text: [Themes: edutainment, serious]
  
  December 22, 2006
  
  With the holiday season now upon us, I, Sir_Lancegalawain, take it upon myself to present to this online community a most beautiful story, one that I will always hold as absolute truth.
  
  However, not considering myself worthy to tell such a tale myself, I will depend heavily upon the King James Version of the Bible, chiefly upon the gospel of Luke, but with some excerpts from Mark, which gives an account of the Wise Men, who, although they were not present on the very night of Christ's birth, are traditionally included in the story--I will trust the wisdom of our ancestors in this matter and give them recognition, in spite of my own inclinations to do otherwise.
  
  Sir_Lancegalawain
  
  > Of Mary and the angel Gabriel, messenger of the Most High
  "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
  
  "And the angel said unto her, Fear not Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
  
  "Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her."
  
  December 22, 2006
  
  With the holiday season now upon us, I, Sir_Lancegalawain, take it upon myself to present to this online community a most beautiful story, one that I will always hold as absolute truth.
  
  However, not considering myself worthy to tell such a tale myself, I will depend heavily upon the King James Version of the Bible, chiefly upon the gospel of Luke, but with some excerpts from Mark, which gives an account of the Wise Men, who, although they were not present on the very night of Christ's birth, are traditionally included in the story--I will trust the wisdom of our ancestors in this matter and give them recognition, in spite of my own inclinations to do otherwise.
  
  Sir_Lancegalawain
  
  > Directly to the first question!
  Which angel visited Mary in the sixth month?[Themes: edutainment, quiz, historical]
  
  Today, few people give much thought to how they dress, unless it's for a special occasion. But in the past, dress was a serious subject. Women in particular had a very rigid, set code of dress. Unless they wanted to be social outcasts, they followed it. The "code" even dictated the order in which they put on their clothes. Each layer was considered of vital importance then...but can you guess which layers came first?
  
  [Author's Note: Romp through the world of fashion history, and see if you can outwit Dame Fashion--or merely keep up with her! Try to properly dress a Victorian lady...if you can...]
  
  > First Things First
  When a Victorian lady rose from bed in the morning, which article of attire did she hop into as soon as she tossed aside her nightie?
  
  1. Her corset
  2. Her shoes
  3. Her chemise
  4. Her drawers
  
  > Corset
  Nope! Any woman who considered herself "decent" never went anywhere without her corset on...but it wasn't the first thing she put on in the morning.
  
  > Answer
  Correct! The first thing a Victorian woman put on was her chemise. This was a nightgown-like garment that was loose and always white. (In fact, sometimes it doubled as a nightgown for poor women.)
  
  So, what do you suppose came next?
  1. M'lady's drawers
  2. Her stockings and garters
  3. Her corset and bustle
  
  > Drawers
  Tsk, tsk. A lady didn't typically put on her drawers (or "unmentionables") till later.
  
  > Answer
  You're so smart. Stockings and garters did, indeed, come next. Remember, there were no panty hose in those days, and no respectable woman walked around bare legged!
  
  What went on after the stockings and garters? Was it:
  1. Shoes
  2. Drawers
  3. Petticoats
  
  > Petticoats
  It's true that no Victorian woman went without petticoats...but they usually went on later.
  
  > Answer
  Brilliant deduction, Sherlock! The reason stockings went on almost immediately is that bending over while wearing a corset is very difficult. Therefore, shoes usually went on before the corset, too.
  
  So genius, what came next?
  1. The lady's drawers
  2. The lady's corset
  3. The lady's hoopskirt
  
  > Drawers
  Correct! Drawers usually went on next, and were indispensible when hoopskirts were popular, since a tumble in one of those could mean embarassing exposure!
  
  What do you suppose came next?
  1. Bustle
  2. Petticoats
  3. Corset
  
  > Bustle
  Nah. That definately came later...although it may have originally been invented to help women support the pounds of fabric Victorian dresses sometimes required, it was not one of the undermost garments.
  
  > Answer
  You are super-smart. The corset--possibly the most important item worn by any Victorian woman--came next. A woman without one was a scandal, but she didn't need ribs removed or an waist measuring 18 inches, either. (Both were extremely rare.)
  
  But a lady would still only be half-dressed! Can you figure out what she put on next?
  1. Bustle
  2. Chemise
  3. Corset Cover
  
  > Bustle
  Nix to that! A very practical piece of attire came next...and "practical" and "bustle" hardly belong in the same sentence!
  
  > Answer
  Well that makes sense, doesn't it? :) A corset cover was a very practical little item that protected expensive, hard-to-clean corsets from soiling. It also helped keep the bones of the corset from showing through a woman's dress.
  
  Ok then, what came next, smartee-pants?
  1. Bustle or Hoops
  2. Dress
  3. Petticoats
  
  > Petticoats
  Nah. While petticoats were so important to a lady's outfit that the very word "petticoats" came to be a synonym for "woman" petticoats usually came later.
  
  > Answer
  Righto! Large early bustles and most hoops or crinolines went on before the petticoats.
  
  What's next, then?
  1. The Dress
  2. Petticoats
  3. Shoes
  
  > Dress
  I don't think you're paying attention.
  
  > Answer
  So right. Layers of petticoats were necessary for warmth, and to keep dresses from clinging to the legs. (It was considered vulgar for anyone to acknowledge that women had legs, you know...)
  
  You know the drill by now...What came next?
  1. The Dress
  2. The Hat
  3. The Gloves
  
  > Dress
  The logical--and correct--answer. :)
  
  If she was going out, a hat and a pair of gloves would follow. No lady went without them, though working women often dispensed with gloves. A parasol was a necessary item for a lady to protect her skin against the sun. Jewelry and a whole host of other accessories were also common.
  
  Whew! Are you exhausted just thinking about all those clothes? Well, if your not, I am! So sit back and be thankful that your corset isn't giving you a back ache! :)