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Matthew 13:24-30
American Standard Version
24 Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. 26 But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? 28 And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.
The guns at Fort Perch Rock were fired only twice in anger. The first occasion occurred during the First World War. A Norwegian sailing ship came up the Rock Channel that had been declared closed at the start of the war. Unfortunately the gunners had the wrong elevation on their gun and the shell flew over the ship and landed in Hightown on the other side of the Mersey. Apparently an irate householder collected the shell, put it in a bucket and took it to the Merseyside Defence HQ and demanded some kind of explanation!
One's got to love the Brits, hasn't one?! ;-)
where autumn itself is in charge, nobody is bothering about the unkempt look...
Man must rake and cart away, to soothe his conscience and proclaim his tenancy. Nature doesn't bother. The tree thrives on its own trash and the seed sprouts in its parent's midden heap. Each new spring grows on autumn's leftovers :-)
Hal Borland, "Autumn's Leftovers," November 1975
camellia, our yard, cary, north carolina
Very nice display by this householder and a real eye-opener for the neighbours on this street in Hull.
When this picture was taken on Tuesday 26 May the new Cygnets at my local pond were just over 1 week old. The answer to the question in the title is to get food. A Householder across the road regularly puts out birdseed and fresh water.
The car in the background is not as alarming as it seems. It was stopped actually while the occupants took pictures. Also there was some compression as the picture was taken with a 250mm zoom. An interesting behaviour by the Cygnets is that if their parents stop a moment while crossing the road the cygnets promptly sit down
The picture was taken handheld with a Sony A550 with a Minolta 75-300 zoom at 250mm. One single image with the image processed in Camera RAW . Then in Photoshop more detail was brought in with Topaz Clarity and a Brightness Adjustment layer with a layer mask to reduce the brightness on the Swan
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Nightscape in the once prosperous little town of Acland on the Darling Downs. Today it's a ghost town. All but one householder has sold out to New Hope Coal whose nearby open cut mine threatens to swallow the township. Many of Acland's buildings have been removed or demolished and just the streets remain - good for undisturbed astrophotography!
Matthew 13:52 “Therefore,” He said, “remember that every Scribe well trained for the Kingdom of the Heavens is like a householder who brings out of his storehouse new things and old.”
Yes, it is that time of year where the rake gets a daily workout. Makes a mess of convertibles with the top down too!
Forced perspective shot of a 1/18th scale Mercedes SLK 55 AMG, some scale model leaves which are actually from the little seed pods on the silver birch tree, set against a real background with two real cars and a hard working householder! I still haven't quite found the perfect scale autumn leaf, but these are close and are from the tree itself!
Le Milan royal (Milvus milvus) est une espèce de rapaces de la famille des Accipitridés peuplant l'écozone paléarctique occidentale.
En hiver, les milans royaux se rassemblent volontiers là où la nourriture abonde et forment des dortoirs communs qui peuvent compter jusqu'à cent individus. Le reste de l'année, ils sont le plus souvent solitaires en survolant à basse altitude les villages de montagne en émettant un sifflement.
Le milan royal peut se nourrir d'une grande variété d'animaux, mais se nourrit majoritairement de cadavres et de petits animaux. Les cadavres incluent une grande variété d'animaux, incluant le bétail, les chiens, les chats, les poules ainsi qu'un grand nombre de petits animaux. Il chasse également des rongeurs, des lapins, des taupes ou encore des oiseaux (notamment des jeunes corvidés, des turdidés ou des étourneaux). Il se nourrit plus rarement de reptiles, de batraciens, et d'invertébrés. Il lui arrive de dérober des proies à d'autres rapaces (autours, faucons, balbuzards) ou hérons
The red kite (Milvus milvus) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species currently breeds only in Europe, though it formerly also bred in west Asia and northwest Africa. Historically, it was only resident in the milder parts of its range in western Europe and northwestern Africa, whereas all or most red kites in northern mainland Europe wintered to the south and west, some also reaching western Asia, but an increasing number of northern birds now remain in that region year-round. Vagrants have reached north to Finland and south to Israel, Libya and Gambia.
The red kites are generalist scavengers and predators. Their diet consists mainly of carrions of large domestic animals such as sheep and pigs, roadkills, and stranded fish. They also take small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, stoats, young hares and rabbits. Live birds are also taken, especially young or wounded, such as crows, doves, starlings, thrushes, larks, gulls, and waterfowls. Occasionally reptiles and amphibians are taken and invertebrates such as earthworms form an important part of the diet, especially in spring. In some parts of the United Kingdom, red kites are also deliberately fed in domestic gardens, explaining the presence of red kites in urban areas. Here, up to 5% of householders have provided supplementary food for red kites, with chicken the predominant meat provided.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lord Shiva is one of the principal deities in Hinduism, revered as the "Destroyer" in the holy trinity, or Trimurti, which also includes Brahma (the Creator) and Vishnu (the Preserver). Shiva is a complex and multifaceted god, embodying both ascetic and householder aspects. He is often depicted with a third eye, a crescent moon on his head, and a snake wrapped around his neck. His primary consort is Parvati, and together they have two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya.
Some key aspects of Lord Shiva include:
The Destroyer and Transformer: While he is known as the destroyer, his role is to remove the old and make way for transformation and new creation.
Meditation and Asceticism: Shiva is often shown in deep meditation, symbolizing detachment and spiritual wisdom.
Lord of Dance (Nataraja): One of the most famous representations of Shiva is as Nataraja, the cosmic dancer, who is believed to represent the cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction.
Symbols:
Trident (Trishul): Represents the three forces of creation, preservation, and destruction.
Damaru (Drum): Symbolizes the cosmic sound and rhythm of the universe.
Ganga: The river goddess Ganga, which flows from his matted hair, signifies purity and divine flow.
Blue Throat: This is due to the legend where Shiva drank the poison during the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan) to protect the world.
Blackbird with condition typically referred to
as leucism.
Across the country, householders have been seeing Blackbirds with strange white markings. The condition, typically referred to as ‘leucism’, is one of a number of plumage abnormalities to have been reported through the BTO Abnormal Plumage Survey, preliminary results from which have just been published.
So many people assume that where I live we have loads of snow. After all we are on the same latitude as parts of several Baltic countries and a place called Chignik in Alaska. This began to sound like an ideal twin town for Acharacle when Wikipedia told me: Chignik (Alutiiq: Cirniq) is a city in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. It is two hundred and fifty miles southwest of Kodiak. At the 2020 census the population was 97, up from 91 in 2010.
History
On April 17, 1911, a gale blew ashore numerous ships such as the Benjamin F. Packard, the Star of Alaska, and the Jabez Howes, a three-masted, full-rigged ship owned by the Columbia River Packers Association and used as a cannery tender.
Geography
Chignik is located at 56°17′54″N 158°24′16″W (56.298297, −158.404402).[5]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16 square miles (41 km2), 12 sq mi (31 km2) of it is land and 4 sq mi (10 km2) is water.
Chignik first appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village, although it was preceded by "Chignik Bay", which may have included the village and canneries in the surrounding area, including Chignik Lagoon. Chignik Bay reported a population of 193 in 1890 (which was majority Asian (121), with 66 White residents, 5 Native Alaskans & 1 Other). It did not report again until 1910 when it had a total of 566 residents, which made it the 13th largest community in the territory of Alaska. This was the last time it appeared on the census until Chignik in 1940.
As of the census of 2000, there were 79 people, 29 households, and 20 families residing in the city. The population density was 7 per square mile (3/km2). There were 80 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 32% white, 61% Native American, 3% Asian, 3% Pacific Islander, 1% from other races, and 1% from two or more races. 1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 29 households; 11 had children under the age of 18 living with them, 19 were married couples living together, 2 had a female householder with no husband present, and 8 were non-families. Seven households were individuals, and 10 consisted of a sole occupant 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.7 and the average family size was 3.3.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 25% under the age of 18, 14% from 18 to 24, 33% from 25 to 44, 23% from 45 to 64, and 5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 114 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,000, and the median income for a family was $51,000. The male and female median incomes were equal, at $31,250. The per capita income for Chignik was $16,000. 5% of the population lived below the poverty line; none were under 18 or over 64 years old.
Notable people
Benny Benson (1913–1972), the famous designer of the Alaskan Flag, was born in Chignik
Stag Beetle ~ Catford ~ London ~ England ~ June 12th 2014.
www.flickriver.com/photos/kevenlaw/popular-interesting/ Click here to see My most interesting images
Purchase some of my images here ~ www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/24360 ~ Should you so desire...go on, make me rich..lol...Oh...and if you see any of the images in my stream that you would like and are not there, then let me know and I'll add them to the site for you..:))
You can also buy my WWT card here (The Otter image) or in the shop at the Wetland Centre in Barnes ~ London ~ www.wwt.org.uk/shop/shop/wwt-greeting-cards/european-otte...
Have a Fabulous Thursday Y'all..:)
Beetle Mania is alive n well..lol...:)
Well, I had a half day at work one summer afternoon, a few years ago, so was able to get home by 1pm...which was lucky, because otherwise I'd have missed seeing these guys in my garden and had I not made it back when I did, they may have come to a sticky end...as the male and female Beetles had got themselves trapped in one of my upturned Closhes, which had some water inside it, the female was half submerged in the water and the male was desperately trying to claw his way out...the Hot June sun was beating down, so had I not got back when I did, I think they would have either drowned or been roasted to death.. and as they are a protected species and endangered, I'd like to think I've done my bit to help the species...especially as the female immediately went and buried herself after I released her...so hopefully in 6 ish years, If I'm still about, there's gonna be more of these lil critters ..emerging.......................................................................................................................................................................
Bury a bucket at home to save British stag beetles
Menacing but harmless insect is dying out as patios wipe out its habitat :Email: Robin McKie, science editor
The Observer, Sunday 22 June 2008
Wildlife experts have appealed for help in saving one of the country's most endangered and exotic creatures: the stag beetle. They want householders to bury buckets of woodchips in their gardens to provide them with emergency shelter and food even though the evening flights of these giant insects through English gardens and barbecues can often trigger mayhem and hysteria.The stag beetle is harmless, however, say naturalists, who also warn that it is now threatened by habitat loss, having become extinct in several parts of Europe.
