according to money.msn.co.uk (top Google result) the London borough of Westminster has the lowest council tax rates for 2003/04
How is the date of Easter calculated?
Trivial Trivia
Easter Sunday is the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon (PFM) date for the year. (Paschal is pronounced "PAS-KUL", not "pas-chal"😉. See Christian Prayer Books for proof of this concise definition.
In June 325 A.D. astronomers approximated astronomical full moon dates for the Christian church, calling them Ecclesiastical Full Moon (EFM) dates. From 326 A.D. the PFM date has always been the EFM date after March 20 (which was the equinox date in 325 A.D.)
From 1583, each PFM date differs from an Astronomical Full Moon (AFM) date usually by no more than 1 date, and never by more than 3 dates. (Each AFM is a two-dates event due to world time zones. Each PFM is a one-date event world-wide).
http://home.clara.net/gwsmith/worship/easter/calc.htm is where i got the following from and this was the simplest one i could find 😕 so apologies if its hard to take in first time
To calculate this date perform the following
Calculate the Golden Number.
Every 19 years the phases of the moon fall on the same dates (or they would do if it were not for leap years). The Golden Number is a measure of how much in sync the phases of the moon are to the tropical year.
Golden Number = ( Year modulus 19 ) + 1
Example: 9 = ( 2003 modulus 19 ) + 1
Calculate the Julian Epact.
The Epact is a measure of the age of the moon for a specific date. For the Julian Calendar (the one created at the command of Julius Caesar in 45BC) the Epact is related to the Golden Number. By convention the Epact is between 1 and 30.
Julian Epact = ( ( 11 * ( Golden Number - 1 ) ) modulus 30
Example: 28 = ( ( 11 * ( 9 - 1 ) ) modulus 30
if Julian Epact = 0 then Julian Epact = 30
Julian Epact = 28 so Julian Epact = 28
Calculate the Gregorian Epact.
To get the Epact for the Gregorian Calendar we need to adjust for leap years, for slight inaccuracy in the calculation of the Golden Number, and add eight to make it the age of moon on the 1st of January. Of course, the age of the moon is always between zero and 29 days so it needs adjusted. However just as with the Julian Calander convention places the Epact between 1 and 30.
Gregorian Epact = Julian Epact - 0.75 * Century
Example: 13 = 28 - 0.75 * 21
Gregorian Epact = Gregorian Epact + ( 8 * Century + 5 ) / 25
Example: 19 = 13 + ( 8 * 21 + 5 ) / 25
Gregorian Epact = Gregorian Epact + 8
Example: 27 = 19 + 8
Gregorian Epact = adjust to between 1 and 30
Example: 27 = adjust 27
Calculate the 'Paschal' Full Moon before Easter
Now that we know how many days had passed since the New Moon on January the 1st we can use a simple table to look up the date of the Full Moon after the 'official' vernal equinox.
(see attached image)
** if Golden Number > 11 Full Moon Date = 17/3
else Full Moon Date = 18/3
Example Full Moon Date = Wed 16 / Apr / 2003
Calculate the Sunday following the Full Moon.
Lastly we need the Sunday following the day of this Full Moon to obtain the date for Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday = Sunday after the Full Moon
Example Easter Sunday = Sun 20 / Apr / 2003
Once again apologies for the complicated reply but thats how its done
I'd like to know where the legend of St George came from since thats supposed to be the English national day and no one notices half the time
Attachments:
Who was Saint George?
The life of Saint George is shrouded in legend, so much so that it is quite difficult to untangle fact from fiction. Much of the problem lies in the Acta Sancti Georgii (Acts of Saint George) written at a very early date and outlawed by Pope Gelasius in AD 496. Meanwhile the Greeks also had a set of Acts which were more accurate and quoted by Saint Andrew of Crete.
From them and the writings of Metaphrastes, we can piece together that he was born in Cappadocia of noble, Christian parents and on the death of his father, accompanied his mother to Palestine, her country of origin, where she had land and George was to run the estate. He was martyred at Lydda in Palestine (Nicomedia). He held an important post in the Roman army - the rank of tribune, or perhaps colonel in modern terms - during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian (245-313). Dioclesian was a great persecutor of Christians (from about 302) and when the persecutions began George put aside his office and complained personally to the Emperor of the harshness of his decrees and the dreadful purges of Christians. For his trouble, though, he was thrown into prison and tortured. He would not recant his faith however and the following day he was dragged through the streets and beheaded. It is uncertain whether he also tore down the Emperor's decrees as they were posted in Nicomedia. So he was one of the first to perish. The Emperor's wife, Alexandria was so impressed at the Saint's courage that she became a Christian and so too was put to death for her trouble.
The Legends
The legends surrounding Saint George are very varied. One of them concerns the famous dragon, with which he is invariably portrayed. According to legend, a pagan town in Libya was being terrorised by a dragon. The locals kept throwing sheep to it to placate it, and when it still remained unsatisfied, they started sacrificing some of the citizenry. Finally the local princess was to be thrown also to the beast, but Good Saint George came along, slaughtered the dragon and rescued the fair princess. At this the townsfolk converted to Christianity.
The origin of the legend, which is very well known, came originally from the way in which the Greek Church honoured George. They venerated him as a soldier saint and told many stories of his bravery and protection in battle. The western Christians, joining with the Byzantine Christians in the Crusades, elaborated and misinterpreted the Greek traditions and devised their own version. The story we know today of Saint George and the dragon dates from the troubadours of the 14th century.
The reason for his being adoped as the Saint of Battles was partly because he was a soldier, but also because he is said to have appeared to the Christian army before the Battle of Antioch. It is also said that he appeared to our English King Richard I (the Lionheart) during his Crusade against the Saracens, which served as a great encouragement to the troops.
Potato Famine
Originally posted by joolsvern
Potato Famine
Can you put this as a Trivia Question? Just stating "Potato Famine" is not trivia!
ok a new question - someone explain american football to me because theres so much stopping and starting its hard to know if they stopping for commercials or cuz they need a break after 2 minutes lol