It's autumn!

Why those gloomy faces? We know, we know, summer is gone, but, c'mon, autumn is equally awesome!!

Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in March (Southern Hemisphere) or September (Northern Hemisphere,when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.

The word autumn comes from the old French word autompne (automne in modern French), and was later normalised to the original Latin word autumnus. There are rare examples of its use as early as the 12th century, but it only became common by the 16th century.

Before the 16th century, harvest was the term usually used to refer to the season. However, as more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns (especially those who could read and write, the only people whose use of language we now know), the word harvest lost its reference to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual activity of reaping, and autumn began to replace it as a reference to the season.

In poetry, autumn has often been associated with melancholy. The possibilities of summer are gone, and the chill of winter is on the horizon. Skies turn grey, and people turn inward, both physically and mentally.

Yes, yes, all that's true, but what about the magnificent colours of the landscape? and who hasn't enjoyed kicking and shuffling through the fallen leaves? and, of course, Hallowe'en!!

MagicFest!

The Edinburgh International Magic Festival is a not-for-profit organisation designed to produce an annual international performance event which will start in July 2010 and will be different to anything present in the UK and Europe today.

The fascinating world of mystery and illusion has always been attractive to a wide audience of all ages as it captures people's imagination and challenges them to believe the unbelievable. The MagicFest is designed to bring back to the stage the amazing magic live shows which are rarely available for general public these days and let the audience rediscover the seldom experienced states of awe and wonderment!

Edinburgh International Magic Festival aims to engage the widest possible audience in the fascinating world of magic, providing adults and children with regular access to a diverse range of high quality magic shows coming from all over the UK and abroad, that will entertain, enrich, challenge and inspire them.

This professionals usuall perform only in front of celebs and Royalty, and most have never performed publically in Scotland before and may never again. So do come and be amazed at the first ever Edinburgh International Magic Festival, from 7 to 11 July.

No stooges. No camera tricks. Just like that.

Gormley statues in the Water of Leith!!

6 Times is a multi-part work by Antony Gormley which positions six life-size figures between the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the sea at Edinburgh’s Leith Docks.

Gormley is an internationally acclaimed British artist renowned for testing the body in space often using his own body as a particular example of the human condition that he can work on ‘from the inside’. Gormley has worked extensively across the world, from Stavanger in Norway to the western Australian desert. In the UK he is best known for the impressive Angel of the North at Gateshead, and for the 100 figures he has installed across Crosby Beach, near Liverpool.

6 Times is the first work from the National Galleries of Scotland’s collection to be physically shared with the city. The positioning of the figures across Edinburgh places contemporary art near to communities who may have had little opportunity to experience such work directly.

The first is buried chest-deep in the ground. The next four have been lowered into the Water of Leith as it winds its way through the city to the sea, and the final statue is at the end of an abandoned pier.

The figures in the river are so realistic, that police have already had calls from worried passers-by!!

The artist said the high-pressure density of modern urban life made it "vital to take the time and space to open up our minds to the elements". According to him, "We are all aware that we are coming to the point where there will be 10 billion human beings on this planet. The big question that I'm asking with all of these works is, where does the human project fit, in the scheme of things?".

The work has been commissioned by the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, with funds from the Gulbenkian Museum of the Year award 2004 and support from the Art Fund, The Patrons of the National Galleries of Scotland, Claire Enders and The Henry Moore Foundation.

Taste Festival

Taste Festivals are back for 2010 in London, Edinburgh and Birmingham. You can once more sample specially prepared delicacies from some of the very best restaurants in your city of choice. There will also be sommeliers on hand to help you pick out the perfect bottle of bubbly or whatever tipple takes your fancy. The producers' market will be bursting with fine fayre, and there will be a whole host of classes, demonstrations, music and merriment.

So, Taste of Edinburgh is Scotland’s sell-out food and drink event of the year. Hosted in Edinburgh’s stunning Inverleith Park, the event brings together the leading names from the capital’s eateries alongside an array of celebrity chefs, to offer the finest range of food and drink from across the country.

