Feb 6: Aphrodisia; Day in Solidarity with Leonard Peltier; Bob Marley;

Aphrodisia, festival of Aphrodite, ancient Greece

Aphrodite ('risen from sea-foam'), the Greek goddess of love, sex and beauty, bears some likeness to other deities in the ancient world. These include Astarte, Branwen, Aida Wedo, Xochiquetzal, Venus, Freya and Oshun. Her Roman analogue is Venus. Her Mesopotamian counterpart was Ishtar and her Syro-Palestinian counterpart was Astarte; her Etruscan equivalent was Turan. Her festival is the Aphrodisia which was celebrated in various centres of Greece, especially in Athens and Corinth.

Aphrodite was associated with, and often depicted with dolphins, doves, swans, pomegranates and lime trees. She was also called Kypris or Cytherea after her alleged birth-places in Cyprus and Cythera, respectively. Originally she was considered a daughter of Zeus and Dione, one of the ocean nymphs. By classical times, however, an alternate story of her birth had gained precedence, that she was born of the sea foam near Paphos, Cyprus after Cronus cut off Uranus' genitals and the god's blood dropped on the sea. The Iliad refers to both versions.

 
When she was born on the foam of the sea, the seas boiled and turned a rosy hue. Aphrodite arose, already full grown, wonderfully beautiful and standing on a seashell. She floated to Cyprus, arriving in April; the moment her feet touched the shore, grass and flowers sprang up at her feet and she was received by the Three Graces, Aglaea, Euphrosyne and Thalia.
Deities of many cultures in the Book of Days    Festivals in ancient Greece

 

1976 Canada: Native American activist Leonard Peltier was captured and, on the basis of allegedly fictitious affidavits generated by the FBI, was later extradited to the USA. Federal prosecutors later admitted they didn't have a clue who committed the crime for which they convicted Peltier.
International Day in Solidarity with Leonard Peltier (February 6)    More    More    Peltier chronology
  

International Day in Solidarity with Leonard Peltier
February 6 of each year has become the International Day in Solidarity with Leonard Peltier. Protest gatherings to publicize Peltier's plight and help gain his release are held around the world, from a few individuals in small towns, to thousands on the Internet registering their protest with elected officials and the White House.

1945 Bob Marley (d. May 11, 1981), Jamaican roots rock reggae singer and musician. My then partner, Mikla Lewis, founder of WIRES, danced with him once, at a party in Adelaide.

Redemption man
The poor boy from Trenchtown, Jamaica, was born to a white father and black mother. At only 15, he formed The Wailers with school mates Peter Tosh, Rita Anderson (later his wife, Rita Marley) and Bunny Livingston (Bunny Wailer). After his premature death (aged 36) from lung cancer, the huge National Arena of Jamaica was too small to hold the mourners; his grave is now a national shrine. Today is a public holiday in Jamaica.

From 'Redemption Song'
Bob Marley
Old pirates yes they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I from the bottomless pit
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty
We forward in this generation, triumphantly
Won't you help to sing these songs of freedom
Cause all I ever had redemption songs,
Redemption songs
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look
Yes, some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fulfil the book ...

What is Rastafari?
The religion adhered to by reggae artist Bob Marley and thousands or millions of others, is called Rastafari. Its name is derived from Ras Tafari, a name for the one-time Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, whom Rastafarians believe to be divine.