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.
Federal Territory Day MALAYSIA - F e b 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 1
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 rediscovered) 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.
St. Brigid's Day M O N T S E R R AT- F e b 1 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.
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
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.
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 conflicting 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.'
Groundhog Day US, CANADA - F e b 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 Pennsyl-
vania 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 The groundhog (Marmota monax) is a rodent of the adoption of the Gregorian calendar when family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large the date of the equinox drifted in the Ju- ground squirrels. lian calendar, the spring equinox fell on 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 Wood• pecker 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.
Foundation of the Vietnamese Communist Party VIETNAM - F e b 3
The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) (Vietnamese: Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam), formally established in 1930, is the governing party of the nation of Vietnam. It is today the only legal political party in that country. Describing itself as Marxist-Leninist, the CPV is the directing component of a broader group of organizations known as the Vietnamese Fatherland Front. In Vietnam, it is commonly referred to as "Đảng" (the Party) or "Đảng ta" (our Party). The CPV is formally directed by a National Congress held every five years. In practical terms the organization is lead by a 160 member Central Committee, which selects a Political Bureau (Politburo) headed by a General Secretary. The current General Secretary of the CPV is Nguyễn Phú Trọng.
Organizational history The forerunner, Thanh Nien:
Today's Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) traces its origins back to 1925. It was in the spring of that year that a young man born Nguyen Sinh Cung — then using the pseudonym Nguyễn Ái Quốc (Nguyen the Patriot) but best known today by a later party-name, Ho Chi Minh (Ho the Enlightened One) — established a Communist political organization called the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth Association (Vietnamese:Việt Nam Thanh Niên Kách Mệnh Hội — commonly: "Thanh Niên"). Thanh Nien was an organization which sought to make use of patriotism in an effort to bring the colonial occupation of the country by Franceto an end. The group sought political and social objectives — both national independence and the redistribution of land to working peasants. The establishment of Thanh Nien was preceded by the arrival of Communist International functionary Ho Chi Minh in Canton, China from Moscow in December 1924. Ho was ostensibly sent to China to work as a secretary and interpreter to Mikhail Borodin, but he actually set to work almost immediately attempting to transform the existing Vietnamese patriotic movement towards revolutionary ends. Ho managed to convert a small group of emigré intellectuals called Tam Tam Xa (Heart-to-Heart Association) to revolutionary socialism, and Thanh Nien was born. The headquarters of the Thanh Nien organization in Canton was made the directing center for the underground revolutionary movement in Vietnam. All important decisions regarding the strategy and tactics of the fledgling Vietnamese anti-colonial revolutionary movement during this interval were made in Canton. Thanh Nien was designed to prepare the ground for an armed struggle against the French colonial occupation. Three phases were envisioned by Ho Chi Minh and his compatriots. In the first phase, an external center was to be established as a training center, source of unified political propaganda, and headquarters for strategic decision-making and the maintenance of organizational and ideological discipline. Secret revolutionary grouplets called French Indochina included the administrative regions "cells" were to be trained in Canton and of Tonkin in the North, Annam along the Central coast, returned to Vietnam proper to conduct acand Cochinchina in the South. tivity. In the second phase, activity would move into a "semi-secret" phase, in which Thanh Nien cadres would initiate political and economic activities, including strike action, boycotts, and protests, which might include conscious acts of political violence as a means of mobilizing the masses. This would be a third phase, one of insurrection, in which the unified organization would attempt to rise up and overthrow the established political regime by force of arms, establishing a new centralized revolutionary government. Thanh Nien was conceived of as a relatively open mass organization, with the most trusted members part of a directing center called the Communist Youth Corps (CYC). At the time of the Thanh Nien's dissolution in 1929, the CYC is believed to have consisted of just 24 members. In addition to Thanh Nien, this small inner circle also directed two other mass organizations, Nong Hoi ("Peasants' Association") and Cong Hoi ("Workers' Association"). The CYC and Thanh Nien published pamphlets and newspapers, including a guidebook of revolutionary theory and practical techniques calledThe Road to Revolution, as well as four newspapers — Thanh Nien ("Youth") from June 1925 to May 1930; Bao cong nong ("Worker-Peasant") from December 1926 to early 1928; Linh kach menh ("Revolutionary Soldier") from early 1927 to early 1928; and Viet Nam tien phong ("Vanguard of Vietnam") in 1927.
Factional split of 1929:
In 1928 the headquarters of the Thanh Nien organization in Canton were forced underground by forces of the Chinese Nationalists, the Kuomintang (KMT). The center which issued directions to the cells inside Vietnam had to be moved repeatedly to avoid repression — first to Wu-Chou and then to Hong Kong. Making matters worse, top leader Ho Chi Minh departed from Canton in May 1927 and was incommunicado with the Vietnamese movement. The lack of contacts with a unified headquarters proved the start of an organizational split, with radicals in the movement beginning to take instructions from the Comintern via the Communist Party of France and others following a different path. In September 1928 the radical Bac Ky Regional Committee of Thanh Nien held a conference at which it affirmed the Comintern's new Third Period analysis, positing a new revolutionary upsurge around the world. Noting the growth of the organization among intellectuals in urban centers, the conference determined to send its largely petty bourgeois membership into the countryside and to urban factories in an attempt to bring communist ideas to the poor peasantry and the numerically tiny working class. In a letter to the Comintern, the Thanh Nien itself estimated that approximately 90 percent of its membership consisted of intellectuals; a full-scale offensive to win mass support was desired. The Central Committee of Thanh Nien called a National Congress of the organization, slated to begin on May Day of 1929. This gathering, held 1-9 May 1929 and attended by 17 delegates from each of the three main administrative districts of Vietnam, plus Hong Kong and Siam, would prove the occasion for a split between those who placed primary emphasis on the so-called "national question" (independence from colonialism) and those who sought a more radical movement placing emphasis on social revolution. Ho Chi Minh was not in attendance, still missing from the scene. The conclave was chaired by Nguyen Cong Vien, making use of the pseudonym Lam Duc Thu, who summarily ruled the question of formation Võ Nguyên Giáp (left) and Hồ Chí Minh in Hà of a proper Communist party out of order, prompting Nội, October 1945. a walkout of three members of the northern delegation, leaving only an informer working on behalf of the French secret police at the session as the representative of Tonkin. The radical Northern delegates who walked out of the Congress were sharply critical of those who refused to split, charging the remaining Thanh Nien leaders were "false revolutionaries" and "petit-bourgeois intellectuals" who were attempting to build bridges with the "anti-revolutionary and anti-worker" Kuomintang. On 17 June 1929 more than 20 delegates from cells throughout the Tonkin region held a conference in Hanoi, where they declared the dissolution of Thanh Nien and the establishment of a new organization called the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP). The new Northern party published pamphlets detailing its organizational rules based upon the Comintern's "Model Statutes for a Communist Party" as well as the International program approved by the Sixth World Congress of the Comintern in 1928. Three new periodicals were also launched — the newspaper Co do ("Red Flag"), the theoretical journal Bua liem ("Hammer and Sickle"), and the trade union publicationCong hoi do ("Red Trade Union"). The other faction of Thanh Nien, based in the central and southern administrative districts of the country, were to rename themselves the Communist Party of Annam in the fall of 1929. The two organizations spent the rest of 1929 engaged in polemics against one another in an attempt to gain a position of hegemony over the radical Vietnamese liberation movement. Adding to the complexity of the factional situation, a third Vietnamese Communist Party emerged around this time, a group unconnected with Thanh Nien called the League of Indochinese Communists (Vietnamese: Đông Dương Cộng sản Liên Đoàn). This group had its roots in another national liberation group which had existed in parallel to Thanh Nien, with the two groups seeing themselves as rivals.
The party unification of 1930:
The two warring offspring of Thanh Nien joined with individual members of a third Marxist group founded by Phan Boi Chau at a "Unification Conference" held in Hong Kong from 3-7 February 1930. Ho Chi Minh, back in direct activity in the Vietnamese movement, was responsible for brokering the peace between the warring factions as well as writing the initial manifesto and statement of tactics of the group. The new party was named the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). The Hong Kong conference (held in Kowloon City) elected a nine-member Provisional Central Committee consisting of 3 members from Tonkin in the North, 2 from the central region of Annam, 2 from the southern district Cochinchina, and 2 from the emigré Vietnamese community in China. The latter group had previously been organized within the South Seas Communist Party. The Comintern was sharply critical of the way in which the organization was unified, decrying the Vietnamese's party's failure to eliminate so-called "heterogeneous elements" from the organization. The organization's declared emphasis upon national liberation under the slogan"An Independent Viet Nam" was criticized as a manifestation of nationalism, while the party's emphasis of its place in the international communist movement was deemed insufficient. A new conference was demanded, remembered to history as the "First Plenum of the Central Committee." The session was held in Hong Kong in October 1930 and renamed the organization the Indochinese Communist Party (Vietnamese: Đông Dương Cộng sản Đảng) (ICP) to mark the Comintern's imposed changes. At the time it formally came into being, the ICP could claim to be a vanguard of only a microscopically small working class — a mere 221,000 people in a country of 17 million. Even of this minority, the lives of many was far removed from the workplaces of modern industry, with fully one-third of these employed in various capacities on rubber plantations and the like. The working class in the North was semi-peasant in nature, leaving work in the mines and factories for the Tết festival that marked the start of the new year, often not returning.Working conditions were poor and labor turnover high. During its first five years of existence the ICP attained a membership of about 1500, plus a large additional contingent of sympathizers.Despite the group's small size, it exerted an influence in a turbulent Vietnamese social climate. Back-to-back bad harvests in 1929 and 1930 combined with an onerous burden of debt served to radicalize many peasants. In the industrial city of Vinh May Day demonstrations were organized by ICP activists, which gained critical mass when the families of the semi-peasant workers joined the demonstrations as a means of venting their dissatisfaction with the economic circumstances which faced them. As three May Day marches grew into mass rallies, French colonial authorities moved in the squelch what they perceived to be dangerous speasant revolts. Government forces fired upon the assembled crowd, killing dozens of participants and inflaming the population. In response local councils sprung up in various villages in an effort to govern themselves locally as the revolt spread. The inevitable attempt at repression by colonial authorities began in the fall, with some 1300 people eventually killed by the French and many times more imprisoned or deported as government authority was reasserted. While the ICP was effectively wiped out in the region, popular memory lived on.
