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Donnerstag, 31. Oktober 2013

The History of Halloween or Samhain

The History of Halloween or Samhain

How did Samhain and Halloween come to be.

Halloween or Samhain had its beginnings in an ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of the dead. The Celtic peoples, who were once found all over Europe, divided the year by four major holidays. According to their calendar, the year began on a day corresponding to November 1st on our present calendar. The date marked the beginning of winter. Since they were pastoral people, it was a time when cattle and sheep had to be moved to closer pastures and all livestock had to be secured for the winter months. Crops were harvested and stored. The date marked both an ending and a beginning in an eternal cycle.


The History of Halloween or Samhain
Halloween - Samhain

Samhain

The festival observed at this time was called Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween). It was the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year. The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain, more so than any other time of the year, the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year traveled into the otherworld. People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables. They also lit bonfires in honor of the dead, to aid them on their journey, and to keep them away from the living. On that day all manner of beings were abroad: ghosts, fairies, and demons--all part of the dark and dread.

How Samhain Became Halloween

Samhain became the Halloween we are familiar with when Christian missionaries attempted to change the religious practices of the Celtic people. In the early centuries of the first millennium A.D., before missionaries such as St. Patrick and St. Columcille converted them to Christianity, the Celts practiced an elaborate religion through their priestly caste, the Druids, who were priests, poets, scientists and scholars all at once. As religious leaders, ritual specialists, and bearers of learning, the Druids were not unlike the very missionaries and monks who were to Christianize their people and brand them evil devil worshippers.

Pope Gregory the First

As a result of their efforts to wipe out "pagan" holidays, such as Samhain, the Christians succeeded in effecting major transformations in it. In 601 A.D. Pope Gregory the First issued a now famous edict to his missionaries concerning the native beliefs and customs of the peoples he hoped to convert. Rather than try to obliterate native peoples' customs and beliefs, the pope instructed his missionaries to use them: if a group of people worshipped a tree, rather than cut it down, he advised them to consecrate it to Christ and allow its continued worship.
In terms of spreading Christianity, this was a brilliant concept and it became a basic approach used in Catholic missionary work. Church holy days were purposely set to coincide with native holy days. Christmas, for instance, was assigned the arbitrary date of December 25th because it corresponded with the mid-winter celebration of many peoples. Likewise, St. John's Day was set on the summer solstice.

Good Vs Evil - Druids, Christains, and Samhain

Samhain, with its emphasis on the supernatural, was decidedly pagan. While missionaries identified their holy days with those observed by the Celts, they branded the earlier religion's supernatural deities as evil, and associated them with the devil. As representatives of the rival religion, Druids were considered evil worshippers of devilish or demonic gods and spirits. The Celtic underworld inevitably became identified with the Christian Hell.
The effects of this policy were to diminish but not totally eradicate the beliefs in the traditional gods. Celtic belief in supernatural creatures persisted, while the church made deliberate attempts to define them as being not merely dangerous, but malicious. Followers of the old religion went into hiding and were branded as witches.

Feast of All Saints

The Christian feast of All Saints was assigned to November 1st. The day honored every Christian saint, especially those that did not otherwise have a special day devoted to them. This feast day was meant to substitute for Samhain, to draw the devotion of the Celtic peoples, and, finally, to replace it forever. That did not happen, but the traditional Celtic deities diminished in status, becoming fairies or leprechauns of more recent traditions.
The History of Halloween & Samhain
An old-fashioned samhain witch flies past modern halloween witches traveling in a speedier fashion
Clifford Kennedy Berryman - Halloween Ancient and Modern 1910

The old beliefs associated with Samhain never died out entirely. The powerful symbolism of the traveling dead was too strong, and perhaps too basic to the human psyche, to be satisfied with the new, more abstract Catholic feast honoring saints. Recognizing that something that would subsume the original energy of Samhain was necessary, the church tried again to supplant it with a Christian feast day in the 9th century. This time it established November 2nd as All Souls Day -a day when the living prayed for the souls of all the dead. But, once again, the practice of retaining traditional customs while attempting to redefine them had a sustaining effect: the traditional beliefs and customs lived on, in new guises.

