Yesterday’s full moon, the closest to the September equinox, was the Harvest Moon. Our friend Pat / e-Quips published a wonderful post about it: you can read it here , and also Lara Ferri wrote about it in the post you can find here In the Northern Hemisphere the Harvest Moon is astronomically significant because… Read More Under the Harvest Moon
“We Three Kings”, is a Christmas carol whose lyrics and music were written by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. in 1857. (Here you can find lyrics and video)At the time Hopkins was an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church, and while serving as music director of the General Theological Seminary in New York City he composed… Read More “We Three Kings” (2. Commentary)
“Auld Lang Syne” is a traditional Scottish song with words attributed to the national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns, traditionally used to celebrate the start of the New Year.In 1788 Burns restored this song based on fragments of an old ballad and adding a few verses. He said he had transcribed it from “an old… Read More Auld Lang Syne
Hogmanay, the Scots word for the last day of the year, is a celebration that is sometimes considered even more important than Christmas in Scotland, and it is followed by further celebration on the morning of New Year’s Day and, in some cases, on 2 January, which is a bank holiday in Scotland.In the rest… Read More First Footer
11 November is Saint Martin’s day, also known as the Funeral of Saint Martin, because Saint Martin of Tours, who died on 8 November 397, was buried three days later. According to tradition, he cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm, to save him from the cold harsh winter.In… Read More Estate di San Martino/Indian Summer
Il “Fenomeno celeste di Basilea”, di cui ho scritto ieri (vedi qui: Guerre stellari) e avvenuto il 7 agosto 1566 venne interpretato al tempo in chiave in chiave mistico-teologica. Incisione di Samuel Koch che apparve sulla “Volantino di Basilea” – conservata presso la Biblioteca Centrale di Zurigo e che è stata oggetto di speculazioni nell’ambito… Read More Oggetti non identificati nella “Madonna della Neve” di Masolino da Panicale?
Oggi, 25 luglio, si celebra San Cristoforo, il patrono di viaggiatori e automobilisti, quello che una volta appariva su magneti e medagliette da tenere in macchina come protezione o portafortuna. Secondo la leggenda il santo gigante fece attraversare un fiume, trasportandolo sulle proprie spalle, il bambino che poi si sarebbe rivelato il Cristo. Il nome… Read More San Cristoforo (e i suoi fardelli)
La seconda domenica di luglio molte chiese cristiane celebrano la Giornata del Mare, istituita fin dal 1975 per ricordare i marittimi e le loro famiglie. 🌊 “Quando i miei pensieri sono ansiosi, inquieti e cattivi, vado in riva al mare, e il mare li annega e li manda via con i suoi grandi suoni larghi,… Read More Domenica del mare / Sea Sunday 🌊
Juneteenth, also called Emancipation Day, or Freedom Day, is an annual celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States It is observed annually on June 19 and its name is the linguistic blend of two words: June and nineteenth, a combination that is known as portmanteau word. On June 19, 1865, African Americans… Read More Juneteenth
La paura del numero 17, presente soprattutto nei paesi di origine greca o latina si chiama eptacaidecafobia (dal greco ἑπτακαίδεκα “diciassette” e φόβος phóbos, “paura”). Il 17 è un numero che viene associato al diluvio universale (originato secondo la Bibbia il diciassettesimo giorno del secondo mese dell’anno) e al fatto che nel Medio Evo sulle… Read More Venerdì 17, anno bisestile
