aphaskevent

[aphaskevent]

Hi! It's derp, your asker for the APH Ask Event :D I'd like to know what's the significance of flowers in Ukrainian culture? Since it shows up a lot as flower crowns, patterns, embroidery and the like. Thanks in advance :D

Hello Derp and thank you for an interesting question!

Yes, flowers are indeed significant in our culture. They were often used during various rituals, especially those that were connected with family and marriage. Flowers were an important part of different ancient cults that worshipped life, motherhood and life-giving properties of earth. Nowadays flowers are also significant, but in a slightly different way. They are considered to be a good gift for almost every occasion.

And now let’s talk about some flowers - symbols of Ukraine!

Волошка (centaurea) symbolizes love, politeness, kindness, beauty and youth. The blue plant has a strong scent and is also considered to be a medical herb. Centaurea was used to decorate churches and crosses. If a young girl died, people would make flower crowns with them and put those on her head.

Барвінок (periwinkle) is another traditional flower, which stands for happiness, eternity and the undying memories. People often associated it with the beginning of spring. Soon it became a symbol of life and people started to grow these flowers in their gardens. Periwinkle was used to provide protection to everyone that needs it.

Мальва (malva, mallow) means love for your Motherland. They served as a reminder about home for people who left their native place. A lot of people decorated their houses with these flowers.

Even though it is not a flower, калина (viburnum) is an important plant that symbolizes Ukraine itself. There is even a saying: “Без верби та калини нема України” (There is no Ukraine without willow and viburnum). The viburnum and its vibrant colours symbolize life, fire, blood. It also represents home, family, a special bond between different generations and everything that is dear to us. There are a lot of beautiful legends about this plant, so it is clear why Ukrainians love the viburnum so much! :D 

And that’s it for today! I hope that the information was helpful. If you have any questions about my country, make sure to ask them! I will be glad to answer. Goodbye!

P. S. This post is brought to you by @aphaskevent ! There you can find a lot of interesting answers about various countries of the world. Thank you for organizing this wonderful event! 

Source: x

[aphaskevent]

Hello hello! Being the ambassador for Monaco, I must ask- is there anything you can tell me about Aristotle Onassis? I find him fascinating from an outsider's point of view, but I wonder what he's thought of in his home country! If that's too much of a specific question, who do you think were the most important/influential Greek people of the 20th century? (@champagne-embassy ♥)

Hello, sexy (Baguette)~ I am so glad that you decided to ask me about such theme and I am terribly sorry for the delay. Anyone who has keep tracing me must have noticed my two months absence in my writing blog. 

Anyway. This terribly postponed post is about some of the most influential Greeks of the past century in more than one fields~

This week’s post is about Influence on 20th Century

Keep reading

[aphaskevent]

Hello, Dolu! My name is Nastiy (I am your partner for the aphaskevent) and I have a question for you. Could you tell us something about the literature of your country?

II. Argentinian Literature

Argentinian literature is the set of literary works produced by Argentinian authors, including the following:Jorge Luis Borges, Silvina Ocampo, Adolfo Bioy Casares, Julio Cortázar, and Leopoldo Lugones.

The beginning

In a more general light, the first cultural hit was achieved after the foundation of the University of Córdoba, in 1613. However, not counting chronists or any other works done for a Spanish audience, the first poet was Luis José de Tejeda y Guzmán (more). His style corresponds to Culteranismo, a movement of the Baroque period in Spain, with a lot of influence from Luis de Góngora. 

Aside from letters and messages written by the most educated people, books were scarce but still obtainable through the means of ships. Said books were mostly hidden, because Spanish authorities were really strict when it came to accepting news and written works. However, after the May Revolution in 1810, these restrictions plummeted, and when the first public library opened in 1812, more than 2,000 books were donated. 

This was, of course, the beginning of what would become a nation full of cultural richness. 

Post independence

Due to the internal conflict of Unitarios and Federales, things were rather ugly for someone who forgot their red strip. El Matadero (1871), by Esteban Echeverría shows this perfectly. These civil wars kept on going until a firm Constitution was signed in 1853.

Another novel that captures the essence of Argentina in this time period (1870~) is Milla Loncó, by Rodolfo Otero (b. 1949). This one is one of my favourites because it’s full of adventure, but it also helps you learn about how people used to live in this period and how they had to cope with natives invading their land.

The styles that flourished shortly afterwards this period were the Criollismo, (a realistic, sometimes crude style usually depicting the lower classes), and the Gauchesco, (which reflects the mentality, way of living and language used by gauchos). A well-known author that uses the first style is Horacio Quiroga (1877-1937) (who is actually Uruguayan-Argentinian), whileas Martín Fierro (1872, 1879), by José Hernández is clearly one of the most prominent works that portrays “gauchescan” literature. There were hints of this last one in the XVIII century, but it is in the XIX century when it was completely established. Speaking of centuries…

XX century 

Early years

After a period of internal peace and with a more liberal government, in this period of time, Argentinian literature went through a huge boom. In this century, all of the writers I mentioned in the introduction come into play. Leopoldo Lugones (1874-1938) is the bridge that connects these two chunks of history, and he wrote many essays, poems and stories with a lot of rhetorical aspects in them.

During this time period, the play known as Las de Barranco (1908), by Gregorio de Laferrère portrayed with some “criollan grotesque” style how some groups of the Argentinian society behaved.

Vanguardismo and Florida-Boedo groups 

Of course, we can’t forget the World Wars and the whole subject of vanguardismo has to do with European influences. The Florida-Boedo groups are a clear example. The first literary group consists of writers and readers that prioritise characters of the elite and the highest social classes; the second one prefers the social and economic problems of the lower classes, (influenced by Russian literature). 

Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) started his activity in the group of Florida, but afterwards declared it was a juvenile mistake. He wrote many poems and short stories, which all involve symbolisms related to the eternal, the infinite, to circular timelines and many historical loops. His inspirations vary from European writers to religions like Buddhism and Pantheism. El oro de los tigres (1972) is a compilation of poems of his.

A married couple with a written history

Among the many other writers that could have made into this list (because I can’t write forevermore, you know), I decided to pick the married couple of Casares and Ocampo.

Adolfo Bioy Casares (1914-1999) often wrote science fiction, fantasy and political works, and he was awarded a Miguel Cervantes prize, among others. He sometimes worked with Borges under different pseudonyms. An example of this collaboration is Dos fantasías memorables (1946).

Silvina Ocampo (1903-1933) was Jorge Luis Borges’s friend, and she was married to Adolfo Bioy Casares. Her work is usually overlooked because of the last two, but it is full of surrealism and literary nonsense (influenced by Lewis Carroll and Katherine Mansfield). Her first book was Viaje olvidado (1937).

The Latin American boom (1960-1970)

With heavily political and experimental works done by young novelists from Latin America being shared throughout the world, there were many writers that got a lot of attention and gained popularity. Julio Cortázar (1914-1984) is an example. He mastered short stories, prose, poetry and wrote novels. During the coup of 1976, he changed his nationality for a French one, protesting against the military government.

Conclusion (or tl;dr)

The literature of Argentina was heavily inspired by many different authors, but, like many other Latin American countries, it has developed its own history. There are far too many writers to mention, and many styles to choose from. Ever since our history began, and especially after the Revolution and our Independence in 1816, many written works can express our reality as a nation. Argentinians tend to be bold, obsessed with love and passion, and with a knack for indulging in political and social problems. There’s a lot of blood, there’s a lot of love. We tend to have two different sides of our country constantly fighting with each other. It’s something you can’t miss, honestly. It makes teasing extra fun.

