TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD-

Traditions around the World

In This post, I will explore 20 different countries around the world, that celebrate Christmas to their own religions, ethnicities and beliefs by coming together to celebrate the kindness peace of the Holidays with their own traditions that are very special to them. I will cover the countries of;  
England, Mexico, Italy, China, Sweden, France, Holland, Australia, Germany, Spain, Ethiopia, Russia, Scotland, Japan, Brazil, Greece, Ireland, Bethlehem, Philippines, Norway.
I know there are so many more I could do, but it is hard to do all of the countries of the world maybe at some point in my blog I will be able to get to all of you WENDY.

Norway-

In Norway, it seems that Christmas is very important to them and is deeply seeded into their traditions, which is unlike some of the European countries which you will see as I go through the other countries. It seems that the Norwegians like to decorate their homes with the white Christmas lights, plastic Santa or nativities on their lawns. In the windows of their homes, you could see candles celebrate the Christmas season. Another special celebration is Santa Lucia Day on December 13, which honors the 'Queen of Lights.' It's the tradition for all young Norwegian girls to dress in white robes and lighted-up crowns, and bring baskets of saffron buns to all the schools, nursing homes, hospitals and other pubic places.

Russia~

In Russian it is quite different, whether its solemn rituals or family togetherness. For Russians, the Christmas Holidays were banned until 1992 after the 1917 Revolution. So they hold Christmas very close to their hearts. It seems that Christmas celebrations a slowly beginning replaced
by Festival of Winter, there are still lots of Russian folks that celebrate the old Russian traditions of stem from the Orthodox faith. What the Traditional Russian faith celebrate Christmas are their religion and special prayers/also, fast til Jan. 6 of the new year. After the Fast/Prays of Jan. 6 of the New Year they all have a bountiful 12-course meal called 'Holy Supper' honoring the Twelve Apostles. For the Russians, Christmas Day is celebrated on Jan 7. with Church and a traditional dinner of goose and suckling pig. 

China~

In China although there are few in numbers of Christians that Celebrate the Holiday and traditions. The country does celebrate in their own way...As I have said in the beginning of this post everyone around has their own ways of celebration on this grand day. For China, they like to start the holidays with lots of fireworks, festivals and family feasting. It seems that many of the China people like to fill their homes with evergreens, bright red paper chains, and cut-out red pagodas to put in their windows. They will use paper lanterns to hang on their Christmas trees and decorated with flowers, and red paper chains.
England~

Well, now Christmas in England. The British have many unique traditions during Christmas that you won't' find anywhere else they say! One of the first traditions is that all English families decorate their homes with holly, ivy and hang mistletoe in the doorway. Christmas Eve the British are busy with their families gift wrapping, baking and reading to their children Christmas stories. During all of this, a Yule log is burning in the fireplaces all around London, as children write their wish list to Father Christmas as they call him and then throw them into the fire so that their wishes will come true. Carolers are always going about & on Christmas Day, English families enjoy a midday feast of turkey, stuffing, roast goose/roast beef sides with of course Yorkshire pudding. After the families of England listen to the Queen of England deliver a Christmas message over the radio or television.

Mexico~ 

Now were in the lovely country of Mexico and although they too celebrate Christmas on December 25- like the United States, their traditions are quite different. They come from the Mexico's form of Roman Catholicism. In Mexico, the major of the people celebrate the tradition of Las Posadas which is a nine-day celebration which symbolizes Mary & Joseph's search for a room at the inn where Jesus was born. In Mexico from Dec. 16-24 families would take the celebration to their homes. In their neighborhoods, a nativity scene would be set up by the children & the adults would play the parts of the nativity parts of the play. Later Villancicos are sung while both the adults and their children take turns hitting the pinata, followed by a grand Mexican feast. Then on Christmas Day, all families go to church together and have another traditional Christmas dinner of oxtail soup, beans, hot chili, roasted turkey. As receiving gifts, they do this on Jan 5, the eve of Twelfth Night.
Italy~

Christmas in Italy begins the first Sunday of Advent, which falls anywhere between November 27, and December 3. In Italy, there are some area's that kick of the holiday season with bonfires, fireworks, and holiday music. It seems that Christmas Carols and the Manger Scenes originated in Italy, you can find them just about everywhere during the holidays. During what the Italians call novena, nine days before Christmas. This is when children will sing carols & write letters to their parents with a gift they want and promising good behavior for the new year. Christmas Day is set aside for attending mass, feasting and spending time together as a family.
Sweden~

