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Category: Celebrations (Page 2 of 5)

Luciadagen (Santa Lucia Day) candle wreath for blog post

Luciadagen (Santa Lucia Day)

13/12/2023 / / 0 Comments

Luciadagen (Santa Lucia Day)

History

On 13th December Scandinavians commemorate Luciadagen the so-called “Festival of Lights” celebrating Santa Lucia. This stems from the fourth-century martyrdom of the Italian Saint Lucia and is an important winter celebration in Scandinavian countries. In earlier centuries the Norse celebrated the winter solstice, but after converting to Christianity sometime around 1000 AD, they incorporated the legend of Santa Lucia into their celebrations. Having long, dark winters with areas above the Arctic Circle not seeing the sun for up to 2 months, may have influenced them to commemorate a saint associated with light. The modern festival combines elements of both pagan and Christian traditions.

It is believed that Lucia took food and water to Christians hiding in the catacombs of Rome to avoid persecution from the Romans who worshipped pagan gods. Being underground the catacombs were dark. Unable to carry the supplies and a lantern, legend has it that Lucia designed a version of a headlamp, wearing a wreath of candles on her head to light her way. She was killed by in 304 AD after refusing to give up her vow of chastity and marry a pagan.

Celebrations Today

Nowadays on December 13th towns in Scandinavia mark the day with a procession of children, dressed in white tunics with lit candle wreaths on their heads to symbolise Lucia’s headlamp. Younger children tend to wear imitation candles or tinsel. As the procession progresses, the song Santa Lucia is sung along with traditional songs. The procession will be led by a girl who has been chosen to be the town’s Santa Lucia. The festival is meant to bring hope and light at the darkest time of the year. At home, families observe the festival by having one of their daughters (usually the eldest) dress in white and serve lussekattar (saffron bread) and coffee to symbolize Lucia bringing food and water to those in hiding.

With strong Nordic connections, it’s not surprising that Orkney has adopted the tradition, incorporating a Santa Lucia or St. Lucy (the English version) procession into the Kirkwall  Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

We wish all our Scandinavian staff and students a happy Luciadagen and you can use Library Search to learn more about traditions, festivals and saints.

Let’s not forget our Italian staff and students because although the modern-day celebration of Santa Lucia is generally associated with Scandinavian countries. It is also observed in some parts of Italy, Lucia’s homeland. The feast is a Catholic celebrated holiday with roots that can be traced back to Sicily. St. Lucia is the patron saint of the Sicilian city of Syracuse.

Learn more about this using librarysearch.napier.ac.uk

Read more about Christmas traditions on out blog with the article: Spanish New Year

By Vivienne Hamilton

Photo by Photo by Dimitri Karastelev on Unsplash

Image for blog post The 12 Days of Festive Library Resources

The 12 Days of Festive Library Resources: Part One

11/12/2023 / / 0 Comments

The 12 Days of Festive Library Resources

Part one

To celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of the Festive holiday break we thought we’d share some of our best resources.

Below is a list of some of our best:

Day One: Librarysearch

We have to start with our trusty Library Catalogue, LibrarySearch. Found at Librarysearch.napier.ac.uk.

This is a great place to start. Remember to sign in first before you start your search.

You will find information on everything the library has available and information on how to access it. Read our guide on how to get started with LibrarySearch.

Day Two: Box of Broadcasts

On the second day of Christmas, my library gave me

BoB (Box of Broadcasts) is an innovative shared online off-air TV and radio recording service for UK higher and further education institutions. It contains over a million items including an archive of all BBC TV and radio content dating from 2007.
BoB enables all staff and students in subscribing institutions to choose and record any scheduled broadcast programme from 60+ TV and radio channels. You can also edit programs into clips, create playlists, embed clips into Moodle, share items via social media and generate reference citations.

Please note that our BoB licence is for educational purposes only, and only for use within the UK.

Box of Broadcasts is a truly fantastic database.

Visit learning on screen and use your university login to start watching.

Day Three: LibKey Nomad

This amazing tool will help you get full-text access to books and articles! You can add it as a browser extension or go to their website. It’s so good it even works on Amazon! It will tell you all the possible sources for the literature you are looking for and where to get them. Check out our Libkey guide here and watch the video below.

