Strange Christmas Traditions.

Something about Christmas.

Christmas is a Christian tradition. So, don't think that everybody celebrates it at everywhere. In places such as China, Arabian countries or India you will not see Christmas lights at the streets, adorns in the houses or presents under the fir. However, Christians in different parts of the world have some odd traditions that now we're going to see:

INDIA

There are 25 million Christians in India. And they have changed the fir by a banana tree! They also use the banana tree leaves to decorate their houses and streets. Look at the photo below:

CZECH REPUBLIC

On Christmas day, single women have a singular tradition in Czech Republic. They throw a shoe at the door house. If the shoe toe points to the door, it means that they are going to find their true love very soon.

 FINLAND

On Christmas eve, Finns use to visit the tombs and graves of their ancestors, lighting candles in memory of them. Is like our All Saints day (1st of November), but colder and with snow (Look at the photo below)

SEA MONSTERS

From ancient times sea people have spoken about big oceanic monsters. In this report I want to tell you about them. Let's start:

The kraken:

It is an enormous squid which appears in many sailor tales. In accordance with some descriptions, the kraken can hold and eat up a medium sized ship. It has got eight tentacles and a terrifying beak for crushing the hulls of the vessels.

Of course, it does not exist. The most simillar animal is the giant squid, a cephalopod which lives into deep waters (see the photo below)

The Megalodon:

It is a prehistoric shark which dissapeared two million years ago. In comparison with actual sharks, it was very big (see the photograph below)

At the bottom of the picture you can see a human diver. Above him, a white shark (the biggest actual shark in the world) Then, a medium size megalodon. And finally, at the top of the image, we have got an example of the biggest megalodon ever found.

The image that you have seen is a reconstruction, beacuse there isn't any megalodon skeleton (they had no bones, but cartilages) Paleontologists compared a megalodon fang with a white shark fang, and then they suposed its size thinking about the relation between both elements.

White shark and megalodon fangs

Although many people say that megalodon still exists, the real fact is that we have no evidences of its existence. But who knows. Maybe into the deep waters...

Loch Ness Monster

Look at this image. Have you ever listened something about Loch Ness?

Loch Ness.

The Loch Ness is a lake situated in Scotland. Its lenght is 38 km; Its deepest point is 230 m; and it is very famous for something that you probably know: a monster that supposedly lives in its waters.

Map

From ancient times people tells the story of a big monster. Many photos have been taken. In this link you can see some of them.

Nessi photos

On one side, some persons believe in Nessi (this is the nickname of the monster) They think that he really exists, and they maintain that there are undenieable evidences of it. Concretely, the photos that you have watched.

And on the other side, many people say that Nessi is only an invention for attracting the attention of tourists.

What do you think about it?

Thanksgiving day.

Many times you have heard something about "Thanksgiving day" (Acción de Gracias), a typical celebration in the USA. You probably have watched on TV something about it. Here I explain you all you need to know about this special day:

Why?

It's an American tradition. American people used to celebrate the end of the harvest with a party since many years ago.

When?

In the USA, it is celebrated the 4th Thursday of November.

Where?

At home. It uses to be a meeting with family and friends.


How?

They prepare a great dinner with a roast turkey and pumpkin cake. It is common to eat a lot.

Typical Thanksgiving dinner.

Personal, possesive and object pronouns.

Today I have taught some pronouns to you. Here they are, and also some examples of use:

I:            I live in Fuenlabrada.
You:       You are my friend.
He:         He likes chocolate.
She:       She runs every day.
It:           It is snowy
We:        We play football.
You:       You drive the bus.
They:     They clean the floor.

My:         My dog is yellow.
Your:      Your bike is beautiful.
His:        His house is next to the church.
Her:       Her mother works in the town hall.
Its:         Its colour is blue.
Our:      Our garden is very big.
Your:     Your football team plays tomorrow.
Their:   Their motorbikes are in the garage.

Me:       I think she loves me.
You:      I hate you.
Him:     I remember him; he is your cousin.
Her:      I waited for her one hour; but she didn't come.
It:         I like it!
Us:       Robert explained us the solution
You:     I will buy you a new computer!
Them:  A wolfman scared them yesteraday

Escape of Rulton.

In 2010 I stole a Van Gogh painting, but the police caught me. I was condemned, and I have to stay in the jail 20 years and one day. Too much time for me. I remember how the judge hit the table with his hammer. My lawyer looked me and said: "I'm sorry, lad". I was jailed in Rulton, the safest prison in the world. Today I waste my time in a small and stinky cell, sharing the space with a thug and with the snitch of the jail.

The prison? I can define it as a dark, sad and grey pit. High brick walls covered with razor wire; a wire fence which surrounds the yard and iron bars in every window or door. My cell is closed with bolt and lock. The wardens show me the key, making fun of me. But they don't know that I have the last laugh. I've secretly dug a tunnel under my bed, and this night I will sneak away. At 3 o'clock I'll crawl along the hole, arriving beyond the prison walls at 3.20. There, a car will pick up me. My intention is to travel to Nepal, where I'm going to hide myself some months. Later, I will start a new life in Moscow, Rusia.

