid Mixing Religious Icons:

The basic problem here is that the mixing of religious icons can be seen as disrespectful to some of varying faiths who visit your home. It can also project the idea that you have a scant knowledge of religious traditions and prove embarrassment.

READ MORE - Top 10 Christmas Decorating Mistakes

The Glamorous Indian Wedding Gowns

Submitted By: Sean Goudelocks
Every woman wants to have a special wedding day with his knight and shining armor. She wants to have a perfect wedding ceremony from rings, the guest list, foods and of course the wedding gown. Every bride will try her best to make it the best, unforgettable and stylish event. It’s every woman’s dream to wear the most beautiful and elegant wedding gown on her most special day, her wedding day. It is really a challenge to choose the best dress to be worn on such special occasion. One of the most glamorous, cheerful and colorful dresses that can be worn on the d-day are the Indian wedding gowns.

An Indian wedding ceremony is known for stunning costumes, decorations, and ornaments. It is the reflection of the culture, customs and traditions of India. In every country, the clothes show and depict the personality of the people, the status in the society, the profession, the location, the climate and the economy. India has a rich heritage that can be seen through their dresses especially wedding gowns.

Indian brides can choose from different options such as gowns, Saree, Salwar Kameez, Churidar suit, Shararas, and Lehangas. These can be designed in various styles and patterns. There are different factors to be considered when designing a gown such as depending on the time of the wedding. Designers must be aware as well of the latest trends in Indian wedding customs to design appropriately the gowns at the same time the gown is still stylish and elegant. These types of gowns have lively and bright colors with different patterns and well decorated dresses. Most of the colors used in Hindu weddings are yellow, gold, red, blue, green, orange and maroon. It depicts the traditional custom of India. These gowns can be worn with crystals, jewels, hand made flowers customized to match with the gown.

A type of wedding gown is the Shararas which is an elegant long, ankle length skirts with blouse. Another one is the Lehengas that can fit in any body type that can be created in different styles and patterns that will suit the bride. This amazing gown boosts the natural beauty of the Indian bride. In this modern time, brides are can choose a Lehenga off the rack.

Another extremely elegant dress that can be worn as a wedding gown is the Saree. It shows the beauty and the femininity of the Indian women through its prints and colors. Most designers apply modern patterns that fit the new generation of Indian brides. Sarees can be expensive depending on the materials used. It can be made of satin, tulle, chiffon, lace or silk with embroidery.

The use of gold with Indian wedding gowns is usually worn on such special occasion. It is believed that ornaments made of gold have the power to purify all that it touches. Adornments in the form of other metals and gold can be combined with precious and semi-precious stones, beads and gems. By tradition, these Indian ornaments are economic status symbols which are worn both men and women. These ornaments play important role in the wedding ceremony because it is usually given to the bride at her wedding from her father.

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Want to Know the Origin of Body Piercing? Go Back in Time

Submitted By: Stewart Wrighter
One might think of piercing as an invention of modern age. But the history of body piercing can be traced back to thousands of years. The practice has suddenly resurfaced and grown more popular in the modern era. With sterilization pouches to sterilize ornaments and scales or a digital scale to weigh them, the process has become speedier. However, in ancient times, it was not this fast.

Perhaps, it was due to the plain reason that the practice was common in jungle tribes. Some of the religious castes in India and the Pharaohs are also known to have a deep indulgence in this practice. This means that it was mostly a part of some religious ritual. Apart from this, body piercing is a means to reflect personal expression.

Besides, it was carried as a symbol to distinguish the royals from a common man. In recent times, it is more of a style statement than any discerning element. As for the Egyptians, this was an exclusive privilege enjoyed by the royals. If anyone apart from the pharaohs attempted to get their navels pierced, they were punished.

Only the wealthy Egyptians had the right to get their body pierced. It was a means to exhibit their power and highlight their beauty. Moreover, they were interested in wearing elaborate enameled and gold earrings as they are the elements of nature.

It was not just the Egyptians, but the Romans were also involved in the art of body piercing. In this case, the reason was not just appeal, but to show commitment. It was a mark of loyalty that the centurions showed towards the Roman Empire which helped in uniting the army soldiers. Even Julius Caesar got his body pierced to show his prowess.

