The holiday season is quickly approaching. Our special $50 shopping spree drawing will be held a few days after Thanksgiving and a notice will be sent to subscribers announcing the winner. If you have not entered just send me an e-mail with "turkey" as the subject by Thanksgiving Day and you will be added to the entries. I. Tidbits Spotlight on Thanksgiving In 1863. President Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. However since he did not establish it as a national holiday each state had the right to decide when it would celebrate Thanksgiving. It wasn't until 1941 that Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Thanksgiving is not just a tradition in the United States. Around the world there are a number of different ways and traditions that are built around Thanksgiving. The traditional Thanksgiving is thought to have been started by the Pilgrims. The initial "Thanksgiving" feast held in 1621 was really a traditional English harvest celebration. The Pilgrims shared it with the Native Americans because they had taught the colonists to plant crops and hunt game indigenous to the region. Without the help of these Native Americans the Pilgrims may not have survived the harsh winter and been able to celebrate their first harvest of plentiful crops in the New World. No accurate information has survived regarding the specific foods served at these first celebrations. Historians believe the menu included seafood and wild game along with an abundance of seasonal crops. Sugar was not readily available and there was little means for baking so sweets and breads were probably not served. Over time tradition has evolved into the menu we're more familiar with today. While we don't know if turkey was the wild game served originally it is considered a Thanksgiving necessity now along with gravy and stuffing and cranberry sauce. The colonists may or may not have eaten squash as one of their vegetables but today most holiday feasts employ a form of squash that we know as pumpkin and is made into a delicious pie. While the menu has changed the holiday still revolves around the giving of thanks for life's blessings. Thanksgiving around the World. Brazil - A National Day of Thanksgiving (Dia Nacional de Acao de Gracas) became official in 1949 as a public official and solemn glorification of the name of God. The Chief of State and others celebrate this holiday in the Cathedral of Brasilia with a solemn Te Deum on the fourth Thursday of November. Canada - A general Thanksgiving (Fete de Grace) and Harvest Home Festival was first observed in 1879. It is officially proclaimed yearly and celebrated on the second Monday in October. Japan - The ancient festival by the Imperial Court is associated with rice offerings to both heavenly and earthly deities. It has been associated with national rest from labor and is now officially called the "Labor Thanksgiving Day," celebrated on November 23. North/South Korea - Since ancient times a Harvest Thanksgiving known as "Chusok" has been observed with special religious rites in gratitude for ancestors and with prayers for their souls. Following the traditional Korean calendar it is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Liberia - In 1870 the legislature recognized "Liberia's dependence on the great Arbiter of events and established a Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the many good and loving kindnesses shown toward us as a people." Its observation occurs on the first Thursday in November. Switzerland - The Federal Day of Thanks. Penance and Prayer (Jeune federal. Der Eidgenossische Dank-. Buss- und Bettag) is an outgrowth of days established by religious and secular authorities since 1650. The modern observance since 1832 on the third Sunday in September is a quiet day to review the good things received. II. Tips and Tricks What's under the hood of your PC? Find out by clicking on Start. Programs. Accessories. System Tools. System Information. Pull this page up before calling Tech Support. They'll need this info. Is your "Program" list getting a bit big? Click Start. Programs (or "All Programs") right-click on any item and choose "Sort by Name." Now you're organized! III. Sites of the Month Ever wonder why "Labor Day" was created? Or are you just focused on your day off? The Holiday Spot gives you the background on every major (and most "minor") holidays. You will also find ways to celebrate and related links. So grab your calendar and head to theholidayspot com. Often when I look at a photo. I wish I could step inside it and walk around. VRMAG just might be the closest you will come to doing just that. It features amazing panoramas. You use your mouse to navigate around the pictures. But these aren't ordinary panoramas – many let you look up at the sky or down at the ground. It is like being inside a bubble! The subjects are fascinating. There are panoramas of art exhibits and a hot air balloon festival. There's even one from the top of the Matterhorn. Others are a bit quirky like one taken from the inside of a bottle of water. You need QuickTime and Flash to view the site. You'll be directed to download free players if you don't have them already. IV. Spotlights On Meissen-Style Porcelain In 1710. Europe’s first porcelain factory was founded at Albrechtsburg Castle