Showing posts with label Knowledge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knowledge. Show all posts

Thursday, December 16, 2010

What are the names for Santa Claus around the world

List of Santa Claus names all around the world

The jolly round man in the red suit goes by many names around the world. Yet his mission is universal: to spread holiday cheer to all. Let’s take a tour through the many names and faces of Santa.

Santa Claus
In the United States, Santa Claus’ modern-day look was solidified by this company. Inspired by this 1822 poem this Michigan-born illustrator created Santa Claus, replacing Thomas Nast’s caricatures.

Father Christmas
In this Western empire, Father Christmas evolved from an ancient festival, and a famous author created this character to depict him wearing a distinctive outfit

Sinterklaas
In this well-known holiday movie, a young girl sings about Sinterklaas with this man . In his native country, Sinterklaas is celebrated on this special day.

Saint Nicholas
Many trace Santa’s origins to Saint Nicholas, born in this century in what is modern-day Turkey. He went on to become a bishop. After his death, Nicholas became the patron saint of these people. Recently, Turkey asked Italy to do this for St. Nick.

Grandfather Frost
In these Eastern European cultures, Grandfather Frost is Santa’s equivalent. He’s also known by this name and brings gifts to children during these celebrations.


Odin
In ancient mythology, Odin holds many similarities to the modern-day Santa. He rides an 8-legged horse that, according to this 13th century text, has this magical ability.


Basil of Caesarea
In the East, Santa often means Basil of Caesarea, or St. Basil. He was a Christian bishop in this city in the former Asia Minor. On his feast day, families and friends in this country celebrate by serving this food, exchanging gifts and singing holiday songs.

Christmas Old Man
In this country, Christians celebrate the holiday and decorate with red pagodas, paper lanterns and flowers. Christmas Old Man leaves treats for children in these items.

Tomte
In this northern European region, the Santa legend is intertwined with the Nordic folklore of Tomte, evolving into a mythological creature. In a 19th century poem, the Tomte takes on modern-day flair as depicted in Jenny Nystrom’s famous image.

Pai Natal
In this South European nation , Santa is called Pai Natal, but children don’t have to wait for the jolly guy since gifts are given at this time. With all the presents opened, families and friends feast on this signature food.

Mikulas
In early December, this nation’s children put their footwear on windowsills for Mikulas, with slight variations of the Santa-like tradition in this nearby country. Most children receive a combination of sweets and this unfortunate item.

Papa Noel
Here, the Christmas season starts with this feast. Santa is called Papa Noel and children leave these items under the Christmas tree. But they have a second opportunity to receive gifts from these guys. Papa Noel is also the Santa of choice in these countries.

Santa’s Food
Just as Santa has many names and traditions around the world, children leave him many things to eat during his nocturnal voyage.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Top 10 Life Lessons for Kids

When parents bestow their wisdom upon their kids in their formative years, their hopes hinge on their children listening to them and avoiding costly life mistakes.

Although children are extremely anxious to find their own place in the world, the benefits they can receive from listening to the pearls of wisdom from mom and dad are invaluable. For most kids, character education is an ongoing process of experiencing and reacting to every day life. Of all the invaluable lessons in life that kids can adapt, there are 10 life lessons for kids that can be applied to most any situation they will encounter.
10. Learn to follow directions

The world revolves around an organized system. Not following that system can be chaotic and frustrating for many. If your child learns early on how to understand and follow directions, they will be able to adequately cope in most any situation that they’re faced with.
9. Reaping what you sow

For every action, there will always be a consequence to follow, whether that result is negative or positive. Children need to understand that whatever they choose to do in life or in their daily activities, there will always be a consequence for it. The results don’t always have to be dire, but can be pleasant which is why making good decisions whenever possible is far better in the long run.
8. Dealing with peer pressure
Children deal with peer pressure and adults do too. The only difference with adults is that the peer pressure that they often experience is in social situations minus the pushing and shoving that kids do. When children learn early on how to deal with negative pressure, bullies in school and how to think for themselves, they can grow and mature their thinking each time they’re faced with a grave situation.
7. Living honestly
Honesty is really the best policy when dealing with daily living. When children learn this life lesson early on, they can definitely avoid a lot of awkward situations.
6. Defending yourself
Very much akin to peer pressure, when your child learns to defend themselves, they have learned something very valuable. However, as an adult, learning to defend yourself goes well beyond the physical and leans over into knowing how and when to speak up on your own behalf. Whenever there is a misunderstanding with adults, they need to be able to defend themselves and tell their side of the story.
5. Relax
Learning to relax and take life in stride is very important in life. Why? Because it keeps stress levels low and promotes a better quality of life. Children learn early on how to play and interact with other children, which is great, but as adults, they begin to lose their spontaneity and zest for life. Teach your children how to practice relaxing and being calm in situations and they’ll develop healthier and more beneficial coping mechanisms.
4. Embrace diversity
Children need to learn to accept people for who they are and how different they are from you. When they learn to celebrating other people’s differences, they will be able to better appreciate other cultures, age groups, races, religions and the opposite gender. Diversity will be all around them as adults, so exposing them early in life to various diversities can be very helpful.
3. Selecting stresses
Everyday living is certainly full of stressors that can be overwhelming. Teaching your child how to pick their battles early on can be very helpful. Teach them to not to try to fight everything that they don’t agree with, especially if it’s not worth the energy. When they carefully choose what they want to be engaged in or focused on, they will be better prepared to promote all of their energies for finding an amenable solution to their life’s challenge(s).
2. Treat people with respect
Respect for others starts at home. When the child is shown respect, they learn how to treat others with the same. Likewise, when they’re shown how to respect other people, they will begin to understand that everyone doesn’t think, talk or act alike. These differences should not be frowned on or dismissed. By respecting other people, they will learn how to broaden their level of thinking and be able to appreciate others. Respecting other people also includes disagreeing without resorting to violence and being able to appreciate that another person may choose to do something differently than them, and that’s alright.
1. Trust yourself
Trust your inner voice and that you will make the right decisions at the right times. Developing that inner trust is a key component that comes as a result of instilling confidence in the child from a very early age. This gut feeling will surface at the right time when the child needs it at any point in life, and they will be able to rely on the foundational teachings that they received as a young child.
Learning how to adapt to life’s situations early can give a child a concrete foundation to build upon. Although the children may not appreciate these life lessons until later in life, but starting to impart them at an early age can certainly prove to be advantageous for them as they cross different stages in their lives.