Feast of St. Sava Serbia - J a n 2 7
Saint Sava (Serbian: Свети Сава, Sveti Sava, pronounced, also Saint Sabbas; 1174 – 14 January 1236) was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić (Растко Немањић, pronounced [râstkɔ nɛ̌maɲitɕ]), the youngest son of Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja (founder of the Nemanjić dynasty), and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in 1190–1192. He became a monk in his youth, receiving the monastic name Sava (Sabbas), subsequently founding the monasteries of Hilandar on Mount Athos, and Žiča. In 1219 he was recognized as the first Archbishop of Serbs, by the Patriarch of Constantinople, and in the same year he authored the oldest known constitution of Serbia, Zakonopravilo, thus securing full independence; both religious and political. Sava heavily influenced Serbian medieval literature. He is widely considered as one of the most important figures of Serbian history, and is canonized and venerated by the Serbian Orthodox Church, as its founder, on January 27 [O.S. January 14]. His life and has been interpreted in many artistic works from the Middle Ages to modern times. He is the patron saint of Serbian schools and schoolchildren. The Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade is dedicated to him, it was built on the scene where the Ottoman Turks burnt his remains in the 16th century, following an uprising in which the Serbs used icon depictions of Sava as their war flags; the cathedral is currently the largest Eastern Christian church building in the world.
HUNGARY The Baltic States are extremely grateful to Hungary
The Govt's major reforms will begin bearing fruit in 2013
Independence Day Nauru- J a n 3 1
Nauru officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, 300 kilometres (186 mi) to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just 21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi). With just over 9,265 residents, it is the second least-populated country after Vatican City. Settled by Micronesian and Polynesian people, Nauru was annexed and claimed as a colony by the German Empire in the late 19th century. After World War I, Nauru became a League of Nations mandate administered by Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. During World War II, Nauru was occupied by Japanese troops, who were bypassed by the Allied advance across the Pacific. After the war ended, it entered into trusteeship again. Nauru gained its independence in 1968. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Nauru was a "rentier state". Nauru is a phosphate rock island, with deposits close to the surface, which allow for simple strip mining operations. This island was a major exporter of phosphate starting in 1907, when the Pacific Phosphate Company began mining there, through the formation of the British Phosphate Commission in 1919, and continuing after independence. This gave Nauru back full control of its minerals under the Nauru Phosphate Corporation, until the deposits ran out during the 1980s. For this reason, Nauru briefly boasted the highest per-capita income enjoyed by any sovereign state in the world during the late 1960s and early 1970s. When the phosphate reserves were exhausted, and the environment had been seriously harmed by mining, the trust that had been established to manage the island's wealth diminished in value. To earn income, Nauru briefly became a tax haven and illegal money laundering centre. From 2001 to 2008, it accepted aid from the Australian Government in exchange for housing a Nauru detention centre that held and assessed the refugee claims of asylum seekers who had arrived unauthorised in Australia. The island has one airport, Nauru International Airport. From January to September 2006, Nauru became partially isolated from the outside world when Air Nauru, the airline which served the island, ceased operations in December 2005 and left the island accessible only by ship. The airline was subsequently able to restart operations in October 2006 under the name Our Airline with monetary aid from the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Etymology English visitors to the island originally named it "Pleasant Island". The
name "Nauru" may derive from the Nauruan word Anáoero, which means "I go to the beach". The German settlers called the island Nawodo or Onawero.
History Nauru was first inhabited by Micronesian and Polynesian people at least
3,000 years ago. There were traditionally 12 clans or tribes on Nauru, which are represented in the 12-pointed star in the flag of the country. Nauruans traced their descent matrilineally. Nauruans practice daquaculture – they caught juvenile ibija fish, acclimatised them to fresh water, and raised them in the Buada Lagoon, providing an additional and more reliable source of food. The other locally grown components of their diet included coconuts and pandanus fruit. The British sea captain John Fearn, a whale hunter, became the first Westerner to visit this island in 1798, and he named it "Pleasant Island". From around 1830, Nauruans had contact with Europeans from whaling ships and traders who replenished their supplies (such as fresh water) at Nauru. Nauruan warrior, 1880 Around this time, deserters from the ships began to live on the island. The islanders traded food for alcoholic palm wine and firearms. The firearms were used during the 10-yearNauruan Tribal War that began in 1878, and by 1888 had resulted in a reduction of the population of Nauru from 1,400 to 900 people. Nauru was annexed by Germany in 1888 and incorporated into Germany's Marshall Island Protectorate. The Germans called the island Nawodo or Onawero. The arrival of the Germans ended the war, and social changes brought about by the war established kings as rulers of the island. The most widely known of these was King Auweyida. Christian missionaries from the Gilbert Islands arrived in 1888. The Germans ruled Nauru for almost three decades. Robert Rasch, a German trader who married a native woman, was the first administrator, appointed in 1890. Phosphate was discovered on Nauru in 1900 by the prospector Albert Ellis. The Pacific Phosphate Company started to exploit the reserves in 1906 by agreement with Germany. The company exported its first shipment in 1907. In 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, Nauru was captured by Australian troops. Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom signed the Nauru Island Agreement in 1919, creating a board known as the British Phosphate Commission (BPC). This took over the rights to phosphate mining. According to the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics (now the Australian Bureau of Statistics), "In common with other natives, the islanders are very susceptible to tuberculosis and influenza, and in 1921 an influenza epidemic caused the deaths of 230 islanders." In 1923, the League of Nations gave Australia a trustee mandate over Nauru, with the United Kingdom and New Zealand as co-trustees. On 6 and 7 December 1940, the German auxiliary cruisers Komet and Orion sank four supply ships in the vicinity of Nauru. On the next day, Komet shelled Nauru's phosphate mining areas, oil storage depots, and the shiploading cantilever. Japanese troops occupied Nauru on 26 August 1942. The Japanese troops built an airfield on Nauru which was bombed for the first time on 25 March 1943, preventing food supplies from being flown to Nauru. The Japanese deported 1,200 Nauruans to work as labourers in the Chuuk islands. Nauru, which had been bypassed and left to "wither on the vine" by American forces, was finally set free from the Japanese on 13 September 1945, when Captain Hisayaki Soeda, the commander of all the Japanese troops on Nauru, surrendered the island to the Australian Armyand the Royal Australian Navy. This surrender was accepted by Brigadier J. R. Stevenson, who represented Lieutenant General Vernon Sturdee, the commander of the First Australian Army, on board the warship HMAS Diamantina. Arrangements were made to repatriate from Chuuk the 737 Nauruans who survived Japanese captivity there. They were returned to Nauru by the BPC ship Trienza in January 1946. In 1947, a trusteeship was established by the United Nations, and Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom became the U.N. trustees of the island. Nauru became self-governing in January 1966, and following a two-year constitutional convention, it became independent in 1968, led by founding president Hammer DeRoburt. In 1967, the people of Nauru purchased the assets of the British Phosphate Commissioners, and in June 1970, control passed to the locally owned Nauru Phosphate Corporation. One of the ships commissioned to ship the natural resources of Nauru was the Eigamoiya, built by the Henry Robb shipyard at Leith in Scotland. Income from the mining of phosphate gave Nauruans one of the highest living standards in the Pacific and the world. In 1989, Nauru took legal actions against Australia in the International Court of Justice over Australia's actions during its administration of Nauru. In particular, Nauru made a legal complaint against Australia's failure to remedy the environmental damage caused by phosphate mining. Certain Phosphate Lands: Nauru v. Australia led to an out-ofcourt settlement to rehabilitate the mined-out areas of Nauru.
St. Brigid's Day Montserrat - Feb 01 Saint Brigit of Kildare, or Brigit of Ireland (variants include Brigid, Bridget, Bridgit, Bríd and Bride), nicknamed Mary of the Gael (Irish: Naomh Bríd) (c. 451–525) is one of Ireland's patron saints along with Saints Patrick and Columba. Irish hagiography makes her an early Irish Christian nun, abbess, and founder of several monasteries of Christian nuns, including that monastery of ‘Kildare’ Ireland which was considered legendary and was highly revered. Her feast day is 1 February, celebrated as St Brigid’s Day or Imbolc in Gaelic Ireland, one of the four quarter days of the pagan year, which marked the beginning of spring, lambing, and lactation in cattle. Saint Brigid is one of the few saints who stands on the boundary between pagan mythology, Druidism and Christian spirituality. Saint Brigid is the most famous female leader of the early Celtic Christian Church.
Motifs:
In liturgical iconography and statuary Saint Brigid is often depicted holding a reed cross, ancrozier of the sort abbots use, and a lamp said to be a 'lamp of learning and wisdom', as lamps and fire were regarded sacred to the Celts and Druids. Nuns at her monastery are said to have kept a sacred eternal flame burning there, which was a custom that originated with female Druids residing at the monastery's location long before Saint Brigid built the monastery. Early hagiographers also portray Saint Brigid's life and ministry as touched with fire. Light motifs, some of them borrowed from the apocrypha such as the story where she hangs her cloak on a sunbeam, are associated with the wonder tales of her hagiography and in folklore. In her Lives, Saint Brigid is portrayed as having the power to multiply such things as butter, bacon and milk, to bestow sheep and cattle and to control the weather. Plant motifs associated with St Brigid include Madonna Lily (since medieval times, also associated with the Virgin Mary) and the Brigid anenome (the Windflower or Poppy Flowered Anemone, since the early 19th century), while Cill Dara, the church of the oak, is associated with a tree sacred to the Druids. Her colour, white, was worn by the Kildare United Irishmen during the 1798 rebellion and is worn by Kildare sports teams.
