Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2016 February 29

= February 29 =

Republican and Democratic parties number of candidates for presidential primaries
How many candidates can a political party in a presidential system accept in maximum number when it comes to presidential primaries like in the current presidential primaries of Republican Party, they had 17 before 12 withdrawn their campaigns? Donmust90 (talk) 04:13, 29 February 2016 (UTC)Donmust90Donmust90 (talk) 04:13, 29 February 2016 (UTC)


 * I don't believe there is any numeric limit. The limits tend to be more practical, like how many people can speak in a debate.  Once they are relegated to the "kid's table", they don't have much chance of winning the nomination. StuRat (talk) 04:28, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
 * "Kid's table", you say? InedibleHulk (talk) 04:39, 29 February 2016 (UTC)

Black armbands as a sign of mourning
The question some time ago about black armbands made me curious about who (still) uses them - the article black armband just says "many cultures", without going into details of which - or whether it has gone out of fashion after the Nazis in those cultures, as suggested above. I know anecdotally that in China, the black armband evolved in some areas into something pinned to the sleeve rather than worn, and more recently (some time in the last 20 or so years) there is a custom in some areas to ceremonially burn it them in a bonfire after the funeral, rather than people continuing to wear them for a time as was the norm in the past. Are they still worn in other countries? And are there any notable special customs around them? --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 13:56, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
 * I found an article at ehow about this. Unfortunately, the website is on the external link black list.  You can find it at http://www.e how.com/facts_7352356_history-black-armbands.html if you take the space between the "e" and "how" out.  -- Jayron 32 14:04, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
 * Still widely used by footballers in the UK and Europe; here's Steven Gerrard of Liverpool FC wearing one improvised from duct tape at the recent commemorations of the Hillsborough disaster. Alansplodge (talk) 16:22, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
 * And cricketers too; see Alastair Cook wearing one in memory of Nelson Mandela. Alansplodge (talk) 16:27, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
 * This was discussed above. Nil Einne (talk) 17:50, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I stopped reading it when the question had been answered :-) Alansplodge (talk) 19:28, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
 * The discussion in the previous thread was focused on how it varied across different sports, which is interesting, but I am more interested in the bigger picture - i.e. whether people still do it as a matter of general social convention - in different countries. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 18:00, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
 * But not in the general community outside the sporting arena? Is that the case across Europe? What about the US or Canada? Does anyone know what is the practice elsewhere, i.e. outside Europe and North America? --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 17:57, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
 * In my experience of the UK, black armbands tend to be worn at funerals by people who don't have black clothing suitable for the occasion, but not in everyday life. --TammyMoet (talk) 14:26, 1 March 2016 (UTC)
 * I've lived in the US for 40 some years and I can't remember ever seeing anyone wear a black armband while in mourning. I have vague memories of seeing it in cemeteries but only vaguely. I've seen it in American television shows but only older ones. And the one episode of the British show Fawlty Towers but that was for a joke. As far as I know, American police officers will sometimes put a black band around their badge when a member of their department dies but I don't know if that's standard practice. Dismas |(talk) 14:44, 1 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Thanks both, that's helpful. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 10:17, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

Identify church by interior elements


Is there any way to identify this church's affiliation by the interior elements? Coming from a very non-liturgical background, I'm unfamiliar with church interiors containing anything "significant" other than inscriptions; for example, I don't know whether the device on the pulpit is merely a decoration or the logo of an established denomination. All that's specified at the moment is that it's the interior of a church in Worthington, Ohio, a large suburb of Columbus with lots of churches. Nyttend (talk) 21:13, 29 February 2016 (UTC)


 * This seems to be All Saints Lutheran Church. Ref here.  --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 21:21, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
 * It is - their website has some pictures, but a Google Image search for the name of the church and "Worthington" shows lots more. Adam Bishop (talk) 13:52, 1 March 2016 (UTC)
 * To approach the question along the lines of a species key: we can tell it's a Christian church, because there's a cross. We can tell it's not Orthodox, because there are no icons.  We can tell it's not Roman Catholic, because there's no crucifix. We can tell it's a denomination that practices infant baptism, because there is a font (not a pulpit, incidentally - there are two lecterns for that purpose).  Beyond that, there isn't really anything to indicate the denomination more specifically.  The symbol above the font is a dove, representing the Holy Spirit - in this case, derived from the account of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist (see Matthew 3:16, etc). Tevildo (talk) 21:49, 29 February 2016 (UTC)
 * Agree with the above, Not Catholic because there's no Crucifix. Assume it's Lutheran, since it is not painted white and all ornament has not been removed.  As a lapsed Catholic, I still remember that the Methodist church where I attended pre-school seemed "under construction". μηδείς (talk) 22:21, 29 February 2016 (UTC)


 * I've seen plenty of Methodist chapels with more "ornament" than the picture - indeed, few with less. DuncanHill (talk) 13:01, 1 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Well, my sample size was one. μηδείς (talk) 21:27, 3 March 2016 (UTC)
 * The color of the cloth hanging from the altar does have significance: it tells you something about the time the picture was taken relative to the liturgical calendar. Some relevant information from one of the Lutheran denominations in the US is here: .  Many Christian churches use the same colors at the same times of year, so that doesn't directly tell you much about the church itself.  See also liturgical colours. --Amble (talk) 19:48, 1 March 2016 (UTC)


 * All Saints Lutheran Church, 6770 North High Street, Worthington, OH. picture source. The Quixotic Potato (talk) 17:56, 1 March 2016 (UTC)


 * Take a look at the altar rail in front of the pews on each side. It doesn't really block the way to the altar -- in fact, it's completely open in front.  It also has a wide, flat top.  This kind of altar rail is mainly used to give you a place to kneel and receive communion.  As far as I know, this is common in a Methodist or Lutheran churches and not found in Presbyterian or Baptist or most non-denominational churches.  Some Anglican / Episcopalian churches have them too (not sure whether most or all do).  --Amble (talk) 20:09, 1 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Some modern Anglican churches have this style of rail, but generally it extends right across the sanctuary step in a straight line, with a central removable section which is put in place just before use. The other difference with an Anglican church is that there would generally be a cross on the altar itself. Crucifixes are more commonly seen in Anglican churches than would have been the case 50 years ago, as some High Church practices have trickled down into the mainstream. Alansplodge (talk) 10:51, 3 March 2016 (UTC)