I could honestly go on and on, since I genuinely enjoyed Literature lessons back in school, but to end it here, I’ll add a couple works that I recommend you check out:

- Martín Fierro, by José Hernández- Milla Loncó, by Rodolfo Otero- Ficciones, by Jorge Luis Borges- Todos los fuegos al fuego, by Julio Cortázar

But that’s all for now. Thanks for asking! And thanks to @aphaskevent​ for hosting this event!Big thanks to @a-girl-of-few-words who proof-read this answer!

Don’t forget to tie your cows!¡Chau!

Image: (x) @franzandsmith​

@hetaliafandomdirectory​

[aphaskevent]

Time is up!

Time is up! Ambassadors cannot sign up anymore and the ones who did must have received a confirmation message including their ask-ee!

If you haven't received your message immediately message me like the world ends tomorrow!

You have two weeks to reply using the hashtag #aphaskevent and mention the event in your reply (and ask if possible)! Two weeks start from the minute you receive your ask!

[aphaskevent]

Last day to sign up!

Welcome to this season’s event!

Hello darlings. I am glad to welcome you again in this winter’s seasonal ask event. I am your hostess, Sia (or else known as @the-awesome-sia ) and I will guide you once again in the magical routes of the APH Ask Event!

For those who are new to the fandom and generally the Ambassador team of the @hetaliafandomdirectory : The APH Ask Event started on June 2017 by me. It is an event to help Ambassadors gain more attentions and have the opportunity to receive and give asks about several cultural topics. Generally, it’s a good way to boost up your confidence as an Ambassador and trigger ideas for future posts, or meet fellow comrades!

How does it work? If you have participated in a Secret Santa Exchange before, it’s basically the same thing. You apply to a ridiculous sign-up form (Either through Submissions or Asks) and I add you in The List. On a certain date, I tell you another Ambassador’s URL and give you some ideas on what to ask them. You must send that person an ask and on the same (or a few days later) you will receive one as well! You have two weeks to reply to the ask and tag the event!

When..? This season the timeline goes like this: 25-12-2017 Applications Opened! Timeline Posted! Index Posted! 31-12-2017 Applications Closed! Everyone is paired! Asks are sent! 1-1-2018 until 16-1-2017 Posts are…posted! And reblogged of course!

You have until this Sunday to sign up! Send me a message as well, in order to validate your participation!

What’s new? 

Now you can submit your sign up! This way it might or might not be more easy to find! I have no idea! We experiment here!

The term “Event Veteran”: Event Veteran is an Ambassador who participated in the first event on June 2017 and still continues to take part in the event!

A surprise for dedicated participants! I have decided to give a person the opportunity to choose who they will ask as long as they have been taking part in the event for a long time. Last time Saoirse ( @saorsay ) from Ireland had the honour to be the first receiver of the “gift”

Do you need some examples of our previous work? Check out the index! You can find the index:

1) If you are in mobile, you should search the tag #wonderful answer said by a wonderful person! 2) If you are in desktop, go to the event’s full page and tap that “Index” button at the left sidebar!

So you have decided you want to participate? Here is how to: >If you are connected in mobile, please visit https://aphaskevent.tumblr.com/ through your search device (preferably Google Chrome). Somewhere in the pages, if you swipe enough, you will find a page called “Sign-Up Form”. Copy paste the needed information by pressing tentatively on the text and send the form COMPLETED through the messages/ask/submission section. >If you are connected in desktop please open the page in full screen by pressing the blog’s url. Visit the page and check the left sidebar. There you will find a page called “Sign-Up Form”. Copy and paste the text in there in the ask/submissions section or send it COMPLETED via messages. 

Thank you very much for your dedication to the event! It makes me happy!

[aphaskevent]

Welcome to this season’s event!

Hello darlings. I am glad to welcome you again in this winter’s seasonal ask event. I am your hostess, Sia (or else known as @the-awesome-sia ) and I will guide you once again in the magical routes of the APH Ask Event!

For those who are new to the fandom and generally the Ambassador team of the @hetaliafandomdirectory : The APH Ask Event started on June 2017 by me. It is an event to help Ambassadors gain more attentions and have the opportunity to receive and give asks about several cultural topics. Generally, it’s a good way to boost up your confidence as an Ambassador and trigger ideas for future posts, or meet fellow comrades!

How does it work? If you have participated in a Secret Santa Exchange before, it’s basically the same thing. You apply to a ridiculous sign-up form (Either through Submissions or Asks) and I add you in The List. On a certain date, I tell you another Ambassador’s URL and give you some ideas on what to ask them. You must send that person an ask and on the same (or a few days later) you will receive one as well! You have two weeks to reply to the ask and tag the event!

When..? This season the timeline goes like this: 25-12-2017 Applications Opened! Timeline Posted! Index Posted! 31-12-2017 Applications Closed! Everyone is paired! Asks are sent! 1-1-2018 until 16-1-2017 Posts are…posted! And reblogged of course!

You have until this Sunday to sign up! Send me a message as well, in order to validate your participation!

What’s new? 

Now you can submit your sign up! This way it might or might not be more easy to find! I have no idea! We experiment here!

The term “Event Veteran”: Event Veteran is an Ambassador who participated in the first event on June 2017 and still continues to take part in the event!

A surprise for dedicated participants! I have decided to give a person the opportunity to choose who they will ask as long as they have been taking part in the event for a long time. Last time Saoirse ( @saorsay ) from Ireland had the honour to be the first receiver of the “gift”

Do you need some examples of our previous work? Check out the index! You can find the index:

1) If you are in mobile, you should search the tag #wonderful answer said by a wonderful person! 2) If you are in desktop, go to the event’s full page and tap that “Index” button at the left sidebar!

So you have decided you want to participate? Here is how to: >If you are connected in mobile, please visit https://aphaskevent.tumblr.com/ through your search device (preferably Google Chrome). Somewhere in the pages, if you swipe enough, you will find a page called “Sign-Up Form”. Copy paste the needed information by pressing tentatively on the text and send the form COMPLETED through the messages/ask/submission section. >If you are connected in desktop please open the page in full screen by pressing the blog’s url. Visit the page and check the left sidebar. There you will find a page called “Sign-Up Form”. Copy and paste the text in there in the ask/submissions section or send it COMPLETED via messages. 

Thank you very much for your dedication to the event! It makes me happy!

[aphaskevent]

Welcome to this season’s event!

Hello darlings. I am glad to welcome you again in this winter’s seasonal ask event. I am your hostess, Sia (or else known as @the-awesome-sia ) and I will guide you once again in the magical routes of the APH Ask Event!

For those who are new to the fandom and generally the Ambassador team of the @hetaliafandomdirectory : The APH Ask Event started on June 2017 by me. It is an event to help Ambassadors gain more attentions and have the opportunity to receive and give asks about several cultural topics. Generally, it’s a good way to boost up your confidence as an Ambassador and trigger ideas for future posts, or meet fellow comrades!

How does it work? If you have participated in a Secret Santa Exchange before, it’s basically the same thing. You apply to a ridiculous sign-up form (Either through Submissions or Asks) and I add you in The List. On a certain date, I tell you another Ambassador’s URL and give you some ideas on what to ask them. You must send that person an ask and on the same (or a few days later) you will receive one as well! You have two weeks to reply to the ask and tag the event!