All Saints Day - All Hallows

All Saints Day, otherwise known as All Hallows (hallowed means sanctified or holy), continued the ancient Celtic traditions. The evening prior to the day was the time of the most intense activity, both human and supernatural. People continued to celebrate All Hallows Eve as a time of the wandering dead, but the supernatural beings were now thought to be evil. The folk continued to propitiate those spirits (and their masked impersonators) by setting out gifts of food and drink. Subsequently, All Hallows Eve became Hallow Evening, which became Hallowe'en--an ancient Celtic, pre-Christian New Year's Day in contemporary dress.
Many supernatural creatures became associated with All Hallows. In Ireland fairies were numbered among the legendary creatures who roamed on Halloween. An old folk ballad called "Allison Gross" tells the story of how the fairy queen saved a man from a witch's spell on Halloween.

Allison Gross

O Allison Gross, that lives in yon tower
the ugliest witch int he North Country...
She's turned me into an ugly worm
and gard me toddle around a tree...
But as it fell out last Hallow even
When the seely [fairy] court was riding by,
the Queen lighted down on a gowany bank
Not far from the tree where I wont to lie...
She's change me again to my own proper shape
And I no more toddle about the tree.
In old England cakes were made for the wandering souls, and people went "a' soulin'" for these "soul cakes." Halloween, a time of magic, also became a day of divination, with a host of magical beliefs: for instance, if persons hold a mirror on Halloween and walk backwards down the stairs to the basement, the face that appears in the mirror will be their next lover.

Halloween - Celtic Day of the Dead

Virtually all present Halloween traditions can be traced to the ancient Celtic day of the dead. Halloween is a holiday of many mysterious customs, but each one has a history, or at least a story behind it. The wearing of costumes, for instance, and roaming from door to door demanding treats can be traced to the Celtic period and the first few centuries of the Christian era, when it was thought that the souls of the dead were out and around, along with fairies, witches, and demons. Offerings of food and drink were left out to placate them. As the centuries wore on, people began dressing like these dreadful creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This practice is called mumming, from which the practice of trick-or-treating evolved. To this day, witches, ghosts, and skeleton figures of the dead are among the favorite disguises. Halloween also retains some features that harken back to the original harvest holiday of Samhain, such as the customs of bobbing for apples and carving vegetables, as well as the fruits, nuts, and spices cider associated with the day.

Modern Halloween

Today Halloween is becoming once again and adult holiday or masquerade, like mardi Gras. Men and women in every disguise imaginable are taking to the streets of big American cities and parading past grinningly carved, candlelit jack o'lanterns, re-enacting customs with a lengthy pedigree. Their masked antics challenge, mock, tease, and appease the dread forces of the night, of the soul, and of the otherworld that becomes our world on this night of reversible possibilities, inverted roles, and transcendency. In so doing, they are reaffirming death and its place as a part of life in an exhilarating celebration of a holy and magic evening.

Dienstag, 29. Oktober 2013

MacFake/ MacNep

Dutch  is below the english (under the picture)


Soms is iets niet
Zoals wat je ziet
Dan denk je, wat een leuk plaatje
En de werkelijkheid is naadje

Zo is het ook me de lekkere trek
Als je eens zin hebt in een big mac
Iedereen weet, junkfood is uncool
Maar iedereen eet het, dus kent het gevoel

Je ziet het sappige stukje vlees
Na anderhalf uur ben je al aan de rees
En de goudgeel gesmolten kaas
Is in het echt zo taai als gaas

We weten, we worden genept
En toch is het lekker als je er een hebt
Het plaatje is heel mooi verfraaid
Maar eigenlijk is het geen big mac, maar een Mac-genaaid