Candlemas - Feb 2
(THE FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD)
Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru
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.
Scripture The event is described in the
Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:22–40 ). According to the gospel, Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days (inclusive) after his birth to complete Mary's ritual purification after Presentation of Christ at the Temple by Hans Holbein the Elder, childbirth, and to perform the re- 1500–01 (Kunsthalle,Hamburg) demption 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 ).
Name of the celebration
In addition to being known as the Presentation of Jesus 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).
Liturgical celebration
Traditionally, Candlemas had been the last feast day in the Christian year that was dated by reference to Christmas. Subsequent moveable feasts are calculated with reference to Easter.
Western Christianity:
Meeting of the Lord, Russian Orthodoxicon,
Candlemas occurs 40 days after Christmas. 15th century 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.
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 this day, or on the Sunday between 28 January and 3 FebruPresentation at the Temple by Ambrogio ary. 1342 (Galleria degli The date of Candlemas is established by the date set for the Lorenzetti, Nativity of Jesus, for it comes forty days afterwards. Under Mo- Uffizi,Florence). saic 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 in order, the sacrament is celebrated, and the dismissal takes place." Meeting of the Lord, Orthodox icon from Originally, the feast was a minor celebration. But then in 542 the feast was established throughout the Eastern Empire by Belarus (1731). 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 Christmas: 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 spring thaw. Some have argued that the Church in Rome introduced Candlemas celebrations in opposition to the Roman Pagan feast of Lupercalia. The Catholic Encyclopædia is definite in its re- An Armenian miniature illustrating the jection of this argument: "The feast was certainly not introduced by Pope Gelasius to suppress the excesses of the subject (Mugni Gospels, ca. 1060). 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.
Liberty Heroes Day - F e b 3 Sao Tome & Principe
Just like any other countries, Sao Tome and Principe celebrates their yearly National Heroes’ Day held every 3rd of February. This yearly celebration serves as the country’s formal day to remember the remarkable bravery of their countrymen who battled to achieve their independence from Portugal on July 12, 1975.
HISTORY
Sao Tome is Sao Tome and Principe’s capital city. The name is of Portuguese origin which means Saint Thomas, since it was founded by Portugal in 1485. When Portugal first came across Sao Tome and Principe on 1472, it was transformed by the Portuguese rulers into a large plantation of sugar thus enslaving the natives. Fifty years after the discovery of Portugal on Sao Tome and Principe, on 1522, the country was declared as under the Portuguese colony. Followed by the colonization was the declaration of Portuguese colonies to become Portugal’s overseas province. Because of the ruthless treatment that Sao Tome and Principe underwent with the ruling power of Portugal, the citizens attempted to establish several liberalization movements however, failed several times. On the attempt to gain independence, the natives of Sao Tome established the Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe (MLSTP) and from then, the Portuguese government made an agreement for the termination of its overseas colonies. On July 12 1975, Sao Tome and Principe was finally freed from the Portuguese regime electing Manuel Pinto da Costa as the country’s first president.
TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIES
To date, the Sao Tomeans continue to look up to the heroes’ which made their independence possible. Yearly during this event, a lot of non-governmental organizations are organizing events and rallies as one way of giving respect and devotion to their national heroes.
Setsubun JAPAN - F e b 3
The Popular Front period (1935-1939):
The First National Party Congress was held in secret in Macau in 1935. At the same time, a Comintern congress in Moscow adopted a policy towards a popular front against fascism and directed Communist movements around the world to collaborate with anti-fascist forces regardless of their orientation towards socialism. This required the ICP to regard all nationalist parties in Indochina as potential allies.
World War II:
The Second World War drastically weakened the grasp of France on its colonial possession of Indochina. The fall of France to Nazi Germany in May 1940 and the subsequent collaboration of the Vichy France with the Axis powers of Germany and Japan served to delegitimize French claims to ownership. Preoccupation with the European war made colonial governance from France impossible and the country was occupied by the forces of imperial Japan. Upon the eruption of war, the Indochinese Communist Party instructed its members to take to the rural regions of the country and to go into hiding as an underground organization. Despite this preventative measure, more than 2,000 members of the party were rounded up and arrested, including many key leaders. Party activists were particularly hard hit in the southern region ofCochinchina, where the previously strong organization was wiped out by arrests and killings. Following the elimination of the old leadership by the authorities, a new party leadership emerged, which included Truong Chinh, Pham Van Dong, and Vo Nguyen Giap — individuals who together with Ho Chi Minh would provide a unified leadership over the ensuing four decades. Party leader Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam in February 1941 and established a military organization known as the League for the Independence of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam Ðộc Lập Ðồng Minh Hội, commonly "Viet Minh"). The Viet Minh originally downplayed their social objectives, painting themselves as patriotic organization battling for national independence in order to garner maximum public support against the Japanese military occupation. As the most uncompromising fighting force against the occupation, the Viet Minh gained popular recognition and legitimacy in an environment that would develop into a political vacuum. Ho Chi Minh's personal fate was not an easy one. With his organization underarmed and its bases isolated, Ho traveled to China in August 1942 in an effort to win Allied military aid. Ho was arrested by the Nationalist Chinese government and subjected to 14 months of brutal imprisonment, followed by another year of restricted movement. Ho was unable to return to Vietnam until September 1944. The Communist Party and its Viet Minh offshoot managed to survive and prosper without him. Despite its position as the core of the Viet Minh organization, the Indochinese Communist Party remained a very small organization through the war years, with an estimated membership of between 2,000 and 3,000 in 1944.
1945 dissolution and reformation:
The Indochinese Communist Party was formally dissolved in 1945 in order to hide its Communist affiliation and its activities were folded into the Marxism Research Association and the Viet Minh, which had been founded four years earlier as a common front for national liberation. The Party was re-founded as the Workers Party of Vietnam (Đảng lao động Việt Nam) at the Second National Party Congress in Tuyen Quang in 1951. The Congress was held on territory in north Vietnam controlled by the Viet Minh during the First Indochina War. The Third National Congress, held in Hanoi in 1960, formalized the tasks of constructing socialism in what was by then North Vietnam, or the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) and committed the party to carrying out the revolution of liberation in the South. At the Fourth National Party Congress, held in 1976, the Workers Party of North Vietnam was merged with the People's Revolutionary Party of South Vietnam to form the Communist Party of Vietnam.
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.
Heroes' Day MOZAMBIQUE - F e b 3
Mozambique celebrates Heroe’s Day yearly every 3rd day of February. It was instituted to commemorate the lives of fallen soldiers who fought bravely for the country’s independence in 1975 specifically to the assassinated leader of Mozambican independence movement political party, Eduardo Mondlane.
HISTORY When Mozambique was still under
Portuguese rule, a guerrilla group called Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO), a political party formed in 1962 under the leadership of Eduardo Mondlane, initiated a campaign to fight for the country’s independence. This war, later called Portuguese Colonial War, lasted from 1961–1974. Initially, Portuguese concentrated their control on urban centers while the FRELIMO guerrillas took control of rural and tribal areas in the northern and western part of Mozambique. To receive local support for the liberation of Mozambique, FRELIMO began conducting social and economic improvement on the lives of the people on the controlled territory in the northern portion of the country. In one unfortunate event, Mondlane was assassinated in his office in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania by Portuguese secret police. Through the resistance and persistence to achieve independence of the ensuing FRELIMO leadership, the country achieved its independence from Portugal on June 25, 1975.
TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS AND ACTIVITIES
Mozambique’s Heroes’ Day official name is Dia dos Heróis Moçambicanos. Heroes’ Day is a public holiday celebrated with parades and with speeches from various political groups aiming to support an equal or Marxist way of life for all Mozambique citizens. Mozambican Heroes’ Day reminds all Mozambique citizens to pay homage to the sacrifices given by FRELIMO leader Eduardo Mondlane in bringing independence to the country’s more than four century colonial rule from Portugal, Samora Machel, the first president of Mozambique and other organizations who aimed for the liberation of the country for foreign rule.
Setsubun (節分, Bean-Throwing Festival or Bean-Throwing Ceremony) is the day before the beginning of spring in Japan. The name literally means "seasonal division", but usually the term refers to the spring Setsubun, properly called Risshun (立春) celebrated yearly on February 3 as part of the Spring Festival (春祭 haru matsuri). In its association with the Lunar New Year, Spring Setsubun can be and was previously thought of as a sort of New Year's Eve, and so was accompanied by a special ritual to cleanse away all the evil of the former year and drive away diseasebringing evil spirits for the year to come. This special ritual is called mamemaki (豆撒き) (literally "bean throwing"). Setsubun has its origins intsuina (追儺), a Chinese custom introduced to Japan in the eighth century.
Mamemaki
The custom of Mamemaki first appeared in the Muromachi period. It is usually performed by the toshiotoko (年男) of the household (the male who was born on the corresponding animal year on the Chinese zodiac), or else the male head of the household. Roasted soybeans(called "fortune beans" (福豆 fuku mame)) are thrown either out the door or at a member of the family wearing an Oni (demon or ogre) mask, while the people say "Demons out! Luck in!" (鬼 は外! 福は内! Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!) and slam the door, although this is not common practice in households anymore and most people will attend a shrine or temple's spring festival where this is done.:120 The beans are thought to symbolically purify the home by driving away the evil spirits that bring misfortune and bad health with them. Then, as part of bringing luck in, it is customary to eat roasted soybeans, one for each year of one's life, and in some areas, one for each year of one's life plus one more for bringing good luck for the year to come. The gestures of mamemaki look similar to the Western custom of throwing rice at newly married couples after a wedding.
Other practices
At Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines all over the country, there are celebrations for Setsubun. Priests and invited guests will throw roasted soy beans (some wrapped in gold or silver foil), small envelopes with money, sweets, candies and other prizes. In some bigger shrines, even celebrities and sumo wrestlers will be invited; these events are televised nationally. Many people come, and the event turns wild, with everyone pushing and shoving to get the gifts tossed Celebrities throw roasted beans in Ikuta Shrine, Kobe from above. It is customary now to eat uncut makizushi called Eho-Maki (恵方巻) (lit. "lucky direction roll") in silence on Setsubun while facing the yearly lucky compass direction, determined by the zodiac symbol of that year. Charts are published and occasionally packaged with uncutmakizushi during February. Some families put up small decorations of sardine heads and holly leaves on their house entrances so that bad spirits will not enter. Ginger sake (生姜酒 shōgazake) is customarily drunk at Setsubun, much like how egg nog is common at Christmas in Western cultures.
