Regina
Monoliths (26th November 2003)
The Queen visited Winchester last Friday. She got a South West Trains
service down here from London, so, perhaps unsurprisingly she was
a bit late! The crowds waiting for her didn’t seem to care
though. The area outside the law courts was packed to the gills
with an excited throng, all waving flags and cheering madly. I spoke
to some kids from All Saints School, Highcliffe. They said that
they love the Queen, more than Prince Charles, and they hoped that
she wore a crown and came in on a horse. Unfortunately she turned
up in a car, and was just wearing a normal suit, and a hat. Also,
unfortunately for a friend of mine who had bet a fiver she would
wear a lilac suit, she was clad in green. Never mind. She seemed
to do the line up as quickly as would be decent, and then had a
look round the gift shop. We caught up with her again in the Great
Hall, where her and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip, were
treated to a couple of lovely songs by the Winchester Cathedral
Choir.
Then we left, with us in the press pack having to always remain
in front of the royal procession. The crowds went mad as the Queen
came out of the great hall. Then it was down to the serious business
of the day, which was to unveil a new statue in the grounds of the
law courts. The statue represents a series of Hampshire related
themes. The flowing design in the middle represents the wetlands
around Winchester, while the ‘Alfred Stone’ represents
ancient days, the ‘Mitre’ stone is symbolic of the church,
and the ‘Overflow’ stone refers to the resources around
Hampshire. There is a throne in the middle. Unfortunately, one of
the stones, the Bishops piece, looks like a willy! So, it was with
great glee that we listened to the head of the council, Ken Thornber,
thank the Queen for coming and said "the beauty of this sculpture
is that it has something for everyone to sit on!"
He carried on by saying how the work, by artist Rachel Fenner, summed
up Hampshire as the county is famous for being ‘forward thinking’
as well as having a great history.’ The Queen looked happy
with the proceedings, and when she left she was clutching a load
of bunches of flowers given to her by well wishers.
To me, though, the high point of the day was probably seeing real
live, baseball cap clad snipers on the rooftops, scanning the distance
with binoculars. Great stuff.
Top of page
Don’t let it bring
you Down (26th November 2003)
The South Downs are beautiful. They stretch from Winchester in the
West over to Eastbourne in the East. They are a haven for walkers,
horse riders, cyclists and anyone seeking a bit of peace and quiet.
Max Jones reports.
My friend and I walked the route a few years back and it really
is delightful; rolling countryside, heading down to the coast. There
are many large conurbations along the edge of the route, such as
Southampton and Portsmouth, and then London is only 45 miles up
the road at the nearest point. Hence, over 39 million people visited
the Downs last year.
So, the debate at the moment is whether the area should be run by
the government as a National Park, or remain as it is. There are
some pretty heavy dudes in bat to give the area National Park status,
not the least of them being the government itself. Despite the fact
that in 1999 the Countryside Agency, who are the advisors to the
government, said that they thought National Park status would be
inappropriate, John Prescott wants to go ahead with it anyway.
The main parties against the plan are the farmers, in particular
the NFU. They think that they should be the ones to decide what
happens to the land, not central government. It seems to be the
age old battle between the countryside and a government perceived
as being overwhelmingly urban.
An NFU spokesman said "they are worried there will be more
litter, more gates left open, and more of the small minority who
don’t keep their dogs on a lead. They also fear that although
they are the people who manage the land in the South Downs , and
who depend upon the Downs for their livelihood, and their voices
may not be heard when any national park authority is set up."
A senior advisor at the Countryside Agency said "we believe
that the South Downs should have national park status because of
the pressures they face," he said.
Top of page
Bush Whackers (26th November
2003)
Max Jones went to London last week to join the protests against
the state visit by George W Bush. The number of protesters in attendance
was somewhere between the police’s estimated 20 and the organisers’
200 thousand.
