Lent - Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent starts: the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It's a day of penitence, to clean the soul, and a day of celebration as the last chance to feast before Lent begins. Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession and were "shriven" (absolved from their sins). In shriving, a person confesses their sins and receives absolution for them. When a person receives absolution for their sins, they are forgiven for them and released from the guilt and pain that they have caused them.

In the Catholic or Orthodox context, a priest pronounces the absolution. This tradition dates back over 1000 years. An Anglo-Saxon monk wrote, “In the week immediately before Lent everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor shall so shrive him.”

A bell would be rung to call people to confession. This came to be called the “Pancake Bell” and is still rung today.

Shrove Tuesday is commonly known as Pancake Day after the fried batter recipe traditionally eaten on this day. It is a day of celebration as well as penitence, as it's the last day before Lent, and as Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up, so Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge by using up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent.

Historically, during Lent there were many foods that Christians would not eat. These included meat, fish, fats, eggs, and milky foods.So that no food was wasted, families would have a feast on the shriving Tuesday to use up the foods that wouldn't survive the forty days of Lent.

The need to eat up the fats gave rise to the French name Mardi Gras ('fat Tuesday'). Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday, as they were a dish that could use up all the eggs, fats and milk in the house with just the addition of flour.

Pancake races are thought to have begun in 1445. It is remembered in the most famous of pancake races, which takes place at Olney in Buckinghamshire. According to tradition, in 1445 a woman of Olney heard the shriving bell while she was making pancakes and ran to the church in her apron, still clutching her frying pan. The Olney pancake race is now world famous. Competitors have to be local housewives and they must wear an apron and a hat or scarf. Each contestant has a frying pan containing a hot pancake. She must toss it three times during the race.  The first woman to complete the course and arrive at the church, serve her pancake to the bell ringer and be kissed by him is the winner.

Other events in the UK include one at Westminster School in London, where the annual Pancake Grease is held. A verger from Westminster Abbey leads a procession of boys into the playground where the school cook tosses a huge pancake over a five-metre high bar. The boys then race to grab a portion of the pancake and the one who ends up with the largest piece receives a cash bonus from the Dean.

In Scarborough,Yorkshire, on Shrove Tuesday, everyone assembles on the promenade to skip. Long ropes are stretched across the road and there maybe be ten or more people skipping on one rope. The origins of this custom is not known but skipping was once a magical game, associated with the sowing and spouting of seeds which may have been played on barrows (burial mounds) during the Middle Ages.

Many towns throughout England used to hold traditional Shrove Tuesday football ('Mob Football" ) games dating back as far back as the 12th century. The practice mostly died out with the passing of the 1835 Highways Act which banned the playing of football on public highways, but a number of towns have managed to maintain the tradition to the present day including Alnwick inNorthumberland, Ashbourne inDerbyshire (called the Royal Shrovetide Football Match), Atherstone in Warwickshire, Sedgefield (called the Ball Game) inCounty Durham and St Columb Major (called Hurling the Silver Ball) in Cornwall.

Lent - Introduction to the Season

Lent may originally have followed Epiphany, just as Jesus’ sojourn in the wilderness followed immediately on his baptism, but it soon became firmly attached to Easter, as the principal occasion for baptism and for the reconciliation of those who had been excluded from the Church’s fellowship for apostasy or serious faults. This history explains the characteristic notes of Lent – self-examination, penitence, self-denial, study, and preparation for Easter, to which almsgiving has traditionally been added.

Now is the healing time decreed for sins of heart and word and deed, when we in humble fear record the wrong that we have done the Lord.   (Latin, before 12th century) 

 As the candidates for baptism were instructed in Christian faith, and as penitents prepared themselves, through fasting and penance, to be readmitted to communion, the whole Christian community was invited to join them in the process of study and repentance, the extension of which over forty days would remind them of the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, being tested by Satan.

Lent - A period of 40 days before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting and abstaining from food and festivities.

Whereas Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after his death on the cross, Lent recalls the events leading up to and including Jesus' crucifixion.

Why 40 days? 40 is a significant number in Jewish-Christian scripture:

In Genesis, the flood that destroyed the earth was brought about by 40 days and nights of rain.

The Hebrews spent 40 years in the wilderness before reaching the land promised to them by God.

Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.

Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry.  The generally accepted view of most Christians and indeed, the Church of England.

The calculation of the forty days has varied considerably in Christian history. It is now usual in the West to count them continuously to the end of Holy Week (not including Sundays), so beginning Lent on the sixth Wednesday before Easter, Ash Wednesday.

Liturgical dress is the simplest possible. Churches are kept bare of flowers and decoration. Gloria in excelsis is not used. The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare or Refreshment Sunday) was allowed as a day of relief from the rigour of Lent, and the Feast of the Annunciation almost always falls in Lent; these breaks from austerity are the background to the modern observance of Mothering Sunday on the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

Why is it called Lent?

