Merry Christmas

These days Christmas is all around, so I hope all your wishes come true with the magic of Christmas.

Best wishes for a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.


Nuria

The History of the Christmas Card

The Christmas card, as we know it, originated in England in the year 1843. An artist named John Calcott Horsley was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, a wealthy and successful London businessman, to create a card that could be sent out to his friends and clients to wish them a merry Christmas. The Christmas card, as we know it, originated in England in the year 1843. An artist named John Calcott Horsley was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, a wealthy and successful London businessman, to create a card that could be sent out to his friends and clients to wish them a merry Christmas.

Sir Henry Cole was very well known at the time, for a number of reasons. He had a helping hand in helping to modernize the British postal system. He played a prominent role in the creation of the Royal Albert Hall, and acted as the construction manager on this massive project. He also arranged for the Great Exhibition of 1851, and he oversaw the inauguration of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

One of Sir Henry Cole's greatest aspirations in life was to beautify the world around him. He owned and operated a wonderful art shop on Bond Street, which specialized in decorative objects for the home. His shop was hugely popular with the British upper class, and he earned a tidy sum from his business.

The Christmas card he commissioned was fashioned in the form of a triptych, which is a three-paneled design that allows for the two outer panels to be folded in towards the middle one. Each of the two side panels depicted a good deed. The first showed an image of people clothing the poor, and the other side panel showed an image of people feeding the hungry. The center piece had an image of a well-to-do family making a toast and surrounded by an enormous feast.

The inscription on the inside of the card read "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you." Of the one thousand cards printed for Sir Henry Cole, only twelve exist today in private collections. The printed card became highly fashionable in England during the years that followed. They also became very popular in Germany. It took quite a long time for the idea to catch on in America, then popularized by a German expatriate named Louis Prang in 1875. Today, more than 2 billion Christmas cards are exchanged each year. Merry Christmas, all!

Quote of the week

"Through learning language, we learn about culture.
Through learning about culture, we learn respect for others.
Through learning respect for others, we can hope for peace"

So what’s so special about Scotland?

We asked people working in ELT in Scotland to tell us what makes the country so special. Here are the thoughts of Amanda Henderson and David R. Hill (Institute for Applied Language Studies, University of Edinburgh). Thanks also to Jane McKinlay (ECS Scotland) and Lorraine Morrison (Glasgow School of English) for their comments.

The people

In fact there are very few people in Scotland only 5 million compared to the 60 million in England. For every Scot in their native land, there are thought to be at least five more overseas who can claim Scottish ancestry. This is now a key motivator for people visiting Scotland: to trace their roots and experience a true feeling of belonging. Famous people with Scottish ancestry include Elvis Presley, Mel Gibson, Eminem and Johnny Cash!

Scots are famous for their friendliness and the warmth of their welcome. Of course, people vary a great deal. Glasgow and Edinburgh might be only 40 miles apart, but people from Edinburgh find it hard to understand Glaswegian jokes. The Highlanders have a completely different outlook on life from the Lowlanders. And if you move away from the central belt, you find yourself in a new situation altogether.

One difference that will strike you about the people is that the proportion of African, South Asian and Chinese is very small compared that in London and other parts of England. You will see many Asian and Chinese restaurants and shops, but the largest community from overseas is now likely to be from Poland; there are 20,000 Polish immigrants in Edinburgh alone and 5,000 in the much smaller Inverness.

Famous Scots include the film stars Sean Connery and Ewan McGregor, and pop performers Annie Lennox and Franz Ferdinand. Scotland is famous for its writers such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame, Ian Rankin, Iain Banks, Alexander McCall Smith, J. K. Rowling, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott. The number of writers that Scotland has produced is one of the reasons why Edinburgh became UNESCO’s fist World City of Literature.

Scotland has also produced its fair share of inventors such as James Watt (light bulb), Alexander Graham Bell (telephone), John Logie Baird (television) John Dunlop (pneumatic tyre) and Alexander Fleming (penicillin) to name but a few.

The Place

Scotland has been described as “the best small country in the world”, which is certainly true for Scottish people. With such a low population there’s lots of space, much of it wild hills and mountains; it’s not much use economically, but it’s incredibly beautiful, especially in the sunshine after the rain. If you are in the right place at the right time, you may see a view of hills, islands and sea that will make you want just to look and look and look, or just take another photograph.

Because Scotland is small it is easy to get a feel for its geography, history and culture in a short time. The great castles and churches give you a sense of medieval times, the huge country houses and stone-built houses and tenements give you a feeling for the 18th and 19th centuries, while the new Parliament building will give anyone from Spain a particularly warm welcome, as it was designed by the great Catalan architect Enric Miralles.

Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, has a unique character of its own. With approximately 400,000 inhabitants, it’s very compact and therefore ideal for discovering on foot. Wander into different districts and experience the unique atmospheres of the New Town, the Waterfront at Leith, Arthur’s Seat (an extinct volcano), Stockbridge, Bruntsfield and Morningside.

