Four London Religions Celebrating The Full Moon

Everyone loves a full moon and in London we consider ourselves lucky if we see it on the rare occasions there is a cloudless unpolluted sky. The grey skies are probably the main deterrent in celebrating the moon but for many cultures settled in London it holds enormous spiritual significance.




Moon worship dates back to ancient Pagan, Egyptian, Babylonian, Indian and Chinese cultures and today the major religions recognise the moon's powers. Christianity, Judaism and Islam don't celebrate the full moon outright but both Jewish and Muslim calendars are founded on lunar principles, meaning they follow the cycles of the moon instead of the sun.


Here are few links to the full moon celebrations in London's different communities:


Buddhists - Join in with Buddhist chanting and deep meditation at this Full Moon Puja to mark the significance of the full moon tonight at the London Buddhist Centre or if you are looking for something a little livelier (and definitely more decadent) way of recognising the powers of the moon try the London version of the kind of Full Moon Parties travellers flock to in Thailand.


Wiccans -Wiccan traditions have specific rituals and events around the full moon. There are many active Wiccans in London and the most active coven is run by the Order of the Horse and the Moon. You can find out more here.


Shamans - Have many rituals around the moon, some include drumming, music and prayer. Tonight's moon is a Taurus moon and represents the sowing of seeds, abundance and nourishment. Join a meditation to the moon here. To find out more about Shamans in London look at this website.


Chinese - The Chinese community celebrate the moon in the autumn where it is common to sacrifice moon cakes to the moon as part of the harvest festival. Moon cakes are round like the moon and represent the harmony of family. People send moon cakes to each other to wish them a long and happy life. Try the ones from this patisserie in Chinatown - and if they have run out, there are many other tasty cakes to try.

Nine Styles of Headgear From a Variety of Cultures

At SharedCity we like hats.  We like headcoverings in general.  They can be practical - providing shade or warmth - or they might look good or make us feel comfortable.  We find it puzzling that some headcoverings, mostly ones tied to religious beliefs, get such a hard time.  This blog is to blatantly celebrate head coverings across the world, all the way from the rather silly to the uber stylish and some religious ones in between.

Models Wearing Pink Hijabis

A Stunning African Wedding Head-wrap 

UK Soliders Wearing Traditional Buzbys 

Victoria Beckham in a Much Photographed Cloche Hat

Hassidic Jews in traditional fur hats 

British Policeman's Hats 

English Ladies With Unusual Hats At the Races 

Sister Wendy Wearing a Traditional Nun's Wimpel

The Pope's Hat

Four Ways To Die in London: Funerals in different faiths

As we all know but often ignore, death is inevitable whatever your cultural background. With the Day of the Dead coming up at the start of November, SharedCity explores the different attitudes to death within our different religious communities. Religions shape many of the rituals and beliefs around death, but you might be surprised at how different traditions are across the four main non-Christian religions when it comes to coping with the end of life as we know it.

1) If you are Jewish...

...you will be buried quickly, usually within a day or two of death and mourners - including friends, family and the wider community - will hold prayers for seven whole days afterwards at the family home. Direct relations (children, siblings and spouse) are expected to mourn for a full year, which means avoiding cheerful celebrations, wearing muted clothes and, for men not cutting their hair or shaving. Mirrors are often covered in the mourners’ home to help mourners focus on the internal grief. There are Jewish cemeteries located on the outskirts of north London, swathes of plain gravestones, on the edge of M25. If you visit a Jewish cemetery, you will notice that Jews do not put flowers on a grave, but instead place a stone on the grave in memory of the deceased. Stones might not be pretty, but they do last longer.

Stones placed on a Jewish grave in remembrance

2) If you are Hindu...

