*Ø* Spaced-out saint
Feast day of St Lawrence
St Lawrence was a 3rd-century archdeacon of Rome under Pope Sixtus I, and looked after the poor, orphans and widows. He was a ‘keeper of the treasures of the church’ in a time when Christianity was outlawed. Lawrence suffered martyrdom under Valerian – the emperor, not the herb, which would have just made him laid back rather than dead ... he was killed by being roasted on a gridiron, on August 10 ...
Lawrence's tears and the Perseid meteor showers
The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, and very bright at this time of year (generally visible between July 23 and August 22, peaking around August 13). Thus, in England the meteors in medieval times were called 'the fiery tears of St Lawrence' as they were visible on his day, and also related symbolically to the torments of the martyr ...
This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with many more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date (or your birthday) when you're there.
From Space Weather News:
The Perseid meteor shower peaks this week. Look for rare but lovely Perseid Earthgrazers when the sun goes down on Wednesday, August 11th. Then, before dawn on Thursday, August 12th, go outside for the main event: as many as 60 meteors per hour. Getting away from city lights is a good idea: dark skies reveal more meteors.
Feast day of St Lawrence
St Lawrence was a 3rd-century archdeacon of Rome under Pope Sixtus I, and looked after the poor, orphans and widows. He was a ‘keeper of the treasures of the church’ in a time when Christianity was outlawed. Lawrence suffered martyrdom under Valerian – the emperor, not the herb, which would have just made him laid back rather than dead ... he was killed by being roasted on a gridiron, on August 10 ...
Lawrence's tears and the Perseid meteor showers
The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, and very bright at this time of year (generally visible between July 23 and August 22, peaking around August 13). Thus, in England the meteors in medieval times were called 'the fiery tears of St Lawrence' as they were visible on his day, and also related symbolically to the torments of the martyr ...
This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with many more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date (or your birthday) when you're there.
From Space Weather News:
The Perseid meteor shower peaks this week. Look for rare but lovely Perseid Earthgrazers when the sun goes down on Wednesday, August 11th. Then, before dawn on Thursday, August 12th, go outside for the main event: as many as 60 meteors per hour. Getting away from city lights is a good idea: dark skies reveal more meteors.
Pip Wilson posted item above at 6:44 PM | Permalink
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