Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, which was recently converted into a mosque, will host the first special Tarawih evening prayer during the month of Ramadan tonight for the first time in 88 years.
The holy month for Muslims, Ramadan, will begin tomorrow morning with the first “sahur”, called a rough “pre-dawn meal”, before believers begin daily fasting. The first “taravih” will be performed in all mosques in the country on April 1 in the evening.
Ramadan will last until May 2, when the three-day holiday of Ramadan or Sheker Bayram begins.
Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum in 1934, but regained its status as a mosque on July 24, 2020.
Built in 537 as the largest Christian church in the Eastern Roman Empire, Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque in 1453, after the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul.
In 1985, Hagia Sophia was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The colossal building continues to be open to tourists daily, but subject to the requirements for entrance to mosques in Turkey. Since it was declared a mosque, it remains the most visited tourist site in the country, with more than 4 million people crossing the threshold of the Istanbul symbol.
For the first time in 19 years, there was a census in the Republic of Northern Macedonia (RNM) last September. The results were announced days ago and it turned out that with a population of 2,000,000, there are only 3504 Bulgarians. Here is what Petar Kolev, chairman of the Civic Democratic Union Party, said on this occasion in Studio Actualno:
working together, we could not imagine that we would witness such a brutal forgery. Which is largely a classic insult not only to the Bulgarian state, but mainly to the Bulgarians living in the Republic of Northern Macedonia. We are not a National Statistical Institute or the Ministry of Justice. I think that the most accurate data on how many Bulgarians live in the RNM should be able to give some institutions of a modern European and democratic country. To my great regret, anyone can see, if they are well-intentioned, look at all these facts and find that things are not really what someone is trying to present. It is illogical to have nearly 90,000 Bulgarian citizens (i.e. Macedonians with Bulgarian passports), to have another 30-40,000 who are in the process of obtaining Bulgarian citizenship, who according to the Bulgarian Citizenship Act have provided documents not only for them, but also for their ancestors, that they are of Bulgarian origin and suddenly there is such a census, in which the number is fixed at about 3500.
We had information at the time of the census that such a process begins with a clear vision to reduce as much as possible the number of the Bulgarian community in Macedonia with the ultimate goal to present to the Bulgarian and Macedonian society that this is an insignificant part of the Macedonian population, with the clear thought our main request, which is not only clearing the historical truth change of the Macedonian constitution and the registration of the Bulgarians as a nation-building people, to be eliminated as a necessity. Apparently, all these minds in Skopje, who have been working in this so-called process of de-Bulgarianization for years, had calculated that such a move would end this process and the topic of Bulgarians living in RNM would never be opened again.
Of course, we sent a formal request to the Macedonian government and to the Macedonian National Statistical Institute with something that is absolutely well-argued and logical. If this census is really fair, give every citizen in the RNM the opportunity to ask the institute and get an official document on how it was counted at this census. If there is a discrepancy, in this letter we wrote what is the procedure by which these discrepancies can be changed.
Finally, we asked what is the criminal responsibility of the persons who did this thing, because it is a change or substitution of personal data, which is a crime under Macedonian law.
“Tradition is the transmission of fire, not the worship of ashes,” wrote Gustav Mahler. What is tradition in church life? Which traditions are obligatory for a Christian, which are nothing more than customs? Where is the border between tradition and commandment?
Discussion related to the modern understanding of the Sacrament of Confession. In some parishes it is no longer considered obligatory to confess before each communion, and regular parishioners receive communion regularly, but confess when necessary. This gives rise to different opinions, including about violation of church canons, about deviation from the tradition of our Church. In your opinion, is it possible, in principle, to say today that a traditional understanding and an unconventional understanding of the practice of confession has developed?
For some reason, we all tend to think of the usual things we do as traditional. But the familiar and the traditional are not the same thing. In addition, in our country, what is called traditional is perceived practically as canonized, and the church canons and commandments of God in the minds of many people are almost equal to each other. Very often you can hear: according to the canons of the Church this is impossible, that is not possible … But does it happen at the same time what is “according to the canons”?
Tradition is what holds the building of our true faith together and enables us to pray properly. There is, for example, the tradition of the Jesus Prayer – and there are things that can be wrong in this prayer: let’s say turning it into a mantra.