Day 4: Wellness

Here in the Library, we believe that looking after your physical and emotional health is just as important as your studies. So we created the Wellbeing Collection. University life can be challenging, even at the best of times. We’ve gathered together these resources in the hope that they help you feel happy, healthy and comfortable at Edinburgh Napier. Our collection covers a range of topics and includes guided self-help approaches to supporting mental health, personal development and achievement. You’ll find stories of resilience and recovery, discussions of family matters, and practical tools to help with the everyday realities of University life, such as finance and exam stress. If you have any suggestions, you can email library@napier.ac.uk

Day 5: DigiMap

Digimap is an online map and data delivery service. Digimap offers a number of data collections, including Ordnance Survey, historical, geological, LiDAR and marine maps and spatial data. You can create or interrogate a map online by selecting an appropriate base map, adding annotations and customising the content, use measurement and query tools to learn more about any study area. Download the raw spatial data in a wide range of formats for use in local GIS, CAD or image processing software.

Read more about Digimap in our blog post “Introducing DigiMap”

Check out their DigiMap help guides on YouTube

Day 6: Databases

We provide 190 databases covering every imaginable subject, from engineering to art. We have you covered. You can find them all on LibrarySearch . If you need a bit of help on how to navigate, we have subject-specific Libguides to help you get a more tailored research experience.

Check in with the Blog next week for Part Two!

By Juliet Kinsey and Maya Green

Mickey Mouse

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse

18/11/2023 / / 0 Comments

November 18, 2023

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse

Who’d have thought the creation of a character with small stature and a plucky attitude would go on to become a household name and a global sensation symbolising hope, optimism, courage, resilience, positivity in the face of adversity, friendship and connection, creativity, imagination, perseverance, and leadership. The list of his attributes is endless.

The History of Mickey Mouse

Created by Walt Disney and Uniwerks at Walt Disney Studios, Micky Mouse made his debut appearance on November 18th, 1928, in the black and white feature film Steamboat Willie. It was the first animation synchronized to music and sound effects and premiered in New York.  Mickey’s first appearance and his unique characteristics and behaviour caught the audience’s imagination and connected him deeply in the hearts and minds of the American people during the great Depression.

The idea for Mickey Mouse came when Walt Disney lost creative control over his earlier creation, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, whilst working for Universal Studios. Similarities between the two characters can be seen in the early days.

Mickey Mouse Fandom

However, through the ages Mickey went on to become the most recognizable and loved mascots of Disney Characters and appeared on a range of merchandise, comic strips and inspiring the theme park, Disney Land. In fact, People became so absorbed in the character that they began to ask more in-depth questions, to understand what made Mickey Mouse who he was, and to understand his appeal to so many people from around the world. Questions included:

  • What’s Mickey’s middle name?
  • What’s Mickey’s favourite food?
  • What were his first words he spoke?
  • Is Minnie Mouse his girlfriend?
  • Is Mickey Mouse married?

Do you know the answer to any of those questions?

Legacy of Mickey Mouse

Did you also know he was the first cartoon character to speak, and the first cartoon character to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Back during the time of single-cell animation, Mickey Mouse cartoons could take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to complete and a seven-and-a-half-minute animation could include more than 10,000 drawings.

In 1935 the film Bad Concert saw Mickey’s transition into the world of technicolour. In 1993, Mickey Mouse’s toon town opened in Disneyland. And in 2024 Mickey appeared in his CGI form, in Mickey’s Twice upon a Christmas.

It’s true to say that Mickey Mouse means a lot to many different people. And his character has been analysed for its mass appeal and its symbolism. With so much information out there for you to peruse through and an incredible legacy of his own, all that remains to be said is……

Happy 95th birthday, Mickey Mouse

Why not head on over to Box of Broadcast and see the documentary about Walt Disney.

by Mo Almas

From one pop culture to another, read about Barbie

Photo source by Brian McGowan

Merchiston book stock

International Student Day 2023

17/11/2023 / / 0 Comments

International Student Day 2023

International Student Day is celebrated on the 17th of November. A day to celebrate our diverse student community. Student life can be difficult to navigate for anyone, but international students face challenges. We want to raise awareness and offer support.

Origins of International Student Day

This is a day of commemoration. On this day in 1939, Nazis stormed the University of Prague. The students who stood up and resisted were rounded up and arrested,9 student leaders were killed and more than 1200 students were sent to concentration camps. In 1941, the Council of International Students in London chose this day to celebrate international students. (Studyinternational.com)

It has now become a ‘’nonpolitical celebration of the multiculturalism of their international students’’ (Wikipedia). Therefore, it has become an occasion to ‘celebrate all students, especially those who have gone to great lengths to attain further education’ (daysoftheyear).

International Students and Edinburgh Napier University

We’ve welcomed students from more than 180 countries.

If you are looking to move to Edinburgh and study at Napier University, you can find out more information here on how we can support you as an international student.  And we have more information on starting the processing. And if you are already studying here, you can find out the support Napier offers.