Photo: Csaba Pelsőczy
Photo: Szilárd Koszticsák (Online 21 Jan) Within an alliance, it is natural that we can count on one another and that we share our capabilities with each other, since our security is also shared and indivisible”, Csaba Hende said on several occasions during his three-day visit to the Baltic States, which he paid at the invitation of the defence ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Flying aboard an An-26 aircraft (widely known as “Ancsa”) of the Hungarian Defence Forces, the delegation arrived in the winter of Vilnius in a thick fog and a strong following wind which shortened the originally two and a half hour flight by one hour. The minus six degrees Celsius, which counts as mild weather here and the snowcovered city meant a proper acclimatization on the first leg of the journey which gradually got colder (and was to continue in Riga and Tallin). The primary goal of the three-day visit was to discuss the issues of Baltic Air Policing and the related future task system of the Hungarian Defence Forces. As it is known, at the NATO Summit in Chicago in May 2012 Prime Minister Viktor Orbán an-
nounced that between 2015 and 2018, Hungary also intends to participate with Gripen fighters and their crews in the air policing tasks of the Baltic States, which do not have tactical aircraft capability. Minister of Defence Csaba Hende stated that the Baltic States are extremely grateful to Hungary for this offer. During the journey the Hungarian Minister of Defence met his counterparts as well as the Lithuanian and Latvian foreign ministers and the members of the defence committees of the national parliaments. All five ministers expressed their thanks to Hungary for its joining the air policing tasks carried out on a rotational basis by NATO member states, which present an increasingly extending task system. The Hungarian Minister of Defence reasserted our country’s commitment to common security, and said it was an honor to Hungary to be assigned air policing duties by the Baltic States in 2015. All meetings had the current challenges of NATO and the EU on their agenda, including the developing situation in Mali and the international peace support operations, in
particular the issues of the Afghanistan mission. It turned out that the Baltic States are similar to Hungary not only from historical aspects but also in the establishment of volunteer reserve systems and the operational presence in Afghanistan, as all three nations are participating in some Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and they are already operating special operations teams in the country as well. The discussions also focused on Exercise Steadfast Jazz, to be conducted in Poland in October this year, which will be special because its scenario will be based on the possibility of invoking Article 5. Besides Poland and the Baltic States, Hungary will also participate in the exercise. Beyond the above, the Latvian partner indicated that it would like to obtain information on the lessons learned in operating the 3D NATO radars, possibly within a visit to Hungary this year. The program of the delegation included visits to the NATO Energy Security Center of Excellence in Lithuania and to the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence in Estonia.
State Secretary Németh inaugurates the Hungarian CEI presidency (Online 22 Jan) The European Union needs stable and prosperous regions within and outside its borders in order to successfully cope with the difficulties of the economic crisis – said Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zsolt Németh, on Tuesday. State Secretary Németh inaugurated the Hungarian Presidency of the Central European Initiative (CEI) for 2013 at the meeting of CEI national coordinators in Budapest. He stressed in his opening remarks that it was the objective of the Hungarian Presidency to bolster economic cooperation in
Central Europe, to create a common position on EU issues, and to make the CEI more prominent globally. He pointed out that it was important to take advantage of the opportunities in the region, such as well-qualified labour and agricultural capacities. The Hungarian State Secretary added that, due to its geopolitical location, Central Europe is suitable for becoming an engine of economic growth, and so for contributing to the stability, as well as the social and economic prosperity, of the entire European continent. He emphasized that those CEI member
states which had not yet joined the EU cannot be left out of development. He noted that Hungary was honoured to take over the Presidency of „the largest and oldest regional organization” and would do its best to renew and intensify the work of the CEI. Today, the CEI has 18 members: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.
Life Story
Brigit was born at Faughart near Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. Because of the legendary quality of the earliest accounts of her life, there is much debate among many scholars and even faithful Christians as to the authenticity of her biographies. According to her biographers her parents were Dubhthach, a pagan chieftain of Leinster, and Brocca, a Christian Pict and slave who had been baptised by Saint Patrick. Some accounts of her life suggest that Brigit's father was in fact from Lusitania, kidnapped by Irish pirates and brought to Ireland to work as a slave, in much the same way as Saint Patrick. Many stories also detail Brigit's and her mother's statuses as pieces of property belonging to Dubhthach, and the resulting impact on important parts of Brigit's life story. Saint Brigit is celebrated for her generosity to the poor. According to one tale, as a child, she once gave away her mother's entire store of butter. The butter was then replenished in answer to Brigit's prayers.. The ceremony is performed, according to different accounts, by one or other of the bishops Mel (d. 487) or MacCaille (d. c.489), the location probably being in Mág Tulach (the present barony of Fartullagh, Co. Westmeath). Mel also granted her abbatial powers. She followed Saint Mel into the Kingdom of Teathbha, which is made up of sections of modern Meath, Westmeath and Longford. This occurred about 468. Brigit's small oratory at Cill-Dara (Kildare) became a center of religion and learning, and developed into a cathedral city. She founded two monastic institutions, one for men, and the other for women, and appointed Saint Conleth as spiritual pastor of them. It has been frequently stated that she gave canonical jurisdiction to Saint Conleth, Bishop of Kildare, but, as Archbishop Healy points out, she simply "selected the person to whom the Church gave this jurisdiction", and her biographer tells us distinctly that she chose Saint Conleth "to govern the church along with herself". Thus, for centuries, Kildare was ruled by a double line of abbotbishops and of abbesses, the Abbess of Kildare being regarded as superior general of the monasteries in Ireland. Brigit also founded a school of art, including metal work and illumination, over which Conleth presided. The Kildare scriptorium produced theBook of Kildare, which elicited high praise from Giraldus Cambrensis, but which has disappeared since the Reformation. According to Giraldus, nothing that he had ever seen was at all comparable to the book, every page of which was gorgeously illuminated, and he concludes by saying that the interlaced work and the harmony of the colours left the impression that "all this is the work of angelic, and not human skill".
Hagiography The differing biographies written by different authors, giving con-
flicting accounts of her life, are regarded of considerable literary merit in themselves. Three of those biographies agreed that she had a slave mother in the court of her father, Dubhthach, a king of Leinster. An ancient account of her life is by Saint Broccan Cloen: Ni bu Sanct Brigid suanach Ni bu huarach im sheirc Dé, Sech ni chiuir ni cossena Ind nóeb dibad bethath che. Saint Brigid was not given to sleep, Nor was she intermittent about God's love of her; Not merely that she did not buy, she did not seek for The wealth of this world below, the holy one. One, the Life of Brigit dates from the closing years of the eighth century, and is held in the Dominican friary at Eichstatt in Bavaria. It expounds the metrical life of Saint Brigit, and versified it in Latin. The earliest Latin "life" of Brigit was a short vignette composed by Colman nepos Cracavist around 800. Brigit is at times known as "the Patroness of Ireland" and "Queen of the South: the Mary of the Gael" by a writer in the "Leabhar Breac". Brigit died leaving a cathedral city and school that became famous all over Europe. In her honour Saint Ultan of Ardbraccan wrote a hymn commencing: Christus in nostra insula Que vocatur Hibernia Ostensus est hominibus Maximis mirabilibus Que perfecit per felicem Celestis vite virginem Precellentem pro merito Magno in mundi circulo. Christ was made known to men On our island of Hibernia by the very great miracles which he performed through the happy virgin of celestial life, famous for her merits through the whole world. The sixth life of the saint is attributed to Coelan, an Irish monk of the 8th century, and it derives a peculiar importance from the fact that it is prefaced by Saint Donatus, also an Irish monk, who became Bishop of Fiesole in 824. Donatus refers to previous lives by Ultan and Ailerán. When dying, Brigit was attended by Saint Ninnidh, who was afterwards known as "Ninnidh of the Clean Hand" because he had his right hand encased with a metal covering to prevent it ever being defiled, after being the medium of administering the last rites to "Ireland's Patroness". Various Continental breviaries of the pre-Reformation period commemorate Brigit, and her name is included in a litany in the Stowe Missal. In addition, Brigit is highly venerated by many Eastern Orthodox Christians as one of the great Western saints before the schism between the Eastern and Western Churches. Her feast day, as in the West, is February 1, although churches following the Julian calendar (as in many Orthodox countries) celebrate her feast on February 14, the corresponding date on the Julian calendar. The troparion to her is in Tone 1: O holy Brigid, thou didst become sublime through thy humility, and didst fly on the wings of thy longing for God. When thou didst arrive in the Eternal City and appear before thy Divine Spouse, wearing the crown of virginity, thou didst keep thy promise to remember those who have recourse to thee. Thou dost shower grace upon the world, and dost multiply miracles. Intercede with Christ our God that He may save our souls. The corresponding kontakion is in Tone 4: The holy virgin Brigid full of divine wisdom, shy of men, went with joy along the way of evangelical childhood, and with the grace of God attained in this way the summit of virtue and charity. Wherefore she now bestows blessings upon those who come to her with faith. O holy Virgin, intercede with Christ our God that He may have mercy on our souls. According to the tradition of the Orthodox church, Saint Brigit lost one of her eyes which saved her from being married against her will. In another version of the legendary story of Saint Brigid losing her eye, is that she suffered an eye disease making her lose one eye. In the book 'Saint Brigid' by Iain MacDonald, Saint Brigid had an eye disease, she put her finger under her eye and plucked it out of her head so that it lay on her cheek, and when Dubthach and her bretheren beheld that, they promised that she should never be told to go to a husband except for the husband whom she should like; then Saint Brigid prayed to God put her palm to her eye, and it was healed at once, Saint Brigid was able to miraculously put her eye back in its socket in her head, restoring and healing her own eye. The following are the first and second troparia of the fourth ode of the canon of the saint from the Orthodox Matins service: Considering the beauty of the body as of no account, when one of thine eyes was destroyed thou didst rejoice, O venerable one, for thou didst desire to behold the splendour of heaven and to glorify God with the choirs of the righteous. Spurning an earthly betrothed, and praying beyond hope that the refusal of thy parents be changed, thou didst find aid from on high, so that the beauty of thy body was ruined.