Also the Aztecs, Mayan civilization and a number of American Indians were involved in tongue piercing. It was basically a part of their religious ceremonies. According to them body piercing was a means to please their gods. In this regard, tongue piercing became an important ritual to show closeness to their gods. Moreover, the process of piercing was also a kind of ceremonial blood offering.

Another unique form of piercing was prevalent in some primordial tribes of New Guinea and Solomon Islands. They used bones, tusks and feathers as ornaments to beautify their bodies. This kind of piercing was conducted in a grand manner.

Even today, the girls in some African tribes get their ear, lip and nose pierced. This enables them to wear some sacred ornaments which are believed to protect them against evil spirits. It was also an identification mark to show an association to their tribe.

Some tribal cultures also employed this practice to get their ear lobes and ear rims pierced. Piercing of ears was, and is still common in North India, Egypt and African tribes. In Africa, for instance, some girls wear lip plugs when they get married.

To wrap it up, history is replete with examples that reveal the existence of body piercing in various cultures. However, today it is part of fashion. In any case, if you wish to get your body pierced, make sure the person knows the art.

READ MORE - Want to Know the Origin of Body Piercing? Go Back in Time

Tiwanaku Alien and the Nazca Lines

Submitted By: Morten St. George
A few years ago I saw a directory listing with a description of something like: "I was abducted by aliens last summer. It really happened." Though I had a lot of interest in aliens, I did not even consider visiting that website. Of course, if this person was genuinely abducted by aliens, I would want to read about it but I have learned from experience that there was almost no chance of this being a true story. In some ways it is wonderful that humankind has advanced to the point of ignoring all the nonsense and quackery. On the other hand, if anyone really did have contact with an alien, it would be almost impossible to get any attention.

Case in point are drawings coming out of the Andean region of South America and dating from early medieval times. Here I am not referring to the famous lines of Nazca (Nasca) which could have a non-alien explanation. I am referring to the drawings of the city of Tiwanaku (Tiahuanaco) in the Bolivian highlands. In Tiwanaku, we do not find geoglyphs (ground drawings) but direct depictions of the alien himself. It does not take a lot of imagination to envision a four-fingered creature (the face is clearly non-human) wearing an astronaut's helmet with transparent visor. One engraving has twenty fish-head symbols overwhelmingly indicating that this creature was an aquatic. Indeed, it is easy to imagine that the astronaut's helmet was filled with water. Tiwanaku drawings strongly imply that this creature was a fish.

Enter the cynics: "They ate fish and made a drawing of the local fisherman." Archaeologists have determined that Tiwanaku was an agricultural community but, true, Lake Titicaca is only some twenty kilometers away. Fortunately, not all the depictions of the alleged alien display fish head symbols. In some, the fish heads are gone and replaced with condor heads (symbolic of flight). Hence, this creature was not only a fish, it was a flying fish, whence it became a sky god, the sky god of the Andes. No doubt, the cynics will now counter, with total disdain for the intelligence of the Andean peoples: "They ate birds too, and this is the local bird hunter."

Depictions of the Andean sky god are found not only in Tiwanaku, Bolivia, but also in Nazca, Peru, where he turns up not in the geoglyphs but on their pottery dating from the same epoch. The city of Tiwanaku is much older than the Nazca Lines but archaeologists have noted stages of development. The timing of Tiwanaku's sky-god phase does indeed correspond with the timing of the Nazca Lines, and the Nazca depiction is close enough to the Tiwanaku depiction that we can conclude that these sky gods are one and the same. This has always been the major hurdle for alien theories about the Nazca Lines: lots of ground drawings to be viewed from the sky but no depiction of the aliens. If you want to know for whom they made the lines, don't look on the ground. Look at their pottery.

The Nazca drawing displays a small cross-like instrument (also found in Tiwanaku drawings) on the alien's chest and a loudspeaker-like instrument, perhaps reflecting that the aquatic sky god was able to learn the Andean languages and communicate with them. Looking beyond the cultural boom of the century following the alien's visit, there is reason to believe that the Andean cosmological view of the night sky as made up of constellations of dark nebulae, rather than constellations of stars like in the rest of the world, was a derivative of direct communication with the alien.

