Tag Archives: history

Wales in Rugby – A History of The Six Nations Championship

 

With the Six Nations Championships now well underway for the 2015 season, Welsh rugby union fans’ confidence will be riding high in anticipation of a successful campaign, undoubtedly matched by a steely determination to win back the title after losing grasp last year. The welsh team have an enviable record in the competition having won outright twenty six times since in all and winning jointly on a further nine occasions.

In actual fact, Wales did not feature in the predecessor to the current competition which featured only two teams – England and Scotland – when they played the first international rugby union match in 1871. With the inauguration of the Calcutta Cup in 1879 as the prize for the winners of sporadic matches between the two countries, the appetite to participate in international rugby union grew in Wales (as well as in the other Home Nations) and in 1883 the Home International Championship was launched, featuring England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.

The Welsh team enjoyed early success in the competition and came to be the dominant force in the final years of the competition, winning six out of the last ten championships in the first decade of the 20th century. With a surge in popularity of rugby union on the continent, France was admitted to the competition in 1910 and the Five Nations was born, although the advent of World War in 1914 led the tournament to be suspended for the duration of hostilities and for two further years beyond.

With allegations of financial mismanagement, the French were ejected from the competition in 1931, with the five Home Countries continuing to compete until world war intervened for a second time and the tournament was suspended again. On its resurrection in 1947, France returned to the fold and the Five Nations resumed, although this time the French proved to be a formidable competitor, winning a string of titles over the next two decades. Welsh dominance in the 1970s, in particular, proved that the Red Dragons were anything but a bit part player.

For the best part of half a century the format of the Five Nations remained unchanged until Italy’s admission in 2000 led to the tournament being renamed the Six Nations Championship. With Wales cementing their reputation as a rugby union powerhouse through continued success in the competition, fans will be passionately urging their team to reclaim the title at the end of the 2015 season.

Have Yourself a Very Welsh Christmas – Past Celebrations of Christmas in Wales

In Wales on Christmas morning, it was traditional for men to go to church very early to sing in harmony and welcome in the dawn with a service that would go on for 3 hours. They would then go home and begin the day of feasting and drinking. This tradition called Plygain is being revived in some parts of Wales and can now be enjoyed by both women and men. Families would wait up together for Plygain and whilst waiting would make taffy – a special kind of toffee. This is called Noson Gyflaith.

Many Welsh traditions actually pre-date Christmas itself. A well known one of these is Mari Lwyd, which is Welsh for Grey Mare. In December or on New Year’s Day, a horse’s skull is decorated with bells and ribbons plus false ears. A sheet is used to represent the body of the mare. People then take the Mari Lwyd around the neighbourhood calling on local households. The residents are challenged to a battle of wits using Welsh verse. After the battle, which is called pwnco in Welsh, the visitors are then invited in to refresh themselves with drinks. This led to the tradition being associated with drunkenness, which led to the tradition dying out in some areas during more austere periods. Mari Lwyd is still celebrated though in some parts of Wales, in particular in Llangynwyd on each New Year’s Day.

A very popular New Year’s custom in Wales was to give a gift, called a Calennig. Much like modern day trick or treating, children would go from door to door with symbols of good luck such as skewered apples plus evergreen twigs and a cup of water from the local well. They use the twigs to splash people with the water and are given the calennig as a present. This would often be small coins. This tradition has mostly died out but in some places children still call door to door to be given gifts of money.

5 Strange Christmas Traditions From Around The World

Whatever your thoughts are on Christmas it can’t be ignored and is all about celebrating with family and friends, giving and receiving gifts. Whilst Christmas is a Christian festival, you will find some extremely bizarre international customs. Here are 5 Strange Christmas Traditions From Around The World.

 

The Ukrainian spider tradition

If you are Ukrainian, seeing a spider on the morning of Christmas is considered lucky. As a result, instead of tinsel on Christmas trees in Ukraine, they are covered with cobwebs and artificial spiders. This is certainly not the best place to be for arachnophobia sufferers.