Historical practices
The new year was felt to be a time when the spirit world became close to the physical world, thus the need to perform mamemaki to drive away any wandering spirits that might happen too close to one's home. Other customs during this time included religious dance, fasting, and bringing tools inside the house that might normally be left outside, to prevent the spirits from harming them. Because Setsubun was also considered to be apart from normal time, people might also practice role reversal. Such customs included young girls doing their hair in the styles of older women and vice versa, wearing disguises, and cross-dressing. This custom is still practiced among geisha and their clients when entertaining on Setsubun. Traveling entertainers (旅芸人 tabi geinin), who were normally shunned during the year because they were considered vagrants, were welcomed on Setsubun to perform morality plays. Their vagrancy worked to their advantage in these cases because they could take the spirits with them.
Regional variations
While the practice of eating makizushi on Setsubun is historically only associated with the Kansai area of Japan, the practice has become popular nationwide due largely to marketing efforts by grocery and convenience stores. In the Tohoku area of Japan, the head of the household (traditionally the father) would take roasted beans in his hand, pray at the family shrine, and then toss the sanctified beans out the door. Nowadays peanuts (either raw or coated in a sweet, crunchy batter) are sometimes used in place of soybeans. There are many variations on the famous Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi chant. In the Nihonmatsu area of Fukushima Prefecture, the chant is shortened to "鬼 外! 福は内!" (Oni soto! Fuku wa uchi!). And in the city of Aizuwakamatsu, people chant "鬼の目玉ぶっつぶせっ！" (Oni no medama buttsubuse!), lit. "Blind the demons' eyes!".
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HUNGARY NEWS Sri Lanka officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. Known until 1972 as Ceylon Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the Maldives. As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia. It was an important stop on the ancient Silk Road. Sri Lanka has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times and is one of the few remaining abodes of Buddhism in South Asia along with Ladakh,Bhutan and the Chittagong hill tracts. The Sinhalese community forms the majority of the population; Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, form the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include Moors, Burghers, Kaffirs, Malays and the aboriginal Vedda people. Sri Lanka is a republic and a unitary state which is governed by a semi-presidential system with its official seat of government in Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte, the capital. The country is famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, coconuts, rubber and cinnamon, the last of which is native to the country. The natural beauty of Sri Lanka has led to the title The Pearl of the Indian Ocean. The island is laden with lush tropical forests, white beaches and diverse landscapes with rich biodiversity. The country lays claim to a long and colorful history of over three thousand years, having one of the longest documented histories in the world. Sri Lanka's rich culture can be attributed to the many different communities on the island. Sri Lanka is a founding member state of SAARC and a member United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, G77 and Non-Aligned Movement. As of 2010, Sri Lanka was one of the fastest growing economies of the world. Its stock exchange was Asia's best performing stock market during 2009 and 2010.
History
Pre-historic Sri Lanka:
The pre-history of Sri Lanka dates back over 125,000 years Before Present (BP) and possibly even as early as 500,000 BP. The era spans the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and early Iron ages. Among the Paleolithic (Homo Erectus) human settlements discovered in Sri Lanka, Pahiyangala (named after the Chinese traveler monk Fa-Hsien), which dates back to 37,000 BP, Batadombalena (28,500 BP) and Belilena (12,000 BP) are the most important. The remains of Balangoda Man, an anatomically modern human, found inside these caves, suggests that they may have engaged in agriculture and kept domestic dogs for driving game. One of the first written references to the island is found in the Indian epic Ramayana, which provides details of a kingdom named Lanka that had been created by the divine sculptor Vishwakarma, forKubera, the lord of wealth. It is said that Kubera was overthrown by his demon stepbrother Ravana, the powerful Emperor who built a mythical flying machine named Dandu Monara. The modern city of Frescos on the Sigiriya rock fortress in Wariyapola is described as Ravana's airport. Matale District, 5th century Ravana belonged to the tribe Raksha, which lived alongside four Hela tribes named Yaksha, Deva,Naga and Gandharva. These early inhabitants of Sri Lanka were probably the ancestors of the Vedda people, an indigenous community living in modern-day Sri Lanka, which numbers approximately 2,500. Irish historian James Emerson Tennent theorised Galle, a southern city in Sri Lanka, was the ancient seaport of Tarshish, from which King Solomon is said to have drawn ivory, peacocks and other valuables. Early inhabitats of the country spoke the Elu language, which is considered the early form of the modern Sinhala language.
Ancient Sri Lanka:
According to the Mahāvamsa, a chronicle written in Pāli language, the ancient period of Sri Lanka begins in 543 BC with the landing of Vijaya, a semi-legendary king who arrived in the country with 700 followers from the southwest coast of what is now the Rarh region of West Bengal. He established the Kingdom of Tambapanni, near modern day Mannar. Vijaya is the first of the approximately 189 native monarchs of Sri Lanka, the chronicles like Dipavamsa, Mahāvamsa,Chulavamsa and Rājāvaliya describe. (see List of Sri Lankan monarchs) Sri Lankan dynasty spanned over a period of 2359 years, from 543 BC to 1815 AD, until it came under the rule of British Empire. The Kingdom of Sri Lanka moved to Anuradhapura in 380 BC, during the reign of Pandukabhaya. Since then, Anuradhapura served as the capital of the country for nearly 1400 years. Ancient Sri Lankans excelled invarious constructions such as tanks, dagobas and palaces. The society underwent a major transformation during the reign of Devanampiya Tissa, with the arrival of Buddhism from India. In 250 BC, bhikkhu Mahinda, the son of the Mauryan EmperorAshoka arrived in Mihintale, carrying the message of Buddhism. His mission won over the monarch, who embraced the faith and propagated it throughout theSinhalese population. The succeeding kingdoms of Sri Lanka would maintain a large number of Buddhist schools and monasteries, and support the propagation of Buddhism into other countries in Southeast Asia as well. In 245 BC, bhikkhuni Sangamitta arrived with the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree, which is considered to be a sapling from the historical Bodhi tree under which Gautama Buddha became enlightened. It is considered the oldest tree in the world, with a continuous historical record. (Bodhivamsa) Sri Lanka experienced the first foreign invasion during the reign of Suratissa, who was defeated by two horse traders named Sena and Guttika from South India. The next invasion came immediately in 205 BC by a Chola king named Elara, who overthrew Asela and ruled the country for 44 years. Dutugemunu, the eldest son of the southern regional sub-king, Kavan Tissa, defeated Elara in the Battle of Vijithapura. He builtRuwanwelisaya, the second stupa in ancient Sri Lanka, and the Lovamahapaya. During its two and half millenias of existence, kingdom of Sri Lanka was invaded at least 8 times by neighbouring South Asian dy- A Buddhist statue in the ancient capital nastys such as Chola, Pandya, Chera and Pallava. There city of Polonnaruwa, 12th century had also been incursions by the kingdoms of Kalinga (modern Orissa) and from Malay Peninsula as well. Kala Wewa and the Avukana Buddha statuewere built during the reign of Dhatusena. Sri Lanka was the first Asian country to have a female ruler; Queen Anula who reigned from 47–42 BC. Sri Lankan monarchs have attained some remarkable construction achievements likeSigiriya, the so-called "Fortress in the Sky". It was a constructed during the reign of Kashyapa I. Sigiriya is a rock fortress surrounded by an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. The 5th century palace is also renowned for frescos on the rock the surface. It has been declared by the UNESCO as the 8th Wonder of the world. Among the other constructions, large reservoirs, important for conserving water in a climate that alternates rainy seasons with dry times, and elaborate aqueducts, some with a slope as finely calibrated as one inch to the mile are dominant. Biso Kotuwa, a peculiar construction inside a dam, is a technological marvel based on precise mathematics, allowing water to flow outside the dam keeping the pressure to a minimum. Ancient Sri Lanka was the first country in the world to have established a dedicated hospital; in Mihintale in the 4th century. It was also the leading exporter of cinnamon in the ancient world, and has maintained close ties with European civilizations including the Roman Empire. For example, King Bhatikabhaya (BC 22 - 7 AD) had sent an embassy to Rome and got down coral for a net to be cast over the Ruwanwelisaya. Bhikkhuni Devasāra and ten other fully ordained bhikkhunis from Sri Lanka had went to China and established the bhikkhuni sāsana there in 429 AD.
Medieval Sri Lanka:
The medieval period of Sri Lanka begins with the fall of Anuradhapura. In 993 AD, the invasion ofChola emperor Rajaraja I forced the then Sri Lankan ruler Mahinda V to flee to the southern part of the country. Taking advantage of this situation, Rajendra I son of Rajaraja I, launched a large invasion in 1017 AD. Mahinda V was captured and taken to India, and the Cholas sacked the city of Anuradhapura. Subsequently, they moved the capital to Polonnaruwa. This marked the end of the two great houses of dynasties of ancient Sri Lanka, Moriya and the Lambakanna. Following a seventeen year long campaign, Vijayabahu I successfully drove the Chola out of Sri Lanka in 1070, reuniting the country for the first time in over a century. Upon his request, ordained monks were sent from Burma to Sri Lanka to re-establish Buddhism which had almost disappeared from the country during the Chola reign. During the medieval period, Sri Lanka was divided to three Kuttam Pokuna or the Twin Ponds, Anuradhapura, 8th century sub-territories, namely Ruhunu, Pihiti and Maya. Sri Lanka's irrigation system was extensively expanded during the reign of Parākramabāhu the Great (1153–1186 AD). This period is considered as a time when Sri Lanka was at the height of its power. He built 1470 reservoirs - highest number by any ruler in the history, repaired 165 dams, 3910 canals, 163 major reservoirs, and 2376 mini reservoirs. His famous construction is the Parakrama Samudra, the largest irrigation project of medieval Sri Lanka. Parākramabāhu's reign is memorable for two major campaigns — in the south of India as part of a Pandyan war of succession, and a punitive strike against the kings of Ramanna (Myanmar) for various perceived insults to Sri Lanka. After his demise, Sri Lanka gradually decayed in power. In 1215 AD, Kalinga Magha, a South Indian with uncertain origins, invaded and captured the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa with a 24,000 strong army from Kalinga. Unlike the previous invaders, he looted, ransacked and destroyed everything in the ancient Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Kingdoms beyond recovery. His priorities in ruling were to extract as much as possible from the land and overturn as many of the traditions of Rajarata as possible. His reign saw the massive migration of nativeSinhalese people to the south and west of Sri Lanka, and into the mountainous interior, in a bid to escape his power. Sri Lanka never really recovered from the impact of Kalinga Magha's invasion. King Vijayabâhu III, who led the resistance, brought the kingdom to Dambadeniya. The north, in the meanwhile, eventually evolved into the Jaffna kingdom. Jaffna kingdom never came under the rule of the kingdom of south except on one occasion; in 1450, following the conquest led by king Parâkramabâhu VI's adopted son, Prince Sapumal. He ruled the North from 1450 to 1467 AD. The next three centuries stating from 1215 were marked by kaleidoscopically shifting collection of kingdoms in south and central Sri Lanka, including Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, Gampola, Raigama, Kotte, Sitawaka and finally, Kandy.
