Happy Pi Day 2011!

Happy Pi Day 2011! Enjoy it while listening to the Pi Symphony and perhaps having a piece of pie as well!



For more information about the origin of Pi Day, see this previous Latinteach post.

Gaudete, Gaudete! Latin Christmas and Holiday Songs!

Rejoice, all ye who seek Latin Christmas Carols! Laura Gibbs is continuing her Latin Holiday Songs Project this year at Gaudium Mundo! Visit each day for new songs and lyrics in Latin, Latin-English and Latin-Polish!

Need more holiday ideas for your Latin class? We've got 'em! Here are just a few from past years!

Christmas Teaching Ideas and Carols

St. Nicholas and the Legenda Aurea

O Abies! O Christmas Tree!

Yummy Chocolate Saturnalia Mice!!!

Coldplay Knows Latin! Really!

At about two minutes and forty seconds into their new video "Christmas Lights," you'll see Coldplay performing on a stage with the words "Credo Elvem Etiam Vivere" ("I believe Elvis is alive...") lit above. Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay is not only a talented vocalist and musician, but also a Classics scholar, having taken first class honours in Greek and Latin from University College London.

Labor Vincit Omnia!

Check Out Laura Gibbs' compilation of Latin Labor Day proverbs!

Happy New Year!

Novum annum laetum omnibus exoptō!

Saint Nicholas and the Legenda Aurea

Advent is upon us and it's time to start thinking toward Christmas!

Blessed Jacobus de Voragine, a medieval archbishop and biographer, chronicled a number of stories about the saints in a book entitled the Legenda Aurea ("The Golden Legend") , including the biography of a certain Sanctus Nicolaus, whose story you can read, in Latin, on the Latin Library website. The feast day of St. Nicholas is December 6th and in some European countries this is the day that children wake up to find gifts and sweets left in their shoes . De Voragine also recorded the story of Sancta Lucia, whose feast day is December 13th, another joyful holiday celebrated in many European countries with parties, angel costumes, candles and sweets.

If you'd prefer, you can read two English versions of the St. Nicholas story from the Legenda Aurea:

http://weber.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/scriptorium/Nicholas.html

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/goldenlegend/

Remembering the Veterans,

Read "Back From War, But Not Really Home" (New York Times, November 8, 2009) by Caroline Alexander for a wonderful op-ed reflecting this week on the sacrifice of veterans which also weaves in the ancient story of Odysseus. According to Ms. Alexander, from the songs of the ancients, we learn that it is the duty of civilians to pass on the stories of the deaths of soldiers in battle and of their returns home. It's not so difficult (though, of course, quite painful) to memorialize those who fall, but she also show how we can learn from Homer how to commemorate those who return.

Also, see previous blog entries relevant to Veteran's Day (US) and Remembrance Sunday (UK):

"Soap Operas and Sophocles: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Healing"

"What the Ancient Greeks Have to Teach Us About Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder"

Belated Halloween

Unfortunately, this comes a bit late for this year's holiday, but for those of you who are still in the Halloween spirit, or for those of you who are hyperorganized and already planning for next year, Archaeology magazine recently ran a series of online feature articles centered around "the archaeology of Halloween, witches and witchcraft, creatures of the night, and ancient curses and magic." Archaeology is an official publication of the Archaeological Institute of America.

Martha Stewart as Medusa!

Today's Martha Stewart show features the domestic goddess as Medusa, surrounded by living "marble" statues, costumed as mythological gods and goddesses! Lots of Classical references, colonnades and statuary! Actress Blake Lively appears as Egyptian empress Cleopatra.

Also check out the very cool "Hippocrates Bust Candle" craft.

Thanks to Linda F for the alert!

Memorial Day

Christopher Francese, Associate Professor of Classical Studies at the highly-regarded Dickinson College, has a wonderful Latin Poetry Podcast that is well worth downloading from iTunes!  You can also listen online at the Dickinson College Blog. 

In March 2008, Professor Francese read an Epitaph for a Roman Soldier (CLE 537 = CIL 5.5824), which is the lament of a mother for her fallen son, a soldier who died far from home without a proper burial.  

