Alexander

Alexander (/ˈæləɡzˈændər/, /ˈæləɡzˈɑːndər/) is a common male first name, and less common surname derived from the Greek "Αλέξανδρος" (Aléxandros). The most famous is Alexander the Great, who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.

Origin

Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek Ἀλέξανδρος (Aléxandros), meaning "Defender of the people" or "Defending men" and also, "Protector of men", a compound of the verb ἀλέξειν alexein, "to ward off, to avert, to defend" and the noun ἀνήρ anēr, "man" (GEN ἀνδρός andros). It is an example of the widespread motif of Greek (or Indo-European more generally) names expressing "battle-prowess", in this case the ability to withstand or push back an enemy battle line.

The earliest attested form of the name is the Mycenaean Greek feminine anthroponym 𐀀𐀩𐀏𐀭𐀅𐀨, a-re-ka-sa-da-ra (transcribed as Alexandra), written in the Linear B syllabic script.

The name was one of the titles ("epithets") given to the Greek goddess Hera and as such is usually taken to mean "one who comes to save warriors". In the Iliad, the character Paris is known also as Alexander. The name's popularity was spread throughout the Greek world by the military conquests of King Alexander III, commonly known as "Alexander the Great". Most later Alexanders in various countries were directly or indirectly named for him.

Aarhus Festuge

Aarhus Festuge (Aarhus Festival) is a 10-day arts and culture festival in the city of Aarhus, Denmark. It takes place every year in late August to early September, in week 35-36. Since its start in 1965, the festival has grown to become one of the largest cultural events in Scandinavia and showcases a mix of local, national and international artists.

Description

Aarhus Festuge presents a very broad array of cultural events from theatre, music and literature to gastronomy, visual arts and architecture. The festival hosts several minor festivals in their own right, like the Food Festival or the rock and experimental jazz festivals of Underland and Ujazz in 2014. Sports is also a part of the festivities, both on the small scale and as major events like Marselisløbet, featuring the traditional Marselis Run and the Marselis Bicycle Race since 1972.

As the city of Aarhus is largely an educational centre, Aarhus Festuge are concerned about presenting events affordable for young students and efforts are made to include the children of the city as well. The event brands itself as "WindMade", meaning that the festival is powered by wind power. The patron of Aarhus Festuge is HM Queen Margrethe II, and the Mayor of Aarhus is Chairman of the Festival Board. The festival attracts a large number of additional events and acts, organized by individual operators independently of the Aarhus Festuge secretariat. In 2014 this amounts to more than 7-800 events, while Aarhus Festuge officially covers 2-300 arrangements.