...it is likely that you will be cremated. Traditionally Hindus cremate their dead on a funeral pyre in the open air. In India, many funeral pyres are found along the River Ganges where public cremations take place every day. Close relatives, often the children, of the deceased will light the fire to burn the corpse. Hindus believe in reincarnation and the fire releases the spirit to the next life. In London, open air funeral pyres are a relatively new concept, although Hindus previously used local crematoriums. A court ruling was made in 2010 to allow open air cremations for the first time, allowing Hindus to follow traditional requirements more closely. Wearing black at a funeral is not appropriate for Hindus: most people prefer to wear white clothes. Ten days after the funeral, a ceremony is held at the family home to liberate the soul of the deceased for its ascent into heaven. Many Hindus scatter the ashes of their loved ones in the River Thames, the UK’s second-rate answer to the Ganges.

Sticks for building funeral pyres next to the Ganges in India

3) If you are a Muslim...

...you are likely to believe that death is not the end at all and that the deceased will move on to a better afterlife. After death, close relatives care for the body and soul of the deceased by bathing the body, covering with white cotton, and reciting prayers. The body is usually interred quickly, within a day or two. The family home is open for a day for people to pay respects and mourning continues for 40 days after the death. A spouse will mourn and wear black for a whole year. The Muslim Burial Ground in Horsell Common, just outside London, was the first Muslim burial ground in the UK. Now there are Muslim burial grounds within most public cemeteries as well as specific grounds in Hainault and Waltham Forest.

Muslim burial grounds in Hainault

4) If you are a Sikh, you are likely to see death as a natural part of the human life cycle. A funeral is a celebration of life called 'Antam Sanskaar' and as such crying or wailing at a funeral is not common. After death, Sikhs believe the soul leaves the body in its journey back to God. Sikhs choose cremation and the cremated remains are typically submerged in a river. The whole of the holy scripture is read during the 10 days after death either in the home in in the temple or Gudawara. There are no tombstones or cemeteries for Sikhs as the body itself is never placed below the ground. The corpse is seen as an empty shell. At funerals, the men traditionally wear black headscarves, whereas women tend to wear lighter colours.

Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Southall, the largest Sikh temple in Europe

Bring on the Light - 9 Ways To Enjoy Winter!

The nights are drawing in earlier and we’re just over a week away from the clocks going back. This is normally the time of year that SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) starts for some people and sunny skies and light evenings seem but a dream away...

But it’s when you’re in the dark that you really appreciate the light and for many cultures the next few months are all about celebrating light. Here are SharedCity's favourite 9 light-related celebrations for the Autumn/Winter.  And we won't even mention the 25 December C-word. You may not be religious but it's no reason not to celebrate the many wonderful cultural ways of bringing light, warmth and feasting to the dark days of winter.

1)    23^rd October, Diwali – The Hindu, Sikh and Jain Festival of Lights, a good excuse to stuff yourself with delicious Indian food and sweets and set a few fireworks off.

2)    31^st October, Halloween – Be artistic with a pumpkin and make it glow from within - and then make some delicious pumpkin pie.

3)    1^st November, All Souls Day – Light a candle to remember a loved one by.  The way candles flicker and dance can ignite wonderful memories.

4)    1^st November, Dia de los Muertes – Do the above Mexican style.

5)    5^th November, Bonfire Night – Forget the gruesome effigy-burning and enjoy a giant bonfire.  Our canine friends might not like fireworks but it suddenly feels very quiet when you no longer hear that Whoosh, Bang and Huzzah!

6)  11^th November, St Martins Day - Germans celebrate the feast of St Martin's with a children's lantern procession around the neighbourhood. Make your own lanterns and take to the streets. 
7)    27^th November, Thanksgiving – We're not in America but perhaps this is a good time to bring out any left over Halloween pumpkin?! A splendid excuse for a mid week roast.

8)    17^th December, Hannukkah – The Jewish Festival of lights. Go get yourself a menorah and enjoy the excuse to eat donuts.

9)    21^st December, Winter Solstice – The days will start getting longer again. Hoorah! Light yourself one last candle and celebrate like a true Pagan.

London: A City of Immigrants, Since When?

History books show that our nation has nearly always been made up of people from different countries, some war-mongering, some friendly, some looking for opportunities, some truly desperate.