We have a patristic tradition, there is a tradition of icon painting, there is a tradition of worship. But none of the traditions can be frozen, dead, ritual and everyday, because then it ceases to be a tradition and turns into a familiar form of behavior. Tradition is a living phenomenon, it can change and transform along with life around. Therefore, first you need to understand what traditions we live in, and what is a form of religious behavior, so as not to substitute one for the other.
But confession before the sacrament can probably be called a tradition?
Tradition is when everyone takes communion at the Liturgy, because the Liturgy is served so that all the faithful who are in the church begin to the Holy Mysteries. And “only those who have confessed the day before can receive communion” is what we have been taught to. This is not a tradition, this is a behavioral thing that does not always bring a person real spiritual benefit and, moreover, can be an obstacle to the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. You want to receive communion, but you cannot, because you have to go to the analogue and say something about yourself, and you have already confessed recently. And the person either does not go to the Chalice, or comes to confession and begins to invent something, squeeze something out of himself, like from an old doormat: “Well, what else is dirty in me?”, Or simply confesses formally. Of course, this is something that is not a tradition.
For all this “one must constantly confess”, we forget that a Christian, in essence, should not be a sinner – in the sense that he should not be prone to gross, serious sins. A Christian is one who strives for holiness, who chooses for himself the path of struggle with sin. It is impossible to confess the way of dealing with sin all the time, because there are things that are in the process. And a person in this process must from time to time mature to a certain level when the need arises to come to confession and repentance as a result of this struggle to bring to God.
And when a person constantly confesses, he begins to confess not so much the sins that he committed and of which he repented, but rather thoughts. There are so many different thoughts running through my head every day, excuse me, and now what? All this to remember and confess? Will thoughts stop coming to mind from this – condemning, nasty, depraved, empty? A life change is needed. And when some unnecessary thought comes, I can simply ask God for help in this: “Lord, I’m thinking about something wrong, help me”. You need to have your own experience and communication with God, and asking for forgiveness from Him, in addition to what happens in the Sacrament of Repentance. After all, when we have, for example, some kind of dirt on our trousers, do we run to the dry cleaner every time? We can take a brush and clean up some small dirt ourselves – that’s all.
Of course, I understand how many people will now be indignant with these words, because “the habit is given to us from above.” “What’s wrong with frequent confession? – many will say. – Better just in case, otherwise suddenly … “
The ruins of Pompeii recently have a new guard. Guard dog, but not ordinary, but entirely mechanical. The four-legged Spot robot is the latest high-tech introduction to the archeological park, which attracts millions of tourists to the ruins of a time-honored Roman city.
The robot dog can penetrate narrow and hard-to-reach places, as well as move in different terrains, and its main task is to gather information for future research of the park.
It can also check the condition of restored elements, as well as warn of possible safety problems, thus protecting archaeologists and workers working in Pompeii.
A spot can also detect underground tunnels that treasure hunters have been digging under Pompeii for years. Through these tunnels, they managed to remove valuable artifacts from the ruins, and then sold them on the black market for antiques. The tunnels themselves are often very unstable and dangerous and the use of a robot in them will allow them to be detected, studied and blocked faster.
The Spot Robot is part of a larger project to use modern technology from the park, called Smart @ POMPEI. Another “member” of the high-tech team is a flying laser scanner that performs a three-dimensional scan of the object.
Chinese scientists led by Prof. Ding Kang of the Shanghai Institute of Pharmacology have discovered that clove tree flowers contain two types of complex carbohydrates that can block the activity of the Mpro protein, one of the three key viral enzymes needed to form new particles. SARS-CoV-2 virus, TASS reported. The results of the study are published in an article in the electronic library bioRxiv, BTA writes.
“We have found that the colors of the carnation species used in Chinese folk medicine contain molecules of hitherto unknown variants of pectin, which are unusually effective in the reproduction of SARS-CoV-2. Unlike other carbohydrates we have found. substances directly affect the enzyme Mpro and do not prevent the virus from entering the cells, “the article reads.
According to scientists, the enzyme Mpro hardly changes during the evolution of the new coronavirus, which makes clove pectins a particularly suitable means of combating COVID-19.
According to the scientific method, even seemingly obvious concepts require repeated testing. This time, scientists have confirmed in practice a trivial idea – blind faith in science only aggravates the individual’s susceptibility to pseudoscientific “facts”. But there is good news: if the subjects were simply asked to critically perceive the information before the experiment, the degree of trust in fake news, albeit in scientific language, fell sharply.
