A day of global action to launch International Year of Cooperatives

This initiative was originally founded by the Canadian Co-operative Association, which is hosting a launch of the Year across 14 cities on January 12th. Secretary General of Co-operatives UK, Ed Mayo, is now trying to encourage other countries to take part in this initiative to host a joint launch of the International Year.

"We’re encouraging co-operatives and national bodies in countries across the world to use January 12th as an opportunity to take a global action and mark the start of the International Year of Co-operatives” said Mr. Mayo.

"In the UK we’re following the lead of the Canadians and holding an online conference, but the options for what people can do to mark and celebrate o January 12th are huge. We’d love to see nations across the world marking the start of the Year on the 12th."

Tanya Gracie, Manager of the International Year at the CCA, added: "One of the key messages of the International Year is that co-operatives are inherently local, yet together we share a unique global network. The idea of having 12 countries use January 12th as a shared launch date allows us to demonstrate to our fellow co-operators and to people throughout the world the strength and diversity of co-operative enterprises."

Co-operatives UK said the idea is a day of co-operative action in which countries – whether their umbrella bodies or individual co-operatives in them – mark the start of the Year, whether it’s with an online conference, a press release, a media launch or an event.

The majority of action — news articles, coverage of events and live audio/video streams — is set to take place on the Global News Hub, www.thenews.coop.

Canada is already holding a press conference to be broadcast across all its provinces. The UK is aiming to run an interactive online panel and encourage co-operatives to celebrate the start of the Year. Co-operatives Europe will be also be launching a policy document on the day.

dia internacional do convento dos remédios

A Câmara Municipal de Évora promove no próximo dia 9 de janeiro, quarta-feira, um ciclo de conferências intitulado Dia Internacional no Convento dos Remédios, que contará com a participação de professores e alunos do programa Erasmus na Universidade de Évora. Os convidados do encontro farão comunicações em que a temática incindirá sobre as culturas e o respetivo património dos seus países de origem, mais concretamente do Japão, Brasil, Bangladesh, Filipinas, Angola, Timor-Leste e Espanha.
O Presidente da Câmara Municipal de Évora, José Ernesto d´Oliveira, presidirá a sessão de abertura, que terá lugar às 10 horas, na qual fará a entrega dos prémios dos concursos de fotografia sobre “Religião e Património” e a divulgação das atas digitais do ciclo de conferências sobre “Água e Património”, que decorreram no Convento dos Remédios no ano passado. É de salientar que a Câmara Municipal de Évora, através do Convento dos Remédios, foi distinguida nos prémios da Associação Portuguesa de Museologia com menção honrosa na categoria de “melhor trabalho de museografia”.
O ciclo de conferências Dia Internacional no Convento dos Remédios, além das comunicações por parte dos convidados, que se esperam diversificadas e de uma abrangência multicultural, contará também com dois momentos musicais, às 10h45 e 16h55, por parte dos alunos da Escola de Artes, Departamento de Música da Universidade de Évora.

dia mundial do voluntariado

Gramaticalmente, voluntário significa: “O que age espontaneamente”. Em relação às nossas atividades, Voluntário significa muito mais! O trabalho voluntário é uma missão e, como tal, exige renúncia, muito amor, compreensão, dedicação e, sobretudo, espírito de equipe, levando sempre em conta a ação que abraçamos. Tudo isso em função de um objetivo, seguindo a meta como uma única finalidade: a de SERVIR.
O ato de servir se dá quando somos apenas voluntários, sem esperar nada em troca, nem gratidão, nem sorriso, nem dinheiro, nem apreço. Porque ser voluntário é “ser” para o outro, é viver a alegria de dar sem receber, e ter a plena certeza que o mais simples gesto pode mudar a vida do outro.

Naturalmente, teremos no decorrer da tarefa de “ser voluntário”, muito trabalho, alegrias, desencontros, insatisfações, porém, sobretudo uma margem de lindas experiências, porque lidamos com o mais difícil material para a realização do nosso objetivo: o ser humano.

Essa é uma homenagem do Programa de Voluntariado Promon a todos os voluntários que compartilharam seu conhecimento, seu tempo e sua alegria pelo simples prazer de fazer o bem.

 

No próximo dia 5 de dezembro comemora-se o Dia Internacional do Voluntariado, data criada pela Assembléia Geral das Nações Unidas com o objetivo de incentivar e valorizar o serviço voluntário em todo mundo. Na Avape, Associação para Valorização de Pessoas com Deficiência, o programa existe desde 1999 e estende-se em todas as unidades, localizadas na região do ABC, São Paulo, Vale do Paraíba, Resende e Tatuí.

