WHAT DO YOU KNOW.....

When Achilleus later was fighting near Troya he was hit by the arrows of Paris – and died.

When the tendon linking the peroneus with the top of the heel bone is called the Achilles tendon it has its origin in the Iliad.

NIELS JØRGEN THØGERSEN

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen presents...

WHAT DO YOU KNOW…..

About interesting and perhaps surprising topics - also to impress your neighbour at dinner with !

6th ed. ( * new since 5th ed.)

A Achilles’ heel This expression comes from the Greek mythology. The ancient Greek hero Achilleus, who was the main person in the Iliad of Homer, was by his mother Thetis dipped in the river Styx. In this way be became invulnerable. When the mother dipped him she held him by his heels – meaning that they did not become wet.

Therefore, they continued to be vulnerable.

Today you use the expression Achilles heel you refer to somebody’s weak point, where he can be hit – in the figurative sense. So where is your Achilles heel??

Advent As most people know Advent in the Western Christian church is the period from the 4th Sunday before the birth of Jesus. You talk about the 1st, the 2nd, the 3rd and the 4th Sunday of Advent. The word advent comes from Latin: Adventum, which means Coming. The coming of Jesus. The first Sunday in Advent is also the start of the new church year.

The traditional colour of Advent is purple.

It is a symbol of fast, which in a way is also part of the Advent period. This colour is also the royal colour. Perhaps originally with reference to the arrival of the king Jesus.

In the Orthodox church you do not celebrate Advent in the same way. You talk instead about Nativity Fast, fast before the arrival of Jesus. It starts some days before Advent. And it is not the start of the church year.

All are equal When the Danish Viking Rollo and his men around 910 AC arrived in France the Franks sent some knights to negotiate with them. In the name of the king the Franks demanded that the Vikings in addition to

their own names also told them who their masters were. The Vikings replied: Nobody, because we are all equal! The Franks continued: will you work for our king Charles and be paid by him? The answer was prompt: We will never work for anybody or take salary from anyone. The salary we like the most is won by our swords and actions.

That’s what happened. Rollo conquered all of northern France, including Paris. They settled in what is today called Normandy (the land of the Normans). The fact that the Vikings within a couple of generations were fully integrated and assimilated, also linguistically, is another matter. It happened much faster than with their fellow Vikings in England.

If it is the principle of we are all equal which survived in France for about 900 years until the French revolution with its principles of liberty, equality and brotherhood is perhaps to give history too much.

Today the expression We are all equals still very much used, especially in political declarations. In practice it is a bit more difficult to ensure.

All roads lead to Rome Historically this expression goes back to the Roman empire, where all roads throughout the vast empire were leading to Rome.

From this literal meaning of the saying another meaning has developed. Today it means that there are many different routes to the same goal.

The city of Altona is today part of Hamburg. It has 241.000 inhabitants.

But it has an interesting history with close connections to Denmark.

It was founded at the river Elbe by the Danish king Christian III in 1535. The purpose was that it should compete with the near-by German city of Hamburg. That is also where it got its name from. Altona comes from the expression in the German dialect Plattdeutsch al to naar. It means alles zu nah - or far too near. It is uncertain, if it was the citizens of the city or those of Hamburg, who invented this name. The name with the same origin exists in other parts of Germany - such as the old manor (now hotel) Gut Altona near Wildeshausen. There is also an Altona near Melbourne in Australia.

Altona became a very important harbour city in the Danish monarchy. That is why its first railway was build in 1844 between Altona and Kiel. And when Altona was lost to Germany in 1864 the Danes soon started building a totally new harbour in Esbjerg, especially for the trade by sea with Britain.

Altona is also known because it was the famous Johann Struensee's home town. He was a doctor here, before king Christian VII brought him to Copenhagen as his personal doctor. With all the political and personal consequences which followed.

Altona never succeeded to win the competition with Hamburg. On the contrary. And as of 1937 it has been a part of the city of Hamburg.

Anglo-saxons - who were and are they ?

Altona

Who were they – and when did they get to England ?

The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes, which in the 5th century A.C. conquered England. The famous English historian Bede wrote in the 8th century, that they came from a country in between the lands of the Jutlanders and the Saxons.

More precisely from the peninsula Angel ( Latin: Angelus; Germanic: Angul; German: Angeln; Danish: Angel ) between the fiords of Flensburg and Schleswig ( the Schlei ). This was by the way Danish territory until 1864. The Angles settled in particular in Northumberland, in Mercia and in East Anglia.

Another Germanic tribe, which invaded Britannia in that period, was the Saxons. They came from the present day North German areas. And they settled down in the areas, which today carry the name ending –sex ( Essex, Middlesex, Sussex and Wessex ). The ending –sex comes from Saxon.

And the last invading tribe was according to the historians the Jutlanders. They did not come from Jutland, but from the Frisian areas at the Germanic coast of the North Sea. Why? Because the Jutlanders already in the 4th century had left Jutland and settled in these Frisian territories. In this way most villages and farms in the Jutland area disappeared. These were about a hundred years later taken over by the Danes – another tribe which came from the present areas in East Denmark and before that from Sweden. The Jutlanders settled in particular in Kent, on the island of Wight and along the coast of Hampshire.

All this happened during the period of great migrations in Europe ( around the 4th and 5th centuries ).

What sort of country was it that the AngloSaxons conquered at the time ?

It was the Roman province of Britannia. Before the Romans this area was in the hands of the Brits – a Celtic tribe, which was related to the Galls in present France. Culturally they were somewhat different from the Galls. And in war they tattooed themselves and painted themselves with a blue colour. The Brits spoke Celtic. By the way, most of Europe’s population did so before the Roman times.

Celtic tribes and people inhabited a very large part of present Europe – except Scandinavia and most of Eastern Europe.

But the Romans pushed them all back step by step everywhere. Especially Caesar’s war against the Galls turned into a real bloodbath. About one third of the Galls was killed. The Romans were in particular against the religion of many Celtic tribes, where their priests, the druids, sacrificed human beings according to their beliefs.

Caesar came with his army from Gaul to Britannia in the years 55 and 54 BC. He arranged that trade relations were established between Britannia and Rome.

Only during the reign of emperor Claudius the Romans in year 43 AC started to conquer the country and make it a Roman province. The Roman general Agricola conquered the area all the way up to Forth and Clyde in present Scotland in the years 78-85 AC. Later emperor Hadrian abandoned the Scottish area and built a 120 km wall between Tyne and Solway.

This wall called Hadrian’s Wall is partly still there.

The culture of Rome soon dominated Britannia. Many towns and cities were created, especially London ( Londonium ) and York ( Eboracum ). All cities and towns, which today carry the ending – coln owe their name to the Roman word

“colonia”. And the ending –chester comes from the Roman “castrum”, which means camp. Lots of roads were also built, and the Romans did a lot to improve the local mining industry and trade in general.

When the people to the north of Britannia ( especially the Picts and the Scotes ) started to attack the province life became more and more difficult for the Romans. There were also many attacks from the sea by Germanic tribes. In 410 AC the Romans decided to pull all their troops out of Britannia, and the country was now wide open to conquerers from outside.

Some rumours say that some of the Brits invited Germanic tribes to come to help them. At any rate, the Germanic people came in their thousands. And took over the country. The Brits had during the Roman period accepted Christianity. The Germanic tribes had not, so they attacked the church ferosiously. The Brits escaped in large numbers westwards ( to Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and Ireland ).

Other went north to present day Scotland.

And many crossed the Channel and settled down in present day Brittany ( Bretagne ).

Until then this peninsula was called Armorica ( “the land at the sea” ). Now it got the name of Brittany, which means “Little Britannia”.

The stories about “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table” come from the battles between the Brits ( which King Arthur etc. belonged to ) and the invading Anglo-Saxons. There is great disagreement between historians on whether these stories are real or just legends.

The language of the Brits survived in all the areas, where they settled down. A couple of hundred years ago it practically disappeared in Cornwall and later on the Isle of Man.

Back to the new conquerors in the 6th century: The Anglo-Saxons ( and the Jutlanders ) The Brits called them all “Saxons”. The Danes and other Northerners called them “Engle” – from the word “Angles”. That’s where the name ENGLAND comes from ( the land of the Angles – from the peninsula Angel ).

The “English language” also has its origins from this period. Many of the invading Anglo-Saxons spoke a simplified form of the “Old Frisean language”, and they carried that with them to their new country. This language was so easy to learn that it was quickly taken over also by the part of the local population, which had not moved away. This was the start of English.

The Anglo-Saxon England did not enjoy peace for a long period. From the 8th century the Vikings – or Normans, as they were also called, because they were the men from the North ) – started to invade the English coasts. They came from Denmark in their impressive longboats.

They created their own “kingdom” in the north and the middle of the country. It was called DANELAGEN ( the country where Danish law was implemented ). Today about 1.500 names of places in this area are of direct Danish origin. And DNA tests of the population today have recently shown that in many places about half of the people carries “Viking blood”.

The Danish period in England was at its height, when Canute the Great was king in Denmark as well as in England. When he died in 1035, decline started for the Danes almost right away.

A new era for England and its already very mixed population started in 1066, when the Normans from France attacked and conquered the country. They were direct descendants of the Danish Vikings, who from the beginning of the 10th century had

seized this area, which consequently got the name Normandie ( or Normandy ). The conquest took place under the leadership of the Danish Viking chief Rollo ( died around 930 ). These Vikings were very quickly – over 2-3 generations – assimilated with the local French population, took over their language and forgot their original Danish language. And they created a very strong “kingdom” at that time. They were the people, who in 1066 under the leadership of William the Conqueror ( originally called “William the Hybrid” ) took over England.

After that they were the ruling class – a French-speaking upper-class in England. The arrival of the Normans also meant that many French words and expressions from now on were adopted into the English language.

Some centuries later England conquered Normandy. That’s how things often move forth and back in history.

Reflection: It is interesting to reflect on the fact, that it was with DANES ( Jutlanders ) in front, when the Anglo-Saxons conquered Roman Britannia. It was DANISH Vikings, who later seized the country from them.

And it was Vikings of DANISH origin ( the Normans ), who later again took over from the Vikings.

If you see it all from a GERMAN angle this history is also very interesting: Most of the Anglo-Saxon conquerors in the 6th century were “Germans”. The Germanic tribe, the Franks, who lived along the Rhine, took the area of Gall from the Romans in the 5th century. They started the Frankian Empire ( Charlemagne, etc.) and later France ( named from the Franks ).

Therefore, the Germans can with strong

historic backing claim that they are the origins of England as well as of France.

Also one of history’s very interesting lessons.

April The name April comes from the Latin word APERIRE. It means to open up. This means that the soil is ready to be sowed.

The year now really opens up towards spring and summer.

In the Nordic countries this month was in the old days also called the Month of Grass ( Græsmåned ) or the Month of the Sheep ( Fåremåned ). Why ? Because this was ( and is ) the month, when the sheep and the cattle get out on grass again after the long winter.

April also has a number of old weather warnings: • • •

Swallows in April means a warm summer If April starts mild, it will end cold A beautiful April is followed by a bad May

See more about the names of the 12 months: http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/ori gin_months.html

Ardennes The Ardennes is a big mountain area covering big parts of Belgium and Luxembourg and also parts of France and Germany. The name comes from the

Roman times: Arduenna Silva (silva meaning forest). They are covered by extensive forests, a rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges – reaching up to 694 m.

In the 18th and 19th century Belgian Wallonia and thereby the Ardennes was the second most important industrial area in the world after England.

The Ardennes have also become known because a part of them was taken from Germany after World War I and given to Belgium. About 70.000 German speaking Belgians live there today, German is an official language in Belgium, and they have their own local parliament.

And they also got known, because the Germans around Christmas 1944 tried to surprise the Allied forces by a new offensive through the Ardennes. But is failed.

Today the Ardennes are a very popular holiday area, not least for Dutch tourists.

This month is named after the Roman emperor Augustus. He ruled in the period 31 BC to 14 AD. The name means The Elevated. He was born in Rome in the year 63 BC and was called Gaius Octavius before he became emperor. He died of natural causes (unlike the vast majority of Roman emperors) as a 77-year-old in the year 14 AD. He was Caesar’s adopted child.

It is a frequent misunderstanding that it was Emperor Augustus, who was to blame for that the month of August has 31 days.

The legend tells he would not accept that the month he renamed after himself should be shorter than July, which was named after his predecessor and adoptive father, Julius Caesar.

The change was previously done by Caesar in the year 45 BC. He extended this month, which originally had only 29 days, with two days. He took them from the month of February. Perhaps to prolong the summer ď Š

Audi As everybody knows this is the name of a very well known and popular German car.

The founder of the company in the beginning of the 20th century was August Horch. He had earlier worked for Karl Benz. Later he started his own company in his own name. He sold this company and started the company, which built the Audi car. But he could not use his own name Horch, because it belonged to his previous company. Then he started thinking.

Horchen in German is a verb meaning to listen very carefully. And in Latin this is: audire. Hocus pocus: the new car got the name AUDI. A name is carries to this day.

August

The Latin name of this month was Sextilis (with reference to the fact that it was the sixth month in the previous Roman calendar. It started on 1 March.

The old Danish name for this month is MONTH OF HARVEST. The farmers, of course, preferred to do their harvesting in good weather. An old Danish weather warning says that thunder in August means a lot of disease to humans and animals.

In the old days in Denmark a number of interesting habits were important during the harvest period in August. One of them was that if a stranger came into the field, where the harvesting took place, all the men would stop working, line up in a long

row and hang their caps on the scythes.

Then the farm foreman would make 3 loud strokes with his scythe sharpener, and everybody would sharpen their scythes at the same time. For this show the guest had to pay with a bottle of aquavit ď Š

http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/ori gin_months.html

Another old, permanent habit was this one: The last sheaf, which was harvested, was in Jutland called The Old Man and on the Danish islands called The Harvest Hag. The Old Man was often in the darkness of the night brought to a neighbour who was not yet finished with the harvest. On the sheaf was added a letter, which, under certain circumstances promised help to the slow farmer.

You certainly know the Australian flag? You have seen it many times. Here it is:

What The Harvest Hag is concerned the girls doing the sheafing were not enthusiastic about finishing the very last sheaf. Why? Because the girl, who did it, had to dance the first dance at the annual harvest ball with The Harvest Hag (i.e. the sheaf ) as her dancing partner.

The so-called Hundedage ( Days of Dogs ) started on 22 July and last for three weeks until 22 August. They are normally the hottest part of the summer. And they have their name from the fact that the constellation Big Dog ( where you can find the dog star Sirius ) just in that period is closest to the sun. The myth says that it is the star, which heats up the sun to higher temperatures than normal. The myth also says that it is during this period that meat becomes rotten, milk turns acid, and the dogs become fierce and run away.

A special weather warning for the Days of Dogs says that the Days of Dogs will end as they start.

See more about the names of all 12 months:

Australian Flag

It was "born" in 1901. The government asked different artists to make a proposal. And this one won.

You want to have an explanation of the flag?

First of all, it is - as you see - blue. Dark blue. Perhaps because Australia on all sides is surrounded by the dark blue oceans.

In the upper left corner (the "north-west" corner) you have the British flag, Union Jack. Why? Because Australia for many years was a British colony. It belonged to Britain. The Australians want to keep that link in their memory. I have written about the British flag earlier and explained what it looks like it does.

Underneath Union Jack you see a big seven-pointed star. It symbolizes the different parts of Australia: the 6 states (Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia) and the Northern Territories. Seven all together. The star is called the Commonwealth Star, because Australia with its states and territories is also called the Commonwealth of States.

To the right of the flag you have the so-called Southern Cross. They are a special constellation of 5 bright stars, which you can see on the southern hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere (f.ex. in

Britain, in Denmark and in Greece) we cannot see the A fantastic country. A different country. A Southern Cross. We can always see another complicated country. They say about very well-know star constellation. It is called the Great Belgian politics, if you think you Bear. And it cannot be seen on the Southern understand it, it's because you've got it hemisphere. badly explained!

The Southern Cross on the Australian flag has fiveIt all began in 1830 when the country stars. They have names with the first five letters in became the independent. It was done by the Greek alphabet: Alpha Crucis, Beta Crusis, Gamma citizens in an afternoon’s revolution Crusis, Delta Crusis and Epsilon Crusis. against the Dutch rulers.

The Southern Cross has been used as a symbol for No, it began much earlier. Namely, under Australia for many hundred years.

Caesar before Christ's birth. He writes in his diary that "of all the Celtic tribes, I have The Australian flag was flown for the first time on fought 3 against the Belgians were the September 1901. Therefore, the day September 3 isbravest." He had to give up conquering still today The Australian National Flag Day. much of the country. Actually he came to a line which is only 1 ½ km from our house Everybody can use the flag. But you are in Rixensart. This is precisely where the not allowed to use it at night - unless you border between French and Flemish put a spotlight on it. speaking Belgium remains to this day.

