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Saturday, December 14, 2013

The Last Japanese Mermaids-

 The Last Japanese Mermaids-


For Nearly two thousand years, Japanese women living in the small
coastal fishing villages made a remarkable life for themselves and their families by hunting for oysters and abalone in the depths of the very cold ocean coastline of Japan. They also would dive for the sea snail that produces those most beautiful and rare white, pink, and black pearls.  There are other colors too of these beautiful pearls but I can't remember all of the kinds of pearls that they do find.
They are known as Ama, and from this post you will learn that they are still a few of these Ama's ladies still left in Japan. And that still make their living well into their 9os . How you say? By filling their lungs with air and diving for long periods of time deep deep into the very cold depths of the Pacific ocean, with nothing more than a mask and flippers. 
This is one of the reason the myth of the Mermaid started with the
woman in Japan. Because of how they were able to dive so deep into the depth of the cold waters of the Pacific oceans, off the coast of Japan. So Myths and legends have become to real mermaids both with the legends and with the ladies of Japan.
In the mid 2oth century, Iwase Yoshiyuki returned to the fishing village where he grew up and started photographing these women doing this
 
 
 
A very unusual profession that is still very much alive today in the 21th century. Yoshiyuki even after his Education  found himself drawn to the ancient tradition of the Ama divers in his hometown. It is said that his simple black &White  photos are thought to be the only comprehensive documentation of the near-extinct tradition in existence. 
 
These very young women, probably only in their 20's and some just  young girls would dive into the freezing waters off of the coastline
of Japan into the depths of the Pacific for 2mins at at times and come up to breathe for just barely a few seconds. They would do this up to 60 times in a single diving
session, up to three times a day. These young women and girls would dive into this freezing water too harvest seaweed, turban shells and the prosperous pearl-bearing abalone which takes a very deep deep dives into the depth of the freezing waters..and to prey them off the coral on the bottom of the ocean is just yet another of they problems they would have. In the times it was thought that women, were believed to be better suited for the task of the freezing waters because of and extra insulating layer of fat on the female body that allowed them to hold their breath much longer than that of any man.
With this advantage, they could also make more money in a single diving season than most of the men in their village would make in a years worth of work at a regular job.
So you are probably wondering why you see so many naked ladies!
 
 
Well the reason for this is, the modern wetsuit didn't become available until the late 1950s and the cotton suits that were available at the time, were said to be very uncomfortable/when wet and made them feel much colder when they  were out of the freezing waters than if they wore nothing at all.
 
 
The naked body dries much faster by its own body heat, but if you have a wet cotton suit on, it will keep the body cold & wet. It will take far longer for the body to warm up even with freezing air that blows off the coastline after the girls come out of the water. This is why most Ama took to diving in the cold pacific ocean with nothing more than a tiny loincloth and a mask.  
After the World War II, the carefree Ama divers of Japan suddenly
began to have, lets say  tourism come to even their  small towns where they were diving into the ocean with just the loincloth and mask , which forced them to change there Traditional ways of diving. The Ama divers had to eventually covering or basically were forced to cover-up. But I thought you might like a peek of the precious moments of the past traditions  that will soon will all disappear from all different cultures. This being Japan.  
 

 
   

Japanese Mermaids: Ancient Pearl Hunters of the Sea-
This is a continuation of the Mermaid  women of the Freezing oceans of the Japan. These women known as Ama are the last of
their kind. In their floral wetsuits, they fill their lungs with just pure air into their lungs then dive for a long periods of time into the depths of the very cold Pacific ocean, with nothing more than a mask and flippers. A little more than what traditional they use to do but they still are Ama's and they still make a living hunting for abalone, a sea snail that produce the beautiful pearls of Japan.
In Japan women and young girls have been doing his job for nearly two thousand years , because they believe that over the centuries
that, females have always been more suited for this type of work in the Freezing waters of the depths of the Pacific ocean.
But these women that are carry on the tradition of the Ama Woman are not the young women and girls like  before-
No .....They are Indeed the true last of the Ama's The elders The
 
youngest known Ama is forty-five years old and women are commonly known to dive well into their 90s. But their daughters and the younger female generations of the communities of the small villages of the Ama's are uninterested in learning form their elders. So the unusual profession is nearly if not almost extinct. If
the younger generation doesn't carry on the Ama's them the Two thousand tradition will die out and that to me would be so sad.. 
I guess it might have something to do with what these women Ama divers do. Underwater hunting , often can go down to a free dive up to 30 feet below, its very dangerous work and the divers are often joined by shark during their descent. The Amas will usually be under water for 2mins at a time and come up for air for just barely a few seconds. They will do this up to 60 time's in one diving session the water too is often freezing too.
The Ama don't make as much money as they did 40years ago , so this could be another reason why the job is not attractive to the younger Japanese women. But these women who have have managed to support themselves and their families entirely while their husbands often fisherman are away most of the year.
 So these could be the very reasons when the young generation isn't
 
interested in learning the ways of the Ama and come be the End of an great tradition of Japan that will be just in the books and no
more until the few have live out their lives as the last of his wonderful tradition in japan for over two thousand years.. 
I hope you all enjoyed this post.  I thought it was interesting ..
much love you my dear readers..
 Wendy.. 