Veneration:
It seems that Faughart was the scene of her birth. Faughart Church was founded by Saint Moninne in honour of Brigit. The old well of Brigit's adjoining the ruined church still attracts pilgrims. There is evidence in the Trias Thaumaturga for Brigit's stay in Connacht, especially in County Roscommon and also in the many churches founded by her in the Diocese of Elphim. Her friendship with Saint Patrick is attested by the following paragraph from the Book of Armagh: "inter sanctum Patricium Brigitanque Hibernesium columpnas amicitia caritatis inerat tanta, ut unum cor consiliumque haberent unum. Christus per illum illamque virtutes multas peregit". (Between Patrick and Brigid, the columns of the Irish, there was so great a friendship of charity that they had but one heart and one mind. Through him and through her Christ performed many miracles.) At Armagh there was a "Templum Brigidis"; namely the little abbey church known as "Regles Brigid", which contained some relics of the saint, destroyed in 1179, by William FitzAldelm. Brigit was interred at the right of the high altar of Kildare Cathedral, and a costly tomb was erected over her "Adorned with gems and precious stones and crowns of gold and silver." Over the years her shrine became an object of veneration for pilgrims, especially on her feast day, February 1. About the year 878, owing to the Scandinavian raids, Brigit's relics were taken to Downpatrick, where they were interred in the tomb of Patrick and Columba. The relics of the three saints were discovered in 1185, and on June 9 of the following year were reinterred inDown Cathedral. In modern Ireland, "Mary of the Gael" remains a popular saint, and Brigit remains a common female Christian name.
Placenames:
Hundreds of placenames in her honour are to be found all over both Scotland and Ireland. Kilbride is one of Ireland’s most widely spread placenames, there are 43 Kilbrides located in 19 of Ireland’s 32 counties: Antrim (2), Carlow, Cavan, Down, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny (3), Laois, Longford, Louth, Mayo (5), Meath (4), Offaly (4), Roscommon (2), Waterford, Westmeath (2), Wexford (4), and Wicklow (8) as well as two Kilbreedy’s in Tipperary, Kilbreedia and Toberbreeda in Clare, Toberbreedia in Kilkenny, Brideswell Commons in Dublin, Bridestown and Templebreedy in Cork and Rathbride and Brideschurch in Kildare.. Similarly, there are a number of placenames derived from Cnoic Bhríde ("Brigit's Hill"), such as Knockbridge in Louth and Knockbride in Cavan. Brigit-related names in Scotland and England include several Bridewells or Brideswells, (commemorating in their names the presence of a sacred well dedicated to Brigit or her pre-Christian antecedent), East Kilbride, West Kilbride, Kilbride, Brideswell, Templebride and Tubberbride, derived for the word for well, "Tobar" in Irish or Gaelic). These Brigidine sites include the original Bridewell Palace in London which became synonomous with jail houses through the English speaking world.
Relics:
Brigit's skull has been preserved in Igreja São João Baptista Lumiar the church of St Joao Baptista at Lumiar near Lisbon airport in Portugal since 1587 and is venerated on February 2 (not February 1, as in Ireland). St Brigid’s head was reputedly carried to King Diniz of Portugal in 1283 by Irish Knights traveling to the Aragonese Crusade. A fragment of her skull was brought to St Bridget’s Church, Kilcurry in 1905 by Sister Mary Agnes of the Dundalk Convent of Mercy and in 1928 another fragment was sent by the Bishop of Lisbon to St Brigid’s church in Killester in response to a request from Fathers Timothy Traynor and James McCarroll. The inscription on the tomb in Lumiar reads: “Here in these three tombs lie the three Irish knights who brought the head of St. Brigid, Virgin, a native of Ireland, whose relic is preserved in this chapel. In memory of which, the officials of the Table of the same Saint caused this to be done in January AD 1283.”
The cult overseas:
Church dedications, artwork, folklore and medieval manuscripts indicate the extent of the cult of Brigid in England, Scotland and Wales, Brittany, northern and eastern France, the Low Countries, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and northern Italy. • Alsace: Devotion to Brigid dates to the eight century, there are relics of the Saint in the Church of Pierre de Vaux in Strasbourg. • Belgium: A fragment of a medieval Irish shawl known as ‘St Brigit's Mantle’ is venerated at Bruges, to where the cult of Brigid was introduced by Foillan (d655). There is a chapel (7th-10th century) dedicated to SainteBrigide at Fosses-la-Ville, a church in Liege and an altar in Hesse. • Brittany: Saint-Denis in St Omer is the best known of over thirty church and chapel dedications to Brigid, she is venerated in folklore as midwife to Mary and protectress of cattle. A palton is held at Morimer each year. • Cologne: four parish churches and seven chapels are dedicated to Brigid and a relic is preserved at Great St. Martin Church. A church dedicated to St Brigid was destroyed in the Napoleonic period. She had a chapel at Mainz. • Italy: Donatus of Fiesole compiled the metrical Life of Brigit. There is a church in Bobbio. • Netherlands: and Saint Brigid is the patron saint of the Dutch city of Ommen. • Portugal: Brigit's skull preserved in the church of St Joao Baptista at Lumiar was traditionally venerated on February 2 (not February 1, as in Ireland) and in former times was carried in procession as a sacred conduit in the blessing of children and animals throughout the parish, bênção do gado. • Spain: A cult of Brigid at Olite in Navarre was introduced from Troyes and Picardy in northern France around 1200 and a church dedicated to her in Seville. • Switzerland: A sacred flame, Lumen Sanctae Brigidae, was tended at Liestal in the 13th century and there is a chapel in St Gallen. Saint Brigit, in the alternative spelling of her name, Bride, was patron saint of the powerful medieval Scottish House of Douglas. The principal religious house, and Mausoleum of the Earls of Douglas and latterly Earls of Angus being St. Bride's Kirk, Douglas. Another saint Bridget of Sweden (1303–1373) was given a Swedish variant of the old Irish name named in honour of Brigit.
20th century:
Even as the lore of the pious saint was being spread to America, Australia and other English speaking countries by Irish missionaries including the Brigidine Sisters founded in her honour in 1807, Brigit was adopted as an icon by 20th century feminists who admire her achievement in a patriarchal society. Her political proponents included Maud Gonne and Inghinidhe na hÉireann who promoted her as a model for women. Within the institutional church, there were many who hailed her achievement (and her successor abbesses) of holding a position superior to their male counterparts and the claim, consistent in her Lives, that she had the status of a bishop, a status afterwards accorded to successive abbesses of Kildare until the twelfth century, was a source of inspiration despite being downplayed in times of high misogynism by more Anglo-centric writers and translators. Finally, growing interest in Celtic mysticism, folk spirituality and alternative forms of religion has attracted new age activists to the supposed goddess aspects of Brigit. As a result Brigid’s popularity has proven remarkably robust through all the tumultuous changes in belief systems in the 1600 years since her death.