The KFC Japanese Christmas

This started off as just a marketing campaign for the Colonel about 40 years ago. Since the initial promotion in Japan, Christmas celebrations would not be complete without visiting a KFC fast food store. These days during the festive celebrations almost a quarter of a million barrels of chicken will be consumed.

The Remembrance Christmas

On a more sombre note, if you live in Finland, then this is a time of year to visit the graves of family ancestors, and light candles in their memory. Christmas eve sees cemeteries all over Finland lit up with candles, which is an unforgettable sight.

The Italian Befana

The Italians have Santa Claus but also cling on to a much older tradition called the Befana. The Befana is a good, but ugly witch, that delivers candy and small toys to well behaved children, who leave their stockings out to be filled. Watch out, however, if you have been bad, because she will fill up your socks with coal, and leave you crying.

The Spanish ‘pooping’ log

In the Catalonian region of Spain, the Caga Tio is a long established traditional method of giving gifts to children. The Caga Tio, which is a hollow log with a smiling face, quite literally means ‘pooping log.’ From December 8, the log is placed by the warm fireplace, covered in a blanket and treated like a family pet. It rewards the family by ‘pooping-out’ gifts.

The Surprising History of Slot Machines

Slots are a popular casino game and one of the simplest to play, with the spin of the wheels for a small investment providing the chance to win big. This type of gambling game has been around for many years now and its history goes all the way back to the end of the 19th century.

The Beginning

The evolution of slots started with simple machines that were based around poker and had playing cards on the wheels. However, the development of the first three-wheel slot machine that was recognizable in comparison to what can be found in casinos today is attributed to Charles Fey of San Francisco. He put together a mechanical device in the mid-1890s, which was known as the Liberty Bell because this was the symbol that gave the top payout. Unlike previous machines, Fey’s incorporated an automatic payout system based on the combination of symbols showing on the winning line and this helped his machine become a huge success.

 

Getting Fruity

This encouraged others to get involved in the business during the early 20th century, with Chicago-based Herbert Mills being one of these. He is the man generally credited with introducing many of the fruit symbols that are so familiar on today’s machines. State gambling legislation against the use of these first slot machines led to payouts other than cash to get around the laws banning them. Many offered the chance to win chewing gum or food to the players pulling the handle.

Mechanical Rise

The rise of mechanical slot machines continued until the early 1960s when Bally Manufacturing produced the first electronic versions of the game. These machines were operated by pushing a button rather than pulling a handle and the technology made them much more secure. This allowed the introduction of bigger payouts, which helped the slot industry grow. Video machines were developed in the mid 1970s by the Fortune Coin Company, with these first introduced in the gambling mecca of Las Vegas. This technology enabled 5, 7, and even more reels to be played, and video technology has become the industry standard for the slot machines that are played today.

Fortune Cookies – The Confusing Origin

The simple, crispy treat containing that mysterious message is the perfect end to your Chinese meal. But, just how Chinese is the fortune cookie?

Some claim that the true origin of the little cake with a message is in fact Japanese. Others notice that citizens of China neither eat fortune cookies nor recognise them as authentic Chinese food.

It seems that a Chinese immigrant in California, called Jung, produced cookies in 1918 and placed uplifting biblical messages inside. The cookies were given away to unemployed men, thus feeding the body and the mind. Modern fortune cookies are mass-produced, and contain a greater variety of messages such as philosophy, jokes and even lottery numbers which some people find deeply meaningful.

Whether of Chinese, Japanese or American origins, the little cookie still maintains its mystery.

Boxing Clever in Wales – Welsh Boxing Heroes

Wales has a rich boxing history, with many of Britain’s greatest fighters originating in the Principality.

One iconic boxer from Cardiff was Jim Driscoll, a child of Irish parents, who won the Lonsdale Belt in 1910. A featherweight, Driscoll grew up in grinding poverty in the Newtown district of Cardiff.