Glasgow, in contrast, is the largest city in Scotland and is very much a working city. There are some great buildings here that bear testament to the city’s industrial heritage. Some of the world’s largest ships were built here. Glasgow now boasts the best retail experience in Scotland and is renowned for its happening nightlife!

Beyond Edinburgh and Glasgow a visit to Scotland wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the Highlands and islands the backdrop to so much of Scottish history. The Isle of Skye is probably the favourite island tourist destination. Its wild landscape and beautiful sunsets are unmissable. You can also visit innumerable castles (Eilean Donan, for example), battlefields (Bannockburn and Culloden), breathtaking mountains and lochs (Scottish lakes). A visit to Scotland wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Loch Ness to see if you can spot Nessie, the Loch Ness monster!

The culture

Scotland is steeped in history and rich culture of which Scots are famously proud. The stereotypical Scot wearing a kilt, playing bagpipes and eating haggis is not as widespread as visitors might hope, but if you know where to look you won’t be disappointed.

Several years ago kilts came back into fashion and young men started wearing them again. They’re very popular at rugby matches, especially the international matches at Murrayfield. If you’re in the centre of town then you’ll probably hear the sound of bagpipes. There’s usually a bagpipe player outside Waverley Station in Edinburgh. As for the haggis, despite what locals might tell you, haggis do not run around the hills. If you are determined to try the famous dish of Scotland, keep your eyes peeled in restaurants and pubs that often serve it with “neeps and tatties” (turnips and potatoes). Alternatively, most supermarkets sell it in the fridge section.

A ceilidh is a popular social event that involves traditional music and Scottish country dancing. Scots really do love country dancing. In fact, at most weddings it’s preferable to a disco! Language schools organise ceilidhs. Otherwise, check out the assembly rooms in Edinburgh (which sometimes hold ceilidhs for charity) or the bandstand in Princes Street Gardens beneath the castle, where there are sometimes ceilidhs in the summer.

Most language and teacher-training centres provide tours and Scottish entertainment as part of their courses, so you will return home not only with better English but also able to dance Scottish reels. You may acquire a taste for haggis, whisky, shortbread, or Irn Bru, an orange-coloured drink that outsells Pepsi and Coca-Cola and is a very good cure for hangovers. You may even buy a kilt, though a good one will cost as much as a two-week language course. You can use the Internet to find out about Scotlands many festivals. Of course, the Edinburgh International Festival in August is the most famous, but every town and city has its own, and Glasgow says that it smiles better (= Glasgow’s miles better).

The weather

Yes, there is quite a lot of rain, an added attraction for people coming from hot countries, but the weather is always changing. It can be wet in the morning but sunny in the afternoon, stormy in Edinburgh but calm in Glasgow, snowing in Shetland and warm in the Borders. No-one can tell what it will be like tomorrow!

The English

The most important thing about Scotland is that it is not England and not even very like England. This is perhaps not surprising since many millions of years ago England and Scotland were on different tectonic plates. At the new Museum of Scotland you can find out when and how the two countries joined.

However, the Scots do speak English! Gaelic exists and is still spoken by some people on the islands and in the far north, but the vast majority of people speak English, making Scotland the ideal place to study English or to take a teacher-training or development course.

Accent isn’t really an issue. Yes, the Scots do have an accent, but it is no harder or different from the myriad of accents in England in places such as Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle, or even in Ireland! In any case, the accent you pick up very much depends on the teacher, who might not even be Scottish.

Scotland really can’t be beaten for a study break. If you are looking for a rich language experience that will immerse you in a culture that’s distinctly different from elsewhere in the United Kingdom, Scotland is the place for you. So the next time you want to improve your English or attend a course for teachers, give England a miss and come straight to Scotland. You’ll have a wonderful time.

P.S.: Don’t mention its football team!

The Scotland Quiz

How much do you know about Scotland? Try our quiz and then check your answers by reading the article, So what's so special about Scotland?.

1. Where is Scotland? a. in England b. not in England c. near France 2. What do you call a person from Scotland? a. a Sassenach b. a Scotch c. a Scot 3. What is the population of Scotland? a. 5 million b. 30 million c. 60 million 4. Which of these famous people have Scottish ancestry? a. Elvis Presley b. Mel Gibson c. Eminem 5. Which is the biggest city in Scotland? a. Edinburgh b. Glasgow c. Aberdeen 6. In 2004 Edinburgh became UNESCO’s fist World City of _______. a. architecture b. tartan c. literature 7. In the past, what was Glasgow famous for? a. ceramics b. shipbuilding c. textiles 8. Scotland has produced many inventors. Which of these people invented the light bulb? a. James Watt b. John Dunlop c. Alexander Fleming

