Easter Eggs

In Europe an egg was hung on New Year trees, on maypoles, and on St. John's trees in midsummer. In all these cases, an egg was perceived as a symbol of the regenerative forces of nature. Later during the Christian period, it was believed that eggs laid on Good Friday, if kept for a hundred years, would have their yolks turn to diamond. If Good Friday eggs were cooked on Easter they would promote the fertility of the trees and crops and protect against sudden deaths. And, if you would find two yolks in an Easter egg, you could be sure that you were going to be rich soon. That's what they believed!

Venus Transit

There are periodic astronomical events that can not possibly have been observed by any human alive today. One of these is the transit of Venus which will occur on June 8, 2004.

On this day half our globe will be able to watch the tiny black dot of the planet Venus moving across the disc of the sun. Given a cloudless sky, all you'll need is a sun filter to follow the spectacle for several hours with the naked eye (check your eyes).The previous transit of Venus occurred on December 6, 1882.

St George’s Day

How St George became to be regarded as the patron of England is unclear, but he has been recognised here from at least the eighth century. There are various legends surrounding St George, but the most known is that of a pagan town in Libya that was being terrorised by a dragon. To placate the dragon, the locals threw sheep to it, but when the beast remained unsatisfied, they started sacrificing some of the citizenry. When finally the local princess was to be thrown to the dragon, St George slaughtered the dragon and rescued the princess. In 1222 the Council of Oxford appointed 23rd April as his feast day. This day is not really celebrated in England, as it is not a national holiday, but nevertheless there are some events taking place on this day. For example, there is a  free St George’s Day Folk concert in the Covent Garden Market Building. In the Shopping Centre in Harrow there will be a St George’s storytelling between 12:00 and 14:00 – and you can even meet Furnace the Dragon! For more information click on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/yourlondon/stgeorges/stgeorge_events.shtml

Taxes on 5th April

If you work in the UK, you will have to pay income tax. This tax is collected by the government department known as the Inland Revenue. Tax is paid based on your income during the tax year, which starts on April 6th and ends on April 5th of the following year.

In the 2002/3 tax year (for income earned between April 6th 2002 and April 5th 2003), the income tax bands were as follows:

• 0% on the first £4,615 (your personal allowance, equivalent to about £89 per week, or £385 per month)
• 10% on the next £1,920 (equivalent to about £37 per week, or £160 per month)
• 22% on the next £27,980 (equivalent to about £538 per week, or £2,332 per month)
• 40% on any income above this

For information about tax for students, see: http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/pdfs/ir60.htm

For students from abroad, how your earnings are treated for tax and National Insurance will depend upon a number of factors. If you would like further information you can contact the Centre for Non-Residents helpline on 0845 070 0040 from the UK or, from outside the UK, dial the international code then 151 210 2222 to make sure you don’t pay too much tax.

If you have paid tax and your total taxable income for the year doesn’t go above your personal allowance, you may claim a refund. You can even do this during the tax year if your income for the tax year is likely to remain below your personal allowance. If you think you have paid too much tax ask your Tax Office for a repayment claim form.