Tsunami.

A Tsunami is a giant and powerful sea wave caused by a submarine Earthquake. The submarine ground rises, pushing the water away. At the begining the wave isn't very tall: in fact, if you are in a boat at the sea, you don't feel anything; only a small movement under your feet. But when the wave arrives to the sea shore, it quickly grows, reaching meters in height.

There have been very high tsunamis along the History: Lisbon and Cádiz (1755), Malasia (2004) or more reciently, New Zealand (Last weekend, November the 12th) A Tsunami wave can reach more than 20 meters, destroying and killing everything. The most destructive one was in Malasia: more than 230.000 people died in that natural disaster.

Actually there are Tsunami alarms in many parts of the world (including Spain) Some hours before the impact of the wave the police advises people in order to evacuate the coast.

Malasia Tsunami, 2004.

FIRST LIST OF VEGETABLES AND FRUIT.

1.- APPLE

2.- CARROT

3.- TOMATO

4.- POTATO

5.- ORANGE

6.- BANANA

7.- WATERMELON

8.- GRAPES

9.- LEMON

10.- CUCUMBER

11.- COLIFLOWER

12.- PLUMS

13.- GARLIC

14.- PINAPPLE

15.- PEAR

16.- CHERRY

17.- ONION

18.- MELON

19.- STRAWBERRY

20.- BEANS

21.- LENTILS

22.- ASPARAGUS

23.- CABBAGE

24.- AUBERGINE.

25.- LETUCE

26.- PARSLEY

27.- CHICKPEAS

28.- PEEPER

29.- OLIVE

30.- PUMPKIN

31.- MANGO.

32.- GRANADE.

33.- COCONUT

34.- CHESTNUT

35.- FIGUS

Spanish spooky stories.

The girl on the curve (La chica de la curva, perhaps Spain’s most famous ghost story). A driver picks up a young woman who’s hitchhiking late at night on a dark highway. The girl warns the driver to be careful going around the next curve, as it’s especially dangerous. The driver asks her how she knows this, to which she explains that she was killed on the curve. During her chilling response, the mysterious hitchhiker slowly vanishes into thin air.

The ghost of the nun of the University of Castile-La Mancha: the office of the president of this university located in Ciudad Real was once a convent inhabited by nuns. Some people say they have seen strange figures walking through the building’s hallways. It seems that doors also inexplicably open and close by themselves
 

"El Espanto". In Las Hurdes, a northem region of Extremadura, old people still tell the story of "El Espanto". They describe it as a tall and slender figure, all white, which appears in the paths between villages at night. Many witnesses saw him, and then they got sick. Some of them died as a consequence of the meeting with the terrifying figure.

Slenderman

In accordance with legend, slenderman was an evil and killer woodcutter who fell down into a hollow plenty of brambles, dying there. Rats ate his face; for this reason he appears without facial expression. Where you should see eyes, nose or mouth, there's only white flesh.

Slenderman usually appears in dark forest areas. People say that he attracts and kidnaps children under 12 years, taking them away to his secret den. A child kidnapped by Slenderman never comes back again.

Description: a terrifying figure with a slender appearance (very tall and thin, with long arms and long legs). Witnesses also point that he has got large tentacles (between four and eight), maybe as a remembrance of the brambles which caught and killed him. He always wears a black suit (jackect and trousers) The most disconcerting feature is that he hasn't got face. 

Here you can read some about his powers:

1.- He can fly

2.- He becomes into different long natural elements: trees, logs, etc.

3.- He prefers the night, although he can appear during the day (mainly under the trees)

4.- He can hypnotize children; also adults.

5.- He can roast the fat.

NOTE: I've invented many of these things. As I told you, every Halloween creature is a result of human invention. Don't be scared :-)

Ghosts

Another upper - natural beign. Traditionally, a ghost is a spirit of a death person who couldn't travel to the heaven because a pending matter.
Ghosts usually appear in old places, like castles, churches or haunted houses. They can be pacific or "agressive".

Vampires

Vampires are upper - natural beings which suck the blood of living beings. Traditionally they have the following features:

1.- Super natural strenght.
2.- Inmortal life.
3.- They can fly.
4.- Hypnotic control over their victims.
5.- Vampires usually "work" at night because sun light injuries them.
6.- They cannot appear on mirrors because they have no soul.
7.- Garlic scares them away.

The only way to kill a vampire is to drive a stake on his heart and to cut off his head, filling the mouth with garlic.

Descriptions.

Read these descriptions and try to guess who is who.

This person has got black hair, beard and sharp white teeth. Also a lot of hair on his face. His glance is fierce.

This person is smiling. White hair, thin lips and kind glance. She is old.

This person has got a long black fringe. We cannot see his forehead. He's wearing a black T shirt. His nose is big. He has got full lips.

This person has got blonde hair. She's beautiful. She's looking somewhere else. She has got blue / grey eyes.


This person has got moustache and goatee. He has got red hair.