A Burns Supper is a very special event. There is a traditional running order for the evening, which, although it may seem formal, keeps the momentum going – and then some. But don’t feel you have to follow it exactly. After all, Rabbie himself was a bit of a rebel.Assuming you don’t have a pipe band to hand, playing some Scottish music is the next best thing to get your guests in the mood as they arrive.All stand for the grand arrival of The Great Chieftan o’ the Puddin’ Race, otherwise known as the haggis. The meaty star attraction is carried majestically on a silver platter to the sound of bagpipes. Guests are invited to clap along until the haggis reaches its destination at the table. Download PDF

A myth is a story about the universe that is considered sacred. Such a story deals with the great moments of man’s life: birth, initiation, and death, referring them to events that took place in mythical times. The myth is often recited during a dramatic representation of the event it narrates. Through the ritual, man then becomes contemporary with the mythical event, and participates in the gods’ creative actions. Thus, man can create, man can maintain, man can renew fertility, just through the rituals man has devised through mythology.Mythology is nothing more than a collection of stories about the gods that the pagans worshiped Download PDF

Mother's Day is an important day all around the world, even though it started in North America and Europe. Not all countries celebrate it on the same day, but the most popular day is the second Sunday in May. It is, of course, a day to honour our mothers and make them feel extra special. A punctuation point about the day is that most countries choose the singular possessive “Mother’s Day”, with the apostrophe before the ‘s’ to show that each family honours their mother, rather than all of the world’s mothers. Young children get especially excited about Mother’s Day and put a lot of effort into making cards and presents for their Mums, or Moms in America. For mothers, it is like having a second birthday. Download PDF

We are told that Hanukkah, the ceremony of rededication, lasted eight days. Some attribute this to the wonderful legend of the miracle of the oil... that when the Maccabees were victorious and returned to Jerusalem to clean out and rebuild the Temple, they found only enough oil to light the Ner Tamid for one night. However, a miracle occurred and this oil lasted for eight days until a new supply of pure oil could be secured. Some believe that, because the Hasmoneans could not celebrate Sukkot (which lasts eight days) during the years of their revolution, they combined that holiday with the festivities of their rededication of the Temple. This would explain the reason why Hanukkah is eight days in length. Others believe that because the dedication of the Temple in Solomon’s time lasted eight days, the Hasmoneans chose that same length of time for their celebration. Download PDF

Bar Mitzvah (Hebrew: בַּר מִצְוָה) is a Jewish coming of age ritual for boys. Bat Mitzvah (Hebrew: בַּת מִצְוָה; Ashkenazi pronunciation: Bas Mitzveh) is a Jewish coming of age ritual for girls. The plural is B'nai Mitzvah for boys, and B'not Mitzvah (Ashkenazi pronunciation: B'nos Mitzvah) for girls. According to Jewish law, when Jewish boys become 13 years old, they become accountable for their actions and become a bar mitzvah. A girl becomes a bat mitzvah at the age of 12 according to Orthodox and Conservative Jews, and at the age of 13 according to Reform Jews.[1] Prior to reaching bar mitzvah age, the child's parents hold the responsibility for the child's actions.Bar mitzvah is mentioned in the Mishnah (Ethics of the Fathers, 5:21) and in the Talmud. Download PDF