Lent is an old English word meaning 'lengthen'. Lent is observed in spring, when the days begin to get longer.

East and West

Both the eastern and western churches observe Lent but they count the 40 days differently. The western church excludes Sundays (which is celebrated as the day of Christ's resurrection) whereas the eastern church includes them. The churches also start Lent on different days. Western churches start Lent on the 7th Wednesday before Easter Day, i.e. Ash Wednesday. Eastern churches start Lent on the Monday of the 7th week before Easter and end it on the Friday 9 days before Easter. Eastern churches call this period the 'Great Lent'.

The Origin of St. Valentine

The origin of St. Valentine, and just how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priest jailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius II. It is said that he was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith ineffectual, commanded him to be beaten with clubs, and afterwards, to be beheaded, which was executed outside the Flaminian Gate on February 14, about the year 270. Hence 14th February as Valentine’s day.

Whoever he was, Valentine really existed because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honour of his martyrdom.

The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in a The Nuremberg Chronicle, a great-illustrated book printed in 1493. Alongside a woodcut portrait of him, text states that Valentinus was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius the Goth [Claudius II]. Since he was caught marrying Christian couples and aiding any Christians who were being persecuted under Emperor Claudius in Rome, at a time when helping them was considered a crime, Valentinus was arrested and imprisoned.

Claudius took a liking to this prisoner until Valentinus made a strategic error. He tried to convert the Emperor, whereupon he was condemned to death.

Saints are not supposed to rest in peace; they're expected to keep busy: to perform miracles, to intercede. Being in jail or dead is no excuse for non-performance of the supernatural. One legend says, while awaiting his execution, Valentinus restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter. Another legend says, on the eve of his death, he penned a farewell note to the jailer's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine." 

St. Valentine was buried on the Flaminian Way. He is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, beekeepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travellers and young people. He is represented in pictures with birds and roses.

Legends vary on how the martyr's name became connected with romance. The date of his death may have become mingled with the Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan festival of love. On these occasions, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed.

In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius decided to put an end to the Feast of Lupercalia, and he declared that February 14 be celebrated as St Valentine's day.

Gradually, February 14 became a date for exchanging love messages, poems and simple gifts such as flowers.

11 things you never knew about Liverpool Cathedral:

Liverpool Cathedral: 11 things you never knew about historic landmark 

By Sean Purvis of Liverpool Echo

Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral is among the city’s most popular attractions, revealing something new on each visit.  

The building, which dominates Liverpool’s skyline, is a treasure trove of fascinating features, many of which have a story of their own to tell. Next time you visit keep an eye out for the following 11 points of interest which offer an insight into the rich history of the cathedral and the city itself.  

1. The UK’s largest organ

The cathedral’s Grand Organ is made up of 10,267 pipes, making it the biggest in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in the world. It took three years to build, between 1923 and 1926, and sits in two chambers on opposite sides of the choir.  

2. The world’s heaviest bells. 

The Bartlett Bells - named after the local man who bequeathed them to the cathedral - are the heaviest and highest in the world, weighing in at 31.5 tonnes (31,500kg) and hanging 219 foot (67 metres) above the ground in the cathedral tower. The largest bell, Great George, is bigger than Big Ben.

photograph is of a close up view of the massive steel work which carries the peel of bells, taken on July 29, 1936.

3. The Elizabeth Hoare Gallery

High above the Cathedral floor there is an unique collection of Victorian and Edwardian ecclesiastical embroidery. The third floor gallery also offers fantastic views of the interior of the building.

4. The “Kneeling Madonna”

A statue in wood of the Kneeling Madonna by Giovanni Della Robbia which dates back to the 15th century. The sculpture was probably part of a set of nativity figures and can be found in the Lady chapel in the cathedral.

 5. The Great West window

The cathedral has approximately 1700 m² of stained glass. The most splendid is the Great West Window standing at 52 feet, it was designed by Carl Edwards in 1979.

6. A poignant memorial to Hillsborough victims

The cathedral was the venue for the September 2012 launch of the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report, and is now the temporary home of the “eternal flame”, which has been moved from Anfield as the ground undergoes redevelopment work. It is currently housed in the Memorial Chapel.

7. “The Welcoming Christ”

Renowned sculptor Elisabeth Frink, who died in 1993, created this striking statue high above the West Door. A scale model, known as a maquette, of the striking work is on show at the east end of the cathedral.

8. “The Good Samaritan”

Adrian Wiszniewski’s painting has been on display since 1995 in the South choir aisle, with critics saying it has a poetic quality. Wiszniewski’s work is also in the permanent collections of MOMA, New York, the Tate Gallery, London and Setegaya, Tokyo.