International Students and the Library

For any student, libraries can be daunting. We’ve created a little guide filled with information on using our libraries. You can find on the library webpages. This covers both using the library online or in-person. And remember, if you need any help, library staff are here to help, you can email (library@napier.ac.uk) or call (0131 455 3500) or visit the help desk.

We have a training and events calendar that highlights useful sessions, and you can always for a personalised library tour.

And you can read more on library information on the blog.

picture of carved pumpkins for post A History of Halloween

A History of Halloween

31/10/2023 / / 0 Comments

A History of Halloween

Origins of Halloween

The origins of Halloween can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Celebrated from around 2,000 years ago. Samhain is a festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It is a time when the boundary between the living and the dead is believed to be at its thinnest. Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts and other malevolent spirits that were thought to roam the earth during this time. The festival was an opportunity to honour ancestors and seek their guidance for the coming year.

With the spread of Christianity, the festival of Samhain was gradually incorporated into Christian traditions. In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1st as All Saints’ Day, a day to honour saints and martyrs. This was followed by All Souls’ Day on November 2, a day to pray for the souls of the deceased. The Christian influence on Halloween led to the practice of trick-or-treating, which originated from the medieval practice of “souling,”. Where poor people would go door-to-door on All Souls’ Day, offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food.

Despite the Christian influence, many pagan traditions and beliefs associated with Samhain continued to be practised, particularly in Ireland and Scotland. Halloween was brought to the United States by Irish and Scottish immigrants in the 19th century. Today, Halloween is a popular holiday celebrated in many countries around the world, with various customs and traditions that reflect its diverse origins. The holiday has become a time for dressing up in costumes, carving pumpkins, and indulging in sweet treats.

Halloween Traditions

The holiday as it is celebrated in the West today has its own unique traditions that have developed over time. Celebrations often feature bobbing for apples, trick-or-treating, making Jack-o’-Lanterns, wearing spooky costumes  and telling scary stories

While some of these traditions have their roots in ancient practices, others have been adapted and evolved over time. For example, the tradition of bobbing for apples can be traced back to a Roman festival honouring Pomona, the goddess of agriculture and abundance. Similarly, the practice of carving pumpkins into Jack-o’-Lanterns has evolved from the original practice of carving turnips and other root vegetables. Personally, I would avoid trying to carve a turnip as it’s nearly impossible and takes forever!

Halloween Celebrations Around the World

Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday that takes place on November 1st and 2nd. This festival is a time for families to remember and celebrate their loved ones who have passed away. It is believed that on these days, the souls of the departed return to the world of the living to be with their families. The holiday is marked by colourful parades, elaborate costumes, and offerings of food and drink for the deceased. While often compared to Halloween, Dia de los Muertos has its own unique traditions and cultural significance.

Guy Fawkes Night

Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night or Fireworks Night, is a British holiday that takes place on November 5th. You can read all about it in our article here. This holiday commemorates the failed attempt by Guy Fawkes and his associates to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605. The holiday is marked by bonfires, fireworks displays, and the burning of effigies of Guy Fawkes. While not directly related to Halloween, the holiday shares some similarities in terms of its focus on fire and celebration.

World Festivals

Halloween-like festivals are found in many other countries around the world. Furthermore, each has its own unique traditions and cultural significance. In Romania, for example, the Day of Dracula is celebrated on Halloween. It involves costume parties and reenactments of scenes from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In Hong Kong, the Hungry Ghost Festival takes place in August and September. It involves offerings of food and drink to appease the spirits of the dead. While these festivals may share some similarities with Halloween, they are distinct celebrations that reflect the unique cultural traditions of their respective countries.

Want to learn more about spooky history? Why not check out our resources on Librarysearch.napier.ac.uk

By Juliet Kinsey

Image: Photo by David Menidrey on Unsplash

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Image of a book and pen with writing forNational Poetry Day 6th October

National Poetry Day

05/10/2023 / / 0 Comments

National Poetry Day 5th October 2023

Today is National Poetry Day, a celebration that has been marked on the first Thursday of October since its inception in 1994. William Sieghart is a publisher whose stated aim is to help people “drop their fear of the p-word” . To that end, Sieghart founded this celebration of excellence in poetry, and since that first day,  NPD has reached an audience of more than 500 million people.

The celebration is not yet 30 years old, but poetry itself is as old as humanity. It may, in fact, be our oldest form of artistic expression; it certainly predates literacy. The word poetry comes from the ancient Greek poieo meaning “I create”, and humans have been creating down the centuries, using poetry to articulate every emotion as well as to record oral histories, and important events, to entertain and to offer prayer.

