In British and Irish tradition, the quarter days were the four dates in each year on which servants were hired, school terms started, rents were due. They fell on four religious festivals three months apart and close to the two solstices and two equinoxes; the significance of quarter days is now limited, although leasehold payments and rents for land and premises in England are still due on the old English quarter days. The quarter days have been observed at least since the Middle Ages, they ensured that debts and unresolved lawsuits were not allowed to linger on. Accounts had to be settled, a reckoning had to be publicly recorded on the quarter days; the English quarter days are Lady Day Midsummer Day Michaelmas Christmas Lady Day was the first day of the year in British dominions until 1752. The British tax year still starts on "Old" Lady Day; the dates of the quarter days observed in northern England until the 18th century were the same as those in Scotland. The cross-quarter days are four holidays falling in between the quarter days: Candlemas, May Day and All Hallows.
The Scottish term days, which fulfil a similar role as days on which rents are paid, correspond more to the cross-quarter days than to the English quarter days. There is a mnemonic for remembering on which day of the month the first three quarter-days fall: Every quarter day is twenty-something, the second digit of the day of the month is the number of letters in the month's name. So March has five letters and Lady Day is 25 March. At many schools, class terms would begin on the quarter days. Prior to the Christianization of Ireland in the 5th century AD, the Celtic quarter days were observed: Lughnasadh Samhain Imbolc Beltaine These are now called cross-quarter days since they fall about halfway into each of the English quarters; the "Old Scottish term days" corresponded to the old Celtic quarter days: Candlemas Whitsunday Lammas Martinmas. These were the dates of the Quarter Days observed in northern England until the 18th century; the dates for removals and for the employment of servants of Whitsunday and Martinmas were changed in 1886 to 28 May and 28 November respectively.
The Term and Quarter Days Act 1990 redefined the "Scottish term days", in official use, as 28 February, May and November respectively. The Act specifies that the new dates take effect on 13 June 1991; the new Scottish Term and Quarter Days: 28 February 28 May 28 August 28 November Ember days Term and Quarter Days Act 1990
Timothy Michael "Tim" Cosgrove was a Democratic member of the Utah State House of Representatives, representing the 44th District from 2005 through 2014. Born November 26, 1965, Cosgrove is a graduate of Weber State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science, he earned his Master of Arts in Political Management from George Washington University. He lives in Murray, Utah with his wife Diane and four children and works as a child advocate. Representative Cosgrove was first elected to the Utah State Legislature in 2004 and has served continuously since then. In March 2014 he announced, his committee assignments. Representative Cosgrove floor sponsored an additional two bills during the 2014 General Session, his affiliations include: Child Advocate of the Year, Prevent Child Abuse Utah Outstanding Efforts Promoting Child Health and Safety, Utah Nurses Association Outstanding Legislative Efforts to Save Lives, Utah Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services Utah State PTA Health Commissioner Utah State PTA Legislative Action Committee
The Green Serpent, is a French fairy tale written by Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy, popular in its day and representative of European folklore, published in her book New Tales, or Fairies in Fashion, in 1698. The serpent is representative of a European dragon, his description is: "he has green wings, a many-coloured body, ivory jaws, fiery eyes, long, bristling hair." The Green Dragon is a handsome king placed under a spell for seven years by Magotine, a wicked fairy. In many ways the tale is based on the story of Eros and Psyche, to which the narration pays conscious homage when referring to the "discovery" of the Green Dragon; this story begins with a celebration feast for two twin princesses, who would be named Laidronette and Bellotte. The King and Queen forgot to invite Magotine, the older sister of Carabosse. Magotine was the oldest and most wicked fairy; when she found out about the party, she was so furious for not being invited that she placed a spell on Laidronette that turns her into the ugliest woman in the world.
The other fairies intercede and persuade Magotine to stop before she has cast a similar spell on Bellotte. Years pass by. Laidronette grows lonely, she asks to live in a tower. However one day she roams outside, the Green Serpent sees her and begins to take an interest in her, she is terrified of the Green Serpent at first sight and flees from him, accidentally gets swept out to sea. The Green Serpent appears swimming alongside her boat, she nearly dies in the ocean. When Laidronette gains consciousness she finds she has been saved and taken to be the guest of an unknown king in a far away kingdom; the Green Serpent's identity as the spell-bound king is revealed to the readers. However, Laidronnette does not learn this secret. All she knows is that an unseen king is taking good care of her; the serpent starts talking to her at night, is such a good companion over the years she falls in love with his conversation, sight unseen, they get married. The Green Serpent king convinces his wife to wait until the end of the seven-year period, to see what he looks like, or else his wicked enchantment in the form of a dragon will start all over again.
Laidronette compares her own marriage with that of Eros and Psyche in Greek Mythology, tries to resist being "like Psyche" by waiting patiently for seven years. However, like Psyche, she is convinced by her family to take one look at her husband; when Laidronette discovers he is the same Green Serpent she once was so afraid of, war breaks out in the kingdom, Magotine ruins the kingdom. The Green Serpent is sent into Hades while Laidronette is taken to become Magotine's prisoner and servant; the serpent sends a good fairy to assist Laidronette in difficult trials that Magotine thinks up. In one of Laidronette's errands as a servant, she finds the "waters of discernment" and when she drinks it, she becomes wiser, when she splashes it on her face, her ugliness vanishes and she regains her natural beauty; the good fairy sends Laidronette into an enchanted forest to hide for several years. However when a period of time or imprisonment for the Green Serpent has come to an end, Laidronette returns to Magotine and Magotine tells her to go into Hades and get her the "water of life."
Laidronette goes. The personification of "Love" comes to assist Laidronette in going down into Hades and speaking to Prosperina, reminding her, where her husband is held captive. Once she goes into Hades, "Love" restores the dragon back to his original human form. After Laidronette and her husband are united in Hades, "Love" brings the couple back to Magotine, forces Magotine to break her spells, sends the couple back to Laidronette's homeland. In the end, a moral is given: Love is said to be stronger than Magotine; the SurLaLune Fairy Tale Pages - The Green Serpent