We Londoners are a mixed up society and a;though this isn't always easy it has made us one of the most tolerant and easy-going cities in the twenty-first century.

Look at the timeline below and next time you see a scaremongering headline about immigrants, think about the shared ever-evolving history of our city #LoveLondon

AD

250, Romans arrive in Britain

700s, Danes & Norwegians invade and settle

1000s, Normans conquer and settle

1100s, Jews are invited to settle in England (but were expelled in 1290)

1100s, Flemish merchants from the Netherlands settle in England

1500s, Queen Mary marries Philip of Spain, the first Gypsies settle & Huguenots arrive

1600s, Africans, West Indians are brought to England as slaves

1700s, Refugees from the French revolution arrive (1789)

1700s, First records of Indian & Chinese sailors in London

1800s, Jewish refugees from Poland, Ukraine and Russia arrive

1800s, Irish people fleeing famine in Ireland arrive

1800s, The growth of the empire & trade routes brings more people from China and India

1900s, Belgians fleeing the battles of the First World War arrive

1930s, Refugees fleeing Nazi oppression in Germany arrive

1940-1960s, Homeless refugees from across Europe arrive, mainly from Poland

1948,  Jamaicans start arriving, invited by the government to help rebuild post-war Britain

1950s, More settlers from other Commonwealth nations arrive eg, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, Canada and New Zealand

1970s, Asians are forced to leave Uganda and come to the UK seeking refuge

1980s, Refugees from Romania and former Yugoslavia arrivve fleeing war

1992-97, After the break up of Yugoslavia, refugees arrive seeking sanctuary

1999, War in Sri Lanka leads to more asylum seekers arriving

2000s, Changes within the EU result in a wave of Polish & other EU economic migrants

2010, Unrest in Middle East leads to more refugees.

The Seven Oldest Places of Worship in London

The Seven Oldest Places of Worship in London

The Oldest Mosque

The Fazl Mosque (also known as the London Mosque) in London’s Notting Hill was inaugurated in 1926 but the first prayers were held there from 1924.  The East London Mosque dates back further, with ambitions to build a mosque dating back to 1910.  However, the first mosque in east London wasn’t actually built until 1940.  This mosque was located on Commercial Road and was converted from 3 houses.

The Fazl Mosque was used as a bomb shelter during World War II

The Oldest Synagogue

The Bevis Marks Synagogue in the east end of London opened in 1701 for a Jewish community that came mainly from Spain & Portugal - although there are records of services held nearby from 1663. The Bevis Marks Synagogue is also the oldest continually functioning synagogue in Europe.

Daniel Mendoza, the British boxing champion of 1789 was part of the Spanish & Portuguese community of the east end of London.

The Oldest Catholic Church

St Ethelreda’s is not only the oldest Catholic church in London, but the oldest in England too.  It is located in central London, near Holborn.  The church dates back to the thirteenth century although it has had a chequered history and was restored as an active church in 1879.  At it’s opening a Catholic Mass was celebrated there for the first time in over 200 years.

An engraving of St Ethelreda's, 17775

The Oldest Carribbean Church

The first pentecostal church services were thought to have started in the mid 1950s in private homes around Brixton & Lewisham.  In the 1960s there was a growth in Seventh Day Adventist churches predominantly supported by the community from the Caribbean in Brixton. While Seventh Day Adventists had a presence in London from the end of the nineteenth century, St Paul's church on Ferndale Road may be the oldest purpose built as a Seventh-day Adventist church, built by John Soper - and it was built in 1958.

The Oldest Hindu Temple

The Sri Ghanapathy Hindu Temple in Wimbleon is believed to be the first consecrated Hindu temple in London.  Planning for the temple began in the late 1960s, with regular services in hired halls around Wimbledon through the 1970s.  The temple was finally open and consecrated in 1981 as not only the first Hindu temple in London, but in Europe too.

A smaller adjacent temple dedicated to Sai Baba is an addition to the original temple.