Sometimes things look different then real
What you see, you wont get for real
You think, I like the colorfull food pic
What is in reality just making you sick

You see it and you want to have the snack
Such as, for example with this big mac
We all know, junk food is so uncool
But it has some magic what makes eveyone drool

You look to the juicy piece of meat
An hour later you cant leave the toilet seat
The melted cheese, in yellow gold
Taste likes a sponge what is to long hold

We know, this fools us agan and again
Still, when you get it you're a happy (wo)man
The magic of the picture makes us eat the brew
We better rename the big mac to big screw

(c) 29 - 10 - 2013  Saturnnl for Dreamsunlimited
Publication without permission is not allowed

Samstag, 26. Oktober 2013

Dalai Lama Wraps Up North American Visit [Photos Included]

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ICT Tibet Update
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ICTHIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA
His Holiness the Dalai Lama in North America
Dalai Lama
His Holiness the Dalai Lama recently completed public talks and teachings in North America. To see images from his visit
click here »

ICTAROUND THE WORLD
China's human rights failures highlighted at UN

Chinese diplomats faced challenges and questions over their Tibet policies during the second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of China’s human rights record, held at the UN offices in Geneva on October 22. Eleven countries raised the Tibet issue during the time allotted for questions, seen as a broadening and deepening of concern for Tibet over China’s previous UPR in 2009, when four countries specifically mentioned Tibet at the Council session.


Spanish court indicts former China leader over Tibet policies
Hu JintaoA potentially groundbreaking lawsuit brought before the Spanish National Court received a major boost on October 9, when the court indicted China’s former leader Hu Jintao for his role related to genocide in Tibet. The ruling could potentially result in Hu’s arrest if he were to travel outside of China, or result in his bank accounts overseas being frozen.

ICTINSIDE TIBET
Widening security response follows crackdown in Tibet
DriruNew images received by ICT and others show the expanding crackdown that started when local Tibetans refused to raise the Chinese flag in the Tibetan area of Nagchu on October 1 in honor of China’s National Day, resulting in security personnel opening fire on a peaceful demonstration. Officials in Lhasa have directed police to monitor the activities of Tibetans from Nagchu, while a peaceful protest was held in front of a police station in a neighboring Tibetan area of Sichuan province on October 12, after a Tibetan monk who is originally from Nagchu was detained.

ICT continues to call upon the international community to investigate the shooting, and international groups, including Amnesty International, have joined in condemning these state-approved acts of violence against peaceful Tibetan protestors.


ICTINDEPENDENT REPORTS
Reports highlight tense security crackdown in Tibet
On October 10, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) released its 2013 annual report, in which it describes a harsh security atmosphere throughout Tibetan areas. Despite “official concern over the spread of self-immolation” as a means of protest, the CECC found that Chinese authorities “maintained policies and practices that exacerbate tension.”

Tibetans lack freedom of communication
Freedom House’s recently released annual report on global internet freedom found Tibetans to be “particularly vulnerable” to China’s state security apparatus, and noted the “unprecedented levels of surveillance targeting Tibetans, including searches of mobile devises.” These findings come at a crucial time, when Tibetans are prosecuted and imprisoned on long sentences for even low-level information sharing.
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» UN Committee to China: resolve grievances that have led to self-immolation by children, report on Panchen Lama’s whereabouts
By: Elena Gaita

ICT
ICTUPCOMING EVENT
November 1
ICT Lecture: The Concept and Practice of Traditional Tibetan Medicine
Join us at our Washington, DC office for a talk by Dr Tsewang Tamdin, Visiting Physician to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Chairman, High Level Tibetan Medicine and Astro Institute (TMAI). Details »

When: November 1, 3pm
Where: ICT, 1825 Jefferson Pl NW
RSVP: rsvp@savetibet.org

- Free and open to the public -

Can't make it in person? Watch the event live at:
www.ustream.tv/channel/ict-lecture-series »


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The 2014 calendar is now available online! To get yours for $14.99 plus shipping, please visit www.savetibetstore.org.