Miracles:
As with all saints, Brigit was not able to be declared so without proof of her miracles. These were commonly recorded by those who had witnessed the miracles or had some relation to a person who had. In Saint Brigit’s case, most of her miracles were related to healing and domestic tasks usually attributed to women. If Brigit wished or predicted something to occur then it came to pass. A few examples of her miracles are described below. Several of Brigit’s miracles occurred on Easter Sunday. On this day, a leper had come to Brigit to ask for a cow. She asked for a time to rest and would help him later; however, he did not wish to wait and instead stated he would go somewhere else for a cow. Brigit then offered to heal him, but the man stubbornly replied that his condition allowed him to acquire more than he would healthy. After convincing the leper that this was not so, she told one of her maidens to have the man washed in a blessed mug of water. After this was done, the man was completely cured and vowed to serve Brigit. On another occasion, Brigit was traveling to see a physician for her headache. They were welcomed to stay at the house of Leinsterman. His wife was not able to have children that survived except for two daughters that had been dumb since their birth. Brigit was traveling to Áth with the daughters when her horse suddenly startled, causing her to wound her head on a stone. Her blood mixed with the water here. Brigit then instructed one of the girls to pour the bloodied water onto her neck in God’s name causing the girl to be healed. The healed sister was told to call her sister over to be healed as well, but the later responded that she had been made well when she bowed down in the tracks. Brigit told the cured sisters to return home and that they also would birth as many male children that their mother had lost. The stone that Brigit had injured herself cured any disease of the head when they laid the head on it. Brigit also performed miracles that included curse elements as well. When on the bank of Inny, Brigit was given a gift of apples and sweet sloes. She later entered a house where many lepers begged her for these apples, which she offered willingly. The nun who had given the gift to Brigit was irritated by this saying that she had not given the gift to the lepers. Brigit was angered at the nun for withholding from the lepers and therefore cursed her trees so they would no longer bear fruit, rendering them barren. Yet another virgin also gave Brigit the same gift as the nun, and again Brigit gave them to begging lepers. This time the virgin asked that she and her garden be blessed. Brigit then said that a large tree in the virgin’s garden would have twofold fruit from its offshoots, and this was done.
Namesakes:
Not all Kilbride or St Bride’s churches are directly associated with Brigit the daughter of Dubhthach. Seathrún Céitinn’s History of Ireland 1841 edition edited by Dermod O’Connor lists 14 Saints gleaned from the martyrologies and heroic literature each called Brigid, and not including Brigit of Kildare.. This dizzying abundance of Brigits had the effect of confusing those scholars in the 16th and 17th centuries who compiled the calendars from older manuscript sources, many of them now lost. For example John Colgan states Brighit of Moin-miolain was the daughter of Neman in one reference and the daughter of Aidus in another. The Martyrology of Donegal, for example, lists Brighit daughter of Diomman (feast day May 21), Brighit of Moin-miolain (feast day on March 9), and what may be five more: Brigid the daughter of Leinin (associated with Killiney, feast day March 6), Brighit of Cillmuine (November 12), Brighe of Cairbre (feast day January 7). and two other Brighits (feast days March 9, the second Brigit of that date, and Sept 30).
Connection with pagan Brigid Saint Brigit of Kildare, the Christian saint, is often confused as being the same person as the Celtic pagan goddess
Brigid who was a goddess of fertility blessing many births and harvests to Celtic pagans, and long preceded the saint from Kildare, the goddess Brigid was originally revered by the Brigantes of northern England; and a parallel conversion and adoption there may partly account for the cult of Saint Brigid spreading so rapidly in, around and outside Ireland, Scotland and England in the United Kingdom. Saint Brigid had an uncanny gifted and saintly ability to see into the souls of others, and confronted the Devil. Saint Brigid remains one of the United Kingdom's most popular saints after Saint Patrick. Saint Brigid born of a pagan father Dubthach, who was a powerful magical Druidic wizard and warlock , was given the name of the highly honored Celtic pagan goddess Brigid. Henceforth, with God, Saint Brigid is a patron saint and guardian of the poor pastoral folk who work the land, she protects the harvest; she increases the yield of cow, dairy and sheep. She lights the fire which is never extinguished, the ever-burning fire in the hearth of the humble croft. Saint Brigid is also the patron saint of studies and learning, just as the older Celtic goddess Brigid succoured the creative arts and poetry . Saint Brigid is recognised as one of the most potent symbols of Christian womanhood and fertility for all times. Her saintly glory is suffused in legend with her role as 'the Bride of Christ', and at times confused almost with the identity of the Virgin Mother herself. Some neo-pagans and historians question the historicity of Saint Brigid, or how much of her life as traditionally recounted is historically accurate. The Irish 'Book of Lismore', a traditional book on the lives of the ancient Celtic Irish saints written in Irish, Saint Brigid is described: 'She is the prophetess of Christ; she is the Queen of the South; she is the Mary of the Gael.'
Among the significant changes, he mentioned the establishment of the administrative districts system and the overhaul of the education system, reiterating that despite the positive trends, the plan to create one million new workplaces within 10 years must still be realized. He stated that according to surveys, the decisive majority of people agree with the prin-
ciple of work instead of benefits, so they expect the Government to create livelihood opportunities in the form of jobs, not allowances, and to enable the unemployed to make more money from the work offered than they would from benefits. This is a fundamental requirement of the people of Hungary, he added.
Hungary fulfilled its prepayment obligation to the IMF before deadline (Online 25 Jan) Earlier today Hungary has transferred 607 million EUR as loan prepayment to the International Monetary Fund due on 12 February 2013. By paying more than two weeks prior to maturity, market risks associated with repaying the IMF loan are eliminated. The prepayment became possible as more than 1bn EUR worth of Premium Euro Hun-
garian Government Securities (P€MÁK) launched in November 2012 were sold, exceeding all expectations, as the issuance had been originally projected to be 400 million EUR worth. Impressive sales of P€MÁK which signal the confidence of domestic retail investors and institutional investors in the Hungarian economy boosted the foreign currency holdings of
the Government to such extent which enabled prepayment of the next IMF loan instalment without having to obtain external resources and which also facilitated higher Government reserves. Sales results of the new series of P€MÁK launched on 17 January 2013 are also very promising, as sales already exceed 275 million EUR.
First Mercedes CLA exits Hungarian production line (Online 25 Jan) Earlier today Hungary has transferred 607 million EUR as loan prepayment to the International Monetary Fund due on 12 February 2013. By paying more than two weeks prior to maturity, market risks associated with repaying the IMF loan are eliminated. The prepayment became possible as more than 1bn EUR worth of Premium Euro Hungarian Government Securities (P€MÁK) launched in November 2012 were sold, exceeding all expectations, as the issuance had been originally projected to be 400 million EUR worth. Impressive sales of P€MÁK which signal the confidence of domestic retail investors and institutional investors in the Hungarian economy boosted the foreign currency holdings of the Government to such extent which en-
abled prepayment of the next IMF loan instalment without having to obtain external resources and which also facilitated higher Government reserves. Sales results of the new series of P€MÁK launched on 17 January 2013 are also very promising, as sales already exceed 275 million EUR.The Mercedes factory in Kecskemét has combined two success stories: a traditional one that Mercedes itself represents, and a new one, the European success story which is the renewal of the Hungarian economy, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at the official launch of the new Mercedes CLA at the company's Hungarian plant today. The Prime Minister and CEO of Daimler AG Dieter Zetsche drove the company’s new CLA model, which will be manufactured exclusively in Hungary and is the second Mer-
cedes model to be made in Hungary following the B series, off the assembly line together. According to Viktor Orbán, the country has reason to be proud that such a premium car can be manufactured in Hungary. He emphasized that Hungary had to be saved from the collapse caused by the debt crisis, in addition to which it had to be given a chance of growth. The launch shows that even in times of crisis, it is possible to create thousands of jobs. He said the new CLA model encompasses “strength and beauty”, just like the strong and attractive Hungary we wish to create. The Prime Minister thanked investors and Hungarian workers for being living proof that it is worth coming to and cooperating with Hungary.
(Online 24 Jan) The government’s goal is to have self-supporting and fully employed inmates in the prisons of Hungary – said Minister of Interior, Sándor Pintér at the penalty institute of Állampuszta, where a poultry slaughterhouse was handed over. Minister Pintér added: it is not only an economic success but also the proof of a new perspective, according to which the 17 thousand inmates of the 28 Hungarian prisons
should be able to support themselves. He added that the bakery that had been handed over previously provides food for 10 thousand inmates; and uniforms of policemen, guards and inmates are also produced in penalty institutes. According to Minister Pintér this is a cheaper, more effective and better way of using the labour force of the prisons. The Minister of Interior pointed out the impor-
tance of professional trainings that are available for the inmates. They can profit from these trainings in their civilian life and they also help the integration to the society once the prisoners are released – he added. The new slaughterhouse was built out of HUF 500 million. It will employ 80 people and it is able to process 1100 tons of poultry.
EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers discussed insolvency and data protection legislation Minister Pintér: the goal is to have self-supporting and fully employed inmates in the Hungarian prisons (Online 21 Jan) The Justice and Home Affairs Ministers of EU Member States discussed the insolvency and data protection legislation at an informal meeting held on Friday in Dublin. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Public Administration and Justice Tibor Navracsics told MTI, the Hungarian News Agency, in an interview that bankruptcy proceedings had in the past resulted in the liquidation of businesses in almost every instance. However, in the wake of the recession, it is now an increasingly widely-shared view in the countries of Europe that insolvent businesses should be given a second chance to stand back up on their feet and reorganise their operations. There are, at present, no such reorganisation procedures available in Hungary and the institution of personal insolvency is likewise not recognised. The new European legislation in the making that is to replace the regulations currently in force will provide for these. The EU legislation currently in force must be amended, the Hungarian Ministry of Justice stated in its preliminary press release, because we have to date been unable to achieve the goal set; namely, the goal of
preventing the removal of funds and assets through the selection of the place of the insolvency proceedings. The proposed amendment concentrates on preventing businesses from placing creditors with which they entered into a legal relationship in a former Member State at a disadvantage by relocating their organisational units responsible for management and governance, thereby evading the rules of jurisdiction. The Friday debate, Tibor Navracsics said, focused on detailed rules as to how claims could be collected reassuringly also on a European scale. As regards the other topic of the Dublin meeting, the issue of data protection legislation, the ministers have, for the moment, put aside the otherwise unavoidable question of whether a uniform European regulatory regime is required or a European Directive that provides more scope for national specificities. Instead of deciding on this issue, the attending ministers discussed minor details, the Hungarian Justice Minister said, such as whether a European authority or the national authorities should have competence to impose a fine in the event of the infringement of the data protection rules and what criteria should be considered upon the imposition of the fine.
