My Science School

When spaghetti meets money

Italian Americans have a tradition of seasoning their spaghetti with the most unusual condiment. The oldest woman in the family stirs the tomato gravy and spaghetti along with a healthy dose of dollar bills contributed by different members of the family! Those who have earned well or received a nice raise are expected to sprinkle high denomination bills generously so that the luck spreads to others when the spaghetti gets served with the money! Three guesses for the toast... "You have to eat money to make money!"

God loves spicy salsa

In rural Mexico, farmers carry out an old Aztec tradition to please their god of harvest, XocotlHuetzi. The ancient Aztecs strongly believed that the god of harvest was fond of spice. What better way to show love and respect to the god of harvest than to dig a hole in the fields and fill it up with some nice, spicy salsa? If the crops failed even after that, the farmers deduce that it's because the salsa was too spicy or probably not spicy enough.

Sweet revenge

Do you wish to teach someone who's been particularly rude or obnoxious a lesson? Eastern Europeans have just the right thing to do. Take the oldest, sweatiest sneaker or shoe, fill it up with honey and leave it at their doorstep! The symbolism of replacing the stinky nature with some sweetness is assumed to be enough to fill the person with remorse. The person is supposed to use that honey to bake a cake and leave it by the windowsill as a sign of forgiveness!

Give your wish some wings

In Japan, there is a beautiful tradition wherein children write down their wishes on lanterns and let them float up into the night sky. Desires are also carved on yams or radishes and planted in the ground to teach an important lesson about not forgetting one's roots and the importance of humility.

It's confetti time

In Argentina, when you have loads of old documents and paper at home, New Year's Day is the time to make creative use of them. People get busy shredding the paper into thin strips to use as confetti for throwing from their windows.

Onion meteorology

In Romania, there is an interesting tradition on New Year, also called St Vasile's Day. Farmers like to predict how the year's climate conditions would be with the help of onions! You heard that right. Twelve onions are chosen, peeled and salted. Then the experts observe the level of salty liquid left behind and the skins of onions to make predictions for the year ahead.

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Straw goat on Christmas Eve – a burning question

In 1966, a straw goat was erected in the town square and it happened to get burned down at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve. Ever year after that, the straw goat was built and vandals tried to burn it. The vandals succeeded 25 times between 1966 and 2011! This has become such an interesting part of the Christmas celebrations that people actually bet on whether or not the goat would get burnt that year!

Cobwebs and Christmas

In Ukraine, a fancy Christmas tree is not one decorated with bright ornaments but with cobwebs and spiders! Though they're only artificial spiders, one wonders about the eccentric taste. The story goes that a very long time ago, a poor woman had nothing to decorate her tree with; the next morning, she found the tree covered with cobwebs and when sunlight touched them, they turned into gold and silver threads!

Stocking tradition different version

We all know about kids leaving stockings for Santa to fill with gifts, but in the Philippines, kids leave new or well-polished shoes by the windowsill or door around the time of Feast of the Three Kings for treats. Occasionally, some grass and water are also left as an offering for the camels.

Santa's postal pincode

Gone are the days when it wasn't clear where exactly Santa lived. The North Pole? No, just a little farther down. Santa now has an official postal code - HOHOHO. And that's in Canada. The 'elves' at Canada Post have been kind enough to respond to millions of mails sent to Santa that somehow bypassed the parents. They not only write back in different languages but even in Braille!

A Christmas cake like no other

The Philippines has so many unique and interesting customs different from those practised in the West. For instance, we are so used to seeing plum cakes and the regular kind we bake or buy, right? In Ilocano, the cake is cylindrical, two feet long and two inches in diameter! That's because it is baked inside a long bamboo pole after stuffing it with fragrant rice, sugar and coconut milk.

Attending Mass in style

In Carcas, the capital of Venezuela, people don't walk or drive to church for the midnight Mass they skate instead! And to accommodate this eccentric but fun custom, the city closes all traffic until 8 in the morning. Bells are rung and firecrackers burst to wake people up in time for the Mass.