Today, on this Memorial Day, let us all remember the American airmen, soldiers and sailors who have died for our freedom, as well as their families.

Felicem Natalem Diem, Urbs Roma!

Today is Rome's birthday. The traditional date of the founding of the eternal city is April 21, 753 B.C. and it is from this day (A.U.C. or ab urbe condita, translated "from the founding of the city") that Romans expressed their history in relation to the Roman Era. April 21st was also known as the Parilia (or Palilia), the festival that the Romans considered sacred to shepherds. Romulus and Remus, credited with the founding of Rome, were the foster sons of the shepherd Faustulus. They were considered to be the biological sons of the Roman god Mars. The story of the birth of Romulus and Remus as well as the founding of the city is told by the Roman historian Livy. The modern Latin writer, Lhomond, who wrote in the late 1700s retells the story in easier Latin in his book De Viris Illustribus Urbis Romae A Romulo ad Augustum.

Kentucky Educational Television has some activities for teachers and students who would like to celebrate Rome's birthday. Scroll down the page to find some suggestions, including raking campus grounds and planting a tree (perhaps coinciding with tomorrow's Earth Day), then celebrating with a feast! KET has a birthday song you might sing in Latin too! There are some other ideas there you might use throughout the week, as April had many holidays sacred to the Romans.

Charlotte Yonge, a Victorian author from England who wrote for children , tells the story of The Founding of Rome at Project Gutenberg.

Beatum Festum Diem Paschalem!

Happy Easter!

You can read Pope Benedict XVI's Easter Greeting in many different languages on the Urbi et Orbi ("To the City and World") page at the Official Vatican website. The 2009 message in Latin is "Resurrectio Domini, spes nostra," which is translated, "The Resurrection of our Lord, our hope."

The Vatican's Liturgical Calendar page has a selection of Easter Music, much of it in Latin, which you can enjoy. You'll also find links to past Holy Weeks, along with the Easter Greetings from past years.

Today's Albany Times-Union (New York) has a wonderful feature entitled Enduring Symbol (April 12, 2009) about the different types of Christian crosses. In this article, you can read about the different types of crosses and view some very lovely images. On some of the crosses, you'll see IHS, which are taken from the first three letters of the name of Jesus (Ιηςυσ) in Greek. Other crosses include the Chi Ro, (X Ρ) which are the first two letters of Christ (Χριςτοσ), also from the Greek alphabet.

Who Invented Spring Break? The Romans, of course!

As it turns out, students in Ancient Rome went on school holiday in March too! The Quinquatrus was a festival celebrated on the 19th of March, five days after the Ides. The Quinquatrus started out as a one day celebration, but as William Smith points out in his Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (3rd edition, Revised and Enlarged, 1891), "a false etymology led to its being afterwards regarded as a five-days festival."

Therefore, the Quinquatria (now pluralized) became a five day long spring festival, lasting from March 19th to the 23rd. At some point, the Quinquatria became associated with Minerva, as the Romans chose this time to dedicate the temple of Minerva on the Aventine. The Quinquatria became a time to celebrate trades and arts. As a five day holiday, schools were in recess. The first day was reserved for making offerings at the Temple of Minerva, and the other four days were marked by gladiator shows and "a season of general merrymaking." The fifth day of the Quinquatria was called the Tubilustrium, or the sounding of the trumpets.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hodie est dies festus sancti Patricii!

Today is the feast day of St. Patrick!

Kelly Henry writes to let us know that University College Cork has a nice collection of online Irish Latin manuscripts including St. Patrick's Confession. Enjoy! (The Classical Christian Ethereal Library has an English translation.)

Another Irish saint who has left us a written legacy is Brendan, whose story recounts the seven year Atlantic voyage of a band of sixth-century Irish monks. This work is considered one of the most important Irish contributions to the literature of the middle ages. CANEPress has recently published a selection of passages from Navigatio Sancti Brendani, in a book suitable for second year students and intermediate readers of Latin. This collection includes vocabulary hints and comprehension questions.

