Awake!

O ctober 8, 2001

Popular
Celebrations

Are There Hidden Dangers?

 Are There Hidden
Dangers? 3-10
Many popular celebrations are
rooted in superstition. What dangers
might such celebrations pose?
COVER: Right photo: AP Photo/Edward Wray AFP/Pascal Guyot

Popular Celebrations Harmless

The Truth About

The Forgotten Glory of Popular Celebrations 5
the Byzantine Empire 12 Crossword Puzzle 11
What lasting impact has
this ancient empire had Autumn
on our lives today? A Spectacular Time of Year 16

The Chicken Popular and Plentiful 19

Cross-Country Skiing Is It for You? 24

Watching the World 28

How Tolerant Is God? 22
How can Gods tolerance of From Our Readers 30
wickedness be explained?
The Tree That Wakes Up Early 31

How A w ake! Saved His Life 32

2 Awake! October 8, 2001

SuperStock, Inc.

Sugar skulls used for

Mexico's Day of the Dead

Popular
Celebrations
Harmless Fun?
N M ID-OCTOBER, a strange transform ation begins to take place in some cities

I in France. Shop windows fill up with pum pkins, skeletons, and spiderwebs.
In local superm arkets, cashiers don pointed black hats. As a grand finale,
little children haunt the streets, knock on doors, and threaten m ischief if their
dem ands for a tre a t are not met.
These strange custom s are all part of the celebration known as Hallow
een. Form erly viewed as m ainly an Am erican holiday, Halloween has spread
around the world, becoming popular among both children and adults. France,
it seems, has em braced Halloween with open arms. According to one estim ate,
nearly a third o f French households celebrated the event last year. The Italian
daily La Repubblica speaks of the current fad as a boom th at is sweeping the
Italian peninsula. The newspaper Nordkurier states th at m ore [German] citi
zens than ever before do not want to miss out on the gruesom e fun.
Europe is not alone in falling under the spell of Halloween. From the Baha
mas to Hong Kong, Halloween is being celebrated with gusto. The Interna
tional Herald Tribune reports th at last year a radio station in Sri Lanka held
a com petition for the weirdest Halloween recipes and the m ost bloodcur
dling death scream s. Halloween also has a foothold in Japan, where pum pkin
Awake! October 8, 2001 3
 and dance in honor of their deceased rela
tives.
M ost p eople m ight view such c e le b ra
tions as nothing m ore than harm less fun
an excuse for children and adults to dress
up and lose their inhibitions. Such a non
chalant viewpoint, however, ignores the fact
that these celebrations are undeniably pa
gan in origin. Taiwans Lantern Festival, for
example, was started when people lit lan
terns in an attem pt to see celestial spirits
Hulton Getty Archive/gettyimages

that they believed were floating in the sky.

Mexicos Day o f the D ead has its origin in
an Aztec ritual that honored the dead.
Some might argue that the origin o f cele
brations like these is o f little consequence.
But ask yourself, C an celeb ratio n s th a t
have such dark origins really be viewed as
p a ra d e s w ith th o u sa n d s o f p a rtic ip a n ts harmless? Com m ercial prom oters of these
have been held in Tokyo. celebrations are certainly not concerned.
Even in parts of the world where Hallow Regarding Halloween, a representative of
een is not po p u lar, th ere are often festi the C ultural Institute of Barcelona, Spain,
vals and celebrations th at resem ble it. D ur observed: It is a festival th at is being im
ing Britains G uy Fawkes Night, you can see planted from a comm ercial point of view.
roving bands of children who plead for m on Why, last year, receipts from H allow een
ey and play Halloweenlike pranks. In Tai were estim ated at $6.8 billion in the U nit
wan, there is the colorful Lantern Festival. ed States alone. In France, a com pany th at
Sm all children roam the streets carrying m akes H allow een co stu m es has seen its
lanterns th at depict birds and beasts. Mexi business increase m ore than a hundredfold
co has its Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the in just three years.
Dead, a celebration th at has traveled across But should you participate in such cele
the Mexican-U.S. border. According to w rit brations sim ply because they are popular or
er Carlos M iller, some M exican-Americans profitable? In answer, we will take another
still don wooden skull masks called calacas look at the celebration o f Halloween.
-r ^,_. --------------------------- Awake!----------------------------------------------
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Unless otherwise indicated, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures With References is used.

/te /re /(IS S N 0005-237X ) is published sem im onthly by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.; M. H. Larson, President; G. F. Simonis,
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4 Awake! October 8, 2001

 ITCHES and ghosts, pum pkins and cient Celts inhabited B ritain and Ireland.

W bonfires, trick or treat. The o u t

ward trappings o f Halloween are
easy to identify. But w hat lies behind this
and sim ilar celebrations? H allow een has
also been called All Hallows Eve, the eve
of All Saints Day. This supposedly C hris
tian name, however, hides origins that are
far from hallowed. In fact, scholars say that
Hallow eens roots go back to a tim e long
before C hristianity the era when the an
Using a lunar calendar, the Celts divided
the year into two seasons the dark winter
m onths and the light sum m er m onths. On
the full m oon nearest N ovem ber 1, the Celts
celebrated the festival o f Sam hain, m eaning
Sum m ers End.*
* Samhain may not be, as is often said, the name of the
Celtic god of death but, rather, the name of the festival.
According to Jean Markale, French specialist on the Celts,
it was probably Lug, the god of light, who was honored dur
ing Samhain.