But not everything is designed for adults. There are even special activities for the wee ones. We are calling on all yummy mummies and delicious daddies to come along to Tiny Taste on Friday 28 May between 12–4 pm for some bite sized fun for little ones.

For the first time we will be cooking up some fun filled activities for little ones with the launch of ‘Tiny Taste’ at this year’s festival, and to celebrate the first 300 tots to pay a visit will get a special goodie bag too.

Designed to keep the whole family happy, Tiny Taste combines a mix of interactive cooking demos, quizzes, storytelling and tasty treats, all centred around miniature play kitchens – just right for budding gastronomists!

Come and enjoy!

inlingua Congress 2010

inlingua Edinburgh is delighted to host this year's annual inlingua international congress from 12-15 May.

inlingua colleagues from all over the world meet every year to strengthen their network and discuss new material, current situations and future opportunities during this 4 day event.

Past host cities included Istanbul, Vancouver and Lausanne, and this year's is Edinburgh's turn.

Highlights of the congress include excursions to a whisky distillery, a private stately home, an evening reception at inlingua Edinburgh for about 120+ participants and the final Gala Evening with a Scottish touch, be it traditional Scottish fayre with a modern twist, a bagpiper, the famous Address to the Haggis, iconic kilts and a fabulous Ceilidh band.

We hope our colleagues will have an unforgettable 43rd annual congress in Edinburgh!!

Haste ye back!

Rolling of the eggs

The pre-Christian Saxons had a spring goddess called Eostre, whose feast was held on the Vernal Equinox, around 21 March. Her animal was the spring hare and the rebirth of the land in spring was symbolised by the egg.

Pope Gregory the Great ordered his missionaries to use old religious sites and festivals and absorb them into Christian rituals where possible. The Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ was ideally suited to be merged with the Pagan feast of Eostre and many of the traditions were adopted into the Christian festivities. In Great Britain, Germany and other countries children traditionally rolled eggs down hillsides at Easter and it is thought that this may have become symbolic of the rolling away of the rock from Jesus Christ’s tomb before his resurrection.

In the UK, the tradition of rolling decorated eggs down grassy hills goes back hundreds of years and is known as "pace-egging", from the Old English Pasch meaning Passover. There is even an old Lancashire legend that says the broken eggshells should be carefully crushed afterwards or they will be stolen and used as boats by witches.

Arthur's Seat, in Edinburgh, is one of the traditional egg rolling sites, alongside the castle moat at Penrith and Bunkers Hill in Derby. Beacon Hill near Newbury, Berkshire is also an ideal spot. The eggs were traditionally wrapped in onion skins and boiled to give them a mottled gold appearance (although today they are usually painted) and the children competed to see who could roll their egg the furthest.

The eggs were eaten on Easter Sunday or given out to pace-eggers – fantastically dressed characters that processed through the streets singing traditional pace-egging songs and collecting money as a tribute before performing traditional mumming plays.

Snowdrop Festival 2010

If you think there's only music and theatre festivals in Scotland, you'd better think twice. Today, we are taking you to a very spacial festival organised around one truly beautiful feature of our landscape: the snowdrop.

The large specialist collection of these delicate flowers will be on display at the Scottish Snowdrop Festival between 1 February and 15 March.

Enjoy beautiful gardens, magnificent castles, stately homes and local exhibitions or simply step into nature and wander through the woodland. You should tread carefully and keep your eyes peeled for snowdrops, little winter gems that surface towards the end of the season when hopes of spring are in the air. Find sites to explore in both city and rural locations. These flowers are delicate yet hardy, and are able to thrive in this cold climate.

Just get in out in the snow-dusted landscapes and treat yourself afterwards to a hot drink and a traditional shortbread buiscuit or cake in one of our lovely tearooms. Quite simply a perfect winter day out.