Showing posts with label UK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UK. Show all posts
Sunday, March 17, 2013
The History of Saint Patrick's Day
March 17th is when we celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. Once only an Irish religious celebration, it changed though times and became a funny and happy holiday that celebrates the Irish culture and heritage in different parts of the world. Read the article bellow and learn more about it! And, of course, have a happy St. Patrcik's Day you all!
Who was Saint Patrick?
The patron saint and national apostle of Ireland, Saint Patrick has been historically credited with formalizing the presence of Christianity in Ireland during the 5th century AD. He is said to have abolished the Druid's pagan rites and converted and baptized their warrior chiefs.
The Shamrock
Legend tells that the Irish apostle used the shamrock to explain the Christian concept of the Trinity to potential converts. The three leaves of the shamrock, which today is a popular symbol of the St. Patrick's Day holiday, were used to represent the father, the son, and the holy spirit.
St. Patrick's death
There are multiple accounts of the location and events leading to Saint Patrick's death. One fact is unanimously accepted, however: Saint Patrick died on March 17. Since that day, Irish Catholics have celebrated March 17th as a religious holiday.
Food & drink
Because St. Patrick's Day occurs during the Christian Lent period, religious families would have been prohibited from consuming meat and alcohol. However, these prohibitions were waived on St. Patty's Day, allowing even the most pious to celebrate the day with a traditional feast of Irish bacon and cabbage and some spirits.
St. Patrick's Day today
Unlike in Ireland, the United States has always had secular celebrations of St. Patrick's Day, dating back as far as 1737 when Boston held its first St. Patrick's Day parade. Today, people of all denominations and religious backgrounds celebrate the holiday by drinking green beer, wearing green clothing, adorning shamrock pins and attending parades.
Some of the most famous U.S. celebrations include the St. Patty's Day parades in Boston, New York and Chicago, which are attended by close to a million people each year - with many millions more enjoying them on TV.
St. Patrick's Day History - Video
Now that you know a few facts about St. Patrick, check out this funny animation telling his history:
To learn more: Saint Patrick's Day (Wikipedia article)
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Marcadores:
celebration dates,
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Ireland,
Saint Patrick's Day,
UK,
USA
Friday, January 11, 2013
Soccer or Football?
The question seems obvious, but it can be a bit tricky. And the answer is: it depends where you are!
If you're in the U.S.A, so Football is a game for strong men that have to cross a field carrying the ball with their hands and, yes, they can try a field goal by kicking the ball. A lot different from SOCCER the sport in which the players have to use their feet and only the goalkeeper can hold the ball with his hands.
But in the U.K. and the rest of the English speaking world, FOOTBALL is the sport played by stars like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The British are considered the creators of modern FOOTBALL and they have traditional clubs, such as, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, although England has won the World Cup only once.
Football (or soccer in Brazil)
Talking about that, Brazil is the greatest World Cup champion and it is going to hold the next World Cup in 2014. The name of the sport in Portuguese is 'futebol', an adaptation of the English word 'football'.  |
| Charles Miller |
Football was brought to Brazil by an Englishmen named Charles Miller in 1984. In the beginning the word 'football' was used to refer to the game, and other English words were used to talk about the sport. And some early clubs that became very popular through the years incorporated English terms to their names, generating curious combinations, such as 'Sport Club Corinthians Paulista' and "Grêmio de Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense".
As you can see, English might be very different from Portuguese but it's influence is big even in Brazil's most popular sport.
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Sunday, December 23, 2012
Following J.R.R. Tolkien's footsteps in Oxford, UK
Now that Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" is on theaters, I felt like sharing this amazing experience I had while staying in Oxford, UK, for an exchange program.
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| An edition on "The Hobbit" left by a fan at Tolkien's grave |
Oxford is renowned because of the University of Oxford, one the most important educational institutions in the world. Founded in 1231, the University is also famous because of the stupendous architecture of its colleges (the buildings of each department at the University).
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| Radcliffe Camera, the Heart of the University of Oxford |
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| A sign showing the way to Tolkien's grave |
For example, in the Exeter College, where Tolkien studied, you'll find this statue in his memory.
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| Tolkien's statue in the Exeter College |
Another nice place for visiting is the pub "The Eagle and Child", where J.R.R. Tolkien used to meet with other intellectuals in a group called "Inklings".
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| Eagle and Child, Tolkien's favourite pub |
Among them, there was another important fantasy writer: C.S. Lewis, author of "The Cronicles of Narnia", what makes the pub a 'must visit' place.
When we got to Tolkien's grave, we were a bit disappointed cause it was a little bit messy. If it weren't for some 'gifts' left there by some fans, you couldn't tell that there lays one of the most important authors ever.
So, we did the only thing we could do: we respectfully cleaned it and rearranged the fans' itens, and I think it got a little better, as you can see in the pictures bellow.
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| Tolkien's grave before and after the cleaning |
People are proud of what's meaningful to them. Maybe these episodes can be considered meaningless for some people, but they meant a lot for me.
"Not all those who wander are lost", once Tolkien wrote. And wandering through Oxford I found myself.
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Marcadores:
exchange,
Experience,
JRR Tolkien,
literature,
Oxford,
The Hobbit,
The Lord of the Rings,
Tolkien,
travel,
UK
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