There are dozens of different types of poetry, from haiku to limerick, ode to epic.  But maybe you prefer one of the more modern free-verse forms. Maybe you’ve even had a go a writing a few of them yourself.  If you’d like to test your poetry skills on a wider audience, why not check out the various competitions currently open for submission. Find out more here:

National Poetry Library Competitions

The theme of this year’s National Poetry Day is Refuge.  Read more about the theme here:

About National Poetry Day – National Poetry Day

Library Resources for National Poetry Day

Of course, we have a huge range of poetry resources that you can access via LibrarySearch.

LibrarySearch Library Catalogue 

We have books on how to read it, how to write it, how the greats do it, and why it matters. We also have access to the Poetry Archive which houses recordings of poets reading their own work out loud. It features the works of contemporary poets alongside historic records of Seamus Heaney, W.B. Yeats, T.S. Eliot and many others.  Of course, we may be biased, but we believe that one of the best poems within the archive, is Library Ology, written and presented by Benjamin Zephaniah. You can listen to it here:

Library Ology – Poetry Archive

Or how about checking out Poets on Screen, a library of 879 video clips of poets reading their own and other poets’ work. We may be biased, but we love this tender and moving poem – The Keepsake – written and read here by Fleur Adcock (spoiler alert – it features witty librarian jargon).

The Keepsake Read by Fleur Adcock – Literature Online – ProQuest

Learn more about the power of reading in our post on International Literacy Day.

By Lesley McRobb

 

Image source: Unsplash Álvaro Serrano

Bakewell Tart

National Bakewell Day

11/08/2023 / / 0 Comments

National Bakewell Tart Day

The flaky, buttery pastry, a good amount of jam and sweet frangipane and the little cherry on top literally is the cherry on top. It’s the Bakewell tart, a legend among baked goods, a classic in baking. National Bakewell tart day is a new celebration, only starting in 2020. Grab a Bakewell tart and let’s get into this delicious day.

History of the Bakewell Tart

Bakewell Tart is accredited to Mrs Graves, the landlady of the White House Inn in Bakewell, Derbyshire England. It was originally called Bakewell Pudding. It was referred to as a pudding due to the original recipe. The cooks were asked to make a jam tart but instead of putting the almond paste into the pastry, they put it on the jam. This created an egg custard which resembled a pudding.

The date of creation is debated, some cite it as early 1820, while others claim 1860. However, it is found in a cookbook dated 1845. From 1900, the Bakewell pudding became the Bakewell Tart. This was mainly due to the egg custard being replaced by a frangipane. Soon a cherry topped, and it became the ‘Cherry Bakewell’. Finally, they were made smaller and became individual. It became the Bakewell Tart that we know today.

Additional Reading

Read about more days of the year here

In the mood for some cooking or baking, check out each well-being collection at our libraries for some cookbooks.

 

Photo source Alan Stephenson

Image of crops for blog post Lughnasa Celtic Harvest Festival

Lughnasa Celtic Harvest Festival

31/07/2023 / / 0 Comments

Lughnasa Celtic Harvest Festival

Lughnasa is one of four traditional Celtic harvest festivals.  It happens at the end of summer when the grains are ripening, but have not yet been harvested. Usually celebrated on the 1st of August, it marks the end of summer and the beginning of the second half of the year. It occurs halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox.

A History of Lughnasa

Lughnasa is an ancient Gaelic holiday, said to be in honour of the pagan god Lugh, and his mother Tailtiu. As well as the usual traditions of feasting and gathering, it is believed that this was when the Tailteann Games were held. Games included “the long jump, high jump, running, hurling, spear throwing, boxing, contests in swordfighting, archery, wrestling, swimming, and chariot and horse racing. They also included competitions in strategy, singing, dancing and story-telling, along with crafts competitions for goldsmiths, jewellers, weavers and armourers.”[Source]

Lughnasa is still celebrated today in Ireland as a holiday. It includes music, dancing, stories and crafts. Furthermore, One modern-day legacy of Lughnasa is “Reek Sunday”. This involves climbing up a mountain or hill. In Ireland, many people climb up Croagh Patrick in Co. Mayo., also known as “the Reek” hence the name “Reek Sunday.”