The larva of the stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) thrives on a diet of rotting wood and decaying roots which it consumes for several years before turning into a fully fledged beetle which can grow up to four inches in length.
'A buried bucket provides an ideal breeding site,' said Jill Nelson of the People's Trust for Endangered Species which is backing the plan. 'Females can lay their eggs there and the resulting larvae can develop into adult beetles.'
The stag beetle is one of the most distinctive insects in the British Isles and gets its name from the male's spectacularly oversized mandibles which are used in courtship displays and to battle with rival males.
However, the stag beetle - although once common in southern England - has recently suffered from the spread of intensified farming and of housing estates. This has had a devastating effect on its habitat and its population is now seriously threatened, say wildlife experts.
'Just the fact that people tend to keep their gardens tidier than they used to, with bigger patios and well groomed beds, is having an effect,' added Nelson. 'There is not enough old wood or roots for them to eat.'
Stag beetles spend nearly all their lives underground as larvae. For six or seven years, they eat rotting wood until they grow to the size of a small plum. The Romans used to eat these fattened larvae as a delicacy.
Once a larva reaches an optimum size, the stag beetle then emerges from its underground lair, around May and June, and begins to look for partners, a process that lasts for five or six weeks. 'In that time, they mate and the female lays her eggs,' said Nelson. 'Then the adults die and the cycle of life repeats itself.'
Males are most often seen in flight on warm summer evenings in their search for mates while females are often seen at ground level, looking for suitable places to lay eggs. And it is this last part of the insect's lifecycle that experts are asking householders to aid. By burying buckets of woodchip and soil, gardeners could provide homes for stag beetles for the next six years.
hmmm.... that householder looks familiar.....
Day One of our special campaign to invite everyone to the Memorial of Christ's Death held on April 2nd. Countryside of southern Japan.
A common sight in York , happens almost every year. Improved flood defences have though improved matters for many householders, but not for this location.
This householder in Porec, Istria, Croatia is very artistic with the colourful flowerpots.
Explore #338 22 October 2021
Bird Cage Walk in Clifton village,is an attractive tree tunnel through St.Andrews churchyard,especially now the leaves are changing colour. So called apparently, because local householders used to hang their song bird cages there in the summer. The walk is lit by the decorative lamps.
Stag Beetle ~ Catford ~ London ~ England ~ June 12th 2014.
Space - Female Of The Species ~ www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-wIvsZBFhQ
www.flickriver.com/photos/kevenlaw/popular-interesting/ Click here to see My most interesting images
Purchase some of my images here ~ www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/24360 ~ Should you so desire...go on, make me rich..lol...Oh...and if you see any of the images in my stream that you would like and are not there, then let me know and I'll add them to the site for you..:))
You can also buy my WWT card here (The Otter image) or in the shop at the Wetland Centre in Barnes ~ London ~ www.wwt.org.uk/shop/shop/wwt-greeting-cards/european-otte...
Have a Fabulous Hump Day Wednesday Y'all..:)
Beetle Mania is alive ...:)
Well, I had a half day at work today, so was able to get home by 1pm...which was lucky, because otherwise I'd have missed seeing these guys in my garden and had I not made it back when I did, they may have come to a sticky end...as the male and female Beetles had got themselves trapped in one of my upturned Closhes, which had some water inside it, the female was half submerged in the water and the male was desperately trying to claw his way out...the Hot June sun was beating down, so had I not got back when I did, I think they would have either drowned or been roasted to death.. and as they are a protected species and endangered, I'd like to think I've done my bit to help the species...especially as the female immediately went and buried herself after I released her...so hopefully in 6 ish years, If I'm still about, there's gonna be more of these lil critters ..emerging.......................................................................................................................................................................
Bury a bucket at home to save British stag beetles
Menacing but harmless insect is dying out as patios wipe out its habitat :Email: Robin McKie, science editor
The Observer, Sunday 22 June 2008
Wildlife experts have appealed for help in saving one of the country's most endangered and exotic creatures: the stag beetle. They want householders to bury buckets of woodchips in their gardens to provide them with emergency shelter and food even though the evening flights of these giant insects through English gardens and barbecues can often trigger mayhem and hysteria.The stag beetle is harmless, however, say naturalists, who also warn that it is now threatened by habitat loss, having become extinct in several parts of Europe.
The larva of the stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) thrives on a diet of rotting wood and decaying roots which it consumes for several years before turning into a fully fledged beetle which can grow up to four inches in length.
'A buried bucket provides an ideal breeding site,' said Jill Nelson of the People's Trust for Endangered Species which is backing the plan. 'Females can lay their eggs there and the resulting larvae can develop into adult beetles.'
The stag beetle is one of the most distinctive insects in the British Isles and gets its name from the male's spectacularly oversized mandibles which are used in courtship displays and to battle with rival males.
However, the stag beetle - although once common in southern England - has recently suffered from the spread of intensified farming and of housing estates. This has had a devastating effect on its habitat and its population is now seriously threatened, say wildlife experts.
'Just the fact that people tend to keep their gardens tidier than they used to, with bigger patios and well groomed beds, is having an effect,' added Nelson. 'There is not enough old wood or roots for them to eat.'
Stag beetles spend nearly all their lives underground as larvae. For six or seven years, they eat rotting wood until they grow to the size of a small plum. The Romans used to eat these fattened larvae as a delicacy.
Once a larva reaches an optimum size, the stag beetle then emerges from its underground lair, around May and June, and begins to look for partners, a process that lasts for five or six weeks. 'In that time, they mate and the female lays her eggs,' said Nelson. 'Then the adults die and the cycle of life repeats itself.'
Males are most often seen in flight on warm summer evenings in their search for mates while females are often seen at ground level, looking for suitable places to lay eggs. And it is this last part of the insect's lifecycle that experts are asking householders to aid. By burying buckets of woodchip and soil, gardeners could provide homes for stag beetles for the next six years.
The roads in South Bucks are horrendous since HS2 tipper lorries have been distributing waste material to various dumps.
The little local roads are now potholes with bits of tarmac joining them and a nightmare at night especially in the rain as you have no idea if you are going through a puddle or into a deep unrepared pothole.!!
Took these shots at request of Tripod Crest,(a large tarmac contractor) obviously had to wear safety boots and full high viz trousers and top. But the roads were closed to the public except access.
One kind householder actually allowed me in their upstairs room at the front to get some overhead shots.
This was the height of summer, but I got better photographs in the winter as the steam from the hot tarmac is more dramatic.
Image info :- Nikon D4 with Nikon 50mm f/1.4 @ f/4.5, ISO 6400, shutter 1/200th.
Shot taken at 21:15 hours 1st July 2014
I met him on Bandra Hill Road liked his look , his turban , his peaceful attitude and shot a few frames.
He belongs to the Sikh religion.
about Sikhism
Sikhism,[1] founded in fifteenth century Punjab on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and ten successive Sikh Gurus (the last one being the sacred text Guru Granth Sahib), is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world.[2] This system of religious philosophy and expression has been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally the counsel of the gurus) or the Sikh Dharma. Sikhism originated from the word Sikh, which in turn comes from the Sanskrit root śiṣya meaning "disciple" or "learner", or śikṣa meaning "instruction".[3][4]
The principal belief of Sikhism is faith in waheguru—represented using the sacred symbol of ik ōaṅkār, the Universal God. Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God. A key distinctive feature of Sikhism is a non-anthropomorphic concept of God, to the extent that one can interpret God as the Universe itself. The followers of Sikhism are ordained to follow the teachings of the ten Sikh gurus, or enlightened leaders, as well as the holy scripture entitled the Gurū Granth Sāhib, which, along with the writings of six of the ten Sikh Gurus, includes selected works of many devotees from diverse socio-economic and religious backgrounds. The text was decreed by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru, as the final guru of the Khalsa Panth. Sikhism's traditions and teachings are distinctively associated with the history, society and culture of the Punjab. Adherents of Sikhism are known as Sikhs (students or disciples) and number over 23 million across the world. Most Sikhs live in Punjab in India and, until India's partition, millions of Sikhs lived in what is now Pakistani Punjab.[5]
The origins of Sikhism lie in the teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors. The essence of Sikh teaching is summed up by Nanak in these words: "Realisation of Truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living".[6] Sikhism believes in equality of all humans and rejects discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, and gender. Sikhism also does not attach any importance to asceticism as a means to attain salvation, but stresses on the need of leading life as a householder.
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion.[7][8] In Sikhism, God—termed Vāhigurū—is shapeless, timeless, and sightless: niraṅkār, akāl, and alakh. The beginning of the first composition of Sikh scripture is the figure "1"—signifying the universality of God. It states that God is omnipresent and infinite, and is signified by the term ēk ōaṅkār.[9] Sikhs believe that before creation, all that existed was God and Its hukam (will or order).[10] When God willed, the entire cosmos was created. From these beginnings, God nurtured "enticement and attachment" to māyā, or the human perception of reality.[11]
While a full understanding of God is beyond human beings,[9] Nanak described God as not wholly unknowable. God is omnipresent (sarav viāpak) in all creation and visible everywhere to the spiritually awakened. Nanak stressed that God must be seen from "the inward eye", or the "heart", of a human being: devotees must meditate to progress towards enlightenment. Guru Nanak Dev emphasized the revelation through meditation, as its rigorous application permits the existence of communication between God and human beings.[9] God has no gender in Sikhism, (though translations may incorrectly present a male God); indeed Sikhism teaches that God is "Nirankar" [Niran meaning "without" and kar meaning "form", hence "without form"]. In addition, Nanak wrote that there are many worlds on which God has created life.[12]
[edit] Pursuing salvation and khalsa
A Sikh man at the Harimandir Sahib
Nanak's teachings are founded not on a final destination of heaven or hell, but on a spiritual union with God which results in salvation.[13] The chief obstacles to the attainment of salvation are social conflicts and an attachment to worldly pursuits, which commit men and women to an endless cycle of birth—a concept known as reincarnation.