The 2014 calendar, The Tibetans, provides a glimpse of Tibetans in their homeland featuring exquisite images of Tibetans wearing a wide variety of hats.

 


The Tibet Update eNewsletter is a bimonthly summary of news and governmental actions related to Tibet. Past issues in PDF format are located at www.savetibet.org/newsroom/tibet-weekly-updates.
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Freitag, 25. Oktober 2013

The world’s worst punishment for rape?

Dear friends,



16-year-old Liz was gang raped so brutally that she is now in a wheelchair. But instead of arresting the attackers the police got them to cut the grass, and then set them free! Women's groups are calling on us to raise the alarm across the world to help get justice. Sign up to help make sure no other child suffers like Liz:

16 year old Liz was walking home from her grandfather’s funeral when she was ambushed by six men who took turns raping her and then threw her unconscious body down a 6-meter toilet pit. Their punishment? Police had them mow their station lawn, then let them go free!

Liz’s horror story has sent shockwaves through Kenya and now politicians and the police are under pressure to respond. But women's groups in Kenya say nothing will truly change unless the government is put under the global spotlight. They are calling on us urgently to help ensure justice is done and that Liz’s nightmare marks a turning-point in Kenya’s rape epidemic.

Nobody has been brought to justice -- not the rapists, and not the police. Today, we change that. Let's stand with Liz right now, before her attackers and the police escape. Click below to get justice for Liz and help make sure no girl anywhere suffers this violence:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/justice_for_liz_loc/?bIiqNab&v=30663

According to the girl’s mother, after they were set free, the rapists returned to Liz’s home to taunt the family. They acted like they were above the law, and they had good reason to think so. Because of ridiculous bureaucratic requirements, the police logged Liz’s attack as mere "assault" and asked her mother to “clean her up”, destroying key forensic evidence. Now her rapists are free and Liz is in a wheelchair.

Liz’s story is an extreme example of a much bigger problem. In Kenya, two thirds of school girls and half of school boys have been sexually abused. And earlier this year, a landmark court ruling found police guilty of failing to do their jobs and ordered them to uphold Kenya’s strict anti-rape laws. Rape is illegal everywhere, but too often these laws are just not enforced by the men charged with protecting our daughters. Beginning with Liz, we can change that.

The police claim that they don’t have the money or training to uphold the law. But you don’t need much training to know that cutting the grass is no punishment for rape. If we can help ensure these rapists and police are held to account, we can set a precedent that will compel police to treat rape as a crime, not a misdemeanour. Sign up now for justice for Liz and to help end the war on girls:


http://www.avaaz.org/en/justice_for_liz_loc/?bIiqNab&v=30663

Avaaz members have a track record for standing up against rape all over the world -- we recently got the Indian government to commit to a multi-billion rupee national education campaign to combat the problem there. While we can never undo what happened to Liz, we can keep it from happening again. Let’s do it.

With hope and determination,

David, Anne, Sam, Bissan, Oli, Ricken, Emily and the whole Avaaz team

PS: Liz is a pseudonym given by the news outlet that broke her story and has since been widely used. She is not pictured here.

PPS - This campaign was started by a member of our community in Kenya. Start yours now and win on any issue - local, national or global: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?bgMYedb&v=23917


SOURCES

Brave Busia girl battles as her rapists go scot free (The Daily Nation)
http://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/DN2/When-rapists-go-scot-free/-/957860/2022572/-/skd9s8z/-/index.html

Miscarriage of justice in brutal gang rape case shines spotlight on Kenyan police (Sabahi Online)
http://sabahionline.com/en_GB/articles/hoa/articles/features/2013/10/18/feature-02

