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n(Mid-Winter Festival)
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nThisnday, called Kirmeline, marks the symbolic awakening of snakes.n People put out food and milk for the snakes, and if these things arenconsumed, a good year is foretold. n
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nItnreminds me of Groundhog Day, when people wait for an oversized rodentnto come out and either see its shadow (foretelling six more weeks ofnwinter), or not (because, counter-intuitively, a cloudy day means thatnwinter weather will soon end).
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nWhennis a snake a serpent?
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nWhennwe talk about real snakes such as rosy boas or diamondbacknrattlesnakes, we usually use the word snake. Serpents,non the other hand, are usually symbols or mythologicalncreatures.
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Justnwhat do serpents symbolize? Sometimes they are symbols of evil, suchnas the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Sometimes they symbolize thencreative life force. Because snakes shed their skin through molting,nserpents can be symbols of rebirth or transformation, even healing.nThe Ancient Greek God of Medicine, Asclepius, has a rod entwined with serpents. Sometimes serpents are cast as guardians; statues ofnhooded nagas served as guardians of temples in Angkor, Cambodia, andnsometimes the Buddha is pictured sitting beneath the hooded serpentnking Mucalinda, who shields the Buddha as he meditates.
Justnwhat do serpents symbolize? Sometimes they are symbols of evil, suchnas the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Sometimes they symbolize thencreative life force. Because snakes shed their skin through molting,nserpents can be symbols of rebirth or transformation, even healing.nThe Ancient Greek God of Medicine, Asclepius, has a rod entwined with serpents. Sometimes serpents are cast as guardians; statues ofnhooded nagas served as guardians of temples in Angkor, Cambodia, andnsometimes the Buddha is pictured sitting beneath the hooded serpentnking Mucalinda, who shields the Buddha as he meditates.n
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Sometimesnserpents are considered dragons, and other times they live in thensea, as sea monsters such as the Loch Ness Monster.
Sometimesnserpents are considered dragons, and other times they live in thensea, as sea monsters such as the Loch Ness Monster.n
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nAlsonon this date:
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nBurn’s Night in Scotland
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nRussian Students’ Day
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