Now were in Sweden and the Swedish families celebrate the Christmas holiday in various family-oriented traditions that begin with attending church on the first Sunday of Advent[children anxiously count down the days til Christmas using an Advent calendar]. Then of Dec. 13 which is also known as St. Lucia's Day. In Sweden, the Swedes celebrate the patron saint of light, in which the eldest daughter in a family dresses in a long white gown --- then serves coffee and treats to her family members. They will decorate their tree's with an array of candies, glass ornaments, pinecones and figurine gnomes and have a midday meal served on Christmas Eve. This includes the tradition of 'dipping in the kettle in remembrance of hard times when food was scarce.
France~

In France/Paris, Christmas is a very important holiday. For the French it starts as early as Dec. 5, which is also called St. Nicholas Eve. This day in France is when children leave their shoes by the fireplace so Father Christmas or Pere Noel will fill them with treats. Although the folks of France start the holiday much early, most of the Christmas celebrations take place on Christmas Eve. They go to midnight Mass and come home for a late feast that's called 'le reveillon'.
Holland~

In the country of Holland, they have many well-known Christmas traditions that are center around 'Sinterklaas' who makes his appearance on St. Nicholas Day---December 6.
A red robed Sinterklaas, atop a wheeled sleigh that's led by a white horse, travels by ship from Spain to Amsterdam's harbor. Sinterklaas is then greeted by the mayor and the people of Amsterdam when he arrives December 6 then proceeds in a town parade through the streets. The Dutch families go home after the parade to the homes for a feast and a letterbanket, which is a cake shaped into the letter of the family's last name.
Australia~

In Australia, they may not have winter or even a white Christmas down under, however, it doesn't change the holiday season just because it's hot outside. The Aussies like to celebrate the Christmas season with many different unique traditions, including Christmas caroling by candlelight & outdoor concerts. Australian families take advantage of the nice December weather by doing outdoor activities---these could be swimming, surfing, biking and grilling meals on the 'Barbie'. Aussies decorate their homes with ferns, palm leaves and evergreens and some put up Christmas trees.
Aussies go to church on Christmas Eve and enjoy parties with friends and family. 
Germany~

In Germany, it is a very cold place during Christmas, but a lively place full of family traditions truly brighten up the days of the season. German families start to celebrate Christmas four Sundays before the big day by making an Advent wreath with four colored candles. Then a candle is lit each Sunday, followed by caroling and eating cookies. In Germany, the markets and bakeries are quite the sights to see with lovely window displays of the season. Christmas Eve is the most important day for families and is centered around the Christmas tree. An interesting fact---The Christmas Tree tradition started in Germany and it is a sacred event to decorate the evergreen tree with glass ornaments, silver stars, lights and placing an angel on the top of the tree. On Christmas Day families will light the white candle of the Advent wreath.
 Spain~

Christmas in Spain starts on Dec 8. Families observe the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. During this week many families of Spain many travel to Seville for the warm weather & it's great cathedral to watch a dance performance called 'Los Seises to honor the Virgin Mary. Spanish families during the holidays will decorate the best room in their homes with a life-size nativity scene that's called 'Nacimientos'. They also fast all day on Christmas Day & go to midnight mass together to return home to a bountiful Christmas feast.
Ethiopia~

In Ethiopia, the people have many unique holiday traditions that set them apart from many other countries. Ethiopia being one of the oldest nations in Africa follows the ancient Julian calendar. Meaning they celebrate Christmas Day on Jan 7. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church doesn't call the celebration of Christs birth Christmas, but rather 'Ganna'. The people of Ethiopia celebrate Ganna in many different ways, but most will fast the day before, dress in white and attend a traditional Mass at 4am. [ganna resembles hockey played by men and boys] In Ethiopia it's tradition for families to eat wat--- a spicy stew of meat and vegetables. The people of Ethiopia start again 12 days, later on, Jan 19, with 'Timkat,' a commemoration for the baptism of Christ.
Scotland~

Christmas in Scotland my heritage is filled with lively traditions and joyous celebrations too. This all stem from a long history that involved big bonfires, whiskey, good food and lots of family and friends. Scottish families would decorate with evergreens which symbolize the renewal of life & mistletoe that is said to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.
Japan~

