Culture

Culture relates to objects and is a phenomenon of the world; entertainment relates to people and is a phenomenon of life. (Hannah Arendt) Downton Abbey Fashion [caption id=“attachment_930” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] Ashley’s Fine China - Toronto[/caption] We all enjoy watching certain television shows and Downton Abbey is a British series that is very popular with many people. Ashley’s in Toronto hosted a magnificent Downton Abbey Day yesterday at their store in the Manulife Centre and I was lucky enough to stop by and get these wonderful images. ...

[caption id=“attachment_873” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] Rachel Persaud - Vocalist and Composer[/caption] “Music is the purest form of art…therefore true poets, they who are seers, seek to express the universe in terms of music…The singer has everything within him/her. The notes come out from his/her very life. They are not materials gathered from outside.” (Rabindranath Tagore) There is nothing that brightens my spirit like music. Last Saturday, I was treated to a concert experience that was uplifting for both soul and spirit and provided an avenue for healing as well. The vocalist was Rachel Persaud and her accompanists were a guitarist and an accordian player. Rachel was at peak performance as this concert was sung in memory of her grandmother who died a few weeks ago. The images in this collage were all taken at St. Matthias Church in Toronto, which was the venue for the concert. ...

**“Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.” (**Jawaharlal Nehru) A visit to India provides a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, and tastes, that bring about a change in one’s overall sensory experiences. There are stories upon stories about India that abound everywhere – some good, some bad. Like many other countries all over the world, India has great poverty and great wealth. What is very evident on a visit to India is extremes. You can be appalled, in awe, and frustrated, in the very same hour of the same day. There are high moments and low ones as well. Scenes and scenery change rapidly. It’s all part of what’s amazing and incredible about India. ...

 [caption id=“attachment_671” align=“aligncenter” width=“584” caption=“Sari Fabric”][/caption] The history of Indian textiles is very ancient. The discovery of several spindles, and a piece of cotton stuck to a silver vase, revealed that the spinning and weaving of cotton was known to the Harrappans, nearly five thousand years ago. References to weaving are found in the history of Vedic literature on the method of spinning the various materials used. The foundations of the Indian textile trade with other countries began as early as the second century BC. A hoard of block printed and resist-dyed fabrics, mainly of Gujrati origin, found in the tombs of Fostat, Egypt, are the proof of large scale Indian export of cotton textiles to Egypt in medieval times." ...

[caption id=“attachment_653” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] Christmas Lights[/caption] The images in this collage were taken at night. I admired the Christmas outdoor lighting on my street for a long time before getting around to taking these pictures. However, I’m glad I waited, as they are more beautiful with the presence of the snow. “We feel most alive in the presence of the Beautiful for it meets the needs of our soul. For a while the strains of stuggle and endurance are relieved and our frailty is illuminated by a different light in which we come to glimpse behind the shudder of appearances the sure form of things.” ...

**"**The Nutcracker Suite opened in St. Petersburg on December 17, 1892. It is the tale of a girl named Clara who is given a nutcracker doll for Christmas by her godfather, Drosselmaier. That night she falls asleep and is disturbed by an attack of mice led by the Mouse King, who wishes to take her away to his kingdom. She is rescued by soldiers and the Nutcracker who, as a prince, takes her to his land, a country full of sugarplums and waltzing flowers. She awakens the next morning with only the nutcracker doll and memories of her Christmas adventure." (The World Encyclopedia of Christmas) ...

 [caption id=“attachment_583” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] Hand-made Christmas cards[/caption] Garrison Keillor - A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together. That time of year for merriment, festivity, and joy is upon us. Christmas Day is just around the corner. As the day draws closer and closer, many of us look forward to receiving our Holiday Greetings. We put them where we can see them and they are tangible reminders of our friends and family who have taken the time to remember us and share their good wishes for our happiness, health, and wellness at Christmas, and in the New Year. ...

Diwali is being celebrated all over the world where people of East Indian origin live. It is a Hindu and Sikh Festival. “The name “Diwali” or “Divali” is a contraction of “Deepavali” Sanskrit: दीपावली Dīpāvalī), which translates into “row of lamps”. Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (dīpa in Sanskrit: दीप) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. These lamps are kept on during the night and one’s house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome. Firecrackers are burst because it is believed that it drives away evil spirits. During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends.” ...

 [caption id=“attachment_548” align=“aligncenter” width=“584” caption=“Fun with Books”][/caption] In anything fit to be called by the name of reading, the process itself should be absorbing and voluptuous; we should gloat over a book, be rapt clean out of ourselves, and rise from the perusal, our mind filled with the busiest, kaleidoscopic dance of images, incapable of sleep or of continuous thought. The words, if the book be eloquent, should run thenceforward in our ears like the noise of breakers, and the story, if it be a story, repeat itself in a thousand coloured pictures. - Robert Louis Stevenson ...

[caption id=“attachment_515” align=“aligncenter” width=“584”] Birthday Celebrations[/caption] “Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again.” ~Menachem M Schneerson All the images in this collage were taken a few days ago at a memorable Birth Day celebration for someone special. As you can see, this was a lovely place for the occasion and we had a fabulous buffet meal. We enjoyed each other’s company and were overjoyed that we could share in the time we spent together and in the making of good memories. ...