Epiphany

Today is Epiphany, from the Greek word for revelation, where the church celebrates Christ being revealed to the world. In different traditions, this day either focuses on remembering the visit of the Magi (the first revelation of Christ to gentiles), the baptism of Christ by John (where the voice of the Father reveals Christ's identity, the starting point of his earthly ministry), or even the turning of water into wine at Cana (Christ's first miracle). Since I'm here in the west, I'll focus on this as the Feast of the Three Kings, with Monsterbricks' Givers of Gifts.

Songkran Festival

In Thailand they celebrate the new year, or the Songkran Festival (here in LEGO by Jared Chan), from April 13-15. Traditions include spending time with your parents, grandparents, and other elders; throwing out what is old to look forward to the new; sprinkling with water in a form of ritual purification; and a tradition called 'bathing the Buddha'. A statue of the Buddha is brought through the streets and splashed with water, again a symbol of cleansing the soul of inner impurity. This tradition of splashing with water has evolved into a party-like atmosphere, with people taking to the streets with buckets, hoses, and super-soaker water guns in a city-wide water-fight, as shown in Jared's MOC.

The structure in this MOC is also of note. Wat Benchamabophit Dusitvanaram is one of the most well-known Buddhist temples in Bangkok. The temple, a little over a hundred years old, houses a statue of the Buddha known as Phra Buddhajinaraja in the inner hall, other statues of the Buddha found throughout the structure, and the remains of King Chulalongkorn, who reigned in Thailand from 1868-1910 and is the one who ordered the temple's construction. Today the temple is a symbol of the nation, a popular destination for tourists and is depicted on a Thai coin.

Our Lady of Lourdes

Freelug, a French LEGO group, is holding a contest for the Tour de France to build sites from around France. Seb Toutouille built the Vierge de Lourdes (Virgin of Lourdes). In 1858 Bernadette Soubirous saw a series of visions of the Virgin Mary. The shrine at Lourdes has been a site of pilgrimages, and the waters of the spring are said to perform miraculous healings. This LEGO rendition is of a statue of the Virgin that is seen now in the shallow cave where Saint Bernadette saw the vision.

Ark of the Covenant

Simon Pickard made this miniland-scale version of the Ark of the Covenant. In Exodus 25, God orders Moses to build the Ark, a gold-covered box, which eventually carried the tablets of the ten commandments, the original version of the Torah, Aaron's rod, and a jar of manna. The Ark became a center of Jewish religious life, as it was said to be the focus of God's presence among them, holding a spot in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and eventually the Temple.

Pura Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot means 'Land in the Sea' - this rocky outcrop on the coast of Bali is cut off from the main land at high tide, and accessible by foot at low tide. During the 15th century, the traveling Hindu priest Nirartha rested at this spot, and was inspired by the beautiful location to found a shrine to worship the local sea gods. This recreation of Pura Tanah Lot is found in Legoland Malaysia.

Pope Benedict XVI

As anyone who reads this blog surely already knows, today Pope Benedict XVI announced that he will retire at the end of this month due to his advanced age and illness. This makes him the first Pope to step down from office before death in centuries. In 2010, Benedict visited London, and Legoland Windsor commemorated the event in brick form, which seemed an appropriate model to highlight today.

Wat Arun

Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan (found in LEGO form in the new Legoland Malaysia) is one of the most recognized landmarks in Thailand. The name means Temple of the Dawn, so named because of the way that sunlight reflects off the porcelain surfaces. A Buddhist temple has stood in this spot since at least the mid-seventeenth century, but the current structure was established in the first half of the nineteenth century. The central prang, or tower, is meant to symbolize Mount Meru, which sits at the center of the universe in Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cosmology and is the home of Brahma and other gods.

Sacré-Cœur

My recent posts of models from the new Legoland Malaysia (and I still have more to post from there) reminded me that I've never posted many of the great models from other Legoland parks, such as this version of Sacré-Cœur found in Legoland Windsor. The real Sacré-Cœur is a Catholic minor basilica overlooking Paris from atop Montmartre.

Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque

The Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque is the state mosque of Johor, Malaysia. This reproduction can be found in the new Legoland Malaysia.

Angkor Wat

One of the exiting things to me about the opening of the new Legoland Malaysia is that it includes a lot of great displays of important sites - and for this blog I'm focusing on the religiously significant sites - from Asia. So this means we've got new miniland structures from Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Angkor Wat was originally built as a Hindu temple in what is now Cambodia, but later was rededicated as a Buddhist site.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque

The Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque in Brunei, is generally seen as one of the most beautiful mosques built in hte last century. This LEGO version is on display in the brand new Legoland Malaysia.

Galileo's heresy

In the early 17th century, Galileo Galilei came into conflict with the Roman Catholic church. At the time, the system of Ptolemy, advocated by Aristotle, held sway, as it seemed to be consistent with some biblical passages. The Congregation of the Index decreed that people could not advocate heliocentrism, the idea that the earth orbited the sun rather than the other way around. Galileo could not stay quiet, though, and found himself in trouble.

Annie Preston shares Galileo's heresy.

Pilgrim's Progress

Lego Builders made Pilgrim's Progress, the classic Bunyan allegory of the Christian life.

Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama, here in LEGO form by TheBrickMan, is a high leader in the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. His followers believe that he is the physical manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, and that he has been reincarnated fourteen times in order to continue leading his people to enlightenment. The current Dalai Lama has become an international leader, representing the Tibetan people in exile and speaking out in support of a number of issues.

Silent night

Continuing around Wes Pitter's site, he has a nativity scene, placing the manger in a shepherds' cave.

Ramadan Mubarak

I'd like to wish all of our Muslim readers a blessed conclusion to their Ramadan. For today, let's take a look at this mosque in Legoland Billund. I do not know if this is a reproduction of an actual structure, but I kind of assume it is since most of those Miniland displays are. So if someone knows exactly what is depicted here I'd love to know.

Building the Taj Mahal

This is sort of a religious structure. The Taj Mahal is actually a mausoleum built by Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, in 1632, as a symbol of eternal love (I wonder how the first and second wives felt about this). The architecture is an islamic style and verses from the Qur'an form part of the decoration. The gardens around the main building reflect a mystic Islamic view of paradise.

A month ago Mariann Asanuma posted a birthday cake topper she made for an AFOL building the Taj Mahal. I love the scale mixing here.



More on microscale building at MicroBricks. More on miniland scale building at MinilandBricks.

Sensō-ji

...and also the main hall, both devoted to the bodhisattva Kannon, who embodies compassion, hearing the cries of all the world. The temple grounds were largely destroyed during World War II, and the current temple is a rebuilding of the original. This photo from the LEGO pavilion at Nasu Highland Park is by Digitalbear.

Sensō-ji

Once you've past both gates (see the last two blog posts), you come to the Sensō-ji, an ancient Buddhist temple. There is a five story pagoda... (again, photo by Kelvin255).

Hōzōmon

Once you pass through the Kaminarimon (see yesterday's post), you enter the Nakamise-dōri, a street crowded with shops. After checking out the wares, you come to the Hōzōmon, or Treasure House Gate. This gate houses two statues of the Niō, guardians of the Buddha. Again, photo by Kelvin255 taken in the LEGO pavilion at Nasu Highland Park.