Tag Archives: Religous

Moai Statues

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Moai Statues

Nearly a thousand of them!

  • The Moai statues are located on Easter Island, or ‘Rapa Nui’ as the indigenous call it, a remote island in the Pacific Ocean, governed by Chile.
  • The Moai statues are also known as ‘moai’, ‘Easter Island heads’ and ‘Easter Island statues’, and are believed to have been carved between 1250 to 1500 AD.
  • The Moai statues, many of which are partly buried, have large heads and bodies with sharp noses and chins, and nearly all are carved from volcanic stone called ‘tuff’.
  • There are 887 known Moai statues, the tallest being 21 meters (72 feet) high, weighing over 160 tonnes (176 tons), and the average height is 4 metres (13.2 feet).
  • The Moai statues were made by the natives that lived on Easter Island, the Rapa Nui people, in a quarry on the island that still contains numerous tools made of stone, as well as 45% of the Moai statues, many of which remain incomplete.

Moai Statues, Easter Island Heads, Slope, Hill, Top, Straight, Look, Day, Flickr, Ten Random Facts

Moai Statues
Image courtesy of Emil Eklund/Flickr 
  • It is believed that the native people created the Moai statues in honour of significant male ancestors, and most of the Moai statues face the original clan settlements and so it is suggested, that the Moai statues were protectors of the clans and ceremonial areas.
  • There have been many theories to suggest how the Moai statues were moved from the quarry to their existing location, however, the most likely scenario is that they were ‘walked’ into place by the use of ropes with the statue leaning slightly forward and the use of a rocking motion from side to side, which required approximately 18 people.
  • Ten full Moai statues have been transported to other parts of the world and can be seen in museums.
  • The Moai statues are part of the Rapa Nui National Park, which was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.
  • The preservation of the Moai statues proves to be difficult due to the nature of their original material, and is not helped by people who can’t keep their hands and bodies away, as can be seen in the case when the ear of a Moai statue was chipped off by a thieving tourist from Finland in 2008, who was then fined $17,000 and incurred banishment from Easter Island for three years.
Bibliography:
Moai, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moai>
Stone Giants, 2000, NOVA, <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/easter/civilization/giants.html>

Saint Basil’s Cathedral

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Saint Basil’s Cathedral

Gazing… pretty.

  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral has many names, including, but not limited to, ‘Cathedral of Saint Vasily the Blessed’, ‘Protecting Veil of the Mother of God’, ‘Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat’, ‘Church of Intercession of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat’, ‘Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat’ and ‘Pokrovsky Cathedral’.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral is found in the city square known as Red Square in Moscow, the capital of Russia.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral is a group of nine churches or chapels, that sit on one foundation, and were built from 1555 to 1561.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral was believed to be the work of Barma and Postnik Yakovlev, and was ordered to be built by Ivan the Terrible (Tsar Ivan IV) who was Tsar of All the Russias and Moscow’s prince and ruler at the time.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral was built to commemorate Ivan the Terrible’s conquest of Kazan in 1552, which happened during the Feast of the Intercession of the Virgin, hence one of its alternate names.

Day, Saint Basil Cathedral, Moscow, Russia, Church, Brightly Coloured, Front, Vivid, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Saint Basil’s Cathedral
Image courtesy of Jose Calatayud/Flickr
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral is part of the Kremlin and Red Square UNESCO World Heritage Site which was listed in 1990.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral has many brightly coloured onion shaped domes that have many traditional red, white and gold colours as well as many other colours of the rainbow.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral’s structure is made of a traditional white stone foundation, and red bricks walls that contain wooden framework.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral has seen much renovation and restoration over the centuries, which includes major restoration by Ivan Michurin after a fire damaged the building in 1737.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral contains much symbolism and is said to have represented the Jerusalem temple, although the centre of Saint Basil’s Cathedral is now a museum and is open to public.
Bibliography:
Kubilius, K 2013, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, About.com, <http://goeasteurope.about.com/od/moscowtravel/p/stbasils.htm>
Saint Basil’s Cathedral, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Basil’s_Cathedral>

Mother’s Day

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Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to you, happy Mother’s Day to you!!

  • Mother’s Day is a special day for honouring mothers, and for families to celebrate their mothers.
  • Mother’s Day is normally celebrated in March or May, but is celebrated at different times in the year by different countries.
  • Mother’s Day was started in 1908 by Anna Jarvis, an American, who later regretted starting the celebration due to the commercialisation of the day.
  • Traditionally Mother’s Day is spelt with an apostrophe ‘s’, since Anna Jarvis thought the tradition should celebrate families’ mothers not mothers in general, although sometimes it is spelt ‘Mothers’ Day’ and ‘Mothers Day’.
  • Mother’s Day is most commonly celebrated on the second Sunday of May.

