My True Love Guild to Me - 11th Day Quiz

Answer: Enter the Haggis

Enter the Haggis is a Canadian Celtic rock band that formed in 1996 in Toronto. You can find their music here:

http://www.enterthehaggis.com/

And here:

http://www.myspace.com/enterthehaggis

(Go on, what are you waiting for? You can listen to them while you finish reading the rest of my Interesting Information! Some personal favorites: "Half Fast Jam," "Maggie's Pancakes" and "Donald Where's Yer Trooser's.")

Haggis is ... well, I was going to try and describe it, but this is a perfectly good description from Wikipedia, and I don't think I could come close to this, so here it is:

"Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish.

There are many recipes, most of which have in common the following ingredients: sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours.

Haggis somewhat resembles stuffed intestines (pig intestines otherwise known as chitterlings or the kokoretsi of traditional Balkan cuisine), sausages and savoury puddings of which it is among the largest types. As the 2001 English edition of the Larousse Gastronomique puts it, "Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour."

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis)

(author's note: *bleck!*)

Answer: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper is one of my favorite characters to emerge from the wrestling world. Even though his character is Scottish, he was actually born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Along with his wrestling credits, he has also done movies, television, and some voice acting on Cartoon Network and various video games.

"The Pink Piper" is an episode of the Pink Panther in which rodents (and elephants) plague the Pink Panther.

Myfanwy Piper (28 March 1911 - 18 January 1997) was an English librettist.

Answer: Lemon Pipers

The song, "Green Tambourine," was a number one hit in the US in 1968. The band, formed in Oxford, Ohio in 1966, really didn't want to record this piece. It was written specifically to try and get them a hit record. Because it WAS a hit, they were pressured to record another one, similar in style, to try and duplicate the success. They did record another one because they felt that they would be dropped from their label if they didn't. Their albums show both sides of the group - the light, pop music and their deeper rock 'n roll roots.

Answer: Holly Marie Combs

Holly Marie Combs' big break arrived when she was cast in "Picket Fences" with Tom Skerritt and Lauren Holly. She played Kimberly Brock, Skerritt's daughter. In 1993, she won the Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a New Television Series for this role.

She went with her friend Shannon Doherty to audition for the TV series "Charmed." Combs auditioned for the role of Prue Halliwell, Doherty for the role of Piper Halliwell (they ended up switching). When Doherty left the series, Combs became the eldest sister even though she was the youngest of the three actresses.

Answer: Pìobaireachd

There are many types of bagpipe, but the best known is the Great Highland Bagpipe (A' Phìob Mhòr). The GHB is a woodwind instrument, with 4 reeds that are enclosed in the wooden 'stocks.'

Ceòl Mòr is the 'great music' played by the Great Highland Bagpipe.

Ceòl Beag is the 'light music' (marches and dance tunes).

Bòrd na Gàidhlig is a Board appointed by the Scottish Government for promoting the Gaelic language and to increase the number of Gaelic speakers.

Answer: Piper Laurie

Piper Laurie was born in Detroit, Michigan as Rosetta Jacobs. Universal Studios signed her when she was 17, and gave her the stage name Piper Laurie.

She is one of those character actors you see all the time and you know her face but can't always remember her name. She has performed in movies, on television and on Broadway as well. She has guest starred on "ER," "St. Elsewhere," "Matlock," Frasier," "Will & Grace," and "Law & Order: SVU" to name just a few television shows. One of her more famous parts is as Sissy Spacek's mother in the movie "Carrie."

Piper Perabo is an actress (Coyote Ugly) and Piper Halliwell is one of the sisters on "Charmed."

Answer: Utah

"The Twelve Days of Christmas is probably the most misunderstood part of the church year among Christians who are not part of liturgical church traditions. Contrary to much popular belief, these are not the twelve days before Christmas, but in most of the Western Church are the twelve days from Christmas until the beginning of Epiphany (January 6th; the 12 days count from December 25th until January 5th).