Māyā—defined as illusion or "unreality"—is one of the core deviations from the pursuit of God and salvation: people are distracted from devotion by worldly attractions which give only illusive satisfaction. However, Nanak emphasised māyā as not a reference to the unreality of the world, but of its values. In Sikhism, the influences of ego, anger, greed, attachment, and lust—known as the Five Evils—are believed to be particularly pernicious. The fate of people vulnerable to the Five Evils is separation from God, and the situation may be remedied only after intensive and relentless devotion.[14]
Nanak described God's revelation—the path to salvation—with terms such as nām (the divine Name) and śabad (the divine Word) to emphasise the totality of the revelation. Nanak designated the word guru (meaning teacher) as the voice of God and the source and guide for knowledge and salvation.[15] Salvation can be reached only through rigorous and disciplined devotion to God. Nanak distinctly emphasised the irrelevance of outward observations such as rites, pilgrimages, or asceticism. He stressed that devotion must take place through the heart, with the spirit and the soul.
A key practice to be pursued is nām: remembrance of the divine Name. The verbal repetition of the name of God or a sacred syllable is an established practice in religious traditions in India, but Nanak's interpretation emphasized inward, personal observance. Nanak's ideal is the total exposure of one's being to the divine Name and a total conforming to Dharma or the "Divine Order". Nanak described the result of the disciplined application of nām simraṇ as a "growing towards and into God" through a gradual process of five stages. The last of these is sac khaṇḍ (The Realm of Truth)—the final union of the spirit with God.[15]
Nanak stressed now kirat karō: that a Sikh should balance work, worship, and charity, and should defend the rights of all creatures, and in particular, fellow human beings. They are encouraged to have a chaṛdī kalā, or optimistic, view of life. Sikh teachings also stress the concept of sharing—vaṇḍ chakkō—through the distribution of free food at Sikh gurdwaras (laṅgar), giving charitable donations, and working for the good of the community and others (sēvā).
[edit] The ten gurus and religious authority
Main article: Sikh Gurus
A rare Tanjore-style painting from the late 19th century depicting the ten Sikh Gurus with Bhai Bala and Bhai Mardana.
The term guru comes from the Sanskrit gurū, meaning teacher, guide, or mentor. The traditions and philosophy of Sikhism were established by ten specific gurus from 1499 to 1708. Each guru added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous, resulting in the creation of the Sikh religion. Nanak was the first guru and appointed a disciple as successor. Gobind Singh was the final guru in human form. Before his death, Gobind Singh decreed that the Gurū Granth Sāhib would be the final and perpetual guru of the Sikhs.[16] The Sikhs believe that the spirit of Nanak was passed from one guru to the next, " just as the light of one lamp, which lights another and does not diminish ",[17] and is also mentioned in their holy book.
After Nanak's passing, the most important phase in the development of Sikhism came with the third successor, Amar Das. Nanak's teachings emphasised the pursuit of salvation; Amar Das began building a cohesive community of followers with initiatives such as sanctioning distinctive ceremonies for birth, marriage, and death. Amar Das also established the manji (comparable to a diocese) system of clerical supervision.[15]
The interior of the Akal Takht
Amar Das's successor and son-in-law Ram Das founded the city of Amritsar, which is home of the Harimandir Sahib and regarded widely as the holiest city for all Sikhs. When Ram Das's youngest son Arjan succeeded him, the line of male gurus from the Sodhi Khatri family was established: all succeeding gurus were direct descendants of this line. Arjun Mathur was responsible for compiling the Sikh scriptures. Guru Arjan Sahib was captured by Mughal authorities who were suspicious and hostile to the religious order he was developing.[18] His persecution and death inspired his successors to promote a military and political organization of Sikh communities to defend themselves against the attacks of Mughal forces.
The Sikh gurus established a mechanism which allowed the Sikh religion to react as a community to changing circumstances. The sixth guru, Har Gobind, was responsible for the creation of the concept of Akal Takht (throne of the timeless one), which serves as the supreme decision-making centre of Sikhdom and sits opposite the Darbar Sahib. The Sarbat Ḵẖālsā (a representative portion of the Khalsa Panth) historically gathers at the Akal Takht on special festivals such as Vaisakhi or Diwali and when there is a need to discuss matters that affect the entire Sikh nation. A gurmatā (literally, guru's intention) is an order passed by the Sarbat Ḵẖālsā in the presence of the Gurū Granth Sāhib. A gurmatā may only be passed on a subject that affects the fundamental principles of Sikh religion; it is binding upon all Sikhs.[19] The term hukamnāmā (literally, edict or royal order) is often used interchangeably with the term gurmatā. However, a hukamnāmā formally refers to a hymn from the Gurū Granth Sāhib which is given as an order to Sikhs.
[edit] History
Main article: History of Sikhism
Nanak (1469–1538), the founder of Sikhism, was born in the village of Rāi Bhōi dī Talwandī, now called Nankana Sahib (in present-day Pakistan).[20] His father, Mehta Kalu was a Patwari, an accountant of land revenue in the employment of Rai Bular Bhatti, the area landlord. Nanak's mother was Tripta Devi and he had one older sister, Nanaki. His parents were Khatri Hindus of the Bedi clan. As a boy, Nanak was fascinated by religion, and his desire to explore the mysteries of life eventually led him to leave home and take missionary journeys.
In his early teens, Nanak caught the attention of the local landlord Rai Bular Bhatti, who was moved by his intellect and divine qualities. Rai Bular was witness to many incidents in which Nanak enchanted him and as a result Rai Bular and Nanak's sister Bibi Nanki, became the first persons to recognise the divine qualities in Nanak. Both of them then encouraged and supported Nanak to study and travel. Sikh tradition states that at the age of thirty, Nanak went missing and was presumed to have drowned after going for one of his morning baths to a local stream called the Kali Bein. One day, he declared: "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim" (in Punjabi, "nā kōi hindū nā kōi musalmān"). It was from this moment that Nanak would begin to spread the teachings of what was then the beginning of Sikhism.[21] Although the exact account of his itinerary is disputed, he is widely acknowledged to have made four major journeys, spanning thousands of kilometres, the first tour being east towards Bengal and Assam, the second south towards Tamil Nadu, the third north towards Kashmir, Ladakh, and Tibet, and the final tour west towards Baghdad and Mecca.[22]
Nanak was married to Sulakhni, the daughter of Moolchand Chona, a rice trader from the town of Bakala. They had two sons. The elder son, Sri Chand, was an ascetic, and he came to have a considerable following of his own, known as the Udasis. The younger son, Lakshmi Das, on the other hand, was totally immersed in worldly life. To Nanak, who believed in the ideal of rāj maiṁ jōg (detachment in civic life), both his sons were unfit to carry on the Guruship.
[edit] Growth of the Sikh community
In 1538, Nanak chose his disciple Lahiṇā, a Khatri of the Trehan clan, as a successor to the guruship rather than either of his sons. Lahiṇā was named Angad Dev and became the second guru of the Sikhs.[23] Nanak conferred his choice at the town of Kartarpur on the banks of the river Ravi, where Nanak had finally settled down after his travels. Though Sri Chand was not an ambitious man, the Udasis believed that the Guruship should have gone to him, since he was a man of pious habits in addition to being Nanak's son. They refused to accept Angad's succession. On Nanak's advice, Angad shifted from Kartarpur to Khadur, where his wife Khivi and children were living, until he was able to bridge the divide between his followers and the Udasis. Angad continued the work started by Nanak and is widely credited for standardising the Gurmukhī script as used in the sacred scripture of the Sikhs.
Amar Das, a Khatri of the Bhalla clan, became the third Sikh guru in 1552 at the age of 73. Goindval became an important centre for Sikhism during the guruship of Amar Das. He preached the principle of equality for women by prohibiting purdah and sati. Amar Das also encouraged the practice of langar and made all those who visited him attend laṅgar before they could speak to him.[24] In 1567, Emperor Akbar sat with the ordinary and poor people of Punjab to have laṅgar. Amar Das also trained 146 apostles of which 52 were women, to manage the rapid expansion of the religion.[25] Before he died in 1574 aged 95, he appointed his son-in-law Jēṭhā, a Khatri of the Sodhi clan, as the fourth Sikh guru.
Jēṭhā became Ram Das and vigorously undertook his duties as the new guru. He is responsible for the establishment of the city of Ramdaspur later to be named Amritsar. Before Ramdaspur, Amritsar was known as Guru Da Chakk. In 1581, Arjan Dev—youngest son of the fourth guru—became the fifth guru of the Sikhs. In addition to being responsible for building the Darbar/Harimandir Sahib (called the Golden Temple), he prepared the Sikh sacred text known as the Ādi Granth (literally the first book) and included the writings of the first five gurus. In 1606, for refusing to make changes to the Granth and for supporting an unsuccessful contender to the throne, he was tortured and killed by the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir.[26]
[edit] Political advancement
Hargobind, became the sixth guru of the Sikhs. He carried two swords—one for spiritual and the other for temporal reasons (known as mīrī and pīrī in Sikhism).[27] Sikhs grew as an organized community and under the 10th Guru the Sikhs developed a trained fighting force to defend their independence. In 1644, Har Rai became guru followed by Harkrishan, the boy guru, in 1661. No hymns composed by these three gurus are included in the Sikh holy book.[28]
Tegh Bahadur became guru in 1665 and led the Sikhs until 1675. Teg Bahadur was executed by Aurangzeb for helping to protect Hindus, after a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits came to him for help when the Emperor condemned them to death for failing to convert to Islam.[29] He was succeeded by his son, Gobind Rai who was just nine years old at the time of his father's death. Gobind Rai further militarised his followers, and was baptised by the Pañj Piārē when he formed the Khalsa on 13 April 1699. From here on in he was known as Gobind Singh.