A series of four experiments was recently conducted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Thomas C. O’Brien, Ryan Palmer, and Dolores Albarracin published the results of their analysis in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. The scientific article itself will appear only in the September issue of the peer-reviewed publication, but its text has already been posted online.
The experiments were carried out as follows. First, the researchers developed two fictitious stories, similar to real ones and close in subject matter to current world problems. The first is about a virus created as a biological weapon, and the second is about the carcinogenic effects of genetically modified organisms. Based on each story, they created two texts: one that looked like it was written by scientists, which contained references to non-existent scientific works and many specialized terms, and the other that appeared to be published by some abstract “activists”.
From 382 to 605 people took part in the experiments, randomly distributed into groups receiving either a “scientific” text or a “non-scientific” one. Due to pandemic-related restrictions, work with respondents was carried out remotely. Before reading the test record, each participant took a questionnaire to characterize their degree of trust in science. And then he answered the question whether he or she considered the received text to be true. In one of the four “rounds” before getting acquainted with the “news”, the subjects were asked to take the information critically.
The results turned out to be predictable: the more the respondent trusted science, the more likely he was to recognize frank fake news as true, even if it was written in “scientific” language. Among those who did not have a special trust in science, no statistically significant difference was observed in the perception of a “scientific” and “non-scientific” text. What is most interesting, no matter how one initially feels about the authority of scientists, if he is first reminded of the need to be a skeptic and think critically, he is much less likely to be deceived by fake news.
According to the authors of the work, these results are very important in light of the recent problem of humanity – the “infodemic”, that is, the epidemic of conspiracy theory, coupled with the flourishing of fake news against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. Scientists note the absolute need to stimulate people’s confidence in science, as this increases the survival of the whole society and its ability to develop. But this must be done not through the propaganda of blind faith in any seemingly authoritative source, but through the popularization of sound skepticism and critical thinking.
What do the animal and the tree have to do with the history of the Spanish capital?
In the heart of Madrid, where a number of roads depart in all directions, is one of the busiest places in the Spanish capital – Puerta del Sol. This is a place through which all tourists and many protesters in the country pass.
At one end of the square stands a special monument – a figure of a bear raising its paws to a strawberry tree. For many, this statue and its meaning remain a mystery, but if you look closely, you will see that it is present in many places in the city, not only here, because it is part of the coat of arms of the city.
The bronze statue was made in 1967 by order of the Spanish government. Although only 4 meters high, it weighs 22 tons. But at first glance, Madrid has nothing to do with bears or strawberry trees. Where does its symbolism come from?
How do the bear and the strawberry tree appear on the coat of arms of Madrid?
The bear has long been part of the coat of arms of Madrid. The first documents in which it is written that Madrid troops carried a flag with a bear and the seven stars of the constellation Ursa Major, is from 1212. Probably this comes from the ancient Roman name of Madrid – Ursalia, which translated from Latin means “Land of Bears”. “. Numerous bears that lived in the area at the time were captured and used for Roman spectacles – fighting with wild beasts.
Ten years later, the strawberry tree appeared on the coat of arms – for the first time on the seal of King Alfonso VIII. This seal was placed on a document that put an end to the land ownership dispute between the city council and the church. The document stated that the trees and forests (symbolized by the strawberry tree common here) would be owned by the city, and the animals and plains (symbolized by the bear) would be owned by the church. This royal decision resolved the dispute and later became the official coat of arms of Madrid.
Nowadays, there are no more bears around Madrid, as in almost all of Spain. They are found in the wild only in parts of Asturias.
The fruits of the strawberry tree cause a slight intoxication if eaten raw
What is a strawberry tree?
The strawberry tree was once a tree typical of the Madrid area, and people believed it cured the plague. Today it is almost non-existent.
It is different from the strawberries we know. Its fruits are small, red and round and taste like figs. They are mainly used for jams and liqueurs. Fully ripe fruit contains a certain amount of alcohol and can cause mild intoxication. This may explain the popularity of the tree in the Middle Ages.
Photo: The fruits of the strawberry tree cause a slight intoxication if eaten raw
While plowing his fields, a farmer stumbled upon a unique 3,300-year-old ancient bracelet from the Hittite era.
The farmer, who lives in the village of Chitli, near the town of Corum in central Turkey, found the bracelet while preparing his fields for sowing. He later took the ancient treasure to the Corum Museum.