Now a bit about the country’s size and that kind of thing:

B Bed of roses This expression comes from the time of the decay of the Roman empire around the 3rd and 4th century AC. People did a lot of decadent things in that period. One of them was to have roses in masses all over the place – to live with lots of roses everywhere and at all times. The beds were ofter filled with leaves of roses. The floors were covered with roses. This habit was sometime continued in the Medieval Ages at special occasions.

So the expression a bed of roses still today means that you have a good life. A life without problems.

Belgium

Belgium today is exactly the same size as the Danish peninsula Jutland, 30,000 sq.km. And more than 11 million people live here. In Jutland live approx. 1 ½ million. Belgians are divided by 6 million Flemish and almost 5 million Frenchspeaking. Additionally, you have a small German-speaking minority in the east.

More on this later.

All Belgians (almost) are Catholics. So it's not religion that divides. But they are not very active practitioners in their religion.

Just like most of the Danes in their church.

There are 3 official languages: French, Flemish (which is almost the same as the Dutch - but pronounced much softer) and German.

The country has always been in the middle of almost all European conflicts. It is located midway between the major

European powers. And as these countries sometimes have been on horribly bad terms, it was very often the Belgians who got badly hurt. Historians have counted over 1000 known wars on Belgian soil.

The area has been under many different rulers: Spaniards, Austrians, French and Dutch. Yes, even the Danish Vikings were here. Hence come the many geographical names that are currently ending with -beek ( old viking language for brook).

Spanish influence you see in many ways, not least in the many Belgian carnevals, often with a Spanish - Latin American “flavour”. And a modern word for a Belgian cafe-restaurant, Estaminet, also dates from Spanish times.

Independence came on July 21, 1830. Of course, it is a holiday today. The French were totally dominant in the country until after World War II. One reason was that the southern parts of the country – where the French speaking population lived and still lives - was the strong industrial areas with coal, steel and other heavy industries.

The French language was dominant everywhere. In the army for example only French was spoken by the officers. This provided a natural resistance from the Flemings against French speakers. This is part of the explanation for why some Flemish people went into German service during World War II. Not so much because they were Nazis. But because they saw it as a way to fight the French-speaking Walloons.

After the second World War it has gone horribly wrong for many of the Frenchspeaking areas, especially in the province of Hainaut around Mons. It is one of Europe's poorest regions. There are families where people have been unemployed through three generations.

But before all that Napoleon had made a

serious visit. Once again, Belgium was pinned. It was in 1815. The famous battle of Waterloo about 20 km south of Brussels, was in reality the end of Napoleon and his dominance in Europe. A total of 72,000 soldiers fell in just three days. Actually, Napoleon was very close to win over Wellington and his Anglo-Dutch army.

Only when the Prussian General Blücher arrived with his forces in the last minute the French lost. Blücher actually came through our garden to the great surprise of Napoleon. And then it was over. Napoleon had to go to St. Helena in the south Atlantic. But he continued to be quite popular in Belgium. Major streets and squares in Brussels are today named after some of his generals - like Belliard, Froissart and Jourdan.

About a hundred years later it went completely mad again. The first World War started in 1914 with very large and powerful German troops invading Belgium on their way into France. The resistance of the Belgians and their allied troops from France and England was so determined that things went quite differently than the Germans had expected. The key was that the Belgians managed to open all the locks at the North Sea coast. Thus, large parts of West Flanders - where the heavy German forces tried to get through – were flooded.

And all the German hardware ran hopelessly stuck in mud and sludge. Thus arose the front throughout the four-year war in the western part of Belgium. The Germans kept most of Belgium violently occupied ( shooting thousands of politicians and other civilian Belgians as a warning).

But the front in the west held, and the Belgian Government was throughout the war based in the small town of Veurne in West Flanders. The fighting along the front was terrible. There was at one time also used poison gas on both sides. There are currently 175 war cemeteries in Western Flanders from the time - Belgian, British,

French, German. On the German one can also find fallen Danish soldiers. They came from Southern Jutland, which after 1864 was German and the young men were therefore forced to be German soldiers.

Approximately 6,000 Danes from that area fell during the war, including some here in Belgium.

In the town of Ypres you can today visit a modern and very interesting museum.

Everyone walks away from there with some idea of how terrible it was. Life gets another perspective when you see these atrocities. Incidentally, the town of Ypres was totally destroyed during the war. It was nicely rebuilt again after the war.

I mentioned earlier that the population of a small portion of Eastern Belgium speaks German. This is due to the fact that Belgium after World War I was given this German area compensation for the suffering and the enormous devastation.

And although the Germans during the second World War, the area (called Haute Fagnes / Hohes Venn), became German again, it has been Belgian again since 1945.

It is said that the German-speaking population there (about 70,000 in total) in today's political debate in Belgium are the strongest supporters of the country staying together.

A few words specifically about Brussels Brussel as it is called in Flemish. It is the nation's capital with all what belongs to a capital. At the same time it is one of the country’s three regions. The two others are Flanders and Wallonia. All three have a very large degree of autonomy. It is very few things that central government is responsible for. An odd angle to this division into regions is that Flanders also considers Bruxelles / Brussel as its capital.

So their regional parliament and all its ministries are in Brussels. I think it's the only "country" in the world where its

capital is located outside the the “country” itself. The reason is that the Flemish people think that Brussels is a part of Flanders.

They show this attitude once a year by making a giant bike race of Flemish people all around the city. Brussels is surrounded

by Flanders on all sides.

Moreover, they say that Brussels is Flemish during the day and French in the evening.

That's because so many Flemings comes to town every day to work and go home to Flanders in the evening, because that is where they live.

Brussels has about 1 ½ million inhabitants.

It’s the size of Copenhagen. It is for historical reasons, divided into 19 municipalities. The international flavor is unmistakable. About a third of all residents are not born in Belgium. The EU institutions are placed in the city. NATO is too. Lots of embassies from around the world are here, too. Many countries, including Denmark, each have three embassies: one for the EU, another for NATO, and a third for Belgium as such.

And lots of American and other international companies have their European headquarters in Brussels. In addition lots of immigrants from Morocco, Turkey and the former Belgian Congo live in Brussels. All this gives an incredibly exciting atmosphere with an unprecedented quantity of cultural activities, restaurants and different people from around the world.

Finally, I want to give the Belgians my very best personal recommendations. . They are easy-going and friendly - sometimes a little reserved at first, though. And very helpful, even in the traffic. It is a pleasure to live here among them. We have not once in our 24 years in this country felt anything but comfortable. In a way Belgium is also our country now. Yes, there are things they do differently. In a different way than we're used to. That's it. That makes it only more

interesting and motivating to be here.

We once heard a totally uninformed and populistic Danish female TV reporter say on the screen that "Belgium is as interesting as an empty banana peel!" If the rest of her journalistic work is equally uninformed and xenophobic she should definately look for a different job.

Good luck with Belgium!

And I have even not told you about the more than 450 different beers in this country! One more exciting than the other.

Or about their wonderful food. People say that when the French really want to eat well, they go to Belgium!

And why are the colours presented in vertical form and not in horizontal form like most other flags?

Because the Belgians wanted to make it look a bit like the French flag, the Tricolor: three colours beside each other.

The Belgian flag is used all over Belgium. On government and other public buildings. And by the Belgian king. And also by private people. But unlike in Denmark and in many other countries the Belgians normally do not have a flagpole at home. When they use the flag to celebrate something, they hang it out from a window in their house.

The Belgian flag has no special name.

But the Belgian national song since 1830 is called "La Brabanconne" - also called after our region Brabant.

You can listen to it here:

Go out and do likewise! http://www.nationalanthems.me/belgium-labrabanconne/ Belgium's flag Belle Époque This is the name for the period between the end of the German-French war in 1871 and the start of World War I in 1914 altogether 43 years, when a lot happened in Europe.

It is black, yellow and red. The black colour has to be It was a period of optimism, regional peace, closest to the flagpole (meaning to the left). increasing prosperity, technological, scientific and cultural innovations, and a The flag is almost 200 years old. It was agreed by the Belgians as the national flag in 1831, when Belgiumflorishing art life, not least in Paris. became an independent country. Before that it was Among the new inventions were the car, part of the Netherlands - and before that again a part the airplane, the film, the bactereological of France. breakthroughs like those of Pasteur. In architecture the art nouveau style became Why does it have these three colours? Because it was dominant. And in art Van Gogh and many the colours of an old important region of what is now called Belgium. This region was - and still is - calledothers were an important part of this period. And there were in reality free Brabant. That is where we live. And the colours of that region was for many, many years black, yellow andmovement of people over the European borders. red.

On that background it is not surprising that the outbreak of the world war in August 1914 came as a shock. As historians described it: The lights went out in Europe!

Bird Phoenix This is a legendary animal, which is described by the ancient Greek poets. The feathers of the bird were put to flames by the sun, and it burns in its nest. But from the ashes a new Bird Phoenix arises. That’s where the expression to arise like the bird Phoenix comes from.

Another version of this legend goes as follows: The bird Phoenix is the only one of its kind in the world. It has lived for 500 years in the Arab desert. Then it collects sweet-scented wood for a fire. This is ignited by the sun. And from the ashes the bird Phoenix arises again – this time in a younger and a more beautiful form.

Today the expression to arise like the bird Phoenix means that something very unexpected is happening – almost out of nothing. It is positive, but close to being unreal. Almost magic.

Black Friday This expression comes originally from the US. It is the day after Thanksgiving Day – which every year is the 4th Thursday in November.

This Friday is a public holiday in 24 American states. And since the 1930ies it is considered to be the start of Christmas shopping.

It is widely believed that the name was first used in Philadelphia, where it referred to the fact, that on this very day there was a

lot of traffic and a lot of pedestrians on the streets of the city.

Later the meaning of the word Black Friday has gradually changed to refer to the fact that the shops in general were running deficits in the period up to Thanksgiving (“red figures”), while from Black Friday and onwards they enjoyed surplus (“black figures”) due to the Christmas shopping.

At some point the rumour circulated that the name referred to the tradition that the trade with slaves started on that day. This is historically false. Thanksgiving only started after the American Civil War, which – as you know – abolished slavery.

Black Friday has after 2000 also arrived in many countries in Europe and in other places in the world. It has become a useful element in the marketing of Christmas shopping.

Black Jack This was the nickname of the American supreme commander during World War I, general John Pershing (1860-1948). He got that name, because he at several occasions during his career was in charge of unit with only black Americans. The US military was organised that way at the time.

John Pershing was on his father's side of German origin. And throughout his military career he took part in battles with the American Indians, with the Spaniards in the war about the Philippines and Cuba in 1898 and with Mexico.

Militarily he was strongly in favour of frontal attacks by the infantery. It was very costly in human lives, and he was also critisized for it from several sides, after most other countries had left this tactics in

the time of the machine gun. Still he was the mentor for all the important American generals in World War II such as Eisenhower, Marshall (who worked closely with Pershing), Bradley and Patton.

An interesting initiative from Pershing was that he before the war ended suggested that the offensive should continue until Germany accepted an unconditional surrender. This was never accepted by president Wilson. But if you think about it it would certainly have changed many things in the following years. And it would have cost the lives of many more soldiers.

Perhaps also my two uncles, who both were American soldiers in France at that time.

And later president Franklin Roosevelt said publicly, that this proposal would have been a better solution at the time.

In the same way general Patton suggested towards the end of World War II that the Americans and their western allies should continue against Moscow, "as we already have the US forces over here!". This suggestion got no political support either!

Black sheep In the old days a legend said that it would bring bad luck to have one or more black sheep in the flock. The reason was that you were paid less for black wool than for white wool.

Today you talk about the family’s black sheep, when you think of a member of the family, who differs from the rest of the family in a negative way. It might be in behavior or in intelligence. In other words: it isn’t meant positively, when somebody is described as a black sheep.

Blood is thicker than water This is a very old expression in many languages. Already in 1180 you see it in

some German texts. And later the Danish story collector Peder Syv (1631-1702) is using it. Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) makes it well known in his work Guy Mannering. And later the German emperor Wilhelm II (1859-1941) uses it frequently in his speeches.

The meaning of the expression has always been and still is that family bonds are closer than those of outsiders.

It is in a way strange that emperor Wilhelm used it so often. He was the grand child of Queen Victoria. And still he was a main initiator of World War I between Germany and Britain (and many more).

Blue blood This saying has its origin from Castillia in Spain. The local Castillians had a more light skin than the immigrants, who were were mostly moors and jews. Due to their light skin you could more easily see the veins through the skin. The expression locally was and is: sangre azul, which means blue blood.

Many Castillians at the time – at least the more known ones – were from the nobility.

That is why the expression blue blood later has got the meaning it has today: people of royal or noble families.

British flag I think you know how the British flag looks like? Here it is:

It is called UNION JACK. Or the UNION FLAG.

And here is Scotland's old flag - with Saint Andrew's white cross on a blue background:

Why is it called that? Because it was in 1801 - more than 200 years ago - adopted as the flag for the Union (the cooperation) between three different nations: England, Scotland and Ireland. This is why it is called the Union Flag. But why is it also called Union Jack?

Because the king in 1801 was called James. And the name James is in Latin language Jacobus. And a short word for Jacobus is Jack.

You understand?

And finally, Ireland's old Saint Patrick's flag with a red cross on white background.

So Union Jack is the flag used all over England, Scotland and Northern Ireland - and also in Wales.

If you look at it you can also see, if it has been turned upside down. How do you see that? You see the red stripes going from one corner to the other. The flag is shown correctly, if those red stripes to the left are at the bottom of the white stripes - and on the top of the white stripes on the right side of the flag. Many people do not know that. So often they put Union Jack in a wrong way. Now YOU know what is the correct All three flags have a cross. Why? Because all three way to show the flag. And you can tell people aboutnations it. were - and are - Christian nations. And as you know the symbol for Christianity is always a cross.

But how was Union Jack made into the look it has?

It was made as a combination of the flags of England, Scotland and Ireland. I will show you: How is Union Jack then made from those three flags? You start with the English flag. Then you put Here is England's very old flag - with Saint George's the Scottish flag on the top of it. And finally you put red cross: the Irish flag on the top of both of them. But you have to make the red cross in the Irish flag more narrow. If you do not do that, you cannot see anything of the white Scottish cross. You see?

Hello there, where is Wales in all that? They are also part of Britain, the United Kingdom. They were for a very long time coved by the English flag - also in 1801, when Union Jack was made. But later Wales has also got its own flag. It is called the Red Dragon.

As you see it is a white flag with a red cross in the middle.

Here it is:

they had been cleaned in the church, they could attend church services again.

It is also on this day that the church blesses all the lights to be used in the forthcoming years.

In Denmark, Candlemas was a holiday until 1770. This year stopped by Mr. Struensee in his rationalization activities.

Candlemas together with 9 other small Which one of these four flags do you think is the nicest Danish religious holidays were abolished one? Which one do you like the most? and replaced by the so-called Great Prayers Day. It was one of the few reforms that were retained even after his execution.

Bruxelles / Brussel A very long time ago the city was a very small village in the middle of moors. Un Hameau dans un Marais – as is the title of a new book about Brussels. The 103 km long river Zenne ran – and still runs through the area. So a bridge was built to get to the small island. A Brug, as it was called in the local language at the time.

Brugzenne – a bridge over the river Zenne.

This name has then later developed into Bruxelles (French), Brussel (Flemish), Brussels (English) and Brüssel (German.

C Candlemas Day The name comes from the Latin Missa Candelarum that means celebration for the lights. The tradition can certainly be traced back to the 6th century. It refers to the fact that it was on this day - 40 days after Jesus' birth - his mother, the Virgin Mary, was brought up in church to be purified. The day is, therefore, also sometimes called Mary Mas. And why should she be made clean? Because you considered women who had given birth to be unclean. Only when

The word kyndel is an old Danish version of the word Kandel (light).

Candlemas was mainly in Jutland often called Kjørmes Knud . Knud in this context means: hard frost. On this day half of the winter had passed, and brighter times were ahead. Kjørmes Festivals were organised - one of the eight ancient seasonal celebrations. On this day, it was a sort of Dutch treat parties with pork, and whatever else was suitable to be stored in barrels. There was brandy and dancing till dawn. Besides pork, there was also a tradition of eating rye-pancakes.

