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.

Saint Valentine's Day

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

During that time period, lovers sang or spoke their sentiments. Paper and written Valentines became popular at the end of the 15th Century. The oldest Valentine that exists today was made during this era and is on display in the British Museum.

In early years Valentine cards were handmade. However, during the 1800’s Valentines began to be manufactured in factories. In the beginning they were handpainted by the workers and came only in black and white, similar to silhouettes. Fancy Valentines of the day were made of ribbon and lace. Paper lace was not introduced until the mid 1800’s. By the end of the 19th Century, Valentines were made by machine and handmade cards became very rare.

Burns Supper

Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, was born in Ayrshire, in 1759. Scotland's best loved bard is famous for his political views, revolutionary behaviour, his love for the lassies and of course his world famous songs and poems including Auld Lang Syne, which is generally sung as a folk song at Hogmanay and other New Year celebrations around the world.

Although Burns lived a short life, dying at the age of 37, it was fulfilling and eventful. Starting out as a farmer then moving on to become a writer, Burns travelled throughout Scotland where he gathered inspiration for much of his work. The stunning Ayrshire scenery and the romantic setting of Dumfries helped provide the insight for compiling much of his romantic material.

The first suppers were held in Ayrshire at the end of the 18th century by his friends on the anniversary of his death, 21 July, and they have been a regular occurrence ever since. The first Burns club, known as The Mother Club, was founded in Greenock in 1801 by merchants born in Ayrshire, some of whom had known Burns. They held the first Burns Supper on what they thought was his birthday on 29 January 1802, but in 1803 discovered from the Ayr parish records that the correct date was 25 January 1759, and since then suppers have been held to 25 January, Burns' birthday.

Suppers may be formal or informal but they should always be entertaining. When the cook brings in the haggis, everyone stands, while a piper plays bagpipes and leads the way to the host's table, where the haggis is laid down. The host, or perhaps one of the guests, then recites the Address To a Haggis.

At the end of the poem, a whisky toast will be proposed to the haggis. Then the company will sit and enjoy the meal. The main course is traditionally served with mashed potatoes (tatties) and mashed neeps (known in England as swede but in Scotland as turnip, or in North America as rutabaga and turnip). A dessert course, cheese courses, coffee, etc. may also be part of the meal.