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HAPPY 2022 EVERYBODY

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HAPPY 2022 EVERYBODY

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sun Dec 24, 2017 8:23 pm

NORAD Santa Tracker:

https://www.noradsanta.org/

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY

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Re: HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY

PostAuthor: Benny » Mon Dec 25, 2017 7:15 am

Merry Christmas! May your God go with you!

/Benny

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Re: HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY

PostAuthor: Anthea » Mon Dec 25, 2017 1:38 pm

Benny wrote:Merry Christmas! May your God go with you!

/Benny


Happy Christmas may your Gods go with you :ymhug:
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Re: HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:52 am

MERRY GROSS CONSUMERISM DAY
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Re: HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Dec 25, 2020 1:34 am

How the Vikings gave us Christmas

Primarily marked on the 25th of December to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas is a time of year celebrated by billions of people around the world. The festival is accompanied by several traditions that, unbeknownst to many, have pagan origins

Long before Christianity had come to the Nordic regions, the pagan Vikings and other ancient Germanic peoples would celebrate the winter solstice each December, the time of year when the days were the shortest and the night's the longest. Friends and relatives would get together and enjoy food and drink in a festival known as Yule.

As Christianity swept across Germanic Europe centuries ago, many Yuletide traditions were adopted and absorbed into the Christian faith, mixing together to create the modern Christmas we celebrate today.

Here are some of the most common Christmas traditions we have the Vikings to thank for.

Father Christmas

The Norse god Odin was said to be 'the father of all gods'. Described as a bearded old man wearing a hat and a cloak, Odin would often ride his eight-legged horse Sleipnir across the midwinter night's sky, delivering gifts to those down below. Sound familiar?

Although it can be argued that our modern Father Christmas is a fusion of ancient myths, legends and folklore, the resemblance and connection to the Norse god Odin has many historians believing he was the original Santa.

The Christmas Elf

Once again we have Norse mythology to thank for another of our well-known Christmas stalwarts, the elf. Referred to as the álfar (where our word 'elf' comes from) or 'hidden people', these supernatural humanlike beings were often described as tall, pale and beautiful and equipped with magical powers.

So how did we go from the álfar to the short, pointy hat wearing elves we imagine in Santa's workshop today? Again, we have another myth from Nordic folklore to thank, that of the 'nisse'. The nisse is a mythological creature associated with the winter solstice and Christmas season, best described as looking like your typical garden gnome - short and equipped with a red pointy hat.

The little creatures are said to live in the stables and barns of a homestead, guarding the property and those dwelling within. Treat it well and it'll be helpful to you, treat it badly and be prepared for some mischief around your house, perhaps explaining why today's Christmas elves are often represented as cheeky.

Christmas trees

The Vikings worshipped trees, especially the evergreens of the Scandinavian forests, which they believed were the special plant of Balder, the sun god. Since they remained green throughout the winter, the trees came to represent the promise of new life, a reminder that spring was just around the corner.

In ancient Germanic and Norse tradition, the evergreens were often decorated with small carvings of the gods and food, in the hope of encouraging the tree spirits to return to bring about the new spring.

Festive wreath

Whilst the Romans originally created wreaths to be displayed as a symbol of victory, they became connected to our festive celebrations by way of Yule. Like the evergreen trees, wreaths created using an evergreen plant such as Holly, would be brought into people's dwellings during Yuletide to remind them of the warmer days to come, a reassuring symbol during the long cold winters of the Scandinavian north.

The Vikings themselves would set alight to a 'sunwheel', which strongly resembles our modern wreaths. The burning wheel was then rolled down a hill in the hope of enticing the sun to return.

Mistletoe

According to Norse legend, Odin's son Balder had been prophesied to die so his mother Frigg visited every entity in the cosmos to secure an oath from them that they wouldn't harm her son. She neglected to consult the mistletoe believing it too small and harmless to threaten the life of her son. The mischievous god Loki got wind of this oversight and carved an arrow out of the mistletoe. Balder would eventually be slain by Loki's creation, mistletoe proving to be his only weakness.

