You need to know this ...

Easter Eggs

2006-03-19T11:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, at the request of my mother ... here is some research she did on Easter Eggs ... enjoy.

The history of the Easter Egg.

In Ancient times people believed all life came from an egg. It was used as an emblem of life. The Latin proverb Omne Vivum Ex Ova means all life comes from an egg.

Man’s relationship with the egg is a deep seated one buried in myths and tradition. Eggs were hung on trees by Europeans in midsummer as symbols of regenerate forces of nature. They were linked to the rebirth of spring. People hid eggs under the foundations of their houses to ward off evil, pregnant women carried them to determine the sex of their unborn child. The egg was also used in the 1800's as a substitution for birth certificates. The egg was dyed a solid colour, given its own design, and then inscribed with the persons name and date of birth using a needle or sharp tool. These eggs were recognized in a court of law as evidence of identity and age. Eggs were used as fertility symbols.

How did the egg get linked to Easter?

Early Christians used the egg as a symbol of Christ's tomb. It was used as a symbol of the rebirth of man instead of the rebirth of the earth. It was said that eggs laid on Good Friday, if kept for a hundred years, would have their yolks turned to diamonds. If eggs laid on Good Friday were cooked on Easter, they would promote fertility of trees and crops, and protect you against sudden death.

There was also a myth that two yolks in an Easter egg signified that you were going to be soon rich. No eggs were eaten during the forty days of Lent.

Dyeing or coloring Easter Eggs

Coloring Easter eggs was an English custom in the middle ages. The gentry could afford gilded eggs but the common folk just dyed theirs and gave them as gifts. They were eaten at Spring festivals in ancient Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome. It is believed that Colored eggs were introduced in Western Europe during the fifteenth century. Missionaries or Knights of the crusades are supposed to have brought the concept of coloring eggs westward. A superstition of medieval times tells us of the church bells that had been silent since Holy Thursday, were sent to Rome to be blessed by the pope and came back as colored eggs for everyone on Easter Eve.

Christianity told how the Virgin Mary was supposed to have given eggs to the soldiers at the cross to beg them to be less cruel, and when she cried, her tears fell on the eggs spotting them with dots of brilliant color.

Mary Magdalene's eggs turned colors mysteriously when she went to Christ's tomb to anoint his body. SHE CARRIED THEM IN A BASKET. Red color was supposed to symbolize Christ's blood he shed at Easter.

Later on in the 1800's eggs were gilded with gold and precious jewels and given as gifts to the Russian Czar's wife. These were the famous Faberge eggs and they now reside in a museum for everyone to see.

The Ukrainian people paint their Easter eggs with colors and symbols of life and Christ using wax and paint and a sharp tool.

What about chocolate Eggs?

They were first made in Germany and France in the 1800's fron a paste made from roasted cocoa beans. At first they were solid and then hollow. By the turn of the 19th century, the modern chocolate making process was discovered which improved the mass manufacturing of Chocolate Easter eggs.

For more info:
www.geocities.com/Heartland/8149/easter.html
www.aphroditie-chocolates.co.uk/easter-eggs-history.html
www.theholidayspot.com/easter/history/icons/easter_egg.htm

History of the Diamond Engagement Ring

2006-02-15T20:06:00.000-05:00

You asked for it!!! One of my faithful readers (I know, reading 4 posts doesn't exactly qualify as faithful but I'll take what I can get) asked me if I knew the history of the Diamond Engagement Ring. After soon careful research I found out some very interesting information. Read on...

Engagement Rings have a very long history, but, as you might have guessed, they started out much more humbly than the current Diamond sporting platinum rings. In order to know the history of the Diamond engagement ring lets look at the history of the engagement ring first.

From www.wedfrugal.com we can see a number of different potential explanations. I kind of like the first one...

The first engagement symbol probably wasn't a ring, but it's likely that the shape was translated into later versions of engagement symbols...including rings. According to most sources, the tradition started with the caveman (which cavemen is not specified). It's thought that the first engagement symbol was actually a woven cord of rushes (grasses, reeds) or leather. It's said that this cord was used to tie the hands and feet of his mate so that she could not get away. Once he thought she would stay, he tied it around her hands (and presumably took it off her feet). Finally when fully assured she would stay with him, he tied a cord only around her finger.

Hey now - what's this?

Though the idea may be distasteful, slavery is not an uncommon theory. In fact, another theory is that the ring was like a miniature "slave band", which denoted that the woman was the man's property. This was done, but it isn't likely that this started engagement rings in the Roman culture as it came about later. Slaves were forbidden to wear rings throughout the Roman Republic (449-31 BC), but in later years iron rings denoted their status. Silver was worn by freed slaves. The wearing of gold rings was restricted in early years, but eventually they could be worn by all who were free. It wasn't until Emperor Justinian that the restrictions on who could wear rings were lifted.