From the time of Nanak, when it was a loose collection of followers who focused entirely on the attainment of salvation and God, the Sikh community had significantly transformed. Even though the core Sikh religious philosophy was never affected, the followers now began to develop a political identity. Conflict with Mughal authorities escalated during the lifetime of Teg Bahadur and Gobind Singh. The latter founded the Khalsa in 1699. The Khalsa is a disciplined community that combines its religious purpose and goals with political and military duties.[30] After Aurangzeb killed four of his sons, Gobind Singh sent Aurangzeb the Zafarnamah (Notification/Epistle of Victory).
Shortly before his death, Gobind Singh ordered that the Gurū Granth Sāhib (the Sikh Holy Scripture), would be the ultimate spiritual authority for the Sikhs and temporal authority would be vested in the Khalsa Panth—the Sikh Nation/Community.[16] The first scripture was compiled and edited by the fifth guru, Arjan Dev, in 1604.
A former ascetic was charged by Gobind Singh with the duty of punishing those who had persecuted the Sikhs. After the guru's death, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur became the leader of the Sikh army and was responsible for several attacks on the Mughal empire. He was executed by the emperor Jahandar Shah after refusing the offer of a pardon if he converted to Islam.[31]
The Sikh community's embrace of military and political organisation made it a considerable regional force in medieval India and it continued to evolve after the demise of the gurus. After the death of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur, a Sikh Confederacy of Sikh warrior bands known as misls formed. With the decline of the Mughal empire, a Sikh Empire arose in the Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, with its capital in Lahore and limits reaching the Khyber Pass and the borders of China. The order, traditions and discipline developed over centuries culminated at the time of Ranjit Singh to give rise to the common religious and social identity that the term "Sikhism" describes.[32]
After the death of Ranjit Singh, the Sikh Empire fell into disorder and was eventually annexed by the United Kingdom after the hard-fought Anglo-Sikh Wars. This brought the Punjab under the British Raj. Sikhs formed the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and the Shiromani Akali Dal to preserve Sikhs' religious and political organization a quarter of a century later. With the partition of India in 1947, thousands of Sikhs were killed in violence and millions were forced to leave their ancestral homes in West Punjab.[33] Sikhs faced initial opposition from the Government in forming a linguistic state that other states in India were afforded. The Akali Dal started a non-violence movement for Sikh and Punjabi rights. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale emerged as a leader of the Bhindran-Mehta Jatha—which assumed the name of Damdami Taksal in 1977 to promote a peaceful solution of the problem. In June 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian army to launch Operation Blue Star to remove Bhindranwale and his followers from the Darbar Sahib. Bhindranwale, and a large number of innocent pilgrims were killed during the army's operations. In October, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards. The assassination was followed by the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots massacre[34] and Hindu-Sikh conflicts in Punjab, as a reaction to the assassination and Operation Blue Star.
[edit] Scripture
There are two primary sources of scripture for the Sikhs: the Gurū Granth Sāhib and the Dasam Granth. The Gurū Granth Sāhib may be referred to as the Ādi Granth—literally, The First Volume—and the two terms are often used synonymously. Here, however, the Ādi Granth refers to the version of the scripture created by Arjan Dev in 1604. The Gurū Granth Sāhib refers to the final version of the scripture created by Gobind Singh.
[edit] Adi Granth
Main article: Ādi Granth
The Ādi Granth was compiled primarily by Bhai Gurdas under the supervision of Arjan Dev between the years 1603 and 1604.[35] It is written in the Gurmukhī script, which is a descendant of the Laṇḍā script used in the Punjab at that time.[36] The Gurmukhī script was standardised by Angad Dev, the second guru of the Sikhs, for use in the Sikh scriptures and is thought to have been influenced by the Śāradā and Devanāgarī scripts. An authoritative scripture was created to protect the integrity of hymns and teachings of the Sikh gurus and selected bhagats. At the time, Arjan Sahib tried to prevent undue influence from the followers of Prithi Chand, the guru's older brother and rival.[37]
The original version of the Ādi Granth is known as the kartārpur bīṛ and is claimed to be held by the Sodhi family of Kartarpur.[citation needed] (In fact the original volume was burned by Ahmad Shah Durrani's army in 1757 when they burned the whole town of Kartarpur.)[citation needed]
[edit] Guru Granth Sahib
Gurū Granth Sāhib folio with Mūl Mantra
Main article: Gurū Granth Sāhib
The final version of the Gurū Granth Sāhib was compiled by Gobind Singh in 1678. It consists of the original Ādi Granth with the addition of Teg Bahadur's hymns. It was decreed by Gobind Singh that the Granth was to be considered the eternal guru of all Sikhs; however, this tradition is not mentioned either in 'Guru Granth Sahib' or in 'Dasam Granth'.
Punjabi: ਸੱਬ ਸਿੱਖਣ ਕੋ ਹੁਕਮ ਹੈ ਗੁਰੂ ਮਾਨਯੋ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ।
Transliteration: Sabb sikkhaṇ kō hukam hai gurū mānyō granth.
English: All Sikhs are commanded to take the Granth as Guru.
It contains compositions by the first five gurus, Teg Bahadur and just one śalōk (couplet) from Gobind Singh.[38] It also contains the traditions and teachings of sants (saints) such as Kabir, Namdev, Ravidas, and Sheikh Farid along with several others.[32]
The bulk of the scripture is classified into rāgs, with each rāg subdivided according to length and author. There are 31 main rāgs within the Gurū Granth Sāhib. In addition to the rāgs, there are clear references to the folk music of Punjab. The main language used in the scripture is known as Sant Bhāṣā, a language related to both Punjabi and Hindi and used extensively across medieval northern India by proponents of popular devotional religion.[30] The text further comprises over 5000 śabads, or hymns, which are poetically constructed and set to classical form of music rendition, can be set to predetermined musical tāl, or rhythmic beats.
A group of Sikh musicians at the Golden Temple complex
The Granth begins with the Mūl Mantra, an iconic verse created by Nanak:
Punjabi: ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ISO 15919 transliteration: Ika ōaṅkāra sati nāmu karatā purakhu nirabha'u niravairu akāla mūrati ajūnī saibhaṅ gura prasādi.
Simplified transliteration: Ik ōaṅkār sat nām kartā purkh nirbha'u nirvair akāl mūrat ajūnī saibhaṅ gur prasād.
English: One Universal Creator God, The Name Is Truth, Creative Being Personified, No Fear, No Hatred, Image Of The Timeless One, Beyond Birth, Self Existent, By Guru's Grace.
All text within the Granth is known as gurbānī. Gurbānī, according to Nanak, was revealed by God directly, and the authors wrote it down for the followers. The status accorded to the scripture is defined by the evolving interpretation of the concept of gurū. In the Sant tradition of Nanak, the guru was literally the word of God. The Sikh community soon transferred the role to a line of men who gave authoritative and practical expression to religious teachings and traditions, in addition to taking socio-political leadership of Sikh adherents. Gobind Singh declared an end of the line of human gurus, and now the Gurū Granth Sāhib serves as the eternal guru, with its interpretation vested with the community.[30]
[edit] Dasam Granth
Main article: Dasam Granth
A frontispiece to the Dasam Granth
The Dasam Granth (formally dasvēṁ pātśāh kī granth or The Book of the Tenth Master) is an eighteenth-century collection of poems by Gobind Singh. It was compiled in the shape of a book (granth) by Bhai Mani Singh some 13 to 26 years after Guru Gobind Singh Ji left this world for his heavenly abode.
From 1895 to 1897, different scholars and theologians assembled at the Akal Takht, Amritsar, to study the 32 printed Dasam Granths and prepare the authoritative version. They met at the Akal Takhat at Amritsar, and held formal discussions in a series of meetings between 13 June 1895 and 16 February 1896. A preliminary report entitled Report Sodhak (revision) Committee Dasam Patshah de Granth Sahib Di was sent to Sikh scholars and institutions, inviting their opinion. A second document, Report Dasam Granth di Sudhai Di was brought out on 11 February 1898. Basing its conclusions on a study of the old handwritten copies of the Dasam Granth preserved at Sri Takht Sahib at Patna and in other Sikh gurudwaras, this report affirmed that the Holy Volume was compiled at Anandpur Sahib in 1698[3] . Further re-examinations and reviews took place in 1931, under the aegis of the Darbar Sahib Committee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee. They, too, vindicated the earlier conclusion (agreeing that it was indeed the work of the Guru) and its findings have since been published.
[edit] Janamsakhis
Main article: Janamsākhīs
The Janamsākhīs (literally birth stories), are writings which profess to be biographies of Nanak. Although not scripture in the strictest sense, they provide an interesting look at Nanak's life and the early start of Sikhism. There are several—often contradictory and sometimes unreliable—Janamsākhīs and they are not held in the same regard as other sources of scriptural knowledge.
[edit] Observances
Observant Sikhs adhere to long-standing practices and traditions to strengthen and express their faith. The daily recitation from memory of specific passages from the Gurū Granth Sāhib, especially the Japu (or Japjī, literally chant) hymns is recommended immediately after rising and bathing. Family customs include both reading passages from the scripture and attending the gurdwara (also gurduārā, meaning the doorway to God; sometimes transliterated as gurudwara). There are many gurdwaras prominently constructed and maintained across India, as well as in almost every nation where Sikhs reside. Gurdwaras are open to all, regardless of religion, background, caste, or race.
Worship in a gurdwara consists chiefly of singing of passages from the scripture. Sikhs will commonly enter the temple, touch the ground before the holy scripture with their foreheads, and make an offering. The recitation of the eighteenth century ardās is also customary for attending Sikhs. The ardās recalls past sufferings and glories of the community, invoking divine grace for all humanity.[39]
The most sacred shrine is the Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar, famously known as the Golden Temple. Groups of Sikhs regularly visit and congregate at the Harimandir Sahib. On specific occasions, groups of Sikhs are permitted to undertake a pilgrimage to Sikh shrines in the province of Punjab in Pakistan, especially at Nankana Sahib and other Gurdwaras. Other places of interest to Sikhism in Pakistan includes the samādhī (place of cremation) of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore.