Early modern Sri Lanka:
The early modern period of Sri Lanka begins with the arrival of Portuguese soldier and explorer Lorenzo de Almeida, the son of Francisco de Almeida in 1505. The Portuguese founded a fort at the port city of Colombo in 1517 and gradually extended their control over the coastal areas. In 1592 Vimaladharmasuriya I moved the kingdom to the inland city of Kandy, a location more secure against an attack from western invaders. Intermittent warfare continued through the 16th century. In 1619, due to the attacks of Portuguese, independent existence of Jaffna kingdom, came to an end. During the reign of the Rajasinghe II, Dutch explorers arrived in the island. In 1638, the king signed a treaty with the Dutch East India Company to get rid of Portuguese who ruled most of the coastal areas. The following Dutch– Portuguese War resulted in Dutch victory, with Colombo falling into Dutch hands by 1656. Dutch remained in the areas they captured, violating the treaty. An ethnic group named Burgher people integrated into the Sri Lankan society as a result of Dutch rule. The Kingdom of Kandy was the last independent monarchy of Sri Lanka. In 1595, Vimaladharmasurya brought the sacred Tooth Relic - the traditional symbol of royal and religious authority amongst the Sinhalese - to Kandy, and built the Temple of the Colonial Coat of arms of Tooth. Even with intermittent warfare with Europeans, the kingdom was able British Ceylon to survive. A succession crisis emerged in Kandy, upon king Vira Narendrasinha's death in 1739. He was married to aTelugu-speaking Nayakkar princess from South India and was childless by them. Eventually, with the support of bhikku Weliwita Sarankara, the crown passed to the brother of one of Narendrasinha's princess, overlooking the right of "Unambuwe Bandara", Narendrasinha's own son by a Sinhalese concubine. The new king was crowned Sri Vijaya Rajasinha later that year. Kings of Nayakkar dynasty, launched several attacks on Dutch controlled areas, which proved to be unsuccessful. During the Napoleonic Wars, fearing that French control of the Netherlands might deliver Sri Lanka to the French, Great Britain occupied the coastal areas of the island (which they called Ceylon) with little difficulty in 1796. Two years later, in 1798, Rajadhi Rajasinha, 3rd of the four Nayakkar kings of Sri Lanka died of a fever. Following the death, a nephew of Rajadhi Rajasinha, 18-year-old Konnasami was crowned. The new king, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha faced a British invasion in 1803, but was able to retaliate successfully. By then, the entire coastal area was under the British East India Company, as a result of the Treaty of Amiens. But on 14 February 1815, Kandy was occupied by the British, in the second Kandyan War, finally ending Sri Lanka's independence. Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the last native monarch of Sri Lanka was exiled to India. Kandyan convention formally ceded the entire country to the British Empire. Attempts of Sri Lankan noblemen to undermine the British power in 1818 during the Uva Rebellion were thwarted by Governor Robert Brownrigg.
Modern Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka under the British rule:
The beginning of the modern period of Sri Lanka is marked by the Colebrooke-Cameron reforms of 1833. They introduced a utilitarian and liberal political culture to the country based on the rule of law and amalgamated the Kandyan and maritime provinces as a single unit of government. An Executive Council and a Legislative Council were established, later becoming the foundation of representative legislature in the country. By this time, experiments with coffee plantation were largely successful. Soon it grew to become the primary commodity export of the country. The falling coffee prices as a result of the depression of 1847 stalled economic development and prompted the governor to introduce a series of taxes on firearms, dogs, shops, boats, etc., and reintroduce a form of rajakariya, requiring six days free labour on roads or payment of a cash equivalent. These harsh measures antagonized the locals, and another rebellion broke out in 1848. A devastating leaf disease, Hemileia vastatrix, struck the coffee plantations in 1869, destroying the entire industry within 15 years. The British officials desperately searched for a substitute, and the promising replacement they found was tea. Production of tea in Sri Lankathrived within the decades to come. By the end of the 19th century, a new educated social class which transcended the divisions of race and caste was emerging as a result of British attempts to nurture a range of professionals for the Ceylon Civil Service and for the legal, educational, and medical professions. The country's new leaders represented the various ethnic groups of the population in the Ceylon Legislative Council on a communal basis. In the meantime, attempts were underway for Buddhist and Hindu revivalism and to react against Christian missionary activities on the island.The first two decades in the 20th century are distinguished for the harmony that prevailed among Sinhalese and Tamil political leadership, which has not been the case ever since. In 1919, major Sinhalese and Tamil political organizations united to form the Ceylon National Congress, under the leadership of Ponnambalam Arunachalam. It kept pressing the colonial masters for more constitutional reforms. But due to its failure to appeal to the masses and the governor's encouragement for "communal representation" by creating a "Colombo seat" that dangled between Sinhalese and Tamils, the Congress lost its momentum towards the mid 1920s. The Donoughmore reforms of 1931 repudiated the communal representation and introduced universal adult franchise (the franchise stood at 4% before the reforms). This step was strongly criticized by the Tamil political leadership, who realized that they would be reduced to a minority in the newly created State Council of Ceylon, which succeeded the legislative council. In 1937, Tamil leader G. G. Ponnambalam demanded a 50-50 representation (50% for the Sinhalese and 50% for other ethnic groups) in the State Council. However, this demand was not met by the Soulbury reforms of 1944/45.
Post independence Sri Lanka:
The Soulbury constitution ushered the Dominion status for Ceylon, delivering it independence on 4 February 1948. The office of Prime Minister of Ceylon was created in advance of independence, on 14 October 1947, D. S. Senanayake being the first prime minister. Prominent Tamil leaders like Ponnambalam and A. Mahadeva joined his cabinet. Although the country gained independence in 1948, the British Royal Navy stationed at Trincomalee remained until 1956. 1953 hartal, against the withdrawal of the rice ration, resulted in the resignation of the then prime minister, Dudley Senanayake. With the election of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike to the prime ministership in 1956, Ceylon began moving towards better relations with the communist bloc. Bandaranaike's 3 year rule had a profound impact on the direction of the country. He emerged as the "defender of the besieged Sinhalese culture" and promised radical changes in the system.He introduced the controversial Sinhala Only Act, recognising Sinhala as the sole official language of the government. Although it was partially reversed in 1958, the bill posed a grave concern for the Tamil community, which perceived their language and culture were threatened. The Federal Party (FP) launched satyagraha against the move, which prompted Bandaranaike to reach an agreement (Bandaranaike-Chelvanayakam Pact) with S. J. V. Chelvanayakam, leader of the FP, to resolve the looming ethnic conflict. However the pact was not carried out due to protests by opposition and the Buddhist clergy. The bill, together with various government colonisation schemes, contributed much towards the political rancour between Sinhalese and Tamil political leaders. Bandaranaike was assassinatedby an extremist Buddhist monk in 1959. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the widow of late S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, took office as prime minister in 1960, but faced an attempted coup d'état in 1962. During the second term as prime minister, her government instituted socialist economic polices, further strengthening ties with the Soviet Union and later China, while promoting a policy of non-alignment. However in 1971, Ceylon experienced a Marxist insurrection, which was quickly suppressed. In 1972, with the adoption of a new constitution, the country became a republic, repudiating the Dominion status and changing its name to Sri Lanka. Prolonged minority grievances and the use of communal emotionalism as an election campaign weapon by both Sinhalese and Tamil leaders abetted a fledgling Tamil militancy in the north, during 1970s. The policy of standardization by Sirimavo government to rectify disparities created in university enrollment, which was in essence an affirmative action to assist geographically disadvantaged students to gain tertiary education, in turn reducing the number of Tamil students within the Sri Lankan university student populace; acted as the immediate catalyst for the rise of militancy. Assassination of Jaffna Mayor Alfred Duraiyappah in 1975 marked an important turn of the events. The Government of J. R. Jayawardene swept to power in 1977, defeating the largely unpopular United Front government, towards its final years. Jayawardene introduced a new constitution, together with a powerful executive presidency modelled after France, and a free market economy. It made Sri Lanka the first South Asian country to liberalise its economy. However from 1983, ethnic tensions blew into on-and-off insurgency (see Sri Lankan Civil War) against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers), a militant group emerged in early 1970s. Following the riots in July 1983, more than 150,000 Tamil civilians fled the island, seeking asylum in other countries. Lapses in foreign policy resulted in neighbouring India strengthening the Tigers by providing arms and training. In 1987, the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord was signed and Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was deployed in northern Sri Lanka to stabilize the region by neutralising the LTTE. The same year, the JVP launched its second insurrection in Southern Sri Lanka. As their efforts did not become successful, IPKF was called back in 1990. Sri Lanka was affected by the devastating 2004 Asian tsunami, which left at least 35,000 people dead. From 1985 to 2006, Sri Lankan government and Tamil insurgents held 4 rounds of peace-talks, none of them helping a peaceful resolution of the conflict. In 2009, under thePresidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa the Sri Lanka Armed Forces defeated the LTTE, and re-established control of the entire country under the Sri Lankan Government. The 26 year war caused up to 100,000 deaths. Following the LTTE's defeat, Tamil National Alliance, the largest political party in Sri Lanka dropped its demand for a separate state, in favour of a federal solution. The final stages of the war left some 294,000 people displaced. According to the Ministry of Resettlement, most of the displaced persons had been released or returned to their places of origin, leaving only 6,651 in the camps as of December 2011. Sri Lanka, emerging after a 26 year war, has become one of the fastest growing economies of the world.