But who approved the ball and chain that gets wrapped around our necks I wonder .... anyway here is another theory, maybe more palatable for most ...

Another theory talks of the dowry and/or bride price. Once upon a time, marriages were arranged...for a price. This much is a fact, there are documents (marriage/sale agreements or contracts) that speak of this exact practice. A number of them list the exact terms of the agreement and include the livestock, fabrics and other items that were traded for the bride. You can occasionally find some of these on eBay if you are truly interested. It's thought that a ring may have been given as part of a bride price or dowry. Some of the documents mentioned above do include jewelry, rings and/or gold. Yet a determination of validity can't be based on this alone, especially when you consider that it is the bride that receives the ring. Which brings us to another theory. A ring may have been given to bride, either as a symbol of unity or perhaps as a bribe.

Ok. So that explains the engagement ring, sort of - if you want more go to www.wedfrugal.com. However what about that 'Diamond' - when did that get brought into the equation? Blame it on the Austrians!

Throughout history, diamond engagement rings did enjoy popularity among those who were wealthy and those who were royalty. Many sources mention that Archduke Maximilian of Hamburg and Mary of Burgandy made the wearing of diamond engagement rings popular in 1477. It is highly doubtful that Maximilian and Mary started the trend of diamond engagement rings, though it is possible they started the trend among the wealthy or those who were royalty. After all, they were rather expensive and could not become common if the "common-folk" could not afford them. A true trend involves more than just a small section of the society and this is why I find the possibility highly doubtful. As a matter of fact, diamond engagement rings were not to become "traditional" until hundreds of years later.

Uh-huh. So Max introduced it but it didn't catch on outside of the upper crust. So how then could it be so prevalent today... read on guys and curse those rotten ad agencies !!!

This attempt began when Harry Oppenheimer (son of the De Beers founder) visited New York in order to meet with Gerold M. Lauck. Gerold was the president of N.W. Ayer, which was a leading advertising agency at the time. You see, diamond sales had declined since 1919 by 50%, and something had to be done to increase the demand for them.

The year of the advertising campaign was 1939. That's right, the tradition of diamonds as THE engagement ring...as the only correct option, started slightly over 60 years ago and was the main result of an advertising campaign. While the diamond did enjoy periods of popularity in times prior to this (Victorian era for example), this was the factor that made the diamond engagement ring the ONLY choice that was acceptable. You don't have to take my word for it though. Feel free to research on your own.

There you have it guys. A good marketing campaign 60 years ago that we are still paying for. Now that is some powerful marketing.

Until next time,

Tips for buying a Diamond Engagement

2006-02-15T20:04:00.000-05:00

Buying an engagement ring is a daunting task - it doesn't have to be. Here are a few tips from http://www.yourengagementrings.com/.

Engagement rings are traditionally given to a woman when a man proposes. It is a once in a lifetime event that is celebrated with a diamond ring. Purchasing diamond and platinum engagement rings can be intimidating for many men, especially because most men have never spent that much money on jewelry, which they know little about. And if you follow today's guideline of two months salary as a budget, it has to hurt a little bit.

HOLD THE PRESSES!! I feel the need to interject here. 2 months salary is a nice easy to say number but don't let that be your only guide. If your intended fiancee is going to judge you on whether or not you spend 2 months I have one word for you - NEXT! Use your best judgement, if she loves you she'll be happy with whatever ring you get her.

Three Steps for Buying Engagement Rings:

1. Choose the shape of the diamond: round, princess, emerald, baguette, radiant, pear, marquis, oval, and trillion. Round is the most popular.

2. Choose the engagement ring setting/metal. Most settings are made for a certain shape/size of diamond. Finding a setting that she loves may not be as easy as it seems. If you need help, ask one of her best friends for advice. Once you pick a setting, choosing the metal is easy. Most engagement ring settings are available in 14k and 18k gold in yellow or white color, and platinum.

3. Find a diamond.
a) Establish a budget goal. Then establish a 5% budget range. Ie. If your budget goal is $5000, then your budget range is $4750-$5250.
b) Decide on the karat size. As a general rule of thumb, the price increases exponentially with size.
c) Then find the best color/clarity diamond that meets your budget goal and karat size. At worst, the color should be HI and the clarity should be SI2.
d) So you know your budget, shape, size, and quality of the engagement ring. Now shop around with various jewelers who provide a GIA or AGL certificate. When comparing different jewelers, keep as many variables as close to each other as possib

Valentines Day History

2006-02-13T21:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day!

Ok, you had to know it was coming! No, not Valentines Day - the fact I would need to look up it's history! So, for all you die hard fans, here are some facts I found out about history. I found this same information on a number of websites so I can't quote them all.

