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CHRISTMAS IN ARGENTINA!

   Christmas Day in Argentina is observed every year on the 25th December.    During Christmas the weather is warm in Argentina. But that in no way lessens the fun of the season. Preparations for Christmas Day begin much earlier than in many other parts of the world. Every house is decorated beautifully with lights and flowers. Living rooms of individual homes are adorned with wreaths of green, gold , red and white flowers. Red and white garlands are hung with an aesthetic touch on the doors of houses. Artificial or live trees are used to create the Christmas tree and embellished with laces, balls, Santa Clause figures, candles, colored lights, ornaments, small gifts and even "Papai Noels". The Nativity scene or “pesebre” is an important part of the Argentine Christmas decorations. Many set up a creche in their homes during the season, setting up Christ's manger with great care. The “pesebre” is placed close to the Christmas tree. A wonderful cust...
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THE SHIP CALLED THE MAYFLOWER!!

   The ship ' Mayflower ' has played a very significant role in the history of Thanksgiving, because it was the historic ship that took the Pilgrims to America in 1620. The pilgrims were basically the fortune hunters, bound for the resourceful 'New World'. And the 'Mayflower' was a small ship crowded with men, women and children besides the sailors on board. The first record available about the ship 'Mayflower' is somewhere in 1609. At that time it was a merchant ship, which traveled to Baltic ports, most notably Norway.    At that time, that is around 1609, Christopher Nichols, Richard Child, Thomas Short, and Christopher Jones owned the Mayflower. The weight of this ship was about 180 tons and it rested in Harwich. Initially this ship was employed for the purpose of transportation of goods such as tar, lumber, fish and possibly some Greenland whaling. But later on this ship was employed in Mediterranean wine and spice trading.    In ...

CHRISTMAS IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO!

     Christmas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is more of a religious festival than being commercial. Most people won't have any presents.    Christmas Eve is very important with Churches having big musical evenings (most churches have at least 5 or 6 choirs) and a nativity play. These plays last a very long time. They start at the beginning of the evening with the creation and the Garden of Eden and end with the story of King Herod killing the baby boys.    People taking part in the play really like to show off their 'best' acting skills and tend to go over the top and 'ham it up'! King Herod and the soldiers are often figures of fun (like pantomime 'baddies') and Mary is often well advanced in labour before she arrives!      The birth of Jesus is timed to happen as close to midnight as possible and after that come the shepherds, the wise men and the slaughter of the innocents. This means the play norm...

HOW ABOUT A LITTLE THANKSGIVING TRIVIA???

   Thanksgiving Day  is a very important day in the United States. There are many things that are especially related to the celebrations of the Thanksgiving Day. These include Thanksgiving turkey trivia, pilgrims, Thanksgiving proclamations, Thanksgiving as a national holiday and other things. Some of such facts are mentioned here which will not only help you enhance your knowledge about Thanksgiving Day but also make you enjoy this day with even more zeal. 1.  Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States. 2.  Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada. 3.  The Plymouth Pilgrims were the first to celebrate the Thanksgiving. 4.  The pilgrims arrived in North America in December 1620. 5.  The Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to reach North America. 6.  The pilgrims sailed on the ship, which was known by the ...