Comments (0)

By Fabio DeMartino, January 22, 2012 5:28 pm

Italians use the word “corno” to indicate a horn and the word cornicello” is the close translation of little horn. Italians use the “corno” as an amulet meant to guard them from the trouble caused by others, that can harm them. The material utilized to make the “corno” is mostly silver or gold, but they also carve out the horns from red coral. This horn generally has a shape that looks like the twisted horns animals have.

Italian horns have gradually turned out to be stylish pieces of jewelry and created a fashion statement as the years pass. Furthermore, the horns indicate that the person wearing them is pleased with the Italian traditions and culture.

Before the advent of Christianity in Italy, the Moon goddess was considered really sacred. She had horns. Thus, horn shaped jewelry was worn to show respect for the moon goddess as well as to ward off any evil.

Italians replaced the goddess with Mary the virgin when Christianity spread inside the country. Mary’s image stood on the moon’s crescent and this influenced the horns to remain as sacred symbols. The idea that the horns contained sexual powers was typical in addition to the concept that individuals who wore horns had good luck. They wore the horns in conjunction with a cross in order to protect themselves adequately from many bad things.

Earlier, the horns were shaped out of red corals but gradually the crafty goldsmiths of Italy started producing them in silver and gold. Why? Because Italy is so in love with silver and gold jewelry.

For a nation which uses and processes around 500 tons of fine gold alone yearly, it is not at all astonishing. And also the fact that this love of gold jewelry making began about 3,000 years ago in Tuscany makes it even more understandable.

The standard of Italian gold is 18 carat, nevertheless greater and sometimes lower carats are also used. Carats are units to measure the gold content in any gold alloy as pure gold alone can’t be used simply because of its fragility. Usually nickel, silver or copper and sometimes other metals as well, are combined chemically with gold to form alloys.

Since the cost of gold continues rising every day, the highly skilled Italian goldsmiths now create gold jewelry made of lower carat and low weight gold. The charms and amulets they create usually have lower carat contents such as 14 karat to ensure that individuals can easily afford them and to make them much more durable.

The amount of money to spend on Italian gold horns is reasonable but the horns have different prices because of features including size, height and carat content. Nevertheless, they’re simple to discover and an Italian gold horn containing fourteen carats along with a height of 9-10 inches costs about 30 dollars. Therefore, why should you not purchase one?

Italian gold horns have a long and interesting history of use in Italy. If you want to know more about the many uses of white Italian gold follow the preceding link.

Comments (0)

By Fabio DeMartino, January 3, 2012 10:52 am

One of the most important historical landmarks in the city of Milan is the Sforzesco Castle where in lived the family of Sforzesco that ruled Milan during the 15th and the 16th century.

The Sforzesco Castle in Milan has its own art gallery that is open to the public. The art gallery at this castle in Milan houses quite a substantial collection of Italian and European art mainly from the renaissance period. Some of the well known works of art housed in this castle belong to artists like Bellini, Correggio, Mantegna and Van Dyck.

There is a public garden exactly behind this castle. This garden that spans to an area of 50 hectares houses awesome flower beds thus favoured as an ideal place to ease off from the otherwise busy life in Milan.

The Cathedral of Milan provides the most historic and religious architecture of Milan and it is a fact that the tour of Milan kicks off from here. It was in the 14th century that this Cathedral was originally built though many alterations were made in the succeeding centuries in its structure.

The Cathedral in Milan can take over 40,000 people and it is currently the fourth largest Cathedral in the world. It stuck to the Gothic style of architecture and this is evident from the structure of more than 100 spires that could be seen on the cathedral. In addition to being an architectural wonder, this cathedral consists of thousands of statues of religious heads that figured in the Italian and Christian history.

A copper statue of the Virgin Mary is perhaps the most famous of these statues in the cathedral. This statue can be seen on the top of the longest spire which is more than 100 meters in length. It costs 4 Euros to go to the roof of the Cathedral to enjoy an extensive view of the city of Milan. Otherwise there is no entry fee.

Milan is home to one of the most renowned paintings in the world. The Last Supper was painted by the famous renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci towards the end of the 15th century. The painting depicts the moment of Jesus’ last supper when he disclosed to his disciples that one of them would betray him.

There was not a great improvement in the field of art in the last five centuries. Yet with a great sense of care the authorities restored what is available for public view carefully.

A prior appointment well in advance is needed to see this wonderful work of art in Milan. 6 Euros have to be paid as the fee to have a sight of this art at the allotted time.

Despite its relatively small size, the list of things to do in Venice is extensive. For more info about things to do in Vicenza click on the links.

Comments (0)

By Steve Chung, December 29, 2011 6:12 pm

Explore how the Chinese people decorate their homes and streets on the New Year with special art work and crafts.

The Chinese New Year is a very special day in the lunar calendar of this ancient community. One can see Chinese families beautifying their homes with many different Chinese New Year decorations prepared especially for the occasion. From the insides of people’s homes to the city streets China is glittering in color throughout this season.

Few of the New Year decorations seen are pretty flowers to platters of food and some other variety of decorations that arereserved for the festival. There are certain decorative items that have become souvenirs to mark this time of the year. The collection of decorating items is wide and colorful.

Plants and flowers are a very important component in New Year decorations in China. As it is the Chinese people are known to have a special attachment with nature. During this time of the year the houses of the locals are blooming with different flowers and plants that represent growth and prosperity for the coming year.

For decorating purposes, the most commonly used plants and flowers are the plum blossoms at such times. This is because, they just start to blossom during this season and they are arranged beautifully together with bamboo and pine springs. This symbolizes a special closeness between families and friends around this time.

