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| Time Out 2004-2007 |
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Äîìîé Î íàñ Êîíòàêòû Àðõèâ Ïîäïèñêà | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marked by the sign of RoosterAccording to the Oriental calendar, 2005 is the year of Rooster. We are warned in advance of its approach by the colorful calendars and greeting cards with symbolic figures of the sunny bird, souvenirs and talismans in the shop windows.In Eastern countries where the 20-year lunisolar calendar is in use, this bird is highly respected as it is believed that a rooster brings fortune into the house. It is customary to put up the images of a rooster on the doors and gates of the houses on the first day of the New Year. Oriental poets praise the five virtues of the rooster: kindness, gumption, courage, temperament and punctuality. The rooster enjoys respect in many other regions of the world, too. This bird is considered to be a symbol of sun, sexual potency and fertility. Like the sun, the rooster "counts off" the time and proclaims the beginning of the day. In the myths of many nations the rooster is an all-seeing and vigilant guard. Therefore it is not in the least accidental that it is customary to place the figures of the rooster-guard on house-roofs, spires, caskets, trunks… In China, the images of a red rooster on the walls of the houses are considered to be a protection from fire. In Ancient Rome, hens for a long time were considered to be holy birds and fortune-tellers. It is necessary to say that previously in Rome and throughout Europe as well as in Africa people did not have their own hens. Hens descend from wild Bankiv hens which live in the jungle of South and South-East Asia. These hens were domesticated for the first time in India around 4 thousand years ago. They were brought from India to Persia by the soldiers of Tsar Darius I, who were returning from a campaign to this far away country. Later the hens came to Egypt, then to Greece, Rome and from there they spread throughout Europe.
In Ancient Rome hens were protected by the specially appointed priests-augurs. They made various predictions according to hens' behavior - their activeness, passiveness, appetite, sounds they make, especially the pipe of roosters. The wayhens eat at sunset was considered especially important: if they eat well - there will be success, if not - misfortune, misery for individual people, a city or even a whole nation. At times due to this prediction battles were postponed, and sometimes even lost. This happened during Carthaginian War II.
Those who have studied the history of Ancient Rome know that Punic wars took place between Rome and Carthage for the rule over the Mediterranean. During Carthaginian War II the armies of Carthaginians predominantly gained victories, especially under the leadership of the famous commander Hannibal. Prior to one of the decisive battles the Roman fleet was commanded by the consul Claudius Pulkher. The holy hens with their guardians - priests-augurs, were held on board of one of the ships. These pagan priests came up to the fleet commander and announced: Claudius did not listen to augurs predictions and did not want to postpone the battle. He ordered to throw the hens overboard and prepare for the battle. Here, he evidently went wrong. The superstitious military chiefs, soldiers and sailors believed the augurs. Having seen how the holy hens were thrown away they became even more bewildered, despondent and lost faith in victory. They did not even put up resistance to the Carthaginians. Per se the Romans lost the battle by not engaging.
2 thousand years passed from the day of the Romans' defeat. In this period hens spread throughout all the continents of the globe. Nowadays, over 200 breeds of hens are reared in all the countries of the world. The most important ones are egg, meat and meat-egg hens. There are also decorative and even game-hens, the roosters of which are foolhardy brawlers. In some places they are even specially bred for cock games. In Styria - a province in Austria - as early as in the 19th century hepatitis (known in the common people as jaundice) was treated in a peculiar method. Yellow hens were placed close to the ill person and with the help of conjurations and wails drove the disease into them. The pugnacity of roosters was famous literally from the time of domestication of hens. Even Ancient Greeks amused themselves with cock games. The legend says that Phemistocles, a famous Athenian statesman, strategist and commander, during the Greco-Persian wars proposed to include the review of cock games in the program of military training.