But there is one critical difference between the Tiwanaku drawings and the Nazca drawing. In the Nazca drawing, the alien is depicted with human-like feet, though the fish heads just above the feet and looking down suggest that these are not really human feet but fish feet. Nonetheless, no Tiwanaku depiction of their sky god shows the alien with feet that even remotely resemble human feet (feet are seen only in depictions of animal and human symbolization of the alien's qualities, never on the sky god himself) and in fact their direct drawings of the alien display no feet at all. That makes sense. The alien didn't have feet but rather an aquatic tail that dragged behind it and hence was not visible from a frontal view. Thus, the artists of Nazca made the pottery drawing from one of Tiwanaku's frontal image depictions that happened to reach them, and then they merely improvised the feet. In other words, it is very likely that the people of Nazca never saw the sky god directly else they would have known better.

So what did the alien's fish feet really look like? That's easy to answer. While the people of Nazca never saw the alien up close, the people of Tiwanaku sure did and they provide us with plenty of drawings. The alien had an aquatic tail that split into three appendages, and each appendage ended in a pod with three toe-like protrusions. In one drawing, the alien's arms are raised up as it is about to launch itself into the air. Apparently, the displayed hand-held devices are providing the power, likely an anti-gravitational field around the alien as its tail (lighter than the body) is rising first. The left and right pods are displayed upward and outwards while the middle pod of the alien's tail is depicted up above the alien's head. This also explains why we don't find drawings of any type of landing craft. To all appearances, the alien didn't use landing craft. It simply put on its water-filled space suit, grabbed hold of its powerful instruments, and then spiraled down to Earth (the Andeans made so many drawings of spirals that we have to conclude that the alien descended from the sky in a spiral motion, like water funneling down a drain).

The artists of Tiwanaku also made drawings displaying the alien's tri-pod tail intact. These drawings resemble the Candelabro geoglyph found on a cliff facing the sea in Paracas, Peru. Evidently, the people of Paracas believed the aquatic sky god lived in the sea, from where it emerged to take off into flight. However, as already suggested, it is plausible if not likely that the people of Tiwanaku believed the sky god came from the dark clouds of deep space.

The Tiwanaku "on-liftoff" drawing adds more symbolism of note, namely human heads (a symbol of intelligence) attached to the alien's head. The people of Nazca also knew that this fish was intelligent. One of the Nazca geoglyphs displays a human head attached to the head of the fish. But this is just an ordinary fish and looks nothing like the alien. Surely, if they had seen the alien, they could have done better than that. In a sharp departure from what I have stated in the past, I no longer believe that the people of Nazca had direct contact with the alien. More likely, stories about the sky god (as well as the frontal image) came down to them from the mountains and they made those geoglyphs only to attract that sky god to them and to guide it to them. In other words, that massive project in the desert was for a sky god they never saw. But we should not be too critical of them. For example, contemporary Christians are building churches all around the world.

In specific, the Nazca pottery drawing depicts the middle pod up above the alien's head, just like the Tiwanaku drawings, but by attaching human-like feet to the creature they clearly did not know what it was. The people of Nazca had to have been in possession of a Tiwanaku image, perhaps brought to them by a "missionary" from the Tiwanaku civilization.

Some of our scientists would have us believe that the ancient peoples of Nazca flew around in hot-air balloons, hence they made those ground drawings to help sell balloon-ride tickets. Don't believe them!

Archaeological evidence from the Andes overwhelming supports the theory of contact with an alien. There are dozens of surviving images of the alien from Tiwanaku alone. In great detail, these drawings depict the alien's fish-like face and mouth, its reptile-like eyes, its astronaut helmet replete with sunlight reflectors around the visor and air bubbles inside the visor, its four-fingered hands, its tri-pod tail, its front-mounted voice transmitter, not to mention those hand-held instruments that suddenly contracted and split open upon liftoff up into the sky.

Turning a blind eye to all this evidence, our scientists continue to propose one ludicrous non-alien theory after another. I read about a new one just a few months ago. It seems that scientists from National Geographic came up with conclusive proof that the Nazca Lines have nothing to do with aliens: they found that some of the lines point to water sources. I saw just a brief clip so I don't know how they explained the circular-type drawings (which obviously point to nowhere) or explained how the people of Nazca managed to get airborne in order to follow the lines. Nonetheless, this may be the first scientific theory to make a little sense. It is only logical that the people of Nazca would want the lines to point to water. After all, as we just noted, this flying alien was a fish!