In the old peasant society, there were a number of warnings and traditions associated with this day: * First If the sun was shining, there would soon be snow * Second, If the wind blew so much that 18 bitches could not hold the 19th bitch to the ground, then winter will soon blow away * Third, thaw was good. Kjørmes thaw was just as well as 100 read hay *Fourth, If the lark was heard for the first time that day, then would spring would start very soon * Fifth, If you saved some bread from Christmas and ate it on that day,then you

would be protected against illness such as headaches and snake bites * Sixth, fruit trees were whipped with rods to ensure a good harvest Candlemas is no longer celebrated in Denmark. But it is often still celebrated in the Catholic countries. In Belgium it is a tradition to eat pancakes on this day.

Carte blanche This term comes from French and means white card or white paper. In was used in the old days in connection with negotiations – political, economic or military negotiations. The person who was given the mandate to negotiate and to make the final agreement received a piece of white paper ( a carte blanche) only with the signature of the top boss (the king, the prime minister, the general). Then he or she could fill out the rest with the agreement made – and it was all done.

Today the expression carte blanche is still used meaning full power of attorney.

In the EU Commission the president receives a carte blanche letter from each member of the Commission only with their signature on. Then he alone can decide when they have to step down.

Casanova Giacomo Casanova (1725-98) was an Italian from Venice. He described in details life in Europe in the 18th century. And he is in particular known for being a very active “womanizer”. That is why his name today is used to describe exactly that – men who are very successful with women. I believe you are a real Casanova!

Chinese wedding jar A Chinese wedding jar is in English called an Antique Chinese Tongzhi Double Happiness Blue White Porcelain Wedding Jar. It comes from the Tongzhi period (the later parts of the Quing dynasty at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. The jar is made of porcelain.

The writing on the jar means “Double Happiness” (because the Chinese sign for happiness are indicated twice – one next to the other.

The jar was given to Chinese couples at their wedding to wish eternal happiness and a lot of children (if those two things are possible at the same time ) The couples later used to store important food.

An interesting aspect of the jar’s later use was that the Danish chocolate company TOM bought a lot of it. And each year they were used as presents for Christmas to important contacts for the factory – filled with chocolate, of course. That is why I still have 2 of the jars – no longer with chocolate inside, though!

The sign for ”Double Happiness” is still today used at Chinese weddings.

One more side story: When the Chinese political leader Sun Yat-sen in 1912 abolished the emperor, he used the word – not jar, but Tongzhi – about his supporters. And when the Communists and Mao took over the power in China from 1949 they also used the word tongzhi – meaning comrade, as other communists call their members.

But that is not the responsibility of the nice jar!

Christmas in Denmark The most important traditions in a nutshell A very good thing about Christmas is that you do not get fat from the food and drinks you have between Christmas and New Year! It’s the period between New Year and Christmas, which is dangerous!

But let’s look at the most typical Danish traditions for this time of the year.

Advent is celebrated from the fourth Sunday before Christmas – normally very late November or very early December.

Almost every home has an Advent Wreath with four white candles. The first Sunday one candle is lit. The second Sunday two candles are in use. And so on. There are no special festivities related to advent – apart from the church services, which mark the start of the new church year.

December 24 is by far the most important day in the Danish Christmas. The day of Christmas Eve. The special Christmas church service is in the afternoon. Almost everybody goes to church on that day – not only the very religious persons. It’s normally the only time each year, when I go to church. You have to come early, if you want a seat in the church, especially in the small churches in the countryside. The church service that afternoon is normally very festive and the room nicely decorated.

And the priest will make an effort to make a sermon, which will interest everybody there, not least the children.

Back home after the church service the kids will watch inciting special Christmas programmes on TV. And the “food engineers” will perform in the kitchen. Young kids will often get their first presents in the afternoon – to keep

them somewhat quiet and a bit “out of the way”!

The main living room will have a nice Christmas tree. A green fir tree, which has been bought some days earlier. In families with children the tree will often be nicely decorated during the afternoon – but without the kids seeing it. The tree will have many white candles, decorations of all sorts and not least a big silver or golden star in the top – symbolising the star over Bethlehem. The Christmas presents (everybody gets presents on Christmas eve) will be put under the decorated tree. All a very nice sight!

Christmas dinner will be served around 1800. The main course will be roast pork withcrispy skin. Or duck. Or goose. All with the traditional sweet and sour red cabbage.

This is followed by the very traditional and very rich dessert called riz à l’amande.

And VERY important: the boss in the kitchen has put a whole almond in the riz à l’amande. The person who then gets that in her or his portion has won a special present – the “almond present”! Attention: If the family has young kids, the mother often cheats and gives each of them an almond too. If not, hell will break loose! The drinks for the dinner will either be beer or – more often nowadays – wine.

Now the next big moment comes: Somebody will go to the next room and light all the candles on the Christmas tree. The door opens – and the kids (and adults alike) will see the impressive tree “in all its might”. With all the presents underneath.

No, no – no presents handed out yet!

First, everybody has to dance around the tree. In a circle – holding each other’s hands. And singing a number of Christmas hymns and songs. Starting dancing in one direction and soon turning around and doing it the other way around. The children can hardly wait for the presents – but they (normally) do. Everybody trying to guess what is in the different nicely wrapped packages. Not least the big ones!

When this is done one of the kids will distribute the presents. One after one.

Everybody opens her or his gift right away and kisses “thank you” to the happy “donor”. Next present… With many family members, not least children, this “present operation” can take hours. But normally good fun. The very small kids are – before they are put to bed – normally more interested in the used wrapping paper than in their gifts. But as long as everybody is happy Christmas is a jolly good one.

All along the un-packing of presents all sorts of homemade cookies and different chocolates are at disposal.

It will be very late, before everybody will be in his or her beds. So next morning is a very late morning. Except for the children who wake up early to play with their new toys!

And except in my home, where my mother had her birthday on December 25. But this is a different story.

Cimbrians – who were they?

THE CIMBRIANS Who were they? Who are we?

“Kimbrer” is what I am. Or “Cimbrian” in English.What is that? Where did they come from? And where are they/we now? Listen: A “Cymbrian” belongs to a very brave and energetic tribe in the north of Denmark.

From the part of Jutland called Himmerland – or rather “Kimbrerland”.Our first appearance are traced back to several centuries before year 0. While the Romans grew stronger in the south of Europe we Cimbriansgrew bigger and stronger up north. Our symbol was – and is – a BULL. A strong one!

One sunny day – about 105 B.C. – our chief Cimbrian declared: “Let’s conquer Rome!!” Off we went – thousands of us.

Heading south. With men, warriors, women, children, animals, equipment – and a strong will. A colourful crowd, which got bigger and stronger and more determined as we approached the Romans.

One Roman Legion after the other was beaten up and destroyed. In the Gallic area (now France), in the south of Germany and Austria. The Roman Empire was in panic!

Also when they saw our Cimbrian warriors use their shields as huge sledges down the Alps! When the Cymbrian approached Rome from the north the last Roman legion under the command of Marius did nothing.

It let the thousands and thousands of Cimbrians pass. And the Romans were especially uneasy, when the Cimbrian worriors shouted at the passive Roman soldiers: “We will say hello to your wives in Rome, when we get there”!

But victories without defeats: all of a sudden the mean Romans attack from the back – where all the women and the children were. Thousands were tortured and killed. The Cimbrians were in total panic, and on that day – 101 B.C. – the Cimbrians were totally defeated. Rome was saved.

Only a few thousand Cimbrians managed to escape. Up north into the Dolomites!

And they are still there – or rather their descendants! About 70.000 of them – with fair hair, blue eyes and a language which certainly has direct links back to the language of the Cimbrians at the time. The place – about 50 km north of Verona – is called Ljetzan (or Giazza in Italian).I visited Ljetzan in April 2004. A beautiful place in a beautiful nature. And with a very nice CimbriMuseum – telling this story.

Have a look at this site:www.rcvr.org/cittaepr/cimbri/welcome Living history. Visit Himmerland (see:www.europetoday.com/denmark/himmerl.html ) -andLjetzan!

PS: A thousand years later many of the strongest VIKINGS sailed from Himmerland to conquer England and Normady.The descendants of the Cimbrians!

Cobbler – stick to your last This expression goes all the way back to Alexander the Great (356-323 BC). His painter at the court was called Apelles. He was known to exhibit his works in such a way that he – without anybody noticing him – could study peoples’ reactions. One day he changed a detail on a shoe on a painting to see the reaction from visitors. A shoemaker noticed the mistake. But when he continued his criticism of the way the legs were painted Apelles could not stand listening to him anymore. He said: A shoemaken should never judge anything but shoes. Later the expression has developed into today’s saying: Coppler – stick to your last.

Today this expression means that you should never talk about things you don’t know anything about.

How the world would change, if everybody followed that rule  Coffee Coffee is very old. It goes back to the 6th century AC, when a shepherd looking after his goats discovered, that his goats got very excited, when they were chewing the berries from a special tree. It took place in a place called Kaffe in Yemen in the south of the Arabian peninsular.

But it was only about 800 years later that somebody got the idea to roast the berries/beans and make a drink from them.

Coffee had been invented – and it got its name from the place called Kaffe (coffee, café).

Until then it was only grown in the south of Arabia and in Ethiopia. Later it was exported to many places like South America by the Spanish and Java in Indonesia by the Dutch.

At an early stage the Coffee Houses got a great importance as meeting places. Not least in the Middle East due to Islam’s prohibition against wine and alcohol. The first coffee house in Europe was started in Venezia in 1645, and the European coffee houses and cafés became very important as centres for political, literary and scientific discussions. The Coffee House was the place from where news was spreading, and many of the British Empire’s institutions have directly been founded in the coffee houses in London.

So when you next time visit a Café you are expected to think great thoughts and breathtaking plans for the future!

Danish navy). It actually started taking part in horse races in England. It lived for 28 years and died in 1836. It has its own memorial in the estate of the Wellington family.

Contrafactual history You can also call it if now history. A sort of speculative writing about the past. Trying to describe, what would have happened, if Sweden in 1659 had managed to conquer Copenhagen and thereby have occupied the whole of Denmark? Or if the Serbian student Gavrilo Princip in 1914 had not shot the Austrian-Hungarian crown prince? Or if Hitler had been killed as a German soldier in West Flanders during WW I? Or if the Romans had not been defeated in the Varus battle near Osnabrück in German in year 9 AC? There are no real sources to be used for this writing. On the other hand there are serious historians, who consider it to be of importance.

And many authors have also been writing contrafactual history. Sometimes close to science fiction. There are also several films in this area.

My own conclusion is that it is very good and often entertaining gymnastics for the brain, when you in this way without being too much disturbed by facts make history a result of your own imagination. And it is a good way to combine that with one's factual knowledge about how historical events and developments actually happen.

Copenhagen ( a horse ) This was the stallion, which the Duke of Wellington during the Battle of Waterloo – and also at other battles. It was born in 1808 and got its name to celebrate the British victory over Denmark in 1807 in Copenhagen (where they also took the

Coptic This is the name of the ancient Egyptian language, which written down with the Greek alphabet was preserved as the liturgical language in the Coptic church. It died out as a spoken language around year 1600. The name comes from the Greek word on Egyptian.

The Coptic church has about 2 million Christian descendants from the Antique’s Egyptians in Egypt, Sudan and Palestine.

Its patriarch lives in Cairo.

Cravat This was a special article of clothing for the neck in the 17th century in Croatia (before the necktie).

It was in particular used in the military.

The Croatian soldiers used it – also when they served in foreign armies like the French under Louis XIII (1601-43) and Napoleon.

In this was this special clothing from Croatia got the name Cravatte in French.

Today this is simply the normal word for tie. The same word with the same background is used in German (Krawatte).

The English word Cravat has, of course, the same origin. But it continues to refer to the special clothing used in the old days: A wide fabric band worn as a necktie by men, having long ends hanging in front.

Cruise holidays WHY CRUISE ?? !

1. because it’s a great way to travel and to see a lot of the world – also from a different angle 2. because it is wonderful to bring the hotel along everywhere – just do the unpacking once – and the rest is just Enjoy J 3. because it is fantastic to have full board – no cooking, not chasing unknown restaurants – just have the pleasure of being served delicious food and drinks 4. because the world – land and sea – always look differently and often more lovely from the seaside than when you come by car. And you will come to places you never would see from land 5. because it is a wonderful feeling to enjoy the ship floating on the blue sea or up and down rivers and in and out of harbours 6. because cruise ships – big and small – are all new and modern with all possible facilities and temptations 7. because you are free to do almost anything you like during the cruise – relax, do sun bathing, enjoy great views, read a good book, enjoy your own company or that of others, listen to lectures about the countries and places you are going to visit, be entertained in the ship’s theatre or bar, dance, take part in competitions ( and perhaps even win J ), enjoy the great food and wine, be active in the fitness centre ( on the big ships ), swim in the ship’s outdoor swimming pool or jacuzzi ( if weather permits ), find lots of places where you are completely alone. And much more. Only your own imagination sets the limits

8. because a lot of very interesting excursions with a local guide are offered in each location the ship arrives at. You can decide to join. Or you can make your own tour. As long as you remember the time of departure of the ship ! Or you can, of course, stay on board 9. because a medical doctor and health staff is on board to assist if needed ( on the bigger ships ) 10. because the staff on cruise ships are fantastic and very, very helpful – often from the Philippines or from Eastern Europe, but they could come from anywhere in the world. And they are many.

11. because the price for a cruise is normally low compared to what you get for your money and compared to what an onland holiday with full board will cost you 12. because cruises in OUR view ( based on until now six great experiences in many parts of the world and with many companies ) simply is the very best way of enjoying holidays Frequent questions from many people who never tried a cruise before: a) Do you have to like to sail ( at sea or on rivers ) ?

Yes, of course. But you don’t have to do any of the sailing yourself J b)

Isn’t it boring ?

Yes, if you are a person who is easily bored ( or boring ) L Otherwise not at all. You simply have SO many different things you can do that days, evenings and nights are more than filled up with lovely activities

c) Won’t you get fat and lazy from all the lovely food, wine and drinks ?

Yes, if you want to. But there is no forced spoon feeding ! You eat what and when you want. And it is not forbidden to do some exercise – on board or during the excursions.

famous, when he in 1915 was asked to deliver Danish for the wedding of president Wilson.

He also planned to “conquer” China and Japan in the 1930ies with his pastry. But he had to abandon his plans, as he suddenly became blind.

In other words: THERE ARE LOTS OF GOOD REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD TRY A CRUISE.

And finally it is interesting that the same pastry in the city of its origin, Vienna, is neither called Wienerbrød nor Danish. Its name is: Kopenhagener.

But be careful: You might become addicted!

Danish flag The Danish flag is the oldest flag in the world. It is more than 800 years old!

Do you know how it looks like? Here it is:

D Danish (pastry) The historical origin of this bread is Vienna in early 19th century. The bakers there made a special sort of bread called Kipfel.

Some of them brought it to Copenhagen, where is became common from around 1840. Towards the turn of the century a creative Danish baker called L.C. Klitteng decided to make it much lighter by adding a lot of butter. The bread was called Wienerbrød (bread from Vienna). This is to this day a very popular pastry in Denmark – with a lot of calories! The same word is used in French: Viennoise (though it is not exactly the same bread).

Baker Klitteng decided to make his bread known all over Europe and later all over the world. He named himself Advisor for Bakers and travelled the world. And he experienced a great success. His bread became popular everywhere. In The US it was – and still is – sold under the name DANISH (pastry). He became extra

It is called DANNEBROG. Danne means Danish and Brog means a piece of clothes (in the old days).

The story tells that Dannebrog was seen for the very first time, when the Danish king and his troops were fighting in a country called Estonia - not far from Denmark. It was in June 1219. A looong time ago.

Suddenly Dannebrog came down over the battlefield from the sky. And the Danes won!

It happened on June 15, 1219. The the birthday of Dannebrog is therefore each year celebrated on June 15. The day is also

called Valdemar's Day. Why? Because the king was called Valdemar. So remember to say congratulations to the Danish flag next year on June 15.

called KRISTMÅNED ( CHRIST MONTH ). Or CHRISTMAS MONTH.

But one important thing more: Until less than 200 years ago it was only the king, who was allowed to use the flag. Now everybody can use it! You can use it too!

warnings for the month of December:

And one very important thing more about the Danish flag: The law says that you can only put it up in the hamp at the earliest at 8 o'clock in the morning. And it has to be taken down at the latest at sunset in the evening. It may never be used outside during the dark night. And remember one more thing: when to carry the flag to put it up or after you take it down it is not allowed to touch the ground! So be very careful!

There is also a Danish song about the flag.