English readers can find a translation of the Voyage of St. Brendan online at the University of Lampeter's Celtic Christianity site.

The Ides of the Rest of the Months

National Public Radio (NPR.org) is very good about remembering the Ides of March. This year, they ask the question why we never hear about the Ides of any other month...though listeners wondered if the question was answered sufficiently as the expert consulted mistakenly identifies the Ides as occuring on the 15th day of each month. (Edited to add: As it turns out, the expert did discuss how the Ides can be on either the 13th or 15th, but that part ended up "on the cutting room floor" and not in the portion that was broadcast on air.)

The Romans expressed their dates using the Kalends, Nones and Ides. The first day of each month was called the Kalend. In March, July, October and May, the seventh day was called the Nonae and the fifteenth, the Idus. In other months, the Nonae fell on the fifth day, the Idus on the thirteenth. To give dates, the Romans would count backward from these dates. Most Latin grammars (George Lane; Gildersleeve and Lodge; Charles Bennett) include a section on Roman calendar dating. To find out how the Romans would express a date that didn't fall on a Kalend, Nonae or Idus, consult one of these aforementioned reference grammars for more information. It's a bit complex, but not impossible to understand, and these grammars often include quick reference charts for determining dates. The point here is, however, that the Ides don't always fall on the fifteenth.

According to this rhyme from the 19th century grammarians Basil L. Gildersleeve and Gonzalez Lodge:

"In March, July, October, May,
The Ides are on the fifteenth day,
The Nones the seventh; but all besides
Have two days less for Nones and Ides."

Listen to Beware: It's the Ides of March on Npr.org to see what you think.

Since it's the Ides of March, and we're still thinking about Caesar and calendars, it's also worth mentioning that Caesar reformed the Roman calendar, by fixing the number of days in a year at 365, adding a leap day every four years. The Julian Calendar (named, of course, for Julius Caesar) was eventually itself reformed by Pope Gregory XIII in the 15th century. The calendar we use today is called the Gregorian Calendar.

Click here for links to previous NPR radio presentations referencing the Ides of March.

If you have a blog, you can add a Roman calendar to it. Visit Laura Gibb's Schoolhouse Widgets for details.

Happy Pi Day!

The Ides of March are coming tomorrow, but today is Pi Day! The Greek letter π is of course the symbol for the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle, equivalent to 3.1415926535...

We can't let the mathematicians have all the fun. Classicists love the number π because it's also a Greek consonant letter!

Pi day is celebrated every March 14, the fourteenth day of the third month, or 3/14.

To find out more about Pi Day, visit the Official Pi Day website, where you can find out all about the history of pi, discuss the number pi, send an e-card, buy pi stuff, get ideas for your own pi party, and much more! There are also some great lesson ideas at the Teach Pi website.

You can also listen to a wonderful BBC Radio 4 program all about Pi.

A lesser known, and less-often celebrated mathematical holiday is Square Root Day.

Need Some Ideas for Valentine's Day?

Visit the Kentucky Educational Television Latin Distance Learning website! There you'll find Valentine's expressions in Latin, perfect for creating cards to share and exchange, as well as love myths from Greek, Roman and world mythology (most in English, but one in Latin, with vocabulary key and English translation), some Valentine's day trivia, links to some clip art, and a crossword puzzle! This is definitely a site that you must bookmark!

Also be sure to visit Rosa Latina, where Rose Williams has placed a collection of her holiday material. Here you'll find the Roman origins of Valentine's Day, a spring song of Love in Latin, as well as one of Catullus' famous poems.

Not Latin or Classics-related, but too cute are these do-it-yourself Heart-shaped Paper Clips! Get yourself a cheap multi-pack of colored clips at your favorite, local office supply store.

