Showing posts with label Calendrics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Calendrics. Show all posts

March 29, 2021

#08-064: Odin, the Norse All-father

close-up print of an ancient man in a hat, with a long flowing beard and holding a stick
Odin the Wanderer
(Wikipedia)

Note: Read more about the days of the week and where their names come from--including "Wednesday"--in Lesson #01-059. Here we take a closer look at one of them.


Get Ready: Do you know much about the "real" stories of the Norse gods (not just what you can learn from the Marvel movies)?


March 14, 2017

#05-017: The Spring Equinox

the left side of a globe is illuminated directly in yellow, with three arrows marked "sun rays" striking at, just above, and just below the center (the Equator and the two Tropics); the "earth axis" is perfectly vertical; and on the right are marked (top to bottom) Arctic Circle, Tropic of Cancer, Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, and Antarctic Circle
Earth at the equinoxes
(Wikipedia)

Note: The March equinox, called by some the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere, is the cue for several other observances as well.


Get Ready: Do you participate in Earth Hour or any other events around the March equinox?


March 15, 2012

#03-020: Celebrations of Spring

the left side of a globe is illuminated directly in yellow, with three arrows marked "sun rays" striking at, just above, and just below the center (the Equator and the two Tropics); the "earth axis" is perfectly vertical; and on the right are marked (top to bottom) Arctic Circle, Tropic of Cancer, Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, and Antarctic Circle
Earth at the equinoxes
(Wikipedia)

Note: Each of the four great turning points--solstices and equinoxes--is widely celebrated across cultures. Let's look at some springtime celebrations.


Get Ready: Does your culture or region have a special celebration for Spring Equinox? If so, what do you do?


February 20, 2012

#03-013: Morning - Afternoon - Evening - Night

old woodcut of sun on left and moon on right, both with human faces
Day and Night
(Wikipedia)

Note: Morning becomes afternoon at 12 noon, but the other periods of the day are a little more slippery. Learn the different ways of dividing them.

Get Ready: What is your favorite time of day? Why do you like it?


April 01, 2008

#01-092: April Fools: A Liminal Day

painting of many women in colorful Indian clothing with splashes of color in image, perhaps powder being thrown in the air; some women are holding musical instruments; bags of colored powder are in the foreground
Hindu goddess Radha celebrating Holi
(Wikipedia)

Note: Where did we get the tradition of "pranking" people on April Fools? This may once have been the date of New Years, a "liminal time" when the usual rules of polite society are suspended.


Get Ready: Have you ever "pranked" anyone--that is, played a trick on them?


March 13, 2008

#01-084: Beware the Ides of March

detail of an oil painting; in the center a man is fallen, and around him are several more with knives raised; all are wearing colorful Roman-style togas
Detail from The Death of Caesar by Vincenzo Camuccini
(Wikipedia)

Note: March 15 (like the 15th of every month) was meant to be a "lucky day" for Romans--but it sure wasn't for Julius Caesar! Learn some Shakespeare quotes from his play, Julius Caesar, as well as some Roman calendrics.


Get Ready: Do you know what phase the moon is in as you read this? Is it nearer to full, or to new? Is it waxing or waning?


March 10, 2008

#01-082: Monday's Child...

line illustration of seven children, each in a different attitude; top right has a variant version of the poem, "Monday's child is full of grace..."
Illustration from an 1873 magazine: Sunday at the top, Saturday at the bottom.
Note that some days have switched attributes.
(Wikipedia)

Note: Not so long ago, people believed that when you were born--even the day of the week--would determine your personality. There's a little poem that will help you understand.


Get Ready: Do you know what day of the week you were born on?


January 08, 2008

#01-059: Planets and the Days of the Week

bracelet made of seven cameos, each depicting a Roman god or goddess associated with a day of the week: Diana (moon=Monday), Mars (Tuesday), Mercury (Wednesday), Jupiter (Thursday), Venus (Friday), Saturn (Saturday), Apollo (Sun=Sunday)
The Roman gods of the days of the week, starting with Diana the Moon Goddess (Monday)
(Wikipedia)

Note: Sometimes the meanings of names are hidden away. But in fact, throughout European cultures and sometimes even in others, the names of the seven days of the week are directly tied to a fixed set of what were called "the seven visible planets" (including the Sun and the Moon). Find out the others!


Get Ready: Sunday, Moonday, and Saturnday are easy. But can you guess which planets the other days were named for?


January 07, 2008

#01-058: May to August: Our Second Four Months

painting of a plump nude woman with lustful-looking man fondling her
Maia
(Wikipedia)

Note: The name of each month has its own story. While the last four months are basically numbers (seven, eight, nine, and ten), some of the middle months' names have more "august" origins!


Get Ready: When you think of May, June, July, and August in the northern hemisphere, what sort of weather do you think of? What's happening in nature?


January 03, 2008

#01-057: January to April: Our First Four Months

marble heads of two bearded men back-to-back
Janus
(Wikipedia)

Note: Few of us stop to think about where the months of the year (or the days of the week) got their names, but there are some fascinating stories behind them! Here are the first four months in the modern calendar.


Get Ready: When you think of January, February, March, and April in the northern hemisphere, what sort of weather do you think of? What's happening in nature?


September 03, 2007

#01-016: September Song: Ninth-Month Trivia

poster showing student holding up a book: text "Back to school, back to work, back to books"
In many countries, school starts in September
(Wikipedia)

Note: September. For many people, it means the start of a new school year. (After 18 years as a student and 26 as an educator, I have come to feel that "New Years Day" must be some time in September!)


Get Ready: Does September have any special significance for you? What month do you think is most important?


August 06, 2007

#01-002: The "Dog Days" are Here

head of a dog superimposed on an August calendar page

Note: Like #01-001 and the next three through #01-005, this was submitted in August of 2007 as I was applying to write lessons for the Shenzhen Daily. It was HOT, so all of my initial columns were about the heat!


Get Ready: Do you know why some people call the hot weather in August "The Dog Days"?