In one version of the story, Frigg's tears of sorrow fell onto the red mistletoe turning them white, which resurrected her son. Mistletoe came to represent renewal, love and peace with Frigg promising to kiss anyone who passed beneath it.

The 12 days of Christmas

Before we were all singing about turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree, the ancient Norse were enjoying their midwinter festival of Yule for exactly twelve days. Beginning on the day of the winter solstice (the longest day and night), the feasting festivities would carry on for 12 days, creating the origins of the 12 days of Christmas we celebrate today.

Christmas ham

It's a dish that's featured on most Christmas tables at some point during the festive season and once again, we have the Norse to thank for our Christmas ham.

Feasting played a central role in the way the Vikings and other ancient Germanic people honoured the gods. One such ritual saw the sacrificing of a Wild Boar to the Norse god Freyr in the hope of a fruitful harvest during the next season.

The boar would be the centrepiece of the feasting, very much like the Christmas ham that adorns our modern-day tables.

Yule log

In Nordic tradition, the Yule log was a carefully selected log that was ceremonially brought into the house and burnt on a hearth (brick or stone-lined fireplace) during the time of Yule. Part of it would be saved and kept until the following year to not only protect the home but also act as kindling for next year's Yule log.

Whilst the tradition continues to this day across the world, it has also transformed into a culinary one with many people choosing to furnish their Christmas tables with a chocolate Yule log.

https://www.history.co.uk/articles/how- ... -christmas
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Re: HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Jan 01, 2021 12:30 am

HAPPY NEW YEAR
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Re: HAPPY 2021 EVERYBODY

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Jan 01, 2021 11:24 pm

Erbil welcomes 2021

The government banned New Year celebrations during the coronavirus pandemic, but crowds still gathered in spots around Erbil, including the central bazaar at the foot of the ancient citadel. Posing for photos and setting off fireworks, they said good-bye to a joyless year and wished for better times ahead

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Link to more photos of Erbil welcoming in 2021:
https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/01012021

Make 2021 the year of Kurdish PRIDE and UNITY
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Re: HAPPY 2021 EVERYBODY

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sun Jan 03, 2021 4:37 pm

9 Christmas Traditions
With Pagan Roots


During the winter solstice season, people around the world practice all kinds of Christmas traditions, from eating candy canes to giving presents. But did you know that many Christmas customs can trace their roots back to pagan origins? Here are nine little-known bits of trivia about Yule season traditions.

Christmas Caroling

The tradition of Christmas caroling actually began as the tradition of wassailing. In centuries past, wassailers went from door to door, singing and drinking to the health of their neighbors.

The concept actually harkens back to pre-Christian fertility rites—only in those ceremonies, villagers traveled through their fields and orchards in the middle of winter, singing and shouting to drive away any spirits that might inhibit the growth of future crops. Caroling wasn’t actually done in churches until St. Francis, around the 13th century, thought it might be a nice idea.

Kissing Under the Mistletoe

Mistletoe has been around for a long time, and has been considered a magical plant by everyone from the Druids to the Vikings. The ancient Romans honored the god Saturn, and to keep him happy they conducted fertility rituals under the mistletoe. Today, we don't go quite that far under the mistletoe (at least not usually) but this could explain where the kissing tradition comes from.

The Norse Eddas tell of warriors from opposing tribes meeting under mistletoe and laying down their arms, so it’s certainly considered a plant of peace and reconciliation. Also in Norse mythology, mistletoe is associated with Frigga, a goddess of love—who wouldn’t want to smooch under her watchful eye?

Gift-Delivering Mythical Beings

Sure, we’ve all heard of Santa Claus, who has his roots in the Dutch Sinterklaas mythology, with a few elements of Odin and Saint Nicholas thrown in for good measure. But how many people have heard of La Befana, the kindly Italian witch who drops off treats for well-behaved children? Or Frau Holle, who gives gifts to women at the time of the winter solstice? Throughout the world, gift-giving mythical beings are part of local traditions.

Decking the Halls

The Romans loved a good party, and Saturnalia was no exception. This holiday, which fell on December 17, was a time to honor the god Saturn, and so homes and hearths were decorated with boughs of greenery—vines, ivy, and the like. The ancient Egyptians didn't have evergreen trees, but they had palms—and the palm tree was the symbol of resurrection and rebirth. People often brought the fronds into their homes during the time of the winter solstice. Over time, this evolved into the modern tradition of the holiday tree.