[edit] Sikh festivals
Festivals in Sikhism mostly centre around the lives of the Gurus and Sikh martyrs. The SGPC, the Sikh organisation in charge of upkeep of the gurdwaras, organises celebrations based on the new Nanakshahi calendar. This calendar is highly controversial among Sikhs and is not universally accepted. Several festivals (Hola Mohalla, Diwali, and Nanak's birthday) continue to be celebrated using the Hindu calendar. Sikh festivals include the following:
* Gurpurabs are celebrations or commemorations based on the lives of the Sikh gurus. They tend to be either birthdays or celebrations of Sikh martyrdom. All ten Gurus have Gurpurabs on the Nanakshahi calendar, but it is Guru Nanak Dev and Guru Gobind Singh who have a gurpurab that is widely celebrated in Gurdwaras and Sikh homes. The martyrdoms are also known as a shaheedi Gurpurab, which mark the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Tegh Bahadur.
* Vaisakhi or Baisakhi normally occurs on 13 April and marks the beginning of the new spring year and the end of the harvest. Sikhs celebrate it because on Vaisakhi in 1699, the tenth guru, Gobind Singh, laid down the Foundation of the Khalsa an Independent Sikh Identity.
* Bandi Chhor Divas or Diwali celebrates Hargobind's release from the Gwalior Fort, with several innocent Hindu kings who were also imprisoned by Jahangir, on 26 October, 1619.
* Hola Mohalla occurs the day after Holi and is when the Khalsa Panth gather at Anandpur and display their warrior skills, including fighting and riding.
[edit] Ceremonies and customs
The anand kāraj (Sikh marriage) ceremony
Nanak taught that rituals, religious ceremonies, or idol worship is of little use and Sikhs are discouraged from fasting or going on pilgrimages.[40] However, during the period of the later gurus, and owing to increased institutionalisation of the religion, some ceremonies and rites did arise. Sikhism is not a proselytizing religion and most Sikhs do not make active attempts to gain converts. However, converts to Sikhism are welcomed, although there is no formal conversion ceremony. The morning and evening prayers take about two hours a day, starting in the very early morning hours. The first morning prayer is Guru Nanak's Jap Ji. Jap, meaning "recitation", refers to the use of sound, as the best way of approaching the divine. Like combing hair, hearing and reciting the sacred word is used as a way to comb all negative thoughts out of the mind. The second morning prayer is Guru Gobind Singh's universal Jaap Sahib. The Guru addresses God as having no form, no country, and no religion but as the seed of seeds, sun of suns, and the song of songs. The Jaap Sahib asserts that God is the cause of conflict as well as peace, and of destruction as well as creation. Devotees learn that there is nothing outside of God's presence, nothing outside of God's control. Devout Sikhs are encouraged to begin the day with private meditations on the name of God.
Upon a child's birth, the Guru Granth Sāhib is opened at a random point and the child is named using the first letter on the top left-hand corner of the left page. All boys are given the middle name or surname Singh, and all girls are given the middle name or surname Kaur.[41] Sikhs are joined in wedlock through the anand kāraj ceremony. Sikhs are required to marry when they are of a sufficient age (child marriage is taboo), and without regard for the future spouse's caste or descent. The marriage ceremony is performed in the company of the Guru Granth Sāhib; around which the couple circles four times. After the ceremony is complete, the husband and wife are considered "a single soul in two bodies."[42]
According to Sikh religious rites, neither husband nor wife is permitted to divorce. A Sikh couple that wishes to divorce may be able to do so in a civil court—but this is not condoned.[43] Upon death, the body of a Sikh is usually cremated. If this is not possible, any means of disposing the body may be employed. The kīrtan sōhilā and ardās prayers are performed during the funeral ceremony (known as antim sanskār).[44]
[edit] Baptism and the Khalsa
A kaṛā, kaṅghā and kirpān.
Khalsa (meaning pure) is the name given by Gobind Singh to all Sikhs who have been baptised or initiated by taking ammrit in a ceremony called ammrit sañcār. The first time that this ceremony took place was on Vaisakhi, which fell on 29 March 1698/1699 at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab. It was on that occasion that Gobind Singh baptised the Pañj Piārē who in turn baptised Gobind Singh himself.
Baptised Sikhs are bound to wear the Five Ks (in Punjabi known as pañj kakkē or pañj kakār), or articles of faith, at all times. The tenth guru, Gobind Singh, ordered these Five Ks to be worn so that a Sikh could actively use them to make a difference to their own and to others' spirituality. The 5 items are: kēs (uncut hair), kaṅghā (small comb), kaṛā (circular iron bracelet), kirpān (dagger), and kacchā (special undergarment). The Five Ks have both practical and symbolic purposes.[45]
[edit] Sikh people
Main article: Sikh
Further information: Sikhism by country
Punjabi Sikh family from Punjab, India
Worldwide, there are 25.8 million Sikhs and approximately 75% of Sikhs live in the Indian state of Punjab, where they constitute about 60% of the state's population. Even though there are a large number of Sikhs in the world, certain countries have not recognised Sikhism as a major religion and Sikhism has no relation to Hinduism. Large communities of Sikhs live in the neighboring states, and large communities of Sikhs can be found across India. However, Sikhs only make up about 2% of the Indian population.
In addition to social divisions, there is a misperception that there are a number of Sikh sectarian groups[clarification needed], such as Namdharis and Nirankaris. Nihangs tend to have little difference in practice and are considered the army of Sikhism. There is also a sect known as Udasi, founded by Sri Chand who were initially part of Sikhism but later developed into a monastic order.
Sikh Migration beginning from the 19th century led to the creation of significant communities in Canada (predominantly in Brampton, along with Malton in Ontario and Surrey in British Columbia), East Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom and more recently, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Western Europe. Smaller populations of Sikhs are found in Mauritius, Malaysia, Fiji, Nepal, China, Pakistan, Afganistan, Iraq and many other countries
Plugul Mare - 31 dec 2011
In dimineata de 31 decembrie pornesc sa colinde adultii, formind asa-numitele cete ale Plugului mare, la sarbatoare participand nu numai tinerii, ci si varstnicii.
Plugul pus pe roti si impodobit cu brazi decorati cu panglici colorate, ciucuri, covrigi si mere rosii, avand in varf un stergar brodat, acesta confera ritualului un statut special. El este tras de doua pana la patru perechi de boi sau de cai, ori tractor. Odata intrati in curtile gospodarilor, vataful, adica seful cetei, incepe sa recite Plugusorul, acompaniat de sunetele buhaiului si ale fluierului. La final, flacaii trag brazda cu plugul in mijlocul curtii, in semn de belsug. Acest obicei isi are radacinile in stravechea credinta dacica a perpetuarii vietii, a noului inceput.
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On the morning of December the 31st adults start to wander, forming so-called big bands of the Plow, not only young people attending the celebration, but also elderly.
Plow put on wheels and adorned with trees decorated with colored ribbons, tassels, pretzels and red apple on top with a embroidery towel , ritual gives it special status. It is drawn by two to four pairs of oxen or horses, or tractors. Once inside courts householders, that head bands, begins to recite Plugusorul, accompanied by sounds of flute and bittern. Finally, the boys pull the plow furrow in the middle of the court, in a sign of wealth. This custom has its roots in ancient Dacian faith perpetuation of life, new beginning.
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An hour-long session in PhotoShop was all it took to clone out 2 telegraph poles, a spider's web of cables, 3 parked cars, several television aerials, a satellite dish, 2 sodium street lamps, 2 rows of double yellow lines, an estate agent's sign and a row of plastic wheelie bins, and to replace a blank sky with a more interesting one.
Apart from that, this picture is 100% genuine. Or as the place once might have looked, before it was festooned with all those eyesores, to which the planning authorities and householders are seemingly indifferent.
Wish you a wonderful end of the week:)
HUGS
[In all, there were some 15,000 monks in Bhutan. There were also active congregations of nuns.
The hierarchy is headed by the Je Khenpo, who was assisted by five lopons or masters, each in charge of religious tradition, liturgy, lexicography, or logic and university.
The lonpon, one of whom, the Dorji Lonpon, normally succeeded the current Je Khenpo, had under them religious administrators and junior monastic officials in charge of art, music, and other areas.
Gelugpa monks were celibate, but Nyingmapas consist of not only monks but also householders, allowing them to marry, raise families, and work in secular occupations while performing liturgical functions in temples and homes.]
nrhp # 75001778- The Pigeon Forge Mill is located on land that was originally part of a 151-acre (61 ha) plot of land granted in 1810 to Mordecai Lewis (1751–1817), a Revolutionary War veteran from Virginia. Before his death, Lewis may have erected a tub mill along the river (no longer standing).[2] In 1817, Lewis's son-in-law, Isaac Love, built the iron forge for which the city would eventually be named. Taking advantage of a Tennessee state law that allowed tax incentives for the creation of iron works on unfarmable land, Love acquired over 7,000 acres (2,800 ha) of the surrounding country. Love mined brown hematite ore in the hills northeast of the forge, and transported the ore to the forge using ox-drawn wagons. The forge included a bloomery furnace which converted the ore into pig iron, and a 500-pound (230 kg) trip hammer that molded the pig iron into bar iron.[3]
In 1830, Love and his sons built a large gristmill adjacent to the iron furnace, which was used by local farmers to grind grain.[1] As his iron business was never profitable, Love eventually ceased iron production, and sold the entire operation to Alexander Preston in 1841. On May 29 of that same year, Isaac's son, William, established a post office for the community that had developed around the complex, giving it the name "Pigeon Forge."[3]
Preston operated the Pigeon Forge iron works under the name "Sweden Furnace" until 1849, when he sold the mill and furnace to local businessman John Sevier Trotter (1807–1884). By 1856, Trotter was producing two tons of bar iron annually at the Pigeon Forge furnace.[3] During the U.S. Civil War, Trotter— a Union supporter— installed looms in the mill to furnish uniforms for local Union volunteers (Trotter's son, William, commanded a company at the Battle of Fort Sanders in late 1863).[1][4] After the war, Trotter expanded the mill, most notably adding a 60-rpm, 30-horsepower wooden wheel (the current breastshot wheel was a later addition), and establishing a sawmill at the site.[3] Trotter's son, George, dismantled and sold the iron furnace in 1885, but continued operating the mill.[1]
In December 1900, the Pigeon Forge Mill was purchased by local businessman A.T. Householder. Shortly afterward a generator was installed, providing electricity to the string of houses that occupied the river opposite the mill.[1] The current milldam was completed in 1916.[5] The mill was remodeled several times throughout the 20th century by subsequent owners to cater to the tourist traffic along US-441.
from Wikipedia
Puerto de la Cruz | Tenerife
Many of the houses in the old town have a sometimes amusing painting by a local artist relating to the householders profession!
