Africa
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The Festival of Drunkenness
No, dear reader, this is not Panama City on Spring Break. This is an actual religious festival from ancient Egypt. We have discussed how beer played a part in religious festivals, and that the Sumerians actually had a goddess specifically for it. (For more on Nin-kasi, please see this post: http://www.historynaked.com/nin-kasi-lady-fills-mouth-beer/ ) There was an importance placed on beer in Egyptian culture as well. The source of this festival is a mythological story of how beer saved the world. The story goes that Re, the sun god, was frankly salty about the “duplicitousness” of mankind and called his children together to discuss it. A Council of the Gods is called,…
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Prester John
In the time of the crusades, Europeans were looking for any allies in their battles against the Muslims for the Holy Land. Medieval writings often feature a fabulously wealthy Christian king in the East. This was Prester John. He was believed to be a member of the Nestorian Church, which was an independent Eastern Christian church that did not fall under the purview of the patriarch in Constantinople. He was supposed to be an ally against the Muslims for the crusaders to take advantage of. The story of Prester John was first recorded by Bishop Otto of Freisling Germany in his Chronicon published in 1145. It was based on…
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Nana Asma’u
There is a lot of talk in the news about the education of girls. In fact in recent history Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban for daring to go to school and being female at the same time. However, education for women was not always considered taboo in Islamic cultures. Nana Asma’u is a perfect example of this. Born Nana Asma’u bint Shehu Usman dan Fodiyo in 1793 as the daughter of Usman dan Fodio. He was the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate, which was one of the most powerful kingdoms in Northern Africa. Usman dan Fodio led the Fulani Jihad, which conquered Nigeria and Cameroon. She was named…
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The Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic
Sometimes laughter isn’t the best medicine. We’ve all been there- laughing until our sides hurt. Thinking if we laughed anymore we might never stop. Now imagine a laughing epidemic. The laughter epidemic is rumored to have begun on January 30, 1962, at a mission-run boarding school for girls in Kashasha, on the western coast of Lake Victoria in the modern nation of Tanzania near the border of Uganda. The laughter started with three girls and spread throughout the school, affecting 95 of the 159 pupils, aged 12–18. Symptoms lasted from a few hours to 16 days in those affected. The teaching staff were not affected, but reported that students were…
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The Queen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba’s visit to Solomon is one of the most famous diplomatic visits in the Bible, but we know very little about this powerful monarch. Her visit appears in religious texts sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, however, her name was never mentioned. We are not exactly sure where “Sheba” even is. She is described as a “Queen from the South”, who came to visit King Solomon to test his great wisdom. She brings with her a treasure trove of frankincense, myrrh, gold and jewels as well as a head full of riddles. He answers them to her satisfaction and converts her to worship Yahweh. Then she returns…