Everyone on the rally was expressing their displeasure that our
heads of state are welcoming a man who seems to have done his damnedest
to make the world a very dangerous place. My friend and I pottered
round Trafalgar Square for a bit. There was a big sound system there,
and screens next to Nelson’s Column. These were showing footage
of lunatic US presidents past and present. So, we had George Bush
senior, Reagen on the great day that he called Princess Diana Princess
David by mistake, and Bush junior reading a newspaper upside down!
Another thing they had was a facility whereby one could send a text
to the screen, with a message on it for Bush. However, mine were
obviously not deemed polite enough for the American president!
Then we took a walk down Whitehall to find the march. They had started
in Aldwych and finished in Trafalgar Square. Then there were speeches,
from a guy from Plaid Cymru, someone from the Scottish Assembly
and various other worthy types. As you get exhorted to stop war,
and campaign for peace etc, it always feels like they are preaching
to the converted. Perhaps a music concert would have been better.
So, the only thing to do was look at the good folk around me. It
was a good mix. Dreadlocked and mohicaned protesters mingled with
local workers anxious to find out what was going on. There were
stalls manned by Tibetans protesting about the Chinese occupying
their country, Palestinians unhappy with their lot, Socialist Workers,
all sorts. Glitter fairies against Bush particularly caught my eye.
There were some great banners: ‘Smoke Bush not Iraq’ was
a goody.
After a while the crowds got a bit much, and I started looking a
bit askance at a man next to me who looked a bit tetchy. When I
decided that must mean he was a suicide bomber I realised it was
time to go to the pub! Reading the reports on the demonstration
later I was happy to realise that the man was obviously not a suicide
bomber, as there was no trouble whatsoever.
Top of page
Blood Sugar Test Magic
(19th November 2003)
Winchester MP Mark Oaten went down to the Silver Hill chemist in
Winchester last week (14/11/03) to help highlight the problem of
undiagnosed diabetes in this country.
Max Jones reports.
"At any one time there are said to be a million people walking
around with diabetes who do not know about it," said Mark Oaten.
He reiterated that that the test takes a matter of minutes, and
you can have it for free at participating pharmacies.
Sam Leyden, who works here, went and got tested last week, and so
he is now secure in the knowledge that he does not suffer from diabetes.
It is often easier to drop into your pharmacy than booking an appointment
and going to see your GP. Diabetes occurs when your body cannot
use glucose properly, and so the amount of glucose in your blood
rises to abnormally high levels. If left untreated it can lead to
all sorts of nastiness, such as heart disease, blindness and strokes
It can be controlled though, if properly diagnosed. Keep yourself
informed, eat a healthy diet and keep physically active, and, if
prescribed medicine then take them properly. Sounds better than
blindness or lower limb amputation! So, the answer has to be, go
and get it checked out. Symptoms include being thirsty all the time,
going to the toilet a lot and always being tired.
Top of page
Top Three Girl (19th November
2003)
Kimberly Howl a student at the Southampton Institute has finished
runner up in the Sun’s Page 3 Idol competition.
Kimberly reached the final three in the hotly contested national
competition. "I was a bit gutted" admitted Kimberly who
lives in the Polygon, Southampton but originally hails from Buckinghamshire.
Kimberly is just twenty years old but is already a veteran glamour
competition entrant. "I was a finalist in FHM’s High Street
Honeys competition this year and I was also short-listed in Melinda
Messenger’s competition in the Daily Star." Kimberly who
measures 36F-27-37 said "I’m still determined to succeed
in becoming a glamour model. I haven’t come this far just to
give up."
Kimberly said that the excitement of the Page 3 final had distracted
her from her computer studies at the institute "Luckily I haven’t
got any exams coming up."
Top of page
Byte the bullet (19th November
2003)
The internet really is the most amazing resource ever. In this day
and age a working knowledge of the worldwide web is an essential
arrow in everyone’s quiver.
It can sometimes be frustrating surfing the web. You sit there,
secure in the knowledge that you can find out about anything in
the whole world, and then discover that you do not actually have
a clue what you are really interested in! So, you check the website
of your favourite football team again! So, that makes The Byte Cafe,
in Parchment Street, a great thing. The mission statement of the
cafe is ‘To break down the digital divide between those who
do and those who don’t have access to IT training and qualifications
and access to internet and e mail’.