When..? This season the timeline goes like this: 25-12-2017 Applications Opened! Timeline Posted! Index Posted! 31-12-2017 Applications Closed! Everyone is paired! Asks are sent! 1-1-2018 until 16-1-2017 Posts are...posted! And reblogged of course!

You have until this Sunday to sign up! Send me a message as well, in order to validate your participation!

What’s new? 

Now you can submit your sign up! This way it might or might not be more easy to find! I have no idea! We experiment here!

The term “Event Veteran”: Event Veteran is an Ambassador who participated in the first event on June 2017 and still continues to take part in the event!

A surprise for dedicated participants! I have decided to give a person the opportunity to choose who they will ask as long as they have been taking part in the event for a long time. Last time Saoirse ( @saorsay ) from Ireland had the honour to be the first receiver of the “gift”

Do you need some examples of our previous work? Check out the index! You can find the index:

1) If you are in mobile, you should search the tag #wonderful answer said by a wonderful person! 2) If you are in desktop, go to the event’s full page and tap that “Index” button at the left sidebar!

So you have decided you want to participate? Here is how to: >If you are connected in mobile, please visit https://aphaskevent.tumblr.com/ through your search device (preferably Google Chrome). Somewhere in the pages, if you swipe enough, you will find a page called “Sign-Up Form”. Copy paste the needed information by pressing tentatively on the text and send the form COMPLETED through the messages/ask/submission section. >If you are connected in desktop please open the page in full screen by pressing the blog’s url. Visit the page and check the left sidebar. There you will find a page called “Sign-Up Form”. Copy and paste the text in there in the ask/submissions section or send it COMPLETED via messages. 

Thank you very much for your dedication to the event! It makes me happy!

[aphaskevent]

Hello! Could you tell us about folk crafts in India? Whatever they are! Maybe carving, embroidery, smithing, etc.? Thank you!)

Hi! Folk crafts have been around for a long time in India, so there are a lot of them!

Terracotta Figurines

Pretty self explanatory, these are figurines made of terracotta, usually of an animal or a deity, which are found mostly in fairs and festivals. Many places have terracotta figurines, but what distinguishes these as Indian are the figures and designs.A lot of people use them as decorative pieces. They are also very popular as souvenirs and gifts!

(Source)

Shisha Embroidery

Shisha embroidery involves sewing small pieces of mirror or glass onto cloth. It is especially common in the western regions of the Indian subcontinent. In olden days, the mirror was mainly cut by hand, but in modern times it is factory produced, and you can even find small mirrors for this purpose in craft stores.

(Source)

Bidriware

Bidriware is a centuries old form of metalwork originating from the city of Bidar in Karnataka. Bidriware is formed by an alloy of zinc and copper, along with beautiful engravings made of silver and is used for various items like cups,vases and hookahs.

(Source)

Kantha Stitching

Kantha stiching is originally from the eastern parts of India, and Bangladesh. It is basically repeated use of the running stitch to form thick layers of thread. It was mainly used for making quilts, but now it can be seen in saris, handkerchiefs, etc.

(Source)

Marble Boxes

These are small boxes, which (as the name says) are made of marble, usually with some kind of engraving or painting on it. These are either used for display, or usually for keeping jewelry. 

(Source)

Glass Bangles

This isn’t really a handicraft, but glass bangles are one of the most popular types of jewelry in India, especially around rural regions. Available in hundreds of colors, practically everyone has owned a pair of these. In earlier times, therewas even a profession just for selling glass bangles!

(Source)

Sadly, in recent times the practices of making these crafts are diminishing, since most are handmade. Machine-made goods are preferred as they are cheaper and easier to produce. However, a lot of people have started to try and bring back these crafts, incorporating them into our modern world. For example, Kantha stitch and Shisha Embroidery are both used in fashion.

(Thank you @yantiskra for an amazing question! And thank you to @aphaskevent for organizing this amazing event! I’m really sorry for answering this late lol)

[aphaskevent]

Hiya! Sorry about being a wee bit late, but here's my question!: What are the cultural differences between all of the islands? Are there any that stand out to you? Okey donkey! Thanks you!

This is for @aphaskevent! Thanks for the question! Sorry this is late orz

Okay, all of the islands is a stretch; the cultures can be different even within one island; more so if said island is huge and the terrain is difficult to pass through. We have more than 17k+ island so… I’m shivering just from thinking about all the differences…

[ ethnic groups map in indonesia, source ]

[ linguistic map in Indonesia and surrounding areas; check source for detailed info ]

There are approximately 300 ethnic groups and 740 languages spoken in Indonesia. The differences show up from food, daily habits, and perhaps the most striking in architecture. Every traditional houses (each province has one) are built following the local climate and geography. You can check 35 different houses here (the site is Indonesian, but there are good pictures). Generally, the kitchen and bathroom are separated from the main house.

I only feature five houses from the five large islands here.

Krong Bade house, Aceh Province. Source.

Sumatran houses are generally built on tall slits, like many Southeast Asian houses, to store animals and avoid flood in swamp areas.

Joglo style house, commonly found in Java. Source.

This style is characterized by the wide opening, sometimes without walls if it’s an addition to the main house.

Betang traditional house, built by the Dayak people of Kalimantan/Indonesian Borneo. Source.

Tambi houses from Bada Valley, Central Sulawesi. Source.

Korowai Tribe’s treehouse. Source.

If you want to know further about a certain culture, do send me an ask/message!

[aphaskevent]

Mhhh. About Greeceeeeeeeee. That might just be a bit of a weird question my dear ambassador, but. Do you know why your countries personification has such a weakness for cats? It seems to be a big part, and I would like to know if there could be a reason behind that.

Hello Nikki! Thank you for participating in the @aphaskevent (again). It is nice to see veterans* participate for the second time (*Event Veterans: Ambassadors who were part of the first aph ask event in June 2017). Participating for a second time gives me motivation to continue AND feedback.

Concerning your question about APH Greece and his obsession with cats; the answer is quite simple and really short. However our goal in this event is to elaborate and explain SO I will expand my post (with the usual Read More feature) and talk about pets in general.

P.S. This post is especially made to make you “awww”

This week’s theme is: Pets

Keep reading

[aphaskevent]

Oho

Two days ago was the deadlne to finish your asks or message me for an extension of deadline! Those who haven’t messaged me about their answers will be notified with a message in just a bit. If an extension is requested, it shall not be longer than five days. If you decided to drop out, then alright. 

[aphaskevent]

Hello, hello! It's the Ambassador for Carpathian Ruś here! I have a (long passed, sadly) great grandmother from Ireland, and apparently she did Irish stepdancing! Would you be able to tell me more about it, please? Thank you in advance!!

Hello there! :D

Aaah well, I don’t really consider myself to be a big expert on Irish dancing or to be very knowledgeable on the technicalities of Irish step dancing. However since I’m a big history nerd, I can offer you a brief history on Irish dancing and how step dancing fits in the whole picture?  ;w;

(video of step dancing from 1972)

There is surprisingly not much that is known of Irish dancing in medieval Ireland and earlier. Therehave been quite a few references to it in written records throughout the centuries, but we know little of how these dances would have looked like back then.