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Awake! October 8, 2001 5


Halloween finds its origin in
a Celtic festival, probably the
worship of Lug, god of light
This festival, which marked
beginning o f the Celtic new
year, came at the end o f sum m er, when the
harvest had been gathered and the flocks
and herds had been brought down from pas
tu re into shelter. The C elts believed that
as the days shortened, it was necessary to
reinvigorate the sun through various rites
and sacrifices. In symbolism of the dying
old year, all fires were put out, and the new
year was inaugurated with sacred bonfires
from which all m em bers o f the com m unity
rekindled their hearths. These bonfiresan
echo o f which can be found today in Britain
on G uy Fawkes N ight and in Brazil in the
June festivalswere also thought to fright
en away evil spirits.
It was believed th a t on the festival o f
Sam hain, the veil between the hum an and
the s u p e rn a tu ra l w orlds was p arted and
sp irits, b o th good and evil, ro am ed the
earth. The souls of the dead were thought to
return to their homes, and families would
put out food and drink for their ghostly vis
itors in hopes o f appeasing them and ward
ing off m isfortune. Thus, today when chil
6 Awake! October 8, 2001
Graveyard with ancient
Celtic crosses
Halloween perpetuates
the lie that the dead
are actually living
dren dressed as ghosts or witches go from
house to house dem anding a H allow een
treat or th reaten in g a m ischievous trick,
they unwittingly perpetuate the ancient rit
uals of Sam hain. Jean M arkale com m ents
in his book Halloween, histoire et traditions
(Hallow een H istory and Traditions): In
receiving som ething in their hands, they es
tablish, on a symbolic level th at they do not
understand, a brotherly exchange between
the visible and the invisible worlds. T hat is
why the Halloween m asquerades . . . are in
fact sacred cerem onies.
Since people believed that the barriers be
tween the physical and supernatural realm s
were down, they thought th at hum ans were
able to cross over into the spirit world with
ease. Sam hain was therefore a particularly
From the magazine: T h e D e lin e a to r October 1911
auspicious tim e to unlock the secrets o f the
future. Apples or hazelnuts, both viewed as
products o f sacred trees, were used to divine
inform ation concerning m arriage, sickness,
and death. For example, apples with identi
fying m arks were placed in a tu b of water.
By seizing an apple using only the m outh,
a young m an or wom an was supposed to
be able to identify his or her future spouse.
This divination practice survives today in
the Halloween game o f bobbing for apples.
Sam hain was also characterized by drunk
en revelry and a casting aside o f inhibitions.
Traditional values, if not flouted, were re-
versed, states M arkale. W hat was forbid
den was allowed, and what was allowed was
forbidden. Halloween still reflects this spir
it today, which no doubt accounts to a great
extent for its increasing popularity. C om
m enting on this, The Encyclopedia o f Reli
gion describes Hallow een nowadays as a
tim e w hen adults can also cross cultural
boundaries and shed their identities by in
dulging in an uninhibited evening of frivoli
ty. Thus, the basic Celtic quality of the fes
tival as an evening o f annual escape from
norm al realities and expectations has re
m ained into the tw entieth century.
R e lig io u s R iv a lry
F ollow ing th e p o ta to fam in e in th e
19th century, Irish im m igrants took H al
loween and its custom s to the U nited States.
From there it has retu rn ed to E urope in
the past few years. The growing populari
ty o f Halloween, though, is not viewed fa
vorably by all. As notes the newspaper Le
Monde, Halloween, which coincides with
All Saints Day and All Souls Day (Novem
ber 1 and 2) and could even replace them ,
is making shopkeepers happy and panicking
churchm en.
C hurch representatives in France have ex
pressed concern over the decline o f these
traditional C atholic holidays in favor of H al
loween, seeing it as a sign o f the pagan-
iz a tio n o f s o c ie ty . F o r S ta n islas La-
lanne, spokesm an for Frances Conference
of Catholic Bishops, Halloween distorts the
m eaning of life and death. The bishop of
Nice, Jean Bonfils, stated th at this festival
and its rituals have nothing to do w ith our
M editerranean and C hristian culture, and
he warned Catholics against the m ost im
portant festival of Satanists the world over.
Com m enting on the French abandonment
of Catholic traditions for such pagan festi
vals, Hippolyte Simon, bishop of Clermont-
Ferrand, notes: It is as if French society
were looking for a kind of civil religion ca
pable of replacing C hristian symbolism. He
writes: At Halloween the dead are im itated
and their ghosts come back to frighten us
and threaten us with death. On All Saints
Day, in contrast, we affirm that the departed
are alive and that we are promised to rejoin
them in the City of G o d . Vers une France
pa'ienne? (Toward a Pagan France?)
Celtic divination rites
have survived in
Halloween games
Bobbing for apples is one of the
games that has Celtic origins
 In a sim ilar vein, C arlo M aria M artini,
cardinal of M ilan, Italy, urged Italians not
to abandon Catholic holidays, declaring that
Halloween is alien to our tradition, which
has imm ense value and m ust be continued.
All Souls Day is a celebration that belongs
to our history. It is the m om ent in which
hope for eternal life unfolds, a m om ent in
which the Lord makes us understand that
there is m ore to life than th at on earth.
M any sincere Catholics no doubt feel the
same way. Yet, is the distinction between
Halloween and All Souls Day as clear-cut as
these com m ents would lead us to believe?
W hat does a close exam ination of the roots
of these Catholic holidays reveal?
A H allow ed M asquerade
The C atholic Encyclopedia defines All
S ain ts Day as a feast to honour all the
saints, known and unknow n. At the end of
the second century, so-called C hristians be
gan to honor those who had been m artyred
for their faith and, believing that they were
already w ith C h rist in heaven, prayed to
them to intercede on their behalf. A regular
com m em oration began when on May 13*
609 or 610 C.E., Pope Boniface IV dedicat
ed the Pantheonthe Roman tem ple o f all
the godsto M ary and all the m artyrs. Mar-
kale comments: The Roman gods left their
* Incidentally, this date coincided with the Roman festival
of Lemuria, held on May 9, 11, and 13 to placate the souls of
the dead and prevent them from haunting and injuring rela
tives.
place to the saints o f the triu m p h an t reli
gion.
The change of date to N ovem ber cam e
under Pope G regory III (731-741 C.E.), who
dedicated a chapel in Rome to all the saints
and ordered that they be honored on N o
vem ber 1. Exactly why he did this is un
known. But it may have been because such
a holiday was already being celebrated on
this date in England. The Encyclopedia o f
Religion points out: Sam hain rem ained a
popular festival among the C eltic people
throu g h o u t the Christianization o f G re a t
Britain. The British church attem pted to di
vert this interest in pagan custom s by add
ing a C hristian celebration to the calendar
on the same date as Sam hain___The m edi
eval British com m em oration of All Saints
Day may have prom pted the universal cele
bration of this feast throughout the C hris
tian church.
M arkale points out the increasing influ
ence of Irish monks throughout Europe at
this time. The New Catholic Encyclopedia
also observes: The Irish often assigned the
first of the m onth to im p o rtan t feasts, and
since N ovem ber 1 was also the beginning of
the Celtic winter, it would have been a like
ly date for a feast of all the saints. Finally,
in 835 C.E., Pope G regory IV m ade this fes
tival universal.
As for All Souls Day, on which prayers
are recited in order to help souls in purga-
tory attain heavenly bliss, this holiday was
fixed on N ovem ber 2 during the 11th centu
ry by the m onks o f Cluny, France. While
All Souls Day is ostensibly a Catholic hol
iday, it is clear th at confusion existed in
the minds of ordinary folk. The New Catho
lic Encyclopedia notes th at throughout the
Middle Ages it was popular belief that the
souls in purgatory could appear on this day
as will-o-the-wisps, witches, toads, etc.
Unable to uproot pagan beliefs from the
What influence does Halloween
have on your children?
hearts of its flock, the church simply hid
them behind a C hristian mask. Highlight
ing this fact, The Encyclopedia o f Religion
says: The C hristian festival, the Feast o f
All Saints, com m em orates the known and
unknow n saints o f the C hristian religion
just as Sam hain had acknowledged and paid
tribute to the Celtic deities.
P opu lar C e le b ra tio n s and You
Just how concerned should you be about
the dark past of Halloween and sim ilar cele
brations? A fter all, in m ost peoples minds,
Halloween is little m ore than a tim e to dress
up and have fun. But would you not agree
that it is im portant for parents to make sure
that whatever recreation their children pur
sue is wholesome and not harm ful?
Awake! October 8, 2001
A sch o o l in sp e c to r from F ra n ce w ith
more than 20 years of experience in teaching
was asked about the influence o f Hallow
een on young children. He com m ented: I
am worried th at going from house to house
threatening adults in order to obtain sweets
can have long-term negative consequences
on children. It can foster a self
ish and egocentric personali
ty. They learn th at by exert
ing pressure, by dem anding
with threats, by making others afraid, they
can obtain what they w ant. Parents must
therefore ask them selves, W hat lessons
will my children learn from celebrating this
holiday?
N ot surprisingly, m any fam ilies find that
giving in to childish dem ands for treats and
costum es can be an expensive u n d ertak
ing. Halloween . . . is not a holiday, ob
serves Robert R ochefort, general director
of Frances Research C enter for the Study
and O bservation o f Living Conditions, it
is event m arketing. Halloween fills a shop
ping lull prior to Christm as. In other words,
it is ju st one m ore thing pressuring people
to spend money money th at in m any cases
they cannot afford to spend. Do you really
9
 True Christians
enjoy wholesome
family recreation
need to follow the crowd in
this regard?
O f even greater concern
to C hristians, however, is
the fact th at Hallow een and celebrations
like it are steeped in paganism. The apostle
Paul wrote: 1 do not want you to be partici
pants with demons. You cannot drink the
cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.
(1 C orinthians 10:20-22, International
Version) He also asked: W hat comm on in
terest can there be betw een goodness and
evil? How can light and darkness share life
together? How can there be harm ony be
tween C hrist and the devil? W hat can a be
liever have in com m on with an unbeliever?
(2 C orinthians 6:14-16, Phillips) The Bible
thus condem ns the whole idea of putting a
C hristian mask on a pagan practice!
Also, the Bible warns against the practice
of spiritism. (D euteronom y 18:10-12) While
it is true that the vast m ajority o f those who
celebrate Halloween would claim to spurn
Satanic practices, we should, nevertheless,
be aware th at historically this holiday has
close connections with the occult. Thus, it
can serve as a door leading to spiritism, es
pecially for im pressionable youths. Pagan
rites and traditions tainted by spiritism sim
ply have no place in Christian worship; they
are far from harmless.
Finally, there is the fact that Halloween,
All Saints Day, and All Souls Day are all
based on the beliefs that the dead suffer or
10 Awake! October 8, 2001
that they can somehow bring harm to the
living. However, the Bible clearly shows that
such beliefs are not true, saying: The liv
ing are conscious that they will die; but as
for the dead, they are conscious o f n o th
ing at all. (Ecclesiastes 9:5) For that rea
son, the Bible counsels: All th at your hand
finds to do, do with your very power, for
there is no work nor devising nor knowledge
nor wisdom in Sheol [the com m on grave of
mankind], the place to which you are going.
(Ecclesiastes 9:10) Since the dead are uncon
scious and thus incapable of harm ing others
or suffering themselves, we have nothing to
fear from them . At the same time, prayers to
help them are o f no use whatsoever. Does
this mean that there is no hope for o ur dead
loved ones? No. The Bible assures us that
there is going to be a resurrection o f both
the righteous and the unrighteous.Acts
24:15.*
W ith knowledge com es the freedom to
choose. We cannot be expected to make in
telligent decisions if we do not have all the
facts. After considering the facts brought up
in this series of articles, what will you de
cide?
* For more information on the Bibles teaching of the res
urrection, see What Happens to Our Dead Loved Ones?,
chapter 9 in the book Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting
Life, published by Jehovahs Witnesses.
 CROS S WORD PUZZLE
Clues Across 2. This designation applies only 12. He was noted for honoring
1. Peter said that those exhibiting to Jesus and not to his follow his sons more than Jehovah
this quality receive Gods un ers (Matthew 23:10) (1 Samuel 2:27-29)
deserved kindness [3 words] 3. James used this expression to 13. Fifth letter o f the Hebrew
(1 Peter 5:5)
refer to ambition, prominence, alphabet (Psalm 111:3)
6. Father of Tibni, who was and power [2 words]
Omris rival for the throne of 14. The month o f the Jewish
Israel (1 Kings 16:21) (James 4:1) calendar in which Solomon
4. Building material used pre began the construction of
8. One of the Christians in the
Rome congregation to whom dominantly in the Persian pal the temple (1 Kings 6:1)
Paul sent greetings ace at Shushan (Esther 1:6) 16. Amon was chief god of this
(Romans 16:14) 5. One of three worldly things city, the onetime capital of
9. Joint author of a letter to that do not originate with the Egypt (Jeremiah 46:25)
King Artaxerxes opposing the Father [4 words] (1 John 2:16) 17. Seen (1 John 4:12)
rebuilding of Jerusalem 18. A son of the Horite sheikh
7. In Pauls listing of a Christians
(Ezra 4:7) Shobal (Genesis 36:23)
spiritual armor, this part rep
10. Because the Amorites were resents salvation
this, the Israelites were terri 19. Walked (Joshua 14:9)
fied of them and refused to (Ephesians 6:17) 20. The Lycian seaport where Paul
enter the Promised Land 8. The second-listed son of and his associates transferred
(Deuteronomy 1:28) Noahs grandson Canaan to a boat sailing to Phoenicia
11. An ancestor of Jesus (Genesis 10:15) (Acts 21:1)
(Luke 3:26)
15. The largest of the Hebrew
units of weight and of mone
tary value (Ezra 8:26)
17. Felix listened to Paul regarding
this (Acts 24:24)
19. Job said that he escaped with
the skin of these, indicating
that he barely escaped death
(Job 19:20)
21. The psalmist likened a man
delighting in Gods law to a
well-watered tree whose
foliage does not do this
(Psalm 1:3)
22. Allow (Ecclesiastes 6:2)
23. Jehovah said that after the
Israelites had done this to their
harvest, they must take a sheaf
to the priest (Leviticus 23:10)
24. Fatal (Revelation 6:8)
25. The pelican and the little owl
are said to inhabit these areas
[2 words] (Psalm 102:6)
Clues Down
1. A designation that Jesus
claimed as true for both him
self and his followers [4 words]
(Matthew 5:14; John 8:12)