The cafe was founded with money given to them by the New Opportunities
Fund, DFES, IBM and Microsoft. One of the main things they do is
give help to socially excluded groups from the area to learn how
to use computers. There are a series of qualifications that one
can take. One which may well come in handy for job applications
is the European Computer Driving Licence. This allows people to
demonstrate their competence in computer skills. There are seven
modules. The first is basic concepts of IT, then there is using
the PC and managing files, word processing, spreadsheets, databases,
presentation and then the internet and e mail. Sounds handy! If
anyone would like to try and get the driving licence, they should
get a log book at The Byte. Once they have completed all the modules,
the book gets exchanged for a licence.
They also offer a City and Guilds start up course and an NVQ course.
This is a National Vocational Qualification, and the standards are
set by industry. The whole point of NVQs is that they are work related,
and assessments and observations are made in the work place. So,
employers are particularly fond of this little beauty.
The Byte also caters for people who simply want to go along and
use the internet. For a couple of quid you can go in there, log
on and enjoy a nice cup of coffee while you surf. There is a great
sofa bit at the end which is definitely the optimum spot to sit
in. I’ve spent many an hour there myself.
Top of page
Emotional Crutch Wednesday
(12th November 2003)
Revellers claim that Police from Netley were a trifle heavy handed
when breaking up an illegal gathering at Farley Mount.
Around 200 people were enjoying a party at Crab Wood (31/10/03),
when the police turned up at 10.46pm and told them they had to leave.
However, the police did not have the relevant documentation, a Section
36, at the time. They came back with the document, and eventually
got everyone to leave at around 4.30am. The party was a ‘rave’
affair involving a sound system, dancing and the like.
Party-goers I spoke to say that the police threw people around,
manhandled females and were generally a bit much.
"We were huddled in the barbecue area, when they came up and
told us we had to go," said one man, who did not to want to
be named. "They threw me on the ground, and told me to go away,
in no uncertain terms. I asked if I could go back and get my bag
and phone, and a huge policeman grabbed me by the throat and told
me to f**k off."
Another party-goer, Richard Cordell, says that he was manhandled
to an even greater degree. "I admit that I swore at the police,"
he said. "However, they grabbed, me, four of them, and threw
me to the ground. They had me down for over ten minutes with my
face in the stinging nettles. They were applying such pressure to
me that they fractured my leg in two places, and damaged a ligament
in my ankle."
The police arrested Mr. Cordell for a public order offence, and
he was kept in the cells from 4.30am until 11.30am. "I was
not allowed access to washing facilities, even though I had been
face down in the nettles for ten minutes. The police surgeon said
I should go to Accident and Emergency, but I was not allowed to
leave the cells for an hour and a half!" Richard, a self-employed
builder is now unable to work for a number of weeks.
The police have admitted that someone did need medical attention,
but deny that excessive force was used. However, Richard would disagree.
"At the end of the day, I got hurt and arrested for shouting!"
Another party goer said: "The parties we have up there are
all very peaceful. The nearest house is half a mile away, and we
always clear up our rubbish. Unfortunately we did not clear up this
time as we were too busy being thrown off. We drove up in the morning
and picked everything up and took it down to the recycling centre.
We realise that the parties are illegal, but we do not see why.
There is no need for the police to be so heavy handed."
Top of page
Roman Knows (12th November
2003)
Rebuilding the Past starts on the Discovery Channel on Monday November
17th. It is a major new series based on the reconstruction of a
Roman villa at Butser Hill near Petersfield. Using similar techniques
to those used 1600yrs ago was always going to be a controversial
academic undertaking.
Filming the work and employing builders with no previous knowledge
of practical Roman building methods added an extra intriguing dimension!
One of the workers, Mel Bliss writes exclusively for the Mid Hants
Observer...