We are first able to start working with known dance forms from the 12thcentury onward. Withthe Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century, various Normancustoms were introduced to the country. Among them was the Carol, a type of dancein which the leader sang in the middle of a circle of dancers who would reply tothe leader’s song. This dance was often performed in Irish towns that had beenconquered by the Normans. It is believed that the Carol introduced the concept of circledances in Ireland, although it isn’t completely certain that native forms ofcircle dances didn’t exist previously. However the Carol seems to have stuckaround for some time and perhaps popularized the concept of circle dances.  

 In the 16thcentury there were three types of Irish dances that were the most oftenmentioned: the Irish Hey, the “Rince Fada” (Irish for long dance) and the Trenchmore. 

- The Irish Hey was a type of circle dance that involved dancers wounding in andaround their partners. It was a forerunner of the reel, which is stillperformed in Ireland to this day. (the video above is an example of a treble reel, one of the evolved dance forms of the Irish Hey)

- The Rince Fada was typically done in two longlines, one line with women and the other with men. Hence the name “long dance”. :P The video is a pretty good example of how this dance would go, though usually there are more participants.

- The Trenchmore was apparently an Irish dance that was adapted for the Englishinvaders, being derived from an older type of Irish peasant dance. This dancewas very popular with the English, to the point that they brought it back tothe court of Queen Elizabeth. This video is a reconstruction of how it would have looked like, to my knowledge the Trenchmore hasn’t survived otherwise.

By the 18th century the jig was well established inIreland. Other popular dance steps included slip jigs, double jigs, slides,mazurkas and polkas. From around the 1750s to the early 1900s, travelling dancemasters were going from village to village, teaching various forms of dancesand steps. Step dancing in particular was widely taught in all parts ofIreland. Another type of dance that was taught during thistime was the reel, the whirling or spinning dance. Travelling dancemasters usually would spend a couple of weeks in each village, staying with alocal family. In return for the lodging, they would teach dancing free ofcharge to the family members.  

Inthe 19th and 20th centuries, the most popular dancesthroughout Ireland were sets and half sets. A good example of a set dance canbe seen in this video:

Setdances were brought over to Ireland and England by the armies of the Duke ofWellington returning home from the Napoleonic wars in 1816. This militaryorigin can be seen in the names given to certain dance movements. Beingoriginally derived from the French quadrille, set dances in Ireland developedfurther to better suit native Irish rhythms.

Dancesused to be commonly hosted in people’s houses but this practice would decreasewith the appearance of commercial dance halls and changes in travel,communication and lifestyle by the mid-20th century. However anotherfactor that is thought to have majorly contributed to the decline of housedances was the passing of the Public Halls Dance Act in 1935, which made thehosting of unlicenseddances illegal. House dances as they hadbeen known previously would disappear almost completely afterwards. A survivingrelic of this custom is the Irish word “céilí”, which refers to “an informalsocial gathering (at a neighbour’s house)” but now the word is mostly used to describean organized dancing session.

TheGaelic League, in their goal of re-establishing the Irish language and culturein the country, went on to ban their members from participating in dances thatwere regarded as being foreign introductions. One of the dances that werebanned was set dancing, which was regarded by the Gaelic League as being tooEnglish.

Stepdancing would instead be encouraged by the Gaelic League and this form ofdancing would become heavily popularized during the 20th century. Throughout the 20th century,the competitive solo form of step dancing would evolve. This would lead to step dancing becomingcodified and certain styles being standardised. (particularly styles from thesouthern areas of the country) Informal competitions for students of variousdance masters were held between towns for several years but the Gaelic Leagueheld the first organised competition in 1897. The Gaelic League would create in1927 An Coimisiún Le RincíGaelacha (The Commission of Gaelic Dances), a separate body that would be incharge of organising dances and contributing to the further standardisation ofIrish dances. This organisation wouldalso start holding examinations and giving certifications to dance teachers. 

Inthe recent years, older and freer forms of step dancing have started to betaught at summer schools and festivals. Showslike Riverdance would also revolutionize Irish dancing by returning to moretraditional step dance forms and move away from the rigid competitive forms. The video below shows the interval act of the 1994 Eurovision show, which is considered to be truly historic as it introduced Irish dancing (particularly step dancing!) to a global stage. This act not only managed to attract new fans to this dance form, but it also reinvigorated traditional Irish dancing and has contributed to the bright and vibrant culture it is today.   

Whereare the arms in Irish dancing?

So this is probably a question that has baffled many people when on the subject of Irish traditional dancing: Why is there little to no arm movement in Irish dances, particularly in step dancing?

Aaaahif only there was a straightforward answer to why arm movements became absent fromIrish dancing. The silliest explanation I’ve seen states that when the Englishbanned the Irish language and other forms of cultural expression, the Irish decidedto not only dance inside their houses, but to do so without using their arms sothat any Englishman passing by wouldn’t know the Irish were dancing.

A more likely explanation is due to lack of space back then. Local venues wereusually small, so travelling dance masters reportedly taught the steps bydemonstrating on tabletops, or even on top of barrels! If this was the case,these masters would have had to hold their arms rigidly at their sides and wereunable to do any kind of lateral movement. Later when there were larger venues,various regional styles evolved to include more movement of the body but armmovements never fully caught on.  

Anotherpossible explanation relates to the state of the stage, or a lack thereof. Mostplaces lacked a hard surface to dance on properly, so people often unhingeddoors and lay them on the ground to dance on. Doors didn’t offer a lotof space and so due to having a small “stage”, it didn’t favour using the armsmuch. Instead, people would favour dances that showed off the quick and intricatemovements of the feet.

Addingon to this explanation, there is a belief that in earlier competitions a danceteacher decided to have his students perform with arms purposefully heldrigidly to the sides to draw more attention to the steps. According to thisbelief, those students were praised for their movements and won thecompetition, which led to other teachers and dancers adopting this trend and iteventually became part of the standard of Irish dances.

I’mnot certain about the validity of this last explanation as we are not givennames, dates or any kind of specifics for that matter. But I could believe thatthe trend of not using the arms grew gradually and not one, but several danceteachers began to forgo arm movements completely and it eventually became thestandard.  

Inany case, we don’t have a straightforward answer to why arms fell out of use inIrish dances. The most likely explanations show that lack of space (and/or lackof a proper stage) led to arm movements being an underdeveloped aspect intraditional dances and with the establishment of dancing competitions, thenon-usage of the arms probably became deliberate. 

Inmodern Irish step dance, arm movements have started to be integrated more often thanks to showslike Riverdance but many regard it as non-traditional and dancing competitionsstill maintain the “no arms” rule. 

[aphaskevent]

Honhonhon Bonjour my darling! Baguette here! I was assigned to you for the ask event! ♥ Let's start hard with some (recent-ish) History! What can you tell us about the Easter Rising and figures like Éamon de Valera and/or James Connolly? I've read a bit on the subject myself which is why I'm curious- How is that event taught in irish schools? (Now I'm getting rambly, I'll let you work your magic! ♥ @champagne-embassy )

Hello Baguette/ @champagne-embassy! Thank you for your lovely question! And oh boy I’ve been waiting to write about some history for a while now so buckle in kids.

(I should also mention now that I’m not gonna go into extreme detail, otherwise we’d be here all day. But I tried my best to condense it to the most important points for simplicity’s sake, just to make sure we’re all on the same page)

Okay, So in order to understand why the Rising took place and the events leading up to it, we have to go back a few centuries and a bit more into earlier Irish history…

Around the 12th-13th centuries, Britain had slowly gained control over the island of Ireland. There had been many rebellions before (Wolfe Tone and the United Irishmen being notable figures during the 1798 rebellion) but were all mostly unsuccessful. By 1801, Under the Act of Union, Ireland became part of the United Kingdom and was governed from Westminster in London, with the government in Dublin being abolished.