In Japan even though December 25 Christmas Day is not a national Holiday, the people of Japan take part in the Western traditions and have created a few of their own. In Japan, it is not uncommon to see decorations with evergreens or gifts exchanging during Christmas season in the Japanese homes and high-businesses. There's a party called Bonenkai meaning forget-the-year-parties, throughout December. 
Brazil~

In the country of Brazil, they have an ethnically diverse of the Christmas Season. One of the common traditions among many of the regions of Brazil is to create a nativity scene that will be displayed in private homes, churches and stores. Just like in Mexico the Brazilians enjoy watching Los Pastores plays that represent the Nativity.
Greece~

Greece an most beautiful country & many different islands for which I am lucky to have been to a few, Celebrate Christmas in a solemn and religious way. However, they also have a festive time during this time of the year too. It is said that the patron saint of the holiday St. Nicolas was a protector of sailors, so you would expect to see many boats decorated with colorful lights more so than the Christmas Trees. The greeks celebration starts on St. Nicolas Day[Dec24] and the celebration continues till Jan 6 when it ends with a great feast of the Epiphany. Many Greeks are Christain Orthodox and attend church on Christmas morning with a grand Christmas feast in the evening. 
Ireland~

Christmas in Ireland begins on Dec 8. and winds down on Jan. 6 or the Feast of the Epiphany. Irish Christmases are focused on religious observance more than festivities. Another family tradition in Ireland is to light a candle in the window of the house on Christmas Eve to symbolize their welcoming of Mary & Joseph as they looked for shelter for baby Jesus birth. The Majority of Ireland it seems is Catholic so many will attend mass on Christmas Day and at Midnight on Christmas Eve. It is also a time to remember those who have died in Ireland through prayer and decorating graves with homemade wreaths.
Bethlehem~

Well, Bethlehem the city where Jesus was born, and it's this reason that so many flock to the city during the Christmas Religious Celebrations. Besides Bethlehem's history and traditions its one of the most interesting place to be during Christmas. In Bethlehem, there are multiple church services and processions for so many different Christian denominations, many of which pass through Manger Square near the traditional site of Jesus' birth.
Philippines~

In the Philippines, I found they have the world's longest Christmas holiday season than any other country. It starts in September and ends as late as the third Sunday of January new year. They are predominantly Catholic people, so much so that they focus on religious gatherings. For an Filipino it is a tradition for them to celebrate the holiday be attending a nine-day dawn masses starting Dec 16, to show devotion and faith to God. On Christmas Eve, Filipinos will attend midnight mass and go to the Misa de Aguinaldo

around sunrise and spend Christmas day with family.

I hope that you all enjoyed the many different 

traditions around the world for Christmas

my dearest Friends, Followers, and Readers

Thank you so much for coming to my

humble blog all these years

Your friend always

WENDY

ICICLE WOMAN OF JAPANESE FOLKLORE

ICICLE WOMAN OF JAPANESE FOLKLORE~

ICICLE WOMAN

Good evening my dearest friends&followers and welcome to my
humble blog once again. I thought since you all enjoyed the legend of the Sandman and many of my other Urban legends I would put a few more in for the last month of the coming new year. I was watching T.V. today with my beloved husband and they were talking about some of the Japanese folklore and how some are true and some or just folklore. For me, I really don't know. However, I find them very interesting. The Icicle Woman is called the Tsurara Onna.

It is said that the Japanese Icicle woman could be either naughty or nice? Loving or Lethal? in the Japanese Folklore. If these stories are true, the story of the Icicle woman/Tsurara Onna is a warning to the men of Japan if you fashion a woman out of an icicle, even when yu pour your entire heart into it, don't be surprised if she turns out to be a cold-blooded soul.

ICICLE WOMAN
IN HER BEAUTIFUL FORM

First I should explain what the Icicle woman of the Japanese folklore does or mean? In all the Tsurara Onna tales/Icicle Woman will start out the same way---a lonely man will gaze out of his window during the cold snowy winter, and will marvel at the beauty of an icicle hanging from his eaves of his home. As he stares deeply into the crystal-like structure, he wishes he could meet a beautiful woman just like the Icicle, to ease the pains of his loneliness. Well, just like magick a woman appears fitting his extra description the very next day. The woman appears at the lonely man's door seeking refuge from a massive and sudden snow storm. Well, as the tale goes the lonely man lets the beautiful woman in his home not knowing what is in store for him & they fall in love. The woman decides to never leave, and the two become husband and wife. In old ancient Japan, no ceremony was necessary. So they decided to marry.

