DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

  In the middle of the Mediterranean coast, Valencia city, celebrates each year the final days of the winter and the arrival of spring with spectacular fires of  pyrotechnics.  From March 15th to the 19th ( the feast of Saint Joseph , day of the father in the whole country), Valencia is given over to a carnival of bonfires, fiesta, fireworks and a healthy dose of satire known as Las Fallas , "the fires".         Displayed on every corner all over the city are colorful ninots , giant paper-mache' figures often 20 feet tall or even more that have been paraded through the streets and then place in fantasy groups to tower over excited spectators.  Each one in some way satires a political figure, or a soap star, or more exotic creatures from the movies, TV, sports idols, or simply imagination.  Some of them are grotesque...others playful and charming...all are larger than life and up for public scrutiny. ...

   The Institute of Holiday Studies has released the top ten fears that people face during the Holidays. Parkaphobia - The fear that you will circle and circle the parking lot for ever, never actually making it into the mall.  You will run out of gas on the 100th time you circle and you will slowly starve to death in your car. Planeaphobia - The fear that someone in your family will actually expect you to pick them up at the airport, when you even offer to pay for their taxi, no matter know much it costs.  Similar to parkaphobia, you will be doomed to circling the airport for ever, while their plane is an hour late, they stop for a Latte' on the way to the baggage counter, then spend two hours looking for their lost bag, which will come in tomorrow, meaning you get to make another trip to the airport. Giftaphobia -You and your new boyfriend are exchanging gifts for the first time on Christmas.  You both promised to keep it simple.  But what does ...

      Frozen Dead Guy Days is an annual celebration held in the town of Nederland, Colorado.    In 1989, a Norwegian citizen named Trygve Bauge brought the corpse of his recently deceased grandfather, Bredo Morstol , to the United States.  The body was preserved on dry ice for the trip, and stored in liquid nitrogen at the Trans Time Cryonics facility from 1990 to 1993.    In 1993, Bredo was returned to dry ice and transported to the town of Nederland, where Trygve and his mother Aud planned to create a cryonics facility of their own.  When Trygve was deported from the United States for overstaying his visa, his mother, Aud, continued keeping her father's body cryogenically forzen in a shack behind her unfinished house.      Aud was eventually evicted from her home for living in a house with no electricity or plumbing, in violation of local ordinances.  At that time, she told a local ...

  The Scoppio del Carro ("Explosion of the Cart") is a folk tradition of Florence, Italy.  On Easter Sunday, a cart, packed full of fireworks and other pyrotechnics, is lit and provides a historic spectacle in the civic life of the city. A Little History on the Festival    The event of the Scoppio del Carro has its origins in the First Crusade, when Europeans laid siege to the city of Jerusalem in a conflict to claim Palestine for Christianity.  In 1097, Pazzino de' Pazzi, a Florentine from a very prominent family, was by tradition, the first man to scale the fortified walls that surrounded Jerusalem.  As a reward for this act of bravery, his commander gave him three flints (fire starters) from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which were then carried back to Tuscany.  These were and still are kept in the Chiesa delgli Santi Apostoli .      It became the practice for a "holy fire" to be struck from ...

     Lets face it, everyone likes to be appreciated.  Whether it is friends, couples, parents and children, an encouragement of gratitude, even a "Thank You", certainly brightens up the day.  Some of us may not be used to it or even if we are, it certainly doesn't get heard or said enough.  Perhaps we don't quite know how.  Here are 10 great ideas that will get you started in the right direction.   Say it with a Smile - Smile more!  We are endowed with a powerful and contagious gift.  Everyone can do it, and yet we tend not to do it enough.  Remind yourself.  The more often you smile, the brighter your thank-you becomes. Write a Note - For a moment, remember your middle school years.  What did half the classes do behind the teacher's back?  Write and pass notes, of course!  It was fun.  Write thank you notes even for the small things that people do.  Be specific and authentic....

   Moros y Cristianos or Moros i Cristians , literally in English is Moors and Christians, is a set of festival activities which are celebrated in many towns and cities of Spain, mainly in the southern Valencian Community; according to popular tradition the festivals commemorate the battles, combats and fights between Moors (or Muslims) and Christians during the period known as Reconquista (from the 8th century through the 15th century).       The festivals represent the capture of the city by the Moors and the subsequent Christian reconquest.  The people that take part in the festival are usually enlisted in filaes or comparsas (companies that represent the Christian or Moor legions), they parade with bombastic costumes loosely inspired by Medieval fashion.  Christians wear fur, metallic helmets, and armor, fire loud arquebuses (guns or cannons), and ride horses.  In contrast, Moors wear ancient Arab costumes, carry sci...

   The Carnival of Binche is an event that takes place each year in the Belgian town of Binche, during the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday.  The carnival is best known of all the others that take place in Belgium,  at the same time and has been proclaimed as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity .  Its history dates back to approximately the 14th century.    Events related to the carnival begin up to 7 weeks prior to the primary celebrations.  Street performances and public displays traditionally occur on the Sundays approaching Ash Wednesday, consisting of prescribed musical acts, dancing  and marching.  Large numbers of Binche's inhabitants spend the Sunday prior to Ash Wednesday in costume.      The centerpiece of the carnival,  are clown like performers,  known as Gilles.   Appearing, for the most part, on...