FM János Martonyi’s participation in the symposium on “Otto von Habsburg as a Christian politician” in Rome in which he worked for unity within the framework of the Paneuropean Union and the European Parliament. Mr Martonyi emphasised that during the Cold War Otto von Habsburg had undertaken the representation of the nations which were closed behind the Iron Curtain, but which he firmly proclaimed to have a place in a united Europe. The Minister evaluated the politician’s participation and role in the breakdown of the Iron Curtain and in the organisation of the memorable Pan-European Picnic held in 1989 in Sopron (Hungary) as historic acts. Foreign Minister János Martonyi explained that after the political transformation Otto von Habsburg had embodied for several people in Hungary the Europe to which we had always wished to belong, which is loyal to its
roots and values, which puts subsidiarity and solidarity into practice, respects everybody’s opinion, always finds common points in case of differences. In the European Union, the nations of Central Europe have found each other again, in which Otto von Habsburg played a significant part. He could live to see the closure of the EU’s accession negotiations with Croatia, which is of particular importance, as it was achieved by the Hungarian EU Presidency. The head of Hungarian diplomacy expressed his conviction that Otto von Habsburg’s whole Christian political heritage is worth of being acknowledged as ours in today’s Hungary, Central Europe, and European Union.
Naturalisation soars (PR:3/12) More than 200,000 applications for Hungarian citizenship have arrived so far and approximately 103,000 applicants have already become Hungarian citizens, said Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén at a press conference in Budapest last Thursday. Summing up last years’ data, the Christian Democratic leader said that altogether 202,148 applications had been registered and during the simplified naturalisation procedure and 95,322 name amendments had been made, which means 1.5 million supplementary documents. The oldest applicant was a 104-year-old gentleman born in Munkács/Mukachevo, who lost his citizenship twice in his lifetime. Mr. Semjén called the new procedure an incomparable success, during which the Hungarian public administration system had ‘surpassed itself’. He said that authorities can keep to the procedure’s three-month deadline; the only exceptions are cases in which missing documents must be submitted by applicants. The Deputy
Prime Minister emphasised that naturalisation is always preceded by a strict examination covering public safety, national security and terrorism prevention. If serious risk is probable, applicants will not be granted Hungarian citizenship. Ministerial commissioner Tamás Wetzel said that rejections had amounted to one thousand last year. Mr. Semjén added that he believes in the ‘strictest methods’, as Hungary needs neither persons who are ‘affected’ by foreign countries’ secret services nor individuals who declare extremist views. He added that granting Hungarian citizenship to such persons would do no good to the Hungarian communities abroad either. Tamás Wetzel also noted that the pressure on the public administration system had been enormous. The number of applications for simplified naturalisation procedure has soared in relation to the previous years’ five thousand applications. Many offices’ reaction to the surge was understanding and professionalism. Naturalisation has
been taking place smoothly, without any major problems. In the first weeks of January alone, more than four thousand applications came in. The ministerial commissioner anticipates that nearly 150,000 applicants will submit their documents in 2012. Applications were handed in at 77 consulates and at 1,325 mayors’ offices, but many applications were also submitted at regional directorates of the Office of Immigration and Nationality. The ministerial commissioner emphasised the importance of the assistance of Hungarian organisations beyond the borders, and he confirmed that Hungary would not provide any data to anyone about Hungarians who had acquired Hungarian citizenship. No data had leaked out, and our security system had passed the test with flying colours, Mr. Wetzel pointed out. He also touched upon the issue of migration, saying that the overwhelming majority of applicants and new citizens would like to stay in their native countries.
House of Hungarians: a meeting-point for all Hungarians (PR:3/12)The House of Hungarians in Buda Castle wishes to become a meeting-point for all Hungarians. Within the institution, exhibitions, programmes and conferences welcome visitors. Borbála Papp-Váry – Deputy General Manager of the Bethlen Gábor Fund, which is in charge of the House of Hungarians – said in a background discussion on Wednesday that an exhibition related to the valiant Hungarian soldiers who defended the borders against the Turks would be opened on Friday. The exhibition is jointly organised by the House of Hungarians, the Institute and Museum of Military History, and the Ministry of Defence. The exhibition material includes photographs by Zoltán Jánváry, a Hungarian graphic artist living in the United States, and contemporary weapons and military equipment. The award ceremony of the essay-writing competition in the Carpathian Basin will be held with the participation of Hungarian
students from Southern Slovakia on 22 January, on the Day of Hungarian Culture. As the homepage of the House of Hungarians (http://www.bgazrt.hu/kateg-94-1-magyarsag_haza.html) informs us, among programmes held in February marking the Day of Civilians there will be a conference of civic organisations in the Carpathian Basin. The experts’ forum of the Programme Directorate of ‘HATÁRTALANUL!’ (WITHOUT BORDERS!) will be organised in February as well, serving an opportunity for school teachers to discuss policy targets affecting Hungarians beyond the borders. Further programmes will showcase viticulture in the Carpathian Basin with wine tasting. The House of Hungarians will be the home of the workshop discussions of the Research Institute for Hungarian Communities Abroad about minority issues, and of the lectures on Hungarian culture and history entitled ‘Hungarian Memories in the
World’. Borbála Papp-Váry, talking about this year’s programmes, called attention to a permanent public exhibition that is designed to mark national cohesion. The Deputy General Manager emphasized that the House of Hungarians wishes to become an institution for all Hungarians, a meeting-point and a cultural centre. Beyond organising programmes, the institute tries to approach young persons. Among the plans there are several summer and education programmes and they are considering involving Klebelsberg Castle in the life of the House, said Borbála Papp-Váry, adding that they propose to renew the homepage of the House together with the online communication, so an investment is envisaged consisting of several phases, the first one may be realised this year.
Sunday. On the patterns of the Mikó Imre economic development plan a youth and sports strategy will also be prepared by the Council. The plan, which will be named after the late football player Gyula Bodola, is
aimed at promoting breakthrough opportunities for young Hungarian sportsmen usually relegated to the background.
the Ministry of Health led by RMDSZ member László Ritli did not take part in the draft’s development. Traian Basescu had argued for this framework bill several times during the first two weeks of the year, causing intense debate with Health Deputy State Secretary Raed Arafat, who as a result resigned last week. Mr. Arafat voiced criticism over the planned privatization of emergency rescue services. Mr. Arafat established the Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication (SMURD) eighteen years ago. His stepping down has set off a train of political and social processes. A peaceful demonstration was launched last Friday, in front of the office of the President in Bucharest. According to the Romanian news, over 8,600 people protested peacefully throughout the country on Sunday. The third day of protests resulted in violent clashes between groups of hooligans and riot police and the devastation of central Bucharest. The riot police used tear gas and water cannon to evacuate the area. Thirty-three protesters and ten gendarmes were injured. Prime Minister Emil Boc yesterday spoke about the events, for the first time since they began. Peaceful protests in legal conditions are legitimate, but street violence is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated, said
Mr. Boc. The opposition calls for the resignation of the President and the cabinet, and asks for an extraordinary parliamentary session. Yet on Friday, the health draft bill was withdrawn; and it was publicly announced that neither the former draft bill, nor the new normative document stipulates the privatization of the emergency system, the disbandment of SMURD, or additional costs to E citizens. T m R w w m m A w m m mm O M A m m m T RMDSZ K m H A w P m RMDSZ MP w m H m m A m m w
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march was still at the Oktogon intersection (a distance of approximately 2.5 km, or just over 1.5 miles).
Demonstrators considered it important to show that they stand behind the Government in its efforts to restructure the country, in the face of a barrage of ill-informed and politically biased international criticism – both in the media and subsequently the European Parliament. Péter Szijjártó, the Prime Minister's spokesman, thanked participants for their support after the march, saying: ‘We are delighted that, by participating in one of the country’s largest ever demonstrations, people have proven the continued solidity of the overwhelming consensus arrived at in 2010: a consensus for the renewal and restructuring of Hungary.’
Pentagon Increases Funding for Hungary (Online January 25, 2012) The Pentagon is steering more money toward Eastern European allies fighting in Afghanistan, Bloomberg news agency reported on January 19, referring to a press release issued by the US Department of Defense. Hungary will receive $13.3 million in the fiscal year ending September 30, an increase from $2.87 million last year. The U.S. plans to spend as much as $100 million, 33 percent more than last year, to
provide training and equipment to countries helping conduct special operations missions and training for Afghan forces fighting the Taliban. The biggest increases are going to Hungary, Poland, Romania and Lithuania, which have made outsize contributions of troops to the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan. Hungary will receive $13.3 million in the fiscal year ending September 30, an increase from $2.87 million last year.
According to Bloomberg, the Pentagon is relying more on Eastern European allies, most of them in NATO, as traditional alliance members such as the U.K., the Netherlands and Germany cut their own defense budgets. Western European allies also are looking to reduce their forces in Afghanistan in proportion to the Pentagon’s withdrawal of about a third of its forces by September.
(Online January 25, 2012) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has published on its home page their regular annual report on Hungary. According to Article 4 of its charter, the IMF shall prepare a review of every member country at least once a year. In order to prepare the report, the IMF delegation stayed in Budapest between 9 and 21
November 2011. During the negotiations – where the representatives of the European Commission and the European Central Bank have also taken part as observers – the delegation met with the leaders and experts of the government, the National Bank of Hungary and the Hungarian Financial Supervisory Authority (PSZÁF) as well as certain
40,000 km on Bicycles
Jan-May – Weddings and preparing for the great honeymoon:
In the beginning of this year it was clear that we will get married on 4th of June and then hit road for a Honeymoon Around the World bicycle journey. The first brave step was to tell Árpi’s boss about our plan for the next years. This was the “point of no return” in January. Then, the months passed away so, quickly as we get the vaccines and the visas for the journey. It was a busy time since we also had to organize our wedding and of course some details of our not-so-ordinary honeymoon. Thanks to Zita’s brilliant idea, we had a really unique civil wedding in Budapest. It was full of fun and joy since after the short ceremony, we hope on our city bikes in our cycling-wedding dress, a n d crossed the city together with our friends whose were also ride bicycles. The religious wedding with the great party was just wonderful; we had the church ceremony in the countryside, in Vérteskozma. This is a little fairytale village in the middle of the Vértes mountains, with a small, lovely church. The story of this place: that’s church was the first church we visited together with Zita, so that was the place where she has been engaged. She has said yes, so we had the church wedding there. Our priest was one of Zita’s friend from University, and the children’s choir was from Zita’s job, where she’s educated those children. Thanks to Csaba – the priest, and to the children’s choir, the ceremony was unforgettable. After this we had a party until early morning, then next day there had an after party, with a lot of outdoor activities. It was a great idea, because this way we had more time to spend together with our family and friends on the wedding. Two special friends were there among the others: Serge and John, Zita’s Camino friends. Zita walked the el Camino de Santiago (900km on foot with backpack), and on her journey she gained many kind and close friends.