Fifteen months ago I was introduced to building the Roman way. A
friend was involved with filming the early stages of the building
of an authentic Roman villa and suggested I visit to volunteer.
Having studied archaeology at university, I worked extensively on
digs and expeditions but had not been engaged in the field since
marrying, having children and setting up a totally unrelated business!
The offer had come at just the right time to return me to an early
love of archaeology.
I made my way down to Butser Farm, excited and intrigued, but if
anyone had told me then how my life would be dominated by the villa,
both physically and emotionally, I would not have believed them!
Spirits were high as we started to lay the first flints. Though
we were entering the virgin territory of laying flint and lime walls,
fine weather and optimism held sway… surely we would achieve
our goal easily? How wrong we would be!
I enjoyed the challenge of learning the techniques and using the
materials that the Romans used to build the two foot thick walls.
Lime can be a dangerous substance to use, but can also be more easily
worked and more sympathetic than modern cement.
I learnt quickly and was overjoyed, as the only woman on the build
team, to be promoted from part time volunteer to fully employed
team member.
But soon it became clear that some of the early optimism had been
misplaced. Serious planning errors, mismanagement and a hopelessly
optimistic schedule led to bad morale. On top of that there was
an acute mistrust directed towards the documentary crew which led
to a volatile and unproductive site.
Despite the problems, the build team kept as close and focussed
as possible, even when feeling devoid of leadership or direction.
The original presenter for the series left in despair at the management
only three months into the project. Controversy was always going
to accompany the building; nobody can conclusively say how the Romans
built structures in Britain, though there are of course many theories.
It is unfortunate that our presenter questioned our techniques,
rather than voice his criticisms more constructively. At that stage
what we needed was help, not hindrance.
We hit rock bottom in December - the money ran out, the site manager
quit, and soon the build team were laid off pending a funding review.
Would we ever finish our villa? We appealed to the Discovery Channel
for more money, but it would take some time to receive their answer.
So we waited.
Though we were gutted at getting the sack, my fellow builder, Steve
Terrell and I, had fallen in love with the villa and decided to
carry on as volunteers through the long winter months. We realised
that unless we showed real commitment Discovery were likely to lose
confidence, funding would not be re-instated and the project possibly
abandoned!
Long freezing days building walls cemented my commitment to the
villa and I was ecstatic when a shift in management brought on board
the Chairman of Butser Farm’s Trustees, Dai Morgan-Evans, and
a new budget from Discovery.
The build team could be assembled again! With Dai’s arrival,
there was a definite change of attitude on site. Immediately the
process became more open and honest and the film crews were no longer
treated with suspicion. The future was, for the first time since
the project began, looking bright.
The only alarming news was that we had only ten weeks to finish
the walls - so far we were less than half way there! I responded
by producing a build progress chart, clearly showing the build rate
required to keep on target.
We became a more professional unit, and hoped we would achieve our
goal! As we slogged it out with the walls through April and May
preparations were well under way for the next stages, little did
I know that they would not include me.
The deadline arrived, and thanks to hard work from the build team,
the volunteers, and the dry weather we had made it. All were overjoyed.
However, my happiness at laying the last flint was shadowed by sadness.
Apparently because I was a woman, it was deemed that I was not physically
capable of continuing to build on the next stages. Labouring throughout
the winter on six foot high flint walls would seem to refute that,
but unfortunately I was off! I tried to celebrate, I sipped the
champagne… but all I felt was numb emptiness.
Getting sacked did allow me to devote more time to my family over
the summer, but I couldn’t keep away from the villa and soon
became involved again on a voluntary basis. I equipped myself with
a paintbrush to provide a replica of the mosaic found in the villa
at Sparsholt - the excavation that originally served as the blueprint
for the Butser Villa. 144sq.ft. of mosaic painted on to 1sq.ft.
pieces of board is a massive undertaking and I was absorbed for
much of August. On visits to the villa I watched frustrated as the
rest of the team continued building and decorating our villa.