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Vintage Men’s Knitwear: Putting the Gran in Torino

Submitted By: Nigel Cooper
Men’s Knitwear. Just the mere mention of the phrase can induce an involuntary smirk on a man’s lips. And admittedly, it’s not without at least a foundation in sartorial ill-advisedness. How many dads have spent Christmas Day in the reindeer jumpers they were bought, only to revisit the indignity every time the photo album comes out? And what about the inelegance displayed by golfers, Question of Sport contestants and dodgy TV chat show hosts of yesteryear? And that’s not to mention those now openly mocked knitting pattern covers where clean cut gents point to the middle distance or sit on a stile modelling their amazing creations.

So yes, extolling the virtues of men’s knitwear is an uphill struggle. But at least you know you’ll be properly dressed when you reach the top.

The trick to carrying off the woollen look is to check your fashion history books. You’ll see that the much maligned aspect of knitwear is only a drop in the ocean, and there are plenty of cool looks that involve knitwear.

First off, it’s utterly acceptable these days to follow your inner geek and throw yourself into tasteless knits, whatever your inner style guru (or the opening paragraph above) tells you. Accompanied by a big pair of glasses whether you need them or not, the look has humour and maybe even courage, and will certainly turn heads.

Withdrawing a little from full attention grabbing, the 1950s preppy look is one that never leaves the style undercurrent. Think Dead Poets Society or Happy Days and you’ll get the image: cardigans and tank tops, tastefully inconspicuous and actually quite cool. Plenty of genuine articles are available in vintage clothing stores if you want to throw yourself into the look completely.

The 1970s gave us a true knitwear icon when Paul Michael Glaser, a.k.a. Starsky, with his partner Hutch (played by David Soul), fought California crime by sliding over the hood of their Ford Gran Torino until they got their man. Sliding was facilitated immensely by the long chunky cream and brown patterned cardigan he so adored, its chunkiness saying “man of action” in a way that knitwear can easily fail to do.

Knitwear made a reappearance in the 1990s with the grunge look. This time the knit was chunky and colourful, designed to keep its wearer warm during festivals and enjoying life as a New Age Traveller. Unapologetically informal, this look was accompanied by combat trousers, boots and dreadlocks for a slightly rugged hippy vibe.

Nowadays, of course, the men’s knitted sweater is everywhere, and has shrugged off the old image of suburban husbands reading the Daily Mail in their conservatories. Shows like Friends helped make light knitwear fashionable in an age of layering, pulled off with equal aplomb by fussy Ross, professional Chandler and hunky Joey. Simple and body-shaped, this style remains in vogue and looks set to stick around.

So there’s men’s knitwear and there’s men’s knitwear. Dozens of looks can be achieved, from sensible to rebellious, and without doubt the knitwear a man chooses says an awful lot about his personality and his aspirations. Just don’t mention Alan Partridge.

READ MORE - Vintage Men’s Knitwear: Putting the Gran in Torino

The History of Jeans & Levis Strauss

Submitted By: Ian Grainger
Perhaps the most famous clothing brand name in the world, Levi Strauss & Co. were the inventors of blue denim jeans. Here’s how it happened.

In the mid 1800s during the California Gold Rush a young German immigrant travelled to San Francisco with the intention of opening a West Coast branch of his brother’s New York dry goods business.

That young man’s name was Levi Strauss. Upon his arrival he was asked by a gold prospector what he was selling. Upon being told he was selling rough canvas for tents and wagons the prospector said he should be selling pants, as he couldn’t find any that were strong enough to last.

The comment clearly registered with Strauss. Instead of selling his canvas for tent-making, he turned them into waist high overalls. While they proved popular with miners they complained of chafing so Strauss turned to a French twilled cotton cloth called “serge de Nimes” – from which we get the now common term “denim”. That was in 1853 and Levis Strauss & Company was founded.

Twenty years later the company began using a design with stitched pockets. Working with Nevada tailor David Jacobs, Strauss developed the process for putting metal rivets in the ‘jeans’ for strength.

On May 20, 1873, they received U.S.Patent No.139,121 for the process and that date is now considered the official birthday of "blue jeans."