The Twelfth Night is January 5th, the last day of the Christmas Season before Epiphany (January 6th). In some church traditions, January 5th is considered the eleventh Day of Christmas, while the evening of January 5th is still counted as the Twelfth Night, the beginning of the Twelfth day of Christmas the following day. Twelfth Night often included feasting along with the removal of Christmas decorations. French and English celebrations of Twelfth Night included a King's Cake, remembering the visit of the Three Magi, and ale or wine (a King's Cake is part of the observance of Mardi Gras in French Catholic culture of the Southern USA). In some cultures, the King's Cake was part of the celebration of the day of Epiphany. "

(http://www.cresourcei.org/cy12days.html)

Some other interesting events that have happened on January 4th:

Birthdays:
1785 Jacob Grimm, author ("Puss in Boots", "Hansel and Gretel")
1809 Louis Braille, develops braille language for blind
1914 Jane Wyman, actress ("Falcon Crest", The Yearling)
1930 Sorrell Brooke, actor (Boss Hogg from "The Dukes of Hazzard")
1930 Don Shula, football coach
1937 Dyan Cannon, actress ("Ally McBeal", Caddyshack II)
1957 Patty Loveless, singer ("Timber I'M Falling In Love")
1958 Matt Frewer, actor (The Stand, "Max Headroom")
1960 Michael Stipe, member of REM ("It's the End of the World As We Know It", "Man on the Moon")
1963 Dave Foley, actor ("Kids in the Hall", "NewsRadio")
1965 Julia Ormond, actress (Sabrina, Legends of the Fall)
1966 Deana Carter, country singer ("Strawberry Wine")

Deaths:
1960 Albert Camus, author ("The Stranger")
1965 T.S. Eliot, author ("The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock")
1998 Mae Questel, voice actress (Olive Oyl, Little Lulu, Betty Boop)
1999 Iron Eyes Cody, Keep America Beautiful campaign

(Information comes from http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art15834.asp)

Answer: R. Carlos Nakai

Carlos Nakai was originally trained on the trumpet, but a car accident ruined his embouchure. He was given a gift of a traditional cedar flute (better known as a Native American flute) and was challenged to "see what he could do with it."

More than 35 albums later, he has become one of the most recognizable names in Native American music. Even if you don't know his name, you have most likely heard his music.

Kevin Locke is known for his "Hoop Dance" and he plays the Northern Plains flute. His Lakota name (Tokeya Inajin) means "The First to Arise."

Hawk Littlejohn was a contemporary flute maker of Cherokee heritage. He was an adjunct professor at UNC Chapel Hill, a cultural consultant for the Smithsonian and the NC Museum of History. He died on December 14, 2000 in Old Fort, North Carolina.

Walela is the Cherokee word for hummingbird, and is a group comprised of sisters Rita and Priscilla Coolidge, and Priscilla's daughter Laura Satterfield. Their first CD includes a version of "Amazing Grace" sung in Cherokee. They also contributed a song to Robbie Robertson & The Red Road Ensemble's soundtrack for the television miniseries "Music for the Native Americans."

Answer: Snoopy

Oh yes, "It's the Pied Piper, Charlie Brown." Created for TV in 2000, this special stars Snoopy as the Pied Piper. He plays his accordion (yes, his accordion) to lead the rowdy rats out of town. He agrees to do this for a year's supply of dog food.

Those of you old folk (like me) will remember Spike was one of Snoopy's brothers.

Answer: Red Hot Chilli Pipers

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers are an interesting group who originated in Scotland in 2004. The founder, Stuart Cassels, was the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2005 and has been featured on the "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" soundtrack.

They have released two studio albums - "The Red Hot Chilli Pipers" (2005) and "Bagrock to the Masses" (2007).

You can find them online:
http://www.redhotchillipipers.co.uk/spanHomespan/tabid/36/Default.aspx
http://www.myspace.com/chillipipers

The Nac Mac Feegle are a clan of pictsies from the Terry Pratchett "Discworld" series. Specifically, they show up in "Carpe Jugulum," "The Wee Free Men," "A Hat Full of Sky," and "Wintersmith." You really should experience them (the Feegles) for yourselves, because they are some of the best of Pratchett.

"They can tak' oour lives but they cannae tak' oour troousers!"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nac_mac_feegle