Awake! October 8, 2001 11

 B L A C K SEA

THE FORGOTTEN GLORYOF THE CONSTANTINOPLE

Nicomedia
Nicaea*

BYZANTINE EMPIRE 9 Ephesus

Antioch

USE THE WORD "BYZANTINE" AND IN SOME

M E D IT E R R A N E A N SEA
LANGUAGES YOU IMPLY INTRIGUE, SECRETIVENESS, Jerusalem

AND TREACHERY. NOT MANY PEOPLE, HOWEVER, Alexandria

REALIZE THAT THIS ADJECTIVE WAS THE NAME OF A VAST Q aKaMs^sss & p pl*
DOMAIN THAT FLOURISHED FOR NEARLY 12 CENTURIES.

ROM the Caucasus to the Atlantic, from the Crimea to Sinai,

F from the Danube to the Saharathat was the realm of the Byz

Musee du Louvre, Paris

antine Empire at its peak. Many historians say that it lasted
from the 4th century to the 15th century C.E. It was an empire
that not only preserved the Greco-Roman culture but also had
much to do with the spread of so-called Christianity. It was
the creator and codifier of political, social, and religious
practices that have remained vibrant down to this day.
Nevertheless, this mighty empire had a remarkably
Scholars debate
unassuming birth. Historically, the Byzantine Empire whether the first
was a continuation of the Roman Empire in the East. Byzantine
emperor was
Its date of birth remains debated. Some historians (1) Diocletian,
view Diocletian (c. 245-c. 316 C.E.) as the first Byzan (2) Constantine
tine emperor; others Constantine the Great (c. 275- the Great, or
(3) Justinian I
337 C.E.); and still others Justinian I (483-565 C.E.).
Most, however, agree that the Byzantine Empire be
gan to take on the appearance of a distinct entity
when Emperor Constantine moved the capital of his
empire from Rome to Byzantium in 330 C.E. He re
named the city after himselfConstantinople (modern-day
Istanbul).
Interestingly, neither the rulers nor the citizens of the empire ever
referred to themselves as Byzantines. They considered themselves to be
Awake! October 8, 2001
Romans, or Rom aioi. The term Byzan the foundation of Roman law in continental Europe to
tine did not come into use until after day. Via the Code Napoleon, Byzantine legal precepts
the 14th century. were transmitted to Latin America and other countries,
A Resplendent Capital where they still hold sway.
One historian describes ancient Con Moreover, Byzantine architects learned how to set
stantinople as rich in renown and a large dome over a quadrangular spacea style that
richer still in possessions. Located spread as far as Russia. Some even credit the Byzantines
at the crossroads of Europe and Asia with popularizing the use of forks at the dinner table.
the Bosporus StraitConstantino In Venice in the 11th-century, when a Byzantine prin
ple bestrode both a superbly defensi cess used a two-pronged fork instead of eating with her
ble peninsula and a sheltered harbor, fingers, onlookers were shocked! Centuries later, how
the Golden Horn. In 657 B.C.E., Greek ever, the fork began to catch on among the wealthy.
settlers named the place Byzantium af Popes of Rome also yielded to Byzantine influence,
ter their legendary leader Byzas. More wearing a tiara modeled after the Byzantine emperors.
than ten centuries later, it was consid Englands monarchs likewise copied the emperors orb
ered the New Rome, becoming home and scepter.
to half a million people during its glory
Law and Order
days between the 6th and the 11th cen
turies C.E. The Byzantine Empire also left behind a fascinat
ing collection of government policies. For example,
Visitors from the West were awed
the needy were put to work in state bakeries and mar
by this metropolis and major center
ket gardens. Idleness leads to crime, believed Emper
of world trade routes. Its harbor was
or Leo III (c. 675-741 C.E.). Because it was thought
crowded with vessels. Its markets of
fered silks, furs, precious stones, per that drunkenness led to disorder and sedition, taverns
fumed woods, carved ivory, gold, sil were closed at 8:00 p.m. According to Geograph
ic M agazine, incest, homicide, privately making or sell
ver, enameled jewelry, and spices.
Understandably, Constantinople was ing purple cloth (reserved for royalty alone) or teaching
the envy of other powers, so they re shipbuilding to enemies might bring decapitation, im
peatedly tried to breach its walls. Be palementor drowning in a sack with a hog, a cock, a
fore the Ottoman conquest of 1453,
only once did attackers succeed in con
quering the citynamely, Christians THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE
of the Fourth Crusade. Not since the and the Bible
world was made was there ever seen or
won so great a treasure, exclaimed the Monasticism was one of
the most powerful reli
crusader Robert of Clari.
gious trends in the em
A Lasting Legacy pire. Monasteries served
Believe it or not, Byzantine govern as centers for copying
ment, laws, religious concepts, and cer and storing thousands of
Bible manuscripts. Three
emonial splendor continue to affect
of the most important and most complete extant Bible
the lives of billions today. For exam manuscripts the Vatican 1209, the Sinaitic (inset), and
ple, Justinians famous compilation of the Alexandrine (background) may have been produced
legal principles called the Corpus Ju or preserved in the monasteries and religious communi
ris Civilis (Body of Civil Law) became ties of Byzantium.
Both manuscripts: Photograph taken
by courtesy of the British Museum
 \ *r .ff% f W
X \
key Events