You want to hear it? Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkKTPiGwoc0

There are several old Danish weather

•

• •

A cold December with lots of snow will often mean that the next summer will be very good and fertile If December is very cold the harvest next year will be very good If the weather is good in the beginning of the month it will last until Christmas

If you look at the weather as it actually has been over the years you have a number of interesting weather records when Denmark is concerned:

December The name December comes from the word decem. This is the Latin name for the figure ten. The reason is that this month was the 10th month in the old Roman calendar, which originally was made by king Numa Pompilius around 500 BC. In this calendar March was the first month in the year.

This calendar was many centuries later replaced by the Gregorian calendar, where January is the first month of each year and where December consequently is month no.

12. This calendar was introduced from around 1580. It Denmark it happened in the year 1700.

In the old days this month was in Denmark ( and the other Nordic countries, I believe )

• • • • • •

1981: Coldest December: - 4,0 degrees in average 2006: Warmest December: + 7,0 degrees in average 1953: Highest temperature in December: + 14,5 degrees 1981: Coldest temperature in December: - 25,6 degrees 1890: Most dry December: 7 mm rain 1985: Most wet December: 140 mm rain

See more about the names of the 12 months:

http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/ori gin_months.html Denmark in Western Australia On the south coast of Western Australia you find a small town called Denmark. It is a famous local wine district. But it has nothing (directly) with Denmark in Europe to do. It has its name fron a medical doctor in the British navy, Alexander Denmark.

He was here with his ship in the beginning of the 18th century. But who knows...

Perhaps the good doctor has Viking blood  Dutch treat This expression comes originally from the rivalry between the English and the Dutch in the 17th century. The two nations and their people did not always talk nicely about each other. The English was of the opinion that the Dutch were always trying to avoid paying their share. They wanted to save their money.

This is perhaps not totally surprising. The Calvinist religion – to which many Dutch belonged and still belong – encourages people to save as much money as possible.

The more money you have when you die, the greater your chance is to get to heaven.

So why take the risk and use the money during one’s lifetime ?!

Nowadays the expression a Dutch treat often means, that everyone pays for himself, when you go together to a restaurant or a bar. You can also say: going Dutch. This has the same meaning.

In some cases Dutch people get offended, when they hear the expression. In other

cases they use it themselves to make a bit of fun.

E Endomondo NAME: ENDOMONDO - free GPS tracking of your sports activities MAIN FACTS: Short description 1. ENDOMONDO is a free service, which can track your physical activities like walking, running, cycling, etc.

2. The name ENDOMONDO comes from Endo = endorphins ( the stuff released in your brain during sports activities ) and Mondo = world. The world of Endorphins 3. ENDOMONDO was invented and started by 3 Danes ( ex-McKinsey people ) 4. The web site: www.endomondo.com 5. The vision of ENDOMONDO is to make it more fun being active and thereby motivate more people to do sports and other physical activities.

6. ENDOMONDO is free. And it is very easy to use.

7. You need a smartphone ( Android or iPhone ) with GPS service included 8. You download the ENDOMONDO app from the App market ( free ) 9. When the app is installed and you have opened it you are ready to start !

10. If you are walking, running or cycling you start ENDOMONDO at the

beginning of your tour – and afterwards you have a real-time GPS tracking of: • • • •

The distance you have made Your average speed, also per km ( also with indications if you were slow or fast on each lap of 1 km ) The calories you have burnt The exact route you have done shown on a map

In other words: You get a complete training log.

11. Your ENDOMONDO keeps your daily activities under HISTORY, where you at any time can go back and see, what you did when. And it can also show you your daily, weekly and monthly results 12. If you subscribe to ENDOMONDO’s free web site ( creating your own login and password ) you will be able to see your results – past and present – on this site. And on the site you can also see in real time, if some of your ENDOMONDO friends right now are out there doing some exercise 13. You can also via your Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo and other services, you might use, find out which friends are also using ENDOMONDO. You can invite them also to become your ENDOMONDO friend. In this way they can follow you in real time – and you can follow them.

And you can compete with each other – wherever you are in the world.

14. All collected information is strictly confidential – unless you decide yourself to show your results on your Facebook or Twitter account. This can be done very easily.

Now, just one point more: GET STARTED ! It’s fun 

Europe Day This is on May 9 every year, and it is caused by the fact that it was on this day in 1950 that the French foreign minister, Robert Schuman, in a speech in Paris suggested that a new and binding cooperation should be started among the European countries. A cooperation where the participating countries transferred some of their national sovereignty to a common authority. Why? Because this would according to Mr. Schuman once and forever make wars between the European countries impossible. The two key countries were France and Germany. They had fought numerous wars between each other – the latest one only five years earlier. The idea for such a new and pioneering cooperation was prepared by the French energetic and imaginative official, Jean Monnet. And then proposed officially by the French government.

Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg were positive right away.

And only two years later the first European Community, called the European Coal and Steel Community, started. This unique cooperation has since then developed enormously, and altogether 28 European countries are today members. More countries want to join. That is why EUROPE DAY in celebrated all over the continent on this day. In Belgium it is law that all public buildings must fly the European Flag today. More and more countries do the same European Flag Do you know what Europe's Flag looks like? Here it is:

It is blue with 12 golden stars in a circle. It was created in 1955 - sixty years ago.

Why is it blue? Because it symbolises the blue oceans and seas almost all around Europe. And perhaps also the blue sky above it.

And why 12 golden stars in a circle? The is a tradition from ancient Greece. They are a symbol for unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe. It always has to be 12 stars - not more, not fewer.

Each star is a 5-pointed star. And it has to stand on two "feet". It has to look like a person. If it stands on its head, that flag has been put up in a wrong way.

When you see a European flag next time, try to check that it is not put upside down!

The European Flag can be used by everybody. It is almost always used by European presidents and prime ministers, when they have a press conference or make a speech. It is also always put up in front of all European embassies and consulates all over the world.

And the flag is in particular used every year on May 9. Why? Because that day is Europe Day. A day when we all celebrate Europe.

In 2008 the French put the European Flag on the Eiffel Tower:

I hope you also like this nice flag !

Europe’s father-in-law He was king Christian IX of Denmark.

He lived in the years 1818-1906 and was king from 1863-1906. He came from the GlĂźcksburg family - which was related to the Oldenburg family, which had reigned Denmark since 1448. But as the last king of the "Oldenburgers", Frederik VII, had no children, Christian from the other branch of the family was asked to take over.

Christian IX had six children. And four of them got married into royal positions: Frederik VIII (1843-1912) as king of Denmark - succeeding his father, Alexandra (1844-1925) as queen of the United Kingdom, Georg (1845-1913) as king of Greece, and Dagmar (1847-1928) as zarina of Russia.

When the family had its frequent gettogethers at the castle of Fredensborg north of Copenhagen most of the royalty in Europe was there. That is why Christian IX got the nickname "The father-in-law of Europe".

Among today's royal families in Europe the following are in direct family relationship with Christian IX: queen Margrethe of Denmark, queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, king Philippe of Belgium, king Harald of Norway, king Felipe of Spain and grad duke Henri of Luxembourg. So you can say that "the father-in-law of Europe" has a long-term effect!

F Fata morgana

The name comes from the Latin word FEBRUARE, which means PURIFICATION. It was in this month that the Romans organised their purification parties. The main one took place on February 15.

This is an Italian expression. In its original form it was: feen morgana, and it referred to a preternatural creature, which was believed to create mirages. She was also the sister of King Arthur of the Round table.

Some people believe that the name rather comes from the pre-Roman Etruscan god FEBRUUS. But the one does not exclude the other.

The meaning of the expression today is still mirage or optical illusions.

The old Danish word for this month was BLIDEMÅNED. Blid normally means soft.

But in this case it meant light and white ( snow ).

Feather in one’s cap Feathers have in history always played a very important symbolic role. The ancient Greek poet Aesop (620-564 BC) talked in one of his tales about a crowe, which borrowed the feathers of a parrot to try to look better. And the soldiers in the Roman armies wore feathers on their helmets. This should sympolise that they were able to fly, just like the birds.

As time went by it became a habit that the more feathers you had in your cap the more important you were. They were a sign of your influence and rang.

A few hundred years it was a normal saying in English that nobody should wear a feather, if he hadn’t killed a Turk. Again: a symbol for something good (?) you had done.

Today the expression a feather in one’s cap means that you have got an honour you can be proud of.

February

Originally the Romans only had ten months in a year. The first month was March. The two winter months did not count. But around 713 BC king Numa Pompilius introduced January as well as February. In this way the year was more in line with the lunar year.

This calendar was many centuries later replaced by the Gregorian calendar, where February is the second month of each year.

It was introduced in Denmark around 1700.

See more about the names of the 12 months: http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/ori gin_months.html

Fifth column It comes from the Spanish civil war 193639. General Franco was about to attack Madrid with 4 military columns – attacking from north, east, south and west.

At the same time he organized that fascist

supporters inside the city were ready for fight and at the right moment go into action and attack the government forces from inside. They got the name the fifth column.

Later the expression was used about German spies, who under the cover of being journalists, scientists or business people were German spions in Germany’s neighbouring countries – ready to help, if and when German troops attacked the country they were in.

During the Cold War the expression the fifth column was used to describe the traitors, who for ideological reasons felt more attached to another country than to their own – and therefore were willing to give confidential information to the other country. The Soviet Union was very active in using citizens of other countries in this role.

people in Spain thought in the 16th century that the gypsies came from Flanders (including present day Belgium). It was under the Spanish king from 1556-1713. So perhaps there is some truth in it.

Flying Dutchman The origin of this expression is a legend from the 16th century. It tells about a Dutch merchant ship, which constantly sails over the oceans and never goes into any port. It is in particular seen in the seas around Cape of the Good Hope in South Africa.

Seeing this ship gives other ships a warning that an accident is coming up. The legend also tells that the ship is there as God’s punishment of the Dutch captain Vanderdecken for blasphemy.

The topic has often been treated in literature and other forms of art, including in Richard Wagner’s opera The Flying Dutchman.

Flamenco It is well known that flamenco is a lively Spanish song with guitar music, a forceful dance and loud clapping with the hands. It is in particular known in Andalusia in the south of Spain.

Today we would rather talk about a socalled ghost ship. This is a ship which is sailing without any crew. Such ships exist.

It is, though, not dangerous just to see them. It only becomes a real problem, if you run into them. And fortunately this happens very rarely.

Originally it was the culture of poor people. It goes back to the 16th century and comes from gipsy music and somewhat also from the Moorish culture, also after the Moors were thrown out of Europe by 1492.

Fox behind the ear

Flamenco is mentioned for the first time in 1774. And when the first Flamenco Café opened in Andalusia in 1842 it was no success from the beginning.

This is a very old expression from the Middle Ages. It is based on the popular belief, that people with very protruding ears are very sly. In German you use the expression: Etwas hinter den Ohren zu stecken (to hide something behind the ears).

Where does the word flamenco then come from? Flamenco – also today – in Spanish means Flemish. How come? Because

Already in the Antiquity fables were talking about the slyness of the fox. In the 17th century the fox became the direct

symbol of slyness. The Danish collector of fables, Peder Syv (1631-1702) found fables about having a fox in the sleeves (the sleeves at that time were very wide and easy to use to hide something in). Another fable collector got hold of a story in 1876 about a fox living behind a man’s ear, and it got seven puppies there!

Today the expression still means that a person is very sly and artful. You have to watch out, when you are dealing with him or her.

French visit This is an old expression in many countries such as France, England, Germany and the Netherlands. It meant that somebody came for a short visit, said something nonimportant and left without saying goodbye.

And it was at the time not considered to be bad manners.

In France and Germany the expression English Visit was now and then used with the same meaning.

French Foreign Legion This is part of the French army. It consists of enlisted soldiers, especially non-French citizens. It was created in 1831 in Algeria.

It played a major role in World War I. Its main base today is on the island of Corsica.

It is often used overseas such as in Africa.

You recognize soldiers in the Foreign Legion by their white Kepi (their headgear) and by their slow rhythm, when they march.

When you enlist in the Foreign Legion you get a contract for a number of years, normally 5 years at a time. In the contract period you cannot leave the Legion. And often you get a new name and a new identity. Both practices have been criticized.

It is the only part of the French armed forces, which does not swear allegiance to France, but to the Foreign Legion itself.

And if a member of the Foreign Legion is wounded in battle, he automatically gets French citizenship.

The Foreign Legion holds today about 8.000 men – coming from about 140 countries.

Today a French visit means that you make a very brief visit – and leave very quickly again.

G Gentlemen’s agreement This expression comes from a number of dinner parties in 1886 in the American finance magnat J.P. Morgan’s house.

Morgan lived in the years 1837-1913.

During these dinners (only attended by men) a number of very important agreements were made. They were not written down in a contract and were only based on the spoken word and mutual confidence on what had been said. They were called Gentlemen’s Agreements.

In Denmark (and probably also in other countries) you have another way of unwritten agreements. If you have made a deal (bought a horse or something else) the two people clash their right hands against each other. And that confirms the deal.

Gordian knot

This expression comes from Apollon’s Oracle in Delphi – the centre of the world in ancient Greece. The Oracle had predicted that the person who could undo a knot on the harness on a pole of a wagon in the temple of Zeus in Gordion would become the ruler of the world.

Then came Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) and solved the problem by cutting the knot with his sword. And he actually became the ruler of the known world at the time.

Today, the expression to untie the Gordian knot means that you solve a problem, which seems unsolvable.

Goulash barons During World War I the German troops were most of the time eating canned food, especially goulash in many forms. The soldiers called their kitchens in the field Gullasch-Kanonen! A large part of it was imported from neutral countries, including Denmark. And its quality was often very poor. And in those countries many people became very rich very quickly because of that export. Many of them were boasting with their money. So the word Goulash Barons is pretty negative. It was in many ways be compared with today’s Nouveaux Riches from Russia and China.

Go to Canossa Greek flag The background is the German emperor Heinrich IV’s fight with pope Gregor 7.

Heinrich governed in the years 1056-1106.

When the emperor at the Diet of Worms in 1076 fired the pope it started a very serious conflict. The pope excommunicated the emperor. A year later Heinrich decided to make an end to the fight by walking barefooted all the way to the pope’s castle in Canossa south of Parma in northern Italy. Here he had to wait for 3 days in winterly weather in the courtyard of the castle, before the pope forgived him.

The expression to go to Canossa became very much known much later, when the German chancellor Bismarck started a serious fight with the Catholic church in the 1870ies. We will never go to Canossa, Bismarck stated at several occasions. But through negotiations the conflict was brought to an end. And many asked themselves afterwards, if Bismarck in reality went to Canossa to finalise the conflict.

Today the term to go to Canossa means that you give totally in in a conflict.

It is called the "sky-blue-white flag". It has a blue and white cross in the upper left corner. And then it has 9 horizontal stripes: 5 blue stripes and 4 white ones. The top and buttom stripe is always blue.

The flag has in many ways looked the same, since Greece became independent from Turkey in 1821, almost 200 years ago.

The white cross symbolises the Greek ortodox religion, which for many centuries has been the religion in Greece.

The 9 stripes represent the number of syllables in the famous Greek phrase: Eleftheria i Thanatos meaning Liberty or Death. It was the motto of the Greek revolution 200 years ago, when they got their freedom after 400 years under Turkish rule.

Why is the main colour of the flag blue? It symbolises Most people know that it takes place on the blue Hellenic Sea. And the white colour October 31 in the evening. But what is the symbolises the restless waves coming on the sea (the history? waves which the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite came from according to the legend).

The name is an abbreviation of All Hallows' Evening, which is that night. The Others say that the blue colour refers to the blue tradition came with Irish and Scottish Greek sky and the white colour to the few white emigrants to America and goes back to the clouds on the sky.

Celtic Samhain festival. It is pronounced: sah-win. It was the celebration of the end of harvesting. And at the same time many Everybody has the right to use the Greek flag. It has people believed that the night between Oct. like all flags to be treated with respect.

31 and Nov. 1 was an overlap between the world of the living and the world of the The Greek national song also refers to the flag. Youdead. And that the dead on that night often can hear it and see the text in Greek and in came back spreading illness and English of this song here: misfortune. https://youtu.be/5VkPRU6C-JQ

Guests and fish smell badly on the 3rd day The expression comes from ancient Greece.

The first time it has been written down was by the Roman comedy author Plautus ( about 200 BC). He was often rewriting Greek comedies. In his book “The Boasting Soldier” he has this sentence: No friend is so welcome that he won’t be a nuisance after 3 days in a friend’s house.

And to combine this with the smell of halfrotten fish makes the point come clearer through. Everybody knows how that smells  Today the expression still means that you should always consider not to stay too long, when you make a visit.

H Halloween

The celebration took and still takes many forms. With playing tricks on other people, bonfires, costume parties and by lightening the so-called jack-o-lanterns. This is a very old tradition from East England, where people cut pumpkins or turnips into funny, often frightening, figures with a candle light inside. Perhaps it was also meant to try to scare the dead back to their own world again.

