Today was the opening of the Second Life Fantasy Faire 2010 - the largest gathering of fantasy designers, enthusiasts and performers.
I didn’t resist and went there early this morning… not only because two of my favourite designers are displaying there but above all because our Empire has a booth in the Wings Wands & Wonders Sim!
I am sure you can take some time of your busy schedule to visit this faire: it will be a week of commerce, special events, live music concerts and fundraising over 9 sims to benefit Relay for Life and the fight against cancer.
As you stroll around the Fantasy Faire SIMs you are sure to find many shopping opportunities. Inside and outside shops you will find vendors and displays of all kinds of fantastical goods, clothing, prefabs, landscaping items, artwork, avatars etc.
Fantasy Faire 2010 is brought to you by Friends Fighting Cancer Strong! Together!
It is a beautiful, magnificent and exciting RFL event full of wonder and fantasy… You don’t want to miss it! Here’s the carriage for the heart of the Fantasy Faire.
The UpClose Column introduces the most interesting, famous and exquisite Citizens of the Empire of Fayandria. The questionnaire is almost the same and what makes each interview unique is the subject’s answers and reactions.
This week, we went underwater to meet the lovely Lady Leslie Beaumont. She is a charming, kind and sweet lady, very dedicated to her merrow community as well as to her duties in the Empire of Fayandria.
Meet Lady Leslie Beaumont and take an UpClose look into her character…
*SL Name: Leslie Beaumont
*Title: Princess of the Crystal Merrow, First Merrow of Fayandria and Imperial Minister
*RL age: 53
*Rez day: April 18, 2007
*SL Occupation & Hobbies: Mermaid coordinator, university teacher, scripter of math teaching tools.
*Favourite Book: The Lord of the Rings
*Favourite Movie: Indiana
*Best Moment in SL: Not sure
DQ: What brought you to Fayandria?
LB: After leaving and being banned from Avilion for stupid reasons, I was engaged by Nax Sautereau to organize a merrow community in Cristalina sim. Though Cristalina has closed, the Merrow community continues in Adora Island
My unswerving allegiance belongs to the Empress Fayandria Foley for receiving me when I fled Avilion, and also to Lord Nax: I am very sorry he is leaving us.
DQ: Tell us a bit about your background.
LB: I have been in SL for almost three years. I have spent some time thinking about math teaching in SL; that's too close to real life. I spent a long time playing as a Merrow in Avilion, and at the time I left I had become First Merrow of Avilion and built up a nice little mer community there.
I love to shop for dresses! *smiles*
DQ: What do you want to achieve First Merrow?
LB: Fundamentally, to be the best mermaid I can be *smiles* I would like to create a community of mer friends here that fits into Fayandria.
DQ: What was your proudest moment in regards to the Empire of Fayandria so far?
LB: I am honoured to be chosen by the Empress as First Merrow of the realm, and I hope to be worthy of this confidence.
Among other moments I enjoyed: I was delighted to be the official disco queen of Fayandria (at least I won the costume contest at that party) and to have my entry chosen for the new name of the Inn ! I thought my second mermaid party in Cristalina was something I could be proud of *smiles*
DQ: If you had one wish for the Empire of Fayandria… What would it be?
LB: That we all keep playing well, remembering the difference between IC and OOC and having a good time!
After several days of fierce battles between the brave warriors of Fayandria and the Moonhaven invaders, Queen Sadie Slade surrendered to our Empress Fayandria Foley.
An official declaration of war should not be an easy decision to make. It takes consciousness, bravery and leadership. The Empire of Fayandria and its rulers respect and protect each and every individual who lives under their leadership, welcome all visitors and friends however they do not tolerate those who attempt against the lives of their own people.
Two days ago, a witch from Moonhaven was seen wondering around Inis Airdrie. When questioned by Dame Saberina and Dame Copper about her presence in Fayandria’s lands she stated she was only visiting. The two Fianna Knights were suspicious of such visitor from Moonhaven and summoned HRH Prince Lander who came and invited witch Sultry to leave the grounds of the Empire since Moonhaven had declared war to Fayandria.
The witch refuse to leave disobeying a direct order from a Fayandrian ruler. She was executed by Prince Lander himself who then order Lord Jac Mortlock to carry the witch’s remains back to Moonhaven as a warning to their Queen Sadie: “any Moonhaven citizen is to be killed on sight”. And so war was officially declared between the Empire of Fayandria and the Realm of Moonhaven.
Yesterday on a calm and peaceful afternoon, Empress Fayandria was walking around the new Arena, enjoying the remarkable work done in so little time. She was accompanied by Rylie Pixelmaid, Dame Saberina Faith, Lady Tootie Sharktooth, Lady RovenOhana Boa and Lady Anouk Lefavre.
Nairb Footpad stepped near the Empress and began threatening the Empress's life. Rylie and Dame Saberina were then ordered to capture and jail Nairb, but he resisted and killed them both. Soon after Jac Mortlock joined Nairb Footpad, they killed and slain everyone on sight.This resulted on the death of Tootie Sharktooth, RovenOhana Boa, Anouk Lefavre, Saberina Faith, Rylie Pixelmaid, and the Empress Fayandria Foley.
Our Empire is at war…
The UpClose Column introduces the most interesting, famous and exquisite Citizens of the Empire of Fayandria. The questionnaire is almost the same, however what makes each interview unique is the subject’s answers and reactions.