They also discussed the range of issues that should be removed from under the effect of the data protection legislation. It is obvious, for instance, that if a parent „manages” his or her child’s personal data on an Internet website, this type of data management should not be governed by the stringent data protection rules. It is, however, an issue to be thoroughly considered as to how the legislator should approach the question of „friendly data management” which is an increasingly frequent phenomenon with the spread of social websites. In response to MTI’s enquiry, Tibor Navracsics said that he did not have a bilateral meeting with his Irish counterpart in conjunction with the Dublin meeting. In the course of a private conversation, he told his Irish colleague in connection with the case of the Irish driver who killed two children and was convicted in Hungary that he was hoping that they would be able to find a reassuring solution in the future. "We did not go into details; we continue to wait for the (European) Commission to convene a meeting on the issue, as was previously planned”, the Hungarian Justice Minister said.
H unga r ia n t e a m f r om Sopr on wins gr a nd pr ize a t M oonbots 2 0 1 2 (Online 21 Jan) The Grand Prize at the international Moonbots 2012 competition (Google Lunar X-Prize LEGO Mindstorms Challenge), which took place in December, was won by the Hungarian HungaroBots team comprising 16-17 year old stu-
dents from the town of Sopron. Minister of State for Education Rózsa Hoffmann sent her congratulations to the talented youngsters in a letter. A total of 147 teams from 22 countries participated in the competition organised for future engi-
neers or programmers under 18. The winners of the Grand Prize earned a VIP trip to test their creations at the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems in Hilo, Hawaii.
Candlemas - Feb 02
(THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD)
Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Mexico, Bolivia, Sweden, Peru, Brazil
The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, which falls on 2 February, celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. In the Roman Catholic Church the "Feast of the Presentation of the Lord" is a Feast Day, the major feast between the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle on January 25 and the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle on February 22. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and some Eastern Catholic Churches, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante (lit., 'Meeting' in Greek). Other traditional names include Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord. In some Western liturgical churches, Vespers (or Compline) on the Feast of the Presentation marks the end of the Epiphany season. In the Church of England, the Presentation of Christ in the Temple is a Principal Feast celebrated either on 2 February or on the Sunday between 28 January and 3 February. In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple is the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary.
Name of the celebration In addition to being known as the Presentation of Jesus
grown fourfold over the past decade and reached nearly 2.5 billion dollars in 2011. Turkey plays a key role in two areas that are strategically important from a European perspective: energy security and the transport of goods to Europe. Péter Szijjártó said that an intergovernmental agreement was signed in June 2012 declaring that Azerbaijani gas will reach Europe through Turkey. Regarding the transport of goods, according to an earlier agreement, Hungarian companies can participate in the development of the Baku-TbilisiKars railway line so that goods from the Caucasus and the Far East may reach Europe through Hungary. He pointed out that cooperation with Turkey
can be best deepened within the fields of energy, healthcare, car manufacturing, livestock breeding, IT and environmental protection. The Government taking continuous measures to create an attractive business environment, for instance by providing example investment grants, introducing the 16 per cent personal income tax system or by implementing a 10 per cent corporate tax. Turkish Minister of Health Recep Akdağ also took part in the forum, and in his speech he expressed his hope that Turkish-Hungarian economic relations will thrive. Cooperation and joint ventures between Hungarian and Turkish businessmen may lead to new investments in both countries.
Hungarian foreign trade surplus solid and steady (Online 24 Jan) In Hungary within the current account real economic transactions posted significant surpluses in the past couple of years. One element
of these has been the positive trend regarding foreign trade which materialized since 2009: since the onset of the global economic crisis Hungarian
foreign trade has been continuously and permanently producing surpluses; Hungarian exports typically exceed imports.
It is in Hungary's fundamental interests to develop its relationship with Russia (Online 25 Jan) The Prime Minister will travel to Moscow for a one-day official visit on January 31, on the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Among others, the topics on the meeting's agenda will include energy cooperation in relation to the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline that began on 7 December 2012 in Anapa, southern Russia. The pipeline will transport gas from Anapa via the Black Sea, Bulgaria and Serbia to Hungary, Slovenia and Italy. State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó declared that it is Hungary’s fundamental interests to further develop cooperation with Russia, Hungary's second most important trading partner. According to the State Secretary, the preparation for the construction of the Hungarian section of the pipeline is ongoing and the necessary steps have been taken by the Hungarian Government. These measures include giving high priority to the investment project, closing the financial advisory tender, preparing for a tender on technological feasibility and submitting an application for environmental permission. He declared that significant advances will be achieved within the field of energy security over the next 2-3 years in view of the fact that another pipeline is also being built that will interconnect the Hungarian and Slovakian gas pipeline systems. This interconnector pipeline, although not as developed as the east-west connection, is one of the most important steps in the construction of a north-
south energy transport infrastructure. He added that if gas storage facilities become national property, Hungary will be able to function as the region's energy transport centre. Referring to the expiry of the long-term Russian-Hungarian gas transportation agreement in 2015, Péter Szijjártó stated that the issue would be discussed if raised during the negotiations, and that talks would begin as required. Regarding the question of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant and possible Russian cooperation, he declared that the Government’s goal is that the Paks Nuclear Power Plant should provide a larger share of the Hungarian electricity supply. The Government considers nuclear power a clean and secure energy source and it intends to increase the reactor's current 43% share of the country's electricity usage. However, a very large investment is necessary to achieve this, which "generates great expectations", but since concrete tenders have not been launched and negotiations have not taken place, "all rumours are premature". He added that if the question is raised, the Hungarian party will of course put forward its standpoint. Transport will be another important topic of the visit, since Russia plays a crucial role in determining the routes by which commodities from the Far Eastern and the Caucasus reach Europe. The State Secretary mentioned the possibility of increasing rail transfer capacity at Záhony, on Hungary's border with Ukraine, but that the transport time re-
quired for freight to cross the country by rail must be reduced to one day from the current four-five day average in order to increase competitiveness. Given the right conditions, Hungary could become a competitive route for freight transport from Russia. Additionally, the discussions may also touch on industrial, agricultural and educational topics. The State Secretary also noted that a Hungarian Trade House is expected to open in Moscow later this year. However, it remains to be decided if it will be opened by the Hungarian state or by a large Hungarian corporation. In case of the latter, the Government will consider whether to either establish its own house or cooperate with the existing one. On the day preceding his visit to Moscow, the Prime Minister travels to Brussels, where he will hold a lecture in the Bruegel Institute about possible scenarios for the eurozone and will meet with EU leaders. Acceding to Péter Szijjártó, the negotiations will concern current policy issues on the European Union agenda, such as the EU budget. Finally, concerning the possible further foreign programs of the Prime Minister, he said that Viktor Orbán has been invited for an official visit to India and negotiation on details of a visit to China will occur at the end of March, after the new Chinese government has been formed. The Prime Minister will also visit Lebanon and Jordan, accompanied by a business delegation.
higher than from other countries in the region. According to private bank estimates, a total of HUF 275 billion was transferred to offshore accounts in 2012. According to Hungarian analysts, the equivalent of an estimated HUF 700 billion is present on Swiss accounts, based on the capital gains tax paid on interest according to the OECD Model Convention. The Government intends to obtain information about offshore accounts in an entirely transparent way, he added. János Lázár also said the Government does not expect revenues from these actions this
year but it would be satisfactory if Hungary and Switzerland came to an agreement by January 2015. The Government is planning to start similar negotiations with other tax havens such as Liechtenstein and Cyprus. He mentioned that the Government and ministries will consider measures aimed at stopping the outflow of capital from Hungary. Government Spokesperson András GiróSzász was also present at the briefing and said there are countries where it is compulsory for firms and their subsidiaries to inform the authorities about their foreign accounts.
Democracy Day Rwanda - J a n 2 8
Rwanda celebrates its yearly Democracy Day every January 28th as a symbol of its remarkable success story since World War I. This public holiday serves as a medium in promoting equality and fair dealings among its people.
History
Rwanda was made popular to history of the world because of its genocidal massacre that devastated a lot of lives on 1994. Later on the 19th century, Rwanda was taken over and became a part of German East Asia and soon became a UN trust territory under the territorial government of Belgium. Despite the genocide that Rwanda experienced which took almost a million lives, the country continued to strive and it remarkably leveled up again after the genocide era. Now, it is considered as one the most developed countries worldwide.
at the Temple, other traditional names include Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord. In the Roman Catholic Church, it is known as the "Presentation of the Lord" in the liturgical books first issued by Paul VI, and as the "Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary" in earlier editions. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and Greek Catholic Churches (Eastern Catholic Churches which use the Byzantine rite), it is known as the "Feast of the Presentation of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple" or as "The Meeting of Our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ". In the churches of the Anglican Communion, it is known by various names, including: The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in The Temple (Candlemas) (Episcopal Church), The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, and The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Anglican Church of Canada), The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Candlemas) (Church of England), and The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Anglican Church of Australia). It is known as the Presentation of Our Lord in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In some Protestant churches, the feast is known as the Naming of Jesus (though historically he would have been named on the eighth day after the Nativity, when he was circumcised).