 9. The Tower

The prominent focal point for visitors of the cathedral stands 154m above the River Mersey. It is open to the public most days and is accessible by two consecutive lifts followed by 108 stairs.

10. The Holy Spirit Chapel

The intimate chapel did not form part of the original design but has fulfilled the desire for visitors to have a place of quiet solitude for prayer and meditation. It was designed by Sir Giles Scott and sculpted by William Gough.

11. The “All Together Now” Christmas Truce sculpture

Temporarily placed in the memorial chapel and designed by sculptor Andy Edwards, the sculpture depicts the handshake between an English and German soldier ahead of their famous World War I football match. 

Link to original article: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/liverpool-cathedral-11-things-you-8469079

Gardening in Hérault - February 2015

In the garden – February 2015

The beginning of February often still seems like a quiet time of the year in the garden but as the weather starts to warm up and the days lengthen there are lots of gardening jobs to be getting on with to prepare for the coming season:

• General weeding, digging and mulching of flower beds
• Check that stakes are holding firm with the winter winds
• Turn some organic material (compost, rotted manure etc) into your flower beds and perhaps add some general organic fertiliser
• Towards the end of the month start to cut back ornamental grasses, other perennials and sub shrubs such as Gaura, Salvia microphylla and it’s cultivars, Perovskia, etc  If possible shred these prunings to  use as mulch for your garden.
• Deadhead winter flowering pansies to encourage repeat flowering.
• Check on the watering requirements of container grown plants, even at this time of the year they can dry out.
• During February or March prune summer flowering shrubs (eg Lavatera, Buddleia) that flower on the current year’s growth, prune winter flowering shrubs such as winter jasmine and Mahonia after flowering. Start to prune roses.
• Planting and moving plants
• If you haven’t yet done so, prune woody climbers such as Wisteria, Kiwis and Campsis back to two or three buds on sideshoots.  Late flowering clematis should also be pruned now, as can Virginia creeper and ivy
• Make sure that you have finished pruning hedges before the bird nesting season begins, hedges are ideal nesting areas for many garden birds.  Nesting boxes can also still be put up in February.
• Keep an eye on the weather forecast and protect tender plants if severe cold is forecast again
• Start to sow seeds

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At the nursery we are often asked about growing culinary herbs and constructing herb gardens so it seems useful to make some comments about herbs to try and clarify things.  The term "herb" has more than one definition. Botanists describe an herb as a small, seed bearing plant with fleshy, rather than woody, parts (from which we get the term "herbaceous"). For the gardener the term “herb” refers to a far wider range of plants. In addition to herbaceous perennials, herbs may include annuals, trees & shrubs, which are valued for their flavour and fragrance as well medicinal qualities, economic and industrial uses, pesticidal properties, and colouring materials (dyes).  Most people are interested in the flavour aspect and wanting to grow culinary herbs in their gardens.  The most popular culinary herbs are probably rosemary, sage, oregano, basil, parsley, coriander, chives, mint, thyme and bay.  Far from combining all these plants in one herb garden it is better to think about their individual cultivation requirements and how to meet them.

Rosemary in flower in February.

Many of these plants are Mediterranean native plants and will grow easily in this region, they simply need sunshine and a well drained soil, this would include rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, bay and savory.  Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is well known and can be found in various forms including some lovely dark blue flower forms and a prostrate form, all are equally useful for cooking.  The sage most frequently used is Salvia officinalis which has a number of cultivars including crinkly leaved versions and coloured forms such as Salvia officinalis var Icterina (yellow variegated) and var purpurascens (purply foliage); a group of different foliage sages can make a very effective display in the garden.  

Origanum syriacum or zatar is an attractive garden plant which flowers in the summer.

Some people swear that the sage flavour is even better in the Spanish sage, Salvia lavandulifolia.  Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) needs no introduction, you can find it growing all over the garrigue but there are also some good lemon scented forms of thyme that are great with fish or chicken!  Oregano can also be found growing wild but forms vary considerably as to how much flavour they have so it is best to buy a good form.  Origano itself is from Origanum vulgare ssp hirtum while Origanum majorana is sweet marjoram and for fans of Middle Eastern cookery Origanum syriacum is zatar.  Bay trees (Laurus nobilis) are widely grown but do make a large tree so need careful siting in the garden.  Winter savory (Satureja montana) is another Med native herb that is less well known but goes well in soups and stews.

I’ll comment next month on how to grow some of the other herbs mentioned above.

At La Petite Pépinière we continue to receive positive feedback about our programme of gardening courses and this is our programme for the spring of 2015.  Our courses are aimed at gardeners in the Languedoc and our intention is to provide information and promote discussion in a relaxed and informal atmosphere which will help those interested in creating interesting, easy to maintain and colourful ornamental gardens.  The courses detailed below will be held at La Petite Pépinière in Caunes-Minervois (11160) and will be tutored by Gill Pound, nursery proprietor.  All courses are designed for a group of seven to eleven participants.  Course fees quoted include coffees, teas etc and you are asked to bring a packed lunch.

