Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Tuesday 31st December 2013……quite a year!!!

Well the last blog of the year….ended my year playing tennis this morning I have not played for over two weeks so it was good to get back on the courts..afterwards I went to see if Paola was home but she was not but I was told that she and her family had gone out for a few days to visit friends in the country so I will keep trying till she comes home.

I then went and bought a propane tank for my BBQ so I see in the future lots of meals on the grill.

I spent the whole afternoon cooking and have now quite a few meals in the freezer…..

Tonight I was invited to Linda and Guy’s and we had a wonderful dinner..thanks so much.

It is cold again tonight but I am dressed in my sweats and a sweater and watching the junior hockey game from Sweden..I may or may not stay up till midnight I think I will hear the fireworks anyway.

It has been a remarkable year for me and I feel so lucky and blessed for everything in my life from good health to wonderful friends….I love where I live and my life is busy and I like it that way.  I have suffered two losses this year and I did the best I could.

2014 is going to be a year that I embrace and look forward to……I want to thank all my readers for coming here every day.

To all my lovely caring and special friends..thank you for being in my life….Blessings and may all your dreams come true in 2014!!!


 

Top Ten New Year’s Eve Traditions

Photo from: Wikipedia

Photo from: Wikipedia

10. Spain

At midnight on New Year’s Eve, it’s customary for Spaniards to quickly eat 12 uvas (grapes) – one at each stroke of the clock. Each grape signifies good luck for one month of the new year. In cities across Spain, revelers congregate in the main squares to gobble their grapes together while also passing around bottles of cava (what tradition would be complete without alcohol?).

9.  Denmark

Danes ring in the New Year by hurling old glasses and plates against the doors of friends’ and relatives’ houses. Some Danes also stand on chairs and then jump off them as a group at midnight. Leaping into the new year is supposed to banish bad spirits and bring good luck

8.  Japan

The faithful in Japan wear a costume of the next year’s zodiac animal (in 2014 it will be the horse) to the local temple, where bells chime a sacred 108 times.

7.  South Africa

In what might be the most dangerous celebration in the world, residents of Johannesburg throw old appliances out the window.

6.  Philippines

Round shapes, which represent coins, are thought to symbolize wealth and prosperity for the coming Some Filipino families do more than display the fruits – they eat exactly 12 fruits at midnight.

5.  Central and South America

In Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador, it is considered lucky to wear special underwear on New Year’s Eve. In many of the cities, such as Sao Paulo and La Paz, market vendors come out in full force a few days before New Year’s Eve to display their selections of brightly colored underpants. The most popular colors are yellow and red: yellow is supposed to bring luck and money and red is supposed to bring love.

4.  Russia

Russians write down a wish on a piece of paper, burn it, throw the ashes in to a glass of champagne, and then drink it before 12:01. The wish is supposed to come true.

3.  Germany

Every single year, no matter what other traditions they observe, Germans take a break to watch the British show “Dinner for One” at midnight. Though it began in 1972, the origin of the tradition is unknown. It has become so popular that even the punch line “same procedure every year” now is a catch phrase in Germany.

2.  Ecuador

Ecuador has a unique custom of making scarecrows and then burning them at midnight. They fill the scarecrows with newspapers and pieces of wood and then dress them up. As the start of the New Year approaches, everyone gathers outside their homes and each family burns their scarecrow. This supposedly destroys all the bad things that happened in the previous 12 months. The scarecrow also scares bad luck and fills the New Year with good luck and happiness.

1.  Ecuador (again)

Perhaps the strangest New Years tradition is teenage boys dressing up as females. They dress as viudas (widows) of the Año Viejos (old year) by accentuating their breast and butt areas with pillows or balloons. They then dance provocatively and beg for money, causing traffic jams around the city.

Yashi Koshi

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