Although many countries celebrate New Year on the same day, each one of them has its own traditional way and its customs. These local traditions differ a lot from a country to another. There are common customs and these include visiting family and friends, attending religious services, giving gifts, making noise with bells and horns or attending New Year’s parades.
If you want to know more about New Year’s traditions of various parts of the world, here are some of them that might call your attention.
The New Year in Japan is the most important holiday of the year and symbolizes the renewal. The problems and difficulties from the past year are forgotten and the preparations for the new one begin. At the midnight between years, Buddhist temples strike their gongs 108 times for 108 different types of human weakness.
In Spain the New Year’s ritual consists in eating twelve grapes at midnight. When others drink champagne, the Spanish are eating grapes because it is said that one who eat twelve grapes will be safe and happy twelve months in the coming year.
In Greece for New Year, a cake is baked with a silver or gold coin inside and who finds the coin in the piece of cake, will be very lucky during the year to come.
Romanian children, dressed in traditional costumes sing Plugusorul, a Romanian traditional song, which is accompanied by bells and bull sounds. In their song, the children wish good luck, happiness and success. The noise that they are making is meant to purge the old year and welcome the new one.
The Chinese New Year begins between January 21 an February 20 and the celebrations last four days. On the last night, people dress as dragons and are frightening and delighting the children.
British Columbia, Canada has a traditional polar bear swim, where courageous people wearing only their swimming suits plunge into the icy water.
The children from Belgium write to their parents New Year’s messages on decorated paper and read them to their families on New Year’s Day.
In United States many people gather in Times Square in New York City and in other big cities’ public places. At midnight confetti flow, bells ring, firecrackers explode and everyone yells “Happy New Year!” People drink champagne and sing Auld Lang Syne, which is the most sung song for English-speakers from all over the world on New Year’s Eve.
Holiday parties may be a really challenge when it comes to cooking. The cheese and fruit plateau is a delight for every invitee and very easy to prepare. Here is what you need and the easy steps to follow for achieving the delightful dessert.
What you need:
* Gorgonzola Cheese
* Cedar cheese
* Stilton cheese
* Camembert cheese
* Swiss cheese
* Brie cheese
* fresh apples
* fresh grapes
* fresh pears
Cut the cheese into little slices. Proceed the same way with the apples and pears. Don’t forget to remove the stalk.
Arrange the grapes, the sliced apples and pears in the middle of a big plateau.
Use the different types of cheese to decorate the margins of the plateau. Et voila , your delicious dessert is ready.
If you have a cocktail party instead of dinner party, it would be recommended to use appetizers picks to unite the slices of cheese with the fruits. This way it will be much easier for your guests to serve themselves.
Useful tips:
* Use a sharp knife to cut the cheese in perfect slices.
* Cut the fruits after you’ve done cutting the cheese and serve immediately. Otherwise the fruit will change its fresh looking color.
* Complement this cheese and fruit plateau with a glass of dessert wine or champagne.
Let’s face it, the nature gives us the most amazingly things, why turn back on such a special and inexpensive treat? Forget about the plastic decorations, it’s time to go green and celebrate this Christmas in a more original and nature friendly way.
A living Christmas tree will bring warmth into your home and soul. Don’t think twice, buy a pottered tree! You can decorate it every year, it’s a long term investment and you can always plant it in your backyard. You will have the happiest Christmas tree ever.
Use natural table decorations, like pine tree cones. Arrange them in a nice wattle basket, in a table wreath, around Christmas natural candles or in a transparent glass bowl. You can spread several hip roses for a playful color delight. It would be a great arrangement for your Christmas dinner.
Decorate your home for this special holiday with seasonal plants, like poinsettias or any other you like. They will be such a joy for the eye and heart. Be careful where you expose the plants and how much water you use to moisture the sole.
Use several little spruce or pine branches to decorate the Christmas Day table. You can arrange them in the middle of every plate on the festive napkin. It will give a great sense of occasion and a magnificent fresh winter aroma.
Choose natural tree decorations, like painted cones, recyclable cotton or paper ribbons, stars, nuts in shells and mini red apples.
Use candles made with natural fragrances to give your home the special season’s flavor. Use spruce, gingerbread, cinnamon, cranberry or apple fragrances.
Welcome the caroling singers with homemade goodies, like gingerbread and cinnamon cookies, caramelized apples and hot beverages.
Have a Natural Green Christmas!