- Let the young warriors see how selflessly the roosters fight, and learn firmness and bravery from them, - Phemistocles used to say. So what are they - people of the year of rooster? It is considered that they are life-loving, communicable, far-seeing, rigorous in doing their duty and endowed with common sense but not prudent enough and even capricious, sometimes show aggressiveness. According to one version, the given characteristic pertains to the people which were born in the year of rooster, according to another - to the people conceived on this year. Some also say of the people who were born in the year of rooster that they are brave and courageous if the circumstances demand it. They are brave to such an extent that they are ready to risk their life with a smile on their lips. These people make good soldiers. The people from the year of rooster have every reason to be active. They do not easily get money to their beak. They have to work much in order to secure themselves a normal life and if the sphere of action is favorable, they can become rich. At the same time, they are able to draw money from an ungrateful cornfield too. A real rooster has to scratch with its clutches and beak, and it always finds a worm, even in the desert. The man-rooster likes the company of women, among which he can shine and prance. However, it will not go further than that. At the same time, he will rarely gather with his friends. Men bore and tire him. Women of the year of Rooster choose a profession, which allows them to revolve in a sociaty of women, strange as it may seem.
What does the year of rooster promise us? The house, of course, should be decorated with rooster symbolism: calendars, photographs, statuettes, the most diverse self-made shapes from paper, straw, wood, clay will do for this purpose. For example, an apron with an embroidered rooster will suit a housewife very much. The rooster symbolism must be present on the festive table as well. One practical observation: all the advices concerning the notion that it is not allowed to eat chicken meat when meeting the New Year (European) should not be taken into account. This is a fib of primitive astrologists. It is appropriate to mention that New Year by the Oriental calendar comes much later than by the Gregorian calendar which is accepted by the majority of countries. In the Gregorian calendar, the beginning of each year of the 12-year lunisolar calendar falls on the period from 21st January to 20th February inclusive. In 2005 it will fall on the 9th February. It is historically developed that there is also a 60-year cycle in the Oriental calendar. This is concerned with the fact that according to it, it is accepted to attribute each year to one of the five main elements of nature - tree, fire, earth, metal, water. The 60-year cycle forms in the combination of the representatives of the animal cycle. However, we do not have the necessity to penetrate into the cobwebs of the Oriental calendar in view of the approach of the new Year; our nearest plans are to spend the holidays as merrily as possible. This is what we wish you with all our heart!
Albert fon Bolschtedt (1193 - 1280), the German theologist and philosopher, ideologist of feudal regime went down in history of science. For extensive knowledge in the field of various sciences - physics, chemistry, mechanics, botany, zoology, philosophy and theology, his contemporaries gave him the name Albert the Great.
In many countries people's favorite animals become the symbols of the nation, state, parties and their images is displayed on the emblems and flags. You can also work out an emblem of your family knowing which animal characterizes positive traits. This is a wonderful occasion for all family members to gather around the festive table and discuss the family emblem, if you still do not have it… |
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In India hens and roosters were regarded as sun birds. They were named this way for bawling at sunset and by this allegedly warning people that evil spiritsbegan wandering around the earth having just conquered the sun. At the end of the night, in early morning, the roosters with their bawl allegedly let people know that the sun has gathered its strengths and conquered the evil spirits. Hens were respected in other countries, too.
If one looks into this event, it can be said that there was no supernatural sign. The refusal from feed and bad appetite of the holy hens was not caused by a special divine impact, but by the fact that they got sea-sick on the ship. The superstitious people perceived this as an evil omen. As a result - a shamefuldefeat, and the strengthening of superstition in the minds of the contemporaries and their descendants.
The people of the year of rooster will have rises and falls during all the three stages of their life in the field of finance as well as in the field of emotions. Their path will go from poverty to wealth, from ideal love to the most disgusting of its displays. However, their old age will be happy.
In general, the life of people of the year of rooster takes shape of a fairy tale: anything can happen but in the end everything will be all right. The aforesaid applies to the people born (conceived) in the years of rooster: 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993.