The company has gone from strength to strength and has several noteworthy landmarks in its history. These include the time they created a denim tuxedo for Bing Crosby after the crooner was almost refused entry to a hotel due to wearing Levi’s jeans and the fact that legendary rodeo star Pancho Villa wore only Levi’s for his somewhat crazy performances with Brahma bulls, in which he was often tossed and gored!

Today the company, which still has its headquarters in San Francisco, California, employs over 11,000 people and boasts revenues of over $4 billion a year, yet are still owned by descendents of Levis Strauss.

As well as the world famous Levi’s brand, Levis Strauss & Co. also has Dockers and Signature by Levis Strauss as brands, selling a range of Levi’s clothing apart from the blue denim jeans.

Levis Strauss & Co is almost as famous for its advertising campaigns as it is its jeans. They have successfully used old, forgotten songs in their television adverts only to see the songs re-popularised and sell again.

Such songs include “When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge, recorded in 1966 and used in 1987 by Levis Strauss – it made number two in the UK charts that year!

“The Joker” by the Steve Miller band was used in 1990 – 13 years after its original release – to advertise Levi’s clothing and it topped the UK chart!

Apart from Levi Strauss’ own stores, Levi’s clothing, including Dockers and Signature by Levis Strauss, are sold in hundreds of different outlets all over the world, underlining the continued popularity of the humble blue jeans, originally designed in 1853 to be hard wearing clothing for miners.

They’ve come a long way!

READ MORE - The History of Jeans & Levis Strauss

Weaponry From Hawaii

Submitted By: Rene Thompson
Much of ancient Hawaiian history remains unknown, from the legend of the tiki Gods to where the people themselves originated. Europeans' insight into this unique culture began only a few centuries ago, leaving earlier history shrouded in history. One of our first accounts of Hawaii comes from Captain James Cook, who wrote about the islands after stopping there in 1778.

Among the many insights he offered into Hawaiian culture was the relative brutality and the weaponry he encountered in his explorations, which had never before been seen in Europe. The feudal culture of Ancient Hawaii was no doubt a dangerous place. Modern scholars believe that ancient Hawaiian warriors would probably have given the Spartans a run for their money. Those warriors, called “Koa,” utilized a wide range of clubs, pikes, spears, daggers and throwing axes.

One of the most dangerous weapons in the arsenal of the Koa was the warrior himself. The unique martial art practiced by these warriors, known as Lua, was developed to completely incapacitate or kill an opponent. Lua incorporates a variety of strikes and jabs deigned to break bones and take advantage of pressure points. As a martial art, Lua is considered sacred, and warriors were forbidden to teach the art to outsiders. This ancient martial art was practiced in loin cloths; the Koa did not wear armor, but rather shaved and lathered their bodies before battle in order to increase their advantage in hand-to-hand fighting.

The weapons used by the Koa, though somewhat primitive, also seem inventive and ingenious. One of the most unusual weapons carried by these warriors was a shark-toothed club. Used primarily as a slashing weapon, rather than as a club, some of these clubs featured as many as thirty shark teeth, carefully embedded in the edges of the weapon. These clubs could cause a great deal of damage at close range, and were the preferred weapon of nobles.

Other weapons included a variety of tripping weapons, known as “pikoi.” Pikoi were, essentially, clubs attached to long cords. Once an opponent was on the ground, the Koa could utilize their wide variety of daggers, or “pahi.” These daggers are unique to Hawaii and the Polynesian Islands. The daggers seem to be as unique as the individual warriors who wielded them. Some daggers incorporated Marlin spikes or shark teeth, while others had curved or blunted blades.

Long before a melee, the Koa could attack their enemies from a distance of up to 200 yards with volcanic rock flung from a leather sling. The dense volcanic rock could be crafted into precise missiles, and seems to have been far more effective that arrows. Although the ancient Hawaiians did possess bows, they used them solely for the purpose of hunting, not as weaponry during battle. Javelins and spears were also used to attack the enemy from afar. The Koa had a variety of spears and pikes that were of varying length, depending on their intended use.

The Koa warriors have left behind a number of weapons that are as beautiful as they are deadly. The weapons, carved from the hard wood of the Koa tree, were decorated with shark teeth, feathers and intricate carving. This extensive list of weapons leaves little doubt that the ancient Hawaiians were fierce warriors.