Hanging Ornaments

During Saturnalia, Roman celebrants often hung metal ornaments outside on trees. Typically, the ornaments represented a god—either Saturn or the family's patron deity. The laurel wreath was a popular decoration as well. Early Germanic tribes decorated trees with fruit and candles in honor of Odin for the solstice.

Eating Fruitcake

The fruitcake has become the stuff of legend, because once a fruitcake is baked, it will seemingly outlive everyone who comes near it. Stories abound of fruitcakes from winters past magically appearing in the pantry to surprise everyone during the holiday season. What’s interesting about the fruitcake is that it actually has its origins in ancient Egypt.

There’s a tale in the culinary world that the Egyptians placed cakes made of fermented fruit and honey on the tombs of their deceased loved ones—and presumably these cakes would last as long as the pyramids themselves. In later centuries, Roman soldiers carried these cakes, made with mashed pomegranates and barley, into battle. There are even records of soldiers on crusades carrying honey-laden fruitcakes into the Holy Land with them.

Giving Presents

Today, Christmas is a huge gift-giving bonanza for retailers far and wide. However, that’s a fairly new practice, developed within the last two to three hundred years. Most people who celebrate Christmas associate the practice of gift giving with the Biblical tale of the three wise men who gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn baby Jesus.

However, the tradition can also be traced back to other cultures. The Romans gave gifts between Saturnalia and the Kalends, and during the Middle Ages French nuns gave gifts of food and clothing to the poor on St. Nicholas’ Eve. Interestingly, up until around the early 1800s, most people exchanged gifts on New Years’ Day—and it was usually just one present, rather than the massive collection of gifts typically given today.

Christmas Holly

For those who celebrate the spiritual aspects of Christmas, there is significant symbolism in the holly bush. For Christians, the red berries represent the blood of Jesus Christ as he died upon the cross, and the sharp-edged green leaves are associated with his crown of thorns. However, in pre-Christian pagan cultures, the holly was associated with the god of winter—the Holly King, doing his annual battle with the Oak King. Holly was known as a wood that could drive off evil spirits as well, so it came in handy during the darker half of the year when most of the other trees were bare.

The Yule Log

Nowadays, when we hear about the Yule log, most people think of a deliciously rich chocolate dessert. But the Yule log has its origins in the cold winters of Norway, on the night of the winter solstice, where it was common to hoist a giant log onto the hearth to celebrate the return of the sun each year. The Norwegians believed that the sun was a giant wheel of fire that rolled away from the earth and began rolling back again on the winter solstice.

https://www.learnreligions.com/christma ... ts-2563021
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Re: HAPPY 2022 EVERYBODY

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sat Jan 01, 2022 4:06 pm

The Roj Bash Kurdistan Team Wish All Our Friends - Supporters - Kurds Everywhere - A Very Happy And Healthy New Year

    And Most Importantly A
    FREE
    UNITED
    KURDISTAN
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Re: HAPPY 2022 EVERYBODY

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sat Jan 01, 2022 6:09 pm

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Erbil's New Year celebrations

More than 75,000 tourists from Iraqi southern and central provinces visited Kurdistan’s capital city of Erbil in recent days to celebrate the New Year

Visiting celebrators in Erbil’s famous Iskan street, Omed Khoshnaw told reporters that 76,648 tourists from federal-controlled provinces visited the province between December 25-31.

“We hope to serve our people in the best way in 2022,” added Khosnaw.

Erbil, Duhok and Sulaimani governments decided not to officially celebrate the New Year due to the death of several people in Erbil’s floods in December. But people warmly celebrated the New Year in the provinces.

Tourism in Kurdistan has been a booming sector in recent years, but it was hit by coronavirus-related measures in 2020. This year, the easing of these measures has helped the sector to gradually recover.

Over four million tourists visited Kurdistan during the past year, with the capital city of Erbil receiving the lion’s share, the Region’s tourism board said on Thursday.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/01012022
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