This week, we are meeting the most honourable Lady Pandora Fireguard. She is a kind, intelligent and intuitive lady. True to her principles, she is a keen leader, loyal to the Imperial Crown and loving to her friends and fiancé.
Meet Lady Pandora Fireguard and take an UpClose look into her character…
*SL Name: Pandora Fireguard
*Title: Ard Imperial Minister, Senior Fianna Knight of the Order of Fianna
*RL age: Haha… Same as Tbird Low's.
*Rez day: 3/16/2009
*SL Occupation & Hobbies: Ard Imperial Minister of Fayandria and Fianna Knight. I like to fight but don't practice as I should, but I am a good loser. Otherwise, I prefer solitary pursuits such as building, terraforming and landscaping. I am a daydreamer and a thinker.
*Favourite book: Hmm, I read so many; it is hard to choose. My favourite writers are Thomas Hardy, British, and Isaac Bashevis Singer, Yiddish. They were very detailed in their writing which gives one a sense of the characters’ motivations and the times and cultures in which they lived.
* Favourite movie: "Titanic". I admired the first lifeboat captain who went back to look for survivors and the determination of the heroine to live and continue on with her life. Persistence is everything.
*Best moment in SL: The day Captain Tbird Low and I realized that our love had withstood the test of time. And, finding out we were the same age.
DQ: What brought you to Fayandria?
PF: A problem I had in my homeland of
DQ: Tell us a bit about your background.
PF: I am human. I was born in
DQ: What do you want to achieve as Ard Imperial Minster?
PF: That is easy. Peace in the Empire. I would like to see the Empire attract many more residents of various types, all mingling and having fun.
DQ: What was your proudest moment in regards to the Empire of Fayandria so far?
PF: Being dubbed a Fianna Knight. I was humbled and proud at the same time. It was something I set out to do and was determined to achieve. And I thank Commander Lea for my training.
DQ: If you had one wish for The Empire of Fayandria… What would it be?
PF: That it remains an inclusive and peaceful Empire and continues to grow and prosper.
Many Christians nowadays would point to Christmas as the main festival in the church year. In medieval times, Easter was seen as equally important and was one of the most exhilarating and memorable days of the year.
For medieval Christians, Easter was particularly enjoyable because it came after six weeks of hard fasting and abstinence. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, when churchgoers were marked with ashes, Lent was a time when everyone, rich and poor, was expected to forgo many everyday pleasures.
The emphasis was on sacrifice and even commonplace foods such as eggs and meat had to be saved until the Easter celebrations. Eggs laid during the Lenten period were hardboiled to preserve them, a tradition which continues today in the painting of hardboiled eggs.
The Lenten observances came to a climax during Holy Week, the week before Easter. There were daily church services, but thoughts of Easter applied also to everyday life, with an old tradition forbidding anyone to use nails or iron tools on Good Friday, to commemorate Jesus on the cross.
Good Friday was the day for the ceremony of creeping to the cross, when churchgoers would approach the crucifix on bended knee, or barefoot.
Medieval Easter Day Rituals and Traditions
The dawning of Easter Day was special and memorable for medieval people, with many gathering before dawn to watch the sun rise. Members of each parish would stand near the church and sing hymns as the sun slowly rose and church bells rang out. After greeting the first rays, they would be led to church by the parish priest, singing hymns of joy as they went.
As well as the church’s celebrations, Easter Day was a day for pleasure and fun after six weeks of fasting. Anyone who could afford it, would wear a new set of clothes on Easter Sunday. For many, this could be the only time of year they got a new item of clothing.
Children were involved in the fun, with parents hiding hard boiled eggs as a symbol of the apostles finding the risen Christ in the tomb, and there would be egg rolling and parades.
For many, the main thing to look forward to was that Easter Sunday was one of the few days in the year when no one had to work. It was traditional for servants to present their lord with a small gift, perhaps a dish of food or a new-born animal, and in return, the lord would provide a feast for his servants and their families.
For the wealthier sections of society, the Medieval Easter Court was a time to re-establish friendships, cement business relationships and join their peers at a sumptuous feast, a feast which contained all the foods which had been banned during Lent.
The fun didn’t stop after Easter Sunday. Hock Monday and Hock Tuesday were a chance for the younger people of a town or village to release their high spirits after weeks of fasting. Hock Monday was the day when girls could capture the boys of the area, releasing them only on payment of a donation to church funds. Tuesday was the turn of the boys to capture any girls they saw passing by.
These rituals and celebrations were followed year after year in Christian countries, with each district or country putting its own personal flavour on proceedings, ensuring that the festivities were a real
Easter Symbols
Ancient Spring GoddessAccording to the Venerable Bede, Easter derives its name from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A month corresponding to April had been named "Eostremonat" or Eostre's month, leading to "Easter" becoming applied to the Christian holiday that usually took place within it. Prior to that, the holiday had been called Pasch (Passover), which remains its name in most non-English languages.
It seems probable that around the second century A.D., Christian missionaries seeking to convert the tribes of northern
Easter Eggs
In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent. Eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants.
In addition, eggs have been viewed as symbols of new life and fertility through the ages. It is believed that for this reason many ancient cultures, including the Ancient Egyptians, Persians, and Romans, used eggs during their spring festivals.
Sources:
www.wikipedia.com
www.infopedia.pt
www.suite101.com
www.infoplease.com
Relay for Life of Second Life