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Celebrations in the Muslim World

Submitted By: Ronald Fisackerly
I am far from an expert in the Islamic faith. I was raised Anglican Catholic and my expertise in my own faith is lacking, let alone a faith I am only beginning to try to understand. I raised my children in the Anglican faith and now that they are adults, each has made their personal choice as to faith.

Surprisingly, to me anyhow, my eldest son converted to Islam about two years ago. This roused my here-to-for dormant interest in the Islamic faith. To further clarify, my interest in Islamic holidays was peaked when I realized that my son was not celebrating Christmas (understandable), New Years, birthdays, and other celebrations he had grown up with. This seemed to be with or without regard to their significance with respect to the Christian faith.

I don’t know if you have ever read the Quran. It is relatively brief in comparison to the King James Version of the Bible. The Quran has 114 Surahs (chapters for lack of a better word). Many professing the Islamic faith have memorized it and I am given to understand that committing the Quran to memory is everyone’s goal. But I digress! What, if anything, do the Islamic faithful celebrate?

My research revealed 2 great celebrations or festivals in the Islamic faith. They are 'Idul-Fitr and 'Idul-Adha. I will describe for you, to the best of my ability, the meaning and timing of each of these.

The first, 'Idul-Fitr, ("Festival of the Breaking of the Fast") occurs at the end of Ramadan. Ramadan, by way of explanation, is the 9th lunar month in the Arabic calendar, and this month was always known as Ramadan even before the existence of Islam. In the Islamic faith, this month is devoted to fasting from dawn to sunset each day. The fasting includes abstaining from food, water, and sexual relations. Additional elements of devotion are expected as well, such as reading the entire Quran, seeking forgiveness of past sins and performing good deeds, to name a few. The basis for Ramadan as a month of fasting and retrospection is Surah 2, verse 185, for those who might have an interest in further research. The celebration of 'Idul-Fitr has the following components:

* Donations to the poor
* Celebrants wear the best clothes (often new) that they have available
* Early morning communal prayers
* Feasting and visiting relatives and friends

The second, 'Idul-Adha, (Festival of Sacrifice) occurs on the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the twelfth month in the Arabic calendar. This festival acknowledges Abraham’s (Ibrihim’s) willingness to obey God’s (Allah’s) command to Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael, his only son. The celebration of 'Idul-Adha has the following components:

* Recite the Takbir ("God is Great") before prayer on the first day and after prayers on each of the succeeding three days of the festival

* Celebrants wear their best clothes
* Sacrifice an animal for food or donate money for the purchase of food and share with the poor so that no one goes hungry

These are the two principal celebrations in the Islamic faith and of course, there is significantly more to learn about them than I can possibly provide in the brief span of this article, but I hope I have succeeded in giving you some insight into these Islamic celebrations.

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Africa Etymology

Submitted By: Andrew Keet
Africa’s origin is steeped in mystery, effectively carried along the generations by those who valued their heritage and desired to continue the legends and tales that defined their culture to such a significant extent. The origin of its very name is filled with intrigue and presents many different theories.

“Afri” was associated with the Phoenician afar “dust” and was used as the name for the society of people living near Carthage (an ancient city near Tunis) in northern Africa. Their existence was first noted during the Punic Wars (between 264 and 146 before our Common Era or BCE). These three wars were the largest of their time, fought between the Roman Empire and Carthage. They were a battle over space between the well established Carthage and the ever-expanding Rome. Rome was ultimately victorious. When this happened, Carthage became the capital of the Roman province of Africa (which was, in part, made up of the coastal section of Libya). The Roman suffix to denote a country was “-ca” and this was thus added to “Afri”. The Arabians of that time converted this name to “Ifriqiya” in Latin. In Algeria, this name still exists, as is evident by such areas as Ifira and Ifri-n-Dellal.

Another theory is that the word originates from Berber, a group of languages spoken in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and Egypt, as well as parts of Niger, Mali, the Sahara and northern Sahel. The Berber word “ifri” means “cave” and is thought to have referred to the numerous cave dwellers (or cavemen) of the time. These North African folk were called Garamantes in Greek, although the name they bore for themselves remains unknown. This society boasted an efficient underground irrigation system and left many valuable rock paintings that revealed their way of life and values.

Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian who lived and worked in the first century of our Common Era. He hypothesised that the name “Africa” originated from the grandson of Abraham, recorded in the Hebrew scriptures of the Christian Bible at Genesis 25:4. This grandson, Epher, and his descendents invaded Libya (according to Josephus).