As autumn encroached, so did the final deadline. An amazing last
minute donation of roof tiles from Bradstones (although not 100%
authentic, filming and budget constraints necessitated a compromise)
completed the major build.
Artist Madeline Allison produced a series of frescos using Roman
pigments straight on to wet lime plaster. With a real mosaic added
to the hypocaust room and my replica laid down in the dining room,
it was beginning to resemble a house a family may have lived in.
Artistic touches along with donated plants and beautiful floral
arrangements brought the villa to life for a grand celebration feast
- we had done it!
Through all the hard work, disappointments and arguments we had
learnt a lot. We built as the Romans had, and came up against similar
problems, emerging victorious. Personally, I experienced the camaraderie
of a build team coping with joy, frustration, pain and elation!
But despite the roller coaster ride that it was, I look upon my
experience at Butser Ancient Farm positively. I feel the villa will
be a valuable research and education venue, that will hopefully
develop and grow for many years to come.
You will be able to experience the highs and lows of Mel experiences
with "Rebuilding The Past" on The Discovery Channel on
Monday 17th November and all that week.
Top of page
The Sandra Gidley interview
(12th November 2003)
Sandra Gidley has been the MP for Romsey since 2000.
She was certainly thrown in at the deep end, as she won a by-election
and then had to fight a general election a mere year later! Unfortunately,
Sandra had a chance to fight for the seat under rather tragic circumstances:
the seat became available after Michael Colvin, her predecessor,
and his wife dying in a house fire.
"It was a truly awful thing to happen, and, although I am glad
to represent my constituency, I wish it could have been under nicer
circumstances," says Sandra.
Sandra was lucky in that the Liberal Democrat Party was fairly well
established in Romsey when she got in. When I compared her victory
to the recent Lib Dem by-election win in Brent, she pointed out
that Brent was probably a bit different. This is by virtue of the
fact that there was never that much of a Liberal Democrat Party
in place in Brent. This must have made it quite an uphill struggle
to suddenly go from nothing to being in Parliament.
So, finding herself in Westminster was the culmination of a fairly
short political road for Sandra. She started handing out leaflets
for the party in 1992, and went on to become both a town and borough
councillor. In 1999 she put herself forward as a candidate, and
those corridors of power were not too far behind.
Sandra believes that not spending a life in politics is no bad thing.
She believes it is very important to have had a life before getting
in to power. She feels so strongly about this that she thinks there
should be rules against people whose entire career is in politics.
"You get these people who go and work for a political party,
then go into politics, and they have never had any experience of
the real world, so I do not see how they can govern people,"
she said.
I must confess that I heartily agree with these sentiments. I put
it to Sandra as well that I think it would be logical for the Minister
for Education should have been a teacher and the Minister for Health
needs to have been a nurse or doctor. However, Sandra sagely pointed
out that it is not just the professionals who have a knowledge of
a service: "If someone is a parent, then they will have knowledge
and opinions on the education service," she reasoned. "And
as for health, it is perhaps more important that that person has
been a patient at some point in their life.
"There is a chance that people could become institutionalised
when they have worked in a certain field for so long. Perhaps it
is better to have a fresh eye," she suggested.
Sandra is now the Shadow Minister for Women and Older People. "There
is a huge population of elderly people out there, who have a variety
of needs," says Sandra. "It is very important that they
are seen as the benefit to society that they are, and not as an
encumbrance."
Sandra believes that one of the main ways that the Liberal Democrat
Party works is due to the fact that the MPs are from a wide spread
of backgrounds. She thinks it is important that politicians are
not just perceived as being a bunch of male, middle-aged lawyers.
"I am the only Member of Parliament who has been a pharmacist!"
she told me proudly.
The leader of the party, Charles Kennedy, is also very keen to make
the public see what a good cross section of MPs then Liberals have.
"Charles is not a ‘one man band’," said Sandra.
"He realises that the wide skills-base we have is one of the
benefits of the party."