O Programa de Voluntários na Avape tem como principal objetivo o incremento da cultura do trabalho voluntário, no qual as pessoas podem doar seu talento e suas habilidades, contribuindo para a causa da inclusão social, tornando-se agentes de melhorias e partilhando com a Instituição o cumprimento de sua Missão.

Na Avape, a atividade voluntária tem uma participação significativa em suas áreas de atuação. Seja na organização e participação em eventos, seja na área de saúde ou na confecção de produtos artesanais.

dia mundial do braille

Louis Braille (Coupvray, 4 de Janeiro de 1809 — Paris, 6 de Janeiro de 1852) foi o criador do sistema de leitura para cegos que recebeu seu nome, braille.

Hoje, o método simples e engenhoso elaborado por Braille torna a palavra escrita disponível a milhões de deficientes visuais, graças aos esforços decididos daquele rapaz há quase 200 anos.

O braille é lido da esquerda para a direita, com uma ou ambas as mãos. Cada célula braille permite 63 combinações de pontos. Assim, podem-se designar combinações de pontos para todas as letras e para a pontuação da maioria dos alfabetos. Vários idiomas usam uma forma abreviada de braille, na qual certas células são usadas no lugar de combinações de letras ou de palavras freqüentemente usadas. Algumas pessoas ganharam tanta prática em ler braille que conseguem ler até 200 palavras por minuto.

DIA MUNDIAL DA PAZ

1 ou 1º de janeiro é o 1º dia do ano no calendário gregoriano.

Esta data é o Dia Mundial da Paz, além de Dia da Fraternidade Universal, sendo assim, um feriado internacional, adotado por quase todas as nações do planeta.

O Dia Mundial da Paz, inicialmente chamado simplesmente de Dia da Paz foi criado pelo Papa Paulo VI, com uma mensagem datada do dia 8 de dezembro de 1967, para que o primeiro fosse celebrado sempre no primeiro dia do ano civil (1 de janeiro), a partir de 1968.

Dizia o Papa Paulo VI em sua primeira mensagem para este dia: "Dirigimo-nos a todos os homens de boa vontade, para os exortar a celebrar o Dia da Paz, em todo o mundo, no primeiro dia do ano civil, 1 de Janeiro de 1968. Desejaríamos que depois, cada ano, esta celebração se viesse a repetir, como augúrio e promessa, no início do calendário que mede e traça o caminho da vida humana no tempo que seja a Paz, com o seu justo e benéfico equilíbrio, a dominar o processar-se da história no futuro".

De lá até agora 42 anos passados, o dia tem sido lembrado, comemorado, mas cada vez menos entendido e respeitado, principalmente no que diz respeito ao conceito ao que esse dia representa.

A PAZ É, APENAS, A REAÇÃO A AÇÃO DO RESPEITO.

ONDE HÁ RESPEITO - HÁ PAZ!

Precisamos de RESPEITO. Só através do respeito conseguiremos a PAZ.

Respeito a vida de cada um, ao direito de SER HUMANO.

santa claus story

Santa Claus is a fictional character of the Christmas and winter seasons. He is the combination of the main subject of several different stories, including the tales of Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, and real-life St. Nicholas of Greece. Santa is depicted in various ways around the world, based on how these stories have come together over time, but in the West, he is shown as a jolly, fat man with a white beard and red suit. He lives at the North Pole, rides a sleigh pulled by reindeer, enters homes of good children once a year via the chimney and delivers toys. People generally consider him to be a symbol of goodwill, hope, magic, and joy, but in some regions he is controversial.

St. Nicholas

St. Nicholas, or St. Nick, was the biggest influence on the Western version of Santa Claus known today. He was a man of Greek origin, born in the 3rd century. His family was very wealthy, but both of his parents died in a plague while he was quite young. Surviving the epidemic, Nicholas took his strict Christian upbringing very seriously and devoted his life to God.

 

Nicholas rid himself of all his material possessions and set out to help the poor, the infirm and anyone else who was suffering. One popular story describes how he secretly left bags of gold for three poor women who had no dowries. In St. Nicholas’ time, a father could only secure the marriage of his daughters by providing a dowry to her would-be husband. If a father could not afford this, he risked his daughters being sold into slavery. In order to prevent the sale of the daughters of the poor women, St. Nicholas threw the bags of gold through a window, and they landed in stockings left by the fire to dry.

