Celebrating Cultures across the University of Birmingham
Portrait of Charlotte Grote Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA, FRS, FRSA (16 July 1723-23 February 1792) was portrait painter and aesthetician who dominated English artistic life in the middle and late 18th century and was one of the major European painters of that time. Through his art and teaching, he attempted to lead British painting away … Continue reading “Sir Joshua Reynolds 300th anniversary”
Black Country Day 14 July – this day was chosen as it is considered to be the date of the inception of the Newcomen engine, the first commercially successful engine. Invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, it was first installed at Coneygree Coal Works in Tipton and was used to pump water out of mines. A replica … Continue reading “Black Country Day 14 July”
Bastille Day celebrates the storming of the Bastille – a military fortress and prison – on July 14, 1789, in a violent uprising that was a turning point in the French Revolution. Holding gunpowder and other supplies valuable to revolutionaries, the Bastille also symbolized the callous tyranny of the French monarchy, especially King Louis XVI … Continue reading “Bastille Day – le quatorze juillet”
World Chocolate day is actually a relatively new event, first celebrated back in 2009. The date July 7th was specifically chosen because it was on this day in the year 1550 that chocolate arrived in Europe. Chocolate comes from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree, an exotic tree that’s been cultivated for over three … Continue reading “World Chocolate Day 7 July”
Asalha Puja is a Theravada Buddhist festival, one of the most important festivals in Theravada Buddhism. The celebration takes place on the full moon day of the eighth lunar month, which is typically in July. It celebrates the Buddha’s first sermon – the “Sermon in the Deer Park” at Sarnath in India. In this sermon, … Continue reading “Asalha Puja”