A few months ago Charles Kennedy was being harangued by other parties
for his penchant for a whisky and a cigarette. As far as I am concerned,
that is all the more reason to vote for him, anyway! Sandra pointed
out that, besides, Charles is hardly the only smoker and drinker
in Westminster. The fact that the other parties now consider Charles
a worthy candidate for a nasty smear campaign is, perhaps, evidence
that the Liberals are considered more of an adversary now.
"We have to keep getting our message out there," Sandra
says. "We are a united party, and a lot of our policies are
about the community." Although she does not want the party
to be seen as ‘the lesser of three evils,’ any vote is
good as far as she is concerned.
To my mind, the fact that the Liberals were the only party truly
and consistently against the war is a good thing. Sandra pointed
out that the Tories were very gung-ho until it had been proved that
the war was a bad idea and that no one was winning the peace, and
now they are saying they were misled. Labour, meanwhile, have come
across, of late, as war-mongering little liars. "It is the
kind of two-facedness demonstrated during the war that puts people
off politicians," says Sandra.
It would appear that the Liberals are a party of principle, and
perhaps it is that refusal to compromise that has kept them in the
wings for such a long time. It could be the time to give them a
chance now. Perhaps most importantly, like myself, Sandra is ginger,
as is their leader, Charles Kennnedy. That gets them my vote anyday!
Top of page
It's OK to Ask! (5th November
2003)
The Coneheads (left) joined Winchester’s Mayor Cllr Jean Hammerton
and Council Leader Cllr Sheila Campbell to launch Winchester City
Council’s "It’s OK to Ask" campaign.
The Council and its partners will be running the campaign throughout
November to encourage Winchester residents to make sure that they
are not missing out on benefit or tax credits to which they are
entitled.
The ‘It’s OK to ASK!’ campaign aims to reach people
who may have never considered themselves eligible for help before.
It is being run by the City Council in partnership with the Citizens’
Advice Bureau, Pensions Service, Inland Revenue and JobCentre Plus.
"National figures show that many people who could get help
with living costs from a benefit or tax credit don’t know that
they are eligible and never make an application," said the
City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Services, Cllr
Therese Evans. "Some people are reluctant to find out if they
are eligible for help, and it means they could be missing out on
extra income that would make a real difference to their quality
of life," she added.
Even if you think you are on a pretty good wage, there is still
a chance that you may be eligible for some cash. We give such a
vast amount of money to the council anyway that it would be nice
to get some of it back!
All of the information you give is confidential, and the number
is 08000 910 908. The line is open throughout November.
Top of page
Volunteering is good for
you (5th November 2003)
After spending five years in bed with a chronic kidney condition,
Winchester’s Jane Harvey tells the Mid Hants Observer how becoming
a volunteer has given her a new zest for life and amazing health
improvements…
"I trained as a nurse at the Royal Free Hospital in London
but was forced to give up my career when I was diagnosed with a
rare renal illness which meant I could lose consciousness if the
pain got very bad. I was prescribed painkillers which I continue
to take today. I went on to have a daughter so the combination of
motherhood and illness meant my career never took off. I had wanted
to specialise in geriatric care so I never felt I had fulfilled
my vocation until getting involved with Club Hampshire – a
new charity for older and disabled people.
"Being registered disabled myself, I knew many of Hampshire’s
Red Cross clubs for disabled and older people were facing closure
last year. Fortunately, two wonderful men – Edwin Ingleton
and John Derben – saved them by forming Club Hampshire which
now runs 48 clubs across the county. However, they desperately needed
volunteers. But when Edwin asked me if I could become club leader
for the Badger Farm group, my initial reaction was ‘I can’t
do that’. I was very quiet and lacking in self-belief after
many years of inactivity, isolation and illness. I’m so grateful
they persuaded me though because it has changed my life completely.
I feel I have become the person I should have been 20 years ago
and my confidence has soared. As well as having lots of fun and
making new friends with members and colleagues, I have learned a
lot too. And keeping busy has improved my health: I take less medication
and my bad times are not as frequent. I even managed to do the splits
recently and raised £10 when someone said I could not. They
did not know I used to be a former junior British gymnastics champion!