ICICLE WOMAN ON THE MOUNTAIN

Well, life was good---as least for a little while. The man's new wife was quite attentive, very loving & everything he could ever hope for.However, after a while things did go wrong, because there is rarely a Happily ever after in Japanese Folklore. In Japanese folklore when you are dealing with snow monsters it never ends nice or happy. There are two different versions of this tale it just depends on which regions of Japan you happen to live.
The first version of Icicle Woman Folktale~
It seems there was one thing that worried the man about his wife, he couldn't help notice that his new bride never bathes, even on the most chilly of nights. The man started to worry about her health---surely she will get sick if she doesn't warm herself in a warm bath? Not to mention cleanliness. Over the years, he tries to entice her to use the bath & he also assured her she should feel shy or ashamed.
Well, after much talk, his wife then demurs, but eventually she can no longer refuse her husband.
After he prepares a nice warming bathe for her, he keeps himself busy around the house so she can enjoy a nice good soak. Well, hours & hours pass & the man becomes worried about his wife. He thinks perhaps she has fallen asleep in the bath? So he goes into the back of the house to check on her & finds the tub to be empty, with only frozen shards of shattered icicles laying around the perimeter of the bath. These too slowly had melt away.
[Some say what had happened was this; the woman never went into the bath, but into the kitchen to heat up some hot sake for her husband. After a long wait, he goes to the kitchen to find the shattered icicle shards].
Second Version of the Icicle Woman of Japanese
~The Frozen Dagger of Hate~ 

Well, this version is a bit more harsh yu could say... In this tale as some say 'The Frozen Dagger of Hate'. The Icicle Woman who had become his wife, he doesn't coax his wife into the bath or ask her to retrieve hot sake for him. Instead, what happens they get through winter in perfect bliss. however as spring comes and the temperatures warms, the man has notices his wife is getting anxious for some odd reason. One day the man woke up and his wife was gone, the door of their house was standing wide open and the last of winter winds was blowing through. The husband was heartbroken, but he assumed his wife has left him after using him for shelter through the winter. So he moves on with his life and meets a new woman and falls in love. Come summer, he moves his new wife into his house, They pass the months very happily until winter comes again.
When the world froze over again, the man notices a particularly large Icicle forming from the eaves of his house. Fascinated by it, he goes outside for a better look. Within minutes, he sees his former wife, lived that she has been replaced with another woman.
Inside the home, his new wife hears her husband shriek in agony. She then rushed outside and found him dead, with an large icicle piercing from his head through his eyeball.

Well my dears friends & followers that

are the tale of the Icicle woman of the 

Japanese folktale the nice and not so nice version

I hope you enjoy

Happy Holidays 

Your friend always 

WENDY 

HUMMINGBIRDS OF PERU

Hummingbirds of Peru

~For My Love of the Jewels of the Sky~

In this post, I am going to bring you dear

friends & followers in the beautiful 

world of Peru.

There happen to be the most beautiful

hummingbirds in this country.  

In the mountainous country of Peru, I found that
there is a number of the more common
hummingbird birds as well as some of the most
endangered hummingbirds species on our Earth.
It seems that in the city of Lima there are some
beautiful parks that are the home to several of these
hummingbirds, including the Amaxilia.
There are others on the coastal towns that
 you might find the Oasis hummingbird.

Oasis Hummingbird

These tiny  beauty's of nature have an purple-collared
and the Peruvian sheartail.
There is one very special place in the Peru
Mountains and that is the Ancient City of Cuzco.
It lies high in the Andes about 11,400 feet (3500m) above
sea level. The ruins of the Inca City of
Machu Picchu happens to be a great tourist attraction
however it has many species of hummingbirds to find.
Some of these you might see are;
1-The Buff-Tailed Sicklebill

2-Rainbow Starfrontlet

3-The Rufous-Crest Coquette

4-The Giant hummingbirds

5-Shining Sunbeam

6-Chestnut-breast Coronet

7-White-bellied woodstar

 

8- The Golden-Tailed
Sapphire Hummingbird of Peru

These are just a few of the beauty's of 
the hummingbirds that live in Peru
At some point, I will do a post that will show 
all of Peru's beauty' Jewels of the sky's 
The is an special flower found high in the Andes of Peru
called the Large Stromelia flower. These offer
an high altitude valuable food for the hummingbirds that
usually perch whilst feeding on the Stromelia.
  As for those endangered hummingbirds of Peru!
The place is known as the Royal Sunangel with the only
scrub-covered slopes below the forest.
In the ravines of the Cordilllera del Condor, Cajamarea,
above the town of San Jose de Lourdes at about
6,000 feet (1800m)
The Neblina Metaltail is restricted to low forest on the
Cerro Chinguela in the Piura department. One of the
rarest and most unusual of all
the hummingbirds are the Marvellous Spatuletail.

