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LYON
(lee-OHN)
A
city in east central France Common
clues: Rhone's capital; French silk center; City NW of Grenoble;
City
on the Rhone; City south of Macon Crossword
puzzle frequency:
once a year Frequency
in English language:
17605 / 86800 Video: Light
Festival of Lyon, France
Lyon,
also known as Lyons (former names include Lugdunum), is a city in
east central France. It is the third largest French city, the
first being Paris and the second Marseilles. It is a major centre
of business, situated between Paris and Marseilles, and has a
reputation as the French capital of gastronomy and a significant
role in the history of cinema.
Together
with its suburbs and satellite towns, Lyon forms the second
largest metropolitan area in France after Paris, with 1,783,400
inhabitants at the 2007 estimate, and approximately the 20th to
25th largest metropolitan area of Western Europe.
The
"Fête des Lumières" expresses gratitude to
Mary
Lyon
was founded as a Roman colony in 43 BCE by Munatius Plancus, a
lieutenant of Caesar, on the site of a Gaulish hill-fort
settlement called Lug[o]dunon—from the Celtic sun god Lugus
('Light', cognate with Old Irish Lugh, Modern Irish Lú)
and dúnon (hill-fort). Lyon was first named Lughunum
meaning the "hill of lights" or "the hill of
crows". Lug was equated by the Romans to Mercury. Lug's
'totem' was a cockerel (rooster), hence the Modern French
association with 'le coq'.
As
early as the 13th century, the Arpitans, residents of the region
spoke a dialect of the Arpitan (often called the Franco-Provençal
language too). This Lyonnais dialect was partly replaced by the
French language as the importance of the city grew. Lyon was an
early centre for printing books, and nurtured a circle of 16th
century poets. For several centuries Lyon and its bouchons have
been known as the capital of gastronomy, fine handweaving, and
the silk trade. The Lumière brothers invented cinema in
the town in 1895. December 8 each year is marked by "la Fête
des lumières" (the Festival of Lights), a celebration
of thanks to the Virgin Mary, who purportedly saved the city from
a deadly plague in the Middle Ages. During the event, the local
population places candles in their windows and the city of Lyos
organizes and projects impressive large-scale light shows onto
the sides of important Lyonnais monuments, such as the mediaeval
Cathédral St-Jean. The church of Saint Francis of Sales is
famous for its large and unaltered Cavaillé-Coll pipe
organ, attracting audiences from around the world. Lyon also
features a renowned opera house.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Lyon".
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