"I work in several of the clubs now and was also elected chair
of the charity’s advisory group. The work varies enormously
from organising outings, parties and arts and crafts activities
to simply chatting with members. And each club is very different.
They are vital to people who spend a lot of time stuck at home and
who want to come out and do something interesting. One lady in her
‘90s said she had not been out of her house for two years before
she joined us - this is not uncommon. It’s great to be able
to make a difference to her and others like her.
"I was recently very embarrassed to be given an award in recognition
of exceptional services to Club Hampshire. But I do not regard it
as just my award. It is for all the other volunteers as well. I
am proud of Club Hampshire, proud to be a Club Hampshire volunteer
and grateful for the continued help, advice and support which has
allowed me to be part of its magic. It could do the same for you
too! "
Club Hampshire was set up to promote the well-being of older and
disabled people by providing a range of day services through 48
clubs across the county. If you are interested in joining in the
fun or volunteering , call 01962 877772 for more information.
Winchester’s Volunteer Bureau has details of a vast range of
interesting and fulfilling volunteer opportunities with activities
and hours to suit everyone. Call 01962 848030 to find out more or
visit the web site at www.do-it.org.uk
Top of page
Carnival of light (5th
November 2003)
Hindus the world over celebrated Diwali recently. Diwali is the
festival of light, and the idea of it is that the light of knowledge
banishes the darkness of ignorance. To this aim, the festival is
held on the 15th day of the dark fortnight of the Hindu month of
Ashwin.
The word Diwali is a corruption of the Sanskrit word Deepavali.
Deepa means light and Avali means a row. This is because rows of
lights are one of the main attractions of the festival, and Hindu
areas all over the country spent the festival bathed in illumination.
Diwali lasts for five days. Every country and culture celebrate
in their own ways. The first day, Dhanteras, is a day for celebrating
wealth. Houses and business properties are renovated on this day,
and deals struck. Everyone is waiting for the entrance of the Goddess
of wealth and prosperity. I wish she would come to my house!
Then the second day is called Narka Chaturdashi. On this day it
is customary to bathe before sunrise. This is because the God Krishna
came down very early one morning and vanquished some demons who
had kidnapped 16,000 sons and daughters of the saints. After his
battle womenfolk bathed lucky old Krishna, and rubbed scented oils
into his body. Sweetmeats are eaten throughout the day.
The next three days are all about the forces of light vanquishing
darkness. On the last night there are huge celebrations, fireworks
and feasting.
I spoke to Mr Chopra, from the Vedic Society Hindu Centre, in Southampton.
He told me that their main evening was Saturday, but the celebrations
carried on through to Sunday. "It was standing room only down
here, and everyone loved it," he said. "For us it is the
biggest event of the year. It is all about light defeating darkness.
As well as Diwali, it is the time for another religious festival
this month. Mosques in Southampton and Basingstoke, as well as Moslems
all over the region are observing Ramadan.
Ramadan is a very special month in the Islamic calendar. it is a
time for inner reflection, devotion to God and self-control. The
self-control aspect is most apparent in the fasting that Moslems
do over the month. The idea is that, without preoccupation with
the bodily appetites, adherents can gain a level of ascendancy in
their spiritual nature.
Fasting takes place between dawn and dusk. As all Moslems eat at
the same time during Ramadan, the feeling of community is intensified,
with people often inviting their neighbours over for dinner.
The holy book of Islam, the Qur’an, is read avidly during the
month. During the last ten days of the month a lot of adherents
spend their whole time in the Mosque, praying.
Abdul Khayam is a local Moslem. "Ramadan is a very holy time
for those of the Moslem faith," he said. "Surprisingly
enough, we do not actually get that hungry, as we have a meal just
before sunrise and a meal just after sunset. After a few days your
body simply gets used to the new regime. Friends of mine who smoke
find it more difficult," he continued. Smoking, drinking, and
sex are also banned from dawn to dusk during Ramadan.
Top of page
|