Mother's Day, Grandma, Mum, Mother, daughter, ladies, girl, formal, Ten Random Facts, Happy

  • The Roman Catholic Church has created a significant link between Mother’s Day and Virgin Mary, by honoring and remembering Mary on the day.
  • Mother’s Day is often celebrated by giving a gift, and cooking dinner or breakfast for one’s mother, or taking one’s mother out for a meal.
  • After the ninth year of the official United States Mother’s Day, Anna Jarvis thought Mother’s day was being disrespected and was not what she had in mind, so she protested against the day, and was arrested.
  • Mothering Sunday, a European Christian holiday, is not the same as Mother’s Day, although it is often celebrated on the same day.
  • Anna Jarvis lobbied for Mother’s Day to become a United States holiday, and succeeded in 1914.
Bibliography:
Mother’s Day, 2012, Sunnie Bunniezz, <http://sunniebunniezz.com/holiday/motherdy.htm>
Mother’s Day, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother’s_Day>

Easter Eggs

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Easter Eggs

Don’t forget the egg’s meaning!

  • Easter eggs are sweets that are eaten at Easter, normally Resurrection Sunday, when Christians celebrate Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
  • Christians believe Easter eggs symbolise the empty tomb of Jesus Christ and new life.
  • The first use of Easter eggs were by the early Christians.
  • Easter eggs were originally bird eggs, normally chicken eggs, which had been dyed or painted, but chocolate or plastic eggs have become so popular that they are now more commonly seen.
  • An early Christian tradition was to dye Easter eggs red, to remind people of Jesus Christ’s blood, which was shed when he died on the cross, and this tradition is still practiced by the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic church.

Easter Eggs Chocolate, Hollow, Full, Small, Ribbon, Patternd, Yellow, Blue, Pink, Green, Orange, Purple, Spottty, Nine, LArge, Many, Ten Random Facts

  • Easter eggs are often used in hunts for children, and some parents suggest that the fictional ‘Easter Bunny’ has hidden or left the children Easter eggs.
  • The first time the phrase ‘Easter eggs’ was named in a book, was 500 years ago.
  • Historically, a surplus of chicken eggs at Easter time would have been common, because eggs were forbidden during Lent, the period leading up to Easter, and this custom is still practiced by some people today.
  • Over 90 million Easter eggs are sold every year, just in the United Kingdom.
  • Chocolate Easter eggs were first made in the 1800s in Europe.
Bibliography:
Easter Egg, 2013 Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg>.

Christian Cross

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Christian Cross

There are many types of crosses… Here is one of them!

  • The Christian cross symbolises the crucifixion (death on a cross) of Jesus Christ which is especially commemorated on Good Friday at Easter time.
  • The Christian cross is the most common symbol of Christianity.
  • Christian’s believe that the cross is a reminder of God’s love, which was shown by sending his only son, Jesus Christ, to be sacrificed on a cross, to bear the sin of the world.
  • There are many variations of the Christian cross, the most common cross being the Latin cross (†).
  • The Christian cross is often found on jewellery, or church buildings, as a symbol of Christianity, although many people where a cross without associating themselves as Christians.

Cross, Jewellery, Silver, Latin, Christian, Chain, Necklace, Ten Random Facts

  • The Christian cross is often used as a marker or a reminder of fatal accidents or other deaths, and are commonly found in cemeteries and on gravestones.
  • Christians were initially reluctant to use the cross as a Christian symbol, because crosses were used as a form of painful execution.
  • The cross symbol was associated with Christianity as early as the 2nd century.
  • The Christian cross is used by over 2 billion Christians worldwide.
  • By the 6th century, the Christian cross had become an acceptable Christian symbol and was commonly depicted in art.
Bibliography:
Christian Cross,2013 Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_cross>.

Pope Benedict XVI

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Pope Benedict XVI

The 256th pope: Pope Benedict XVI.

  • Benedict XVI’s real name is Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger and he was born on the 16th April 1927.
  • Benedict XVI was pope of the Catholic church from 19th April, 2005 to February 28th 2013.
  • Benedict XVI was a priest from 1951 and a full professor in 1958.
  • Benedict XVI was responsible for restarting many old catholic traditions.
  • Benedict XVI resigned in February since he had “lack of strength in the mind and body”.
Pope Benedict XVI, Staff Cross, Catholic, Upper Half, Gold, Yellow, Traditional, Flickr, Catholic Church of England and Wales, Portugal, 2010, Ten Random Facts
Benedict XVI
Image courtesy of Catholic Church (England and Wales)/Flickr
  • Benedict XVI was the first pope to resign in 598 years, the last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII in 1415.
  • Benedict XVI chose to use the name ‘Benedict’ in honour of Benedict XV and Saint Benedict of Nursia.
  • Benedict XVI particularly used the theme of ‘Friendship with Jesus Christ’ in his teachings.
  • Benedict XVI likes classical music and cats, and is a pianist.
  • Benedict XVI has written 66 books.
Bibliography:
Pope Benedict XVI 3 March 2013, Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI>
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