Pray (Take That song)

"Pray" is a song by English boy band Take That. Written by Gary Barlow, it was released on 5 July 1993 as the second single from their second studio album, Everything Changes (1993). It is the first of twelve singles by the band to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart, staying at number one for four weeks, and starting a streak of four consecutive number one singles. The song has received a Gold sales status certification and sold over 410,000 copies in the UK, won Best British Single and Best British Video at the 1994 BRIT Awards, and was the finale of Take That's Beautiful World Tour (2007).

Music video

The video was directed by Gregg Masuak and shot in Acapulco, Mexico. The clip features the band members in the exotic location singing and dancing. The band members are paired with a goddess of the four elements, taking on a different form with each – Air (Mark Owen), Fire (Jason Orange), Earth (Robbie Williams) and Water (Howard Donald) – with the exception of Gary Barlow who is represented in a neutral black and white context. In Barlow's autobiography, he stated that after the disappointment of where "I Found Heaven" was filmed, the band were a lot happier about the location for this video.

Pray (Justin Bieber song)

"Pray" is a song performed by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. The song was written by Bieber along with Omar Martinez and Adam Messinger and Nasri of The Messengers, with the latter duo producing the track. The song is taken as a single in several European countries from his first compilation album, My Worlds: The Collection. In the United States and Canada, the song is included on My Worlds Acoustic. According to Bieber, he was inspired by Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" (1988) when writing the song. The song is a contemporary Christian song, while deriving from pop and R&B influences, and using a world music backdrop. It primarily features acoustic instruments, however does make small usages of electronic sounds.

"Pray" received generally positive reviews, with critics appreciating the message portrayed in the song. It reached the lower half on the singles charts in Germany and Austria, and charted in several regions where it was not released as a single such as the United States and Australia. The song's music video premiered on Facebook on December 11, 2010. The video, which also has religious undertones, features clips of places affected by natural disasters, sick children, possessed homes, and more, which are intercut with Bieber performing. Bieber debuted and performed the song on the American Music Awards, accompanied by a full choir.

Pray (MC Hammer song)

"Pray" was the third single released from MC Hammer's third album, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. Produced by MC Hammer himself, the song heavily samples Prince's hit song, "When Doves Cry", the first and one of the few songs legally sanctioned by Prince to incorporate samples of one of his compositions. The track also samples Faith No More's "We Care a Lot".

"Pray" became Hammer's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number two (kept from the top spot by Mariah Carey's "Love Takes Time"), becoming a Top-20 hit in nine countries. The track helped make Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em the number one album of the year. In the U. S., the song was certified gold on November 26, 1990, with sales over 500,000 copies.

This hit single (accompanied with music videos) became one of Hammer's most popular songs and has appeared on several compilation albums, including Greatest Hits, Back 2 Back Hits and The Hits. It also appeared in Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (1990). "Pray" was repeated 147 times during the song, setting the record for an American Top 40 hit.

Saiō

A Saiō (斎王), also known as "Itsuki no Miko"(いつきのみこ), was an unmarried female relative of the Japanese emperor, sent to Ise to serve at Ise Grand Shrine from the late 7th century until the 14th century. The Saiō's residence, Saikū (斎宮), was approximately 10 km north-west of the shrine. The remains of Saikū are situated in the town of Meiwa, Mie, Japan.

The Origins of the Saiō

According to Japanese legend, around 2,000 years ago the divine Yamatohime-no-mikoto, daughter of the Emperor Suinin, set out from Mt. Miwa in Nara Prefecture in search of a permanent location to worship the goddess Amaterasu-omikami. Her search lasted for 20 years and eventually brought her to Ise, Mie Prefecture, where the Ise Shrine now stands. Prior to Yamatohime-no-mikoto's journey, Amaterasu-omikami had been worshiped at the Imperial Palaces in Yamato.

According to the Man'yōshū (The Anthology of Ten Thousand Leaves), the first Saiō to serve at Ise was Princess Oku, daughter of Emperor Temmu, during the Asuka period of Japanese history. Mention of the Saiō is also made in the Aoi, Sakaki and Yugao chapters of The Tale of Genji, as well as in the 69th chapter of The Tales of Ise (Ise Monogatari).

Sai (weapon)

The sai (釵) is a traditional weapon used in the Okinawan martial arts. The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, prong shaped metal baton, with two curved prongs (yoku) projecting from the handle (tsuka). There are many types of sai with varying prongs for trapping and blocking.

History

Before its arrival in Okinawa, the sai was already being used in other Asian countries including India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It may have been brought to Okinawa from one or several of these places simultaneously.Silat practitioners typically refer to the sai either as chabang (Dutch spelling: tjabang) in Indonesian or tekpi in Malay. Based on the Indian trisula, early evidence in the form of Japanese art shows that the chabang predates the sai's use in Okinawa and China. The word trisula itself can refer to both a long or short-handled trident. Because the trisula was created in South Asia, it is possible that the sai originated in India and spread along with Hinduism and Buddhism. This is supported by the fact that the trisula is important as a Hindu-Buddhist symbol.

Shai

Shai (also spelt Sai, occasionally Shay, and in Greek, Psais) was the deification of the concept of fate in Egyptian mythology. As a concept, with no particular reason for associating one gender over another, Shai was sometimes considered female, rather than the more usual understanding of being male, in which circumstance Shai was referred to as Shait (simply the feminine form of the name). His name reflects his function, as it means (that which is) ordained.

As the god of fate, it was said that he determined the span of each man's life, and was present at the judgement of the soul of the deceased in duat. In consequence, he was sometimes identified as the husband of Mesenet, goddess of birth, or, in later years, of Renenutet, who assigned the Ren, and had become considered goddess of fortune. Because of the power associated in the concept, Akhenaten, in introducing monotheism, said that Shai was an attribute of Aten, whereas Ramses II claimed to be lord of Shai (i.e. lord of fate).