Traditions, customs and activities
Because of the astounding historical background of Rwanda, the nation established a national day of celebration of Democracy. Democracy day is a symbol of the country’s strong foundation. That no matter what storm it may face, Rwanda will always remain Rwanda. In fact, Rwanda is now considered as the first country to be ruled by a female-majority parliament that was held during the partial elections on September 2008.
World Leprosy Day Worldwide - J a n 3 0
World Leprosy Day is observed internationally on January 30 or its nearest Sunday to increase the public awareness of the Leprosy or Hansen's Disease. This day was chosen in commemoration of the death of Gandhi, the leader of India who understood the importance of leprosy. Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases in the world. It is an infectious chronic disease that targets the nervous system, especially the nerves in the cooler parts of the body - the hands, feet, and face.
Liturgical celebration Traditionally, Candlemas had been the last feast day in Western Christianity:
(Online 24 Jan) Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will pay an official visit to Budapest on 5 February, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó announced at the Hungarian-Turkish Business Forum in Budapest yesterday. The forum was organised by the Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency (HITA) and the Hungarian-Turkish joint economic committee, with the participation of more than 30 Turkish and some 40 Hungarian companies. The State Secretary said that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's talks will focus on boosting bilateral trade in agriculture and transport. He noted that the volume of bilateral trade has
(Online 23 Jan) The Government would like to be informed comprehensively about offshore accounts in order to recover unpaid tax, Minister of State Heading the Prime Minister’s Office János Lázár said at a press briefing on Tuesday. He stressed that the Government had already indicated this intention earlier and as the two-year tax amnesty ended, it contacted Swiss authorities. The money to be transferred back to Hungary is likely to be less than HUF 100 billion. He also pointed out that the amount of untaxed incomes transferred from Hungary is
Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:22–40 ). According to the gospel, Mary Presentation of Christ at the Temple by Hans Holbein the Elder, and Joseph took the baby 1500–01 (Kunsthalle,Hamburg) Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days (inclusive) after his birth to complete Mary's ritual purification after childbirth, and to perform the redemption of the firstborn, in obedience to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 12 , Exodus 13:12-15 , etc.). Luke explicitly says that Joseph and Mary take the option provided for poor people (those who could not afford a lamb) (Leviticus 12:8 ), sacrificing "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." Leviticus 12:1-4 indicates that this event should take place forty days after birth for a male child, hence the Presentation is celebrated forty days after Christmas. This ceremony is still practiced by Orthodox and Conservative Jews and is called a Pidyon HaBen. Upon bringing Jesus into the temple, they encountered Simeon the Righteous. The Gospel records that Simeon had been promised that "he should not see death before he had seen the Lord'sChrist" (Luke 2:26 ). Simeon prayed the prayer that would become known as the Nunc Dimittis, or Canticle of Simeon, which prophesied the redemption of the world by Jesus: Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples; a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel (Luke 2:29-32 ). Simeon then prophesied to Mary: "Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34-35 ). The elderly prophetess Anna was also in the Temple, and offered prayers and praise to God for Jesus, and spoke to everyone there about Jesus and his role in the redemption of Israel (Luke 2:36-38 ).
the Christian year that was dated by reference to Christmas. Subsequent moveable feasts are calculated with reference to Easter.
Tu r k i s h P r i m e M i n i s t e r t o v i s i t Budapest on 5 February
The Government is making efforts to recover untaxed revenues stored on Swiss accounts
Scripture Lives of Brigid The first life of Brigid seems to have been written within a generation of her death. The source of the various later The event is described in the
medieval Lives appears to have been a lost Life written by Ultán (d. 657), bishop of Ard Breccáin. The three principal Lives that survive date from the seventh to the ninth centuries and are preserved in over 100 medieval manuscripts, mostly written on the Continent. The oldest is Vita Sanctae Brigidae, a Latin Life by Cogitosus dating from c.650. An anonymous Latin Life confusingly known as ‘Vita Prima’ (as classified in the 1658 Acta SS, February 1 edition) has been dated to the seventh or eighth-century and an anonymous Life, ‘Bethu Brigte’, in Old Irish and Latin was compiled early in the ninth-century. In the controversy about the existence of Brigid that erupted in the last third of the 20th century, it was noted that eleven people with whom Brigit is associated in her Lives are independently attested in annalistic sources, sources which place her death at 524 (in the Annals of Tigernach and Chronicon Scotorum) and her birth at 439 (calculated from the alleged age of 86 at death). The Lives are traditional in form and draw references from the Old and New Testaments, the apocrypha and the early Church Fathers. They are sparse in specific biographical detail, and have been described as “primarily concerned with Brigit's way of life rather than her life as such, and focused on her saintliness and the miracles that testified to it.” Their appearance coincided with the rise to power of the new Ui Dunlainge sept as Kings of Leinster in the early seventh century. Cogitosus in particular was asserting Brigit's reputation and the status of Kildare at a time when it was in competition with Armagh for precedence in the Irish church.
(Online 23 Jan) After the governmental meeting held in Vásárosnamény, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared that the major reforms implemented during the past two years will begin to bear fruit in 2013: overhead expenses will decrease, wages will increase, the employment situation will improve, and the state has more resources available to employ more people.
Meeting of the Lord, Russian Orthodoxicon, 15th century
Candlemas occurs 40 days after Christmas. Traditionally the Western term "Candlemas" (or Candle Mass) referred to the practice whereby a priest on 2 February blessed beeswax candles for use throughout the year, some of which were distributed to the faithful for use in the home. In Poland the feast is called Święto Matki Bożej Gromnicznej (Święto, "Holiday" + Matka Boska, "Mother of God" + Gromnica, "Thunder"). This name refers to the candles that are blessed on this day, called gromnicy, since these candles are lit during (thunder) storms and placed in windows to ward off storms. Within the Roman Catholic Church, since the liturgical revisions of the Second Vatican Council, this feast has been referred to as the Feast of Presentation of the Lord, with references to candles and the purification of Mary de-emphasised in favor of the Prophecy of Simeon the Righteous.Pope John Paul II connected the feast day with the renewal of religious vows. This feast never falls in Lent (the earliest Ash Wednesday can fall is February 4, for the case of Easter on March 22 in a non-leap year). However, in the Tridentine rite, it can fall in the pre-Lenten season if Easter is early enough, and "Alleluia" has to be omitted from this feast's liturgy when that happens. According to over eight centuries of tradition, the swaddling clothes that baby Jesus wore during the presentation at the Temple are kept in Dubrovnik Cathedral, Croatia.
Federal Territory Day Malaysia - F e b 0 1
Federal Territory Day or Hari Wilayah Persekutuan is a state holiday for Federal Territory in Malaysia. It is celebrated on 1 February every year in Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya. The date marks the anniversary of formation of the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory in 1974,ceded by the state of Selangor to the federal government of Malaysia.
History
The Federal Territory Day was introduced on 1 February 1974, four days after the Federal Territory Agreement was signed on 28 January 1974 by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Sultan of Selangor. In 1984 Labuan became the second federal territory, and on February 1st 2001 Putrajaya became the third federal territory of Malaysia.
San Cecilio Spain - F e b 0 1
Eastern Christianity:
In the Byzantine tradition (Eastern Orthodox and Greek Catholic), the Meeting of the Lord is unique among the Great Feasts in that it combines elements of both a Great Feast of the Lord and a Great Feast of the Theotokos (Mother of God). It has a forefeast of one day, and an afterfeast of seven days. However, if the feast falls during Cheesefare Week or Great Lent, the afterfeast is either shortened or eliminated altogether. The holy day is celebrated with an all-night vigil on the eve of the feast, and a celebration of the Divine Liturgy the next morning, at which beeswax candles are blessed. This blessing traditionally takes place after the Little Hours and before the beginning of the Divine Liturgy (though in some places it is done after). The priest reads four prayers, and then a fifth one during which all present bow their heads before God. He then censes the candles and blesses them with holy water. The candles are then distributed to the people and the Liturgy begins. It is because of the biblical events recounted in the second chapter of Luke that the Churching of Women came to be practiced in both Eastern and Western Christianity. Though the usage has mostly died out in the West, the ritual is still practiced in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Some Christians observe the practice of leaving Christmas decorations up until Candlemas.