9. Which architect designed the new Scottish Parliament building? a. Sir Norman Foster b. Enric Miralles c. Richard Meier 10. Loch is the Scottish word for lake, and one loch is famous for its monster. What is the monster known as? a. Nessie b. Macbeth c. Yeti 11. What are “neeps and tatties”? a. types of vegetable b. a Glasgow-based rock group c. youth hostels 12. What should you do with an Irn Bru? a. throw it b. smile at it c. drink it 13. What language do the majority of people speak in Scotland? a. English b. Scottish c. Gaelic 14. What shouldn’t you mention when you visit Scotland? a. the football team b. the weather c. the Scottish Parliament building 15. What do men in Scotland sometimes wear instead of trousers? a. kilts b. tartans c. clans

Scotland

The Scotland quiz How much do you and your students know about Scotland? Try our quiz and then check your answers by reading the article So what’s so special about Scotland?. Go to page	Postcards from Scotland In this classroom activity students read postcard messages and match them with the corresponding postcard picture. The answers are 1. d; 2. b; 3. a; 4. e; 5. c. Download the activity in PDF format
So what’s so special about Scotland? We asked people working in ELT in Scotland to tell us what makes the country so special. Go to page	Being a student in Scotland What’s it like being a student in Scotland? Students from different countries tell us in their own words. Go to page
Useful Contacts & Credits A list of useful organisations and Internet sites. Plus a list of people who helped compile this feature. Go to page	Interactive exercises What's the connection and Scotland the Brave are two interactive exercises about Scotland at the its-english site. Go to page at its-english

Saint Andrew

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Saint Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland, and St. Andrew's Day is celebrated by Scots around the world on the 30th November. The flag of Scotland is the Cross of St. Andrew, and this is widely displayed as a symbol of national identity.

The "Order of Saint Andrew" or the "Most Ancient Order of the Thistle" is an order of Knighthood which is restricted to the King or Queen and sixteen others. It was established by James VII of Scotland in 1687.

Very little is really known about St. Andrew himself. He was thought to have been a fisherman in Galilee (now part of Israel), along with his elder brother Simon Peter (Saint Peter). Both became followers (apostles) of Jesus Christ, founder of the Christian religion.

St. Andrew is said to have been responsible for spreading the tenets of the Christian religion though Asia Minor and Greece. Tradition suggests that St. Andrew was put to death by the Romans in Patras, Southern Greece by being pinned to a cross (crucified). The diagonal shape of this cross is said to be the basis for the Cross of St. Andrew which appears on the Scottish Flag.

St. Andrews bones were entombed, and around 300 years later were moved by Emperor Constantine (the Great) to his new capital Constantinople (now Istambul in Turkey). Legend suggests that a Greek Monk (although others describe him as an Irish assistant of St. Columba) called St. Rule (or St. Regulus) was warned in a dream that St. Andrews remains were to be moved and was directed by an angel to take those of the remains which he could to the "ends of the earth" for safe-keeping. St. Rule dutifully followed these directions, removing a tooth, an arm bone, a kneecap and some fingers from St. Andrew's tomb and transporting these as far away as he could. Scotland was close to the extremities of the know world at that time and it was here that St. Rule was shipwrecked with his precious cargo.

St. Rule is said to have come ashore at a Pictish settlement on the East Coast of Scotland and this later became St. Andrews. Thus the association of St. Andrew with Scotland was said to have begun.

Perhaps more likely than the tale of St. Rule's journey is that Acca, the Bishop of Hexham, who was a reknown collector of relics, brought the relics of St. Andrew to St. Andrews in 733. There certainly seems to have been a religious centre at St. Andrews at that time, either founded by St. Rule in the 6th century or by a Pictish King, Ungus, who reigned from 731 - 761.

Whichever tale is true, the relics were placed in a specially constructed chapel. This chapel was replaced by the Cathedral of St. Andrews in 1160, and St. Andrews became the religious capital of Scotland and a great centre for Medieval pilgrims who came to view the relics.

There are other legends of how St. Andrew and his remains became associated with Scotland, but there is little evidence for any of these, including the legend of St. Rule. The names still exist in Scotland today, including St. Rules Tower, which remains today amongst the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral.

It is not known what happened to the relics of St. Andrew which were stored in St. Andrews Cathedral, although it is most likely that these were destroyed during the Scottish Reformation. The Protestant cause, propounded by Knox, Wishart and others, won out over Roman Catholism during the Reformation and the "idolatry of catholism", that is the Saints, relics, decoration of churches, were expunged during the process of converting the Roman Catholic churches of Scotland to the harsh simplicity of Knox's brand of Calvanism.

The place where these relics were kept within the Cathedral at St. Andrews is now marked by a plaque, amongst the ruins, for visitors to see.

The larger part of St. Andrew's remains were stolen from Constantinople in 1210 and are now to be found in Amalfi in Southern Italy. In 1879 the Archbishop of Amalfi sent a small piece of the Saint's shoulder blade to the re-established Roman Catholic community in Scotland.

In 1969, Gordon Gray, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland was in Rome to be appointed the first Scottish Cardinal since the Reformation. Pope Paul VI gave him further relics of St. Andrew with the words "Saint Peter gives you his brother". These are now displayed in a reliquary in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh.