DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

The Great Pumkin Trojan Horse  The pumpkin has been around in the U.S. long before the pilgrims first landed on the shores of Cape Cod Bay.  Most scientists seem to think that the tasty squash (pumpkins are part of the squash family) was first cultivated in southern Mexico over a thousand years ago, and gradually the large vegetable spread north along with maize, squash and beans.  These newly developed crops greatly changed the way the Indians lived.  Native populations increased and cultures flourished as many parts of North America saw a change in Native life that went from hunter and gatherer towards farmer.    Every yer the Thanksgiving holiday gives us a chance to have a big feast, reconnect with long lost relatives and watch football.  Most Americans have some inkling of the vast array of modern foods that originated in the Americas, and also of the importance of corn in the aboriginal diet, but the story is much more fascinating...

   The festival of  San Fermín  (or  Sanfermines , in  basque language   Sanferminak ) in the city of  Pamplona ( Navarre ,  Spain ), is a deeply rooted celebration held annually from 12:00, 6 July, when the opening of the fiesta is marked by setting off the pyrotechnic  chupinazo ,   to midnight 14 July, with the singing of the  Pobre de Mí . While its most famous event is the encierro, or  the running of the bulls , the week-long celebration involves many other traditional and  folkloric  events. It is known locally as  Sanfermines  and is held in honor of  Saint Fermin , the co-patron of Navarre. Its events were central to the plot of  The Sun Also Rises , by Ernest Hemingway , which brought it to the general attention of English-speaking people. It has become probably the most internationally renowned  fiesta  in Spain. Over 1,000,000 people come to watch this festival. S...