Christine Lovatt’s Hello Column
Christine’s Hello column appears monthly in Lovatts BIG Crossword magazine
Discover the forbidden dance
In the 18th century, dancing was very much a communal activity. Dancers didn’t just dance with a partner, but in two lines, so that partners faced each other and moved back and forth, and never touched apart from holding hands. They danced with each of the opposite line in a stately, rigid manner.
Then the [more…]
Who is Charles Dickens?
It’s very hard to write about Charles Dickens without writing thousands of words, because there’s so much to say about the man.
Who knows what sort of world we would be living in if it hadn’t been for Dickens and his focus on social reform? He didn’t make changes single-handedly, but he certainly forced people [more…]
World Radio Day
World Radio Day was adopted as a UN International Day back in 2012 and serves as a tribute to the power of radio as a tool for communication, information sharing, and cultural expression, and emphasises its crucial role in shaping our global societies. The date of February 13th was chosen as it is the [more…]
Start anew in January
January is named after the Roman god Janus. His dual-faced image could be found on most city gates and many Roman coins. The two faces are said to be looking back at the past and looking forward to the future at the same time. He was known as the god of beginnings and was [more…]
Happy New Year!
Throughout the year there are many occasions which we commemorate in different ways. Some festivals have religious significance, others remember historical events or mark the passing of time or the seasons. Throughout the world, even though we may follow different faiths, it’s pleasing to realise that we often celebrate in the same way. The [more…]
The season of giving
Exchanging presents at Christmas is a tradition that dates to the 4th century. Bishop Nicholas of Myra was born into a wealthy merchant family in the village of Patera in the south of Turkey. He was known for his many kind and generous deeds, including throwing gold into the houses of the needy and [more…]
Christmas Feasts
Kiviak is a gastronomical Christmas treat from Greenland and is made from the raw flesh of an auk which has been buried under a stone in sealskin for several months until it has achieved an advanced stage of decomposition.
Portuguese families eat a special meal of salted dry codfish with boiled potatoes at midnight on [more…]
Discover popular garden phrases
If everything in the garden is rosy, it means all is well, but be careful you don’t dig up any dirt that would be better left unearthed! Life as a bed of roses is thought to be a good thing, although you would have to think the thorns would make it a bit prickly.
The [more…]
Learn about luck
Luck is a popular theme for proverbs – that is, a short, memorable statement that contains advice, predictions, or a warning. According to one Italian proverb, ‘Fortune comes to him who strives for it’. Another says ‘if you’re lucky enough to be Irish, then you’re lucky enough’. This comes from the fact that Irish [more…]