Christmas Tea At The Huntington

Did You Know? - Holly and Ivy were Pagan fertility symbols originally used in pre-Christian times to celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival, to ward off evil spirits, and to celebrate new growth.

In pagan times, Holly was thought to be a male plant and Ivy a female plant. A contest between Holly and Ivy would determine whether a husband or wife would rule the household during the coming year, so decorating with ivy only would give the woman the upper hand.

Curious! - I kept remarking how gold the leaves were and Sue said "Gold?" The it dawned on me, I had my sunglasses on... So I put the sun glasses in front of the lens on the iPhone and voila... a different color tree appeared!

Did You Know? - A Docent is a volunteer who leads tours in an art museum.

Did You Know? - A decoration in the shape of a pickle is hidden on a Christmas tree, with the finder receiving either a reward or good fortune for the following year. There are a number of different origin stories attributed to the tradition, including an origination in Germany.

Did You Know? - Mammillaria geminispina is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to central Mexico. It grows to 25 cm tall by 50 cm broad. The clustering spherical stems, 8 cm in diameter, are covered in white down and white spines. Carmine pink flowers are borne in summer and autumn.

Mammillaria geminispina is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to central Mexico. It grows to 25 cm tall by 50 cm broad. The clustering spherical stems, 8 cm in diameter, are covered in white down and white spines. Carmine pink flowers are borne in summer and autumn.

Did You Know? - A moon bridge is a highly-rounded arched pedestrian bridge associated with gardens in China and Japan. The moon bridge originated in China and was later introduced to Japan.

This type of bridge was originally designed to allow pedestrians to cross canals while allowing the passage of barges beneath. When constructed using the climbing ascent and descent this had the further advantage of not using space from the adjoining fields for approaches.

In formal garden design a moon bridge is placed so that it is reflected in still water. The high arch and its reflection form a circle, symbolizing the moon.

Did You Know? - A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves, built in traditions originating as stupa in historic South Asia and further developed in East Asia or with respect to those traditions, common to Nepal, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship.

Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist, and were often located in or near viharas. In some countries, the term may refer to other religious structures.

In Vietnam and Cambodia, due to French translation, the English term pagoda is a more generic term referring to a place of worship, although pagoda is not an accurate word to describe a Buddhist vihara.

The modern pagoda is an evolution of the stupa which originated in ancient India. Stupas are a tomb-like structure where sacred relics could be kept safe and venerated. The architectural structure of the stupa has spread across Asia, taking on many diverse forms as details specific to different regions are incorporated into the overall design.

Did You Know? - Forbidden Planet is a 1956 American science fiction film produced by Nicholas Nayfack, directed by Fred M. Wilcox that stars Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, and Leslie Nielsen. Shot in Eastmancolor and CinemaScope, it is considered one of the great science fiction films of the 1950s,[4] and a precursor of contemporary science fiction cinema. The characters and isolated setting have been compared to those in William Shakespeare's The Tempest,[5] and the plot contains certain analogues to the play.

Forbidden Planet pioneered several aspects of science fiction cinema. It was the first science fiction film to depict humans traveling in a faster-than-light starship of their own creation.[6] It was also the first to be set entirely on another planet in interstellar space, far away from Earth.[7] The Robby the Robot character is one of the first film robots that was more than just a mechanical "tin can" on legs; Robby displays a distinct personality and is an integral supporting character in the film.[8] Outside science fiction, the film was groundbreaking as the first of any genre to use an entirely electronic musical score, courtesy of Bebe and Louis Barron.

Forbidden Planet's effects team was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 29th Academy Awards. In 2013, the picture was entered into the Library of Congress' National Film Registry, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".