in Meissen. Augustus the Strong. Elector of Saxony and King of Poland had the foresight to appoint as overseer of the state factory his protege. Johann Friedrich Böttger. Böttger had excellent experience in the manufacture of stoneware and subsequently discovered the secret to making white “hard paste” porcelain. Now his job was to produce beautiful porcelain for Europe at which he achieved great success. Böttger was later imprisoned for fooling his employer into believing porcelain could be turned into gold. He made several attempts at escape from prison but eventually died there succumbing to the alcohol that had comforted him in his later years. Under the direction of Johann Gregorius Horoldt the Meissen factory was able to produce porcelain in the brilliant colors that are today a hallmark of Meissen porcelain. Breakfast items were among the first to be produced in color including bowls cups saucers and goblets. Jugs and dinner sets came later followed by a variety of vases in sets of five or seven and larger objects including pagoda figures and chimney pieces. During his term as director of the Meissen factory. Horoldt drew inspiration from the Chinese and Japanese cultures for many of his patterns. As availability increased so did the popularity of porcelain and everything from snuff boxes to chess sets were in high demand. Augustus was fascinated by porcelain figures and commissioned Johann Joachim Kaendler an inordinately talented sculptor to create porcelain likenesses of everyone in his court as well as nearly everyone he saw through his windows. Kaendler found the task incredible as the factory had never modeled from live figures in this fashion before always relying on drawings or engravings. The resulting figures were unique and highly prized and forged for the Meissen factory a precedent that endures to the present day. One of the greatest achievements of the Meissen factory is the Swan Service commissioned by King Augustus. Kaendler the factory’s lead modeler designed and helped produce this magnificent dinner service made up of 3000 exquisite pieces. Another grand achievement of the factory was a collection of large porcelain animals produced for the Japanese-inspired palace in Dresden. During the Seven Years War. 1756-1763 the Meissen factory was occupied by the military and production was slowed to a crawl. Competing factories sprang up in Berlin and Vienna and the outlook for quality porcelain seemed bleak. The famous French artist Acier changed all that when he arrived in 1764. His flair for Rococo and Classical styles breathed new life into the flagging industry. And later. Count Marcolini introduced porcelain in the Empire style in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Early in the 19th century as the spectre of war again loomed on the horizon the factory fell on hard times once more. Napoleon’s assault on Germany destroyed the finances of the country. The demand for the porcelain products it had long produced faded into nearly nothing compelling the factory to focus on new techniques and colors in order to hold a place in the ailing economy and competitive market. In 1861 the factory moved from its original home to Triebesch. The move was not the only change. The factory also made innovations in the firing process by creating new kilns and employing new glazes. At the Great London Exhibition in 1862. Limoges enamel made an impression on the Meissen style that is seen to this day. With an emphasis on changing directions and new techniques the Meissen factory reintroduced Rococo and Renaissance styles and launched new lines favoring Romanticism. Materials and methods were reworked to take advantage of scientific discoveries and technological advances. The Art Nouveau era further revitalized the factory in the late 1800s with fresh new styles that proved very popular. And Konrad Hentschel brought to the factory his Hentschel’s Children simple plainly detailed figurines and groups of children engaged in everyday activities. The Meissen factory has produced the finest porcelain for over three centuries. V. New Items Check the New Items link on our store home page for the newest additions. VI. November Specials The "secret sale" for subscribers only will include all items in our inventory. Savings will range from 15-70% each item discount based on our cost. Although we will not be changing prices on our items page you may e-mail us for the very best price of the year. We will combine for shipping when possible. This special will expire Dec. 31. 2005. We hope everyone has a safe and fruitful holiday. Here are a couple of recipies from a kindergarten class to help you out with your holiday cooking: Turkey: First you have to cut it up and put it on a plate in the oven for 9 minutes and 18 degrees. Then you dig it out of the oven and eat it with stuffing. Applesauce: You go to the store and buy some apples and then you squish them up. Then you put them in a jar that says "applesauce" then you eat it. Chicken Pie: Put the chicken in the pot and put the salad and cheese and mustard and mix it all together. Put the chicken sauce on and stir it all around. Cook it for 5 minutes at 9 degrees and eat it. Happy Holidays! Melanie Antique Accents aalmw@tias com
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