The Myth

The myth that Lughnasa is based on according to Máire MacNeill who wrote on it back in1962 is the following:

“[it involves] a struggle for the harvest between Lugh and Crom Dubh, another mythical god who stores the grain, which Lugh seizes for humanity. Often, this is portrayed as a struggle for ‘Eithne,’ a woman who symbolizes the grain. Also, Lugh combats and destroys another figure representing blight. ‘Óenach Tailten’ or ‘Aonach Tailteann’ was a ceremony held during Lughnasadh in commemoration of Tailtiu [Lugh’s mother].” Source  

The four feast days

As well as Lughnasa, there is Samhain, Imbolg and Beltane. These are all based on the harvest periods and seasons. Samhain is celebrated on the 31st of October and is linked to Halloween celebrations. People leave gifts for the dead to appease their spirits and festivities and bonfires are often lit. Imbolc or Imbolg is celebrated on the 1st of February and is a lesser know celebration. It marks the beginning of spring and rebirth of the land. The final festival, and a very big one for Edinburgh is Beltane. It happens on the first of May and involves a lot of dancing and bonfires. Why not visit Edinburgh this year and attend our Beltain event on the top of Carlton Hill.

Read more on Scottish history at librarysearch.napier.ac.uk

By Juliet Kinsey

Photo by Polina Rytova on Unsplash

Read more on Scottish history and Festivals with articles on:

The Edinburgh Festival

Image of Cadbury Bournville Chocolate for blog post World Chocolate Day

World Chocolate Day

07/07/2023 / / 0 Comments

World Chocolate Day: Friday 7th of July 2023

Take a moment to indulge in World Chocolate Day!  

Did you know that approximately 1 billion people from around the world eat chocolates every day?  

This just shows that many of us cannot resist the temptation of chocolaty treats. Indeed chocolate is also the food of love! You might think chocolate is unhealthy, however dark chocolate has many health benefits. It creates a calm and happy mood, improves memory and even helps to keep that heart healthy… but remember everything in moderation! 

What is the story of chocolate? 

Chocolate begins from the pods of the cacao tree and is native to Central and South America. Pods g from the trunk and in the larger branches, which contain the cacao beans.  

Did you know cacao is the botanical name for the unfermented beans and cocoa is the manufactured product?  You can find more about the cocoa bean via our Library Search here: 

History of Chocolate

Chocolate can be traced back to the Mayans. It was consumed in liquid form for celebrations and complimented most meals. It was often combined with chillies, water and honey.  Furthermore, The Aztecs also believed that chocolate was sacred and used the cacao beans as currency- in fact, it was more valuable than gold!  

During the industrial revolution, chocolate boomed. Half of the cacao butter was removed for the chocolate liquor and resulting in a creamier and improved quality. It was the modern era for cost-effective, machine-based chocolate. 

John Cadbury opened the first shop in Birmingham in 1824 and has manufactured chocolate since. Due to the machinery, different types of chocolate have emerged and today it is a highly refined, edible confectionary.   

Fair-trade chocolate  

Fairtrade Chocolate supports changing the way cocoa is supplied, ethical working conditions and sustainable incomes for farmers and their families. You can recognise the fairtrade on products like this one below: 

Find more about Fair Trade here: https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/Buying-Fairtrade/Chocolate/ 

Read more on Chocolate using LibrarySearch.napier.ac.uk

Let us know which is your favourite chocolate bar in the comments below?  

Find more information  

https://nationaltoday.com/world-chocolate-day/  

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/history-of-chocolate  

Image by: shri-wntFdvFPu5I-unsplash

Happy Fourth of July American Flag

Happy Fourth of July Independence Day🎉

04/07/2023 / / 0 Comments

Happy Fourth of July Independence Day🎉

Also referred to as Independence Day, the Fourth of July marks the anniversary of the then 13 colonies declaring independence from the British crown. It has a rich history of celebrations throughout the United States.

On July 2nd 1776, the then continental congress voted for independence. Consequently, two days later the 13 colonies adopted the declaration of independence. Thomas Jefferson famously drafted the document. The Fourth of July has been celebrated ever since. Fun fact, as it was the 2nd of July that congress passed the decision on Independence, future President John Adams refused to celebrate American independence on the fourth of July and marked celebrations on the second. He would die fifty years later on July 4th 1826 (History.com).

Celebrations range from family barbecues to street parades. In addition, firework displays are notorious and have been part of celebrations since 1777, with the first reported in Philadelphia. Early celebrations included having mock funerals for King George III, and the firing of muskets and cannons.  These were followed up by a public reading of the declaration of independence (History.com). In 1870, it was recognised by Congress as a federal holiday, although it was not until 1941, that it would be a paid holiday for federal employees. It was in the late 19th century with the rise of leisure time that family get-togethers and barbecues became more common celebrations (History.com)

Whatever you are doing this year have a happy fourth of July Independence Day!

Read about other celebrations on our blog such as St.Patricks Day and Chinese New Year

Want to learn more about American History? Try Librarysearch.napier.ac.uk for all sorts of information. Need to know how to use it? Read our Guide here.

By Maya Green

Photo by Paul Weaver on Unsplash

 

 

 

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