An Introduction to Pruning – Wednesday 18^th March, 10am to 4pm
This will be an introduction to the principles and practice of pruning, why, when and how.  Practical work in the garden here will be included and we will focus on pruning practices relating to plants frequently found in gardens in the region.
Course fee:  45€

Propagation:  Thursday 19th March, 10am to 4pm

An introduction to the principles of propagation - how to increase your own plants by layering, division, seeds and cuttings.  Plenty of practical work

 Course fee:  45€
If you are interested in either of the above and the dates are inconvenient do get in touch anyway, it may be possible to change dates or to run an additional course.

Tailor made courses: 
For groups of six/seven people it may be possible to tailor make a course to meet your needs; if this is of interest to a club/society/group of friends that you belong to then do get in touch indicating your area(s) of interest.  Guided visits of the garden at La Petite Pépinière are also available.

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For further information contact Gill Pound at La Petite Pépinière de Caunes (shrubs and perennials, unusual plants and plants for dry climates), 21, Avenue de la Montagne Noire, 11160, Caunes-Minervois.

Tel: 04 68 78 43 81 or 06 85 966 572, email Gill@lapetitepepiniere.com  www.lapetitepepiniere.com

Hundreds of Ethiopian Christians celebrate at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

Hundreds of Ethiopian Christians celebrate at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

Hundreds of Ethiopians made a pilgrimage to Liverpool to mark a 2,000-year-old festival.

Followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church descended on Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral to honour the Timkat tradition.

The festival celebrates Jesus’s baptism in the River Jordan with a 24-hour spectacular of singing, chanting and prayer.

One of the highlights of the celebration is the parading of the Tabot – replicas of the tablet of stone on which the 10 commandments were inscribed.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Archbishop of Europe, His Grace Abuna Entonius, led the celebrations alongside dozens of priests and choirs from all over the UK and Europe.

The festival began at 3pm yesterday when the Tabot arrived in Liverpool. It continued this afternoon with mass, baptising, chanting, lectures and a short exhibition and Ethiopian food.

Link to original article: 

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/hundreds-ethiopian-christians-celebrate-liverpool-8511933

Introduction to the Season of Lent -

Lent may originally have followed Epiphany, just as Jesus’ sojourn in the wilderness followed immediately on his baptism, but it soon became firmly attached to Easter, as the principal occasion for baptism and for the reconciliation of those who had been excluded from the Church’s fellowship for apostasy or serious faults. This history explains the characteristic notes of Lent – self-examination, penitence, self-denial, study, and preparation for Easter, to which almsgiving has traditionally been added.

Now is the healing time decreed for sins of heart and word and deed, when we in humble fear record the wrong that we have done the Lord.   (Latin, before 12th century)

As the candidates for baptism were instructed in Christian faith, and as penitents prepared themselves, through fasting and penance, to be readmitted to communion, the whole Christian community was invited to join them in the process of study and repentance, the extension of which over forty days would remind them of the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, being tested by Satan.

Lent - A period of 40 days before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting and abstaining from food and festivities.

Whereas Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after his death on the cross, Lent recalls the events leading up to and including Jesus' crucifixion.

Why 40 days? 40 is a significant number in Jewish-Christian scripture:

In Genesis, the flood that destroyed the earth was brought about by 40 days and nights of rain.

The Hebrews spent 40 years in the wilderness before reaching the land promised to them by God.

Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.

Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry.  The generally accepted view of most Christians and indeed, the Church of England.

The calculation of the forty days has varied considerably in Christian history. It is now usual in the West to count them continuously to the end of Holy Week (not including Sundays), so beginning Lent on the sixth Wednesday before Easter, Ash Wednesday.

Liturgical dress is the simplest possible. Churches are kept bare of flowers and decoration. Gloria in excelsis is not used. The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare or Refreshment Sunday) was allowed as a day of relief from the rigour of Lent, and the Feast of the Annunciation almost always falls in Lent; these breaks from austerity are the background to the modern observance of Mothering Sunday on the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

Why is it called Lent?

Lent is an old English word meaning 'lengthen'. Lent is observed in spring, when the days begin to get longer.

East and West

Both the eastern and western churches observe Lent but they count the 40 days differently. The western church excludes Sundays (which is celebrated as the day of Christ's resurrection) whereas the eastern church includes them. The churches also start Lent on different days. Western churches start Lent on the 7th Wednesday before Easter Day, i.e. Ash Wednesday. Eastern churches start Lent on the Monday of the 7th week before Easter and end it on the Friday 9 days before Easter. Eastern churches call this period the 'Great Lent'.