The two significant values the plum blossoms are supposed to represent are reliability and perseverance. The compatibility factor is represented by the bamboo due to its flexible nature and the evergreen nature of pine is a traditional mark of longevity. Other flowers used also are azalea, water lily, narcissus, and peony.

Even particular kinds of fruits play an eminent role in the New Year decoration symbols and every household in China needs to have it. Oranges and tangerines are the first priority in the list and generally brought as presents by visiting friends. To maintain happiness and long relationship tangerines are usually intended to symbolize such emotions.

The best thing of the Chinese New Year is probably the candy tray. At least adolescents would agree to it. Especially designed trays are brought and cadies are placed on them during this time. This sweet indulgence is also known as the tray of togetherness and it is piled with various delicious candies.

Another tradition practiced with the candy tray is that whenever an adult picks up a candy, he places a red envelope that contains some type of a good luck charm in it for the members of the house on the tray. Candied melons are the most popular object on the tray accompanied by coconuts, lychee nut, cumquat and peanuts etc. which have their own meanings.

Most of the New Year decorations are centered around the particular animal symbol of the year. This has been a Chinese tradition for centuries now and still goes on even now.

decorations for Chinese new year are a fantastic sepctacle to view . If you are interested in Chinese new years animals follow the links.

Comments (0)

By Tracy Fanning, November 9, 2011 3:27 pm

The Mothers Day holiday is quite well-known to many people as an occasion of celebrating the love and appreciation felt for mothers everywhere. More & more frequently this also means celebrating the people in our lives who have been like mothers to us as well. Mother’s Day is well known at different times between cultures, and this happens for number of reasons; here are some quick facts about the observance of Mother’s Day at home and abroad!

The occasions of the present- day U.S. & many other countries date back to an essay penned by Julia Ward Hose in the 1870s, and later when Anna Jarvis promoted setting an official celebration in the early 1900s. The earliest origins of the modern Mothers’ Day, however, may lie in the society of the ancient Greeks. The Greeks held a festival in those days that functioned to honor mother goddesses, and human mothers by extension, every year around the winter to spring equinox. After the Romans took power later on, they continued this tradition.

In the United Kingdom, the date on which Mother’s Day is celebrated each year is related to the timing of Lent, whereas Canada and the United States always celebrate on the second Sunday of May. The second Sunday of May is, in fact, the choice of 82 different countries on six continents. Overall, May is by far the most popular month in which to set Mother’s Day, with 104 countries choosing to celebrate sometime during the fifth month.

In other nations such as Bulgaria & Ukraine, Mothers Day occasions take place on March 8th to coincide with the observance of International Women’s Day. Still other locations, including Egypt, observe Mothers Day on March 21, the spring equinox; this may just be a throwback to the original celebrations so many centuries ago. In the same manner, other days are frequently chosen to coincide with the local culture’s established festivities of mothers, much like many other well known holidays.

Mother’s Days in many countries are major gift-giving occasions, & there can be a lot of pressure to formulate the absolute perfect gift. Jewelry is always a safe bet, & there are many options of special mother’s rings and other mother’s jewelry available, which is customized with the birthstone of each child.

Mother’s Day is fast approaching, and Debebians.com has just the right mothers rings designs to wow the moms in your life! Delight her this year with beautiful family jewelry necklace from this huge online store!. This article, Significance in Many Countries for Mothers’ Day has free reprint rights.

Comments (0)

By Korey Blatz, November 7, 2011 6:21 pm

Most of the stunning and dazzling body tattoo designs in the world illustrate a gas ball, which is positioned millions of miles from the planet Earth. Who doesn’t recognize the legendary sun? Across every nation, around the globe, sun design tattoos have been exposing their valor to remind people of another wonderful day.

Positioned at the center of the solar system, the sun has always been the most important feature in the sky. While ancient cultures gave homage to the moon and stars, they worshipped the sun as a god. With out the sun there could be no life on planet Earth.

The sun has shone in the daylight sky for billions of years before man existed, and it will continue to shine for billions of years on the people of Earth. Our lives are are not even a tiny fraction of the life of the sun. One day, in a future so far off as to unimaginable, the sun will die and life in our solar system will cease. Until then we will depend on its heat and light.

Many early cultures worshipped the sun as a god. For the Egyptians the sun was Ra, and the pharaoh that ruled Egypt was supposed to be his descendant. For the Greeks, the sun was Apollo who rode through the sky in a fiery chariot. In Central America the Aztecs made sacrifices to the sun.

Other cultures have worshipped the sun, prayed to it, made sacrifices to it and paid homage to it in their own ways. Myths about how the sun came into existence are part of all cultures.

Due to the magnificent mythologies often associated to the sun, there are varieties of sun tattoos that show the richness of the sun’s imagery. Some people go for a combination of the sun and moon, which stands for the man-woman equality in some cultures.

If you want a tattoo that represents the sun, there is no shortage of designs. Tribal symbols from all over the world, artistic representations from the Greeks and Romans and the designs of the Aztecs can all be found. The sun has always been a popular subject for tattoo art.

Rebirth is also frequently integrated with the sun’s imagery in body modification art. This tattoo design is most of the time embellished with stars and Celtic knots to make it more appealing. Many people go for the sun body art to associate it with good and evil representation or light and dark symbolism that stands for the good and the bad times in their lives.

Immerse yourself in the wonderful designs from around the world, Check out flash art at several tattoo shops. Check clip art and tattoo sites on line. There is a wealth of ideas and images to choose from or combine.

From Apollo in his flaming chariot to the fiery ball of the ancient Aztecs, the images are varied and beautiful. Even the sunflower is a representation of the sun.

If you love to get your skin tanned, you are the best candidate for sun tattoos. Because the sun rays revitalize your body and soul, inking these tattoos on your body can be the ultimate representation of your love for life.

Find more about sun tatoos and other great lower back tattoo ideas.