These Hummingbirds sport incredibly long tails with
an outer feather on each tail.

They live in the mountain scrubs along the forest
edge on the east side of the Utcubamba Valley in the
Southern Amazonas.
The problem for these beautiful hummingbirds,
they're in a constant threat of destruction. Meaning there

habitat is being slowly destroyed.  

I hope that you enjoy the 3video's showing
the rare Peru Marvellous Spatuletail which I find to be
very beautiful. I hope that you enjoy another post
of my love of the Hummingbird.
Love and Peace
WENDY
          

TreeFolk Urban Legend

TreeFolk Urban Legend

I have another great urban legend for you all my dear friends and 
followers. So Welcome to my humble blog and to the TreeFolk. It is said in the fairy community, all trees are truly magical and sacred to them. However, not all trees are sentient. In fact, only a few are found to be. These are the mythical Treemen/Treewomen. Treefolk, as they are called, can take on a humanoid shape and move around short distances from their tree, or in extreme cases, uproot & use their roots as a shuffling form of locomotions of walking. In their humanoid form, Treefolks are often described as resembling their tree---so that an apple treewoman might have green hair and brownish skin while an elder treeman might have eyes as purply black as berries. They can have trunk like legs, great branches for their arms and have wood for their skin.

An obvious expression on the Treefolk will compose of knotholes and strange permutations of the bark, is a sign that the tree many contain a spirit. Also, checking around prominent trees for their roots that are above ground; loose dirt or overturned moss are clear indicators that a TreeFolk was about.  Another Magical thing about these treefolks is they are more likely to grow in the center of fairy rings, to be a lone tree on a hillside or the oldest tree in a grove to grow beside a welling spring too. And lastly, they can be one of two intertwined trees or even up to five intertwined trees.
Some of these treefolks, in other laws of the fairy folks, are said to be humanoids all the time.

They can take on the shape of beautiful women, which can be very amusing for them as they like to get about mischief by making an unsuspecting human fall in love with them. They can only leave their tree for no more than a week.
After the couple is together for only a few days they will become very week being with their new love, so keep an eye out for any tiring friends of yours whom may be a bit on the magical side. One interesting fact is the Treemen hate it if anyone who cuts down trees. They will die if they are cut down, although some linger on as spirits to haunt those that caused their demise. They also have a fear of fire as it can do them great harm. They are very much like that of dryads nymphs. Oak, Ash, Single thorn, and the female Holly

Treefolk is thought to be protective by the fairy folk. Oak trees are particularly sacred to fairies and have the greatest likelihood of sentience. Of the protective Treefolk, the most powerful is the mountain Ash, also known as rowan. It may be considered protective because of its red berries which the female Holly shares. The Treefolk of these species are mostly to be the friendly type in nature. Holly treemen, by contrast, are somewhat malevolent. Also, the Hawthorn Treemen are considered dangerous too, especially when they are in groups of three or more. Although the Elder treefolks are thought to be more of the protective type, they have behaved ambivalently too. It seems that the Elder

Treefolk are quite common in the Fae world. If blood-like sap seeps from their wood when it is cut, it is thought to be proof of their sentience and spirit within.

The Hazel Treefolks are thought to be the wisest of all the Treefolks and can impart wisdom to those that eat their nuts from their tree. It is said in legend that if one eats the flesh of an animal that has eaten hazelnuts from a sentient tree it is enough to gain the wisdom from that treefolk. Just like that of the Hazel Treefolks, the Apple Treefolks are thought to give power and youth to those who eat their apples. Also, if you sleep under an apple tree of an Treefolk it can be a dangerous thing, however as one risks being carried

 away by the faeries.
I hope that you all enjoyed my post 
on the TreeFolk Legend. Truly I believe
that they are still in the deepest forest around
the world as the Fairies are Too! 
Your Friend Always 
WENDY