In ancient Rome, a festival called the Tiberinalia was held on this date. It was to commemorate the River Tiber in Rome. 10 things you might not know about the river Tiber.
The river may have got its name from a legendary king who drowned in it. Before the incident, the river was known as the River Albula, but when this king, Tiberinus, met his end there, it became known as the Tiber. An alternative theory is that it was named after the town of Tivoli, which was known as “Tibur” in ancient times.
The river is 406 km (252 miles) long, making it the third longest river in Italy.
The source of the Tiber is two springs 10 m (33 ft) away from each other in a forest of beech trees on Mount Fumaiolo. The springs are known as Le Vene. At this spot, Benito Mussolini had an antique marble Roman column built in the 1930s, with an eagle on top and the inscription “Qui nasce il fiume sacro ai destini di roma” (Here is born the river / sacred to the destinies of Rome).
The Tiber was critically important to Roman trade and commerce as long ago as the fifth century BC, when ships could reach as far as 100 km (60 mi) upriver. An important port and military base was established at Ostia. However, over the years, silting made the river less and less navigable despite the best efforts of various emperors, so the port moved to Fiumicino.
The Tiber is famous for being the river which flows through Rome, which was founded on its eastern banks. According to legend, Rome's founders, the twin brothers Romulus and Remus, were abandoned on the river and rescued from it by the she-wolf, Lupa.
There are 26 Bridges crossing the river in Rome. These include the Milvian Bridge, founded in the 1st century as part of the ancient Roman Road, Via Flaminia; and Ponte Sisto, a pedestrian bridge which was built in medieval times and dedicated to Pope Sixtus IV.
Also in Rome, there is one island, Isola Tiberina (Tiber Island), located on the southern bend of the river. The island is boat-shaped, approximately 270 metres (890 feet) long and 67 metres (220 feet) wide. It was once the site of ancient temple of Asclepius, and later a hospital, so it has become associated with medicine and healing.
Italians sometimes call the Tiber “flavus”, which means “White” in Latin. This nickname arose because of the yellow-whitish colour of the water.
Because the river is identified with Rome, the terms "swimming the Tiber" or "crossing the Tiber" have come to be a shorthand term for converting to Roman Catholicism. There’s an equivalent expression for converting to Protestantism, especially the Church of England: "swimming the Thames" or "crossing the Thames".
The river is prone to flooding. It was not unknown for the Campus Martius area to be covered by 2 metres of water. In 1876, the city authorities built high stone fences on both banks of the Tiber, so this doesn’t happen so often.
Christmas is coming!
A Very Variant Christmas
Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.
The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?
Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.
Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.
Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.
Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.
