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First-foot
In Scottish, Northern English, and Manx folklore, the first-foot (, ) is the first person to enter the home of a household on New Year's Day and is seen as a bringer of good fortune for the coming year. Similar practices are also found in Greek, Vietnamese, and Georgian new year traditions. Origin The origins of first-footing are uncertain, although there may be a connection to the Viking Invasion of the British Isles: "This may go back to the time of Vikings when the arrival of a blond stranger at your door would be the cause of fear and alarm." Many customs of first-footing (bringing coal, knocking on doors, group singing Auld Lang Syne to pass from the old to the new) parallel those of Samhain, the Celtic celebration marking the end of the harvest season, in which people recited verses door-to-door in exchange for food, and lit ritual bonfires. Britain North of England The tradition of first-footing varies from place to place in the North of England. Generally, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hogmanay
Hogmanay ( , ) is the Scots language, Scots word for the last day of the old year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner. It is normally followed by further celebration on the morning of New Year's Day (1 January) and, in some cases, 2 January—a Bank holidays in Scotland, Scottish bank holiday. In a few contexts, the word Hogmanay is used more loosely to describe the entire period consisting of the last few days of the old year and the first few days of the new year. For instance, not all events held under the banner of Edinburgh's Hogmanay take place on 31 December. Customs vary throughout Scotland and usually include gift-giving and visiting the homes of friends and neighbours, with particular attention given to the first-foot, the first guest of the new year. Etymology The etymology of the word is obscure. The earliest proposed etymology comes from the 1693 ''Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence'', which held that the term was a corruption ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Bun
Black bun, sometimes known as Scotch bun, is a type of fruit cake completely covered with pastry. It is Scottish in origin, originally eaten on the Twelfth Night of Christmas, and now enjoyed at Hogmanay. The cake mixture typically contains raisins, currants, almonds, citrus peel, allspice, ginger, cinnamon and black pepper. It had originally been introduced following the return of Mary, Queen of Scots from France, but its original use at Twelfth Night ended with the Scottish Reformation. It was subsequently used for first-footing over Hogmanay. Description Black bun is a fruit cake wrapped in pastry. The cake itself is similar to a traditional Christmas cake or Christmas pudding mixture, including ingredients such as raisins and currants along with spices such as cinnamon, black pepper and allspice. It has been called a much bigger version of a Garibaldi biscuit, and it has been suggested that the latter's origin may have been influenced by the black bun because its i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manx Language
Manx ( or , or ), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Goidelic language, Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Manx is the heritage language of the Manx people. Although few children native to the Isle of Man speak Manx as a first language, there has been a steady increase in the number of speakers since the death of Ned Maddrell in 1974. He was considered to be the last speaker to grow up in a Manx-speaking community environment. Despite this, the language has never fallen completely out of use, with a minority having some knowledge of it as a heritage language, and it is still an important part of the island's Culture of the Isle of Man, culture and cultural heritage. Manx is often cited as a good example of language revitalization efforts; in 2015, around 1,800 people had varying levels of second-language conversational ability. Since the late 20th century, Manx has become more visible ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wassailing
The tradition of wassailing (also spelled wasselling) falls into two distinct categories: the house-visiting wassail and the orchard-visiting wassail. The house-visiting wassail, which traditionally occurs on the twelfth day of Christmastide known as Twelfth Night or Epiphany Eve (January 5), is the practice of people going door-to-door, singing and offering a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange for gifts; this practice still exists, but has largely been displaced by carol singing. The orchard-visiting wassail refers to the custom of visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year. Notable traditional wassailing songs include " Here We Come a-Wassailing", " Gloucestershire Wassail", and " Gower Wassail". Etymology According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', the word "wassail" originated as a borrowing from the Old Norse salutation ''ves heill,'' corresponding to Old English ''hál wes þ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manx People
The Manx ( ; ) are an ethnic group originating on the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea in Northern Europe. They belong to the diaspora of the Gaels, Gaelic ethnolinguistic group, which now populate the parts of the British Isles which once were the Kingdom of the Isles and Dál Riata. The Manx are governed through the Tynwald (''Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal''), the legislature of the island, which was introduced by Viking settlers over a thousand years ago. The native mythology and folklores of the Manx belong to the overall Celtic Mythology group, with Manannán mac Lir, the Mooinjer veggey, Buggane, Leanan sídhe, Lhiannan-Shee, Mermaid, Ben-Varrey and the Moddey Dhoo being prominent mythological figures on the island. Their language, Manx Gaelic (''Gaelg, Gailck'') is derived from Middle Irish, which was introduced by settlers that colonised the island from Gaelic Ireland. However, Manx gaelic later developed in isolation and belongs as a separate Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Gell (Manx Language Activist)