By the early 1900s, there were two main political groups in Ireland, Nationalists and Unionists. Unionists wanted to maintain the Union with Britain, while nationalists wanted Ireland to govern themselves with a parliament in Dublin.

Nationalists were also divided between those who support Home Rule (led by John Redmond) which would give them power to deal with internal Irish affairs while parliament in London dealt with external affairs such as trade and military.

Republicans on the other hand, wanted a full republic free from British rule.The IRB, or Irish Republican Brotherhood, wished to establish a republic using physical force.

Unionists were opposed to the idea of Home Rule because they thought it would ruin industries in cities such as Belfast, and that Protestants (majority living in Ulster) would be discriminated against by Catholics. The Ulster Volunteers, organised under the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force), was formed to enforce this idea in 1912. Within a year, the Irish Volunteers were formed in retaliation and declared that they would secure the rights of the whole people of Ireland. (The organisation then later became known as the Irish Republican Army, or IRA, during the War of Independence)

As you mentioned in your question, James Connolly was an important figure during this time. He was a socialist leader and the founder of the Irish Citizen Army, an organisation set up to protect workers from the police during the 1913 Lockout. He later led both the IRB and ICA as Commandant of the Dublin Brigade.

(James Connolly, 1868-1916.) (x)

When talking about the Rising though, the first person that comes to mind would have to be Pádraig Pearse, as he was one of the main leaders in charge of organising the Rising. He was a member of the Irish Volunteers and later joined the IRB. He was inspired by the mythological legends of Irish heroes like Cú Chulainn and republican figures like Wolfe Tone who had fought and died for Irish freedom, and believed that blood sacrifice was the only way for Ireland to gain its freedom. He was strong in his ideals, believing that "Ireland unfree shall never be at peace.“ 

(Pádraig Pearse, 1879-1916) (x)

In 1914, the Home Rule Bill was brought in by the Liberal Party, but was later postponed when World War I broke out in Europe. The Irish volunteers were split, with one side joining the British to fight the war in Europe, and the other side believed that now was the perfect time to strike as “England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity”

The IRB planned the Rising, setting up a Military Council to organise it. Roger Casement was sent to Germany to receive arm that would aid them. ‘The Aud’ set sail for Ireland, but was captured off the coast of Kerry on 20th April 1916.

The Military Council hoped that Eoin MacNeill’s Irish Volunteers would join them in their effort in the Rising, though he was largely kept in the dark about the Council’s plans for a rebellion. So in order to convince him, they forged a letter called the ‘Castle Document’ that stated that the British authorities were planning on arresting leaders. There had been planned ‘authorized man oeuvres’ for the Volunteers, but they were cancelled just days before the Rising when he found out it was a forgery.

Even though they had few weapons and men, the IRB decided to go ahead with the Rising on Easter Monday, April 24th 1916. 1200 men and women from the Irish Volunteers, Citizen Army and women’s group, Cumann na mBan took over key buildings across Dublin. Some of the occupied buildings were the GPO (led by Pearse and Connolly, as well as Clarke, MacDiarmada, and Plunkett), St Stephen’s Green, Four Courts, Jacob’s Factory and Boland’s Mills (led by Éamon De Valera). Pearse stood outside the GPO and read out the Proclamation of the Irish Republic.

The signatories

Thomas J. Clarke.

Seán Mac Diarmada.

Thomas MacDonagh.

P. H. Pearse.

Éamonn Ceannt.

James Connolly.

Joseph Plunkett

The British were caught off guard by the rebellion, but soon they had 1600 men in the city and the rebels were defeated after less than a week of fighting as the British army outnumbered them in weapons and troops, as well as being more well-organised. They sent a gunboat. ‘The Helga’ down the river Liffey and caused the destruction of key buildings, like Liberty Hall. By Saturday April 29th, Pearse and the other leaders had no choice but to surrender unconditionally.

(a map of Dublin outlining the key buildings and events that occured during the Easter Rising) (x)

(It should also be known that even though most of the action took place in Dublin, groups of Volunteers went ahead with attacks across the country, and included a few small victories in places like Ashbourne, Co. Meath, where a group of around 60 men seized the RIC barracks, and in Co. Wexford, where Volunteers took over the town of Enniscorthy.)

As a result of the Rising, 16 people, including the Seven Signatories, we executed at Kilmainham Gaol between 3rd-12th May (Connolly was executed tied to a chair as he had been injured during the fighting, Joseph Plunkett married his fiancee Grace Gifford in his cell just hours before his execution) Roger Casement was also hung in London for treason.

A total of approximately 485 people died during the rebellion, with around 54% being civilian casualties. £3 million worth of damages was also caused because of fighting on both sides. The British impose martial law and internment on 2000 people.

(Sackville Street, Dublin, after the Easter Rising) (x)

The Easter Rising was known as the ‘Sinn Féin Rising’ at the time, though they had nothing to do with it at all. Though because of this, along with their opposition of the British government’s decision to impose conscription, they rose in popularity and later went on to win the majority in the 1918 election (Éamon De Valera became the leader of Sinn Féin, as well as the Irish Volunteers)

Even though they didn’t have much support from the public during the Rising, it wasn’t until after the executions took place that their cause began to gain more sympathy and many started to question and oppose British rule over Ireland. So, even though the Rising itself was an overall failure, it was the catalyst for the events that would follow that would eventually lead to the fight for independence.

NOW as you can tell, that is a Lot to take in, but it is one of the most important events in modern Irish history, as the War of Independence (1919-1921) soon followed (I could do an entirely different post on that, and as you mentioned Éamon De Valera, he plays a pivotal role during this time)

This becomes even more relevant to us in in recent years, as we commemorated the  centenary of the Easter Rising just last year!

 (Irish Army marching in the Easter Sunday parade in Dublin, 2016) (x)

An array of events across to commemorate the events during the Rising took place all over the country. Since you also mentioned how this historical event is taught in schools, I can only speak for myself/my own school, but as far as I know (or as I can remember), we were taught the very basic facts of it in primary school around 4th-6th class (10-12 years old), but then went into more detail in secondary school at Junior Certificate Level, and then even more detail in Leaving Certificate (though by the time students reach Leaving Cert level, history can be chosen as an optional subject to keep on). Like I said, since last year was the 100 year anniversary of it taking place, it played quite a significant role in what we were taught in school around this time. The leaders of the Rising are generally seen as heroes, and are seen as important figures in modern Irish history to this day.

That’s all I have to say about this topic for now, if you have anymore questions regarding Irish history (or just Ireland in general), feel free to drop an ask in the ask box and I’ll try and get around to it as soon as possible! And as always, if you think that I missed a key point or made any errors, or simply want to add on to what is already here, feel free to do so!

(I’ll also take this opportunity to thank @aphaskevent for organising this wonderful event, I had a ton of fun researching and writing about these kinds of topics!) (also i’m sorry for being late oops thank you for your patience Sia xX)

Slán go fóill!

[aphaskevent]

Hello there! This is Sil, and for the @aphaskevent I would like to ask: What are some of the traditional stories and/or myths from your country? And which one is your personal favourite? Thank you!

Hello! 

Today I am going to tell you about Ukrainian myths! Thank you for an awesome question! 