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Icelanders gift books to each other on Christmas Eve as part of a tradition called Jolabokaflod or "The Christmas Book Flood". They spend the rest of the night reading them and drinking hot chocolate. The majority of books in Iceland are sold between September and December in preparation for Christmas giving. Jolabokaflod started during World War II when Icelanders gave books as gifts while other commodities were in short supply, turning them into a country of bookaholics to this day. Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country; 50 per cent of Icelanders read more than eight books a year and 93 per cent read at least one.

"The culture of giving books as presents is very deeply rooted in how families perceive Christmas as a holiday," Kristjan B. Jonasson, president of the Iceland Publishers Association, told NPR. "Normally, we give the presents on the night of the 24th and people spend the night reading. In many ways, it's the backbone of the publishing sector here in Iceland."

Ever since 1944, the Icelandic book trade has sent out a book bulletin to each household in the middle of November when the Reykjavik Book Fair happens. People use this catalogue to order books to give to their friends and family on Christmas Eve, the main gift-giving day in Iceland. After all the presents are open, everyone grabs a cup of hot chocolate and cozies up to spend the rest of the evening reading their books.

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Good old chocolates tell it all...

In Japan, women get busy stocking up on chocolates, because it's on Valentine's Day that she goes around gifting chocolates to her boss, co-workers, male friends but especially someone she is romantically interested in. The man has exactly a month to come, up with the perfect return gift to be given to the woman on March 14, also called White Day!

Guess who I am?

And then there are men who like to complicate things a little bit to add spice to the whole thing! In a quirky tradition, men send anonymous love notes to the women they love and paste a pressed flower for extra effect. Of course it doesn't make sense at all if the women can't guess who it is from, so they leave a clue - dots on the notes, corresponding to the number of letters in their names. We assume women are left fervently counting and writing down their guesses. If they do guess their secret admirer correctly, they get an Easter egg as a prize on Easter!

Handsome dreams

Bay leaves aren't just flavour enhancers; they're useful dream generators, too! In England, a woman would sleep with five bay leaves in each corner of the pillow and the centre in the hope that it would reveal her true love! It remains a suspense what would happen when she does approach her dream man and tell him he's been chosen for her!

A bus for singles...

In Finland and Estonia, Valentine's Day is more of a 'Friend's Day' where people expressed their love and appreciation to true friends, not lovers. However, all isn't lost. There's still an option to board a 'love bus' that gives single men and women the chance to find matches there.

Noodles speak!

Talk about whiners, single men and women symbolically silently complain how bitter it is to be single by eating a bowl of black noodles. There's no harm in stuffing up on some extra carbs while you're worrying about your 'single' status, making this a sensible tradition.

Spooning some love

Welsh men think differently why go for cards and hearts when you can express your love with a spoon? For years, Welsh men have hand-crafted spoons to present to the ladies they wish to marry. The spoons had symbolic elements for instance, keys represented a man's heart while wheels represented hard work and the number of beads signified all the offspring he'd like to have!

A romantic pilgrimage

Many Poles make a romantic pilgrimage to the city of Chelmno, a small town along the Ner River to admire the relics of St Valentine. It is believed that a visit to this town would guarantee a happy marriage and of course, a happy shopping experience considering all the things sold here around this time of year!

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Let the monkeys rejoice!

If you visit Lopburi in Thailand on November 25, chances are that a monkey might smirk at you if you offer just a banana or peanuts! They have their own buffet course during the Monkey Buffet Festival, with several kilos of choice fruits and vegetables to feast upon. Imagine the sight - 3000 monkeys helping themselves to food near the temples in Lopburi, Bangkok. Visitors admire the sight with one hand on their pockets and another holding their bags safe after all it is monkey territory! The idea behind this festival is that the monkeys bring in good luck and also tourists.

Dive fearlessly for a good crop

What would you do to ensure a good crop if you happened to have a yam field? Pray? Do somersaults? Stand on your head? In Vanuatu, the men are much braver. They dive down from a wooden tower with only two vines tied to their ankles to save them from a nasty fall. Not surprisingly, accidents are common because vines are after all vines, and they tend to break. While the men "pray" for their crops, their families probably pray for their safety.

