AULD LANG SYNE

"Auld Lang Syne" is the most commonly sung song for English-speakers to bring in the New Year and say goodbye to the old year. It is an old Scottish song that was first published by the poet Robert Burns in the 1797 edition of the book , "Scots Musical Museum". Burns transcribed it after he heard it sung by an old man from Scotland.

"Auld Lang Syne" literally translates as "old long since" and means "times goes by". The song asks whether old friends and times will be forgotten and promises to remember people of the past with fondness, "for auld lang syne, we´ll take a cup of kindness yet". In the song, two old friends who haven´t seen each other in a long time meet and share a drink together.



SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT,
AND NEVER BROUGHT TO MIND?
SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT,
AND DAYS OF AULD LANG SYNE?

FOR AULD LANG SYNE, MY DEAR,
FOR AULD LANG SYNE,
WE´LL TAKE A CUP OF KINDNESS YET
FOR AULD LANG SYNE.

AND HERE´S A HAND MY TRUSTY FRIENDS
AND HERE´S THE HAND OF THINE,
WE´LL TAKE A CUP OF KINDNESS YET
FOR AULD LANG SYNE

FOR AULD LANG SYNE, MY DEAR,
FOR AULD LANG SYNE
WE´LL TAKE A CUP OF KINDNESS YET
FOR AULD LANG SYNE.


http://youtu.be/7C9YWK2MKs4

THE ORIGINS OF CHRISTMAS

Long ago, many pagan festivals took place in the Winter. In Scandinavia, the Winter Solstice was celebrated with the festival of Yule. Also at Winter Solstice, the Druids celebrated the festival of Nolagh. The Romans held a festival called Saturnalia in December, in honour of their harvest god, Saturn. The Greeks and the Egyptians also had celebrations at this time of year.

- Today, Christmas is when the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated. It is the most joyful time of year for Christians, altough non-believers also look forward to Christmas.

- We do not know the exact date when Jesus was born, so early Christians did not celebrate the birth of Jesus on a special day. Later, the Church decided that an official date should be fixed, and chose 25th December.

- The word Christmas means Christ´s Mass, and it was first celebrated officially in AD 354.

Different countries have different Christmas customs and traditions.

In Holland and Germany, children receive sweets on 6th December, St. Nicholas´s Day. Their Christmas presents are brought by the Christkindl on Christmas Eve. St. Nicholas is the messenger of the Christkindl.
In Italy and Spain, most gifts are given on 6th January. In France, Father Christmas is known as Père Nöel, and children leave their shoes for him to fill with gifts on Christmas Eve.
Children in Mexico take part in a procession called "a posada", which means "inn".This commemorates the time when Joseph and Mary were seeking shelter in Bethlehem. Christmas Day itself is a quiet family day and presents are exchanged on 6th January.
America has many different Christmas customs because so many people have settled there from other countries. In Australia, Christmas comes in the middle of summer, so Christmas Dinner is often served on the beach as a barbecue. Homes are decorated with palm leaves and special flowers.

IT´S TIME TO BE HAPPY. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!!!

ADVENT

Advent means "arrival" (from Latin "adventur"). It is the season just before Christmas and begins on 1st December. During Advent, Christians remember the long and tiring journey that Joseph and Mary made to Bethlehem.

· Advent Candle: Special candles are often lit in church during Advent. A white candle is lit on each of the Sundays of Advent, and burns throughout the day. A special Christmas candle is lit on 25th December.

· Advent Calendar: This idea originally came from German Lutherans. It is often a picture of a Christmas scene, on which 24 small "windows" have been marked. Behind each window, there is a picture of something to do with Christmas. One window is opened on each day of December until Christmas Eve.

· Christingle: Christingle means "Christ-light", and a Christingle consists of an orange (the world) with a candle pushed into it. The candle stands for Jesus, the light of the World. The orange is speared with four little sticks carrying fruit, representing the fruits of the Earth. A red ribbon (Christ´s blood) is tied round the orange. The original custom has been practised since Roman times, when fruit stuck with almonds, raisins, and olive sprigs from the sacred groves of the goddess Strenia, were given as goodwill gifts in December. The custom was brought to Britain by Roman soldiers. Much later, it spread to America and came back to Britain as a Christingle to express the message of Christmas.