286 D io c le t ia n starts 395 T h e R o m a n E m p ir e 1054 A r e lig io u s s c h is m s eparates

r u lin g f r o m N ic o m e d ia , is p e r m a n e n t ly d iv id e d th e G r e e k O r t h o d o x C h u r c h f r o m the
A s ia M i n o r in to East a n d W e s t R o m a n C a t h o lic C h u r c h

tm * * * * * * m a * m * * 9 u * m M m 9 * * '*
n z, n l
1
330 C o n s ta n tin e m a k e s B y z a n t iu m the 1204 A r m ie s o f th e 1453 C o n s ta n tin o p le
c a p ita l o f th e e m p ir e , r e n a m in g th e c it y F o u r th C ru s a d e s a ck a n d th e e m p ir e fa ll
C o n s ta n tin o p le C o n s ta n tin o p le to th e Turks

viper, and an ape. The grocer who gave false The Byzantine Court
measure lost his hand. Arsonists were burned. How, then, did the word Byzantine come
Interestingly, the Byzantine Empire also pro to be associated with intrigue, secretiveness,
vided much of the cradle-to-grave care provided and treachery? According to historian William
by welfare states today. Emperors and wealthy Lecky, behind the Byzantine courts glittering
citizens went to great lengths to finance hospi facade, there was woven a monotonous story
tals, poorhouses, and orphanages. There were of the intrigues of priests, eunuchs, and wom
homes for repentant prostitutessome of en, of poisonings, of conspiracies, of uniform in
whom became saintsand even a reformato gratitude, of perpetual fratricides.
ry for fallen female aristocrats. Writer Merle Severy notes: Surrounded by
would-be usurpers and assassins, no incompe
An Empire Built on Trade tent emperor remained Gods vicar on earth
Such generosity reflected the prosperity the very long. Of the 88 emperors from Constan
empire enjoyed. The State controlled prices, tine I to XI, 13 took to a monastery. Thirty oth
wages, and rents. Wheat was stockpiled to off ers died violentlystarved, poisoned, blinded,
set poor harvests. Officials inspected shops to bludgeoned, strangled, stabbed, dismembered,
check weights and measures, ledgers, and the decapitated. The skull of Nicephorus I ended
quality of merchandise. Hoarders, smugglers, up as a silver-lined goblet from which Khan
defrauders, counterfeiters, and tax evaders Krum of the Bulgars toasted his boyars [noble
faced severe punishment. men].
The emperor himself was the empires fore Even the sainted Constantine the Great
most merchant and manufacturer, with mo had his oldest son slain and his wife suffocated
nopolies in minting, in armaments, and in re in her bath. The Empress Irene (c. 752-803 C.E.)
nowned Byzantine luxury articles. Justinian was so obsessed with retaining power that she
himself founded its famed silk industry with had her son blinded and took his title of em
silkworm eggs smuggled out of China. peror.
Insurance and credit services were also de The Path to Decline
veloped. Banking was closely audited. The gold But it was not political intrigue that led to
solidus, the coin introduced by Constantine, the decline of the empire. The European West
held its value for ten centuries! It was historys began transforming itself through the Renais
most stable currency. sance, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment
14 Awake! October 8, 2001
as well as the rise of science. In Byzantium, however, to the capital, deploying 100,000 troops
change of any sort was not only viewed as heresy but also and a powerful fleet. The scant 8,000
eventually became viewed as a crime against the State. defenders of Constantinople held out
Additionally, changing political winds began taking for seven weeks. Then, on May 28, in
their toll. In the seventh century, Islam engulfed Anti vaders poured through a lightly guard
och, Jerusalem, and Alexandria. Slavic invasions of the ed port in the citys moat. By the next
Balkans and Lombard conquests in Italy drove a wedge day, the capital had changed hands.
between Rome and Constantinople. Rome, deprived of M ehm ed now a conquerorrep o rt
imperial support, linked its fortunes to the rising G er edly shed tears and lamented: W hat a
manic West. C onstantinoples shrinking empire became city we have given over to plunder and
increasingly Greek. Then, in 1054, the Greek Orthodox destruction! The Byzantine Em pire
patriarch and the Roman Catholic pope excommunicat had fallen. But its influence remains to
ed each other over theological differences, causing a rift this day.
between the Orthodox and Catholic churches that has
not healed to this day. is? Lout Cotnatr lev tottvo
The year 1204 saw further disaster for the empire. On A painting in a ttfim m 'q m m n o ttm C T iro n ln rm n * i
p H fh n tf f n niy tr roiifatm uiolrfidas
manuscript,
April 12, armies of the Fourth Crusade en route to Je depicting the
rusalem com m itted what historian Sir Steven Runci- siege of Constan
man called the greatest crime in historythe sack tinople in 1204
Cliche Bibliotheque
ing of Constantinople. Burning, pillaging, and raping nationale de France, Paris
in the name of Christ, the crusaders destroyed the city
and took their plunder to Venice, Paris, Turin, and other
Western centers.
More than 50 years passed before Constantinople was 1 xt'itvpimr ^rtrtdcwr
finally recaptured. By then the empire was a mere shad xmlcms ftfmir irttiobictr
urn*rksgraneftmqbau
ow of its former self. The Venetians and Genoese had a m{camarrrtimjMn? tc

stranglehold on its trade. And before long the Byzan

tine Empire found itself under pressure from the Is A gold solidus coin,
lamic Ottomans. 321 C.E., shown
mounted in the center
Such pressure led to the inevitable demise of the em of a pendant
pire. On April 11, 1453, Sultan Mehmed II laid siege
Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum

RELIGION IN THE
BYZANTINE EMPIRE
Commenting on the close ties that existed between
Church and State, Norman Davies writes in his book
Europe A H istory: The state and the church were
fused into one indivisible whole. The Emperor. . . and
the Patriarch were seen as the secular and the eccle
siastical pillars of divine authority. The Empire de
fended the Orthodox Church, and the Church
praised the Empire. This Caesaropapism had no
Hagia Sophia, Istanbulat one time the largest equal in the West.
Byzantine church, it was converted into a mosque
in 1453 and into a museum in 1935

U TU M N is a special tim e of year. It
A
is a time when, in tem perate lands,
L b lu e skies, su n n y days, and cool
nights gradually paint the wooded hills a
hundred hues of yellow, orange, and red. It is
a time when evergreen pines and cedars pro
vide a sober backdrop for the vivid reds and
yellows o f their deciduous cousinstrees
that shed their leaves.
A utum n is particularly appreciated in Ori
ental countries such as Japan and Korea. In
Japan people often go hunting for the au
tum n colorstheir expression for going on
16 Awake! October 8, 2001
AUTUMN
A Spectacular
Time o f Year
autum n excursions that allow
them to admire natures art.
M any national parks in Korea
reach their peak of beauty at this
time of the year. So newspapers keep
the public informed regarding the best
time to see the autum n colors. Soraksan, one
of Koreas m ost fam ous national parks, is
a favorite destination. Its granite cliffs and
tow ering o u tcro p s adorned w ith clinging
pine trees seem to be the very essence of
an Oriental landscape. In the autum n the
granite m onoliths o f Soraksan are garland
ed with a fiery necklace of beech and maple
trees. And when these peaks emerge from a
sea of morning mist, the early riser is reward
ed with a sight he will never forget.
I always enjoy walking in the m ountains,
but especially in the autum n, explains Park
Ii-kyun, a lively Korean in his 70s. In the
autum n it seems that G od has clothed the
hills with many colorscolors that change
from day to day,
th at com e to life
o u r clear a u tu m n sk ies.
His wife, K ong-young,
lights in w atch in g a u tu m n
leaves flu tte r from th e sky like
golden butterflies.
W h y Do Leaves C h a n g e C o lo r?
To the curious mind, this colorful trans
form ation dem ands an explanation. W hat
determines w hether a leaf will turn yellow or
red?
Autum n colors are p art of the process by
w hich trees p re p a re for the w inter. T he
shorter days o f autum n alert the trees inter
nal clock to begin cutting off the supply of
water and nutrients to the leaves. Each leaf
responds by constructing a separation lay
er at the base of the stalk. This layercom
posed of a corklike substanceblocks off
any circulation from the leaf to the rest of
the tree and causes the leaf eventually to fall
off the tree.
While this process is going on, carotenoid
pigm ents begin giving leaves their yellow
or orange color. T hese pigm ents are usu
ally present th ro u g h o u t the sum m er, but
they go unnoticed because of the predom
inant green chlorophyll in the leaves. The
Awake! October 8, 2001
red color, on the
er hand, com es m ainly
from anthocyanin, a pigm ent
that the leaves do not produce
until the autum n. During au
tu m n , c h lo ro p h y ll b rea k s
down and the yellow and red
p igm ents take c e n te r stage.
W hen there is no chlorophyll
left, a poplar leaf turns bright
yellow but a maple leaf takes
on a brilliant red color.
S e a rc h in g fo r a
S p e c ta c u la r A u tu m n
M ost lovers of nature
noticed that the autum n dis
play varies so m e w h at from
year to year and from place
place. M uch has to do with the
type of deciduous trees in the region. Different
species of maple trees, for example, produce
some of the m ost striking red colors. M any spe
cies of these trees grow naturally in the Orient,
and they are frequently planted in parks and
gardens.
A nother factor is the climatethe am ount
o f an th o cy an in p ro d u ced by the leaves de
pends much on the weather. Clear, sunny days
and cool nights enable the leaves to produce
a maximum am ount of anthocyanin. A utum ns
in the Far East usually provide these condi
tions. Both Japan and Korea are m ountainous
countries. M any of their hills are forested with
a variety of deciduous trees, thus providing vis
itors an ideal environm ent for viewing the au
tum n colors.
An E le g a n t R e c y c lin g P roce ss
The whole process whereby trees shed their
leaves is practical as well as beautiful. By dis
carding their leaves, trees conserve water and
energy during the winter. They also rid them
selves of toxic wastes that build up in the leaves
during the summer.
What happens to the billions of leaves that
fall on the ground? Thanks to insects, fungi,
worms, and other soil animals, all this organ
ic material is soon converted into humus, a vi
tal ingredient of fertile soil. So after providing a
dazzling spectacle, the fallen leaves also provide
fertilizer for new growth in the spring! Can you
imagine a m ore attractive recycling process?
When pausing to admire such handiwork, we
may sense that the trees of the field are all clap
ping their hands as they give silent praise to
their Maker.Isaiah 55:12; Psalm 148:7-9.
 HE CHICKEN
Popular and Plentiful
BY AWAKE!WRITER IN KENYA

