Wessex

We clue this variously as ‘Alfred the Great’s kingdom’, ‘Thomas Hardy’s fictional area’ or even ‘Prince Edward, Earl of …’. So what or where is Wessex? The story of Wessex is really the story of the beginning of England.

Wessex was the Kingdom of the West Saxons, founded around AD 500 by Cerdic. The kingdom grew slowly over the next 350+ years and in 871 when Alfred became king it was one of the island’s strongest kingdoms and were better able to face the marauding Danes than many others. After Alfred (who became known as ‘the Great’) defeated the Vikings at Edington, the lands were divided and Alfred was now king of the English (though there is debate about who was truly the first king of all England).

Alfred’s defeat of the Vikings led the way to the unification of England under Alfred’s grandson Athelstan and Wessex became an earldom and no longer a kingdom. After William the Conqueror’s arrival the earldom was split up.

Wessex covered most of Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, and the former county of Berkshire. The capital of Wessex was Winchester. Author Thomas Hardy, who came from Dorset, used Wessex as the fictional name for the county where his now well-known stories were set.

When Prince Edward was made Earl of Wessex the title had not been used for over 900 years. The last earl was killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Earl Grey

We all know of the famous Earl Grey tea but how did the tea get its name? Well this is not a simple matter.

According to Twinings, Prime Minister Earl Grey was given a case of this black tea flavoured with bergamot oil by a Chinese Mandarin and loved it so much that he asked Twinings to make a similar tea for him.

Jackson’s Of Piccadilly disagree and say the original Earl Grey is theirs, the recipe having been given to Robert Jackson by Lord Grey.

Tea was still quite a  ‘new thing’ and what is clear is that the Earl was a big fan. Jane Austen was another early fan of the beverage but she didn’t have the honour of a tea in her name.

Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, was born in Northumberland in 1764 attended Eton then Trinity College, travelled Europe and then entered politics. He was prime minister from 1830-34, under the reign of William IV. His term of office saw the passing of the Reform Act 1832, which aimed to correct anomalies in the electoral system. Charles and his wife, Mary had 16 children - so a big pot was needed at tea time in their house!

Bergamot is a pear-shaped citrus fruit and the aromatic oil comes from the rind. As well as being used in tea it is used in perfumes. Because of its strong aroma Earl Grey is sometimes known as ‘Old Stinky’. Lady Grey tea also has the bergamot oil but with the addition of orange and lemon.

With such tea flavours as cherry & cinnamon, honeybush & lavender and pineapple now available, Earl Grey’s bergamot doesn’t seem quite so unusual as it once did.

Lady Godiva

Lady Godiva is renowned for riding through the streets of Coventry — naked! What is less known however, is why such a pious woman would do such a thing.

Lady Godgifu, her real name, was married to Leofric, the Earl of Mercia. She was a beautiful woman who cared greatly for the people of Coventry who were ruled over by her tyrannical husband. He imposed heavy taxes on the people and he and Godgifu quarrelled about it frequently. She begged him to be more merciful.

One day Leofric made the extravagant promise that if she were to ride naked through the streets of Coventry on market day, he would cancel the tax altogether. Her passion for the people and their well being spurred her on to take the challenge and in 1040, Lady Godgifu rode through the streets, clothed only by her long, beautiful blonde hair.

Surprisingly, Leofric kept his promise and the people of Coventry were exempt from paying taxes. Eventually, he changed his ways and instead of persecuting the church, mended his relationship with Godgifu and founded a Benedictine monastery with her.

One version of the tale says that she requested everyone stay indoors during her ride, with their windows and doors shut. The story goes that only one man peeped and that was Tom, the tailor, who is said to have been struck blind for his moment of weakness. You’ve heard of Peeping Tom haven’t you?

Old Vic

Have you seen the clue ‘London theatre, Old …’ and wondered who Old Vic was?

This famous London theatre was originally named The Royal Coburg Theatre when it first opened in 1818 but was renamed the Royal Victoria Theatre in 1833. It soon became known as the Old Vic and the name has stuck.

From 1914-1923 the Old Vic produced all of Shakespeare’s plays and from then on the theatre’s fame grew.
The building was severely damaged during WWII, but was rebuilt and reopened in 1950.

Old Vic not only referred to the building but to the theatre school and also to he repertory company who have toured around the world and spread the Old Vic’s reputation for fine theatre.

In 1946 the Bristol Old Vic was established and in 1973 the Young Vic was created. In 1998 when the theatre was for sale it was suggested it could be converted to a pub or club but was rescued by the Old Vic Theatre Trust charity in 2000.

Many great names are associated with the Old Vic, including Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir Alec Guinness and Sir John Gielgud, Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith. In 2003 Kevin Spacey became the artistic director.

 

Joern Utzon

Danish architect, Joern Utzon,  probably one of the most accomplished architects in the world, never saw his finest achievement - the magnificent Sydney Opera House.

Utzon’s  submission was selected from amongst 230 others competing in a worldwide competition run by the NSW State Government to design an opera house.

Construction began in 1959 but it soon became apparent that Utzon’s original design was structurally impossible. After a few more years of research, Utzon was able to solve the complex geometry of the Sydney Opera House ‘sails’, although production was put back several years.

All went well until February 1966 when a dispute with the government caused Utzon to resign and leave Australia, never to return. Three Sydney architects were then hired to complete the building, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973.

In June 2007 Sydney’s Opera house was listed in the World Heritage sites. In 2008 Joern Utzon died, aged 90. In march 2009 a memorial concert was held at the Opera House he designed for Sydney.