Jun-Aug: Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia and Armenia:
The IMF has published its regular annual report on Hungary representatives of the financial sector. The visit has included the semi-annual follow up monitoring process for the 2008 credit facility provided by the IMF. The next monitoring review is due in the second quarter, while a consultation in accordance with Article 4 of the IMF charter is expected to take place in one year’s time.
One week after the wedding we started our long journey. There was a little crowd in the Hero’s Sq. at that morning, lot of people come to say goodbye to us. Since the first stage was “open”, we had a dozens of friends on the first days in Hungary. First night we have camped in the middle of Hungary, then 4th day we have visited the house in Timisoara where Árpi’s grandpa was born. After this point, our team was decreased to 3 person: the honeymooners and their buddy-guard, Daniel. He had the same type of bicycle like us (recumbent!) but even lower. We had really great time together
Statement from MFA on János Martonyi's response letter sent to Thorbjørn Jagland (Online January 23, 2012) Foreign Minister János Martonyi has sent a response letter to Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe on January 20, confirming that Hungary is willing to cooperate with the Council of Europe. Reacting to the Secretary
General’s inquiry, the Head of the Foreign Ministry attached to his letter the texts of the laws on judiciary, religious freedom, and elections to the Parliament. The Foreign Minister pointed out that we are going to request the Venice Commission’s
Hungary during the first 3 weeks of our trip while we managed to cycle to Istanbul, Turkey through Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria. In Istanbul, we spend 8 wonderful day while we waiting for the visa to Iran. We have participated a Couchsurfing boat party on the Bosporus with 400 passionate CS members. From Istanbul, we were continued like a classic honeymoon, only two of us. We spend 40 days in
opinion on the aforementioned laws. We are open for consultation regarding the media law as well, the text of which we send after its amendment due in the near future.
Tribute and Commemoration at Hejce (Online January 23, 2012) On Thursday, January 19 a remembrance ceremony was held on the 6th anniversary of the plane crash at Hejce, to commemorate the victims of the most serious disaster in the history of the Armed Forces of Slovakia, which occurred near the village on the border and claimed 42 lives. ceremony The attended, was among others, by Róbert Ondrejcsák, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovakia, MoD State Secretary for Public Administration Lajos Fodor, Maj.-Gen. Miroslav Kocian, the Deputy Chief of Defence of the Republic of Slovakia, Lt.-Gen. Zoltán Orosz, the Deputy Chief of the MoD Defence Staff, military attachés and the victims’ relatives, friends and comrades. On the morning of January 19, as part of the memorial event, Maj.Ján Gen. the Salaganic, Land Forces Chief of the Armed Forces of Slovakia, Brig.-Gen. Dr. Gábor Böröndi, the commander of the HDF 5th ‘Bocskai István’ InBrigade, fantry and Col. Karol Navratil, the commander of the Slo2nd vak Mechanized Brigade commemorated the tragedy that happened six years ago on the site of the disaster in the Slovak Memorial Park established on Borsó Hill above the village. Early in the afternoon, the delegations participating in the commemoration paid their tribute by the memorial erected inside the vil-
lage, together with the numerous relatives, invitees and the local citizens present at the event. After the ceremonial opening, the participants laid the wreaths of remembrance in front of the Slovak and Hungarian guards of honor lined up for the ceremony.
Lajos Fodor
In what followed, State Secretary Róbert Ondrejcsák conveyed a message sent by Iveta Radicova, the Prime Minister and Minister of
Defence of the Republic of Slovakia. In this speech, the State Secretary commemorated the mission peace that the victims of the accident had carried out in the conflict-torn country of Kosovo. have “They proved that Slovakia has bea come fully-fledged demstate ocratic which stands up for human values. If we keep the memory of these men alive in our hearts, they will live forever!” – this was how the Slovak State Secretary closed his speech. Afterwards MoD State Secretary for Public Administration Lajos Fodor recalled the hours of the tragedy that occurred six years ago, praising the unprecedented extent of joining forces that night. In his speech he underlined the importance of the joint enterprise, the KFOR mission, which facilitated establishing peace in which Kosovo, the Slovak comrades carried out in a soldierly way. The State Secretary closed his speech by pointing out that “We have passed a test of humanity here as well. We have established a relationship between the two nations which, as I believe, firmly can nothing sever!” After the memospeeches rial Géza Rohály, the mayor of Hejce recited his own poem, then the representatives of the Slovak and Hungarian military ordinariates said their prayers in remembrance of the victims of the tragedy.
Foreign Minister János Martonyi received Yossi Peled, Minister without Portfolio from Israel (Online January 23, 2012) On their meeting on 17 January 2012, the Hungarian Foreign Minister emphasised that the extermination of the victims of the Holocaust meant a serious historical loss for the whole Hungarian nation; it is our duty to remember them. We regard it as a national issue to keep the memory of Raoul Wallenberg and other heroes rescuing our persecuted compatriots alive. Yossi Peled expressed his government’s appreciation of the fact that Hungary ceremo-
nially commemorates the centenary of Raoul Wallenberg’s birth. They both affirmed that the relations between the two countries are distinguished and close relations originating from the common past of the Hungarian people and the Jewish community included in it, and from the centuries-long interaction of the two cultures. The parties exchanged their opinions on the current issues in the Middle East, particularly on the revolutionary changes in the Arab World and the prospects of peace process
in the Middle East. The two ministers agreed that there is no alternative to the two-state solution to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which can only be achieved through negotiations. As guest of honour of the inauguration of the Raul Wallenberg Year, Yossi Peled, Minister without Portfolio from Israel visited Budapest on 16-18 January 2012 at the invitation of Foreign Minister János Martonyi.
János Martonyi’s message on the 67th anniversary of the liberation of the ghetto in Budapest (Online January 23, 2012) In his message to the participants of the commemoration held by the Jewish Congregation of Budapest in the Dohány Street Synagogue on 18 January 2012, the Hungarian Foreign Minister claimed the Shoah to still be an open wound in Hungarian history, and stated that during the time of terror the Hungarian state had
failed to protect its citizens, who, therefore, had lost their country in which they had been born and their fate, having been deprived of their Hungarian identity and human dignity. János Martonyi expressed his belief that this year’s Wallenberg Year provides an opportunity for a thorough study of the time of terror, for dignified remembrance, and for the
examination of the question of responsibility, as history teaches us that social renewal is inconceivable without turning to one another and sharing our experiences, without understanding and dialogue. János Martonyi’s message was presented by János Hóvári, the Foreign Ministry’s Deputy State Secretary for Global Affairs.
Wallenberg Year inaugurated on 17 January 2012 (Online January 23, 2012) Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi and his Swedish counterpart, Carl Bildt inaugurated the Wallenberg Year. The guest of honour of the ceremony was Yossi Peled, Minister without Portfolio from Israel. Raoul Wallenberg, honorary citizen of Budapest who saved tens of thousands of Hungarians, would turn 100 years old this year. The Swedish saviour diplomat was awarded the “Righteous among the Nations” title by the State of Israel at the recommendation of the Yad Vashem Institute, was given honorary citizenship by the United States of America, while in Canada he is commemorated by the Raoul Wallenberg Day. His fate is still not reassuringly clear; he is most likely to have fallen victim to the Stalinist terror. He is the “knight of humanity” who is not only respected in his home country, in Hungary, and in Israel, but throughout the world. The official inauguration of the Wallenberg Year was organised in the Hungarian National Museum on 17 January 2012, the day on which Raoul Wallenberg was seen for the last time. At the ceremony speeches were given by János Martonyi; Yossi Peled, Minister without Portfolio from Israel; Carl Bildt, Swedish Foreign Minister; Zsolt Németh, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Wallenberg Commemorative Committee; Zoltán Balog, State Secretary for Social Inclusion; Louise von Dardel on behalf of the Wallenberg family; and Annette Lantos. According to Foreign Minister János Martonyi, the memory of Raoul Wallenberg, the late Swedish diplomat saving tens of thousands of Hungarian citizens is one of the most significant ties connecting Hungary and Sweden. Risking their own lives, Wallenberg and several “ordinary people” who acted similarly to him saved close and distant acquaintances as well as strangers. Unfortunately, there had not been enough of them, said Martonyi in his speech. The head of Hungarian diplomacy claimed that during the Holocaust the Hungarian State had been weighed in the scales and found wanting. It could not defend its citizens; it had provided assistance in their extermination, while – to tell the truth – being under occupation, said the Minister. This is the tragedy of the whole nation, he added. The Minister emphasised that with his advocacy Wallenberg had proved it was possible to stay human in inhumanity. By using his protection and privileges – which he was
provided as a diplomat – as tools for saving people, Wallenberg set an example to diplomats of subsequent periods. János Martonyi highlighted that the Hungarian nation had broken away from the “dark spirit” of the 20th century forever; however, probing into the past and drawing lessons remain important duties. Yossi Peled, Minister without Portfolio from Israel emphasised that Wallenberg had risked his own life to save tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews from death. The success of his work had been due to his business relations and widespread connections, among others, he added. Zoltán Balog, State Secretary for Social Inclusion handed over the prizes for the winners of a secondary school students’ contest about the Holocaust in their cities. The goal of the contest was to acquaint students with the coexistence of Hungarian and Jewish culture and the work of rescuers. According to Zoltán Balog, the future depends on today; thus, it is important to pass on the respect of human dignity to younger generations. We have to set an example, by which we work for our own future, he said. The State Secretary, who is a member of the Wallenberg Commemorative Committee, claimed rescuers helping the needy are required in democracy as well. They set an example to follow, fight with their own tools, and what they all have in common is that they respect others just because they are also human beings, he said. Zsolt Németh, Parliamentary State Secretary pointed out in his greeting speech that Raoul Wallenberg is one of the outstanding symbolic figures of the 20th century; he became a symbol of law and justice, who – being awarded the “Righteous among the Nations” title – has a memorial tree in the Yad Vashem Memorial Centre in Jerusalem. By rescuing people during the Holocaust, he had become father of tens of thousands deprived of all they had had, he said. Wallenberg risked his own life to fight against an “evil ideology” and sacrificed his life under another. He had saved tens of thousands lives during his six-month stay in Budapest, stated Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. Wallenberg had not been the only one: other diplomats – for example from Switzerland and Vatican – had acted similarly; nevertheless, it had been him who had given momentum to the efforts, he added. The politician recalled that Wallenberg had known Hungary really well, as earlier he had worked as a businessman with a company
having interest in the country. Later, the aim of his rescuer work had been to provide a better future for Hungary, the country which he had been so fond of, emphasised Carl Bildt. He considered that the message of the late Swedish diplomat’s life is that the lesson of these “terrible years” should be passed on to the next generations. At the ceremony Minister of National Resources Miklós Réthelyi and Zsolt Németh handed over the Wallenberg Award to acknowledge the efforts of those who set an example by working for the socially disadvantaged in Hungary. The winners of the award are Eszter Dani, Calvinist pastor; Ilona Novák, teacher and initiator of the Wagon Exhibition of the March of the Living Foundation; Erzsébet Pócsiné Sivák, teacher; and the local authority of Hidvégardó, a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, where a Roma community house was established, and jobs were created for Roma residents. They were awarded for their work for the Roma, for successful social inclusion, and for peaceful coexistence. The Centennial Wallenberg Award founded on the occasion of the memorial year was awarded to those who had worked much to acquaint people with the deeds of the late diplomat in Hungary. The award winners are Annette Lantos; Kate Wacz, Holocaust survivor; and Jan Lundvik, Swedish diplomat. Former Ambassador to Budapest and Moscow Jan Lundvik worked as co-chairman of the Swedish-Russian workgroup researching into Wallenberg’s fate. Receiving the award, Annette Lantos, widow of the late Hungarian American representative Tom Lantos, said Wallenberg had been a guiding light in one of history’s darkest times. She recalled that she and her husband owed their lives to Wallenberg. Therefore, Tom Lantos proposed that the late Swedish diplomat should become honorary citizen of the United States. She remarked they had hoped that by this step they could exert pressure on the Soviet Union to release Wallenberg if he was still alive. After the ceremony, the ministers opened the exhibition named “To me there's no other choice”. The travelling Raoul Wallenberg exhibition is firstly presented in the Hungarian National Museum, where it can be visited until 12 February. Later it is to be on display in Moscow, Berlin, Tel Aviv, Washington, New York, and Toronto as well.