From the same flock of sparrows as the male whose image I posted a couple of days ago. This flock frequents the clifftop area between our house and the town of Walton; a couple of householders in the area have feeders out and the sparrows make good use of them.
Beggars and mendicants live on the fringes of society in the millions in this world.
As per the Hindu Varnashrama Dharma it is obligatory for householders not to refuse anyone who approaches them for food or water, and give whatever they have even if it means they have to remain hungry. From the Upanishads we learn that if a Brahmana, or anyone approached any person for food he should not be refused.
Hanuman Mandir ( TEMPLE)
Delhi
Photography’s new conscience
In the 19th century so the story goes, a rich householder who lived within sight of where the bridge is now built the original bridge of stone which stood here. He built the bridge for his two daughters so they could get to the beach on the other side. Alas this stone bridge was eventually washed away in a storm however the stone foundations remained and were reused as the foundations for the new bridge.
But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart...filled it, too, with melody that would last forever.”
Bess Streeter Aldrich.
Christmas Carols Concert.
Grace Community Church is a non-denominational, evangelical megachurch founded in 1956 and located in Sun Valley, California. Noted speaker and religious radio host John MacArthur is the senior pastor of Grace Community Church. As of 2008, the average weekly attendance was 8,258.
Founded as Grace Community Church of the Valley. The congregation held its first public service on July 1, 1956 calling Don Householder to be its founding pastor. Within a few years, the church had moved to its present location on Roscoe Boulevard and the decision was made to hold two Sunday morning services to accommodate the growing congregation.
Following Householder's death in 1965, Richard Elvee was called to be pastor and the church continued to grow under his leadership until he died in 1968. In February 1969, John F. MacArthur assumed the pastorate call. During the early days of MacArthur's ministry the church doubled in size every two years which led to the building of the Family Life Center in 1971 and a new Worship Center in 1977. In 1972, Moody Monthly magazine published a feature article about the congregation titled "The church with nine hundred ministers".
Sun Valley. California.
This man, encountered on my morning walk, is bringing home a huge sheaf of tall grasses to feed his cow. In Indonesia subsistence farmers and otdinary householders often keep a cow or two in their front yards. In a radical departure from our traditional cow-raising techniques in North America, here there is no pasture land, so people bring the pasture to the cows, cutting these sheaves by the roadside twice a day and transporting them back home by bicycle or motorbike, or sometimes carrying them on their heads.
Young cakves may be walked to a village trough for a communal feed and a little socializing ((see the comment box below), but most of the feeding and milking happens right in the tiny front yard, along with raising chickens and sometimes goats, growing a few vegetables, and the all-important tasks of cooking, eating, laundry, and motorcycle maintenance. By 6 am, the backroads and gardens are alive with people visiting, sweeping their yards, washing clothes and tending to children and animals. (Quite a difference from early morning walks around my neighborhood in Florida where cow-raising in the front yard is probably frowned upon.)
The introduction below applies to the oncoming series of pictures posted /to be posted relative to Ephrata Cloister.
The Ephrata Cloister, located in what is now Lancaster County in Pennsylvania, was a religious community founded by Conrad Beissel in 1732. It is however not a physical cloister, it is a spiritual one.
Conrad Beissel was born in Eberbach am Neckar, Germany, in March 1691. His birth came at the end of a century of religious wars, which had devastated his homeland and was responsible for the death of his parents when he was eight.
A baker by training, he came to Pennsylvania in search of religious liberty, which was offered at the time by William Penn. His theology, a hybrid of pietism and mysticism, encouraged celibacy, Sabbath worship, Anabaptism, and the ascetic life, yet provided room for families, limited industry, and creative expression.
Ephrata began as a hermitage, or “camp of the solitary”, with about 80 celibate members, who were secondarily helped by 200 family members. His followers were thus divided into three groups : two celibate orders, Brothers and Sisters, called the Solitary, and a congregation of married families called the Householders.
At Ephrata, members were preparing for Christ’s return to Earth.
The Ephrata Cloister was German speaking, and printed books in German.
Stories about Ephrata circulated throughout America and Europe, through friends in Europe and through visitors.
The community started weakening when Conrad Beissel died in 1768, and when the last vowed celibate member passed away in 1813, the Householders created instead the German Seventh Day Baptist Church, which in turn closed in 1934.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased the Ephrata Cloister in 1941, and it began a program of restoration, to return the remaining 8 out of an original 30 buildings back to their appearances of the 1700s.
So the red box project is about red boxes, yet I found a white red box. It begs the question, why is this Red Box white when it appears to have a working phone handset within. Did the householder take it over under the £1 deal. Did the householder get sick of people trying to make calls, setting to out make the box less conspicuous.
This red box is to found in the village of Slaugham (pronounce Slaff'am) in West Sussex.
The Slack is a narrow alleyway that runs from the old market place and behind the main road of the town. It passes through the Queens Hotel, an imposing Victorian hotel, which is visible in the drawing. We had dinner one evening at Sheila's Cottage which is tucked away behind the hotel. I was asked to stop sitting on a low wall to draw by a householder who told me "it's not safe, as a wagon has bin backed into it".
Saron (Sisters' House, on left) was constructed in 1743 for Householder couples who went to live as celibate Brothers and Sisters. The Saal (Meetinghouse, on right) is a half-timbered building constructed in 1741 as a worship hall for Householders. Ephrata, PA
A vehicle advertising recycling household materials in an original and ingenious way by showing photographs of the actual items being recycled as if they are actually on the vehicle.
Springdale, secondo le statistiche USA.
Secondo il censimento del 2010, la città contava 529 abitanti, 252 nuclei familiari e 137 famiglie.
La densità di popolazione era di 44.1 persone per km².
C'erano 327 unità abitative con una densità media di 27.3 persone per km².
La composizione razziale della città era la seguente: 90,2% bianchi, 0,9% afroamericani, 0,6% nativi americani, 0,8% asiatici, 5,7% di altre etnie e 1,9% di due o più etnie.
Gli ispanici o latini di qualsiasi etnia costituivano l'11,2% della popolazione.
C'erano 252 nuclei familiari, di cui il 15,1% aveva figli di età inferiore ai 18 anni che vivevano con loro, il 44,0% erano coppie sposate che convivevano, il 6,7% aveva una donna capofamiglia senza marito presente e il 45,6% non erano famiglie.
Il 34,2% di tutti i nuclei familiari era composto da persone sole e l'8,7% aveva una persona che viveva da sola di età pari o superiore a 65 anni.
La dimensione media del nucleo familiare era di 2,38 persone e la dimensione media della famiglia era di 2,67 persone.
Nella città, la popolazione era distribuita, con il 15,3% di età inferiore ai 18 anni, il 4,5% di età compresa tra 20 e 24 anni, il 24,2% di età compresa tra 25 e 44 anni, il 35,4% di età compresa tra 45 e 64 anni e il 18,9% di età pari o superiore a 65 anni.
L'età media era di 47,8 anni. Per ogni 100 donne, c'erano 106,6 uomini.
Per ogni 100 donne di età pari o superiore a 18 anni, c'erano 106,5 uomini.
Nel 2000, il reddito mediano di una famiglia in città era di 41.607 dollari, mentre il reddito mediano di una famiglia era di 51.500 dollari.
Gli uomini avevano un reddito mediano di 34.063 dollari, contro i 26.667 dollari delle donne.
Il reddito pro capite della città era di 25.593 dollari.
Circa l'8,3% delle famiglie e il 9,0% della popolazione vivevano al di sotto della soglia di povertà, inclusi il 12,0% dei minori di 18 anni e il 12,3% degli ultrasessantacinquenni.
Wikipedia
Springdale, according to U.S. statistics.
As of the census of 2010, there were 529 people, 252 households, and 137 families residing in the town.
The population density was 115 people per square mile.
There were 327 housing units at an average density of 71.1 per square mile.
The racial makeup of the town was 90.2% White, 0.9% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 5.7% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.2% of the population.
There were 252 households, out of which 15.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.6% were non-families.
34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.67.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 15.3% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 20 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 35.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older.
The median age was 47.8 years.
For every 100 females, there were 106.6 males.
For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 106.5 men.
As of 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $41,607, and the median income for a family was $51,500.
Males had a median income of $34,063 versus $26,667 for females.
The per capita income for the town was $25,593.
About 8.3% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.
Wikipedia
IMG20250616132800m
Jupiter Inlet Colony is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 400 at the 2010 census.
Jupiter Inlet Colony is located at 26°56′51″N 80°4′29″W (26.947393, -80.074616), in the southernmost tip of Jupiter Island.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), of which 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (21.74%) is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 368 people, 180 households, and 124 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,090.1 inhabitants per square mile (789.4/km²). There were 229 housing units at an average density of 1,300.6 per square mile (491.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.73% White, and 0.27% from other races.
There were 180 households out of which 12.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 3.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.38.
In the town, the population was spread out with 10.6% under the age of 18, 1.1% from 18 to 24, 12.2% from 25 to 44, 36.1% from 45 to 64, and 39.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 60 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $65,938, and the median income for a family was $93,554. Males had a median income of $90,000 versus $41,875 for females. The per capita income for the town was $66,713. About 1.6% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2000, 100% of the population spoke English as their first language. It, along with Briny Breezes, Cloud Lake, and Golf, were the only municipalities in Palm Beach county with all residents having the mother tongue of English.