Crying is winning

Know a cry baby? Hey, the sumos in Japan might be interested in having them as partners. The Konaki Sumo Festival is unique among festivals for hailing cry babies. It involves two sumos holding a baby each facing each other, waiting for the first baby to cry! The first to set the waterworks on is the winner. And the priest, who is also the referee, helps as best as he could, screaming and encouraging the babies to cry out!

Fight it out

In Bali, during the Usaba Sambah Festival, the girls ride on Ferris wheels and boys fight. What's the big deal? Well, the unmarried girls seat themselves on the Ferris wheel that is turned on and on for hours while they watch the boys fight each other with thorny pandanus leaves. Ouch! That hurts, but hey the girls are watching, right? Each player is given a woven bamboo shield for protection, but they are usually thrown away because they're too uncool.

Roll cheese!

Men in England might not want to dive with vines around their ankles, but they are more than willing to race down a steep hill chasing after a small block of rolling cheese! What do they get? The person who outruns the cheese to the finish line wins the block of cheese as reward. Few others win a trip to the emergency room.

The glory of mud

If you wince at the sight of a small splotch of mud on your T-shirt, what would you say about the Boryeong Mud Festival? Everybody who likes to be one with Mother Earth flock to South Korea and indulge in splashing mud at each other and themselves. The other entertainment reasonably revolves around mud itself-mud massage, mud cosmetics and mud photo contest. If you're wondering how girls brave it all, the mud is supposed to be packed with minerals so that's like a free, healthy mud facial!

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Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing Christmas with rich traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church services, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive!

Many of the symbols associated with Christmas have a special meaning. C. JOSEPH looks at some of the symbols that evoke the magic of the Christmas Season.

Christmas tree

A Christmas tree is usually an evergreen conifer, such as a fir, spruce, pine, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of the Christmas tree originated in Germany in the 16th century.

Christmas crib

The Christmas crib represents the scene on the night Jesus was born. It is referred to as the Nativity Scene or Manger Scene. The crib exhibits figures that represent the Infant Jesus, his mother, Mary, and her husband, Joseph. Various other figures like the shepherds, the three Wise Men, the donkey, sheep, cows, etc., are also part of the crib.

Stars

The Christmas star symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem, which according to the Biblical story guided the Three Kings or Wise Men to the baby Jesus. The star is also the heavenly sign of a prophecy fulfilled long ago and the shining hope for humanity.

Bells

Bells are rung during Christmas to proclaim the arrival of the Season and to announce the birth of Jesus. The ringing of bells can also be traced back to pagan winter celebrations when they were used to drive out evil spirits.

Wreath

The wreath is a circular, never ending symbol of eternal love and rebirth. Holly leaves and branches also stand for immortality, and cedar for strength. Today, the wreath symbolizes generosity, giving, and the gathering of family.

Candles

Candles represent the spiritual light emerging from the darkness and lighting up the surroundings. It reminds of a return to the original condition of human beings, i.e., immortal, perfect and joyful. A light inside of man was lit with Jesus' birth.

Poinsettia

The poinsettia is one of the most iconic plants that decorates households during the holidays. The shape of the poinsettia's flower is thought to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem. Its bright red leaves brighten up any room during the Season.

Christmas carols

A Christmas carol is a song on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the Christmas holiday season. The term Noel is sometimes used, especially for carols of French origin. Christmas carols may be regarded as a subset of the broader category of Christmas music.

Christmas colours

The traditional colours of Christmas are pine green (evergreen), snow white and heart red. Gold and silver are also very common, as are other metallic and royal colours.

Santa Claus

Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle or simply Santa, is a legendary character originating in western culture who is said to bring gifts on Christmas Eve to well behaved children, and nothing for the naughty ones!

Credit : C. Joseph (The Teenager Today)

Picture Credit : Google