It is not long until the holidays fever will overcome all of us. As much as we promised ourselves last year that the next one we’ll be more organized regarding Christmas presents, well, we all know that New Year’s Resolutions cannot be always kept. But this Christmas, you can make sure that you offer the gifts that will make people happy. Here are some ideas you might find interesting.
1. Pay attention to everyone wishes. If you have no idea whatsoever what the ones you love want for Christmas, here are some ideas that always work. For him- a nice watch; for her- a beautiful jewelry; for the little boy- a train or airplane toy; for the little girl- a little puppy (you can always adopt one from a local animal shelter); for mother- a gardening book; for father- a leather wallet; for grandma- a nice tablecloth; for grandpa- warm sleepers; for aunt- a martini set and for uncle- a wireless weather station.
2. You don’t want to declare yourself bankrupt after this Christmas but still want to offer gifts to friends and colleagues. You can find amazing convenient things and satisfy everyone, including you. Think of scented candles, cosmetic samples, nice Christmas soap bars, CD-s with caroling songs, picture frames for women and wine opener, corkscrew set, car compass, documentary DVD-s, a flask set or a mini digital camera for men.
3. If you decide to give your boss a Christmas present, you have to invest a little more money. A bottle of old scotches or bourbon will bring smile on his face and if your boss is a woman, an expensive new perfume will be perfect. You can always involve your colleagues to gather money to buy the perfect gift for your boss.
4. Christmas is also the time of year when people help other people in need. So, don’t turn your back on this special and holly moment of the year. Make a donation, even a few bucks. Offer food or clothes that you don’t need any more to collectable centers. What is insignificant to you, might be a ray of light to others.
5. You don’t need much help in finding something yummy or funny as Christmas gift for your pet. Your dog might be in need of a new collar or toy, your cat might enjoy purring on a new pillow, your parrot might like a honey seed bar and your ferret might like a nice tiny crocheted coat.
Hopefully everybody will be happy!
Have a Merry, Merry Christmas!
Wolves at Our Door is a great, fascinating true story about the couple Jim and Jamie Dutcher who lived six years in the Idaho Sawtooth Mountains’ wilderness with a pack of wolves. It is a candid memoir in which the Dutchers share their incredible experiences and their discoveries about the wolves. Being together with them since they were pups, the couple succeeded to gain the wolves’ trust and to observe their remarkable behavior and the complex nature of the wild creature. Wolves at Our Door is much more than a simple documentary, it’s a story about two interesting people, brought together by their love for wildlife, it’s a story about the astonishing creatures, the wolves, intelligent social animals. The Dutchers succeeded in overcome the misconception that wolves are just some savage predators. They are so much more. The story about the amazing pack of wolves and their human friends who witness the wolves in their intimate detail of everyday life is emotionally narrated. It’s a reminder for all of us, human creatures, of how badly we need the wolves and how big are the mistakes made by humans, not thinking even for a single second of the endangered wild creatures.
Wolves at Our Door will conquer your soul from the beginning. It’s the great season’s book. So, find a comfortable, warm place near the chimney, take your hot cocoa cup and enjoy the magnificent, rich story about the wolves’ nature. Enjoy it as much as I did (and I was moved to tears)!
Excited about the on-coming Christmas and its delicious treats and recipes? Glogg is the perfect cold weather beverage; the hot mulled wine is made with aromatic spices that bring warmth into your soul. The season’s greatest holiday will bring you joy and the atmosphere will be fabulous if you treat your guests with a cup of glogg. Here is the recipe of the tasty season’s beverage.
Ingredients:
* one or two bottles of red wine (as preferred)
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 1 and 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 dozen cloves
* 1 cup raisins
* 2 dozens almonds
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
* orange peel
* a touch of brandy
Pour the red wine in a stainless steel pot. Add the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, raisins, nutmeg, almonds and orange peel, stirring until all the ingredients are mixed together and the sugar is diluted. Warm gently, stirring occasionally, but do not boil, otherwise the alcohol will evaporate. Add a touch of brandy for a greater aroma and garnish it with more orange peel or cinnamon. The glogg is ready! Pour it in seasonal Christmas cups or mugs and make sure there are spices in every cup, they will keep the aroma longer while you are seeping the tasty drink. Be sure that the glogg is served steaming hot. Enjoy it with your friends after a great day of skiing or ice skating, with your guests on Christmas Eve or after you spent some time outside, looking for the perfect Christmas Tree.
Special tips:
* You can age the glogg by straining it and putting it in a glass bottle. Keep it in a cool place. Warm it before you serve it!