The Oldest Sikh Gudwara

The first Sikh Gurdwara was opened in London in 1911, funded by the Maharaja of Patiala (below) who generously donated £1000 to the Sikh society in order to set up a Gurdwara.  The Gurdwara was opened in Putney and then moved to 79 Sinclair Road, London - a Georgian terrace in Shepherds Bush. The Gurdwara was named the Bhupinder Dharamsala after the Maharaja who was present at the opening.

The Oldest Buddhist Temple

Wat Buddhapadipa in London was the first Buddhist temple in the United Kingdom, established by the London Buddhist Temple Foundation. This temple has been under Thai Royal Patronage since 1965 when it was originally located on Christ Church Road, Richmond. It was moved to its present site in Calonne Road, Wimbledon Parkside in 1976. Wat Buddhapadipa is the only Thai temple ever built in Europe.

Monks visiting Wat Buddhapadipa in Wimbledon

Our First Interview

An interview with Caroline Bourne, cofounder of SharedCity

SC:  What is your family history?

CB:  My family is Jewish and has strands that go back to Poland, Lithuania, Russia and Spain. Three quarters of my Great Grandparents came from small places off the map in Russia or Eastern Europe before the First World War. The other two were extremely anglicised Jews who could trace their history back to the eighteenth century in London, with origins way back ​in Spain. We count Daniel Mendoza, the British Boxing Champion of 1789 among our ancestors. Pictured below is my family lighting the candles at Chanukah last year. And at the bottom is a portrait of my Sefardi grandmother, who recently died aged 92.

SC:  Where is your favourite place in London?

CB:  I love the South Bank as it’s always a place of surprises. And in particular, I love the London Eye because firstly it is so iconic and secondly I was married at the top of it in 2005.

SC:  What is your ideal comfort food?

CB:  Most food is a comfort but forced to choose I would say ​a freshly baked bagel with hummus from Roni's in West Hampstead. Failing that, a big slab of chocolate.


SC:  Where would you love to visit and why?

CB:  I would love to go ​on a safari in Africa to see giraffes running wild. I've always loved giraffes.​


SC:  Why are you involved in SharedCity?

CB:  I have lived in other cities and always miss the diversity of London. I love hearing a billion different languages on the street and seeing different styles of dress on the street. I set up SharedCity to celebrate all the wonderful things about a city with so many different cultures. It is sad when I read negative stories about immigrants in London. Hopefully through SharedCIty others will see what riches different cultures can offer.

Bollywood in London

Bollywood in London

There are loads of Asians in London, loads of Bollywood films produced each year, and presumably loads of people who might want to see them, but the Cineworld chain seems to be the only cinema that has cottoned onto this. Unless the exceptionally long running times of most Bollywood movies and the number of dodgy DVDs in circulation means its not a money-spinner, it's odd.



Anyhow, Cineworld has at least three key London-area sites – Feltham, Staples Corner and Ilford – showing regular Bollywood films - although only a tiny tiny proportion of those actually made make it to the big screen. Other cinemas to show the latest dramas and musicals coming from India include Upton Park's Boleyn and the famous Harrow Safari.




Sadly the true home of Asian cinema, the Himalya Palace in Southall closed down in 2010 - and is still sorely missed (see below).



But for value for money you can't get better than a Bollywood movie on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. The Harrow Safari charges for £3.50 for 2-3 hours of movie: that's 2-3p a minute, a real bargain.

Warmer London

No escaping it, London in January is not balmy.  There is a distinct lack of blue skies, heat and dazzling sunshine and very much in need of a little warmth I took myself on a tour of places in London where I could pretend London is actually in the tropics.

An obvious place is the hot house at Kew Gardens.  After trudging through the rain and battling the wind, I arrived at the magnificent glass and steel structure.  Inside gorgeous giant tropical leafy plants towered over me and the rich smell of the tropics warmed even the insides of my nostrils.  I even spotted a few bananas dangling above my head.  What was missing was a comfy deckchair for some long-term lounging around, preferably until summer re-appears.

