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Cana
Cana , ancient town of Galilee. According to the Gospel of St. John it was here that Jesus performed his first miracle by turning water into wine at a wedding.
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epithalamium
epithalamium , song or poem written to celebrate a marriage. An elaborate form of pastoral , the epithalamium usually tells of the happenings of the wedding day. Nymphs, shepherds, and appropriate mythological figures are present to share the poet's joy. Epithalamiums were written in ancient times ...
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Jacopo Peri
Jacopo Peri , 1561-1633, Italian composer and singer. Dafne (c.1597), perhaps the first opera, was composed by both Peri and Jacopo Corsi. The librettist, Ottavio Rinuccini, also wrote Euridice, which Peri and Caccini set to music (1600). The music for this opera was performed at the wedding of ...
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Round Table
Round Table in Arthurian legend , the table at which King Arthur and his knights held court. It was allegedly fashioned at the behest of Arthur to prevent quarrels among the knights over precedence. According to one version it was given to Arthur as a wedding gift by his father-in-law. A round tab...
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Tom Thumb
Tom Thumb 1838-83, American entertainer, whose original name was Charles Sherwood Stratton, b. Bridgeport, Conn. His career as General Tom Thumb began in 1842, when the showman P. T. Barnum gave him the title and arranged with the child's parents for his exhibition as a midget. His height then wa...
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Cadmus
Cadmus in Greek legend, son of Agenor and founder of Thebes . Misfortune followed his family because he killed the sacred dragon that guarded the spring of Ares. Athena told him to sow the dragon's teeth, and from these sprang the Sparti [sown men], ancestors of the noble families of Thebes. Cad...
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Oscar de La Renta
Oscar de La Renta , 1932-, French fashion designer, b. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He studied in Madrid and began a career in fashion with Balenciaga . Moving to France in the 1960s, he became known for his luxurious clothes, especially evening wear, of extravagant materials. He designed for...
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Mainbocher
Mainbocher (Main Rousseau Bocher), 1891-1976, American fashion designer, b. Chicago. He was known for his expensive, elegant evening clothes; cardigan sweaters with jeweled buttons; and high-waisted, long, and lacy or transparent ball gowns. He opened his Paris house of couture in 1929 and his New ...
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Amy Robsart
Amy Robsart , 1532-60, maiden name of the wife of Robert Dudley, later earl of Leicester , a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I of England. When Lady Dudley was found dead at the foot of a staircase in Cumnor Hall, Berkshire, rumor had it that her husband had arranged her murder so that he might be free...
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Akihito
Akihito , 1933-, emperor of Japan (1989-). As crown prince, he traveled widely, visiting Great Britain, Canada, the United States, and many countries of Asia and South America. Like his father, Hirohito , Akihito is an accomplished amateur marine biologist. In Apr., 1959, he married Michiko Shoda, ...
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