Joannes Leo Africanus, on the other hand, suggested that the Greek work phrike (φρίκη), meaning “cold and horror”, was prefixed by “a-” to indicate its opposite; i.e. “without cold and horror”. This would create the name to define this warm and inviting land. Africanus was a historian and Arabic diplomat that lived between 1488 and 1554 and used this nickname in much of his writings. However, his birth name was Al Hassan Ibn Muhammad Al Wazzan.

Another interesting theory was established by Massey in 1881. The Egyptian term “Ka” referred to every person’s energy, a non-fleshly double that defined your being (much the same as the Christian term, soul). The “opening of the Ka” then referred to the mother’s womb or the child’s birthplace and was held as a very special and honoured concept. The Egyptian word “af-rui-ka” literally means “to turn towards the opening of the Ka”, and recognises Africa as the birthplace of their earliest ancestors.

The theories outlined above are only some of those held by esteemed historians and archaeologists. Africa boasts a reputation of unanswered questions, lending it an air of intrigue on many different levels. No one name could define this continent in its entirety and no one definition could do such diversity justice.

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Islamic Wedding Traditions

Submitted By: Ronald Fisackerly
There is a tremendous cultural diversity within the Islamic world. This diversity is also reflected in wedding ceremonies, which vary from region to region and sect to sect. My purpose here is to find the common threads in Islamic weddings as practiced today.

The Islamic marriage is known as Nikaah, which, incidentally, is from the Arabic word akd for “to unite”. Marriage in the Islamic faith is not only a social agreement but also a legal contract. This implies a “sterile”, perhaps even “cold” ceremony. This is not the case. Beyond the actual formalities that must be met, Muslim weddings are actually quite festive.

The first thing I wanted to learn was who officiates an Islamic marriage since Islam does not recognize any official clergy. I was surprised to learn that any Muslim with a thorough understanding of Islamic tradition may perform the wedding ceremony. Many, however, choose to engage the services of a marriage officer, called qazi. He acts as the supervisor of the marriage.

The formalities of the wedding are threefold, consisting of the proposal, the mahr and the nikaah.

The proposal frequently goes beyond the man asking the woman for her hand in marriage, it extends to her family also. Islam does not require this but it is considered an act of respect to the woman and to her family and is strongly encouraged.

The mahr is, in its simplest terms, a gift, freely given, to the bride by her husband. Unlike the proposal, this is mandated by the Quran in Surah 4:4. Quoting from Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s English translation, “And give the women (on marriage) their dower as a free gift; but if they, of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, take it and enjoy it with right good cheer.” Clearly, the mehr is a gift to the bride. In the course of my research, I discovered conflicting traditions that suggested the gift was to the bride’s family. Dower, by definition, is a gift from the groom to the bride. I believe these are cultural differences, but, bottom-line, such gifts to the family are not mandated in the Quran. The mehr is thought to be an insurance policy of sorts, to provide for the financial security of the bride in the event of the death of the husband or divorce. The couple, not the parents, must agree upon the mehr. The mehr is the bride’s right as stated in the Quran and it is a gift, freely given and not the bride’s price.

The nikaah ceremony, the equivalent of vows, is very simple and straightforward. The bride says, I have given my self away in Nikaah to you, on the agreed Mahr.” The groom immediately responds, “I have accepted the Nikaah.” The marriage contract is signed and they become man and wife.

In some cultures, the wedding festivities last five days. Day one is dinner with the girl’s family and day two is dinner with the boy’s family. Day three is the Mehendi ceremony, which is for the bride and her female friends. This ceremony typically takes place at the bride’s home. Mehendi (henna) patterns are used to adorn the feet and hands of the bride. Day four is the actual Nikaah ceremony. Day five, the couple dines with the bride’s parents and the groom’s family hosts a feast (Valimah) for friends and family.

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Antique Lamps – a Greek Subject Lamp of Gods and Men

Submitted By: Maurice Robertson
(Culture)

With the exception of porcelain and pottery of the period, when we see these colours today, they appear as pastels.(CultuRe) We forget that these objects have been exposed to over 200 years of sunlight with original interiors having long since faded.