H E chicken is probably the most pop

T ulous bird on earth. According to es
tim ates, th ere are over 13 b illio n ch ick
ens! And its m eat is so popular that more
than 73 billion pounds o f it are consumed
each year. Additionally, hens produce some
600 billion eggs a year worldwide.
In W estern lands, chicken is plentiful and
inexpensive. Decades ago, U.S. voters were
promised there would be a chicken in every
pot only if a certain candidate was elect
ed. Today, however, chicken is no longer the
luxury it was or the preserve of a minority.
How did this unique bird become so avail
able and so popular? And what about poor
er nations? Is there any chance of their shar
ing in this abundance?
The B ird s Record
The chicken is a descendant of the red jun
gle fowl of Asia. M an soon discovered that
the chicken could be dom esticated easily.
Why, some 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ re
ferred to the way a hen gathers her chicks
under her protective wings. (M atthew 23:37;
26:34) The use o f such an illustration indi
cates that people in general were quite famil
iar with this bird. But it was not until the
19th century that mass production of chick
ens and eggs became a commercial venture.
Today chicken is by far the most popular
poultry meat. Chickens are raised by m il
lions of households including urban fam
iliesfor domestic and commercial use. In
fact, few farm animals are able to breed in as
many diverse geographic locations as chick
ens are. M any c o u n trie s have developed
breeds that are peculiar to their climatic con
ditions and needs. Some o f these include:
the Australorp of Australia; the well-known
Leghorn, originally from the M editerranean
but quite popular in the United States; the
New H am pshire, the Plym outh Rock, the
Rhode Island Red, and the W yandotte, all
bred in the United States; and the Cornish,
the Orpington, and the Sussex, from England.
Advanced scientific m ethods of husbandry
have made raising chickens one of the most

S o m e breeds of chicken are the White Leghorn, Gray Jungle Fowl,

Orpington, Polish, and Speckled Sussex
 successful a g ric u ltu ra l industries. In the en, lal murgi; shredded chicken, kurgi murgi;
U nited States, farm ers use carefully con
trolled methods of feeding and caging, along
with scientific disease control. Many people
condemn these mass-production techniques
as cruel. But th a t has n o t sto p p ed farm
ers from developing increasingly efficient
ways of breeding these birds. M odern tech
niques now make it possible for just one per
son to care for from 25,000 to 50,000 chick
ens. It takes the birds only three months to
reach market weight.*
A Source of Meat
Visit virtually any hotel, restaurant, or vil it contains proteins, vitamins, and minerals
lage eating establishment, and you will rare that are vital to ones body. Yet, chicken is
ly fail to see the m eat of this domestic fowl
on the menu. In fact, many fast-food outlets
the world over specialize in serving chicken.
There are societies where chicken is still the
ideal choice for special occasions. Fascinat
ing ways of serving this bird have been de
veloped in some lands, such as India.
Dishes such as red pepper chick
* Though chickens are also raised for
their eggs, in the United States, 90 per
cent are raised for their meat.
Efforts are being made to help
farmers in developing lands to
increase poultry production
and chicken sm othered in ginger, adrak m ur
gi, delight the palate!
Why does chicken have such popularity?
For one thing, few foods blend as well with
different flavorings as it does. How do you
like it p rep ared ? F ried, roasted, broiled,
braised, or stewed? O pen ju st a b o u t any
cookbook, and youll probably find dozens
of chicken recipes designed to bring the best
out of every piece.
Because o f its availability in m any coun
tries, chicken is relatively inexpensive as
well. It is also a friend of nutritionists, since
low in calories, saturated fats, and other fats.
Feeding Developing Lands
O f course, not all countries have an abun
dance of poultry products. This is signif-
In
United States,
90 percent of
chickens are
raised for
their meat
 Safe Handling of Raw Poultry
Raw poultry may harbour potentially harm
ful organisms, such as salmonella bacteria,
so it is vital to take care in its preparation. Al
ways wash your hands, the chopping board,
knife and poultry shears in hot soapy wa
ter before and after handling the poultry. It
is a good idea to use a chopping board that
can be washed at high temperature. . . and, if possi
ble, to keep the chopping board just for the prepara
tion of raw poultry. Thaw frozen poultry completely
before cooking.The Cooks Kitchen Bible.

icant in view of the report of a task force educate farm ers in developing lands. The
for the Council for Agricultural Science and Food and A griculture Organization o f the
Technology, which said: World population United Nations, for example, recently ini
is projected to increase to 7.7 billion by the tiated a five-year project to benefit the ru
year 2020 . . . However, the majority (95%) ral poor in Africa through increased poultry
of the population increase is forecast to oc production.
cur in developing countries. This statem ent It still remains to be seen w hat will come
takes on an even more som ber tone when from such well-intentioned initiatives. It is
you consider that already some 800 million therefore sobering for residents o f wealthier
people are suffering from m alnutrition! lands to contem plate the fact that something
Nevertheless, m any experts feel that the as com m onplace as a slice o f chicken may
chicken could play a m ajor role both in feed be a luxury to m ost of ea rth s inhabitants.
ing these hungry populations and in pro For such ones, the idea of a chicken in every
viding much-needed income to farmers. The pot may seem like little m ore than a distant
problem is th at large-scale breeding of these dream.
birds can be a real challenge for poor farm
CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS
ers. For one thing, in poorer nations chick
ens are raised m ainly on small, rural farms s 3 D V 3 d a 3 1 V 3 O s 3 a
or in backyards. And in such lands, chick 3 a a H 3
ens are rarely housed in protective environ A 3 a V 3 a n a 3 d V 3 a
ments. During the day the birds are allowed 3 i 3 s 0 3 0
to roam free and scavenge for food, return 3 3 a V M 3 V a ^3 H 1 I M
ing hom e at night, som etim es to roost in H d H 1 3 3 1 S 3
trees or in metal cages. 1 A 3 3 O 1 H
N ot surprisingly, m any o f the birds raised 3 3 i 3 3l a d 1 N 3 3 V 1
by such m ethods die offsome as victims O z H 3 3 3 3
of the deadly Newcastle disease and others a 0
3 3 H 1 V V JAl
as victims of predators, anim al and human.
M ost farm ers have neither the know-how
a 3 3 3 V 1 n 3 3 3 a V 1
nor the m eans to feed their chickens ade
I a 3 s 3 a H
S V a 3 H N H 1 V N I 0
quately, to provide proper housing for them,
or to protect them from diseases. For this 3 V 3 3 1
reason program s have been started to help a N i n 3 O s S 3 M I 3 AV 0 3