I would like to begin with one of the most widespread myths (and my personal favourite) - Мавка (Mavka). Mavka is a forest creature, that looks like a beautiful young lady with long soft hair. They wear beautiful flowing dresses. Mavkas have no shadows and their movements are graceful and smooth. But that is only the outside - they are really cruel on the inside. Mavkas are literally girls that died during the Русальний тиждень (Rusalka week or Mermaid week), which is a week after the Trinity Sunday, when Rusalkas are the most dangerous. Mavkas use their powers to kill young men. They appear in front of them as their loved ones. 

(Source: x )

Beautiful yet terrifying  - Mavkas always attracted writers and poets. Mavka appears in a famous Ukrainian novel Тіні забутих предків (Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors) as a negative character. However Lesya Ukrainka had a completely different attitude towards this creature. In her famous play Лісова пісня (The Forest Song) Mavka is a good character. Her story is very sad, but still beautiful. There is going to be an animated film about Mavka made by Animagrad (Ukrainian animation studio). It is called “Mavka: The Forest Song” and it already has a teaser. Check it out, the animation is very good! 

(Source: x )

An opposite of Mavkas and their biggest enemy is Чугайстер. He only appears in Carpathian folklore. He is a hairy old man (like a yeti or something), who often wears white clothing. He likes dancing, singing and just having fun. His main task is to hunt down Mavkas and eat them. He is not harmful to humans though. He even likes sitting in front of a bonfire with them. Sometimes he drags people in a crazy dance (which is dangerous for your shoes, be careful lol). 

(Source: x ) 

My second favorite myth is about witches (відьма). The word відьма is derived from ancient Slavic word “вєдь” - knowledge, witchcraft. It is believed that witches got their talent from the devil. They use it to harm other people. Some of the things that witches do is spoiling milk/cows, making other people feel sick, changing weather, causing crop-failure etc.

(Source: x ) 

There are two kinds of witches in Ukraine: родимі - those were born with abilities to witchcraft and навчені, that had their powers given to them by an old witch who is about to die. They did this to get rid of the evil in their souls. Witches can turn into the various kinds of animals. They can turn other people into animals too. Their abilities also include flying (using brooms or pokers).

(Source: x ) 

Another popular myth is the one about werewolves (вовкулака). They are also divides into two different groups: вроджені and зачаровані. If a pregnant woman sees a wolf, she will give birth to a werewolf baby. Those werewolves are called вроджені вовкулаки. People who were born werewolves have an easier life, because they only have to deal with this curse during the night.

(Source: x ) 

Witches and wizards can turn a person into a werewolf (зачаровані вовкулаки, as they are called in Ukrainian). This kind of witchcraft requires some special rituals and sometimes the victim is unaware of them. Unfortunately they can’t live a normal healthy life, because they can’t turn back into humans for a couple of years.

Русалка (Mermaid, Rusalka) is one of the most interesting creatures of Ukrainian mythology. They live underwater in an amazing rhinestone castle. At night they come out of the water to comb their hair and dance. They drag young boys and girls into the water and drown them by singing wonderful songs. One can protect themselves from mermaids by using crosses and wormwood. Some people believe that rusalkas can live in fields and forests, where they like to swing on trees. 

(Source: x ) 

And to finish the post I will tell you about скарбник - an evil spirit, who guards treasures. He is very loyal, catches thieves and helps his master with everything. But when the master dies, the spirit takes their soul. Іклюз - a magical coin that brings good luck and money is also a pretty common myth. The coin is possessed by a devil and also takes the soul of the master after their death.

So that’s it for today! I hope my answer was helpful and interesting (and also spoopy). Feel free to ask other questions about Ukraine! 

This post is brought to you by @aphaskevent ! Thank you for organizing such an amazing event! 

[aphaskevent]

Heya, Saoirse here!! I have been assigned to ask you a question for the aph Ask event!🌟 Okay, so I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about Bread culture in France and just *how* seriously you guys take it? (Cuz from what I know, it seems pretty *serious* lol)🌟 Thank you!! :^))

Hi there ! Thank for your question ! Oh there is so much to talk about, so let’s start with the beginning, shall we ?

Where does it come from ? :

Most civilisations had been using cereals to make some kind of bread early on in Antiquity (and even before that), but they didn’t have a leavening agent so it looked more like a cake or a gruel. The first hints of leavened bread using yeast, closer to what we know today, could date back to aroud 4000 BC in Egypt. From there, it progresively spread around the Mediterranean, to Greece and then Rome. Some gaulish tribes, who were using flat unleavened bread, learnt leavening techniques through commerce with the Romans, and this knowledge later spread through the entire gallo-roman territory after Julius Cesar’s conquest in 52 BC. Bread has remained a basis of people’s diet in France ever since, especially thanks to the importance of agriculture in the country. (So thank you Rome I guess !)

Religion :

France was a catholic country from the early Middle Ages to the early 20th century. Catholicism is still the main religion in the country and has had an undeniable influence on french culture over the centuries. Therefore bread was also very important as a symbol, as it represents the body of the Christ in the Bible. 

Worth a revolution ? :

Though it’s far from being the only one, bread is on of the reasons for the French Revolution in 1789. Back then, the nobles ate white bread made from the finest flour and much more expensive, while the rest of the population ate brown bread made from whole flour and sometimes using other cereals than wheat, and the poorest usually could not afford an entire loaf. The situation already wasn’t great, but in 1788 and 1789, harvests were spoiled by harsh winters. Because of an important tax on windmills productin and cereals entering a city, prices went up, bread became unaffordable and some people started using unusual ingredients to make bread like… sawdust ! In the meantime, nobles in Versailles didn’t lack anything and had access to as much bread as they wanted. On the 5th of October 1789, 7000 to 8000 parisians, mainly women, marched to Versailles demanding bread for their families. This eventually led to the king being brought back to Paris and signing the Declaration of the Rights of Men and of the Citizen. (PS : Marie-Antoinette never said “Let’s give them cake !”)

And today ? :

Though bread consumption has decreased a lot in the last hundred years, it is still a main ingredient of french diet. It is served with every meal, from breakfast to dinner. When travelling, we are often surprised to have to pay for it in restaurants in other countries because, in France, bread is served for free !

Boulangerie and Boulangers :

La boulangerie is the place where you can buy bread. Nowadays all supermarkets also sell bread for it has a reputation of being of a lesser quality so many people still go to the traditional shop. There is a boulangerie in almost every city, town and village in France and there can be a fiece competition between shops close to each other. Nearly every boulangerie is also a bakery, where you can find pâtisseries and viennoiseries such as croissants, pain au chocolats and many other delicious things. A boulangerie, in Vannes :

Le boulanger (fem: la boulangère) is the person who makes the bread. People in France tend to have respect for this job since it is a hard one. Boulangers have to wake up very early to prepare fresh bread for the morning, it can be very physical and not always very profitable. Yet we couldn’t do without them. Bread is typically made three times a day, around 7am, midday and 6pm, basically once for every meal. But it can be less or more depending on the number of clients.

Boule or Baguette ? :

What ?! The famous stereotype of the french baguette is fake ? Well, not really. Actually the word baguette refers to a shape and not a recipe, so there are many different ones ! The other popular shape is la boule, which is in fact the traditional round loaf of bread. Both shapes can be made from various different flours though it’s usually a white wheat flour. Add to it water, salt and leavening made from yeast and you’ve got the basic ingredients for any bread.