Halloween was until a few decades ago almost exclusively an Anglo-Saxon phenomenon. But now it has spread to most parts of the world, not least in Europe. Perhaps also encouraged by people, who expected it to bring good business !

And then finally: remember to have some sweets ready, when children in often scaring dress on Halloween knock on your door. If you cannot give them anything you risk they will never leave. Or perhaps they will say like the Salvation Army: Give me your money - or we will start singing!

Hamburger

Of course, the word is the name of the inhabitants in the city of Hamburg in Germany. But it is more than that.

It is the name of a special burger, a sort of sandwich, you can say. A piece of minced beef between two pieces of bread. It can take many forms, and it is normally hot, when it is served. There are many different types of hamburgers, of course. It depends on who makes them – and in what part of the world you are.

But the question here is: Where does the name come from?

The best known explanation is that it comes from New York at the end of the 19th century. Lots of Jewish immigrants arrived from Hamburg to the city. Many of them could not find any work. As Jews are often full of initiative some of them started the production of “fast food” – some beef between two pieces of bread. That dish was soon sold all over New York and became a huge success. And as the producers came from Hamburg it wasn’t surprising that this new lunch food soon was called a hamburger.

There are other explanations such as the story that it comes from the small town of Hamburg in upstate New York. A town called Hamburg (56.000 inh.) near the border to Canada. I do not believe in that explanation.

I believe more in a third explanation: that the hamburger is invented by a Dane, Louis Lassen. He was originally a mechanic, had immigrated to the US in the 1880ies and lived in the small town of New Haven in Connecticut north of New York.

After a few years he bought a railway car and started a small kiosk with food. And when a client one day came into the kiosk and asked for something to eat in a rush as he had to leave quickly Louis grapped a piece of meat and wrapped it between two pieces of bread. The hamburger was

invented. Louis claimed for the rest of his life that he in this way invented the hamburger. And his restaurant Louis’ Lunch still exists in New Haven and claims that it is the only restaurant in the world, which invented the hamburger and continues to serve it! Why is it then called a hamburger? Perhaps because Louis came from the small village Hamborg in the west of Denmark? This still has to be found out!

But enjoy your next hamburger with all this knowledge. If it is good and tasty!

By the way: a small not too serious thought linked to hamburger: We all remember, when president Kennedy during a visit to Berlin in 1963 ended his speech with the famous words: Ich bin ein Berliner! So why did Reagan never visit Hamburg?

How should he have ended his speech ?!

Hand on your heart This has since ancient times been a symbol of honesty. In the Middle Ages priests and women put their hand at their heart when taking the oath. But already in the very old times people in the north (Cimbrians, Vikings, etc.) put their right hand on the heart when meeting other people to show that they did not carry a weapon in that hand – that they were peaceful. This has later been replaced by holding out one’s right hand when saying hello. This proves that you do not carry arms in that hand.

The Americans put their right hand on the heart when the national anthem is played.

This is meant to show loyalty to the country.

Hocus-pocus

This expression has its origin in the bible: it is a distortion of the words from the communion: hoc est corpus - Latin for: this is my body.

games take place. At the end of the games the flame is extinguished again.

Honeymoon

It was many years ago in particular used as a swear-word. Later it changed to be used in relation to magics. The first time this was seen was in an English handbook on magics from 1634. It carried the title: Hocus pocus junior.

Today the expression hocus pocus is used when you do or show something almost like a magician. You make things happen almost out of nothing! Like many people think about the origins of the expression in Latin.

Holy flame This is the name of the permanent fire in the temples in the ancient times. It is known from many religions. To the ancient Greeks fire was sacred. They believed it had been stolen from the gods by Prometheus. In the Christian religion it is mentioned in the Law of Moses, where God asks Moses to ensure that the flame on the alter will burn permanently. From there comes the tradition with a burning lamp in Jewish synagogues. It is also known in the Catholic church.

When you see a permanent flame on monuments for killed soldiers in wars, f.ex. on the tomb of the unknown soldier under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, is comes from the same tradition.

The Olympic flame has the same origin.

Some time in advance of Olympic games a special ceremony is organized at the Mount Olympus in Greece. The flame is ignited by the beams of the sun, and a torch with the flame is transported over long distances, often by a runner, to the place, where the

The old English expression hony moone from the 16th century was the name for the very first days in the marriage of newly weds.

That was where they started their new life and probably also laid the ground for a larger family. In the early 19th century it became a habit for new couples (in the upper classes) in England that they went on a trip immediately after the wedding. They were often accompanied by family and friends on the trip. They either went to see family, who had not been able to come to the wedding. Or to other places. The French Riviera and Italy ( Rome, Verona and Venice) were the most popular places. In France the same habit started in the 1820’es (“English style voyages”). And in the socalled Belle Epoque ( 1871-1914) the honeymoon trips were in a way the start of mass tourism.

In Denmark honeymoon is called hvedebrødsdage (white bread days). Why? Because normally people in the old days only had rye bread to eat. In the days after the wedding they had the more expensive wheat breat or white bread for a few days.

Horse trading The original word horse-trading came from the big horse markets in the Medieval ages.

In other countries the same expression is referring to cows (Germany) or bullocks (Denmark). Why? Because there were bigger markets in those countries for cows and bullocks than for horses. In all these markets the trading often took the form of

farmers (or more often professional animal traders) discussed – often in a very lively way – the price and at the end made the deal by slamming their right hands together. This was the deal.

from Liège to Saint Hubert in the Ardennes on November 3, 825.

Hubertus made many rules about hunting, including the rule that you never shoot a female deer with kids.

Nowadays the expression horse trading is in particular used about political negotiations.

It refers to talks where each part often has to reduce its ideological or other demands in order to get a political deal. Among voters political horse trading is ofter seen as negative. But in reality it is a necessary and important part of politics in order to get results at the end.

There are good reasons why Hubertus is the patron of hunters. That is also why the so-called Hubertus Hunts take place on November 3. In some countries they are for practical reasons instead organised on the first Sunday in November.

By the way, Hubertus is a very busy man, as he is also the patron for matematicians, opticians and metal workers!

Hubertus' day Hubertus' Day - what is it? And what is the history behind it?

It is on November 3 every year - as a celebration of the transfer of the remains of Saint Hubertus from Liège to Saint Hubert in the Ardennes in Belgium in the year 825.

But who is this Hubertus?

He was born in a noble family in Toulouse in France in 658. Later on he was married to a noble lady from Brabant. But when she died giving birth to their child he withdrew to the forests in the Ardennes. He lived from hunting. The legend tells that one day when he was about to kill a deer he suddenly saw a crusifix between its antles.

And at the same time he heard a voice asking him to go to the bishop in Maastricht to get further orders. He did so and was called upon to serve God for the rest of his life. He did so, and at the age of 40 he became bishop of Liège. He died in Tervuren outside Brussels in 727 and was buried in Liège.

He was also called the Apostle of the Ardennes. That is probably why his remains as already mentioned were moved

I Indian summer The weather in September-October in parts of the northern hemisphere is called Indian Summer. The legend tells that an American Indian was late in harvesting, because he was ill. His family had no food, so he prayed to God, if he couldn't organise an extra summer. God arranged that. And the Indian could harvest.

This time of the year is in particular wonderful because of the very nice colours of the leaves on the trees and on the vines.

And Indian Summer in New England in the US is so beautiful, that people come from all corners of the world to see it.

Irene This name comes from the pious Irene, who lived in Saloniki (in present day Greece) in the beginning of the 4th century.

She was a Christian. Therefore, she was like other Christians persecuted by the Roman emperor Diocletian. And when the Roman soldiers discovered that she had Christian books and did not want to give up her faith she was together with her two sisters Agape and Chionia and all the books put on the fire in Saloniki in 304.

Before that they were taken naked to a local brothel. But nobody touched them.

The name Irene comes from Greek and means Peace.

J January The name January is named after the Roman god JANUS ( Ianuarius ). He was the god for all beginning. He is associated with door openings, town gates, etc. The gates to his temple in Rome should never be closed, when Rome was at war. Janus was equipped with two faces, an old and a new one. In this way he was able to look back as well as forward. The word itself comes from the Latin word for door: ianua.

The old Danish word for this month was GLUGMÅNED. It comes from the Danish word glug, which means peephole. You were looking into the new year.

The old Saxon name for January was WULF-MONATH – meaning Wolf Month.

Charlemagne called it WINTARMANOTH ( Winter Month ) Originally the calendar of the Romans had only 10 months. The first month of the year was March. The winter months were not counted. But about 713 BC king Numa Pompilius introduced January as well as February. In this way the calendar ran parallel to the Lunar Calendar.

There are a number of old Danish weather warnings for the month of January: • • • • • •

Heavy snowfall in January will give a good harvest Much rain in January will make the fields empty A dry January will make a dry July When January and February are mild March will be cold Strong winds in January mean a mild March A mild January will give frost in March and April

See more about the names of the 12 months: http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/ori gin_months.html July This month is named after Julius Caesar.

He was born on 13 July in year 100 BC. After he in 46 BC had become the ruler of the Roman empire, he implemented a major reform of the calendar. The Roman year had so far been based on the Moon Year starting on what is known today as March 1. The month of July was then called Quintilis, which is Latin and means the 5th month. Now Caesar based the new calendar on the Solar Year - starting on January 1. And he named the month of his own birth after himself, namely JULY. It is this so-called Julian calendar, which in 1582 was adjusted by Pope Gregory XIII. In this way we got the so-called Gregorian calendar we use today.

July is incidentally the name of this month to virtually all Germanic and Roman

languages: Juli (Danish, German, Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch / Flemish, Spanish); July (English); Juillet (French): Lugnio (Italian); Julho ( Portuguese); Iulie (Romanian).

In the calendar of the Vikings this month was called Ormem책ned ( The Month of Worms ). The previous month was called Hay Month and the one afterwards Harvest Month. Why Month of Worms ? Probably because it is just in this month that all sorts of animals crawl all over the place: Spiders, beetles, worms, snails, vipers, grass snakes, tadpoles, chicks, etc.

There are also some old Danish weather warnings attached to this month: Many white clouds in the sky provides a rigorous winter with lots of snow. And another warning: When July is warm and clear, Christmas usually becomes cold.

The so-called Hundedage ( Days of Dogs ) start on 22 July and last until 22 August.

They are normally the hottest part of the summer. And they have their name from the fact that the constallation Big Dog ( where you can find the dog star Sirius ) just in that period is closest to the sun. The myth says that it is the star which heats up the sun to higher temperatures than normal. The myth also says that it is during this period that meat becomes rotten , milk turns acid and the dogs become fierce and run away.

A special weather warning for the Days of Dogs says that the Days of Dogs will end as they start.

See more about the names of all 12 months: http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/ori gin_months.html

June The month of June has its name from the Roman goddess JUNO. She was the daughter of Saturn and married to Jupiter.

Together they had the children Juventas, Mars and Vulcan. Juno was the goddess for happiness in marriages. That is why people earlier believed that the month of June was particularly good to get married in.

Juno was also called the Queen of Heaven and of the Earth. And she was the goddess and protector of Rome and the Roman Empire.

There are no special old weather warnings covering the whole of this month.

People said, though, often in the old days: In June both heat and rain is what the farmer likes the most See more about the names of the 12 months: http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/ori gin_months.html

K Keelhauling This is the name of an old maritime punishment, which was used in many countries from the Middle Ages until around 1800. The guy who had to be punished had his hands and his feed tied, got a rope around his waist and was pulled from one side of the ship under the keel and up on the other side of the ship. It was in no way fun. Either he drowned because the rope was pulled very slowly. Or his skin was totally torn into pieces by all the sharp

shells which were always attached to the ships buttom. Or both.

Fortunately, the rules in human rights made an end to that sort of misbehavior from the side of the skippers!

Keep the pot boiling This expression has its origins in the works of the Greek sophist and collector of proverbs Zenobios (117-38). He worked for the emperor in Rome. He writes: If the pot boils the friendship will last.

Much later the English author Charles Dickens (1812-70) uses the expression to keep the pot boiling when he quotes young people, when they suddenly stof in the middle of their philosophical discussions.

Then the others present said: keep the pot boiling.

Today the expression is still used to say: keep going – continue. With what you are saying, doing, trying, planning, etc.

Köpenick event This expression comes from an event in 1906. A shoemaker in Berlin, Wilhelm Voigt (1849-1922) – former prisoner and a poor guy to look at – took in the German town of Köpenick outside Berlin the uniform of a military officer and behaved like a captain in the imperial guard. He commanded a group of soldiers to follow him to the City Hall, where they arrested the authorities and took the city’s money box with 4000 Mark. After that he disappeared. But he was caught quite quickly afterwards.

After two years he was pardoned by emperor Wilhelm and was freed from prison. He became a popular hero in Germany. Now he wrote a book about the

event. It was later also made into a film.

The event was used by Voigt and many others to make the Prussian authorities look like fools with their obedience to military uniforms.

When the expression a Köpenick event or affair is used now and then today it means that somebody makes fun of the authorities.

L Ladbergen This is small German town in NordrheinWestfalen - just between the cities of Osnabrück and Münster. In the centre of town you find a very old and very nice hotel called Gasthaus zur Post. Apart from having used it many times on our way to and from Denmark, then this Gasthaus is historically very famous. It was here the Thirty Years' War ended in 1648. Or more precisely: the peace negotiations between the protestants (from Osnabrück) and the catholics (from Münster) met here for the first time. The fact that the Gasthof is exactly 25 km from each of the two enemy cities was a good basis for the final compromise.

Later the Peace Treaty was sign in the City Hall in Münster.

Like a cat round hot milk This is an expression, which goes several hundred years back. In English literature it appears for the first time in 1855, and it becomes very much used very quickly.

The original meaning was, of course, that a hungry cat is very hesitant to put its tongue or paw into very hot milk. It does not want to burn it. On the other hand it does not

leave, because it continues to be very tempted. It walks several times around it and hopes for “cooler times”.

The sentence also got the present day indirect meaning that people are hesitant to do things they perhaps are afraid of or do not know much about. They postpone doing it for as long as possible. They hurry up slowly. But they normally do it at the end.

The saying Danish is not about milk, but about porridge – hot porridge.

M Magna Carta This old British Charter – also called the Great Charter of the Liberties – was signed on June 15, 1215 by king John and a group of rebellious English barons. The text was drafted by the archbishop of Canterbury.

Its purpose was to get peace between the unpopular king and the barons.

Now 800 years later there are still 4 copies of the original Magna Carta in existence.

One of them is in the cathedral in Salisbury – very close to where it was originally written. And in good British tradition big festivities are organized now and then to celebrate the Carta, its contents and its importance.

Marianne This name is used about France. It was started by the revolutionaries during the French revolution. It is mentioned for the first time in 1792. It symbolizes the republic – in contrast to the then very male dominated French monarchy. And it stands for liberty and reason. The name is made from the two most common female names in France at that time: Marie (Mary) and Anne.

The name Marianne is today still used by all French authorities. It has its own special logo:

The main articles gave protection of church rights, protection of barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations to feudal payments to the crown.

It other words: it was a charter, which concerned the king and the nobility. Not the population as such. It was renewed almost ever since, when new kings or queens took over.

Magna Carta is by many considered to be the start of parliamentary democracy – though it has very little to do with today. It inspired many initiatives much later such as the American declaration of independence and its liberties, the French revolution and later democratic constitutions.

It is also the Marianne figure and its meaning, which inspired France’s gift to the United States in 1886: The Statue of Liberty in New York harbor.

Marcus MARCUS’ DAY is April 25. The name comes from the evangelist Marcus (or Marc). According to the legend he followed the apostle Peter to Rome as his interpreter. After Peter’s crucifixion Marcus went on to Alexandria, where he was a bishop and later in 67 AC was killed

because of his faith. He was first dragged through the city with a rope around his neck.

Marry to the left hand Marcus was son of Maria. It was in her house the first Christian community met.

And it was probably also here that Jesus had his last supper.

In the 9th century Marcus’ bones were entombed in the Marcus Church in Venezia.

His symbol – the lion – is also the symbol for Venezia.

March The month of March is named after the Roman god for war, Mars.

In the old Roman calendar until 153 BC March was the first month of the year.

In the Nordic countries this month was called THOR MONTH – named after the Nordic god for wars, Thor.

