DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Cheung Chau Bun Festival  or  Cheung Chau Da Jiu Festival  is a traditional Chinese festival on the island of Cheung Chau in Hong Kong. Being held annually, and with therefore the most public exposure, it is by far the most famous of such Da Jiu festivals, with  Jiu  being a Taoist sacrificial ceremony. Such events are held by mostly rural communities in Hong Kong, either annually or at a set interval of years ranging all the way up to once every 60 years ( the same year in the Chinese astrological calendar). Other places that may share the folk custom include Taiwan, Sichuan, Fujian and Guangdong.    Cheung Chau's Bun Festival, which draws tens of thousands of local and overseas tourists every year, is staged to mark the Eighth day of the Fourth Moon, in the Chinese calendar (this is usually in early May). It coincides with the local celebration of  Buddha's Birthday .     The Cheung Chau Bun Festival began as a fun and exciting ritual for fishing comm

 This recipe comes from  www.theidearoom.net  . Make a batch for freinds and family, and enjoy it on a PB and J sandwich. I just love homemade jams and jellies, they are 100 times better than store bought stuff.    Not me! My sister made all these beautiful jars of freezer jam this past week. She was kind enough to share her pictures of them with us. Now…this girl can take amazing pictures. Seeing her photography is what inspired me to learn to improve my own. Anyways, I love freezer jam! If you have never made any, you need to…NOW! It is seriously so easy! I totally prefer freezer jam to cooked jams and especially store bought jams. The only exception for me is  apricot  jam . Apricot jam is so much better cooked. My sister has inspired me to make some more freezer jam as I did not make any last year. So next week, this is what I will spend one of my afternoons (during naptime) accomplishing. I can’t wait!! Here is What You’ll Need: 4 lbs. of Fresh Berries or fruit

some of the moors costumes     Araquio festival  is a celebration traditionally held every May in Nueva Ecija. The festival dates back to the Spanish colonial period and is celebrated with a theatrical/religious presentation similar to Spanish  zarzuelas , dramatizing the spread of Christianity in the country and the war between Christians and Muslims. Some of the Costumes History and Customs     The name Araquio is said to have come from  "Heraclio",  the name of a bishop during the time of  Constantine the Great . The first Araquio presentation took place in the town of Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija over 120 years ago. Before modern musical instruments were available, the bands used instruments made from indigenous materials like bamboo. According to Francisco Vergara Padilla, director of the Araquio group in the barangay of St. Tomas in Peñaranda, during his grandfather's time they used basins and utensils as substitutes.     Araquio is

    In Irish folklore, the Banshees are known as the ancestral spirits of the Fairy world. Their history extends way back into the dim and mysterious past.     Banshees are among the oldest Fairy folk of Ireland, associated as strongly as shamrocks and potatoes. Banshees, also known as Bean-Sidhe, were appointed to forewarn members of Irish families of impending death. Her prescence alone brings no harm or evil, but to hear a Banshee in the act of keening is to have witnessed the announcement of the death of a loved one. The Banshee's wail pierces the night and its notes rise and fall like waves over the countryside.     It is said that Banshees never appear to the one who is to die but to their loved ones. In times gone by she was seen washing human heads, limbs or bloody clothing until the water was dyed with blood.  Over the centuries this image changed. The Banshee now paces the land, wringing her hands and crying. Sometimes she is known as the Lady of Death or the W