Next, I researched Turkish Baths in London and discovered that there are only four large Victorian Turkish Baths remaining in the city:  Porchester Spa, Ironmonger Row, York Hall and the RAC Club.  But I also found some smaller hammams dotted around London and bravely took myself to the most authentic looking one in the heart of London's Turkish community in Dalston.  Even though a card in the window stated it was 'LADIES DAY' I felt my heartbeat quicken with nerves before going inside.

It was one of those shop windows you can't see behind and the signs outside offer massage in a slightly questionable way. 

 Pushing open the door I was greeted in Turkish.  Unfortunately, my Turkish isn't up to much but luckily I did manage to get shown to the changing room and later ushered down to the marbled steam rooms where I was encouraged to throw warm water over myself for twenty minutes.  This was no bad thing. I was finally defrosting.  The steaming that followed and the scrub down by a couple of burly women totally did the job.  By the time I was done, some two hours later, my body temperature was through the roof and I left the building in a t-shirt, singing summery songs to myself.  Tra-la-la-la.  I was warm and happy for at least ten minutes until the rain started to fall. Well, at least I know where to go next time I really need warming up.  And so do you.

Unusual Round the World Drinks

Fermented horse-milk is the true drink of choice in Kazakhstan.  It's called Kumis and sadly, it doesn't seem to be available in London.  You just can't get fresh horsemilk round here.  From a bit of research, I've found it's possible to make your own Kumis from cow's milk.  The recipe here.  But this won't satisfy my Kazakh friends, who yearn for real the real thing.

Other weird drinks I've been offered on my trips around London's communities include:


Guarana Soda is the most popular soda in Brazil.  It contains extract from the guarana berry and is high in caffeine so good for staying awake. It tastes is like a mild fizzy apple juice - but more interesting.  You can buy it here

Kvass is Russia's soda of choice.  It is a fermented drink, low in alcohol, made from rye flour or bread with malt.   You can buy it here



In the Japan Centre I saw a drink called Pocari Sweat for sale.  Apparently it's a sports drink, and it looks innocuous, like water. But I gave it a miss.

Another drink with a similar theme is Arak, the most popular Arabic alcoholic drink common in Iraqi and Lebanese communities - and widely available in London.  The literal translation of Arak is 'sweat' and again, it's a clear drink, served with ice - but the actual flavour is cool zesty aniseed.

Discover Romanian Culture

At SharedCity we're probably not the only ones shocked at the representation of Romanians in the UK media over the last few months.  Now the gates of immigration have opened we'd like to our top three ideas for enjoying the best of Romanian culture in London.

1. The Romanian Cultural Institute is just off Belgrave Square.  The centre is housed in a magnificent Georgian townhouse and with it's sweeping staircases and glorious location, it is about as far from the image of Romanians portrayed in the media as you could get.  The building is a palace. The staircase from the entrance hall leads up to a huge elegant drawing room where regular classical music concerts are held salon-style to celebrate the work of Romania's greatest composer (and teacher of Yehudi Menuhin), George Enescu.  Check the website for details of the next concert.  All the concerts held here are free. And you often get a glass of the best Romanian wine thrown in too.

2.  Also in the salubrious central SW London postcode, the Victoria & Albert Museum are celebrating Romanian culture this month with a sound and light show that celebrates the extraordinary historic monument known as the Trajan.  The Trajan is a massive column on which is carved an intricate history of the ancient Romanian people. On Friday 17th January you can celebrate the 1900th anniversary of Trajan's column by viewing a short film about the history of the column narrated by broadcaster Dan Snow, and a specially commissioned light and sound projection created by Romanian artists Dreamrec and Rochite. 

3.  On the other side of London, in Leytonstone and Tottenham, are two of London's best Romanian Restaurants, Amorg and the Cornelius bar. The food is influenced by both eastern Europe and Italian cuisine, so you will find Romanian & Italian wine, heavy meaty dishes, dumplings and pizza/pasta on most Romanian menus.  Both restuarants have a programme of live music to check out.   For a taste of Romanian music right now, you can listen to popular tunes on London's Spectrum Radio.