A number of old Danish weather warnings are linked to this month: • • • • •

A mild January and an equally mild February will mean a cold March Thunderstorm in March will give snow and cold weather in April Much fog in March will give frost in April and a wet and chilly summer Swallows in March mean a warm summer March is never worse than it brings at least 9 good days

See more about the names of the 12 months: http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/ori gin_months.html

It means that a king could marry a normal, non-royal girl. The expression comes from the fact that the king at the wedding gave his bride the left hand. This was a sign that neither the wife nor their children would be heirs to the king. And the king could at the same time marry a royal woman.

In the Catholic church marriage to the left hand has been accepted for centuries, not only for kings, but also for noble men - and even for noble women, giving them the possibility to marry someone below their status. And without giving the right be heirs.

Concrete cases have been many, such as: 1. 1850: the Danish king Frederik VII and Louise Rasmussen (Countess Danner) 2. 1880: the Russian zar Alexander II and Eketarina Dolgorukova 3. 1900: the Austrian-Hungarian archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie von Chotek.

May The month of May has its name from the Roman goddess MAYA. She was the goddess for fertility and for nature.

In ancient Rome a big festival was organised every year on May 1. A priest had to sacrifice a pregnant pig in the honour of Maya. Maya was the daughter of Atlas ( the guy who as a punishment had to carry the firmament on his shoulders ). And she was married to Vulcan. Together they had the son Mercury.

In the Scandinavian countries this month was in the old days also called the FLOWER MONTHS

( Blomstermåned ). The reason was that nature “exploded” in May. Everything is sprouts and grows.

Way back in pre-Christian times the month was called Cuckoo Month. Why? Because now was the time when the cuckoo returned after the winter.

May is called more or less the same in all European languages: May ( English ); Mai ( German, French and Romanian ); Mayo ( Spanish ); Maggio ( Italian ); Máj ( Czech ); Maj ( Danish, Norwegian and Swedish ).

May is over the centyries also known for all its festivals. In Scandinavia people often selected a socalled “Duke of May” among the young men in the village. His job was to organise the festivals.

Children who are born during the month of May are in many countries something special. In England they are considered to be more wet than children born in other parts of the year.

And in Norway people consider children born in May as specially blessing children.

This expression comes from an event during the reign of the Roman emperor Vespasian (9-79 AC). He had decided to introduce a special tax on public toilets. His son Titus was strongly against it. Then Vespasian took a coin and put it under the nose of his son and asked, if it smelled.

When Titus replied NO the emperor said: And it is actually coming from the toilets.

After Vespasian the public toilets in Paris are actually often called Les Vespasiennes.

Today the expression money does not smell means that it is of no importance, where money comes from. Also if it comes from activities, which are more or less illegal.

Money is money is another expression. In other words: the expression money does not smell is not a very positive one.

Money is the root of all evil This expression comes from the bible. But it has been misquoted over the centuries.

St. Paul said according to the bible: The love of money is the root of all evil. And this is, of course, a very different story from giving money itself all the blame.

The meaning of the expression today is rather: don’t let money decide everything.

It is nice to have  But there are other values in life too.

Some old Danish weather warnings are connected to the month of May: • • • •

Movements in space If May is wet the barns will be full Frost in May will give a small harvest A warm May will not make the farmer happy Rain in May will give a good harvest and a dry June

Money doesn’t smell

Most people know that our Earth is turning around its own axis. Do you know with what speed? 465 meters per second.

But this is not our only move every second.

Our Earth is circling around the Sun with an average speed of 29,8 km per second.

And furthermore, our solar system, called the Milky Way, is also constantly turning around its axis. And it does it with a speed of 250 km per second.

So if you feel that everything is on the move, you are right! We are all moving – day and night – 280,3 km every second. So think twice before you next time say: Stop the world, I want to get off!

Terpsichore: Urania:

Murphy’s Law

And today you also use the expression: a man’s muses. This means that there are women behind him to inspire and encourage him.

It comes from England. We don’t know exactly, who this Murphy was. But it is certain that it refers to an Irishman (Murphy is a typical Irish name). This Irishman was electrician. And the English had no confidence in his technical skills.

Things always went wrong, when he tried to do something.

In this way the expression Murphy’s Law came to mean, that if anything can go wrong it will go wrong.

This is not nice or just to the Irish. But history and traditions are not always nice and just 

Muse This is a word from Greek mythology.

They were the inspiration for the Gods for innovations and discoveries in literature, science and arts. They were the source of knowledge.

There were 9 muses. They were all daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Each of them looked after a special field: Clio: history Thalia: comedy Erato: poetry of love Euterpe: song Polyhymnia: hymns Calliope: epic poetry

dance astronomy

Nowadays, you still see the connection between some of these names and a number of words linked to the 9 special fields.

N Neandertal men Just 12 km to the east of Düsseldorf you can visit your very old ancestor, the Neandertal Man. He is more than 60.000 years old.

The village is called Mettmann and is very close to the motorway (Autobahn) from Wuppertal to Düsseldorf). The valley is called Neandertal – created by the small river Düssel. It was named after the German writer and painter Joachim Neander (1650-80), who loved to come to this valley.

It was here that some workers in 1859 found human bones, which were examined by specialists. They came from human beings who lived there about 60.000 years go. They got the name the Neandertal Men. Afterwards the place where they were found was forgotten. And it was rediscovered only about 50 years ago.

Now you can visit a very interesting Neandertal Museum in the village. It illustrates in a very lively way the

development of mankind over thousands, even millions, of years. And the explanations are in German as well as in English.

A nisse is rather small, max 3 feet (90 cm) tall. He has a long, white beard, a red cap on his head, grey trousers, long stockings and wooden shoes.

See more here: http://www.neanderthal.de/en/ Nicotine It is no news today that nicotine is a stimulating substance in tobacco. But what is its origin? And why is it called nicotine?

Nicotine comes from a plant in the nightshade family. It is created in the root and accumulates in the leaves. It is addictive.

It has its name from the French ambassador to Portugal, Jean Nicot de Villemain. He had received it in 1560 from the Portuguese colonist in Sao Paulo, Luis De Gois. The ambassador sent immediately the plant and its seeds to the French king in Paris. And from there it was quickly spread all over Europe. People believed that by smoking it you could prevent a number of illnesses, in particular plague.

Nicotine was also from the 17th century used as insecticide.

So it is ambassador Nicot, who has given nicotine its name and also was instrumental in spreading it in Europe.

There were many consequences of the discovery of America!

And he is very nice, because he comes with presents. Like his cousin Santa Claus.

Where does he come from? They say that he is a descendant from the farmer many thousand years ago, who cleared an area in the forest and built his farm there. He lived and worked on that farm all his life. And he was also buried there, when he died.

The Nisse is his descendant. He lives on the farm – perhaps in the barn – and only appears in the winter. Most of the time the nisse is nice and friendly. But he is also hottempered and can become angry and make trouble. That is why you have to remember to serve him porridge on Christmas eve.

Before the nisse it was the Yule Goat, who looked after his tasks and handed out presents. Here he is:

Nisse - what is that? And what is the history behind it?

A nisse is a small creature in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland). He comes from way back in prehistoric times well before Christianity. And he always appears around winter solstice, December 21.

When Christianity came to the Nordic countries about 1000 years ago the Nisse was not very popular any more. People often saw him as ungodly. But he survived.

And after a few hundred years he was

again a welcome guest, when he around Christmas came with presents.

this calendar March was the first month in the year.

By the way, there are people who say that the word nisse is a pet name for Niels (or Nils in Swedish). I – Niels – think this is nice – on the condition that the nisse is nice and happy!

This calendar was many centuries later replaced by the Gregorian calendar, where January is the first month of each year and where November consequently is month no. 11. This calendar was introduced from around 1580. It Denmark it happened in the year 1700.

And why is a nisse called a tomte in Swedish? It is very easy to explain. The piece of land which the farmer cleared in the forest is called a tomte. So our Swedish friends have decided to let that be the name of our nisse. And that’s fine with me. And with the tomte, I hope!

In English you often call a nisse a pixie.

Noah’s Ark This is from Noah in The old Testament.

He was the constructor of the ARK, which he used to rescue his family, two pairs of all animals and a vine  from the Flood.

Historically it is likely that the Flood actually happened in pre-historic times, when the Mediterranean Sea broke though the Bosporus into the Black Sea. The Mediterranean was until then about 8 meters higher, so it is evident that the break-through was an enormous disaster.

The legend tells that Noah landed his Ark on the mountain Ararat. It lies at the eastern side of the present day Black Sea. November The name November comes from the word novem. This is the Latin name for the figure nine. The reason is that this month was the 9th month in the old Roman calendar, which originally was made by king Numa Pompilius around 500 BC. In

In the old days this month was in Denmark ( and the other Nordic countries, I believe ) called SLAGTEMÅNED ( SLAUGHTER MONTH ). Why ? Because the weather was now so cold that there were no risk in slaughtering the animals and salt the meat for the winter.

If you look at the weather as it actually has been over the years you have a number of interesting weather records when Denmark is concerned:

• • • •

1919: Coldest November: + 0,7degrees in average ( from +10,1 to – 16,1 degrees ) 2006: Warmest November: +8,6 degrees in average ( from +16,6 to – 6,7 degrees ) 1993: The lowest number of hours of sunshine in November: 19 hours 1989: The highest number of hours of sunshine in October: 99 hours

See more about the names of the 12 months:

•

http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/ori gin_months.html

If the trees do not let their leaves go this month, it will be a very cold winter

And if you look at the weather as it actually

O

has been over the years you have a number

October

of interesting weather records when

The name October comes from the word octo. This is the Latin name for the figure eight. The reason is that this month was the 8th month in the old Roman calendar, which originally was made by king Numa Pompilius around 500 BC. In this calendar March was the first month in the year.

Denmark is concerned:

• •

This calendar was many centuries later replaced by the Gregorian calendar, where January is the first month of each year and where October consequently is month no.

10. This calendar was introduced from around 1580. It Denmark it happened in the year 1700.

In the old days this month was in Denmark ( and the other Nordic countries, I believe ) called SÆDEMÅNED ( SEED MONTH ).

Why ? Because this was the month when the winter seed ( i.e. rye ) had to be sowed.

• •

1905: Coldest October: + 5,2 degrees in average ( from +14,6 to – 8,9 degrees ) 2006: Warmest October: +12,2 degrees in average ( from +20,5 to – 0,9 degrees ) 1976: The lowest number of hours of sunshine in October: 26 hours 2005: The highest number of hours of sunshine in October: 162 hours

See more about the names of the 12 months: http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/ori gin_months.html

And here is the old verse of this month:

Ottomans

Now you have to plough and sow the rye and fill up the casks with new lovely wine.

Now cold times will be part of our daily life, so a warming stove is just what I like

The Ottomans were the population of the huge Ottoman empire created in 1299 by Osman I – an empire which lasted more than 600 years. It was dissolved in 1922. It covered present day Turkey, large parts of Central Asia, the Balkans in Europe, and most of the Middle East and North Africa.

Its peak was in the 16th century following its conquest of Constantinople in 1483.

There are also a number of old Danish weather warnings for this month: •

October is bad tempered because the old summer has passed away

The Ottoman Empire was ruled by a Sultan with his seat in Constantinople/Istanbul.

The empire was to a large degree built upon slavery – all the way up to 1908. They were Eunuks, harem women, Janishars and normal slaves. In the 19th century about a quarter of the population in Istanbul were slaves. They were primarily taken from Christian areas, and many were sold to the Arabs.

The last part of the Ottoman Empire was split up in smaller countries after World War I, as the Ottomans had fought with the Germans – and lost.

The piece of furniture called an Ottoman is a special sofa without armrest and back. It was brought to Europe in the 18th century by the Ottomans.

P Paint the town red This expression comes from the US. Originally it comes from an IrishAmerican ballade, which says: the beacon hills were painted red. It referred to a tradition that the hills with the beacons were actually now and then painted red to signal that a big festival was about to start.

There is also proof that the expression comes from the Missisippi river. The captain of an old steam ship had big difficulties in competition with the new steam ships. One day he said to his crew: Paint her red, boys! From then on his business was very good again.

In German you talk about Rot anstreichen (to paint something red). It refers to the tradition that you make a red mark in your calendar/diary for days when some festivities are expected to happen.

Nowadays the expression to paint the town red is – as you know – still used. It means you are going to have a great evening out.

Normally without painting anywhere.

Pandora’s box This story comes from Greek mythology.

Pandora was a woman, who was rich and possessed a lot of valuable things. She was created by Hefaistos from earth and water.

She was considered to be the first ancestress of all women. When she got married, she received from the gods as a present a big box with food. She was in the first instance not allowed to look into the box. But she was too curious and opened the box despite the prohibition. This meant that all sorts of pains jumped out of the box and were spread to all people in the world.

In the bottom of the box only hope was left.

That is why people always have hope left, when everything else has gone.

Today the expression Pandora’s Box is used to describe that something unexpected may happen, if you do things with unpredictable consequences. In other words: if you open Pandora’s Box. Panic fear In ancient Rome people were of the opinion that a sudden loud noice – panicus casus, in Latin – often was made by Pan. He was a god in the Greek mythology - the god for shepherds and for wild animals in the mountains. He had horns, legs and a tale like a goat. He moved around on grazing-grounds and in forests. When people met him they were terror-stricken. Especially when they came to wake him up he made them really frightened. It gave them a panic fear. They panicked.

This is the historical, mythodological origins of the expression panic fear.

Its meaning today is a sudden fear, which people can hardly control.

Parkinson’s law The British historian Cyril Northcote Parkinson (1909-93) wrote in 1958 a book, where he presented his laws about how the public sector almost automatically grows and grows. One of the laws says: an official wants to increase the number of his subordinates, not of his competitors.

Another law goes like this: the officials create work for each other. That is why the number of officials increases progressively even if the work does not increase. It even does so if the number of tasks decreases.

And a third law: the budget costs increase without obvious reasons as progressively as the number of officials.

The term Parkinson’s Law has later become a often used concept, which means that the public sector grows and grows automatically. It is not a positive concept.

When somebody says that this is Perkinson’s Law he is of the opinion that things are going too far. And that something has to be done about it.

Peter Principle This expression tells that there is a tendency to promoting all employees beyond what their skills can manage. This naturally leads to incompetence and people being useless or worse in their jobs. The expression was in its most recent form described by the Canadian Lawrence J. Peter in 1969 (hence the name), The Peter Principle.

But already in 1910 Jose Ortega e Gasset wrote that all employees ought to be degraded to the level under the one they are actually working at. This would according to him give the best work.

To this description can be added – as others have done – that in such a situation (ruled by the Peter principle) staff often manages to manipulate with their incompetent superiors in such a way that they do not interfere in their work. It is often called Managing upwards.

As an old hand in the EU I wonder, if this principle still lives today  Place where the pepper grows To be sent to the place where the pepper is growing is a very old expression, which originally comes from France. They had – and still have – an area in the north of South America called Guyane. It has always had a very tough and unpleasant tropical climate, where nobody wanted to go. At the same time a lot of pepper is growing in the area. The name Cheyenne pepper is very well known. During and after the French revolution from 1789 prisoners were sent to Guyane to terrible conditions.

So the threat to be sent to the place where the pepper grows comes from that habit.

Today the expression is used in an indirect sense. If anybody tells you that he or she wants to send you there it is probably not one of your best friends. Or at least not any longer!

Platonic love The Greek philosopher Platon (427-347 BC) is in one of his dialogues praising the

highest form of love, which human beings can move up to from the lower, sensual love. It is the higher love, which according to Platon stimulates the ability to see the beauty of the soal and of one’s character.

From this praise comes the expression Platonic love – meaning the completely non-sensual love between man and woman.

Several philosophers claim that Platon has been wrongly interpreted in this way, and that he only thinks about the need for philosophical comprehension.

Today the expression Platonic love is still used in the first interpretation – a nonsensual, more physical love. They live in a Platonic way, as they say.

Play fandango Fandango is a Spanish dance for couples with guitar, castanettes or hand-clapping.

It is known from early in the 18th century and is a sort of Flamenco. It can be danced or be a song. And it can become quite wild and seducing.

When you use the expression that somebody is playing fandango it can also mean that he or she behaves in a wild way or is making fun. And if you hear the expression: do not play fandango with me it normally means: don't be too smart!

Plimsoller This name comes from a British politician Samuel Plimsoll (1824-98). He was fighting very actively against ships, which were not seaworthy (so-called “coffin ships”). They were sailing, often very much overloaded, because the owners wanted them to be wrecked. In this way they could cash in the insurance money. Plimsoll wanted to save British seamen from drowning due to these

circumstances. In 1875 he succeeded to have a law about it passed in the British parliament. This law made such ships unlawful. One of the instruments which was introduced was socalled load lines on the outside of any ship, so that you could see, if the the load was heavier than permitted. They are still in use.

