Events and Information ...
***********************************************************************************************************
Pornic's Committees current view of the way forward in 2021:-
Annie Plaire, responded on behalf the committee as follows:-
Thank you for your message. I have immediately informed the members of our committee as well as Marie Agnès of your decision, which did not surprise us. Since we do not know how long this pandemic will last, it is definitely wiser to postpone our visit to Scalby.
Of course, we are disappointed but we understand the reasons of your decision.
Hopefully, it will be possible to rearrange a twinning visit in the future and we are all looking forward to it.
Best wishes to you all. Of course, we will stay in touch with you.
Annie
***********************************************************************************************************
PORNIC'S SEASON’S GREETINGS TO ALL OUR FRIENDS IN NEWBY AND SCALBY AND THOUGHTS FOR THE FUTURE
Thank you so much for your very kind greetings that warm our hearts. We too wish to all of you a Merry Christmas and all the best we can hope for the New Year. We would be very happy to meet you even if we must adopt the greetings with the elbows.
Here is what I sent to our members in the name of our committee:
"2020 has revealed our great fragility, but also our capacity for resilience. This health crisis requires us to ask ourselves real existential questions and to reconsider our priorities.
How can we promote an intercultural dialogue in order to make the most of our diversity and encourage “living together” in harmony?
While health measures have forced us to postpone visiting the friends of our twin cities, to suspend language workshops, to postpone our General Assembly…, we do wish to maintain the friendly ties that unite us with our German, English, Spanish and Italian friends. Since we are unable to see them currently, we invite you to exchange views with them on our new discussion platform. For more information and in order to register, please visit our website:
https://jumelagespornic.com/formulaire-dinscription-a-la-plateforme-de-discussion-ajp/
Hopefully, this platform will open new horizons for you, we wish you a Merry Christmas and send our best wishes for 2021: health and happiness to all of you and your loved ones. May 2021 keep you in good “shape” to carry out your personal and associative projects! Stay safe!
The committee"
*******************************************************************************************
The Committees current view of the way forward in 2021:-
December 2020
Hello SANTA "Twinners",
Festive greetings to everyone and I hope you are all well and thriving after a most peculiar year.
First and foremost, may I wish you all a Happy Christmas - despite all the strange circumstances and
last- minute change of most Christmas plans.
I hope also that 2021 will be a much better year for us all, thanks to the vaccines.
Until we know more about whether the vaccine reduces the risk of carrying and transmitting the
virus, we will have to continue to keep our distance from each other. Who would have believed that
such a tiny virus could disrupt our lives to such an extent and for so long?
This means that our scheduled AGM cannot take place in January. Peter Harriott suggested that we
could have a Zoom AGM meeting instead. I know that several other local groups have been asked if
they would like such an AGM, and nearly all such members declined this offer. If you have any strong
views about this, or any other topic, please let me know. Peter will provide our annual financial
statement, but, as you know, Covid has prevented almost all of our usual activities and fundraising.
Our Valentines Day lunch was delightful and happened as the result of seeing it promoted, while we
ate the excellent meal following our last AGM.
Who knows what the future holds? Until we actually know what effect the vaccine is having and
how Covid is changing, it is difficult to plan ahead with any certainty. Provisionally, we suggested last
Spring, that the cancelled 2020 visit by the French should take place in June 2021. I am beginning to
think that that early Autumn seems more likely.
On the meantime have a happy Christmas and please stay safe.
Best wishes
Kaet Newton
***********************************************************************************************************
A delightful French Traditional Custom to welcome Spring, traditionally le Jour de Muguet ( Lily of the valley day), in France.
In 1561, during the reign of Henry VIII in England, on 1st May, the young King Charles IX of France was given a sprig of lily of the valley (muguet) by one of his female courtiers . He thought this act was charming, and the following year, on 1st May, he gave such a sprig to every lady in his court. This annual act quickly spread from the Court to the cities and towns of France. It became traditional for men to give their true love a sprig of muguet, signifying love, constancy and marital fidelity.
Since then, in France, for May 1st, the poor country workers found that they could make a lot of money by gathering wild lily of the valley sprigs. They sold sprigs or small bunches to men in the towns and cities. The money made from the sale of "muguet" (lily of the valley, picture below) was not taxed by the French Government, so it was a "win-win" situation for everyone (except the national coffers).
Many years later, 1st May became known generally as "Labour Day", so this romantic, non taxable custom continues to be appropriate for the French to follow. This floral tradition, to welcome the Spring, follows well established ancient rituals from Pagan and Roman times.
|
Lilly of the Valley
|
|
SANTA: encouraging cultural understanding