Awake! October 8, 2001 21

 T H E B I B L E S
How Tolerant Is God?
GOD, ALTHOUGH HAVING THE WILL TO DEMONSTRATE HIS WRATH AND
TO M AKE HIS POWER KNOWN, TOLERATED WITH MUCH LONG SUFFERING
VESSELS OF WRATH MADE FIT FOR DESTRUCTION."ROMANS 9:22.
H R O U G H O U T history G od has toler
T ated m uch badness and outright wick
edness. M ore th a n 3,000 years ago, Job
lamented: Why is it that the wicked them
selves keep living, have grow n old, also
have become superior in wealth? Their off
spring are firmly established with them in
th eir sight, and th eir descendants before
th eir eyes. T h eir houses are peace itself,
free from dread, and the rod of G od is not
upon them . (Job 21:7-9) O ther lovers of jus
tice, such as the prophet Jerem iah, have also
m anifested concern over G ods seeming tol
erance of bad people.Jerem iah 12:1, 2.
W hat do you think? Are you puzzled by
G o d s perm ission o f wickedness? Do you
feel at times that G od should hurry up and
destroy all wicked people right away? C on
sider what the Bible says about the limits of
G ods tolerance and the reasons for it.
Why Is God Tolerant?
First, we m ust ask: Why does God, who
has the highest standards of righteousness,
tolerate badness at all? (Deuteronomy 32:4;
H abakkuk 1:13) D oes this m ean he con
dones evil? N ot at all! Consider the following
illustration: Imagine that there is a surgeon
who violates basic principles of hygiene and
who also inflicts great pain on his patients.
If he worked in a hospital, would he not
be removed swiftly? But there are some cir
cum stances where extraordinary tolerance
22 Awake! October 8, 2001
V I E W P O I N T
might be required. In an extreme emergency,
perhaps on a battlefield, for example, might
it not be necessary to to lerate su rg e o n s
working in primitive and dangerous condi
tions, perhaps even using what would nor
mally be considered inferior equipm ent and
surgical instruments?
In a sim ilar way, today G od is patiently
tolerating m any things that he finds total
ly unacceptable. Although he hates wicked
ness, he is tem porarily allowing it to contin
ue. There are good reasons for his doing so.
For one thing, this allows time for the crucial
issues raised by Satans rebellion in the gar
den of Eden to be settled once and for all
time. These are issues that center around the
rightness and rightfulness of G ods way of
ruling. Also, his patient endurance o f wrong
provides time and opportunity for those in
volved in badness to change.
A Merciful, Patient God
O u r o rig in a l p a re n ts , A dam and Eve,
joined Satans rebellion against God. God
could legitimately have destroyed them then
and there. Instead, he showed him self to be
merciful and patient, lovingly allowing them
to have children. But these children, and the
whole hum an family descended from them,
were born in a sinful state.Romans 5:12; 8:
20- 22.
G od pu rp o sed to rescue m an from his
w oeful c o n d itio n . (G enesis 3:15) In the

God allowed Adam and Eve
to have offspring
meantime, though, because he understands
how im perfection inherited from Adam af
fects us, he shows trem endous patience and
mercy. (Psalm 51:5; 103:13) He is abundant
in loving-kindness and is ready and willing
to forgive in a large way. Psalm 86:5, 15;
Isaiah 55:6, 7.
Limits to Gods Tolerance
However, it would be unloving and u n
reasonable for G od to allow wrongdoing to
continue forever. N o loving father would
endlessly tolerate badness from one of his
children who continued deliberately to in
flict grievous pain on other family members.
G ods patience in the face o f sin, therefore,
will always be balanced by other qualities
such as love, wisdom, and justice. (Exodus
Awake! October 8, 2001
34:6, 7) Once the purpose behind his long-
suffering is complete, his tolerance o f evil
will end. Romans 9:22.
The apostle Paul clearly indicated this. In
the past generations, he said on one oc
casion, [God] perm itted all the nations to
go on in their ways. (Acts 14:16) On an
other occasion Paul spoke of how G od has
overlooked the times of such ignorance on
the part of people who have disobeyed his
laws and principles. Now, Paul continued,
[God] is telling m ankind th at they should
all everywhere repent. Why? Because he
has set a day in which he purposes to judge
the inhabited earth in righteousness.Acts
17:30,31.
Benefit Now From Gods Tolerance
C ertainly, then, no one should assum e
that he can ignore G o d s laws and then ca
sually ask for G o d s forgiveness when he
wants to escape the consequences o f his ac
tions. (Joshua 24:19) M any in ancient Is
rael thought that they could do that. They
would not change. They missed the purpose
of G ods tolerance and patience. G od did
not forever tolerate their badness. Isaiah 1:
16-20.
The Bible shows th at to avoid G o d s final
judgm ent, a p erso n m ust re p e n t th a t
is, co n tritely acknow ledge his im perfect,
sinful state before G od and then genuine
ly turn away from bad. (Acts 3:19-21) Then,
on the basis of C hrists ransom sacrifice, Je
hovah G od will grant forgiveness. (Acts 2:
38; Ephesians 1:6, 7) In his due time, G od
will undo all the grievous effects of Adam
ic sin. There will be a new heaven and a
new earth where he will no longer tolerate
the presence . . . o f things that cry out to
be destroyed. (Revelation 21:1-5; Rom ans 9:
22, Phillips) W hat a wonderful result from
G ods extraordinary, but not limitless, toler
ance!
23
CC f ANGLAUFER LEBEN Cross-
m country skiers live longer. This pop-
^ u l a r G e rm a n saying h ig h lig h ts the
value m any see in the w inter sport of cross
country skiing. Indeed, in m any lands where
w inter snow abounds, the w inter country
side is often crisscrossed by a gridwork of
ski trails. In some lands, distances between
tow ns and villages are often posted, and
m any trails have artificial lighting so that
skiers can use them to com m ute between
hom e and work.
P racticed by relatively few before the
1960s, c ro s s -c o u n try skiing has in re
cent years becom e popular in many places
throughout the world. Some estim ate that
as many as four million people a year enjoy
the sport in N orth A m erica alone! The se
cret of its appeal and charm ? Its low cost
C r o s s -C o u n tr y S k iin g
Is It fo r You?
24 Awake! October 8, 2001
and apparent sim plicity. C o m p ared w ith
its better-known cousinAlpine, or dow n
hill, skiingsome aspects of cross-country
skiing are u n co m p licated . T he d ow nhill
skier needs specialized, costly equipm ent
and clothing. He has to travel to specially
m aintained ski hills or m ountains where he
may be confronted with both the purchase
of expensive lift tickets and long lines for
the ski lift. Downhill skiing also dem ands a
certain athleticism that is beyond the grasp
of many beginners. Cross-country skiing, on
the other hand, can be enjoyed by virtual
ly anyone at any age. The only things need
ed are a few inches o f fresh snow, a little
training, and relatively inexpensive skis, ski
boots, and ski poles.
C ross-country skiing can be an exhila
rating experience! T he sk ier can go vir-
BY A W A K E ! W R I T E R IN C A N A D A

Cross-country skiing is rela
tively inexpensive and can be
enjoyed by people of all ages
tu ally w h erev er he w ishes
through fields and m ead
ows, over frozen lakes and
icebound streams, into silent
fo re sts and snow -covered
valleys. Cross-country skiing
can lend its e lf to m e d ita
tion, reflection, and thought,
which can give us a chance
to confide in our C reator and
thank him for the wonders o f life. W inter
puts a unique stam p on Jehovah G ods cre
ation. A glistening blanket of snow brings
a hush to the landscape. The earth seems
fresh and clean, as if aw aiting discovery.
G liding through a forest, the trees laden
with frost, is soothing to the heart and mind.
T he strid e n c y o f o u r m e c h a n ic a l w orld
fades away, and soon the only sound is the
whooshing of skis.
If sh a re d in by a fam ily o r g ro u p o f
friends, cross-country skiing becom es a so
cial outing that bonds and unites. In no rth
ern E uropean countries today, some fam i
lies ride 10 or 20 miles by train and then ski
together.
The O rig in s
Some may think th at cross
country skiing is a recent inno
vation, but it is far from new. In
1927, rock carvings thousands
of years old were found on the
N orw egian island o f Rodoya.
O ne draw ing shows a h u n te r
who is evidently wearing a rab
bit mask. He seems to be glid
ing on a pair o f very long skis.
M ore recently, in the peat bogs
of Scandinavia, workers uncov
ered hundreds o f ancient skis
in excellent condition. Skiing
was an essential form o f trav
el for early N ordic peoples d u r
ing the long, snowy winters. It was such an
integral part of their way of life that they
even w orshiped and honored a ski god and
goddess! Today m any tow ns and villages
 A rockcarving of a skier
Foto: Inge Ove Tysnes / Syv sostre forlag