The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. Here are a few possiblites of the source of this wonderful day...
Most scholars believe that the St. Valentine of the holiday was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. During this time around 270 A.D., emperor Claudius ll prohibited marriages for young men, claiming that bachelors made better soldiers. Valentine continued to secretly perform marriage ceremonies but was eventually apprehended by the Romans and ordered by Claudius to be put to death. This St. Valentine could be postumously recognized for his commitment to the formal bonds of love.

Another legend has it that Valentine, imprisoned by Claudius; fell in love with the daughter of his jailer who visited him during confinement. Before he was executed, he allegedly sent her a letter signed "from your Valentine" an expression that is still used today. This may have been the first Valentine’s Day.

And another plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not focused on Eros(passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. Thus the love of Valentine's day may have originally been a devotion to one's god, rather than one's human partner.

It could be that we celebrate Valentines Day on the 14th because this is the day that a St. Valentine died. However, some believe that the celebration of Valentines Day was an attempt by the Church to civilize the celebration of the pagan Lupercalia festival. The Festival was held on the 15th of February. Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D., and the Lupercalia festival was outlawed.

The oldest known written valentine note still in existence is a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. The greeting, written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London. And this tradition continues strongly today: According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap", similar to the one's schoolchildren accross the country make every year.

Now how's that for useless information you didn't need to know!

Until next time,

Valentines Special ...just remember this, a kiss is ....

2006-02-11T11:48:00.000-05:00

Valentines Day means kisses ...at least for some. What's in a kiss? We all do it, we all know the effects ... say no more ... but why do we do it? Where did it all begin? Continuing on our Valentines theme 'You need to know this' went searching for some answers ...

This from http://library.thinkquest.org/ ...

A long time ago, scientists proclaimed that people found kissing pleasurable because when the two lips met during kissing, an electric current was generated.
We now know this to be completely untrue but new studies have shown that when two people embrace, hormones are released into the blood stream which immediately induces a sense of euphoria when you feed on the sweetness of your mouth.On a final note, let me stress that kissing does not merely involve the lips! A real kiss makes use of the tongue, that sensuous organ you can use to delightfully explore the inner reaches of her mouth.

Ok, but WHY? I found this explanation here: http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s923750.htm

There are a few theories on how this habit came to be. One theory claims that it all began in ancient times with mothers chewing up food to pass it directly into the mouth of their baby. A second theory reckons that kissing gets you close enough to smell the mood, food and recent adventures of whomever you are kissing, so you can work out how to handle them. And a third theory says that we used to believe that your soul lived in your breath, and that kissing would marry the breaths together, and fuse your souls for all eternity. This last theory is really cute, but like all the other theories, is totally unprovable.

Interesting stuff ... here's more from http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/kissing.asp

Over time, the custom of kissing developed as a way for adults to express their love and affection for one another. The roots of this form of affection can be traced back to primitive times, when mothers fondled their children, much as mothers do today.

Much later, in the sixth century, society apparently accepted the custom of kissing between adults as an expression of their affection. Not surprisingly, France first accepted kissing in courtship, and in amore. There, figure dancing was the rage, and each dance was sealed with a kiss.

The custom of kissing swept from France through Europe to Russia, where Russian nobility loved to ape the French. Eventually, the kiss was incorporated into marriage ceremonies, and today lip-locks couples into sweet matrimony.

The custom of kissing today, as well as in ancient times, serves to show respect, and to pay homage to another. For example, early Romans kissed each other on the mouth or on the eyes to greet one another in a manner they deemed to be a dignified. One Roman emperor even ranked a person's importance by the body part he was allowed to kiss. He allowed important nobles to kiss his lips, less important ones to kiss his hands, and the least important ones to kiss his feet.

Well, he could kiss my @$$!!!

And on a related note ... what's with all those X's on love notes ...

How about the "X" sign representing a kiss? This tradition started with the Medieval practice of allowing those who could not write to sign documents with an "X". This was done before witnesses, and the signer placed a kiss upon the "X" to show sincerity. This is how the kiss came to be synonymous with the letter "X", and how the "X" came to be commonly used at the end of letters as kiss symbols. (Some believed "X" was chosen as a variation on the cross symbol, while others believe it might have been a pledge in the name of Christ, since the "X" -- or Chi symbol -- is the twenty-second letter of the Greek alphabet and has been used in church history to represent Christ.)

HAH! Try that next time you sign a loan form at the bank!!!

Now how's that for useless information you didn't need to know!!

Until next time.

A Rose by any other name ...