Friday, December 13, 2013

The Silent Night Story

The Silent Night Story-
OBERNDORF, Austria, Each year on December 24, a special passenger train pulled by a bright red electric locomotive heads out of the train station in Salzburg for a half-hour trip to the village of Oberndorf, A multitude of languages can be heard as passengers from all over the globe become Christmas pilgrims, heading for the birthplace of the world's best-loved Christmas carol "Silent Night,"
At the same time, the Oberndorf streets are crowded with cars bearing license plates from neighboring European Church can be seen across the nations and filled with people who have raced along the autobahns to arrive in time for the special Christmas Eve "Silent Night" twilight service.
Throughout the world; "Silent Night" which has been translated into more than 200 languages, is and anchor for Christmas celebrations. 
Its lullaby-like melody and simple message of heavenly peace can be
heard from small town street corners in mid-America to magnificent cathedrals in Europe and from outdoor candlelight concerts in Australia to palm thatched huts in northern Peru. 
The original church of St. Nicholas, where "Silent Night " was first heard in 1818, was torn down in the early part of this century after sustaining damage from the flooding of the nearby Salzach River. 
The Silent Night Chapel was erected on the spot in front of the main altar where Gruber and Mohr stood with the choir to sing the six-stanza carol. In a higher section of town, another church was built and the original pulpit and altars from the old church were moved there. 
At Christmas Midnight Mass, singers stand in front of the same altars and recreate the moment when the song heard 'round the world was 
first performed.  
by Bill Egan, Christmas Historian

Silent Night has always been one of my favorite Christmas Songs my dear Follower/Readers and When I found this story by Bill Egan I just loved it so much i just had to share with you all. I had never heard of the story behind the song of 'Silent Night' and when I found this I thought you all might like to know to in the Spirit of Christmas. Merry Christmas my dears only 12days..much love to your all. Wendy


Christmas Fairies2

Merry Christmas to All my dear Readers- 
Only 12 days away-
For today's Christmas post I thought I would 
Put a few of the fairy images that I found for the Christmas
Spirit... Happy Holidays my dears...
Wendy...











Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The True Spirit of Giving -

The True Spirit of Giving 
It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our
Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas, oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -overspending...the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma-- the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else. Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike.
The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team 
Sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.
As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was 
wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.
Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class, And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of 
potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." 
 
Mike loved kids-all kids-and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came.
That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. 
On Christmas Eve, I placed the enveloped on the tree, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that his was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas and on  and on.
The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.   
As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost it's allure. The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around. I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree and in the morning, it was joined by three more.
Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The traditions has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas Spirit will 
Always be with us!" 
-Author Unknown-
I hope that you all Enjoyed this Wonderful story on the True Spirit of 
Christmas.. I found it to be very enlightening myself.. Much love to you all my dears Wendy..

 





Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Children's Christmas story's

Children's Christmas Story's-



My Most Favorite Children's Christmas story was always two that I
can remember my dear friends-
One is the night before Christmas And the old classic Scrooge a tale of a business man who is visited by his former boss and the three spirits of Christmas to try to change his ways. In this post I will  be giving you the stories that I loved as a child an still love now as a growing older. I have passed on my love of the story 'The night before Christmas to my one and only son Kai. Who does enjoy the story but as now being 13years old is a bit old for the story. But I believe in my heart that he will caring that story on to his children one day.. I hope you enjoyed my little bit  of Christmas cheer. And traditions. I hope in all of your lives across the world, you too will continue those wonderful childhood traditions and keep the safe. Your lovely friend Wendy..
"Twas The Night Before Christmas" written Dec 23, 1823. 
'Twas the night before Christmas when all thro the house.
Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.
And Mama in her 'kerchief and I in my cap
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap-
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a minature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St.Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came
And he whistled and shouted and call'd them by named.
"Now!Dasher now!Dancer now! Prancer and Vixen,
"On!Comet on! Cupid on!Dunder and Blixem;
"To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
"Now dash away!dash away!dash away all!"
As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly
When they meet with an obstacle mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of Toys - and St Nicholas too:
And then in a twinkling I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head and was turning around 
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound:
He was dress'd all in fur from his head to his foot
And his clothes were all tarnish'd with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys was flung on his back
His eyes - how they twinkled!his dimples how merry,
His cheeks were like roses his nose like a cherry; 
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly 
That shook when he laugh'd like a bowl full of jelly;
He was chubby and plump a right jolly old elf
And I laugh'd when I saw him in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread
He spoke not a word but went straight to his work,
And fill'd all the stockings then turn'd with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose
And giving a nod up the chimney he rose
He sprung to his sleigh to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle
But I heard him exclaim ere he drove out of sight-
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night. 

A Christmas Carol - 
by Charles Dicken's 
Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol!
Enjoy. My dear Readers. Wendy
 

Just click the link above the Book
and it will bring you to the entire story
of Charles Dickson's
A Christmas Carol
I hope that You  all  will Enjoy the
Christmas Story as much as I have for
Many years to come. Your Wendy
Much love to you All. 









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