There is a Hindu legend about a woman named Holika, who was the sister of a demon king called Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu had been granted immortality, and he was told he could not be killed by either animals or humans, indoors or outdoors, during the day or at night, on land, water or in the air, or by either projectiles or handheld weapons.
Hiranyakashipu allowed his powers go to his head. He would kill anyone who disobeyed him. He discovered his son, Prahlad, planned to kill him, to put a stop to his excesses. Hiranyakashipu concocted a plan with Holika to kill Prahlad, but the plan failed.
At this point the Hindu Lord Vishnu intervened. Appearing in the form of Narasimha, who was half-human and half-lion, Vishnu met the demon king on a doorstep, at dusk, placed him on his lap, and killed him with his lion claws. He had circumvented all five of the demon king’s powers.
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照片:法新社
The legend is widely regarded as the origin of the ancient Hindu festival of Holi, known as the “festival of colors.” Hiranyakashipu and Holika represented evil; Prahlad and Vishnu represented good. The Holi festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring — therefore the beginning of the year — and a chance to forgive, forget and start anew. The date is decided according to the Hindu calendar. This year it fell on March 1.
(Paul Cooper, taipei times)
在印度神話中,霍莉卡相傳是魔王希蘭亞卡西普的妹妹。希蘭亞卡西普曾被賜予永生,並且被告知說:無論是動物還是人類,無論在室內或室外,無論是白天或黑夜,無論在陸地上、水裡、還是空中,無論是用投石機還是手持武器,都無法將希蘭亞卡西普殺死。
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照片:法新社
希蘭亞卡西普逐漸變得權慾薰心,甚至隨意殺死任何不服從命令的人。某天,他發現自己的兒子普拉訶羅陀計畫殺死他,以阻止他無法無天的行徑。希蘭亞卡西普於是與其妹霍莉卡密謀暗殺普拉訶羅陀,只是計畫以失敗告終。
就在此刻,大神毗濕奴決定介入這場紛爭。毗濕奴以半人半獅的「那羅希摩」之形,於薄暮中現身,在門檻處一把攫起希蘭亞卡西普,在膝蓋上用獅子的利爪殺死魔王。毗濕奴以智取勝,完全抑制魔王的特殊能力。
這段傳說故事被廣泛視為古老印度節慶「灑紅節」(又稱「色彩節」)的起源。希蘭亞卡西普與霍莉卡代表邪惡的一方,而普拉訶羅陀和毗濕奴則代表正義。灑紅節彰顯出正義戰勝邪惡,同時宣告春天的來臨──也就是一年的初始──是人們原諒、遺忘、重新開始的好時機。灑紅節的日期由印度曆法決定,今年落在三月一日。
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
(台北時報章厚明譯)
A: Wow, three Taiwanese restaurants just won the 2024 “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” awards. B: Awesome! Which three restaurants? A: Taipei’s Logy at No. 22 and MUME at No. 34, and Taichung’s JL Studio at No. 33. B: Actually, there are many more great establishments in Taipei. How about other Asian cities? A: Singapore claimed nine spots this year, making it Asia’s new “food capital.” A: 2024「亞洲50最佳餐廳」名單揭曉了,台灣有3家餐廳上榜。 B: 好厲害,哪3家? A: 台北的Logy和MUME分獲第22和34名,台中的JL Studio獲第33名! B: 其實台北還有很多好餐廳,那其他的亞洲城市呢? A: 新加坡今年入選9家,可說是亞洲美食之都。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Let’s explore another delicacy primarily known to Tainan locals: floating milkfish in thick soup. Despite its peculiar name, this dish is another Tainan specialty that showcases the popularity of milkfish, which is made into fish paste and served in thick soup. Unlike the version with tutuo fish, which also adds other ingredients to its thick soup, the floating milkfish version primarily features the “floating fish” itself in its thick soup, ensuring that the fish paste remains the star of the dish. 讓我們來探索另一道台南人熟悉的美食:浮水魚羹。這道菜名奇特的美食,再再展現了台南虱目魚料理的多樣。浮水魚羹是用虱目魚漿做成的羹品,雖然和𩵚魠魚羹一樣是羹湯,但不像𩵚魠魚羹會在湯中加入其他食材,而是讓虱目魚漿成為這道料理的主角。 peculiar (adj.) 獨特的;古怪的 The belly of a milkfish is considered the most
The practice of freezing embryos as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF) was thrown into chaos in Alabama this year, when the state supreme court ruled that such embryos should be considered children, exposing clinics to wrongful death claims in the event they are destroyed in the thawing process. In 2021, more than 80 percent of US IVF procedures involved the transfer of frozen embryos, according to a recent report by the US Department of Health and Human Services. HOW IS EMBRYO FREEZING USED IN IVF? IVF uses high doses of hormones to stimulate ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible. Once
A situation puzzle is a game in which one person describes a scenario and asks the players to explain it. The situation is deliberately lacking in details, but the players may acquire more information by asking questions — however, these can only be answered with “yes” or “no.” A player wins by describing the approximate events that led up to the situation. To do so, they must use a blend of logical and lateral thinking. A famous example of this is sometimes known as “Turtle Soup.” Here’s the riddle: “A man in a restaurant orders turtle soup, tastes it