Date
In the Eastern and Western liturgical calendars the Presentation of the Lord falls on 2 February, forty days (inclusive) after Christmas. In the Church of England it may be celebrated on Presentation at the Temple by Ambrogio 1342 (Galleria degli this day, or on the Sunday between 28 January and 3 Febru- Lorenzetti, Uffizi,Florence). ary. The date of Candlemas is established by the date set for the Nativity of Jesus, for it comes forty days afterwards. Under Mosaic law as found in the Torah, a mother who had given birth to a man-child was considered unclean for seven days; moreover she was to remain for three and thirty days "in the blood of her purification." Candlemas therefore corresponds to the day on which Mary, according to Jewish law, should have attended a ceremony of ritual purification (Leviticus 12:2-8 ). The Gospel of Luke 2:22–39 relates that Mary was purified according to the religious law, followed by Jesus' presentation in the Jerusalem temple, and this explains the formal names given to the festival, as well as its falling 40 days after the Nativity. In the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Feast, called "The Coming of the Son of God into the Temple" (Tiarn'ndaraj, from Tyarn-, "the Lord", and -undarach "going forward"), is celebrated on 14 February. The Armenians do not celebrate the Nativity on 25 December, but on 6 January, and thus their date of the feast is 40 days after that: 14 February. The night before the feast, Armenians traditionally light candles during an evening church service, carrying the flame out into the darkness (symbolically bringing light into the void) and either take it home to light lamps or light a bonfire in the church courtyard.
History
The Feast of the Presentation is among the most ancient feasts of the Church. There are sermons on the Feast by the bishops Methodius of Patara († 312), Cyril of Jerusalem († 360), Gregory the Theologian († 389), Amphilochius of Iconium († 394), Gregory of Nyssa († 400), and John Chrysostom († 407). The earliest reference to specific liturgical rites surrounding the feast are by the intrepid nun Egeria, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land(381–384). She reported that 14 February was a day solemnly kept in Jerusalem with a procession to Constantine I's Basilica of the Resurrection, with a homily preached on Luke 2:22 (which makes the occasion perfectly clear), and a Divine Liturgy. This so-calledItinerarium Peregrinatio ("Pilgrimage Itinerary") of Egeria does not, however, offer a specific name for the Feast. The date of 14 February indicates that in Jerusalem at that time, Christ's birth was celebrated on 6 January, Epiphany. Egeria writes for her beloved fellow nuns at home: XXVI. "The fortieth day after the Epiphany is undoubtedly celebrated here with the very highest honor, for on that day there is a procession, in which all take part, in the Anastasis, and all things are done in their order with the greatest joy, just as at Easter. All the priests, and after them the bishop, preach, always taking for their subject that part of the Gospel where Joseph and Mary brought the Lord into the Temple on the fortieth day, and Symeon and Anna the prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, saw him, treating of the words which they spake when they saw the Lord, and of that offering which his parents made. And when everything that is customary has been done Meeting of the Lord, Orthodox icon from in order, the sacrament is celebrated, and the dismissal takes Belarus (1731). place." Originally, the feast was a minor celebration. But then in 542 the feast was established throughout the Eastern Empire by Justinian I. In 541 a terrible plague broke out in Constantinople, killing thousands. The Emperor, in consultation with the Patriarch of Constantinople, ordered a period of fasting and prayer throughout the entire Empire. And, on the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, arranged great processions throughout the towns and villages and a solemn prayer service (Litia) to ask for deliverance from evils, and the plague ceased. In thanksgiving, the feast was elevated to a more solemn celebration. In Rome, the feast appears in the Gelasian Sacramentary, a manuscript collection of the seventh and eighth centuries associated with Pope Gelasius I, but with many interpolations and some forgeries. There it carries for the first time the new title of the feast of Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Late in time though it may be, Candlemas is still the most ancient of all the festivals in honor of the Virgin Mary. The date of the feast in Rome was moved forward to 2 February, since during the late fourth century the Roman feast of Christ's nativity been introduced as 25 December. Though modern laymen picture Candlemas as an important feast throughout the Middle Ages in Europe, in fact it spread slowly in the West; it is not found in the Lectionary of Silos (650) nor in the Calendar (731–741) of SainteGeneviève of Paris. The tenth century Benedictional of St. Æthelwold, bishop of Winchester, has a formula used for blessing the candles. Candlemas did become important enough to find its way into the secular calendar. It was the traditional day to remove the cattle from the hay meadows, and from the field that was to be ploughed and sown that spring. References to it are common in later medieval and early Modern literature; Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is recorded as having its first performance on Candlemas Day, 1602. It remains one of the Scottish quarter days, at which debts are paid and law courts are in session.
Relation to other celebrations The Feast of the Presentation depends on the date for Christ-
mas: As per the passage from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:2240 ) describing the event in the life of Jesus, the celebration of the Presentation of the Lord follows 40 days after. The blessing of candles on this day recalls Simeon's reference to the infant Jesus as the "light for revelation to the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32 ). From a Christian perspective, therefore, there is no independent meaningfulness to the date of the Feast of the Presentation or to the blessing of candles on that day from which the name "Candlemas" derives. Modern Pagans believe that Candlemas is a Christianization of the Gaelic festival of Imbolc, which was celebrated in preChristian Europe (and especially the Celtic Nations) at about the same time of year. Imbolc is called "St. Brigid's Day" or "Brigid" in Ireland. Both Brigids are associated with sacred flames, holy wells and springs, healing and smithcraft. Brigid is a virgin, yet also the patron of midwives. However, a connection with Roman (rather than Celtic or Germanic) polytheism is more plausible, since the feast was celebrated before any serious attempt to expand Christianity into non-Roman countries. In Irish homes, there were many rituals revolve around welcoming Brigid into the home. Some of Brigid's rituals and legends later became attached to the Christian Saint Brigid, who was the Abbess of Kildare and seen by Celtic Christians as the midwife of Christ and "Mary of the Gael". In Ireland and Scotland she is the "foster mother of Jesus." The exact date of the Imbolc festival may have varied from place to place based on local tradition and regional climate. Imbolc is celebrated by modern Pagans on the eve of 2 February, at the astronomical midpoint, or on the full moon closest to the first An Armenian miniature illustrating the spring thaw. Some have argued that the Church in Rome introduced Can- subject (Mugni Gospels, ca. 1060). dlemas celebrations in opposition to the Roman Pagan feast of Lupercalia. The Catholic Encyclopædia is definite in its rejection of this argument: "The feast was certainly not introduced by Pope Gelasius to suppress the excesses of the Lupercalia," (referencing J.P. Migne, Missale Gothicum, 691). The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica agrees: the association with Gelasius "has led some to suppose that it was ordained by Pope Gelasius I in 492 as a counter-attraction to the pagan Lupercalia; but for this there is no warrant." Since the two festivals are both concerned with the ritual purification of women, not all historians are convinced that the connection is purely coincidental. Gelasius' certainly did write a treatise against Lupercalia, and this still exists; see Lupercalia. Pope Innocent XII believed Candlemas was created as an alternative to Roman Paganism, as stated in a sermon on the subject: Why do we in this feast carry candles? Because the Gentiles dedicated the month of February to the infernal gods, and as at the beginning of it Pluto stole Proserpine, and her mother Ceres sought her in the night with lighted candles, so they, at the beginning of the month, walked about the city with lighted candles. Because the holy fathers could not extirpate the custom, they ordained that Christians should carry about candles in honor of the Blessed Virgin; and thus what was done before in the honor of Ceres is now done in honor of the Blessed Virgin. In Armenia, celebrations at the Presentation have been influenced by pre-Christian customs, such as: the spreading of ashes by farmers in their fields each year to ensure a better harvest, keeping ashes on the roof of a house to keep evil spirits away, and the belief that newlywed women needed to jump over fire to purify themselves before getting pregnant. Young men will also leap over a bonfire. The tradition of lighting a candle in each window is not the origin of the name "Candlemas", which instead refers to a blessing of candles.
Traditions and superstitions
"Down with the rosemary, and so Down with the bays and mistletoe; Down with the holly, ivy, all, Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall" —Robert Herrick (1591–1674), "Ceremony upon Candlemas Eve" As the poem by Robert Herrick records, the eve of Candlemas was the day on which Christmas decorations of greenery were removed from people's homes; for traces of berries, holly and so forth will bring death among the congregation before another year is out. Another tradition holds that anyone who hears funeral bells tolling on Candlemas will soon hear of the death of a close friend or relative; each toll of the bell represents a day that will pass before the unfortunate news is learned. In Scotland, until a change in the law in 1991 (see Scottish term days), and in much of northern England until the 18th century, Candlemas was one of the traditional quarter days when quarterly rents were due for payment, as well as the day or term for various other business transactions, including the hiring of servants. In the United Kingdom, good weather at Candlemas is taken to indicate severe winter weather later: "If Candlemas Day is clear and bright, / winter will have another bite. / If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, / winter is gone and will not come again." It is also alleged to be the date that bears emerge from hibernation to inspect the weather as well as wolves, who if they choose to return to their lairs on this day is interpreted as meaning severe weather will continue for another forty days at least. The same is true in Italy, where it is calledCandelora. The Carmina Gadelica, a seminal collection of Scottish folklore, refers to a serpent coming out of the mound on Latha Fheill Bride, as the Scots call Candlemas. This rhyme is still used in the West Highlands and Hebrides. Moch maduinn Bhride, Thig an nimhir as an toll; Cha bhoin mise ris an nimhir, Cha bhoin an nimhir rium. (Early on Bride's morn, the serpent will come from the hollow I will not molest the serpent, nor will the serpent molest me) Thig an nathair as an toll, la donn Bride Ged robh tri traighean dh' an t-sneachd air leachd an lair. (The serpent will come from the hollow on the brown day of Bride Though there should be three feet of snow on the flat surface of the ground) The earliest American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center at Franklin and Marshall College: Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate. —4 February 1841 — from Morgantown, Berks County (Pennsylvania) storekeeper James Morris' diary, In France, Candlemas (French: La Chandeleur) is celebrated with crêpes, which must be eaten only after eight p.m. If the cook can flip a crêpe while holding a coin in the other hand, the family is assured of prosperity throughout the coming year. Tenerife (Spain), Is the day of the Virgin of Candelaria (Saint Patron of the Canary Islands). 2 February. In Southern and Central Mexico, and Guatemala City, Candlemas (Spanish: Día de La Candelaria) is celebrated with tamales. Tradition indicates that on 5 January, the night before Three Kings Day (the Epiphany), whoever gets one or more of the few plastic or metal dolls (originally coins) buried within the Rosca de Reyes must pay for the tamales and throw a party on Candlemas. In certain regions of Mexico, this is the day in which the baby Jesus of each household is taken up from the nativity scene and dressed up in various colorful, whimsical outfits. Sailors are often reluctant to set sail on Candlemas Day, believing that any voyage begun then will end in disaster — given the frequency of severe storms in February, this is not entirely without sense.
