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Webheads chat logs are posted on the Internet to assist language learners with comprehension of our conversations and to strengthen our sense of community through shared familiarity with one another. All are welcome to join us, but your participation in our activities implies that you approve of our posting on the Internet interactions in which you take part. Please address any comments or concerns to Vance Stevens.
Thanks Fin, for the card! |
However you celebrate
it, we wish you a happy end-of-year season and peace and prosperity in the
coming year. Click on a name to see a greeting: Vance | Fin | Anh | Aiden | Halia | Maggi | Denilson | Marsh | Zaheer | Susanne | Michael | John in Taiwan | Juani | Antonio Ghosts of Christmases past: 1999/2000 | 2000/2001 | 2001/2002 |
Merry Christmas to all. My family greeting to one and all is here: http://www.vancestevens.com/xmas2002.htm and, for the next 30 days: http://view.greetings.yahoo.com/greet/view?43WJTWQ6VJ799
Anh starts us off: It's wedding season in Vietnam ( from Lunar Oct. to Lunar Mar. next year. Vietnamese have custom to invite all friends and neighbours and colleges of all people in family and all their relatives to wedding party ( an average wedding party usually receive around 400 - 500 people). In good days (chosen by bride and groom's families) , a person may be invited to many parties and we call that ¦" run wedding party show". We hardly make a plan in these days. It's not including funerals and new house parties... Oh, also about party. X - mas day is coming. Will we have a X - mas party for webheads?
About the xmas party, I think we should do it this weekend and new year's party, the week after this.
It's Christmas, and it's the time of the year when we don't just exchange presents, but rather tell our family members and friends that we care. To webheads, time surely does fly! It's been a year and the discussions and repartee that took place vary in terms of content and I should say-intensity. Nevertheless, both added color and that what makes this list fun and exciting.
Anh mentioned about food. Are there any special food that is/are particularly prepared on Christmas day in your country (this goes to all list members)? What about on New Year's Eve or Noche Buena? Dafne, can Paella be served for noche buena? I remember my mom used to cook it for New Year's celebration- but now, am wondering, whether it is really a part of the custom (I know for sure that she cooked Paella because she knew that I loved it, and still do). Bottles of wine or champagne are usually opened during this occassion. It's certainly a time to be jolly.
We'll (my family ) be having a christmas party with friends on the 24th but I have a class on the 25th and I can't cancel this class (school regulations) but this does not and should not spoil my festive mood.
To everyone one on this list, Feliz navidad!
Aiden
and, within the next 30 days. http://view.greetings.yahoo.com/greet/view?DND5GTJEY69DW
Halia writes about Christmas, 2002
Can I speak about Christmas and special Christmas food in Ukraine?
Christmas in Ukraine is mostly religious holiday. We don't have the tradition of giving Christmas presents. For this purpose (gift-giving:) we have a special day - St. Nicholas day (December 19 :) - when all children get presents from St. Nicholas: they find them under their pillows in the morning. Parents say that if children are naughty they will receive birch-rods from St. Nicholas. Usually when people meet on December 19 they ask each other what St. Nicholas has brought them.
We celebrate Christmas on January 7, not on December 25. For Christmas we have special dishes in Ukraine. In every house there must be twelve dishes. On the evening before Christmas there's a Holy supper (the last day of the fasts), we cook 12 dishes and we can't eat meat. So there is stuffed cabbage, varenyky (something like ravioli), a salad called 'herring under the fur coat" (it has herring, beet, eggs, carrots, potatoes and mayonnaise) and others. But the most important dish is "kutya". That is wheat boiled for several hours, mixed with ground poppy seeds, nuts, raisins and honey (yummy, yummy). It's my favourite. Every meal during Christmas celebrations starts with "kutya".
I wonder if there is something similar in other countries.
Looking forward to hearing about other "mouth-watering" Christmas traditions:)
Yours,
Halia.
Well its first time for me to have a look on real X-mas. The whole city is intirly change in this month. You can find crismas tree every where and a lot of decoration. I wonder its not against green peice that they cut douwn a no of trees just for some time!!!!!!!!!!! The most beautiful is criskintanmarket at near Golden roof (down town) with red wine..........
I have no plann to visit any where during these days so i will remain busy in office during X-mas, while I am planning to visit my brother, who leave in toronto in coming March, while on the way i will love to spend some time in london too.
I'd like to pick up your interesting view, Zaheer, about the waste of christmas trees for decoration, and where I come from, most private homes buy one, as well, to put in the living room for a week or two.