From about 1800, European archeology was “discovering” ancient Greece, with new design elements being literally brought to the surface! In 1806, Lord Elgin transported architectural elements of the Parthenon from Athens to London; events like this having the effect of lifting neoclassicism to new heights. Many artists were now taking the path to Greece and a steady flow of sketches and engravings were now making their way north. The style swept across Europe, now variously known in France, as the Neo-Grec and Empire style, in England as the Regency style and in Russia as Empire style, with its influence felt not only in architecture and design, but in literature, theatre and music.Antique Lamps – a Greek Subject Lamp of Gods and Men


The Greek revival had a profound influence on architecture, an influence which lasted well into the 19th century. In fact, it was not until the 1840’s that the term “Greek Revival” was used, believing to have been first used by Charles Cockerell, Professor of Architecture, in a lecture delivered to the Royal Society in 1842.

The style lasted well into the 1860’s, especially in North America. The revival saw the construction of many banks, courthouses and other large public buildings including private houses designed on the grand scale. From an architectural perspective, it was held to reflect intellect, prosperity and stability, with the use of grand porticos supported by stately columns, reminiscent of Greek temples.

With the decorative arts, the revival was again strengthened in the 1860-1870 period. At this date, of course, we are talking of the high Victorian period, with design now characterised by a Victorian robustness. Throughout this late revival decade, art and design again swung toward the neoclassical, although this time without the early 19th century slenderness and elegant fine lines.

This article is illustrated with a French lamp from the late revival period and includes its formal description -:

A very rare, French, 19th century, black matte glazed, terra cotta lamp decorated with a classical Greek subject. The lamp derived from the style of the Bucchero, Etruscan, terra cotta vases of classical Greek antiquity, circa 500 B.C. These vases, characteristically painted with highly glazed black figures on a grey-black ground.

The lamp of amphora shape, an oval body with a narrow neck and curved handles. The amphora supported on a short socle and standing on a circular base. This shape was introduced by the “Bucchero potter”, Nikosthenes in about 530 B.C

The subject of the decoration, Triptolemus, the legendary mortal of Greek mythology, much favoured by the gods. Demeter, goddess of agriculture, consecrates Triptolemus, the son of Celeus, “King of Eleusis”. Demeter, with her daughter, Persephone, Goddess of Spring Growth, instructing him in the art of agriculture. From Triptolemus the rest of Greece learned to plant and reap crops.

Triptolemus flew across the land in a winged chariot, a gift of the goddesses, to complete his mission. The decoration with highly glazed black figures, shows Triptolemus seated in his winged chariot and holding his attribute, a sceptre of ears of corn, the goddess Demeter passing him implements of agriculture.

The reverse side of the lamp decorated with Demeter, the grain and fertility goddess and Persephone, goddess of Spring growth and Queen of the underworld, the goddesses holding Eleusinian torches and sheaves of wheat. Demeter shown standing by her altar, within the temple, built in her honour by Triptolemus.

The lamp standing on a custom made stepped, circular, gold plated, bronze base, the base rim enamelled in black. The lamp cap of custom made, gold plated bronze.

The lamp shown with a company, custom made, box pleated lamp shade in black and terra cotta silk.

Circa 1865 Overall height including shade 23" / 58.5cm

The lamp produced in Greek Etruscan style, with a black matte ground selectively polished to produce the classical Greek subject. This example also demonstrates the attention to detail and quality of workmanship of this Victorian expansionist period.

The descriptive term, “neoclassical” giving way to the term “Greek revival” and accepted as being prominent from c1765 – c1870, saw the rebirth of classical Greek architectural elements, extending into the decorative arts, interior design, literature and music.

This elegant, fine lined style has never been surpassed and is constantly revisited by every aspect of design, architectural, interior design and fashion.

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Feng Shui Fish Amulets and Aquariums

Submitted By: James Brickman
(Culture)

Feng shui fish are a very popular amulet.(CultuRe) The word “fish” and the word “happiness” sound the same in Chinese. The Chinese often give living fish for the New Year to bring happiness in the coming year.

Fish also drive away misfortune, as it’s one of the good signs in the Buddha’s footprint. The image of a pair of fish is often embroidered on curtains, cushions, linen, and clothes. This amulet has a strong protective energy. In Thailand, children often wear these talismans on their necks (these charms are usually made of gold and precious stones).Feng Shui Fish Amulets and Aquariums

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