TODAY

  NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS ON: APRIL 3 New 2021 edition TODAY’s NAME: This day is called NICAETAS’ DAY . Nicaeta was abbot for the Medicon monastery in Bithynia ( east of present-day Istanbul near the Black Sea ). He was considered to be very pious and ascetic. He was in particular interested in icons. But the oldest church was very much against the worship of icons – as the Jews were. Therefore, the church forced him to leave the monastery and tortured him in Constantinople. He survived and lived for the rest of his life on a small island near Constantinople. He died in 824.   TODAY’s EVENT: 1948:   President Harry Truman signed the Marshall Plan , offering 5 billion dollars to 16 European countries.   See photo below.   TODAY’s QUESTION: Danish (pastry) – what is the origin of that? And what is it? The historical origin of this bread is Vienna in early 19 th century. The bakers there made a special sort of bread called Kipfel ...

  NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS ON: APRIL 2 New 2021 edition TODAY’s LENGTH: This day is here in Belgium 5 hours and 2 minutes longer that December 21. Its length is 13 hours– from 07.16 to 20.16. See more – also in English – on:   www.dagenslaengde.dk TODAY’s NAME: This day is called THEDOSIUS DAY .   It comes from the Roman emperor Theodosius the Great , who lived in the years 348-395.   He was emperor from 379 until his death. And he was the last emperor, who governed over the whole Roman empire.   He came from an officers family in Spain, and before he became emperor he was fighting in England, on the Balkans and against the Gothians. After his death the Roman empire was divided in two for his two sons. It was also during his reign that Christianity definitively won over all other religions. In the year 380 Sunday became a permanent weekly holiday. And from 394 the Olympic Games   were forbidden, because they were seen as a non-religious eve...

  NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS ON: APRIL 1 New 2021 edition TODAY’s LENGTH: This day is here in Belgium 4 hours and 58 minutes longer than December 21. Its length is 12 hours and 57 minutes – from 07.18 to 20.15. See more – also in English – on:   www.dagenslaengde.dk TODAY’s NAME: Today is called HUGO’s DAY . The name comes from bishop Hugo of Grenoble in France. He lived from 1053-1132. He died on April 1.   He was so pious that he was always weaping because of all the evils in the world. He has also promised never to approach a woman. He kept that promise for 50 years until his death. April 1 is also the day when it is allowed to cheat other people. It is called “ Fools Day ”.   The tradition comes from Germany in the 17 th century. It came to Denmark from the very beginning. Some researchers think that it goes much further back to pre-historic times, and that it had something to do with fertility rituals. In the other Nordic countries the corresp...