Photo by Gates Foundation

This is a picture taken from flickr of the people of Burkina Faso.
So where is Burkina Faso and what have i learn’t about this nation, well it is also known as Burkina. This is a landlocked country in the west of Africa. This nation is surrounded by her neighbours, they are: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d’Ivoire to the southwest. Burkina Faso is quite a small country, it is in size is 274,200 square kilometres or 105,900 sq miles and there is an estimated population of more than 15,757,000. It used to be known as the Republic of Upper Volta, but  it was renamed by the then President Thomas Sankara, on 4 August 1984, it mean’t “the land of upright people” in Mòoré and Dioula, which are the major native languages of the country. But the name today, for example, “Burkina” may be translated as, “men of integrity”, this from the Mòoré language, and “Faso” means “father’s house” in Dioula. The local people of the nation are known today Burkinabe.

Photo by Jeff Attaway

This is a picture taken from flickr of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Photo by cordelia_persen

This is a picture taken from flickr of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
So the history of  Burkina Faso, says that this nation was populated somewhere between 14,000 and 5000 BC by what was  hunter-gatherers in the country’s northwestern region. It then appears that farm settlements appeared between 3600 and 2600 BC. The central part, it in the olden years used to be principally composed of Mossi kingdoms. But it was around 1896, when these Mossi Kingdoms would become a French protectorate. It was around 1960, when Burkina Faso, finally was given independence from France, and it went through many governmental changes until arriving at its current form, a semi-presidential republic. The president being Blaise Compaoré. The capital of this nation is Ouagadougou and the country is a member of the African Union, Community of Sahel-Saharan States, La Francophonie, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Economic Community of West African States.

Photo by Jeff Attaway

This is a picture taken from flickr of a dish known as Burrito Special.

Photo by Philippe Streicher

This is a picture taken from flickr of two people walking the street in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Now one thing that surprised me about this country is that it is well-known for it’s cinema of Burkina Faso, this has become an important part of West African and the African film industry. It all started in 1969, when they contributed to African cinema with the establishment of the film festival FESPACO (Festival Panafricain du Cinéma et de la Télévision de Ouagadougou), which was launched as a film week in that year.  I was quite surprised to learn that alot of Burkina faso’s filmmakers are known internationally and that some of them have won international prizes. Also it appears that headquarters of the Federation of Panafrican Filmmakers (FEPACI) was inthe capital city of Ouagadougou. It apears that there was a decline and it had to be saved which it was in 1983. When the President Sankara helped it out, but then in 2006 the Secretariat of FEPACI was moved to South Africa, but the headquarters of the organization is still in the capital, Ouagaoudougou. Here are some of the best known directors from Burkina Faso they are: Gaston Kaboré, Idrissa Ouedraogo and Dani Kouyate. But you will find that even some of the international known filmakers like, Ouedraogo, Kabore, Yameogo, and Kouyate also produce and make popular television series, such as Bobodjiouf.

• Learn about Burkina Faso on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the Capital city, Ouagaoudougou on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the Cinema of Burkina Faso on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the History of Burkina Faso on Wikipedia:
• Find Burkina Faso on Google Maps:
• Find the Capital city, Ouagaoudougou on Google Maps:

Photo by Ludie Cochrane

May i just say a massive Happy New Year to all our readers out there, please keep reading and sending me your opinions, as it really does help us out. So with all the joy of christmas now over and the presents of New Year approaching what will it be like, well with many countries suffering from high debt problems, financial problems, civillian wars and protests, some countries still recovering from tragic weather events and loss of many lives, recessionand high bills in other countries, will it be a good year for you, Well i really do hope so as it is the time of the year to make a resolution. Just look after yourselves and take care and lets hope 2012 is not a another 2011.

Happy new year 2012

Auld Lang Syne + New Year Countdown & Celebrations around the World

Photo by fidothe

This is a picture taken from flickr of a flaming christmas pudding.

Photo by DG Jones

This is a picture taken from flickr of a Christmas Pudding, served at Easter time.
When Christmas arrives and the big day is upon us, we all look forward to christmas lunch, well once we have had the starter and the main course, then comes the Christmas Pudding. So what do we know about the pudding, well, the plum pudding‘s have become connected to christmas time and this dates back to medieval England, when the Roman Catholic Church decided it should have this pudding made on the 25th Sunday after Trinity, and so they did, it was also decided that there would be 13 ingredients, which were to represent Christ and the 12 apostles. But what then seemed odd was that every family member had to stir mixture from east to west to honour the Magi and their supposed journey in that direction”.But it appears that the plum puddings started to appear in the 17th century and later.  have also learn’t that previous puddings before the 17th century, used to include: Harleian MS 279, crustades, malaches whyte, creme boiled (a kind of stirred custard), and sippets. Various ingredients and methods of these older recipes appear in early plum puddings.

Photo by Keithius

This is a christmas pudding served with custard.

Photo by Another Pint Please…

This is a picture taken from flickr of a christmas pudding that had been cooked in a bowl.
But one of the things i love about the pudding is it’s wonderful fruity taste, especially with some brandy sauce on the top and it has to be hot, i do love the old tradition of setting the pudding alight and also i love the common practice of placing some small silver coins in the pudding mixture. But there have been times when people would place either a silver threepence or a sixpence and by doing this it is believed to bring wealth in the coming year. But there have been other surprise tokens like: a tiny wishbone which is supposed to to bring good luck, a silver thimble for thrift or an anchor to symbolise safe harbour. Finally once the pudding is ready to be served, it arrives at the table with decorated holly, doused in brandy, and flamed (or “fired”), the pudding is traditionally brought to the table ceremoniously, and greeted with a round of applause. Sometimes people will make more than one christmas pudding and save it for other celebrations throughout the year.