* You can offer a cup of hot mulled wine as treat to the caroling singers. It will warm them immediately, but be sure they are not under 21 though.
* Glogg match perfectly with ginger bread. So, arrange some pieces on a little plate, accompanying the hot mulled wine.
* Don’t use aluminum or copper pots because the metal interacts with the wine and gives it a metallic taste!
* Although the glogg is a sweet, spicy drink, it contains alcohol. So, be aware how many cups you enjoy and give your car keys to someone else.
The new season announce a grand opening this year. Premiere 1st December with a splendor of refined music and suave song of the Bells. The Wind will act and dance its persuasive role, the Snow will be, as expected, showing its splendor and sparkles in vehement applauses, the Ice will play the role of crystal queen and it will have the world on its feet and the Clouds will decide the decors, keeping the same grey and white palette. Big name on the advertisement sign: WINTER. Will be a whole season representation, and everyone is expected to enjoy the show. People from all over the globe are welcomed and especially children, because every year they make the Winter’s representation even more popular. The dogs are preparing too for the big season’s show. They are barking impatiently at the oncoming Snow’s representation, their favorite personage. With such audience, this Winter Season will be a big success. So, find a comfortable place and let the show begin.
Thanksgiving is a traditional North American Holiday, when people give thanks at the finish of the harvest season. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and it’s a four day weekend. Families and friends are gathering together to celebrate the day of thanks with a festive dinner. Thanksgiving meals are traditionally events; therefore, certain kinds of food are served. The most important peace is the turkey, which is arranged in the middle of the table. All around it, accompany stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce, corn and for dessert pumpkin pie, apple pie and pecan pie. The traditional beverages are apple cider, red wine and cocktails before dinner.
Thanksgiving is the time when people forgive, offer more, try to find love and peace in their hearts, thank God for His kindness and love. Thanksgiving is the time when people find warmth and joy, it’s the time when they are grateful for their lives the way they are.
Everyone is preparing now for the incoming holiday of the season. It’s that time of the year when family and close friends are gathering to celebrate Thanksgiving. The stores are already full with all sorts of decorations, dish ware, candles and seasonal flowers. Maybe this year you want to be more simplistic and authentic. If you want to try some of the following ideas, be prepared to surprise your invitees with creativity and originality.
Nowadays we all go green, right? Are you ready for organic decorations as well? Good! Pick some of those festive iconic pumpkins in small and medium sizes. Use different colors of them for diversity and the joy of playing with colors. Arrange them on the table; they’ll make a great seasonal image.
Another great idea is to spread some autumn leaves on the table or arrange them in a nice fall bouquet. Autumn leaves are the great season’s inspiration, beside pumpkins. So, get inspirational with them.
Use some branches and twigs to decorate the table. You can pick all kinds of them; just choose the ones you like. Among them put some high transparent glass vases with candles inside. You’ll create a splendid rustic scene with beautiful lights and shadows.
All kinds of nuts in shelves can be found in stores this period of year. Buy combined nuts and arrange them in a wattle basket. You can mingle among them red fresh apples. It’s a great combination and an original decoration for your Thanksgiving dinner.
Now that you got inspired, it’s time to get to work and gather all the elements you’ve found interesting. I wish you an inspiring Thanksgiving!
Pumpkins are still in fashion this month and give us more inspiration for Thanksgiving delicious recipes. A great and original idea for your Thanksgiving feast is to serve pumpkin strudel for dessert. Here is how you can make it.
Ingredients:
* all purpose flour
* water
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* scraped or canned pure pumpkin
* cinnamon
* brown sugar
* powdered sugar (optional)
In a bowl mix a little amount of flour with a little water and salt. Keep adding flour and water until you obtain the desired amount of dough. Leave it to rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, scrape the pumpkin or open the canned one. Spread some flour on a clean surface and begin to extend the dough with a rolling pin until you obtain a very thin (almost transparent), rectangular pie sheet. On the dough-surface spread the pumpkin, add brown sugar and cinnamon as desired. Roll all together into a pumpkin stuffed roulade. Grease an oven tray and sprinkle some flour. Put the pumpkin stuffed roll on the tray and grease a little for a great final look. Cook it at 350 F until it turns a little ruddy. When you take the strudel out of the oven, you can sprinkle powdered sugar above it. The strudel is ready!
Cut it into slices, put them on a nice holiday plateau and garnish with ground nuts or pecans. Your Thanksgiving invitees will be impressed! Enjoy it with a glass of red wine or a delicious liqueur. Yummy…