Police wrap up probe into girl’s gang rape (The Daily Nation)
http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Police-wrap-up-probe-into-girls-gang-rape/-/1056/2035702/-/format/xhtml/-/4rdyo/-/index.html 

After Kenya’s landmark rape decision, all eyes on the police (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/after-kenyas-landmark-rape-decision-all-eyes-fall-on-the-police/article13545136/

Kenyan Rape Victims Seek Compensation (IWPR)
http://iwpr.net/report-news/kenyan-rape-victims-seek-compensation


Support the Avaaz Community!
We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way. Donate to Avaaz






Avaaz.org is a 27-million-person global campaign network
that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Donnerstag, 24. Oktober 2013

Picture of the day

Underwater photographer Henry Jager, 43, photographed this glowing jellyfish on a visit to Marsa Shoona in Egypt. 'I wanted my photograph to play with the tension being close to potential dangerous but extremely beautiful animal,' said Henry. 'On the one hand you can enjoy the beauty of the jellyfish, but on the other hand it's very frightening, and I often get people asking me how I dare to go that close.'

Endlich frei: Shi Tao vorzeitig aus Haft entlassen

Amnesty International - Logo Amnesty International. Sei dabei.


Liebe Unterstützerinnen und Unterstützer,

eine einzige E-Mail veränderte das Leben von Shi Tao!


Im April 2004 sendete der chinesische Journalist die Zusammenfassung einer Redaktionssitzung per E-Mail in die USA. Diese enthielt eine Anweisung der Kommunistischen Partei, wie sich die Journalisten im Rahmen der Medienberichterstattung zum 15. Jahrestag der Demonstrationen am Tiananmen-Platz verhalten sollten. Shi Tao sendete die E-Mail von seinem privaten Account und anonymisiert.

Ein halbes Jahr später standen Sicherheitskräfte vor seiner Tür, durchsuchten seine Wohnung und beschlagnahmten seinen Computer. Shi Tao wurde festgenommen. Sein Internetanbieter Yahoo hatte seine Daten an die chinesischen Behörden weitergeben. Im April 2005 wurde er zu zehn Jahren Haft verurteilt. Die Anklage lautete: „Weitergabe von Staatsgeheimnissen“.

Im Gefängnis musste Shi Tao in Zwangsarbeit Schmuckstücke verarbeiten und litt deshalb an schweren Haut- und Atemwegsreizungen. Seine Frau ließ sich von ihm scheiden, weil sie den Druck auf die Familie nicht mehr aushielt.
Amnesty International hat sich jahrelang mit verschiedenen Aktionen für die Freilassung von Shi Tao eingesetzt. Mit Erfolg! Vor Kurzem wurde er vorzeitig aus dem Gefängnis entlassen! In einer Nachricht an Amnesty bedankt er sich für den jahrelangen Einsatz:

"Ich bin Amnesty International aufrichtig dankbar für die Unterstützung und Zuwendung, die Sie meiner Mutter und mir über diese Jahre geschenkt haben. Die Hilfe und Ermutigung […] haben uns beiden geholfen, diese schwierige und einsame Zeit zu überstehen. Vielen Dank an alle!"
Täglich erreichen uns Meldungen von Menschen, die bedroht, unterdrückt, festgenommen oder gefoltert werden, nur weil sie ihre Menschenrechte wahrgenommen haben. Amnesty setzt sich für sie ein. Wir geben ihnen eine Stimme und helfen, dass sie nicht vergessen werden. Mit Erfolg: Bedrohte Menschen erhalten Schutz, Schikanen werden eingestellt, Haftbedingungen erleichtert. Und vor allem: Gewaltlose politische Gefangene wie Shi Tao werden aus dem Gefängnis freigelassen.
Unterstützen Sie uns dabei mit Ihrer Spende! Denn aus Gründen der Unabhängigkeit nehmen wir keine staatlichen Mittel an. Klicken Sie hier und spenden Sie jetzt!

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