Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Happy Birthday in Latin and Roman Birthday Observances

Happy Birthday in Latin and Roman Birthday Observances Although we know Romans celebrated birthdays, we dont know if they wished one another the exact phrase Happy Birthday! But that doesnt mean we cant  use the Latin language  to wish someone a  happy birthday. The following seems to be the best way to express happy birthday in Latin. Felix sit natalis dies! Using the accusative case, specifically the accusative of exclamation,  felix  sit natalis  dies  is one way to say happy birthday. Similarly, you could also say  felicem diem natalem. Habeas felicitatem  in die natus es! Habeas felicitatem in die natus es  is another possibility. The phrase roughly translates to on happiness to love you.   Natalis laetus! A third way to wish happy birthday is  Natalis laetus mihi!  if you want to say happy birthday to me. Or,  Natalis laetus tibi!  if  you want to say happy birthday to you. Celebrating in Ancient Rome The ancient Romans observed different types of birthday celebrations or dies natales in Latin. Privately, Roman men and women marked their own birthdays and the births of family members and friends with gift-giving and banquets. Fathers gave presents to their children, brothers gave presents to sisters,  and slaves gave presents to their masters children. One custom was to celebrate not on the specific date an individual was born but rather on the first of the month (calends) in which the individual was born, or the first of the next month. Gifts given on birthdays include jewelry; the poet Juvenal mentions parasols and amber as gifts, and Martial suggests togas and military clothing would be appropriate. Birthday feasts might have entertainment  furnished by dancers and singers. Wine, flowers, incense, and cakes were part of such celebrations. The most important feature of Roman personal birthday celebrations was a sacrifice to the genius of the housefather and the juno of the housemother. The genius and juno were clan symbols, representing a persons patron saint or guardian angel, who guided the individual throughout life. Genii was a sort of middle power or intermediary between men and gods, and it was important that votive offerings be given to the genius each year in hopes that the protection would continue. Public Celebrations People also held similar celebrations for the birthdays of close friends and patrons. There is a wide variety of elegies, poems, and inscriptions commemorating such events. For example, in 238 CE, the grammarian Censorinus wrote De Die Natali as a birthday gift for his patron, Quintus Caerellius. In it he stated,   But while other men honor only their own birthdays, yet I am bound every year by a double duty as regards this religious observance; for since it is from you and your friendship that I receive esteem, position, honor, and assistance, and in fact all the rewards of life, I consider it a sin if I celebrate your day, which brought you forth into this world for me, any less carefully than my own. For my own birthday gave me life, but yours has brought me the enjoyment and the rewards of life. Emperors, Cults, Temples, and Cities The word natali also refers to anniversary celebrations of the founding of temples, cities, and cults. Beginning with the Principate, Romans also celebrated the birthdays of past and present emperors, and members of the imperial family, as well as their ascension days, marked as natales imperii. People would also combine celebrations: a banquet could mark the dedication of an associations banqueting hall, commemorating an important occasion in the life of the association.  The Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum includes an inscription from a woman who donated 200 sesterces so that a local association would hold a banquet on her sons birthday. Sources Argetsinger, Kathryn. Birthday Rituals: Friends and Patrons in Roman Poetry and Cult. Classical Antiquity 11.2 (1992): 175–93. Print. Ascough, Richard S. Forms of Commensality in Greco-Roman Associations. The Classical World 102.1 (2008): 33–45. Print. Bowerman, Helen C. The Birthday as a Commonplace of Roman Elegy. The Classical Journal 12.5 (1917): 310–18. Print. Lucas, Hans. Martials Kalendae Nataliciae. The Classical Quarterly 32.1 (1938): 5–6. Print.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Parental Perceptions of educational services provided for children Thesis

Parental Perceptions of educational services provided for children with autism - Thesis Example Furthermore the cost of provision of health care is highly expensive. Coupled with the fact that the children with autism tend to display a range of mild to severe social and behavioural disabilities, the inability to access full health care and appropriate educational services could be daunting for the parents. This study aims to evaluate the various difficulties and challenges faced by the parents and their perceptions about the educational services for children with autism in the UAE. This study aims to critically evaluate the parental perceptions of services provided for children with Autism in the UAE. The findings indicate that there is indeed a gap between the need and demand for such services and the availability of the same. Although the government has and continue to implement appropriate measures including introduction of laws that enable children with special educational needs to be accommodated in mainstream schools and provision of funding to parents to enable proper tr eatment for such children, there still is a huge gap between the need for special support services for such children and the availability of the same. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a range of complex neurodevelopmental disorders that tend to disrupt social lives of people with Autism severely affects and limits their communication ability, making it difficult for such people to properly communicate and interact with those around them. Such impaired social interaction further causes learning difficulties. Hence children with ASD are likely to fail in executing routine everyday tasks as simple as responding to their own names when called, interpret things or events around them and understand or grasp social cues such as facial expressions, tone of voice etc. (National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke, 2015). The combination of the three critical impairments, which include impaired