There are different theories as to why the baguette was created. One of them is that it was invented for Napoleon’s army as it was easier for the soldiers to carry it. Another says it was invented during the creation of the parisian metro. Workers often got into fights with each other and since they carried a knife with them to cut their loaf of bread, the man in charge of the construction ordered the creation of a bread people could break with their bare hands so they wouldn’t bring potential weapons in the galleries.

As I said before, there can be many recipes of baguette. The cheapest one is called the classique, which you can find anywhere but it’s not very good in my opinion. The others are called traditional baguette, and they usually taste better. Some boulangers have their own recipe but others use approved or pattented recipes such as la tradition, la croquise,etc. 

Look what I got this morning ! A tradition, and a croissant :

Even on TV ! :

I think we’ve already established that bread is a pretty serious subject in France. But did you know we even have a tv show about it ? No of course you didn’t ! There are many competitions that reward the best boulangers of the country and one of them is a televised competition between 64 candidates called La Meilleure Boulangerie de France. It airs one one of the main tv channels, and just begun its fifth season this september.

Sayings and expression : 

Here are a few common expressions using the word for bread, pain, as further proof of its cultural importance.

Avoir du pain sur la planche - To have bread on the board/table : To have a lot of work ahead. Comes from the fact that making bread takes a lot of time and work.

Gagner son pain - Earning one’s bread : Earning enough to live / having a salary. Simply comes from the fact that bread is a daily food and considered a bare minimum.

Mettre un pain à quelqu’un - To put a bread to someone : Punching someone. I guess it comes from the shape of a loaf of bread resembling the shape of a fist… I can’t really explain that one. Just try to visualise hitting someone with a loaf of bread.

Did you know ?

In France, you’re not supposed to bite directly in the bread when eating. Most people don’t follow that rule in their daily life, but in a formal environment, you’re supposed to break it into small bits with your hands, it’s more refined.

I’ve heard you’re supposed to bite the end of the baguette, called le croûton, when you buy it before getting home. I’ve nerver seen people actually doing that when growing up but apparently it’s a thing… in Paris at least.

France isn’t the country with the largest variety of bread, that’s actually Germany.

For more information : 

On the history of bread in France, from Antiquity to the 17th century : (I only put the link to the first page)

http://leslefts.blogspot.fr/2015/01/french-bread-history-bread-of-gauls.html

On french daily habbits, a video of the mini-series “What the Fuck France” by Paul Taylor : 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOl3EWowQ_c

I hope this wasn’t too long ! I tried to cover everything but if you see something missing, don’t hesitate to add it ! (I may or may not edit this with drawings when I have more time !)

@aphaskevent​

[aphaskevent]

Hello Nikki! It's me Sia and I have a wonderful ask for you (Part of the @aphaskevent)! Everyone in this goddamn site knows my love for the seventh art, cinema! And woho Germany's got plenty of that. Could you elaborate stating major movies and/or directors? ~Sia @the-awesome-sia

Hello! I am very happy about this question actually, since I wanted to make a post about some good german movies in the first place! NowI have the oppurtunity, and now you will need to listen to my rambling ~ With that, let me introduce you to our, without a doubt, most famous Director! You know him well, for sure. I bet you know movies like “Star Gate”, “2012″, “The day after tomorrow” and, his most famous example, “Indipendence day”! All thanks to the german DIRECTOR, PRODUCER and WRITER:ROLAND EMMERICH! By far our most famous represantative in Hollywood, where his movies tend to do incredibly well. I actually do not think I need to add much here, since everyone should know at least a bit about him! Now, to the probably second most well known. WOLFGANG PETERSEN. To get smoothly into out next theme, lets talk about his most famous movie: “Das Boot” (translated “The Boat”). If you dont know what the movie is about, please pay just a bit of attention now, for it is a very good movie! As far as I could find out, the movie is based on the book by the same name by the writer “Lothar-Günther Buchheim”, where he writes down his own experiences, and the book and movie are about the submarine “U96″ of the german Navy. It is written very realistic and I reccomend that you should really give it a look if you can. Now, on other parts I am not too well versed with german directors (that actually work in Germany, that is), so lets move on to our… Lets say, interesting collection of movies that is! Now, lets just get that off the list right of the bat. We love us our terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE Rom-Coms. Not expected from a serious nation as us, to be into romantic comedies, isnt it? We do have quite the collection there though, going from “The bank robber who becomes a teacher on accident and gets hired because the headmaster doesnt care at all” to “Our confession line literally was that we are both terrible in bed” over “The wild wild west Bromance” up until “The movies with the guy nobody likes and his daughter”. Now, lets get into detail.

The first movie to mention, and the most popular movie in the last few years from Germany, would be “Fack ju Goehte” (I dont think I need to translate). Hell, so popular a company in America copied it, just in spanish. Elyas M’Barek, in the movie known as Zeki Müller, is a bank robber who just served his time in prison and now wants to retrieve the money he stole and his friend hid. Only problem being his friend is one really stupid Lady and buried it on a construction zone. Where in the following year a gym for a school was build. Now he sneaks into the school and accidentally gets a job as a teacher. He gets to teach the most problematic class in the school and slowly they get attached to the cool new teacher, who teaches them respect by shooting a paintball cannon at them when a few students where too late to class as example. Or tells a crying student “Whine quieter” when he noticed. After a while he helps them and turns them into a good class! I wont spoil the end, but there is a small twist to it. My personal favourites where Chantalle, creative girl to say the least, and Zekis friend, a surprisingly friendly, but blunt stripper. Then, to some of the most popular movies of our country (and the actually good ones). Made by no other then the PRODUCER, ACTOR, COMEDIAN, WRITER, VOICE ACTOR and DIRECTOR: MICHAEL BULLY HERBIG. The most famous comedian of German cinema, he made his first truly famous movie with “Der Schuh des Manitu” (The shoe of Manitu), a parody of the Winnetou stories. In Austria, this was the most popular movie aired there so far.  Other very popular movies of him here include “Traumschiff Surprise” (I think its easy to guess what this parodies, and does so very well), “Hui Buh- Das Schlossgespenst” (- The Castleghost) and the parody about Austrian History, because german cinema just needed that, “Lissi und der wilde Kaiser” (Lissi and the wild emperor). He even had a sie role in the american movie “The incredible Burt Wonderstone” as a magician. He also acted as the german voice acot in a few movies, including Toy Story 3 as Woody. In any case, if you ever get the chance to watch a german movie, I recommend you choose one from him. Laughing is guaranteed! So. That are some major mentions that where worth noting, and to wrap this up, I would like to reccomend you some of my favourite movies to you!

Fack ju Göhte! A movie already explained in detail above.

Buddy! Another movie and Rom-Com by Michael Bully Herbig, where he plays the protective and VERY annoying angel Buddy (the one in the Hoodie Jacket). Driving the guy he is send to protect to become a better person and to the point of near insanity.

The serious, dark World War 2 movie, as an obvious choice. And, one last movie as a small surprise.