John Gell (18991983), also known as Jack Gell or Juan y Geill was a Manx speaker, teacher, and author who was involved with the revival of the Manx Language on the Isle of Man in the 20th century. His book ''Conversational Manx, A Series of Graded Lessons in Manx and English, with Phonetic Pronunciation'' has been used by learners of the Manx language since it was published in 1953. Early life Gell was born in Liverpool to Manx-speaking parents who chose to raise their children through English. He spend his childhood summers on the Isle of Man staying with relatives, describing the Island as being "truly heaven on earth to me in my youth". As a child Gell and his family lived in various towns around the North West of England such as West Kirby and Ellesmere Port. Despite winning a free place at the local grammar school, Gell left school at fifteen, and became an apprentice joiner like his father. Gell was conscripted into the British Army towards the end of the First World W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
House Blessing
House blessings (also known as house healings, house clearings, house cleansings and space clearing) are rites intended to protect the inhabitants of a house or apartment from misfortune, whether before moving into it or to "heal" it after an occurrence. Many religions have house blessings of one form or another. Christianity In Christianity, house blessing is an ancient tradition that can be found in Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, and some branches of Protestantism. In Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Methodism and Orthodoxy, they are usually performed by a pastor who may sprinkle holy water (depending on denominational tradition) as he walks through every room of the house, accompanied by the occupants of the house, whilst praying for the occupants. Christians of various denominations have traced with holy oil the sign of the cross onto lintels, doors or windows of their dwellings in order to invite God's blessing and protection on the home. Prayers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Serbian Christmas Traditions
Serbian Christmas traditions are customs and practices of the Serbs associated with Christmas and a period encompassing it, between the third Sunday before Christmas Day and Epiphany. Serbian Christmas is celebrated on January 7th. There are many, complex traditions connected with this period. They vary from place to place, and in many areas have been updated or watered down to suit modern living. The Serbian name for Christmas is ''Božić'' ( sr-Cyrl, Божић, pronounced ), which is the diminutive form of the word ''bog'' ("god"), and can be translated as "young god". Christmas is celebrated for three consecutive days, starting with Christmas Day, which the Serbs call the first day of Christmas.Christmas Day does not fall on the same day for the Serbs as for Western Christians, although they celebrate it on the same date–25 December. This is because the Serbian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian one used in the West. Since 1900, the Ju ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Svan Language
Svan ( ''lušnu nin''; ka, სვანური ენა, tr) is a Kartvelian languages, Kartvelian language spoken in the western Georgia (country), Georgian region of Svaneti primarily by the Svans, Svan people. With its speakers variously estimated to be between 30,000 and 80,000, the UNESCO designates Svan as a "definitely endangered language". It is of particular interest because it has retained many features that have been lost in the other Kartvelian languages. Features Familial features Like all languages of the Caucasian language family, Svan has a large number of consonants. It has agreement between subject and object, and a split ergativity, split-ergative Morphosyntactic alignment, morphosyntactic system. Verbs are marked for grammatical aspect, aspect, evidentiality and Kartvelian languages#Verb, "version". Distinguishing features Svan retains the voiceless uvular plosive, voiceless aspirated uvular plosive, , and the glides and . It has a larger vowel inventor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mingrelian Language
The Mingrelian or Megrelian language ( ) is a Kartvelian language spoken in Western Georgia (regions of Mingrelia and Abkhazia), primarily by the Mingrelians. Mingrelian has historically been only a regional language within the boundaries of historical Georgian states and then modern Georgia, and the number of younger people speaking it has decreased substantially, with UNESCO designating it as a "definitely endangered language". Distribution and status No reliable figure exists for the number of native speakers of Mingrelian, but it is estimated to be between 300,000 and 500,000. Most speakers live in the Mingrelia (or Samegrelo and formerly Odishi) region of Georgia, which comprises the Odishi Hills and the Colchis Lowlands, from the Black Sea coast to the Svan Mountains and the Tskhenistskali River. Smaller enclaves existed in Abkhazia, but the ongoing civil unrest there has displaced many Mingrelian speakers to other regions of Georgia. Their geographical distribution i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region on the coast of the Black Sea. It is located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia, and is today generally regarded as part of Europe. It is bordered to the north and northeast by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. Georgia covers an area of . It has a Demographics of Georgia (country), population of 3.7 million, of which over a third live in the capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city, Tbilisi. Ethnic Georgians, who are native to the region, constitute a majority of the country's population and are its titular nation. Georgia has been inhabited since prehistory, hosting the world's earliest known sites of winemaking, gold mining, and textiles. The Classical antiquity, classical era saw the emergence of several kingdoms, such as Colchis and Kingdom of Iberia, Iberia, that formed the nucleus of the modern Georgian state. In the early fourth centu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinking, and watching or lighting fireworks. Many Christians attend a watchnight service to mark the occasion. New Year's Eve celebrations generally continue into New Year's Day, January 1, 1 January, past midnight. The local time zone determines the advent of the New Year; the first places to welcome the New Year are west of the International Date Line: the Line Islands (part of Kiribati), Samoa and Tonga, in the Pacific Ocean. In contrast, American Samoa, Baker Island and Howland Island (part of the United States Minor Outlying Islands) are among the last. By region Africa Algeria In Algeria, New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with family and friends. In the largest cities, there are fireworks at midnight. The Martyrs' Memorial, Algiers, Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