Saint Caecilius (Cecil, Cecilius, Cäcilius, Spanish: San Cecilio) is venerated as the patron saint of Granada, Spain. Tradition makes him a Christian missionary of the 1st century, during the Apostolic Age. He evangelized the town of Iliberri or Iliberis (Elvira/Granada), and became its first bishop. He is thus considered the founder of the archdiocese of Granada, established around 64 AD. Elvira’s first bishop, according to the Glosas Emilianenses, was Caecilius.Tradition states that he wrote some didactic treatises and that he was burned to death during the reign of Nero. He is one of the group of Seven Apostolic Men (siete varones apostólicos), seven Christian clerics ordained in Rome by Saints Peter and Paul and sent to evangelize Spain. Besides Caecilius, this group includes Sts. Hesychius, Ctesiphon, Torquatus, Euphrasius, Indaletius, and Secundius (Isicio, Cecilio, Tesifonte, Eufrasio, Hesiquio y Segundo).
Veneration
Sacromonte, a neighbourhood of Granada, celebrates on the first February each year the Fiesta de San Cecilio, when large crowds gather to celebrate the city's first bishop and Granada's patron saint. The fiesta and abbey act as key instruments for the preservation, propagation and dissemination of Caecilius' legend, by which the city of Granada in the 17th century sought to redefine its historic identity, replacing its Moorish past with fabricated (or re-discovered) accounts of Christian origins. The legend states that the catacombs of Sacromonte are the site of Saint Cecil's martyrdom, and the abbey preserves the supposed relics of Cecil and eleven other saints' bones, ashes and the oven in which they were believed to have been burned. It also possesses the inscribed lead plaques and books, the Lead Books of Sacromonte, that were found with the supposed relics, but which were subsequently officially dismissed as forgeries.
Groundhog Day U.S., Canada - F e b 0 2
Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter-like weather will soon end. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks. Modern customs of the holiday involve celebrations where early morning festivals are held to watch the groundhog emerging from its burrow. In southeastern Pennsylvania, Groundhog Lodges (Grundsow Lodges) celebrate the holiday with fersommlinge, social events in which food is served, speeches are made, and one or more g'spiel (plays or skits) are performed for entertainment. The Pennsylvania German dialect is the only language spoken at the event, and those who speak English pay a penalty, usually in the form of a nickel, dime or quarter, per word spoken, put into a bowl in the center of the table. The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day, already a widely recognized and popular tradition, received worldwide attention as a result of the 1993 film of the same name, Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney and portrayed Punxsutawney Phil.
History
The celebration, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 1 and also involves weather prognostication. and to St. Swithun's Day in July.
Historical origins:
An early American reference to Groundhog Day can be found in a diary entry, dated February 4, 1841, of Berks County, Pennsylvania, storekeeper James Morris: Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans,the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate. In Scotland the tradition may also derive from an English poem: As the light grows longer The cold grows stronger If Candlemas be fair and bright Winter will have another flight If Candlemas be cloud and rain Winter will be gone and not come again A farmer should on Candlemas day Have half his corn and half his hay On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop You can be sure of a good pea crop
Alternative origin theories:
In western countries in the Northern Hemisphere the official first day of Spring is almost seven weeks (46–48 days) after Groundhog Day, on March 20 or March 21. About 1,000 years ago, before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar when The groundhog (Marmota monax) is a rodent of the famthe date of the equinox drifted in the Ju- ily Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground lian calendar, the spring equinox fell on squirrels. March 16 instead. This is exactly six weeks after February 2. The custom could have been a folk embodiment of the confusion created by the collision of two calendrical systems. Some ancient traditions marked the change of season at cross-quarter days such as Imbolc when daylight first makes significant progress against the night. Other traditions held that Spring did not begin until the length of daylight overtook night at the Vernal Equinox. So an arbiter, the groundhog/hedgehog, was incorporated as a yearly custom to settle the two traditions. Sometimes Spring begins at Imbolc, and sometimes Winter lasts 6 more weeks until the equinox.
Locations The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds as large as 40,000
have gathered to celebrate the holiday since at least 1886. Other celebrations of note in Pennsylvania take place in Quarryville in Lancaster County, the Anthracite Region of Schuylkill County, the Sinnamahoning Valley and Bucks County. Outside of Pennsylvania, notable celebrations occur in the Frederick and Hagerstown areas of Maryland, the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Woodstock, Illinois, Lilburn, Georgia, among the Amish populations of over twenty states and at Wiarton, Ontario, and Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, in Canada. The University of Dallas in Irving, Texas, has taken Groundhog Day as its official university holiday and organizes a large-scale celebration every year in honor of the Groundhog.
Prediction accuracy
Groundhog Day proponents state that the rodents' forecasts are accurate 75% to 90% of the time. A Canadian study for 13 cities in the past 30 to 40 years puts the success rate level at 37%. Also, the National Climatic Data Center reportedly has stated that the overall prediction accuracy rate is around 39%.
Groundhog Day in popular culture • At the end of Disney's 1930
Silly Symphonies short film Winter, Mr. Groundhog the Weather Prophet comes out of his hole to determine whether or not there will be more winter. At first, he does not see his shadow, but the clouds clear and his shadow appears, causing him to run back inside. At this point, the winds picks up again and winter continues. • The 1941 Woody Woodpecker short Pantry Panic portrays the groundhog as a weather forecaster, although in this case he forecasts the timing of the beginning of winter, not the end of it. • In the 1979 Rankin-Bass Christmas TV special Jack Frost, a crucial plot point in the story involves Jack casting his own shadow on Groundhog Day for six more weeks of winter. At the end of the story it is revealed that the narrator (voiced by Buddy Hackett) is the groundhog. • The 1993 comedy movie Groundhog Day takes place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on this day (although the majority of the movie was actually filmed in Woodstock, Illinois). The main character (played by Bill Murray) is forced to relive the day over and over again until he can learn to give up his selfishness and become a better person. In popular culture, the phrase "Groundhog Day" has come to represent going through a phenomenon over and over until one spiritually transcends it. • On January 9, 2006, the Pennsylvania Tourism Office presented installments of the Groundhog 202 film series, a Groundhog Daypromotion that played off The Shining. The film shows what happens when the groundhog, stuck inside for 364 days, goes mad with cabin fever. On January 11, 2007, the Pennsyl- Statue of groundhog Wiarton Willie in Wiarton, Ontario vania Tourism Office presented installments of the Groundhog Crossing film series, a Groundhog Day promotion that depicted the departure of the Shadow from his friend the Groundhog in an attempt to stop the cycle of winter predictions.
Similar customs A strikingly similar and almost identical custom is celebrated among Orthodox Christians in Serbia on February 15
(February 2 according to local Julian calendar) during the feast of celebration of Sretenje or The Meeting of the Lord. It is believed that on this day the bear will awake from winter dormancy, and if in this sleepy and confused state it sees (meets) its own shadow, it will get scared and go back to sleep for an additional 40 days, thus prolonging the winter. Thus, if it is sunny on Sretenje, it is the sign that the winter is not over yet. If it is cloudy, it is a good sign that the winter is about to end. In Portugal, on February 2 is celebrated this day and is called The Candelária Day that refers to the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. It is said the "If the Candelária is smiling (i.e. if it a sunny day), the winter is still to come, if the Candelária is crying (i.e. if it is a rainy day), the winter is out. In Germany, June 27 is "Siebenschläfertag" (Seven Sleepers Day). If it rains that day, the rest of summer is supposedly going to be rainy. While it might seem to refer to the "Siebenschläfer" squirrel (Glis Glis), also known as the "edible dormouse," it actually commemorates theSeven Sleepers (the actual commemoration day is July 25). In the United Kingdom, July 15 is known as St. Swithun's day. It was traditionally believed if it rained on that day, it would rain for the next 40 days and nights. In Alaska, February 2 is observed as Marmot Day rather than Groundhog Day because few groundhogs exist in the state. The holiday was created by a bill passed by the Alaska Legislature in 2009 and signed by then-Governor Sarah Palin that year.