Tales of the saint were very popular in the middle ages, and many communities built churches out of devotion for him and held celebrations on St. Nicholas Day, which is celebrated in modern times on 6 December, the date of his death. The Vikings held him in high esteem and considered him to be the patron saint of ships. In the 8th century C.E., the Vikings spread his good name during their travels. Dutch settlers, who called him "Sint Klaas," introduced St. Nicholas to North America.

Kris Kringle

Kris Kringle derives from the German Christkindl, which translates to "Christ Child" in English. Supported by Martin Luther as a push against the commercialized traditions of St. Nicholas' Day, this figure is a young boy, the representation of a young Jesus. Traditionally, he would come into homes and leave gifts, which Luther used as a symbol of the gifts of Christianity and the Gospel. The legend goes that the Christkindl appears only when residents of the home are asleep, and therefore is never seen personally.

Father Christmas

Also known as Old Man Winter, Father Christmas was a traditional figure during the pagan celebration of the winter solstice. His story asserts that he travels from home to home, and that people offer him food and drink. He grants blessings of a kind winter in return.

The Melding of the Traditions

The stories and legends behind Kris Kringle, Old Man Winter, and St. Nicholas gradually merged together over time. The tradition of Santa going from home to home has origins in Old Man Winter, while the Vikings’ use of St. Nicholas might have contributed to the idea of Santa using the “ship” of a sleigh. The idea of him delivering presents comes from Kris Kringle, with parents still telling children that Santa will not come if they do not go to sleep. People hang stockings based on the story of the poor women St. Nicholas helped, and kids leave cookies for Santa as a modern extension of giving food and drink to Old Man Winter.

Different areas of the world have slightly varying interpretations of Santa Claus, based on how the stories of Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, and St. Nicholas joined. In Great Britain, for example, people still use Father Christmas, but the British version has taken on some of the attributes of the Western Santa. The names for the different characters are interchangeable in many regions.

Modern Presentation

In the West, people routinely dress up as Santa Claus during the Christmas season. Some people do this simply for fun and because they like what he stands for, and others do it for the enjoyment of children, who go to Santa and explain what they want for gifts. Individuals also dress up as a reminder of the giving spirit of the Christkindl and Old Man Winter, such as when individuals are trying to collect donations on behalf of the poor.

This character appears in virtually every medium, including drawings, paintings, and sculptures, as well as in movies and TV shows. Depictions vary drastically in style, with some being true to the historical traditions while others are intended to be funny and cash in on current trends. One of the most common places for his image to appear is on gift wrapping paper.

Controversy

Not all individuals support the idea of Santa Claus. Critics claim that it is cruel to get children to believe he is coming to their house when, in reality, Santa is a collection of different traditions rather than a real person. They assert that finding out the truth about Santa might be psychologically distressing and have long-lasting effects. Others cite finances as a problem. Some parents have trouble affording gifts to provide as having been brought by Santa, but they are usually considered necessary if the parent wants to perpetuate the concept of him being real.

Santa Claus also is controversial among members of the Christian faith, even though he connects to Jesus through Martin Luther’s presentation of the German Christkindl. Christians criticize him as taking attention away from the “real” message of the holiday season, the story of Jesus’ birth and the salvation of the world. They assert that he supports outdated pagan rituals and ideas.

Why is Christmas Day on the 25th December?

No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given in the Bible, so why do we celebrate it on the 25th December? The early Christians certainly had many arguments as to when it should be celebrated! Also, the birth of Jesus probably didn't happen in the year 1AD but slightly earlier, somewhere between 2BC and 7BC (there isn't a 0AD - the years go from 1BC to 1AD!).

The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336AD, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th December.

There are many different traditions and theories as to why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. A very early Christian tradition said that the day when Mary was told that she would have a very special baby, Jesus (called the Annunciation) was on March 25th - and it's still celebrated today on the 25th March. Nine months after the 25th March is the 25th December! March 25th was also the day some early Christians thought the world had been made, and also the day that Jesus died on when he was an adult.

December 25th might have also been chosen because the Winter Solstice and the ancient pagan Roman midwinter festivals called 'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti' took place in December around this date - so it was a time when people already celebrated things.

The Winter Solstice is the day where there is the shortest time between the sun rising and the sun setting. It happens on December 21st or 22nd. To pagans this meant that the winter was over and spring was coming and they had a festival to celebrate it and worshipped the sun for winning over the darkness of winter. In Scandinavia, and some other parts of northern Europe, the Winter Solstice is known as Yule and is where we get Yule Logs from. In Eastern europe the mid-winter festival is called Koleda.

