Latest news with #ceremony
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- General
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the summer solstice: your one wild and precious life
The period around the summer solstice, after which the daylight hours will diminish, has always been marked with ceremony and ritual to acknowledge the summer's peak. Whether embracing the legends and traditions of the Hill of Tara, or lighting bonfires in west Donegal to mark St John's Eve, the day before the feast day of St. John the Baptist, or undertaking solstice walks in Kerry, or finding a sunny soundtrack, those celebrating this time of year draw on the interplay of Ireland's pagan and Christian inheritances to pay homage to one of the distinct quarters of the year. Historically, the summer solstice was about the recording of the passage of time, festivals associated with agriculture and farming, fire ashes spread on crops to boost their yield, and for some, a belief that the soul would depart temporarily from the body as the sun stood still. Folklore records the widespread belief in rural Ireland that with every day after the solstice 'the shadows lengthened by a cock-step'. Marking the solstice is not just about giving structure to the year and its progression, but also the elemental need to embrace nature and the open air. It invites us to contemplate our fragilities and our need to be aware of the preciousness and power of what surrounds us. It should bolster a consciousness of our landscape, environment and the life forces running through them; of old creations facing new pressures and the solaces we can find and cherish. The American poet Mary Oliver reminded us of our need not to forget these things in her 1992 poem The Summer Day 'I don't know exactly what a prayer is. READ MORE I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?'
CTV News
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Emotional moment mother meets boy who received her late son's heart
Watch A bride met a seven-year-old boy on her wedding day, who is alive because he received her late son's heart.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Annual smudge walk unites North End community in healing
Winnipeg Watch A North End community united in ceremony as part of an annual smudge walk meant to bring healing and unity.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Baffled parents forced to follow bizarre rule at kindergarten graduation: ‘Straight out of 'Black Mirror''
Cut the clap! The confused and proud mom of a kindergartner went viral on social media after posting a video from her child's graduation ceremony where parents were forced to withhold their applause — or most of it, anyway. In the confusing clip dubbed 'dystopian' by viewers, attendees were compelled to conform to a strange standard, indeed — just one clap, singular, per graduate. Armchair critics couldn't wait to comment on the awkward affair, made public by Angelica Pueblas — the video, which racked up over 5 million views, drew in remarks ranging from flabbergasted to flippant. 'Rationing claps is insane work,' one commenter said, while another joked: 'They even got inflation on clapping [now].' 'There are only like 17 kids up there. Why are they strict about this?' wondered another commenter. 'This feels like a cult,' one person decided. While many fellow parents and concerned commenters found this peculiar procedure alarming, others thought it was both efficient and empathetic — with some in-the-know types arguing that there are numerous good reasons for the perplexing policy. In the event a child doesn't have a parent, guardian, or caretaker in the audience, the 'one-clap rule' helps prevent feelings of jealousy, emotional rejection, or neglect among kids, according to some. After all, if one kindergartener has two parents, grandparents, and siblings cheering and clapping extensively, and the next child doesn't have family at the ceremony, it can be 'heartbreaking,' at least one commenter explained. 'Why not just say clap hard for everyone?' one commenter suggested as a way to avoid the awkward atmosphere of this particular graduation ceremony. Another hypothesized that this rule could have been instituted to better accommodate students with sensory issues: 'There could be kids that have auditory issues in the school, and this is their way to help them feel more comfortable.' Experienced parents chimed in, saying that cheering and clapping can also delay the reading of names, elongating the ceremony, and forcing young children — who may already be antsy to move beyond the seated formalities — to sit still longer than necessary. 'It seems silly, but it's really a lifesaver. You'd be there all night otherwise,' assured one school graduation veteran. Others declared that the younger children get a reality check, the better: 'That's life. Some people get more claps. The kids gotta get over it,' wrote one blunt viewer. After the initial post took off, Pueblas posted a follow-up video in which she explained that there was a point in the event, after all the children had walked the stage, where the crowd was permitted to clap for the entire group to their heart's content. Meanwhile, strange or non-traditional commencement occurrences seem to be on the rise. Just a few years ago, a Texas mom shared a wild TikTok, which amassed more than 13.4 million views, in which parents of graduating kindergarteners were told that they were not allowed to enter the ceremony with babies, forcing families with multiple young children to separate and forfeit the opportunity for both parents to watch their graduate walk across the stage. Meanwhile, back in May, New York City's Pace University made national headlines after an AI-generated voice called out graduate names at commencement, rather than a professor or guest announcer. 'What a beautiful personal touch!' remarked one sarcastic commenter.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bride sparks dinner debate after charging no-show wedding guests for their missed meals: ‘So tacky'
From 'I do' to 'I due.' Ghosting a pair of lovebirds on their big day, especially after confirming your attendance, could cost you more than a friendship, one absentee invitee found out the hard way. The fair weather pal ignited a debate over the practice of charging for no-shows — the same way some popular restaurants do — after recently ranting on Reddit. 'So the bride asked for RSVPs to get a headcount for everybody and determine how many plates of food she's ordering,' the offender explained. 'I tell her my [boyfriend], my mom and I will be able to attend,' the complainer carped. 'Come wedding day, my [boyfriend] isn't able to make it due to work scheduling issues, and my mom was too sick to make it.' The day-of cancellations had the gal all dressed in white seeing red. 'The bride gets upset saying she spent $50 per plate, and she cant believe they're not coming when we RSVP'd,' continued the Redditor. 'She told me she's tempted to ask them to pay $50 each for not coming!.' 'I was like, 'What the hell nobody knew you were spending per plate,'' added the faultfinder. 'They weren't the only ones to miss her wedding either, so maybe she was mad she lost out on the money.' On the other hand, throwing one's cash in the trash due to wedding day dropouts is a reasonable reason to rage. Sweethearts tying the knot spend an average of $26,665 on their nuptials, with post-ceremonial food and drinks costing around $5,480. While some try to circumvent the expense by charging an admissions fee at the wedding chapel's doorstep, others have offered 'tiered' menus to their guests — exclusively presenting prime chops and top-shelf booze to wealthier folks, while serving subpar sustenance to the less fortunate in the crowd. Bride mad about people not coming to her wedding and wants them to pay! byu/icesk8ernyc inweddingshaming But the outraged Reddit user felt the bride's repayment request was way déclassé. 'She sounded so tacky,' said the grumbler. 'For reference, this was an out of town wedding in Minnesota where we all had to fly in. It cost a lot to even make her wedding…' While her frustrations may be valid, commenters were mostly on the bride's side. 'RSVPing 'yes' to a wedding and then flaking out is super rude[…]just not showing up because of poor planning is a d- -k move,' a virtual viewer wrote. 'I was out $700 because of no shows at my daughter's wedding. Legit reasons like illness or an emergency, OK, I understand,' added another. 'However, some of the excuses were flimsy and one was an out and out lie. I would never ask anyone for my money back, but guests ought to be aware that once they RSVP 'yes,' they ought to do their best to show up.' 'The [boyfriend] and mom should still send a gift even though they werent able to attend,' a separate social media arbitrator added. 'You're the tacky one here, not the friend you're trying to call out,' another jabbed. 'If you RSVP and not show up for ANY reason, you should still send the monetary wedding gift money you would have given them in the first place.' 'You don't seem to be aware that they paid PER seat that you reserved,' the whistleblower said. 'So they paid $100 for your reserved empty seats.'