An interesting figure in Welsh boxing is former pro and now media pundit Nicky Piper. A highly educated man, Piper is also a member of Mensa, confounding the stereotype about punch-drunk fighters being barely articulate people.

More recently, Joe Calzaghe, the son of a Sardinian father and Welsh mother, has emerged as one of Welsh boxing’s true heroes. He retired in 2009, having finished his career with no professional defeats. His record of 46 bouts, no defeats and 32 wins by knockout is one of which any professional fighter would be very proud.

The History of Cardiff Castle

Situated in the heart of the city, Cardiff Castle is one of Wales’ most famous and historical sites.

The castle is located on land which was once home to a Roman Fort, but the structure you see today traces much of its history back to the 11th century when the Normans established their presence in Wales.

Historians are unsure if the castle was constructed under the orders of William the Conqueror after he had returned from a journey to St David’s or Robert Fitzhamon, the lord of Gloucester. One thing that is for certain is that this is a place of great beauty and historical significance.

Many people have owned the castle through the ages, but two of the most significant were the 2nd and 3rd Marquesses of Bute. The 2nd Marquess was responsible for turning Cardiff into a leading exporter of coal, while his son was reportedly the wealthiest man in the world during the 1860s.

During the third Marquess’s occupancy, many new areas were added to castle, including the 150ft clock tower, the stunning Arab Room and the main banqueting hall.

The castle has belonged to the city of Cardiff since 1947 and, as well as servicing as a museum, now hosts a number of social events, including rock concerts.

The Premier League – A History

The Premier League was officially founded in 1992, after all clubs in the old First Division resigned from the Football League and joined the breakaway division. Since that time, the Premier League has functioned as the highest level of professional football in England.

One of the main reasons behind the new league was commercial independence from the Football Association. This allowed the Premier League to negotiate its own television and sponsorship deals, providing more money for clubs to compete with the biggest teams in Europe.

Initially, 22 clubs competed in the Premier League, although this was reduced to 20 teams ahead of the 1995-96 campaign.

Manchester United were crowned as the first Premier League champions in the 1992-93 season and they are the most successful team in the league’s history, winning it a total of 13 times.

In 2003-04, Arsenal made history, becoming the first team to complete an entire Premier League season without losing a match. The following year, Chelsea were crowned as champions and set various records, including the highest points total and the fewest goals conceded.

Casinos – A History

Gambling dates back as far as cavemen watching rain drops trickle down a cave wall but Casinos are far more modern. Taking the definition to mean a building specifically used for the purpose of gambling the first known example is found in Venice, Italy in 1638. There, the Ridotto was set up to provide a home for gambling during the Carnival Season. This is also where the name ‘casino’ came from, derived from the Italian ‘casa’ meaning house.

A taste for gambling spread to France where games of Baccarat and Roulette were invented which gave the House an edge and ensured the casino business prospered.

Oppressive legislation lead to more liberal neighbours supplying the demand for casinos and Monte Carlo took the lead in Europe while Nevada thanked the rest of the USA for its trade boom.

Valentine’s Day Special – The Suit of Hearts

Ah, Valentine’s day, the most romantic day of the year. And what’s more romantic than the symbol of a heart? Well, in playing cards, it’s not symbolic of just love.

Card suits have a long and disputed history. There are many different theories linking certain suits to certain meanings. The original french deck of cards, which closely resemble a modern day deck, was said to have split their suits into different parts of society.

Where other suits spanned knights and peasants, hearts are thought to have been representative of the clergy. Clergy were often seen as charitable, loving people. From that, the suit of hearts was often seen to symbolise three important things; God, charity and love.

Although we don’t quite have that same idea about the suit of hearts any more, I’m pretty sure most of us have fallen in love with an ace at some point.

We at Les Croupiers wish you a happy Valentine’s day, regardless if you’re setting up romantic plans or a blow out singles party. Have fun!