In other words: the name a Plimsoller means a ship, which is not seaworthy. It’s a “coffin ship”.

Potëmkin wings This expression comes from Russia in the 18th century. Tsarina Catherine the Great (1729-96) had a governor-general in the south of Russia called Grigorij Potëmkin.

He lived in the years 1739-91. He was a dynamic officer, who was very interested in many things, including women (also the tsarina). When he in 1787 had to show Catherine around in his part of the country he contructed a range of artificial villages to give her the best possible impression. All houses looked nice and attractive from the street side. And they were filled with people, who looked very healthy and happy. The Tsarina should get the impression that his region developed very positively under his leadership. But behind the front walls everything was like before: depressing and underdeveloped.

When you today talk about Potëmkin Wings you refer to the fact that things are not always as they pretend to be at first sight. The “decorated reality” does not correspond to the real reality.

Pour oil on stormy waters

This expression comes from the monk and priest Beda. This was what he suggested a young priest to do, when a storm was about to start.

Today the meaning is that you try to calm down a situation of anger and excitement.

Beda was a monk and priest, who worked in England around 700 AC. He was born in 672 in Northumbria. Already at the age of 7 he started at a monestary. Later he was also an author and a poet of psalms.

And it was him who suggested that our calendar should start with the birth of Jesus.

It was also Beda, who wrote a lot about religion in England before Christianity.

Beda died in 735 – 53 years of age.

Q R Red thread You say: A red thread goes through it! This is an expression which comes from the Royal British Navy. For centuries it had a serious problem about its ropes being stolen. And nobody could trace where it had gone. That is why they started to weave a red thread into all new ropes. This made it much easier to find the thieves and to bring the ropes back to the Navy. This method is still in use. And it has been further refined in the sense that each Navy base has its own colour of the thread. The same method was used by the Danish Navy until 1900.

The expression a red thread through something means today that things are coherent.

Referenda REFERENDA Brief analysis of problems related to referenda 1. Calling a referendum can be seen as a failure of the representative democracy.

The elected politicians give up taking a decision and throw it to the voters 2. But when the referendum has decided ( especially when it’s a NO ) it is NOT the populations, which negotiate the follow-up. In other words the voters have no responsibility for what happens next. They have sort of a “free ride” 3. It is also a major problem that most questions which so far have been put to referendum (treaties, etc.) are too complicated for voters to decide. Not because they are stupid or ignorant – not at all.

But because many very important parts of the questions never appear to the voters. They “drown” in the energetic fight between the NOs and the YES people. The debate most often becomes almost a one-issue debate for all parts. The elected politicians can be expected to have a more detailed information and view, before they take their decisions. This is what the voters can and should expect

4. Referenda hardly ever deal with what the real issue is.

People vote as a sort of “mood” strongly influenced by their actual view on the government. If they dislike it for totally other reasons they will tend to vote against the proposal of the government – whatever is in it. Referenda are more monitoring a “Mood” that a rational decision on the question which has been put forward.

5. Furthermore, experience from many countries shows that a political confrontation in a referendum campaign will split public opinion for many, many years to come.

The debate is so tense and emotional that people (whatever their views are) tend to stick to their often one-track attitude – whatever happens in the future. The nation will be split for a very long time. A serious and nuanced debate on the issues will be very hard to get.

6. Finally, for these reasons it is certainly worth discussing, if referenda are the highest and most democratic form of decision-making. They are often seen like that. My view is that they are not. A well functioning representative democracy is. Referenda CAN perhaps be used with reason on single and often very emotional issues like abortion, voting rights for women and the minimum age for voting.

Roskilde Peace Treaty of 1658 The peace treaty between Denmark and Sweden was the biggest loss of territory for Denmark ever - and the biggest gain for Sweden. In 1657 the Danish king Frederik III had declared war on Sweden. He wanted to win the areas back, which Denmark had lost at the peace in Brømsebro in 1645 (Halland, Øsel (now part of Estonia), Gotland and the central part of Norway).

The Swedish king Karl 10. Gustav was in Poland with his army. He reacted immediately by taking his 7.000 men army up through Jutland, walk over the ice (it was winter time) to Funen and from here further east also over the frozen sounds reaching Zealand. King Frederik panicked and asked for peace negotiations right away. The Swedes started with demands for a lot of land, incl. most Danish islands.

But after some days they reduced their claims. A peace treaty was finally signed in the cathedral of Roskilde in February 1658.

Denmark had to hand over big parts of the country ( Skaane, Halland and Blekinge which today are the southern parts of Sweden). The treaty has the name: The Roskilde Peace Treaty. When the Danish chief negotiator was about to sign he said: I wish that my hand couldn't write!

King Frederik was so sadden by the loss of big parts of his country that he asked all windows towards the east in his castle in Copenhagen to be walled up, so that he no longer could see his old lands. And a couple of years later he introduced an absolute monarchy, depriving the noble men of the power they so far possessed. The royal dictatorship lasted for 188 years - until democracy finally also reached Denmark in 1849.

S Saint Nicolaus December 6 is called NICOLAUS’ DAY. It is named after bishop Nicolaus of Myra.

Myra was an ancient city in Greek Anatolya at the south coast of present day Turkey. The small town of Demre can be found at that place today. Nicolaus lived in the 4th century AC. The legend tells many stories about him. One is that he once during a sea voyage in a heavy storm managed to make the waves go quiet and thereby save many seamen in danger. He also did a lot for poor children. And he lived a very active Christian life. He dies around the year 350. And many pilgrims visited his grave afterwards. The town of Demre still has a Christian church with the name of St. Nicolaus Church. It has just been renovated.

In the year 1087 people from the city of Bari in the south of Italy decide to find Nicolaus’s grave in Anatolia. They find it and bring his relics with them back to Bari.

They are still here. You find them in the St. Nicolaus church in the center of the city.

Nicolaus is the patron for children, seamen – and lawyers.

At the same time he is the model for Santa Claus. He is the man who brings presents to the kids – either today at St. Nicolaus’ Day, or at Christmas eve on December 24.

The habits are different from country to country.

Saint Patrick’s Day It is March 17, and it is Ireland’s national day. Why? Because it has its name from the country’s first bishop Saint Patrick,

who died 76 years old on that day in 461 AC. He was born in Roman England andcame to Ireland to introduce Christianity. The legend tells that he used the 3-leaved shamrock to explain the holy trinity to the Irish pagans.

This green shamrock is carried by all Irish, in particular on Saint Patrick’s Day. And it is also the reason why Ireland and the Irish often are linked to the colour green.

The day is celebrated by the Irish all over the world. And it is the only national day in a country outside the US which every year is celebrated by a big reception in the White House in Washington – and with most Irish top politicians as guests of honour.

Sandwich We all know what a sandwich is: two pieces of bread put on top of one another and with some nice stuff like meat, cheese or salad in between. But do you also know the origin of the word? Where does it come from?

The Earl of Sandwich ( a place in Kent in south-east England ) was in the 18th century a gentleman called John Montagu. He lived from 1718 to 1792. He was the 4th Earl of Sandwich. He was a very active and very well respected politician, and he had several ministerial posts at his CV. But he was also a very active card player. He played with his friends as soon as he had time. And he was so dedicated to his play that he did not want to interrupt playing

just because of a meal. On the other hand he did not want to make the cards dirty or filthy with remains from the food. So he asked his waiter to prepare one or several breads (two pieces of bread with stuff – for him: normally meat - in between). Then playing and eating could go very well together.

The Sandwich had been invented!

Some people with less interest in and respect for playing cards have invented the “spin” that it was during his long hours at work that he asked for “sandwiches” from his staff, so that he could eat without making the king’s papers dirty with all sorts of food  September The name September comes from the Latin word Septem, which means seven. This month was the year’s seventh month, according to the old Roman Numa calendar. The years began on March 1. In our contemporary calendar this month as we know is the 9th of the year.

The old Danish name for this month is Fiskemåned ( Fish Month ). The reason was now that the fishermen caught the fat autumn herrings, which were salted and stored for the winter. These herrings were also a welcome product for the fast period in the Catholic countries. The scale of the export of these fat autumn herrings was the economic basis of Denmark's position as a superpower in the 17th century.

September also had its own specific verses in the old days in Denmark: Now, the farmers can treat the grain, And the fishermen catch the herring fresh.

Lard I like much to eat and lovely sheep's milk and goat's milk too.

The old Danish weather warnings also have something to contribute to September: • It will be a mild weather at Christmas, if the migratory birds have gone before September is over • Thunderstorms this month promise a cold Christmas with a lot of snow • Many acorn on the oaks warn about snow and cold weather at Christmas There are two so-called Tycho Brahes Days this month: the 16th and the 18th.

The day’s length in Denmark decreases by 2 hours and 16 minutes during the month.

The lowest temperature in September was measured in 1886 and was at minus 5.6 degrees. The highest temperature was measured in 1906 and was at 32.3 degrees.

The rain for the whole month has been between 18 mm (1947) and 162 mm (1994).

September 23 is autumnal, i.e. that day and night are of equal length.

Finally, in September that migratory birds fly south. And the eels begin their long journey to the Saragossa Sea near Latin America.

See more about the names of the 12 months: http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/ori gin_months.html

Seven sleepers day June 27 is called SEVEN SLEEPERS’ DAY. It comes from the legend about seven Christian brothers, who were hiding in a mountain cave to get away from the soldiers of the Roman emperor Decius.

When they were discovered the soldier blocked the entrance to the cave to make sure that the brothers would starve to death. When some shepherds two hundred years later ( 447 AC) found the seven brothers they woke up again due to the fresh air. After that they could happily die (again), when they found out that Christianity in the meantime had won.

Old Danish weather warnings for this day say, that rain on seven sleepers’ day will bring a wet harvest – and sunshine on this day is a warning of sunshine during the coming weeks.

Silence is gold This expression goes all the way back to Ancient Egypt. It later appeared in an English bible from 1382: Silence is maad in heuen (made in heaven).

The English poet Thomas Carlyle wrote about it in 1831 – inspired by German sources. He presents a long praise of silence and all its virtues. Such as: speech is of time. Silence is of eternity.

It seems that the well-known phrase Speech is silver and silence is gold (Sprechen ist Silbern, Schweigen ist Gold) comes from Switzerland.

In a religious context it is still practiced in a Belgian monastery. New monks are not allowed to say a word the first five years.

They are expected to pray and to brew beer (and drink it in between). So it must be quite a challenge to keep totally silent after a couple of mugs of great, strong beer!

The expression Silence is gold is often used today to tell talkative people that saying

nothing is often preferable to speaking.

Whether it helps is another matter 

Sisyphonean labour The Greek poet Homer (about 8 centuries BC) tells in the Odyssee about the Greek king Sisyphos. At a certain moment he has to suffer for his many sins, including his frequent excitements. He is, therefore, asked to roll a big stone to the top of a big mountain. Just before the top the stone rolls back each time. So he has to start all over again.

That is why the expression Sisyphonean Labour today means very hard and very useless work, which does not give any results.

Skagen 1. Skagen – the top of Denmark, the landscape of light. Why is there significantly more sunshine there than in most other parts of Denmark? Because the town and the whole area is surrounded by water on three sides and therefore is like an island. There is too little land to warm up the air, so it can move upwards, be cooled down and give rain. The same phenomenon exists in Veddinge Bakker and on the Baltic island Bornholm.

2. History: The Skagen Peninsula was 4-500 years ago covered by grass, and the area was producing horses, which were sold for use in wars in foreign countries. There wasn’t mush fishing at that time. There were lots of trees. But when the population started cutting

the forests (for ships, firewood and for making more areas with grass) a catastrophy started.

The sand took over very quickly. In 1795 the old red church in Skagen had to be definitively closed, the furniture removed together with parts of the walls. What was left was the font, the walls up to 1 ½ m and the church tower. The tower was later painted white and used as navigation mark. The new church was built in New Skagen much later. The railway came to Skagen from Frederikshavn around 1900, and the harbour was opened shortly after. A regular road to Skagen was only ready in 1932 !

3

The original Skagen, Gammel Skagen (Gl. Skagen) or Højen (in the local dialect: Høwi) is today to a large extent influenced by tourism, not least at the 3 previous seaside hotels (Jeckels, Traneklit and Skagenklit), which now are modern time-share apartments. It gives life and activity to the area all year.

Ruths Hotel has been totally modernised in 2004 and is now one of the country’s best hotels, not least the restaurant and the brasserie.

Jeckels was built as a seaside hotel

by Rudolf Jeckel at the end of the 19th century. It existed for many years as an illustrious hotel with thousands of guests from around the country, not least from Copenhagen. Prime Minister Stauning (in the 1930ies) was a frequent guest. This meant smoking big cigars and drinking good aquavit in the nice salons!

New Skagen started existing with the development of the fishing fleet and with the big state habour. It was also here that the famous Skagen painters lived and worked.

The drawback with New Skagen is that you now and then meet an awful stink (often from semi-rotten fish). This never happens in Gammel Skagen.

4. About visits to Skagen: try to avoid the school holidays. Then EVERYBODY will be up there. Queues everywhere (of cars and people) – children making a lot noice in the remaining places.

Apart from that all seasons are Skagen seasons, incl. the winter.

5. Ideas for activities in Gammel Skagen : Solnedgangskiosken (the “Sunset Kiosk”) has a fantastic position. If the sun is viewable you can find no better place to see the sunset. Hundreds of people assemble at this place every evening. It almost gives the impression that the sea is boiling, when the sun slowly disappears.

Sømærket (the nagivation mark on the top of the dunes) behind Ruths Hotel gives a fantastic view in all directions. Also in the evening with a fantastic sky of stars and with the ships, which slowly pass by at the sea. How can you in the dark see, in which direction a ship is sailing?

Easily. The lowest light is always in the front of the ship. Or said in another way: if the two lights on the ship are vertically above each other you’d better get away very quickly. Because then the ship is coming right towards you!

6. About swimming in the sea : you can go bathing just outside Gammel Skagen. Be careful about undercurrent. It is much better to walk the couple of km to the other side of the peninsula at the Kattegat side to go swimming.

Quiet and nice.

7. The beach : go for long walks along the beaches. See how it changes every day. You can also walk on the prepared footpaths in the dunes. A free superb idea: take a walk along the coast via Grenen! Start in Gammel Skagen in northern direction. Pass the white lighthouse, go to the very top of the peninsula and go back along the east coast, via the harbour (time for a hotdog and a cold beer!), further south passing Klitgaarden (former royal summer house, now used by artists and researchers), then walk via the church sanded up in 1795, and back to Gammel Skagen. The distance is 23 km , and it takes about 5 ½ hours. In all ways a fantastic experience!

8. Other walks or tours on a bike : Try Flagbakken (between the main road to Skagen and the “hidden” church). Fantastic view over both seas. And a regular meeting point for ornitologues, because lots of migratory birds pass by here. Especially birds of prey.

Take a stroll to Klitgaarden, which was built in 1912 as the people’s present to King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine. A few years ago the royal family sold the property. It has now been reformed into a socalled “Refuge”, where you can rent a room if you are writing a book, doing research, painting, etc.

Inspiring surroundings just at the coast of Kattegat.

Concerning bikes: you can rent them in the shop Skagen Cykeludlejning in New Skagen and on the Youth Hostel in Gammel Skagen.

9. Skagen Naturcenter : This is a MUST. You find it right north of New Skagen near the radar station (which by the way will disappear soon). The architect behind the Centre is Jørn Utzon (the “father” of the Sydney Opera) and is VERY impressive. It tells via films, plates and interactive media everything about the Skagen peninsula. You can even say hello to a real live viper from the area!

The skilled staff of the Centre is happy to give further explanations about it all. The Centre also has a nice restaurant.

10. Grenen is, of course, an absolute MUST. Every year it is made ca. 10 m longer with sand, which the North Sea brings from the west coast (around Gammel Skagen and south of it).

There are 65 km from Grenen to the Swedish coast, so you can calculate, when Denmark again is connected with Sweden!

The look of Grenen changes all the time – also the beach on the way out there. Seals are also living in this area. In the summer of 2004 we met a young seal, which was very cute and very curious – not scared at all.

And remember that Grenen is NOT Denmark’s most northern point. You find that close to

White lighthouse – to the west of the Skagen Naturcenter and the radar station.

11. In New Skagen there is a lot to see.

Skagen Museum, of course, with all the lovely Skagen paintings. Anchers Hus near by.

Drachmanns Hus in the other end of town (with special Drachmann evenings in the summer season). The yellow church (built by architect Ulrik Plesner) is worth a visit. So are the fishermen’s houses at the harbour – built by architect Bindesbøll. At the part of the harbour closest to the sea you should visit the new art gallery called “Katedralen” (in the buildings of the shipyard Karstensen).

