Archive for February, 2010

Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa” Image Was Venerated As A Saint By Otomi Indians In Mexico

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Lately the image of the “Mona Lisa” as occupied a preponderant position in the news around the world thanks to the recently released movie based on Dan Brown’s novel. But there is a small town in Mexico’s province where the religious feelings of its people manifested in a strange cult that would also be excellent material for a controversial novel.

Nequeteje is a small town situated in the Mexican state of Hidalgo in the central region of the country not too far from Mexico City. It has a population of around 3000 people, most of them Otomi indians, that make a living mostly from agriculture and some small business financed by the money sent back by immigrants in the U.S to their families.

For 50 years, believe it or not, the cult to Leonardo’s “Monalisa” was widespread among these people, to the point of having the image of this world famous painting placed in the main altar of the town’s church sharing space with the traditional saints of the Catholic faith. They even used to take the image of “Monalisa” in religious processions to other nearby towns and they attributed many miracles to the new “saint”.

According to the story, “Mona Lisa” arrived in town in the 1940’s when a group of foreign researchers spent some time in town and somehow they forgot to take the reproduction with them. Some one in Nequeteje found it and suddenly “Monalisa” became a new saint to venerate in town.

It has to be said the the Catholic Church never approved the cult but they tolerated the worship of “Mona Lisa” for many years afraid of the turmoil they could provoke if they suddenly invalidated the faith and veneration of Nequeteje’s Virgin by its people.

It was until some 10 years ago that a brave priest removed the image from altar arguing that it needed some fixing, at the beginning people was reluctant to let their highly venerated image of the “Gioconda” leave but the priest kept arguing about the need of the fix and finally he took it with him. To these days he has never returned the image to its altar, but people has never forgot her and still venerates the “Virgen de Nequeteje”.

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=> http://travel-mexico-review.blogspot.com

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Theatre, Anyone Professional Summer Theatre in New Hampshire

Monday, February 15th, 2010

New Hampshire is more than lakes and mountains and bucolic landscapes. Every summer, both seasoned actors and young hopefuls stream into the state from all over the country, signing up for one play or for an intense summer stock experience at one of the many professional theatres opening their doors to locals and tourists.

Peterborough Players, in the southwestern part of the state, is kicking off its 2006 summer season with performances of Tuesdays with Morrie, a play adapted from the bestselling book of the same name. The book’s author, Mitch Albom, and playwright Jeffrey Hatcher wrote the adaptation, which will star James Whitmore and his son, James Whitmore, Jr. Following Tuesdays, the company will perform The Gin Game, Hobson’s Choice, The Winter’s Tale, Fallen Angel, and The Turn of the Screw, A second company at Peterborough Players will enact two children’s plays, adaptations of Charlotte’s Web and The Secret Garden.

The Lakes Region Summer Theatre near Lake Winnipesaukee also has ambitious plans: They will offer five plays in ten weeks, putting its cast of ambitious young actors through their theatrical paces and offering an invaluable training experience in their chosen profession. The plays they will produce in 2006 include Nunsense, Kiss Me Kate, and The Pajama Game.

The result for the audiences is high-quality theatre, sometimes with transcendent performances, by casts of determined, disciplined professionals or aspiring professionals, and great entertainment for a summer evening. And who knows? The audience might just get a glimpse of the next breakout star!

Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for local and regional newspapers and for a number of Internet websites, including Tips and Topics. She expresses her opinions periodically on her blog, http://beyondagendas.blogspot.com She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com

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Planning A Vacation With Small Children So That Everyone Has Fun

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

When you are going on a trip to get away from it all and you have a younger child you need to look at it from their point of view.

Often preschool age children won’t remember a lot about the vacation as they get older, and that is okay they live in the moment and we want to make those moments as happy as possible.

A couple years back I took my daughter on a trip to the mountains, we took in a lot of fun things and she had a great time. We even caught a live production of Dora the Explorer which I thought would be the highlight of the trip. Don’t get me wrong she loved it and talked about it for quite awhile.

She also enjoyed climbing in the mountains and seeing a waterfall, the chipmunks we saw, the zoo, and the tram we took up the mountain. We also played lots of car games so even the riding in the vehicle part of the trip was pleasant.

She loves to look at pictures from our vacation and talk about all the fun, but she said we don’t have pictures of the “funnest” parts of the trip. I took a look at all the pictures and thought what didn’t we get pictures of, I couldn’t remember anything special we had done that I didn’t have documented on film.

When I asked her what the best part was she said swimming in the pool with me, and staying in the hotel room watching television and reading books.

That got me thinking, we go swim frequently, we watch T.V., and we read a lot of books all the time, so what was so special about doing it on vacation.

I think it was several days of undivided attention, there were no phones or computers or meetings or chores to interrupt our fun. We just got to spend a ton of time together without anyone competing for my attention.

Don’t get me wrong, we still take in the fun sightseeing attractions when we are on a trip but I make sure we take time to spend a day or afternoon at the pool as well. Never do we try to pack so much fun in that it isn’t fun.

We also try to plan an overnight trip or two to a fairly close town that has a pool. We just go and relax, swim and spend time together. This is especially fun in the winter when we go to a hotel with an indoor pool.

So remember when planning your next getaway, it doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive to create lifelong memories your child will appreciate as they grow up.

Robin Reckard, co-founder of Jorbins.com Lifestyle Magazine, keeps busy producing, writing, and editing for the magazine as well as raising and enjoying her six year old daughter.

Also visit Jorbins Travel and Vacation and Travel Discussions for more great travel information.

Copyright 2006, Jorbins Inc. – Reprints of this article can be made as long as the article is in it’s entirety, unchanged, and the resource box with links and urls remain unchanged.

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