A surprisingly interesting social critique and, even more surprisingly so, an actual Comedy movie, starring Hitler. No, you did not read wrong. Germany actually made a Comedy with Hitler in the main role. Well, our well known former dictator suddenly wakes up in modern day Berlin, to summarize the start. He has no idea what is going on, and so just does as always, talking what he always did. The kicker though? Everyone thinks he is a Comedian and just playing a role, actually meaning the opposite from what he is saying. He is being himself, but the world takes it as a parody, and so Hitler becomes a TV comedian. It is actually a very interesting movie, where, in some scenes, they just dropped the actor in full costume off at popular locations in Berlin, and just let the people react naturally. Some very interesting part is when they actually dropped him off at well known Neo-Nazi scenes and let them react to the actor. I would definetly recommend to give it a try, especially the last scene will give you something to think about… In any case! I hope I could give you a look into german cinema and got you to research, maybe even to watch one of the movies yourself! Thank you for the question, and if you ever get to skip through some movies, I wish you a lot of fun!

[aphaskevent]

Hello there! :D I'm a huge fan of mythologies from various different cultures, so I was wondering if you could tell a bit about Spanish mythology? Anything from mythical creatures to popular legends. Thank you in advance! ^^

SPANISH LEGENDS AND MYTHOLOGY 

Hello! Sorry for taking so long to answer. Unfortunately, this theme is not my specialty at all, but I’ll try my best to give you a decent answer :’D 

PRE-ROMAN IBERIANS

Little is known about Iberian customs and beliefs. They had a very rich and flourishing culture and social life, but all the written testimony had been lost due to the fact that their writing has not bee de-codified yet. Apparently they were polytheists and, according to the late chronicles of roman historians during the invasion, had received a lot of religious influence from Phoenicians and Greeks, their permanent trade partners for centuries. There had been some discoveries like The Lady of Baza and the Lady of Elche that suggest a strong leadership by Priestesses in the religious life. 

As for mythology, it had been heavily inspired by the Helenic beliefs about this part of the world. According to Carthaginian chronicles there used to be a temple where the “Columns of Heracles” were supposed to be, at the edge of the Strait of Gibraltar. Hannibal Barca is said to have sworn eternal hate to Rome in that temple. One of the theories also say that he gave name to the city of Barcelona and the Columns of Heracles are still present in the Spanish Crest of Arms. 

Still, most of the known Iberian mythology is like: “here supposedly be a rock where something happened according to other people.” 

A myth/legend/weird history thing worth mentioning though is Tartessos:

TARTESSOS

Tartessos is, crudely said, the Iberian Atlantis. Although to be fair Atlantis was probably made up by Plato but Tartessos has been definitively proven to have been real in the recent research. The problem is that nobody knows where the heck it was. 

Supposedly it was a great coastline civilization miles ahead of its surrounding regions and of their time, with a rich culture and technology, that just disappeared without leaving any trace. It’s fall is mostly consistent with the fall of Phoenicia, around the Vth century BC. 

Some theories say that Tartessos had been wiped out by a Tsunami, since its a region of heavy seismic activity, others that it just died out with the end of the Phoenician commerce or that the surrounding cultures caught up and they stopped being special, thus just mixing around and disappearing. 

In any case, it’s a mystery! 

THE CELTIC NORTH-WEST

Their legends and mythology are far clearer, more documented, and survive to this day. However, I don’t think I can surprise you with any of them because (according to my tour guide in Santiago) most of them can be found in other regions of Celtic descend, specially in Ireland. 

Of the most “recent” (middle ages) The Holy Procession (the procession of the dead dressed in white that you can find walking around at midnight) comes to mind, also the meigas, sort of witches, and bruixas, their nice, cool equivalent that people liked. 

St. JAMES THE MOOR-SLAYER

This is an individual legend but it’s very important. So, in Galicia they say rest the bones of the Apostle St. James (Santiago), which turned it into the hotspot for pilgrimage, specially after the Muslims in the east cut the christian pilgrimage routes to Jerusalem and started killing the pilgrims. So like, the next best option, and way safer, was the restplace of St. James, crossing the territories of the Catholic Kingdoms of Hispania. 

PS: Leaving aside the fascinating legend of how his rests got there (it involves a stone boat, a couple of bulls and a truckload of scallops), the first touristic-guide in the world is believed to be a guide to the way of St. James, the Codex Calixtinus, written around the year 1135.

According to the Legend, the Asturian King Ramiro I was visited by the Apostle Santiago clad in battle wear the night before a big battle with the moors, and the next day, at the battlecry of “Santiago!” the troops of Ramiro won a seemingly impossible battle. From then on and through the centuries variations of “For Spain and for Santiago!” (Santiago and charge, Spain!, For Santiago and the Spains!, etc…) became the official cry of the Spanish Army and the apostle Santiago is the patron Saint of Spain. 

PS: Around the same period we also find a lot of legends and lore related to the Templars and the military orders of the Peninsula (Santiago, Calatrava, Alcántara, Montesa in Spain and Avis in Portugal) 

THE LOVERS OF TERUEL

Sometimes called “the Spanish Romeo & Juliet” it’s in my opinion a way better story, not only it has been proven to have elements of truth in it, but because nobody is fucking 13! 

Funnily enough for a short while this legend had been accused of being a copy of one included in the Decameron of Boccaccio until it had been discovered that the first instances of it date back to a whole century before the Decameron was written, so it may have been actually the other way ‘round. 

Anyway, the events were supposed to have happened in the city of Teruel in the year 1217. A young boy Diego (sometimes called Juan) of the Marcilla family and the girl Isabel of the Segura family, grew up playing together and when their teenage hormones hit hard, fell in love. 

However, even though the Marcilla family was important, it was not as important as the Segura family and Diego was the second son, meant to inherit nothing. There was no way he could marry the only daughter and heiress of the Segura family. So he struck a deal with her father: he’d go to war (meaning la Reconquista) fight hard, rise in rank and earn a world of wealth in five years. If in that time he returned rich, he’d marry Isabel. 

So he left. Passed some years, Isabel’s father started insisting in her to get married but, and here comes my favorite part, she refused on the premise that she had to remain a maiden until 20, because no woman should get married before she learned how to manage a household. And her father, as any good middle-ages dad, that loved and respected his daughter, agreed with her. 

However, when the five years passed and Diego didn’t return, Isabel believed him dead and agreed to marry Don Pedro of Azagra. However, right after the ceremony, Diego returned with great riches! Too late tho. His beloved was already married. 

So he sneaked up into her and her husband’s bedroom at night and asked her for a kiss: “kiss me, for I’m dying!”. She refused on the terms that she would not be unfaithful to her husband, he asked her again and she refused again. 

So Diego just dropped dead of heartache. 

Isabel woke up her husband and told him what happened. He was like “but why didn’t you kiss him?!” so she told him she hadn’t wanted to betray her husband, so he was “you truly are a woman worth of praise.” 

They sneaked him out of their home in the middle of the night and left him in a local church, so the husband wouldn’t get blamed for his death. 

The next day the funeral ceremony took place and Isabel came, dressed in her wedding gown, and leaning over Diego’s body gave him the kiss that she had refused him in life. 

And then she also fell dead. 

The husband then told everyone in the church their story and the town agreed to bury them together, so at least in death they would be side by side. 

Their inexplicably mummified bodies were discovered in 1555 during repair works at the San Pedro church, in Teruel, next to a document dating to the formerly stated year, corroborating the popular legend. 

Since with time the fame of this story spread around Spain. The mummies now lay in a chapel and in marble tombs with exquisitely sculpted lids by the artist Juan de Ávalos y Taborda.

Written as a part of the @aphaskevent

Country embassy: Spain (in case it wasn’t clear… xD) 

Sorry for not being able to tell any better stories, and this probably doesn’t answer your question, but I just thought it better not to talk too much on stuff I didn’t know about and focus on what I did.