Author: Kimberly Nash

Easter- the one day of year where it’s socially acceptable and expected to devour copious amounts of chocolate and not look crazy or be judged in the slightest; a holiday that is most recognised commercially for cute bunnies and baby ducklings, Easter is widely known as the principal festival of the Christian Church, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. The earliest recorded observance of an Easter celebration comes from the 2nd century, though the commemoration of Jesus’ resurrection probably occurred earlier. Easter is celebrated on Sunday April 4 2021. The root of…

LGBT History Month is a celebration every February in the United Kingdom that promotes more education on LGBTQ+ issues and culture, as well as the history of the gay rights movement, and promotes an overall safer and more inclusive society where the diverse spectrum of sexuality and gender is generally recognized and freely talked about.  In 1994, the first LGBT History Month took place in the US, while the UK joined in 2005, 11 years later. With the ever-growing awareness within this community, university societies have also jumped in and joined the movement and celebration, and Bangor University is no…

Every year on February 14th, Valentine’s Day occurs across the world. Candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. Who is St Valentine, and why do so many people across the world celebrate a day in his name? What does the day symbolise, and where did it all begin?  The history of Valentine’s Day and its patron saint is shrouded by mystery, but what is known is that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, includes vestiges of both Christian…

Movember, a movement known globally today, has its own story and meaning behind why and what it stands for; it’s a tale behind a group of Australian men who wanted to ‘Grow a Mo, save a Bro.’ The Movember charity has grown dramatically since  it’s modest beginnings in 2003, inspiring individuals to grow and groom their moustaches for the entire 30 days of November, while raising funds and awareness for the wellbeing of men. Travis Garone and Luke Slattery were sat with a drink in Melbourne discussing how moustaches had all but vanished from fashion trends worldwide, and together they…

In coping with pandemics, the world today has all the tools and expertise it needs, but that has not always been the case. Certain historical events have shown that certain infectious diseases were not so easy to monitor and manage. Pandemics stem back to the hunter-gatherer days of humanity, but the change to agrarian life and higher populations 10,000 years ago made epidemics more likely to arise. It was during this time that malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, influenza, smallpox and others first appeared. The more industrialized humans became, constructing cities and forging trade routes to communicate with other cities, and fighting wars with them, the more easily pandemics spread and became prevalent in larger groups of people. During the Peloponnesian War, the earliest documented pandemic occurred. It crossed the Athenian walls after having passed through Libya, Ethiopia and Egypt. As many as two thirds…

Halloween is recognized today as the international day of the year when decorating your house with skeletons and jackal lanterns is not considered unusual, but this world-famous spooky holiday was once a sacred and very different kind of celebration called “Samhain”.  The Celts who lived more than 2000 years ago in the region now known as Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their New Year on the 1st November. That day marked the end of the summer and the harvest, the beginning of the dark and cold winter that had come.   During the winter, the Celts believed that…