This day in History

APRIL 24th – The legendary fall of TROY

According to mythology the Trojans were the citizens of the ancient municipality of Troy in the Troad region of Anatolia. Troy is presented in legend as part of the Greek culture of City states. Since the entire state comprised more than the city of Troy itself, anyone from its jurisdiction, which was mainly the Troad, might be termed “Trojan” in ancient literature.^[2] An alternative classical Greek and Latin term was “Teucrians“, a name taken from an ethnicity of the south Troad. Troy was known for its riches gained from port trade with east and west, fancy clothes, iron production, and massive defensive walls. The major language spoken there and the derivative cultures remain uncertain, although some good theories have been proposed. Legend for the most part ignores language and makes the presumption that Trojans had no problem understanding Greek.

The Trojan royal family was started by the Pleiad Electra and Zeus, the parents of Dardanus. Dardanus, who according to Greek myths was originally from Arcadia but according to Roman myths was originally from Italy, crossed over to Asia Minor from the island of Samothrace, where he met King Teucer. Teucer was himself also a coloniser from Attica, and treated Dardanus with respect. Eventually Dardanus married Teucer’s daughters, and founded Dardania (later ruled by Aeneas). Upon Dardanus’ death, the Kingdom was passed to his grandson Tros, who called the people Trojans and the land Troad, after himself. Ilus, son of Tros, founded the city of Ilium (Troy) that he called after himself. Zeus gave Ilus the Palladium. Poseidon and Apollo built the walls and fortifications around Troy for Laomedon, son of Ilus the younger. When Laomedon refused to pay, Poseidon flooded the land and demanded the sacrifice of Hesione to a sea monster. Pestilence came and the sea monster snatched away the people of the plain.

One generation before the Trojan War, Heracles captured Troy and killed Laomedon and his sons, except for young Priam. Priam later became king. During his reign, the Mycenaean Greeks invaded and captured Troy in the Trojan War (traditionally dated to 1193–1183 BC). The Maxyans were a west Libyan tribe who said that they were descended from the men of Troy, according to Herodotus. The Trojan ships transformed into naiads, who rejoiced to see the wreckage of Odysseus‘ ship.

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Paradise Lost

“Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful seat,
Sing, Heavenly Muse, that, on the secret top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That shepherd who first taught the chosen seed
In the beginning how the heavens and earth
Rose out of Chaos: or, if Sion hill
Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flowed
Fast by the oracle of God”

(John Milton’s Paradise lost, Lines 1-12)

 

The man still continues his disobedience…. Agony and misery canopy the earth.  Do we have an escape from this? where is the land of happiness? Does our saviour left us? Or is he too enjoying the fate of man?

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Nostalgic Vishu

Vishu is here, and it means different things to different people.

It is that time of the year when the laburnum blooms and mango trees become bent with fruit. And celebrating this exuberance of nature is Vishu. While senior citizens fondly remember the rituals that go with the festival, many of the younger generation look forward to the festival for those crisp notes that fall into their hands. But it would be unfair to blame the youngsters , it is possible that they haven’t really experienced the ambience of these festivals.

 

Yet, despite the differences in perspectives, Malayalis still look forward to Vishu every year. Vishu is a festival that renews man’s bonds with Nature and the cosmic world.

However, now it has become a commodity that is exploited by the media and enterprising businessmen. What was once a ritualistic celebration and a spiritual experience has now been reduced to festivities alone. Each of the items that are used for the `kani’ has a significance that reminded us of our symbiotic relationship with each other, society and the world at large. Many people now say that it is an agrarian festival. But it is more than that. Vishu was meant to celebrate the spring equinox and all over India, people celebrate this in one form or the other. Only the names differ, the purpose was the same.

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Fool’s Day is not so foolish..!

For all intents and purposes, April Fool’s Day or All Fool’s Day, isn’t even a real a holiday in its own right. This day, however, commissions pranks from the entire world, delivered almost maliciously on all and sundry.

There is much dispute regarding the origin of this custom, although a seeming certainty is that it is definitely in some way a relic of universal festivities held at the vernal equinox. These festivals were held from the beginning of the old New Year’s Day, March 25, until April 2.

France was one of the first nations to make January 1 the official New Year, and celebrations that were therefore earmarked for April 1, were celebrated on January 1.

Those who were oblivious to this change in dates and those who knew of this alteration but disliked it and thereby boycotted January 1 as the New Year, became fair wits for those who entertained themselves by sending false gifts and paying calls of pretended ceremony on April 1. While the story behind the tradition is itself lost on most people, the tradition receives its full due even to this day today in 2007.

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