Experts found that the artifact is from the ancient Hittite civilization and carried out restoration work. The bracelet then remained in the museum’s collection.
The beautiful bracelet is made of bronze, nickel, silver and gold, and is decorated with images of Hittite symbols, including images of Itar / Auka and his servants Nina and Culita.
Resul Ibish, an archaeologist at the museum, told Ihlas Haber (IHA). “After the initial assessments, we realized that this piece is unprecedented and we have never seen anything like it,” he said, adding that it was from the 13th century BC.
Ibish also noted that the bracelet was deformed when it was brought to the museum and some parts of it are missing, but they are restoring it.
The archaeologist also noted that there is very little jewelry from the Hittite era and this piece sheds light on the styles of jewelry of civilization.
Corum is home to the ancient Hittite city of Hatusha, one of Turkey’s most important tourist destinations. It serves as an open-air museum with 6 kilometers of city walls, monumental city gates, a 71-meter underground passage, the Hittite palace in Buyukkale, 31 open temples and ancient wheat silos. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986 due to its well-protected architectural structures and excavation site. It also bears the 2001 UNESCO World Memory title with its cuneiform writings, the oldest known form of Indo-European languages.
Hatusha served as the capital of the Hittite Empire, which was one of the civilizations that played an important role in the development of urban life in the late Bronze Age.
One of the most common and unexpected ailments is headaches. It can occur as a result of diet, stress, sleep deprivation, menstruation and others. It is known that some foods are able to cause us headaches, while others manage to protect us from pain.
Here are the foods and drinks that you should consume more and more often if you suffer from headaches.
Water: It is not surprising that water is first on the list. It is important for us because thanks to it we manage to hydrate. If you feel a severe headache, the first thing we advise you to do is drink a glass full to the brim with water. You will immediately feel fresh and feel much better.
Mint: Mint is a solution for people who often suffer from headaches. You can rub your temples with your fingers, having previously applied a few drops of peppermint oil.
Coffee: This is the drink that will help you deal with headaches. As soon as you feel tension in the head area, drink a cup of coffee.
Himalayan salt: Pour a glass of water, grind a little Himalayan salt in it and add the juice of half a lemon. In minutes you will forget about the discomfort.
Ginger: Ginger can help you deal with migraines. You have several options – to make tea from it, mix it with a little lemon and honey or eat it yourself.
Fruits and vegetables with high water content: One of the reasons for the exacerbation of migraine is dehydration. Therefore, in addition to the recommended 8 glasses of water a day, add to your menu fruits and vegetables that will hydrate you further, such as carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, celery, watermelon, melon, apples.
Fresh lemon juice: It can also reduce your headaches, as it is rich in vitamin C. With it you can prepare a drink to relieve migraines.
As Easter approaches, an article on History Extra, the official website of BBC History Magazine, explains that in Medieval England, although everyone was expected to attend church every week, the only compulsory church attendance for all adults was on Easter Sunday.
Professor Nicholas Orme paints a panorama of Medieval England, showing how the church played a central role in most people’s lives:
In a rural community of the Middle Ages, the local church was a major place to meet and socialize.
The Church was one of the main distributors of charity. It gave out alms such as money or food to the poor and needy.
Hospitals run by religious orders cared for the sick and poor and gave shelter to travelers.
From puberty on, everyone was expected to go to church on Sundays and for religious festivals—there were about 40 or 50 important festivals in the annual church calendar.
Shepherds, fishermen and servants, however, were often exempted from attending because of their work.
The north side of the church was “presided over” by the Virgin Mary and was considered to be the “side of the save.”
Women were seated there because they were considered to be “more open to temptation.” Men, thought to be better able to stand up to evil, were placed on the “unsafe” side.
Before 1300, the only seats in the church were for the nobility and gentry, who sat in the chancel with the clergy. The congregation mostly stood, unless they brought their own stools.
By the 15th century, parish churches were obliged to put in general seating, with the wealthy in seats at the front and inferiors farther back.
Services were conducted in Latin, but by the 15th century, the mass included some material in English.
The service included announcements, and prayers for the pope, the king, the crops and individuals in need.
Only at Easter did the congregation receive the communion bread, and even then, they did not partake of the wine. The rest of the year, an ordinary loaf was blessed and divided up.
Orme is a British historian and Emeritus Professor at the University of Exeter, specializing in the Middle Ages and Tudor period. He is author of the book Going to Church in Medieval England.