The Roman Festival of Saturnalia took place between December 17th and 23rd and honoured the Roman god Saturn. Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means 'birthday of the unconquered sun' and was held on December 25th (when the Romans thought the Winter Solstice took place) and was the 'birthday' of the Pagan Sun god Mithra. In the pagan religion of Mithraism, the holy day was Sunday and is where get that word from!

Early Christians might have given this festival a new meaning - to celebrate the birth of the Son of God 'the unconquered Son'! (In the Bible a prophesy about the Jewish savior, who Christians believe is Jesus, is called 'Sun of Righteousness'.)

The Jewish festival of Lights, Hanukkah starts on the 25th of Kislev (the month in the Jewish calendar that occurs at about the same time as December). Hanukkah celebrates when the Jewish people were able to re-dedicate and worship in their Temple, in Jerusalem, again following many years of not being allowed to practice their religion.

Jesus was a Jew, so this could be another reason that helped the early Church choose December the 25th for the date of Christmas!

Christmas had also been celebrated by the early Church on January 6th, when they also celebrated the Epiphany (which means the revelation that Jesus was God's son) and the Baptism of Jesus. Now the Epiphany mainly celebrates the visit of the Wise Men to the baby Jesus, but back then it celebrated both things! Jesus's Baptism was originally seen as more important than his birth, as this was when he started his ministry. But soon people wanted a separate day to celebrate his birth.

Most of the world uses the 'Gregorian Calendar' implemented by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Before that the 'Roman' or Julian Calendar was used (named after Julius Caesar). The Gregorian calendar is more accurate that the Roman calendar which had too many days in a year! When the switch was made 10 days were lost, so that the day that followed the 4th October 1582 was 15th October 1582. In the UK the change of calendars was made in 1752. The day after 2nd September 1752 was 14th September 1752.

Many Orthodox and Coptic Churches still use the Julian Calendar and so celebrate Christmas on the 7th January. And the Armenian Church celebrates it on the 6th January! In some part of the UK, January 6th is still called 'Old Christmas' as this would have been the day that Christmas would have celebrated on, if the calendar hadn't been changed. Some people didn't want to use the new calendar as they thought it 'cheated' them out of 11 days!

Christians believe that Jesus is the light of the world, so the early Christians thought that this was the right time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. They also took over some of the customs from the Winter Solstice and gave them Christian meanings, like Holly, Mistletoe and even Christmas Carols!

St Augustine was the person who really started Christmas in the UK by introducing Christianity in the 6th century. He came from countries that used the Roman Calendar, so western countries celebrate Christmas on the 25th December. Then people from Britain and Western Europe took Christmas on the 25th December all over the world!

The name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. The 'Christ-Mass' service was the only one that was allowed to take place after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so people had it at Midnight! So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.

So when was Jesus Born?

There's a strong and practical reason why Jesus might not have been born in the winter, but in the spring or the autumn! It can get very cold in the winter and it's unlikely that the shepherds would have been keeping sheep out on the hills (as those hills can get quite a lot of snow sometimes!).

During the spring (in March or April) there's a Jewish festival called 'Passover'. This festival remembers when the Jews had escaped from slavery in Egypt about 1500 years before Jesus was born. Lots of lambs would have been needed during the Passover Festival, to be sacrificed in the Temple in Jerusalem. Jews from all over the Roman Empire travelled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, so it would have been a good time for the Romans to take a census. Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem for the census (Bethlehem is about six miles from Jerusalem).

In the autumn (in September or October) there's the Jewish festival of 'Sukkot' or 'The Feast of Tabernacles'. It's the festival that's mentioned the most times in the Bible! It was when the Jewish people remember that they depended on God for all they had after they had escaped from Egypt and spent 40 years in the desert. It also celebrated the end of the harvest. During the festival people lived outside in temporary shelters (the word 'tabernacle' come from a latin word meaning 'booth' or 'hut'). Many people who have studied the Bible, think that Sukkot would be a likely time for the birth of Jesus as it might fit with the description of there being 'no room in the inn'. It also would have been a good time to take the Roman Census as many Jews went to Jerusalem for the festival and they would have brought their own tents/shelters with them!

The possibilities for the Star of Bethlehem seems to point either spring or autumn.

So whenever you celebrate Christmas, remember that you're celebrating a real event that happened about 2000 years ago, that God sent his Son into the world as a Christmas present for everyone!

As well as Christmas and the solstice, there are some other festivals that are held in late December. Hanukkah is celebrated by Jews; and the festival of Kwanzaa is celebrated by some Africans and African Americans takes place from December 26th to January 1st.