 

Chinese New Year

On February 14, 2010 Chinese New Year will be celebrated and it will become the Year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese horoscope. 2011 will be the year of the rabbit.

In the build up to New Year houses are cleaned and newly painted, and gifts, food and clothing are bought. Paper cut-outs of words such as ‘happiness’, ‘wealth’ and ‘longevity’ are used to decorate houses along with lanterns and flowers.

On the eve of New Year families enjoy feasts and lights are kept on all night. At midnight fireworks light up the sky.

In the morning new clothes are worn to signify the end of the old and beginning of the new and gifts are given to children, neighbours, family and friends. A traditional gift is money wrapped up in a red paper package.

Community events include street parades where gongs and drums accompany the spectacular lion and dragon dances. The children’s lantern parade is usually the final event of the New Year festivities.

The origins of the New Year celebrations are lost in history. According to one legend, a long time ago there was a beast or monster called Nian, which preyed on humans on the night before New Year. An old man came and tricked the Nian, by saying he should show how many other creatures he could devour other than humans. The old man, who turned out to be a god, and the Nian rode away.

Each New Year’s Eve people decorated their houses with red, the colour most feared by the monster, and let of fireworks, in case he decided to return.

Christmas Day

What is the significance of December 25? We all know that it is Christmas Day, the celebration of the birth of Jesus and a time of families, presents and laughter, but why is it celebrated on that particular day?

In Armenia it is January 19 and in some eastern countries it is January 6 — so who decided on December?

The actual date of Jesus’ birth is unknown, but we do know that he was born during the reign of the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus. In the Roman Empire, the pagan festival of Saturnalia was celebrated in December which provided Christians with the time for their own celebrations, including the celebration of the Saviour’s birth.

When St Augustine went to England about two hundred years later, Pope Gregory advised him to keep the dates of the pagan feasts but give them new meaning by using them for Christian festivals. Consequently, the old Scandinavian mid-winter Yuletide festival was transformed into the birthday feast of Jesus Christ and so Christmas became a December celebration.

Cupid

Cupid is usually depicted as a naked winged boy holding a bow and arrows.

In Roman mythology Cupid is the son of Mercury and Venus. His name comes from the Latin cupido meaning ‘desire.’ 

An episode of The Golden Ass, a story told by the Latin satirist, Apuleius recalls the story of Cupid And Psyche. Psyche meaning ‘breath’ or ’soul’ is often depicted as a butterfly.

According to the myth, Psyche was a beautiful maiden loved by Cupid. He visited her every night but left before sunrise. He made Psyche promise she would not try to find out who he was.

Curiosity got the better of Psyche and one night she lit a lamp to try to catch a glimpse of his face. A drop of hot oil fell on his shoulder, awakened him and he fled.

Psyche wandered far and wide in search of her lover only to find herself the slave of Venus. She was treated most cruelly by the goddess.

Ultimately she was reunited with Cupid and became immortal.

The Greek equivalent EROS, meaning ’sexual desire’ is similarly depicted as a winged baby, although he was originally imagined to be an athletic youth.

 

Utah - the Mormon State

The Mormon Church, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was established by Joseph Smith in 1830. Smith claimed to have been given golden tablets that contained the Book of Mormon which recounted the early history (c 600BC - c 420AD) of American people.

He established the church’s headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio in 1831 and as his following, both in the US and abroad, grew rapidly, he prepared to make Western Missouri the permanent home of the Mormans. Gentile intolerance in the area however forced the people to move on to the Illinois town of Nauvoo where they gained autonomy, their own militia, courts and the power to pass any law which did not conflict with Federal and State laws.

The Mormon community strengthened and became wealthy but once again, violence between non-Mormons and Mormons erupted. Smith was killed and the church came under the leadership of Brigham Young.

In search of Zion, or a peaceable community, Young took his followers to the valley of the Great Salt Lake where he believed such a lifestyle could flourish. These first Mormon settlers reached what is now called Salt Lake City in July 1847 where they spent several difficult years establishing their agricultural community in what is now called Salt Lake City.

Mormon missionaries converted many people throughout the world, people who moved to Utah. Converts, primarily from European nations began arriving in massive numbers, greatly adding to the community of Mormons already residing in Utah. In fact from 1847 to 1869 some 68 000 Mormon pioneers made the journey.

Today, Salt Lake City remains the world headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Utah is the US Mormon state.

Valentine’s Day

As early as the 4th century BC, the Romans engaged in a young man’s rite of passage during the Feast of Lupercalia. On the eve of this festival, February 14, each young man would draw from a jar the name of a Roman girl to whom he would be partnered for the remainder of the festival. Many of the couples thrown together would eventually fall in love and later marry.

This practice continued for eight hundred years, until early church fathers sought to replace the Roman deity Lupercus with a patron saint of lovers. Valentine, a bishop martyred almost two hundred years earlier, was the perfect choice.

Under the reign of Emperor Claudius II, all weddings and engagements had been cancelled in an effort to boost military numbers. Claudius II figured that without a wife or sweetheart to leave behind, men would be more willing to fight. Valentine disagreed however and continued to conduct marriage services in secret. He became known as the ‘friend of lovers’ but was found out and condemned to death.

Whilst awaiting his fate, Valentine is said to have fallen in love with the daughter of the gaoler. He wrote her a farewell note signed “From your Valentine”, thus beginning a lasting tradition. His punishment was carried out on February 14, 270 AD.