In 1888 the Norwegian explorer F ridtjof

N ansen led an expedition across G re e n
land on skis. He subsequently wrote a book
about his experience that in 1891 was tran s
lated into English, French, and G erm an.
The account, which described his grueling
Ancient skis found in journey across the stark Arctic landscape,
Voss, Norway captured the im agination o f its V ictorian
Foto: Universitetets kulturhistoriske
museer, Eirik Irgens Johnsen readers. It stirred rom antic notions of con
quering the untam ed wilderness.
in N orw ay and Sweden carry In the 1960s, family ski touring was o r
the rem nants of those bygone ganized and launched on a m ajor scale. Ski
pagan beliefs in th eir names. centers th a t specialized in cross-country
Why, the very name Scandina skiing began to spring up. M anufacturers
via may refer to the goddess of took note, and new, so p h isticated e q u ip
skiers, Skade. m ent appeared. Fashion even entered the
W hile skiing has been a nec picture, m aking cross-country skiing chic.
essary part o f N ordic life for The dem and by the public for areas in which
centuries, the popularizing of to ski saw many m unicipalities scram bling
cross-country skiing as an in to groom any available land, including golf
tern atio n al sp o rt had to wait courses and city parks.
until the 19th century. At that P h ysica l B e n e fits
time Norwegians improved the
Cross-country skiing is considered to be
traditional skis by shaping, ta
one o f the safest of the popular sports. Al
pering, and refining them. They
though falling can result in m inor sprains,
also developed a system of heel
serious injuries are rare, and they u sual
straps and toe straps that were
ly occur only when the cross-country skier
th e fo re ru n n e rs o f m o d ern
ventures into steep terrain and backcoun-
binding systems. In Telemark,
try.
a m ountainous area of south-
Because the movements involved in cross
central Norway, they soon ini
country skiing are fluid and rhythm ic, there
tiated a series of com petitions.
T he first recorded and tim ed
c ro ss-co u n try ski race is b e
lieved to have been held there,
w ith the w inner covering the
three-m ile course in about 30 Life Is Worth Living
m inutes. Cross-country ski rac
ing becam e popular in north A United Brotherhood Unshaken
ern E uropean countries soon
thereafter, but it was another
event that introduced it to the Whats Wrong With Getting Even?
rest o f the world.
Awake! October 8, 2001
is very little overuse o f or shock damage to
joints and muscles. Sports doctors will of
ten prescribe cross-country skiing as thera
py for those injured by jogging or cycling.
It is one o f the few activities th at uses al
most all the bodys m ajor muscle groups,
so the skier receives a com plete workout.
The heart and lungs benefit greatly, and ac
tive skiers usually have blood pressure and
pulse rates lower than those o f inactive peo
ple. Cross-country skiers are thus regarded
as some of the fittest athletes in the world.
The com bination o f low risk o f injury
w ith sm o o th , d y n am ic m o v em en t also
makes cross-country skiing an ideal endeav
or for older ones. In some northern Euro
pean countries, it is very com m on to see in
dividuals in their senior years out for a ski.
Skiing generates a trem endous am ount of
body heat, so it is possible to be quite com
fortable in relatively cold conditions. On the
coldest of days, ski racers routinely com
pete in thin, one-piece racing outfits, often
w ithout gloves. N onprofessionals, however,
m ust take adequate care to
protect their extrem ities from
the cold. Experienced outdoor en
th u siasts gen erally d ress in layers,
starting with a woolen or synthetic un
derlayer and finishing w ith a w aterp ro o f
and w in d p ro o f o u te r shell. T his enables
them to regulate th eir body tem p eratu re
and personal com fort. They just remove or
add layers as needed. Wise parents do well
to make sure that their little ones are prop
erly attired, as childrens small bodies get
Awake! October 8, 2001
cold m uch quicker than adults. Since they
lose heat from their skin very rapidly, they
are susceptible to frostbite.
Add to Your W in te r E xp e rie n ce
If you can walk, you can ski is a com
m on c a tc h p h ra s e am ong c ro ss-c o u n try
skiers because the m ovem ents o f the sport
are so closely related to walking. W hile this
statem ent is true to some degree, m ost of us
would benefit imm ensely from an hour or
two spent with a qualified teacher. Ski cen
ters offer private or group lessons, and in a
short while, the novice can learn the fun
dam entals of skiing cross-countrycruising
the flats, skiing uphill, negotiating downhills
and, of course, stopping! Once shown these
basic skills, m ost people are equipped to go
out and tackle the terrain.
N othing hardens the m uscles and makes
the body so strong and elastic, said Fridtjof
N an sen in 1890 reg ard in g cro ss-co u n try
skiing. Perhaps you to o w ould enjoy the
sport. It could very well add excitem ent to
your w inter experience.
27
 runzona
Rain Forests
In India, rain forests were
known to exist only in the
southern state of Kerala. Re
cently, however, environmen
talist Saumyadeep Dutta dis
covered a 200-square-mile area
of rain forest bridging the
northeastern states of Assam
and Arunachal Pradesh, re
ports the New Delhi magazine
Down to Earth. The forest sup
ports a wide variety of wildlife
32 species of mammals and
260 species of birds, includ
ing rare species of elephant,
tiger and the clouded leop
ard, Chinese pangolin, sloth
bear, sambar, hoolock gibbons,
kalij pheasants, hornbills, and
wood ducks. Still, internation
al demand for forest products
threatens many rain forests,
notes Down to Earth. Some nat
uralists fear that if such prod
ucts become depleted through
overharvesting, rain forests
would no longer be conserved
but would merely be converted
to agricultural use.
The Roar of a Tiger
Why does the roar of a ti
ger seem to paralyze not only
other animals but also some
humans? Scientists from the
Fauna Communications Re
search Institute in North Car
olina, U.S.A., have established
that the tiger emits low-pitched
infrasound, a growl so deep
that it is inaudible to humans,
reports The Sunday Telegraph
of London. Humans can only
hear sound frequencies above
20 hertz (Hz), but the tiger
mixes infrasound growls at
28
18 Hz and below with the roar
that we can hear, and the re
sult, according to Elizabeth
von Muggenthaler, the presi
dent of the institute, is that hu
mans can actually feel the tiger
roar, a sensation that caus
es momentary paralysis, ex
plains the newspaper. Even
longtime tiger trainers have ex
perienced this phenomenon.
Tenderizing With Explosives
Cooks traditionally tender
ize tough meat by beating it
with a culinary hammer or by
adding a tenderizing powder
containing meat-softening en
zymes. Researchers in Mary
land, U.S.A., however, have
been conducting experiments
in tenderizing meat with pow
erful shock waves, reports New
Scientist magazine. The re
searchers place the meat on
a steel plate at the bottom of
a plastic garbage can that is
filled with water. They then set
off the equivalent of a quar
ter stick of dynamite inside the
can. The water transmits the
shock wave through the meat,
says the report, but the unfor
tunate garbage can gets blown
to smithereens. Besides ten
derizing the meat, the process
also destroys bacteria, such as
E. coli, that can cause food poi
soning. Still, as Randy Huff
Awake! October 8, 2001
man of the American Meat
Institute notes: The real chal
lenge will be getting this imple
mented in a real-world solu
tion.
Ships Spread Disease
Ballast water in ships is
spreading disease around the
world, threatening people, ani
mals and plant life, says The
Daily Telegraph of London.
Ships use ballast water as a sta
bilizer and discharge it at sea or
at ports of call. In the Unit
ed States, researchers from the
Smithsonian Environm ental
Research Center in Maryland
found that the ballast water
carried by ocean-going vessels
contains high numbers of bac
teria and viruses. The ballast
plankton of all 15 ships tested
in Chesapeake Bay contained
the bacterium that causes chol
era. Typically, one liter of bal
last contained about 830 mil
lion bacteria and 7,400 million
virusessix to eight times the
number of other organisms.
Too Many Toys
Children are losing the abil
ity to play properly because
they are being given too many
toys and games, according to
new research, reports The
Sunday Times of London. The
research was motivated in part
by concern in Britain that
childhood is being irrevocably
altered by parents substituting
toys, computers and television
for spending time with their
children. After studying 3,000
three- to five-year-olds, Profes
sor Kathy Sylva of Oxford Uni
versity concluded: When they
have a large number of toys
there seems to be a distraction
element, and when children are
distracted they do not learn or
play well.
Workplace Depression
In the workplace . . . anxi
ety, burnout and depression are
spiralling out of control, re
ports The Guardian of London.
According to the U N s Interna
tional Labour Organisation, up
to 3 out of every 10 employees
in the United Kingdom are ex
periencing mental-health prob
lems, and 1 in 10 workers in the
United States reportedly suf
fers from clinical depression.
Nearly 7 percent of early retire
ments in Germany are due to
depression. Over half of Fin
lands work force suffers from
stress-related symptoms. In Po
land, anxiety resulting from
soaring unemployment rates
increased by 50 percent in 1999,