Active Agricultural Diplomacy is needed to regain Lost Markets : Sándor Fazekas (Online January 22, 2012) Only with a proactive approach can we regain those markets that the previous government lost, and so Hungarian agricultural diplomats will be visiting a whole series of countries that at one time regularly purchased Hungarian products – announced Minister for Rural Development Sándor Fazekas on Saturday in Berlin, where he took part in the International summit of agricultural ministers. Agriculture ministers Ilse Aigner and Sándor Fazekas from almost 70 countries took part in discussions at the summit, which was organised in connection with the Agriculture Fair and Exhibition called International Green Week. Participation is of extreme importance for Hungary, as in the words of Sándor Fazekas, "If we wish to have part of the food production market, we must also sit down at the table for discussions". The next few months will involve active agricultural diplomacy, aimed at among oth- Sándor Fazekas and Jorge Mendes Ribeiro Filho ers China, India, Russia and Brazil, with which the Budapest leadership wishes to strengthen relationships that had been neglected by the previous government, and to open up new markets. In Berlin, Sándor Fazekas also took part in around a dozen bilateral discussions, with among others the Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, whom he also invited to visit Hungary. The Minister stated that there are varied oppor- wine producer, and there is significant intertunities within the relationship between the est within the country with regard to Tokaj two countries; for instance, Brazil is not a wines.
International Green Week is the sectors largest international fair. Anyone who does not take part in the exhibition and the related discussions may easily find themselves "out of the club", said Sándor Fazekas. He called the Hungarian participation at the fair a success, emphasising the fact that there was "record interest" in the reception held at the Hungarian Embassy in Berlin following the opening ceremony, with the participation of among others FAO General Secretary José Graziano Da Silva. The role of Hungarian agricultural diplomacy is to open the way for the business sector, leading to increased food exports, without which there would be no "Hungarian production and Hungarian jobs", said the Minister. The participants at the World Summit of Agriculture Ministers agreed that the international community must work together more in the interests of food safety and successfully winning the fight against starvation. The ministers drafted recommendations on how agriculture might contribute to these issues, and they will be presented at the FAO conference on sustainable development in June. Hungary is also in favour of the proposals included in the Summit's closing document, said Sándor Fazekas. He added, there is much to do in amongst others the area of food utilization, as according to estimates 2025 percent of food produced is not consumed and ends up as waste; if we could save only half of this quantity, it would put an end to starvation in the world.
Romania Turkey and we had wonderful time. The Turkish people were really friendly and hospitable with us. Near Ankara, we crossed some Kurdish villages accidentally. A Kurdish family has invited us to their home and to a traditional Kurdish wedding. It was just an amazing experience. After visiting the great Salty Lake (Tuz Golu), we have visited the wonderful Cappadocia, then cycled on the Black Sea coast to Georgia. Arriving back to a Christian country
Serbia was a delight, especially due the famous hospitality of the Georgian People. This way we had an unforgettable day in Batumi, and then we met with a 66 year old cyclist, Soso rides his bike like a young man - for him the Bicycle is the Life. At the same day, we met with a Hungarian family, Mariann and Peter. They are travelling with a caravan car in Asia, their uniqueness is their lovely 3 years old daughter,
Bulgaria Ajsa, who travels with them during their not everyday journeys. This is a way of life we really like to have maybe after 5-6 years. In the beautiful capital of Tbilisi, we spend 4 days, thanks to the Polish Georgia priest of the Turkey Catholic Church. The mountains of Armenia were a real challenge, especially for Árpi, since he had a diarrhea these days. But the sickness has gone and the joy has returned to the road, thanks to the unbelievable hospitality of the People of Armenia, we can say we will never forget these days. After visiting the famous Goshavank Monastery we stayed with a family. They had several kind of animals in the stable under their homes. The father is a beekeeper and the oldest son is a hairdresser by his profession, so Árpi’s had the first haircut during our journey. Before the Sevan Lake we crossed a 2177m mountain pass – at the time that was the highest! :) In Jerevan we spent 8 days with Laci, our Hungarian friend – let say after this really great one week in the capital of Armenia. This rest was Armenia really appropriate that time and we enjoyed it so much.
Sept-Dec: Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan:
In Iran we spent 27 days, while we met with the world famous hospitality of the Iranians. It has started in Tabriz and continued on the road to Tehran. We spend our nights in several family’s home, which was a perfect way to get knowledge about the country and about their way of living. In Tehran we stayed with Neda and Alireza by CS. Our first meeting was in a police station, since we were so dumb and forget to ask about the price of the ride when we hitched the last 100km on the crowded highway to Tehran. So our driver surprisingly asked 250 dollars when we tried to say goodbye to him on the Azadi (Friendship) Sq. We didn’t pay this crazy amount of money to him so we ended up at the police, finally we paid only 70 dollars – that was the price of the lesson: always ask for the price before! Regardless of this we had Iran wonderful time in Tehran. Thanks to Abolfazl - a crazy friend we met on the road – We had tandem paragliding flight above Tehran on Zita’s birthday, and the next day we met with two extremely kind guy, Hamed and Heshmat guided us through Isfahan as we were old best friends returned home. After this side trip to Isfahan, we hope on our bikes and crossed the 2656m high Kendevan pass in a crazy traffic - due to the last weekend of the summer holiday the mountain pass to the sea was crowded by cars. In Iran the drivers has no clue about safe driving, as we think because they have so much strict rules by the religion in the everyday life, the people are going crazy on the road since the rules out there are not so strict. Anyway, we survived them and had some lovely and pleasant days with 3 different families on the coast of the Caspian See (25m below “normal” see level). In MashTurkmenistan had w e spent 4 days waiting for the Turkmen transit visa. As usual in Iran, we had lovely hosts. Typical to the hospitality of Iran, they try to make us stay even after the 4 days… :) But the adventures called us, so we hit the road of Turkmenistan – only for 5 days due to our transit visa. First we stayed in the middle of the nowhere with a kind of neonomads, then we had headwind for several days. One of the most difficult challenge of our whole journey until now was the sandstorm before Mary. But then – as usual – we had really great time as we get up before the sun, see the sunrise from the Karakum Desert, cycle 137km in one day to reach the Uzbek border station half hour before closing on the 5th Uzbekistan day, then see the sunset over the sand dunes, and finally rescue a tiny little sweet kitty with hair growing out from its ears. Zita grab the cat and take it under her pullover to the next village where we get a nice shelter from kind locals. We hope now the little cat has a good place there, and give joy to the people around itself. In Uzbekistan, we have visited Bukhara and Samarkand, two historical Silk Road city. We enjoyed them so much, although at the same time Árpi had some serious problem with his teeth. Thanks to Bakhtiyor and his sister, finally we managed to solve the issue at a professional dentist. I n TajikTajikistan istan, we faced to a little problem, the border station where we originally wanted to cross to Kyrgyzstan is not open for foreign people like us. Since we had the special GBAO permit to the Pamirs, and there was no other way from Dushanbe to Kyrgyzstan, it was obvious that we will try to cycle the Pamir Highway which is ended up our most adventures and beautiful hundreds of km in our life. In Dushanbe we stayed with Raj, a superb CS guy from India. He managed to find a cheap jeep for us to Khorog, this way we gain some time for the Kyrgyzstan Pamirs before it is getting under 0 celsius degrees and deep snow. On the “Roof of The World”, we have met with 4 cyclist from the UK, we had wonderful company for several days and kilometers by Jill, Lee, Katie and Anthony. It’s hard to write about the Pamirs because we had so extraordinary adventures there. The people live there so simple, they are very hospitable even if they don’t have anything by the thinking of western people. They live in simple, little houses, usually heated by dried yak shit. After we climbed the valley of Gunt, we stayed near the natural hot springs for acclimatization in Jelandy. Then we crossed our first really high mountain pass, the 4271 m Koi Tezek. After this we had a 100km long day about 4000m asl. On the Pamir plateau, then we descend down the Murgab in a kind of blizzard, but luckily the wind came from behind us so it wasn’t a big issue. Not a few days later, when we tried to cycle up the highest pass of the Pamir Highway, the 4655m high Ak Bajtal (White Horse) China pass. We got a cruel blizzard directly to our face, it was serious. The only thing why we continue forward was that we known about a house with four people. Finally, we found the house, and survived, spend that night at 4400m asl. With a lovely Pamiri family. Next day we managed to cross the highest pass, then cycled through solid ice covered road to the lake of Karakul. That kind of scenery was more beautiful then what I can describe in words. Snow covered mountains above 7000m, deep blue water… We have really enjoyed it especially because we felt that we deserved it after the challenges of the Pamirs. The last two pass to Kyrgysztan was covered by a lot of snow so we had to hire a jeep with driver to cross these mountains. Luckily where we still a company of six cyclists with our crazy English friends, so it isn’t hurt our budget as much as we though first. In Kyrgysztan we stucked for a few days of fun due the border to China was closed for a few days at that time. But then we decided to cycle 260km to Kashgar and it was a good decision because we had really great time with our English fellows (a new pal, James also from UK joined to us), the scenery was awesome and once we camped on 2000m high. For the morning all our water had been frozen, as our fingers too when we pack our stuff – we decided to never