In my country, Denmark, the land used to be almost covered by forest for thousands of years, but in the last millenium our kings were warlords and built huge fleets of ships for conquering the world - the Vikings were our ancestors. And the old oak tree forests were cut down. Also our country was populated by farmers, and the forests were burnt down to make room for cultivated fields of grain and for grassing the cattle. Still, we do have lots of nice forest for recreation and production of wood (for furniture as well as for fireplace fuel), Our country has relatively large tree plantations, and part of this land is used uniquely for a monoculture of christmas trees, making an excellent export income. One thing is that the trees take ten to twenty years and then they are cut down and sold commercially, these areas can be replanted so it might not do any real harm at a first sight, even if there is a clearcutting of all trees wchich always make risk for soil erosion; our nature is rich and fertile. Even worse is, that this culture takes lots of pesticides to protect the trees (they have to ve faultless, or they cannot be sold at the best price). These chemical treatments are polluting our ground water resources, as well as being washed out in streams and the sea - maybe that is the worst problem of all that the luxury of christmas trees are causing.
Now, maybe this problem will change, as the global climate changes, too. Because our country is on the limit for needle trees, they do need a cold and frosty winter, such as they do have in Lithuania, as Vita told us. And if we have to face a warmer period, we will have to think of another kid of fcorest vegetation! It has also become rare to have a winter with ice enough on our lakes for ice skating in Denmark, although some years ago, it did happen.
Now, Zaheer - you said that you have no family, and no friends in Innsbruck? I am almost sure that in case you really and honestly wish to get some insight in the Austrian folk culture at this time of the year, there would be some place for you to go and take part in a public Christmas meal for single people - mayb e at the Salvation Army , and it is also posssible to join a church sermon even if you're not a Christian; they will not ask for a membership passport at the entrance of a church :-) Just like Vance tells us he celebrates the Eyd in Abu Dhabi!
Surprise! You've just received a Yahoo! Greeting from "Sus" (s.nyrop@get2net.dk)! To view this greeting card, click on the following Web address at anytime within the next 30 days. http://view.greetings.yahoo.com/greet/view?2MBUU4BM9Y3G9
Like Halyna in Ukraine they have St. Nikolas here in Germany, too, but it is 6 December. The children leave a shoe out and if they were good it will be full of goodies, like nuts, tangerines, chocolate and cookies. If they were naughty, just coal.
Christmas itself is the evening of the 24th. This is when the tree goes up and the gifts come out and the children are kept away. Then, surprise, and presents are exhanged, poems read and songs sung. Then the family eats and here it will depend on the area and the age of the cook as to what will be served. Oma (grandma) will make either carp or a dinner of special wurst, kn ¦ödel (dumplings) and cabbage, Mom will make a duck or goose and young people make raclette (melted cheese with potatoes) or fondue (where everyone sits around a big pot and cooks what they want). Then many go to midnight mass.
Santa Claus doesn't bring the gifts here as in the US, the Christ child does. Some people here and in Austria are not happy to see someone dressed up like one at the traditional Christmas markets because they don't want to see Christmas so commercialized here.
The Christmas markets start with the first Advent (the 4 Sundays before Christmas) and they are wonderful....the smells of baked goodies, the smell of the spices in Gluhwein (a spiced hot wine), the lights, singing, and all the little wooden huts filled with wooden toys, decorations, and handmade things.
The 25th and 26th are also a holiday here and they are used to visit the rest of the family and friends. So this time of year is 3 days to enjoy being with the family and enjoying good food and each other.
Maggi:-)
I wish i could sit with all of you and have a nice dinner at CHRISTMAS night
But till that, go to this link and check this nice christmas history. http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=0271800122
Wish you all the best.
God bless us all.
Marsh Huang's New Year Resolutions
Time flies, it¡¦s the end of 2002. Every year , while this moment , the period between two years , everyone will write down their new year resolutions, but when a year pasted . How many people have achieved their goals? So, be practical, I don¡¦t want to plan some goal that I can¡¦t or hard to do, I want to do something that I could achieve. Like what?
Ok, firstly, because I want to work in international trade area , I have to have some licenses or degrees to help me find jobs, therefore, I will join the TOEIC test. I had this test before, 625 points, it¡¦s great for a international trade major , but now, I think I must do better than then . Above 650 is my goal. Second , keep doing exercise . I go to the gym frequently now, and I think it¡¦s good for me so keep doing it. Last, I have to be a solider after I graduate , I hope I could finish my responsibility safely and smoothly. Oh, if I can find a new girlfriend everything will be great.
John in Taiwan sends us a card: http://tw.view.greetings.yahoo.com/greet/view?XY37UBYFN68PZ
Surprise! You've just received a Yahoo! Greeting from "Juani" ! To view this greeting card, click on the following Web address at anytime within the next 30 days. http://view.greetings.yahoo.com/greet/view?7WERNK2BEZ3ZN
Seasons Greetings! Whether you call it Christmas or anything else, I wish you the best now and always. Hugz from Mexico :) Antonio.
To all those (Aiden, Sus, Chris, Denilson, etc) who sent Christmas greetings in the form of those ever improving Flash card thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed them! And Happy Christmas to Webheads everywhere! - Michael C.
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