2006-02-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

Well, it will soon be Valentines Day. The day for lovers to love theoretically. Definitely the day for florists to make copious amounts of money! Have you ever ordered a dozen roses on Valentines day? Speaking of ordering roses, why is it that the Valentines Day planning is usually left to the guy? Ladies, you know we suck at it and that it causes us grief so how about lending a helping hand huh? Anyway, all this Valentines pressure got me thinking ... why do we have to send roses anyway? Is there anything behind this Valentine tradition.

Here are the results of my quick research...

Red roses were said to be the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Also, red is a color that signifies strong feelings.

Ok, this doesn't answer it but further research gives a little better explanation...

Why should you send roses to your loved one this ValentineÂs Holiday? The rose is the symbol of love, of magic, of hope, and of passion, perfect to let your loved one know how you feel about him or her! The rose represents ultimate beauty and perfection. It is the messenger of Romance!
A dozen red roses remains the classic Valentine's Day favorite (though chocolate may secretly be the more cherished gift). However, many women report that they adore roses in other colors just as much. There are hundreds of colors to choose from. The choices are endless and it's easier than ever to select a rose that is as unique as your sweetheart.

So ... this also isn't an answer - the reality is that the tradition of sending flowers is probably what we need to research. It is clear though that you should send Roses.

For all you men out there who are confused by which Rose colour to choose and how many to send, here is a little guide that I found at http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mandy_Kung .

Meaning of Rose Color
Roses come in a wide range of colors. Each color carries a different meaning. It sends a silent yet extremely important message to your love one.

Red - Passionate Love
White - Spiritual Love, Purity, Friendship Light
Pink - Admiration, Appreciation
Dark Pink - Gratitude, Appreciation
Yellow - I am sorry, I care
Champagne - You are tender and loving
Purple - I will always love you
Orange - Friendship, Ardent Love
Blue - True Heart, You are special

Meaning of Roses by Numbers
All roses symbolize love, but the number of roses you send will carry a different meaning.

Single Stem - Simplicity, You are the only one
3 Stems - I love you
11 Stems - I am the missing stem to make the perfect dozen
12 Stems - With all my heart
13 Stems - You are my secret love
22 Stems - Togetherness, Unity
36 Stems - My heart belongs to you
99 Stems - Greatest love you will ever know
101 Stems - Speechless love
108 Stems - Please marry me
999 Stems - Endless love

And finally, for me any more than 36 stems has one more important meaning -BANKRUPTCY!

Now how's that for information you didn't need to know!!

Until next time.

Where did the word 'car' come from?

2006-02-10T18:23:00.000-05:00

Okay, so now I have started my own blog. A couple of years late, I know, but I am getting older and slower at my adoption of emerging technology. Right now this blog has one reader - ME, but I hope I can force my wife and sister to read it so I will at least have three!! Ha!

Ok, so last night, while watching T.V. (old technology - I know), an automobile commercial came on. Somehow this commercial, instead of inspiring me to buy a car left me considering where the origin of the word car came from? Why do we call an automoble a 'car'? After all the word car doesn't seem to have anything to do with motion, mobility or making out in the back seat? So, although I managed not to let this puzzle keep me awake, I did want to find an answer today. And so, directly from a post at Wordwizard.com here is the answer:

CAR seems to have been first used as an independent word for a road vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine in 1896 (see quote below), in the publication “Farman’s Auto-Cars (the compounds ‘autocar’ and ‘motorcar’ were a year earlier). But the word, of course, is a lot older than this and was much earlier used as a general term ‘carre’ for any wheeled conveyance (~1350). It was borrowed from Anglo-French ‘carre,’ Old North French ‘carre’ and directly from Latin ‘carra,’ plural of ‘carrus’ ‘carrum,’ two-wheeled vehicle for carrying loads, wagon, of Gaulish origin (compare Old Irish ‘carr’ wagon, chariot). It is probably linked with ‘current’ and ‘course,’ giving an underlying meaning of ‘move swiftly.’ English words derived at some point from the same source include ‘career,’ ‘carriage,’ ‘carry,’ ‘charge,’ and ‘chariot.’

QUOTE:

[1576 “CARS or Drags, furnished for . . . Repairing . . . Highways.”—‘Act 18 of Elizabeth,’ x. §4]

[1716 “Carts, Drays, CARRS and Waggons.”—‘London Gazette,’ No. 5446/2><1824-7>

[1838 “A Russian Mountain, down which visitors descend in CARS.”—“Murray’s Handbook of Northern Germany,” page 318]

[1896 “The latter drove with a daring which may have been dangerous to himself, but which never affected his CAR.” Ibid. “The three CARS which came in next after Mr. Levassor's were all Peugeot cars.”—“Farman’s Auto-CARS” by L. Serraillier, pages 132]

If you follow the link you will also see the definition of carriage just in case you might have thought that car was short for carriage.

Now how's that for information you didn't need to know!!

Until next time.