while suicides also rose. The re
port predicts that with the con
tinued shift to new technolo
gies and management methods
in the workplace, depression
will grow dramatically. And it
warns that by 2020, stress and
mental disorders will overtake
road accidents, Aids and vio
lence as the primary cause of
lost working time.
The Soaring Cost o f Crime
Crime in England and
Wales is costing society 60bn
[$85 billion] a year, reports
The Independent of London.
This figure, described by the
Home Office as conservative,
represents 6.7 percent of the
gross domestic product o f
the nation. Murder and man
slaughter are by far the most
expensive crimes, costing the
country more than 1 million
[$1.4 million] each on average,
while other serious crimes of
violence average 19,000 [$27,-
000] each. Fraud and forgery
account for nearly a quarter of
the total cost. These figures do
not include the cost of the
fear of crime, the impact on the
families of victims, the money
spent by the Government on
crime prevention,... or the cost
of insurance claims, adds the
newspaper.
Weeds Better Than Pesticides
East African farmers are us
ing weeds instead of pesticides
to improve their crops of corn,
reports New Scientist magazine.
Corn farmers in East Africa
encounter two serious pests.
One is Striga, a parasitic plant
that destroys $10 billion worth
of corn crops yearly. Kenyan
researcher Ziadin Khan dis
covered that Striga refused
to grow if a weed called des-
modium was planted between
rows of corn. The other pest
is the larvae of the stem bor
er insect, which most years de
vour a third of the corn crop.
However, Khan has found that
stem borers prefer eating a lo
cal weed called napier grass.
By planting this weed in their
fields, farmers lure the insects
away from the corn. A sticky
substance produced by the
grass traps and kills the larvae.
Its better than pesticides, and
a lot cheaper, says Khan. And
Awake! October 8, 2001
it has raised farm yields round
here by 60 to 70 per cent.
Archaeologists Fraud
One of Japans top archae
ologists, who has been called
the divine digger because of his
seemingly amazing discoveries,
has been recorded cheating. A
video camera set up by the
Mainichi Shimbun newspaper
caught the archaeologist bury
ing stone artifacts at an archae
ological site before the digging
team arrived. Unable to deny
the evidence, the archaeologist
admitted burying items from
his own collection. Now, all the
results of his 30 years of work
are under review Book publish
ers expect to revise archaeolog
ical reference works and school
textbooks on this account.
Childhood Accidents
Accidents are the primary
cause of childhood deaths in
the worlds richest nations, ac
cording to a United Nations
Childrens Fund (U N IC EF)
study o f 26 countries. In
juries accounted for almost
40 percent of deaths of children
ages 1 to 14 in the countries
studied, amounting to some
20,000 fatalities each year, re
ports Japans Mainichi Daily
News. Factors that increase the
likelihood of childhood inju
ry include poverty, single par
ents bringing up children alone,
large families, and substance
abuse by parents. U N IC E F
urged that attention be given
to proven life-savers: helmets,
speed limits in heavily pop
ulated areas, child-safety seats
in cars, seat belts, child-safety
caps on medicine, smoke detec
tors in homes, and playground
safety standards.
29
 Com fort for the Sick I am 22 years old, and
I have suffered with a degenerative cancer
for m ost o f my life. I appreciated the cover
series Com fort for the Sick. (January 22,
2001) How comforting it was to know that
Jehovah understands the feelings of frustra
tion and anger that overwhelm me! I could
identify with William and Rose Meiners and
the m anner in which they dealt with their sit
uation. Jehovah knows how to sustain those
who love him!
A.C.C., Chile
Fire Extinguishers Thank you for the ar
ticle Fire! W hich Extinguisher Should You
Use? (January 22, 2001) Please send 130
copies of this issue so that we can distribute
them to each of our employees to take home
to their family.
D. E, United States
Thank you for your hard work on this arti
cle. There is no other 32-page magazine that
covers such a wide variety of helpful infor
mation. However, I would like to point out
that where you refer to a dry powder extin
guisher, I believe you m eant a dry chemi
cal extinguisher. Dry powder extinguishers,
which have a yellow star containing the let
ter ,can be used only for metal fires, where
D date at my age, since Im really not ready for
as dry chemical extinguishers can be used
for ABC or BC fires.
J. H., United States
Thank you for the clarification. In some lands
the term dry powder extinguishers includes
what are known in the United States as dry
chemical extinguishers. Since Awake!is an in
ternational magazine, it is inevitable that vari
ances in terminology will arise from time to
time. ED.
Too Young to Date? I really enjoyed the ar
ticle Young People A s k . . . W hat if My Par
30 Awake! October 8, 2001
ents Think Im Too Young to Date? (Janu
ary 22, 2001) I am 17 years old, and I have
come to the conclusion th at 1 am not yet
ready for marriage or to provide for a family.
This article helped me to think twice before
dating and also to use discernm ent when I
do decide one day to date and to marry.
A.M.H., United States
Being only 15 years old, the pressure I get
in high school to date can be very draining.
It is encouraging to know that I have sup
port from the Bible and from fellow C hris
tians. This helps me to remain firm in my
stand!
L. M., Canada
I could relate to the picture o f the two
youths talking on the phone because that
is where I could see myself going. I had to
cut off association with one person because
I know Im not ready to date. Articles like
this cheer me on in sticking to my decision to
wait.
M.R.C., United States
I am 14 years old. T h is a rtic le really
helped me to understand how risky it is to
marriage. The article helped me to see the
need to work on my relationship with Jeho
vah right now rather than pursue a romance.
A. P, Canada
It seems that this article was written just
for me. I thought that my parents were too
strict with me and did not understand my
feelings. Now I understand that they are do
ing everything possible to help and protect
me. I cant wait to read future Young Peo
ple Ask articles!
H. E., Romania
The T R E E That Wakes Up Early
N LATE January or early February, many of
I the terraced hillsides of Israel are dramati
cally transformed. Awakening from their win
ter sleep, almond trees burst into bloom. Since it
is one of the earliest trees to do so, the almond
usually has the stage to itself. Its white and pink
blossoms grace the wintry countryside, remind
ing us of Solomons words at Ecclesiastes 12:5.
There he compares the white hair of old age to
the almond tree that carries blossoms.
In view of the almonds precocious bloom, the
Hebrew word for almond appropriately has the lit
eral meaning awakening one." It has thus been
used in the Bible in a number of powerful illustra
tions. For example, the prophet Jeremiah saw in
vision an offshoot, or branch, of an almond tree.
What did it represent? I am keeping awake con
cerning my word in order to carry it out," Jehovah
told him. (Jeremiah 1:11,12) Of course, Jehovah
never tires out, nor does he sleep. But his words
emphasized his desire to finish his work Isaiah
40:28.
Centuries before Jeremiahs day, a flower
ing almond rod was used to identify the
one whom Jehovah had appointed as
high priest. A rod for each one of - I ing. This attractive tree reminds
the 12 tribes of Israel was de
posited before Jehovah in the
tent of meeting. The following
morning Aarons almond rod
had not only flowered miraculously but also pro
duced ripe almonds! This almond rod was kept in
side the ark of the covenant for a while as a sign
to the nation that they should never again mur
mur against Jehovahs appointed representatives.
Numbers 16:1-3,10; 17:1-10; Hebrews 9:4.
Jehovah desired that representations of the al
monds beautiful blooms embellish the seven-
branched golden lampstand that illuminated the
Holy Place of the tabernacle. According to the
description that Moses recorded, three cups
shaped like flowers of almond were on the one
set of branches, with knobs and blossoms alter
nating; and three cups shaped like flowers of al
mond were on the other set of branches, with
knobs and blossoms alternating. That is the way
it was for the six branches running out from the
lampstand. And on the lampstand there were
four cups shaped like flowers of almond, with its
knobs and its blossoms alternating." Exodus 37:
19, 20.
Although the Bible makes few references to
the almond tree, it does draw our at
tention to its beautiful white
blossoms and its early awaken-
us, above all, that Jehovah will
not rest until he has accom
plished his purpose Isa-
Is iah 55:11.
44 DID not want to continue to be a burden on my family, so I decid-
I ed that suicide would be the answer." So writes a man in Nepal.
He continues: I prepared a rope and decided the place and date.
But just a week before that day, I received the February 22, 2000, issue
of A w a k e !
The cover series for that issue was Suicide Who Are Most at Risk?"
The man writes: It took all my strength to pick it up and all the cour
age I had to read it. The explanation of the ten risk factors for
suicide deeply impressed me and made me change my
mind. He concluded: I cannot hold back from ex
pressing my appreciation for what you have
done for me. Your work of writing this article
saved my life!