Credit for the data above is given to the following website:
Although pretty abstracted it shows the houses from the back.....
These houses have medium sized back gardens but through the gate at the rear of the gardens they also have a large communal garden to be shared by the householders....on four sides of the Square
This one has a tennis court too...the communal garden's a great place for the kids to grow up & pretty safe...usually one or two of the householders are about to keep an eye on things.....
When built these houses were usually owned by quite well off merchants & professional people but several are now rented out to students in this area.....
Although not a specific form of Architecture this type of Victorian house did have elements of Gothic in a watered down version & did reflect the period's history in Great Britain at that time..
Entered in HYPOTHETICAL AWARDS 5th Annual Challenge
thanks for looking in....appreciate it.....best bigger...hope you have a Great Day
The Mari Lwyd (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈma.ri ˈlʊi̯d]) is a wassailing folk custom found in South Wales. The tradition entails the use of an eponymous hobby horse which is made from a horse's skull mounted on a pole and carried by an individual hidden under a sackcloth. It represents a regional variation of a "hooded animal" tradition that appears in various forms throughout Great Britain.
The custom was first recorded in 1800, with subsequent accounts of it being produced into the early twentieth century. According to these, the Mari Lwyd was a tradition performed at Christmas time by groups of men. They would form into teams to accompany the horse on its travels around the local area, and although the makeup of such groups varied, they typically included an individual to carry the horse, a leader, and individuals dressed as stock characters such as Punch and Judy. The team would carry the Mari Lwyd to local houses, where they would request entry through the medium of song. The householders would be expected to deny them entry, again through song, and the two sides would continue their responses to one another in this manner. If the householders eventually relented, then the team would be permitted entry and given food and drink.
Another cold day, so a quick walk around the lanes where I live. We are spoilt for Quaint cottages, as many were designed and built in the 1930's.
Trying to show a mostly original part of one without intruding on the householders privacy, quite difficult with high hedges etc. The statue looks a bit chilly!
Treasure Hunt 55: Quaint
The Ironmonger's House is a typical 19th century wooden building in Swedish towns. The fittings in the ironmonger's date originally from the 1880s though the interior was partially modernized in the 1930s. The building houses has two shops and a small apartment. The goods on display are typical of the three main groups of customers: farmers, builders and householders.
The second shop by the ironmonger’s is a co-op shop (known as Konsum in Sweden) from the thirties – a dairy and bakery. Besides milk, cream, yoghurt, bread, cakes and pastries such a shop would also have sold butter and margarine, beer, soft drinks and sweets.
Wikipedia
Another shot I havn't done for years is here at Great Cheverell. Good news is I heard the householder on the left talking to a contractor for trimming the large trees on left which restrict the angle here.
www.walkingenglishman.com/lancashire04.html
Summary: The village of Silverdale borders the Kent Estuary as it flows into the vast expanse of Morecambe Bay. This walk follows parts of the estuary as well as climbing into the exquisite deciduous woodland bordering the coastline. The mix of coast walking, paths and roads creates a walk full of diversity. To complete the full length of my walk you will need to avoid high tide but I explain this as we go while also explaining the alternative.
The Walk: Please note the coastline is tidal and that some of this walk may not be possible at high tide. Indeed there are some signs warning walkers of this. Check before attempting it - however I walked at a time of approaching or receding high tide and still the route was safe to follow. Best to pick a period of low tide to be sure though and to make your own determination.
After parking my car down by the beach in the parking area at the end of Shore Road I walked back up to the junction of Shore Road and Stankelt Road and left the road by a gate into open fields which are denoted by a National Trust post as 'The Lots'. From this slightly elevated vantage point I could see across the Kent Estuary to Grange over Sands in the south most extremity of Cumbria. I was not crossing counties though, just the couple of fields comprising The Lots for now to the secluded cove of north Silverdale and to find a cave indicated on the map. It did not take much finding, I could see the cave clearly halfway up the white cliff sheltering the north side of the cove as I reached the end of The Lots.
A couple were enjoying bathing themselves in the near lunchtime sunshine on the outcrop of rocks below the cliff. As I made my way past them to look inside the cave I said "Great day for relaxing and taking in the view" They agreed and wished me a good day. After returning the compliment I made the easy scramble up to the cave and entered. It was just the right height to stand up in and about 20 feet deep. From inside I enjoyed a perfectly framed picture of Know End Point and Morecambe Bay. After enjoying the cool conditions of the cave for a short while I re-emerged into the heat of the day and stayed by the side of Morecambe Bay by following the Lancashire Coastal Way south and back towards the car park at the end of Shore Road.
The first 400 metres of walking on the Lancashire Coastal Way was not easy. I had to scramble over rocks that were very wet and slippery and was relieved when I could leave the rocks to cross shingle and irregular patches of sand. Signs warn this section is dangerous at high tide. However, it was not high tide and with care the walk could be done. I made it more difficult because of my haste. (Note: This section can be avoided if there is high tide by crossing The Lots again - it would be a shame to do so but necessary). After reaching Shore Road and passing my parked car I walked up Shore Road and accesses a back of houses path to the right which cut through south and east to reach Lindeth Road.
I ambled along Lindeth Road and while doing so passed courtesies with householders tending their gardens. A warm and sunny day in Spring often brings people out of their homes and into their gardens; as it did here. Wide and leafy Lindeth Road continued to be a pleasant walk as I passed the junction with Woodwell Lane before it took a turn left at which point I left it by carrying on walking down a lane past Lindeth Lodge Farm and Lindeth Tower on my way to Jack Scout. Some way along the lane I reached a gate where a National Trust sign indicated I had reached Jack Scout. I left the road and followed a lovely path across short green coastal grass and past a fine example of a restored Lime Kiln. Then I passed a cracking bench made from local stone. I looked out from near the structure confirming the seat was a perfect spot for taking in the views.
Jack Scout promontory is owned by the National Trust and gives a superb view of the Morecambe Bay area in particular and by looking north to the south Lakeland hills and fells. It is also a good point at which to watch the Arnside Tidal Bore, a wall of water which signifies the advancing tide rushing up the channel and into the Kent Estuary. I did not exactly view the bore from Jack Scout but I could clearly see rushing water spewing along the Kent channel. I was also destined to see a similar sight soon on this walk. From Jack Scout I headed to Jenny Brown's Point, a line of shingle-clad boulders which were to be part of a House of Commons approved scheme to reclaim Silverdale Sands. In their wisdom the Lord's did not agree and the scheme was abandoned but the first set of man-made protective boulders still remain in place and the sanctuary they provide seemed to attract plenty of coastal dwelling birds when I looked out over the scene.
After leaving Jenny Brown's Point I walked from the National Trust site and back to the leafy shaded metalled road leading south and east around the coastline to Brown's Houses. At the houses the road abruptly ended and at this point I was forced to walk off the track and around the house wall by clearly marked No Entry signs. Fair enough but I thought there would be a sign indicating the way around. After all I was on the Lancashire Coastal Way. despite this there was no indication of which way to go around the private dwelling and only by looking was it clear I would have to clamber down collapsed concrete ramps to the shore. I clambered around and then climbed back up the bank when beyond the houses and the land they occupied - note it says Brown's Houses but as far as I could see there is only one.
After Brown's Houses I followed the coast past an old Lime Kiln chimney near the expanse of Warton Sands and it was here I saw my second gushing watercourse as water spewed quickly from appropriately named Quicksand Pool into the bay. I stayed well clear of the quicksand. From Warton Sands follow the coastline to a crossroads of paths. This walk takes the left hand fork at the crossroads and though Heald Brow woodland to follow a path beside fields and behind houses to Scout Wood and back into Silverdale village. Its a tough climb of 50 metres in a short space of time from the crossroad of paths though so take a rest and then a deep breath before climbing through the woods and following the paths back into Silverdale.
The Cave Gardens are the garden located in the centre of Mount Gambier in the Australian state of South Australia that contain a 90-ft-deep cave. The cave was initially used as a water source for the town. In 1870 the area became a reserve, and by the 1890s trees, gas lamps and seating were installed in the area. On 2 August 2001, the Cave Gardens were declared a State Heritage area.
History
The Cave that the garden surrounds was first discovered during the 1845-46 survey of the area, with the fresh water supply in the cave being an attraction that initiated the first settlement of the area. The three acres surrounding the area was declared Government Reserve. The main water supply of Mount Gambier remained the sinkhole until the 1850s. The first buildings of Mount Gambier (the first post office, the Town Hall, and a hotel) were built surrounding this reserve. In the 1890s the first plants and seating were added to the area, and the formal garden was constructed between 1906 and 1910.
In 1922 a captured German gun from WWI was added to the garden, however this was later removed. A large flagstaff was displayed in the garden for 40 years until on 1 January 1926 it fell, however no one was injured. The garden also featured a 'model' air raid shelter in 1942 for householders to view, thought its use was never necessary.
The gardens now feature a scenic walk, as well as a lowered viewing platform into the sinkhole. The floor of the cave is not accessible. In wet weather, the drains at the top of the sinkhole create a waterfall that flows into the cave.
Dangers
In 1878, when the cave floor was still submerged in water, a young man committed suicide by drowning himself in the water.
Though the cave floor is no longer accessible, people have made attempts to enter it. In August 2011, two men lowered themselves into the cave. One became injured after trying to climb out and falling. Both men were eventually removed from the cave and taken into police custody.
Source: Wikipedia
The Jackdaw ( Corvus monedula) loves to build its nest in a chimney. The structure is quite intricate and substantial and can cause many problems for the both the householder and the chimney sweep who is called in to deal with the obstruction.