camp again above 2000m or in wintertime. :) It was November this time. In Kashgar we spend 5 days with internet and hot shower. We were in lack of these things for long weeks, so we enjoyed it so much. Then we took a bus to Pakistan, Sost. From that point we Pakistan cycled the Karakorum Highway as much as we can. We found beautiful scenery among this famous part of the Silk Road, and the people were also awesome. In Hunza, Gulmit, we’ve found so much hospitality, and friendship. This is the land of glaciers and the highest mountains of the world – and of course, the Hunza people are very nice and friendly, well educated and speak fluent English. We have been introduced to the Hunza culture by Qadir and Zahid in Gulmit. This little village near the Attabad lake was a piece of Heaven on Earth, the people are “smart” like in any western countries, but at the same time they are still living a simple, sustainable life so close to each other and to the nature. Although we had so many difficulties on the KKH – diarrhea, Árpi’s teeth problem again, road under construction – this was one of the most beautiful part of our journey. In Karimabad Árpi climbed up to Ultar Meadow, seen some famous peaks and an avalanche over the Ultar glacier. Then we have meet with Nazim, who has a 92 year old grandma, she is still working on the land, and cooking as she is absolute healthy regarding to her age. The KKH after Hunza was even more difficult, from Dasu until Abbotabad we have police escort all the way, but there was nothing serious security issues there, they just want to keep eye on us. The only bad thing we met stupid little rock throwing kids, but they were not dangerous. Now we are in Islamabad, in a very nice environment (Thanks to Nazim), we have met with a lot of super people in the city, even participated in a radio show, and who knows what’s next for the following days while we waiting for the Pakistan Visa extension, then for the India Visa. So far we cycled 7000 wonderful kilometers, and we can say it was full of wonder because of the amazing people we have met on the road. Web: http://cyclingthe360.com (English, but not so up-to-date) http://360fokbringa.hu (Hungarian, more up-to-date) http://facebook.com/cyclingthe360 (English-Hungarian, almost daily)
National Public Service University Introduces Itself at Education Exhibition
Hungary welcomes the first anniversary of the revolution in Egypt (Online January 26, 2012) Aly El-Hefny, the Arab Republic of Egypt’s Ambassador to Budapest held a ceremonial first anniversary commemoration of the 25 January 2011 outbreak of the revolution in Egypt with the participation of the diplomatic corps, Hungarian politicians and people of public life, and members of the Egyptian community. After commemorating the martyrs of the uprising by observing one-minute silence, the Ambassador appreciated in his ceremonial speech the heroism of the revolutionary
youth, the solidarity and persistence of the Egyptian people, which led to the historic turn. Foreign Minister János Martonyi’s greeting was presented at the event by Administrative State Secretary Iván Bába, emphasising that the Hungarian people deeply feel the significance of the fight for democracy and support the efforts of the Egyptian people committed to fundamental human rights and freedom. Hungary acknowledges the determinant role that the women, the youth, and
intellectuals played in the revolution. The victorious revolution in Egypt is irreversible, and the development of a democratic model is compatible with the religious and cultural traditions of Islam. Considering the priorities of the new European Neighbourhood Policy and the Egyptian government’s need for cooperation, we trust that the relations between the two countries, which have improved dynamically in several fields in the last few years, continue to strengthen.
Statement from MFA on Releasing Political Prisoners in Myanmar (Online January 23, 2012) The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Hungary welcomes the President of Myanmar’s amnesty decree of 13 January releasing hundreds of political
prisoners, and the ceasefire agreement signed by the Government of Myanmar and the Karen National Union on 12 January. Hungary fully supports the efforts of the Gov-
ernment of Myanmar to democratise the country and is ready to cooperate with the leaders of Myanmar in the future for a successful democratic transition.
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Zsolt Molnár, the commander of the HDF Ludovika Battalion visited the stand of the university. Brig.-Gen. Dr. Gergely Virányi, the Deputy Rector for Education of the NPSU told us
that “judging by the questionnaires, it is clear that the young people here are making inquiries here not only out of courtesy, as many of them are coming to our stand with a definite goal in mind. Although there are some among them who want to visit the legal predecessor institutions, most students know what the NPSU is about. Most of them are interested in the courses offered by the Faculty of Law Enforcement and the Faculty of Military Science and Officer Cadet Training (NPSU MSOCT).” The NPSU MSOCT is Hungary’s single university faculty providing military education, where the students can participate in six, seven or eight semesters of basic training (with BSc degree), and in two or four semesters of advanced training (with MSc degree). In 2012, the BSc majors include security and defence policy, military and safety engineering, military economics, military leadership, international studies and defence administration. The MSc majors that provide training for the military officers of the future are as follows: security and defence policy, military leadership, national security and defence administration.
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(Online January 26, 2012) The introduction of the National Public Service University was a great success at the Educatio 12th International Educational Exhibition, which opened in Budapest on January 20. Nearly 200 exhibitors representing virtually all Hungarian institutions of higher education were present in the "Papp László" Budapest Sport Arena, the venue of Hungary’s tertiary education display, to introduce their courses and the latest developments, tools and methods in the field of education. This was the first time that the National Public Service University (NPSU) had appeared at the Educatio exhibition. The NPSU was established on January 1, 2012 with the merger of the Faculty of Public Administration Faculty that was split off from the Budapest Corvinus University, the Police College and the Miklós Zrínyi National Defence University. The personnel wearing different uniforms at the stand of the NPSU were there to help the students and share their experiences with them about the military, police and customs studies, and the secrets of these vocations. Among others, Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő, the Chief of the MoD Defence Staff, NPSU Rector Prof. Dr. András Patyi and Col.
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Electoral prospects and riots throughout Romania (PR:3/12) The most burning issue of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) is whether the party gets a green card into the legislature after autumn elections, noted György Frunda, RMDSZ senator. As for the prospective coalition between RMDSZ and the current opposition, he said that it would depend on whether the Social-liberal Union (USL) gains an absolute majority or not. According to Mr. Frunda, the RMDSZ is expected to pay for the price of its role in the government in elections. Victor Ponta, co-chair of USL and head of the Social Democrats, pointed out that the Union was seeking to rule without the RMDSZ, and therefore it strived to obtain a clear majority. Mr. Ponta added that the RMDSZ governs jointly with the Democratic- Liberals, so it was obvious that they should move into opposition together as well. However, it has become apparent that ruling objectives of the current coalition parties differ. While PD-L has marked the territorial-administrative reform, constitutional reform and the adoption of the health care draft legislative act as this year’s priorities, the RMDSZ keeps being persistent for a comprehensive minority act. As to the new healthcare draft legislative act, it was proposed by the office of the President and
(Online January 23, 2012) A progovernment civil society demonstration was held in Budapest on Saturday 21 January. According to many sources, the ’Peace March for Hungary’ attracted in excess of 400,000 people, making it more than four times the size of any public gathering in recent months. Some official estimates placed attendance at as much as 400,000, making it by far the largest demonstration in Hungary in recent decades. The peaceful march occupied a large area of the city centre, starting from Heroes’ Square, passing by Saint Stephen’s Basilica and arriving in Kossuth Square. By the time Kossuth Square was full, the rear of the
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Sports strategy prepared by EMNT (PR:3/12) The Hungarian National Council in Transylvania (EMNT) would not only support entrepreneurs, but young Hungarian sportsmen would also receive promotion, announced László Tőkés, EMNT chairman, last
Cycling the 360°
Government supporters stage one of the largest ever demonstrations in Hungary
Independence Day SRI LANKA- F e b 4
(Online January 26, 2012) Foreign Minister János Martonyi participated in and held a lecture on the symposium on “Otto von Habsburg as a Christian politician”, which was organised in the Austrian Historical Institute in Rome on 24 January 2012. Among others, Rocco Buttiglione, Vice President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and Wolfgang Schüssel, former Chancellor of Austria gave speeches, and several members of the Habsburg family were present as well. In his lecture, the head of Hungarian diplomacy appreciated the significant 20th century political work of Otto von Habsburg and – in particular – his European commitment, through which new meaning was given to the historical heritage of his family. The Minister recalled the period of the politician’s career,
Honeymoon Around The World
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Jobbik demands parliamentary committee to examine plagiarism allegations against Schmitt; spokeswoman says president’s statements on scandal “smacked of lying” O
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Ukraine, Hungary, Russia want in April to sign agreement on nuclear fuel transit via Ukraine On ne Janua y 27 2012 The Uk a n an Hunga an and Russ an gove nmen s a e p ann ng n Ap 2012 o s gn an ag eemen on he nuc ea ue ans be ween Russ a and Hunga y v a Uk a ne he head o he s a e nuc ea eg
u a o y nspec o a e O ena Myko a chuk sa d n Ky v on F day We expec ha he ag eemen w be s gned n Ap n Bu dapes she sa d As epo ed Uk a ne Hunga y and Russ a s nce 2006 have been
n a ks on s gn ng a new ag ee men on he anspo a on o nu c ea ue made by Russ a s TVEL o Hunga y s Paks nuc ea powe p an