Inauguration Day

THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD INAUGURATION

C.T. Lewis defines the Latin verb inauguro, -are, -avi, atus in An Elementary Latin Dictionary as meaning "to take omens from the flight of birds, practice augury, divine" or "to hallow by augury, consecrate, inaugurate, install." The ancient Romans believed that the will of the gods was shown to mortals through signs, such as strikes of lightning or the appearance of certain birds or animals . Augurs were the interpreters of these signs in ancient Rome and determined whether these portents were favourable or foreboding. The Romans consulted augurs before important political events, such as the appointment of magistrates, before the seating of the Senate, or the installation of consuls, as well as before military battles. According to William Smith's Concise Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, by the time of the Roman Republic, augurs were primarily considered ceremonial. We see the influence of the Romans in the inauguration of the U.S. President in the ritual and prayers that take place as a President assumes his office.

BARACK OBAMA AND ANCIENT ORATORY

Those of you who are fascinated by rhetoric and oratory may be interested in an article that appeared in today's Washington Post entitled "His Way With Words: Cadence and Credibility." Henry Allen discusses the new president's use of cadence, tone and metrics, obviously influenced by African American clergy, and based in the ancient Greek and Roman oratorical tradition. Allen shows how Barack Obama and other great modern speakers have made use of the rhetorical devices of asyndeton, litotes, epistrophe, anaphora, alliteration and chiasmus.

Inauguration Day Approaches

On January 20th, Inauguration Day, President-elect Barack Obama will take the oath of office and become the 44th president of the United States.

The Romans did not elect presidents, but citizens did vote at times during their history.

From 753 B.C. to 510 B.C., Rome was a monarchy. There were seven kings of Rome: Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullius Hostilius, Ancus Marcus, L. Tarquinius Priscus, Servius Tullius, and L. Tarquinius Superbus. The Romans grew tired of their kings and overthrew Tarquinius Superbus (otherwise known as "Tarquin the Proud.") As the Romans were wary of once again concentrating too much power in the hands of one person, they agreed to name two consuls, elected to one year terms. In times of war, if the consuls could not agree, there was provision for a single-man dictatorship. This emergency power was limited to six months only.

Rome was considered a Republic from 509 B.C. to 27 B.C.

According to William Smith, in his School Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, the consuls originally began their duties in October. The official inauguration date was then moved to different times of the year (August, then the Ides of December, often the Ides of March) until finally in 153 B.C., the Romans settled on January and this month remained permanent until the end of the Republic.

Smith points out some features of the Roman inauguration celebration. There was a parade of the senators, knights and citizens from the home of the consuls to the capitol. The consuls offered up sacrifices and then went to the Curia, the place where the Senate met, where each gave a speech about matters important to the Republic. The consuls took a solemn oath and promised to keep the law of the Republic. There was typically a banquet, to which the new leaders invited friends and colleagues.

In 27 B.C., the Augustan Age began and Rome became an empire. The Roman Empire lasted until around 535 B.C.

Happy New Year!

Novum Annum Laetum Omnibus Exopto!

(Happy New Year, Everyone!)

Ianuarius is the first month of our year, but the ancient Romans originally celebrated the New Year in March. In 153 B.C., they decided to move the beginning of the year to January because that was the month in which the consuls, their leaders, took office. Of course, on January 20th, our new President-elect, Barack Obama, will take the oath of office.

According to Murray's Manual of Mythology, Ianuarius was named for the ancient god Ianus, because "the beginning of everything was a matter of great importance to them, and Ianus was the god of a 'good beginning.'" Accordingly, the first day of January was an major holiday for the Romans.

The gates of temple which the Romans built in honor of Ianus held deep significance to his worshippers. The gates stood open when Rome was at war and were closed only in times of peace. There were only three times in the first 700 years that temple gates were closed: during the reign of Numa Pompilius, after the first Punic War, and during the reign of Augustus Caesar.

At first, the Roman year had only ten months, but this didn't work out too well with the solar calendar. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar added two new months. He named one after himself, Iulius. The other new month was eventually named for the previously mentioned Augustus. The full list of the months (menses) of the year (annus) in Latin are as follows: Ianuarius, Februarius, Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Iunius, Iulius, Augustus, September, October, November, December.

To find out more about how the Ancient Romans celebrated the New Year, here's a classic NPR.org feature Roman New Year.