This week’s theme of birds wasn't really on my mind as I mingled with the crowd at the Sweep’s Festival in the city of Rochester [Medway, England] on May Bank Holiday Monday. The festival is a fusion of many May Day customs, including the historical annual holiday for chimney sweeps. To conclude 3 days of morris dancing, folk music, an artisan produce market and a traditional fun-fair, the ‘chimney sweeps’ lead a colourful noisy parade through the old high street to the castle gardens. I watched the parade, photographing the characters and their costumes. Then I noticed one sweep with a 'bird' perched on his hat, and hoped that I had my shot for this week's challenge. When I reviewed the day’s photographs later I noticed that the 'bird' appeared in several earlier pictures, and turned to the internet to seek out the reason why this might be.
You can read one modern sweep’s account of the habits of the jackdaw here
On the south side of Zion National Park is the town of Colorado City. We decided to stop just before the sunset and we were pleased with our view. Colorado City is a town in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, and is located in a region known as the Arizona Strip. The population was 2,478 at the 2020 census.[4] At least three Mormon fundamentalist sects are said to have been based there.[7] A majority of residents and many local officials belong to the most prominent of these sects, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whose corporation also owned much of the land within and around the town until state intervention in the 2000s.
History
Colorado City, formerly known as "Short Creek" (or the Short Creek Community), was founded in 1913[8] by members of the Council of Friends, a breakaway group from the Salt Lake City–based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The Council of Friends membership desired a remote location where they could practice plural marriage, which had been publicly abandoned by the LDS Church in 1890. On July 26, 1953, Arizona Governor John Howard Pyle sent troops into the settlement to stop polygamy in what became known as the Short Creek raid.[9] The two-year legal battle that followed became a public relations disaster that damaged Pyle's political career and set a hands-off tone toward the town in Arizona for the next 50 years.[10]
After the death of Joseph W. Musser, the community split into two groups: the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints stayed in Short Creek, while the Apostolic United Brethren relocated to Bluffdale, Utah. The FLDS changed the name of the community to Colorado City (on the Arizona side of the border) and Hildale (on the Utah side) to eliminate any ties to the Short Creek raids.[8]
In January 2004, local FLDS fundamentalist leader Warren Jeffs expelled a group of 20 men, including the mayor, and gave their wives and children to other men.[11] Jeffs, now a convicted sexual predator, stated he was acting on the orders of God, while the men expelled claimed they were penalized for disagreeing with Jeffs. Observers stated[by whom?] that this was the most severe split to date within the community other than the split between Colorado City and Centennial Park. According to the Utah attorney general's office, this was not the first time Jeffs was accused of expelling men from the community; as many as 400 young men are estimated to have been expelled by Jeffs from 2001 to 2006. Most were removed for failing to follow Jeffs' rules, or for dating women without his permission. Many of these expelled men and boys were very naïve and sheltered and often wound up homeless in nearby towns such as Hurricane and St. George, Utah. Jeffs was placed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list and eventually arrested on August 28, 2006.[12]
Most of the property in the town was owned by the United Effort Plan, a real estate trust of the FLDS.[13] In 2007, the state authorities began dismantling church ownership of Colorado City lands.[14] The FLDS church retaliated and indoctrinated their followers against the state, believing they were being targeted because of their beliefs. The FLDS followers became further secluded as a result. Remaining FLDS members refuse to believe the charges against Jeffs.[15]
On April 6, 2010, law enforcement officials in Mohave County, Arizona, and Washington County, Utah, served five search warrants seeking records from town officers. The warrants were served on government officials and departments, including the Town Manager, David Darger, as well as Colorado City's fire chief Jacob Barlow. As a result of the initial warrants, the Hildale Department of Public Safety was shut down, and emergency responders were prohibited from responding to calls without the approval of county officials. Firefighter Glen Jeffs indicated that the warrants referenced "misuse of funds".[16][17]
In response to a civil rights lawsuit by the United States Justice Department alleging that the Colorado City government, including law enforcement, was taking orders from the FLDS Church, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne announced in July 2012 that he was allocating funding to allow the Mohave County Sheriff's Department to provide daily patrols in the town.[18]
On March 20, 2014, a jury hearing the case of Cooke et al v. Colorado City, Town of et al[19] ruled that the towns of Colorado City and Hildale had discriminated against Ronald and Jinjer Cooke because they were not members of the FLDS Church.[20] The Cookes were awarded $5.2 million for "religious discrimination".[20] The Cooke family had moved to the Short Creek area in 2008 but were refused access to utilities by the towns of Colorado City and Hildale.[21] As a result of the ruling, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne issued a press release stating that he "wants to eradicate discrimination in two polygamous towns" and believes that the court ruling will give him the tools to do it.[22]
Geography and climate
The landscape surrounding Colorado City in 2014
Colorado City is located in northeastern Mohave County at 36°59′25″N 112°58′33″W (36.99026, −112.97577) Its northern border is the Arizona–Utah state line, with the town of Hildale, Utah, to the north. Arizona State Route 389 passes through the center of town, leading east 31 miles (50 km) to Fredonia. To the north, Route 389 becomes Utah State Route 59, which leads northwest 22 miles (35 km) to Hurricane.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 8.924 square miles (23.11 km2), of which 0.008 square miles (0.02 km2), or 0.07%, are water.[2]
Colorado City has the typical cool semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) of the interior Mountain West, with very warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters, typified by very large diurnal temperature ranges throughout most of the year. The hottest day on record was July 15, 2005, with 110 °F (43 °C). Rainfall is lowest from April to June, but is never particularly high on average, though during strong extratropical low pressure systems, as much as 5 inches (130 mm) may occasionally fall during a month.[23] The wettest year has been 1998 with 27.48 inches (698.0 mm), whilst the driest year has been 1956 with 4.76 inches (120.9 mm).[24] Snowfall is relatively light; the most in a month was in January 1982 with 29.0 inches (74 cm) and that winter had the most for a year with 46.5 inches (118 cm). The highest daily snow depth was however on February 2, 1979, with 13 inches (33 cm).
Climate data for Colorado City, Arizona (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1950–2012)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)70
(21)78
(26)88
(31)90
(32)98
(37)105
(41)110
(43)105
(41)99
(37)94
(34)83
(28)70
(21)110
(43)
Mean maximum °F (°C)62.0
(16.7)66.2
(19.0)74.0
(23.3)82.2
(27.9)90.7
(32.6)98.6
(37.0)102.5
(39.2)99.0
(37.2)94.3
(34.6)85.1
(29.5)72.2
(22.3)62.0
(16.7)103.0
(39.4)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)48.9
(9.4)53.3
(11.8)60.6
(15.9)67.6
(19.8)77.7
(25.4)89.4
(31.9)94.6
(34.8)91.9
(33.3)84.5
(29.2)72.4
(22.4)58.8
(14.9)48.4
(9.1)70.7
(21.5)
Daily mean °F (°C)36.7
(2.6)40.5
(4.7)46.7
(8.2)52.7
(11.5)61.8
(16.6)71.9
(22.2)78.2
(25.7)76.7
(24.8)69.3
(20.7)57.4
(14.1)44.9
(7.2)36.1
(2.3)56.1
(13.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)24.5
(−4.2)27.6
(−2.4)32.9
(0.5)37.8
(3.2)46.0
(7.8)54.3
(12.4)61.7
(16.5)61.6
(16.4)54.2
(12.3)42.4
(5.8)31.0
(−0.6)23.8
(−4.6)41.5
(5.3)
Mean minimum °F (°C)9.7
(−12.4)13.6
(−10.2)20.0
(−6.7)25.9
(−3.4)33.1
(0.6)41.2
(5.1)52.5
(11.4)52.5
(11.4)41.3
(5.2)28.4
(−2.0)15.8
(−9.0)8.2
(−13.2)5.0
(−15.0)
Record low °F (°C)−11
(−24)−4
(−20)6
(−14)13
(−11)22
(−6)28
(−2)40
(4)40
(4)29
(−2)6
(−14)1
(−17)−9
(−23)−11
(−24)
Average precipitation inches (mm)1.33
(34)1.81
(46)1.67
(42)1.12
(28)0.56
(14)0.31
(7.9)1.22
(31)1.43
(36)1.48
(38)1.16
(29)1.10
(28)1.13
(29)14.32
(362.9)
Average snowfall inches (cm)2.9
(7.4)3.6
(9.1)1.1
(2.8)0.6
(1.5)0.0
(0.0)0.0
(0.0)0.0
(0.0)0.0
(0.0)0.0
(0.0)0.4
(1.0)0.7
(1.8)3.1
(7.9)12.4
(31.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch)5.67.56.34.73.22.64.86.54.14.84.05.159.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 inch)1.31.30.70.40.00.00.00.00.00.10.31.15.2
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (mean maxima/minima 1981–2010)[24][25]
Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19801,439—
19902,42668.6%
20003,33437.4%
20104,82144.6%
20202,478−48.6%
2022 (est.)2,550[5]2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[26]
2020 Census[4]
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 3,334 people, 444 households, and 417 families residing in the town. The population density was 317.3 inhabitants per square mile (122.5/km2). There were 457 housing units at an average density of 43.5 per square mile (16.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.9% white, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.8% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population.
Of the 444 households, 83.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 85.8% were married couples living together, 3.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 5.9% were non-families. 4.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 7.51 and the average family size was 7.58. Colorado City had the fourth-highest household size in the nation, based on the 2012 5-Year American Community Survey count of an average household size of 8.04 people by zip code tabulation area.[27]
In the town, the population was spread out, with 60.4% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 20.2% from 25 to 44, 6.3% from 45 to 64, and 1.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 14 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,826, and the median income for a family was $32,344. Males had a median income of $24,429 versus $22,969 for females. The per capita income for the town was $5,293. About 29.0% of families and 31.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
The Colorado City/Hildale, Utah area has the world's highest incidence of fumarase deficiency, an extremely rare genetic condition which causes severe intellectual disability. Geneticists attribute this to the prevalence of cousin marriage between descendants of two of the town's founders, Joseph Smith Jessop and John Y. Barlow; at least half the area's roughly 8,000 inhabitants are descended from one or both.[28]
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