A group of very skilled Russian painters from St. Petersburg has their exhibition here – most of their works done in Skagen. An exhibition where you can buy the paintings. A nice and different experience.

12. Shopping : Try the new “Torvet” – a building next to the City Hall in direction of the harbour. Here you can buy many different foods and drinks like fish of all sorts, wine (good ones), very nice home made bread, etc. The butcher Munch on the main street (near Anchers Hus) is one of Denmark’s best. The cheese shop on Havnevej can be recommended strongly – for the many different cheese sorts ( try the “Klemensker” from Bornholm) as well as for the very special rye bisquits from Jutland. Much better than the better known bisquits from Bornholm. If you want to shop in a supermarket go to

“Superbrugsen” in New Skagen or to “EuroSuper” on Nordsøvej.

13. Eating out : “Pakhuset” on the harbour front in New Skagen is the best around there.

Outside (in the summer) as well as inside (all year round). “Bodilles Kro” is very good, if you want very special Danish food, including fish of all sorts. The Italian restaurant “Toscana” on Havnevej is also worth a visit.

In Gammel Skagen the new restaurant on Ruths Hotel is second to none. No cheap buy – but still.

“Sømærket” is really good and nice. So is “Jeckels Café”.

If you are looking for a bar, then go to “Hyttefadet”s bar with sand on the floor. “Skaw-Kroen” on Havnevej in New Skagen is also special. Not least because it offers beers from around the world, including the best ones – the Belgian beers!

If you just want to enjoy an afternoon coffee you should go to “Strandhotellets Café” in Gammel Skagen. Make your choice among their very tempting pastries. But don’t go every day!

14. Excursions : Lots of possibilities, especially if you have a car. Just a few to be mentioned ere: The North Sea Centre in Hirtshals. The Eagle Centre in Tuen by Aalbæk. Raabjerg Mile ( the biggest moving dune in the world). Kandestederne (you can also walk to there From Gammel Skagen along the sea). Skiveren (the summer address of former Danish

Prime minister Jens Otto Krag).

And much more.

Storm in a tea cup Solomonic solution A salomonic solution is a solution, which is clever and just. It tries to look after the interests of both parties in a conflict or discussion.

The expression comes from the biblical king Solomon, who was born around 1000 BC, and who was one of the sons of king David. He was king in Israel in the years 970-928 BC. And according to the legends he built the first temple in Jerusalem.

King Solomon has always been described as very wise and clever. That is why his name is used in the expression a solomonic solution. A solution which unfortunately often is rarely seen.

It is a very old Roman proverb. Cicero (106-43 BC) quoted it in this way: He started a storm in a small spoon! Later the French political philosopher Montesquieu (1689-1755) used the expression Une tempête dans un verre d’eau. Directly translated: A storm in a glass of water. He used it to describe political instability in the mini state San Marino.

The expression was in English, of course, made to: a storm in a tea cup.

The meaning of this expression was then and also today that something which perhaps gives the impression of being important is in reality of no real importance.

T SOS This is from 1908 the international signal which is used - in particular by ships - in an emergency situation. In the morse language it is very simple: . . . - - - . . .

It can, of course, also be used as a light signal.

See this small YouTube video on how it sounds and how it looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=MKZ6rlqu-pg A popular interpretation of it is either SAVE OUR SHIP or SAVE OUR SOALS. Both make a lot of sense.

The SOS signal was in use until 1999, when is was replaced by: Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.

Taste blood This expression comes originally from the world of wild animals. It is well know that when a lion, a tiger or a panther bites another animal to eat it it gets even more wild and energetic from the moment it can taste blood. This is more or less an automatic reaction. A cat reacts perhaps the same way when it can taste the blood of a mouse.

When you say that a person tastes blood you mean that she or he is getting extra energy – getting really focused on finishing a job or a task.

Tobil The Danish film guru Ole Olsen (18631943) started the world’s first film

company. It happened in 1906 and was called Nordisk Film (Nordic Film Company). It still exists. So Ole Olsen actually started before Hollywood. He was in general a very energetic innovator and was always ready to try new things. And all this despite the fact that his years in school were catastrophic. He left school at the age of 10 and was word-blind. He has big problems about writing and spelling. To read about him and his life is very interesting and encouraging.

Of course, he was also very interested in one of the most important innovations of his time: the car. Or the automobile, as it was called. The first one was invented by the German engineer Karl Benz in 1886.

The start of the Mercedes-Benz company.

As soon as it came to Denmark Ole Olsen was one of the first owners of it. He loved to drive it. As far as we know he was not very good at driving it. But he was driving fast. And as soon as a new model was presented Ole Olsen bought one right away.

siege of Troja in Asia Minor. Then they built a huge horse of wood. A number of Greek soldiers were hiding inside the horse. Then the Trojans were tempted to bring the nice horse inside their city. And during the night the Greek soldiers came out and conquered and ravaged the city of Troja.

The expression a Trojan horse is, therefore, since used to describe a special war trick.

The same method was used by some prisoners in a German KZ camp to get out of the camp hidden in a big box.

The indirect sense of the expression means that you use sneaky, hidden methods to obtain what you want.

In the Internet world a Trojan horse is a small programme, which looks useful, but which in reality risks destroying a lot in your computer.

Troy But the funny thing about his relationship to cars was that he had his own name for them. He called each of them: TOBIL. Created from the word automobile.

Troy, also called Ilion, was a town in Ancient Greece. It was build at the shores of the Dardanelles. Today it is just a hill with ruins.

If this special name came about due to his word-blindness or because he liked his own name for cars, is not known. A fact was that Ole Olsen was very often seen in his TOBIL with great speed on his way from his home in Copenhagen to his summerhouse about 100 km away on the island of Zealand.

In the old days the city’s place at the entrance to the Black Sea was very important, also for trade. This was probably the reason for the Trojan War – as it is described the Iliad by Homer. The German archeologist Heinrich Schliemann re-found the city in the years 1870-90.

Trojan horse

Altogether 7 layers of different cultures from different times have been found on the spot.

It comes from ancient Greece. The Greek poet Homer ( 8th century BC) writes in his book The Odyssee about the 10-year Greek

Throw down the gauntlet

It comes from the Medieval Ages. In the tournaments of the knights a knight would throw his gauntlet in front of another knight to challenge him in a duel.

Before that tradition a gauntlet (a glove) had for centuries been the symbol of a hand – which again was the symbol of a person.

Today the expression to throw down the gauntlet still means to challenge somebody.

Not in a duel, but in a more peaceful way.

The expression is sometimes changed into: to throw the gauntlet into the ring. This is wrong. It should be to throw the towel into the ring. This means to surrender, to give up. So this in a way is the opposite of throwing down the gauntlet.

Tycho Brahe Days These are 32 special days throughout the year selected by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in the 17th century. He selected them on the basis of his calculations and considered them to be particularly unfortunate. ( Good old nonsense  )

U V Valentine’s Day Most people know that it is February 14.

But few are aware that at least three men have contributed to the name. They were all catholic priests and were killed because of their faith.

The first Valentinus lived in the 2nd century AC. He was born around 100 AC in the area near the Nile delta and got his education in Alexandria. He became quickly a follower of the Christian Theudes, who had been one of the apotle Paul’s followers. Later he founded a special Christian movement, the Gnosticians, which had great influence in the early Christian church for more than 600 years. It spread out through Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. I was based upon “mystical knowledge” and on “how Chritianity should have been”.

Valentinus moved to Rome and was offered to become bishop, but declined. The Catholic church after a while took distance to Valentinus, as he did not follow the official doctrines. Later he moved from Rome to Cyprus.

Here he ran into conflicts with the Roman authorities, as he cured the blind daughter of a judge and made to whole family Christians. He was put into prison and beheaded in 160 AC. The second Valentinus is perhaps a legend.

The roman emperor Claudius II ( 268-70 ) ordered his soldiers not to marry. Still the priest Valentinus continued to marry them.

He was arrested and killed on February 14.

The Catholic church made him a saint in 496 AC under the name Saint Valentine.

The third Valentinus was bishop in Rhaetius ( present day Tirol in Austria ) and was beheaded around year 470 AC. It is probably the second Valentinus who has given name to the Saint Valentine’s Day tradition, which started in the US. Lovers Holiday, it is also called. In the US alone more than 200 million Valentine postcards are sent on this day.

Some historians think that Valentine’s Day in reality comes from the Roman

Lupercalia festival, which took place on February 15 and which should promote fertility.

1889 you had 283 Volapük clubs and 25 magazines. And 316 text books existed in 25 languages.

Others say that it is exactly on February 14 that the birds start mating.

Around the turn of the century the language more or less disappeared again. It was too complicated and did not develop.

And the rise of the other international artificial language Esperanto was another reason. Though a new and simpler form was created in 1931 it did not change much. And today less than a 100 persons speak Volapük.

Everything comes together under the happy name VALENTINE’s DAY and its traditions.

Vessel of the Danaids Danaos or Danaus was in Greek mythology the son of a king in Egypt. He had 50 daughters – called the Danaids. They were forced to marry 50 men. But when 49 of then during the wedding night killed their husbands they were afterwards condemned to pour water into a vessel, which had no bottom. And according to the legend they continue to do that all the time until this very day. In other words: this is a work which never ends.

So the expression the vessel of the Danaids refers to a task, which is futile and useless, and which never ends.

Volapük This is an artificial language created by the catholic German priest Johan Martin Schleyer in 1879. He claimed that God in a dream had asked him to create a new international language.

He built his language on words and expressions from English, German and French. And very soon more than a hundred thousand Volaküpists were supporting the new language.

International Volapük congresses were held in 1884 and 1887 (in Germany) and in 1889 (in Paris). The language used at these congresses was German, not Volapük. In

As an example you can see how the Lord’s Prayer looks like in Volapük: O Fat obas, kel binol in süls!

Nem olik pasaludükonöd!

Regän ola kömonöd!

Vil olik jenonöd, äsä in sül, i su tal!

Givolös obes adelo bodi aldelik obsik!

E pardolös obes döbotis obsik, äsä i obs pardobs utanes, kels edöbons kol obs.

E no blufodolös obis, ab livükolös obis de bad!

Volkswagen Volkswagen - what is the history behind that company?

This German car factory - which today is the second biggest in the world after Japanese Toyota - was started in 1937 at the direct order of Hitler. He wanted a car, which would be cheap enough for people in general to buy. Until then only 1 out of 50 Germans owned a car. The first production took place in Stuttgart. But from 1938 the VW factory was build in the new town

called KdF Stadt (nowadays Wolfsburg).

KdF was a very much used nazi expression: Kraft durch Freude (Strength through Joy).

The first cabriolet VW was given to Hitler at his 50th birthday in 1939. But during the war the VW car war exclusively used for the war machine. And 80 % of the work force was slave workers from nearby concentration camps.

After the war the VW factory was in the British occupation zone. The Brits did not not know what to do with it. They even offered it to FORD in the US. But after having looked at them the refused to take over. They are not worth a dime! as they said.

But from 1948 VW became a very important part of the new German recovery (Wirtschaftswunder). And it has been so ever since. In 2013 they solk 9,7 million cars.

Volvo When the Swedish founders of the car company Volvo many years ago had to decide a name for the new car they could have chosen to call it Viking, Thor or another Nordic name. They didn't. They decided to go for a Latin name.

The Latin verb Volvere means driving rolling. And when you want to say: I drive it is in Latin: Volvo. The owners wanted to make a car, which could drive everywhere, even in the sometimes harsh Scandinavian weather conditions. So they chose the brand name: VOLVO. Simple and clear.

The fact that the company today is owned by the Chinese has not changed the name.

It wouldn't be clever either.

About Volvo driving everywhere: Many years ago the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel had a picture of a Volvo car on its front page. The text was: Schnellste Traktor der Welt (fastest tractor in the world).

W Waterloo 1815 Waterloo 1815 – what is the history behind that?

It was near the small town of Waterloo 20 km south of Brussels that Napoleon in 1815 saw his final defeat. His 200.000 man Grande Armée et the allied armies under the Duke of Wellington and was just about to win the battle, when the Prussian general Blücher in the very last moment came to Wellington’s assistance. And they won. The battle lasted for 3 days, and about 72.000 soldiers died or were wounded. Napoleon asked for political asylum in England, but was instead taken prisoner and sent to the small British island Saint Helena in the South Atlantic.

Here he died six years later. He wrote his memoires while he was there.

In June 2015 – 200 years later – the battle was re-enacted with 6000 “soldiers” and 120.000 spectators over two days.

Werewolf A werewolf is according to old European legends a person, which is transferred into a wolf or a monster looking like a wolf. It can either happen by peoples’ own will, perhaps by using magics – or it can happen agains peoples’ will due to curse. The

transformation often happens at night during full moon.

The word was first used by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus ( 485-426 BC).

Later it is known all over Europe in different forms.

A werewolf was considered to have the same characteristics as a real wolf: immensely strong; cruel; having a huge appetite, ingenuity and speed.

The Nazis used the word – first as a code word for one of Hitler’s secret command centres in 1942-43 and then towards the final days of the war about commandos to operate behind the lines of the enemy.

After the war the word werewolf was now and then also used by the secret organizations of former SS soldiers.

All in all, it is not a very cosy phenomenon – a werewolf  !

You want to have an explanation of the flag?

First of all, it is - as you see - blue. Dark blue. Perhaps because Australia on all sides is surrounded by the dark blue oceans.

In the upper left corner (the "north-west" corner) you have the British flag, Union Jack. Just like the Australian flag. Why? Because all parts of Australia for many years was a British colony. It belonged to Britain. The Australians want to keep that link in their memory. I have written about the British flag earlier and explained what it looks like it does.

Then to right it has golden disc with a black swan inside. The swan has its head to the left. Why a black swan? Because this huge bird for many, many years has been a typical animal in Western Australia.

It is the pride of everybody in Western Australia. It also exists in a few other places, also in England.

It was imported to those areas. The swan weighs between 4 and 9 kg, and there are about 500.000 of them. It is a very nice bird.

The main difference between the Western Australian flag and the Australian flag is not only the swan.

The Western Australian flag does now have the Western Australian Flag Commonwealth star underneath Union Jack. And it does not have the Southern Cross either.

You know the Australian flag You have seen it many times. Do you also know the Western Australian Flag?

Her it is: Where the pepper grows…

To be sent to the place where the pepper is growing is a very old expression, which originally comes from France. They had – and still have – an area in the north of South America called Guyane. It has always had a very tough and unpleasant As you see it is simpler that the Australian flag. tropical climate, where nobody wanted to go. At the same time a lot of pepper is in the area. The name Cheyenne It was first "born" in 1870. Western Australia wasgrowing at pepper is very well known. During and the time still a British colony. It was called: after the French revolution from 1789 Swan River Colony. So it was the local colonial government (with support from the government inprisoners were sent to Guyane to terrible conditions.

London), which presented it. It was slightly changed So the threat to be sent to the place where in 1953 to the look, it has today. the pepper grows comes from that habit.

Today the expression is used in an indirect sense. If anybody tells you that he or she wants to send you there it is probably not one of your best friends. Or at least not any longer!

Y Yule – Christmas The word YULE goes back to the pagan time in the Nordic countries. In the Nordic language it was called Jól – today Jul. It was a celebration for some days around winter solstice. It was a great time when lots of meat, beer and mead was consumed.

The origin of the word JUL is still being discussed. It is believed that it comes from the Nordic word hjul (wheel) – referring to the changing seasons like a wheel turning around, In the ancient Nordic times it was a tradition to roll a burning wheel down a hill as a symbol of the sun.

In the viking period they talked about drikke jul (drinking Yule). Everybody was drinking a toast to the gods, who could ensure a good and fertile year. The gods were Njord, Frej and, of course, Odin himself! It continued in the Christian times. The toasts were now for Christ and for Virgin Mary. I wonder, if the tradition nowadays to have a couple of Christmas beers doesn’t come from the good old habits!

If we look was to the pre-Christian Roman times emperor Lucius Aurelius decided in 273 AC that a celebration for the oriental god Sol Invictus should take place each year on December 25. This pagan event was already from 300 AC taken over by the Christians in Rome to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This new tradition only reached the Nordic countries just before year 1000 with king Harold Bluetooth – and therefore also

reached the Vikings – in the Nordic region and all the countries they conquered such as England.

An interesting part of that development is that the Catholic church tried to have the old ord JUL changed to KRISTMESSE. They did not succeed in the Nordic countries, where the word still to this day is JUL. But in the Anglo-Saxon world they succeeded to have the old name YULE replaced by CHRISTMAS. The work YULETIDE does still exist in English, though, about the Christmas period.

Z Comments and suggestions for new topics are most welcome.

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