Photo by simone-walsh

This is a picture taken from flickr of a christmas pudding with holly placed on top.

Photo by Ben Ward

This is a picture taken from flickr of a christmas pudding with cream placed on top.

• Learn about the Christmas Pudding on Wikipedia:
• Learn about Skimmia which can also be placed on top of pudding on Wikipedia:
• Learn about Stir-up Sunday on Wikipedia:

Photo by Mykl Roventine

This is a picture taken from flickr of Rudolph the Red-Nosed-Reindeer leading the reindeer team and pulling Father Christmas’s sleigh.
So what are the reindeer that father christmas use’s, well they are known as the Father Christmas’s reindeer, they are a team of flying reindeer, that have been pulling father christmas’s sleigh for many years. What they usually do is pull the sleigh and help father christmas to deliver the Christmas pre.sents.  The reindeer names, that are known by many people are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (or Donner), and Blitzen. But there are supposidly, other reindeer, to help father christmas if he needs them, their names, i am not so sure of. The names of his reindeer are based on those used in the 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas,  and this appears to have made the reindeer a popular Christmas symbol, but in the book, it appears that the reindeer Donner and Blitzen, were actually first known as Dunder and Blixem respectively.

Photo by Bruce McKay~YSP

This is a picture taken from flickr of Dancer, Dasher, Prancer and Vixen.

Photo by jockrutherford

This is a picture taken from flickr of Donner und Blitzen.
But there is a reindeer who’s name has become more popular than, any of the other reindeer on the planet  and yet this reindeer,only appeared in booklet written by Robert L. May and published by Montgomery Ward, back in 1939 and he was always the reindeer that want to be one of the best reindeer and to pull father christmas’s sleigh. But was often picked on by his fellow reindeer. This is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and today he has become one of father christmas’s main reindeer.

Photo by Onion

This is a picture of Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer on flickr.

• Learn about Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on Wikipedia:
• Learn about Father Christmas’s reindeer on Wikipedia:
• Learn about Reindeer on Wikipedia:

Photo by amanky

Photo by alwaysmnky

Well with Christmas vastly approaching , i can imagine it must be hard work being a Christmas elf, these guys live with Santa Claus in the North Pole and they are the major helpers, when it comes to making the presents and getting them ready for delievery. You do not hear much about elves, because they only appear to come out around Christmas time. What do they look like, well they are usually look like  green or red cladded with pointy ears, long noses, and pointy hats. They spend nearly all of their lives in creating toys and gifts in Santa’s workshop, but they do also look after the animals especially the reindeer, which are usually among other tasks.

Photo by lierne

Photo by Cockburn Libraries

So where do these elves originate from, well supposingly, they first arrived on earth, when a  European folklore was written and in this folklore, they were introduced into the Santa Claus tale during the 19th century, this happened in the United States. But there is also a possiblity, that Santa Claus himself may have also been an elf, there is some question on that. So what is the reason for earth to have elves, well it is that the main job for an elf is to make presents and because of this the Christmas elves became a part of an American Christmas tradition that was to go around the world, with Santa Claus. But of course like some of the  American folklore you will find that they often originated from Northern Europe, this was when the settlers brought their own  Christmas traditions with them and that then developed into the American Christmas that was later exported around the world, along with other aspects of American popular culture. But if you look into old English folktales, you will find that they come from the early modern period and that Santa’s assistants can be different. This will depend on other countries traditions, but whatever the elves look like, they are still elves.

Photo by Cockburn Libraries

It has been said that modern Christmas elf, first  appeared in a book that was written and not published by Louisa May Alcott in 1856, it was completed, and called the “Christmas Elves”. There have been engravings from another book in  1873, known as  Godey’s Lady’s Book, this shows the elves surrounding Santa whilst at work. But there was also another book written by  Edward Eggleston‘s in his 1876 work “The House of Santa Claus, a Christmas Fairy Show for Sunday Schools”. So they must be real, because there appears to be books about the Christmas Elves and Santa Claus, and if you believe in Father Christmas, then you really must believe in the Christmas Elves. So why all you children are getting excited for christmas, the poor little elves are working very hard to make sure you get your presnts on christmas morning.

• Learn about Christmas Elves on Wikipedia:
• Learn about Santa’s Workshop on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the Elf on Wikipedia:
• Find Santa’s Village, Lapland, Finland on Google Maps:

Brynn,Laura & Ebony Noel\’s Xmas presents

Photo by LaoWai Kevin

This is a picture from flickr of a Boy Receiving a Package.
As Christmas is approaching alot of will be waiting to see what christmas gifts/presents they will be recieving. Christmas time is often a very fun and exciting time, especially for young children, but some adults get excited to. But we must NOT FORGET over christmas some people will NOT be looking forward to the holiday season, sad things have happened to them or their families over christmas. And the people who will be on the streets during the holidays. So if you know of anyone who maybe lonely, unable to buy gifts/presents, the elderly, the disabled and the terminally ill, then if you can spare some cash and go and buy them a present, you will not just be making them happy, but you will feel good yourself for doing it. And oviously don’t forget your own family or friends that you may not see very often.

Photo by Old Shoe Woman

This is a picture taken from flickr of a Farewell to Fellow Teachers.
So what exacatly is a gift/present, well it is the a transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return. And that meaning is true, because alot of people especially young people do expect presents from Father Christmas or family and friends, so why is it that we today expect presents and gifts from people when many years ago just someone coming up to someone eslse and giving them hand shake or a free loaf of bread and not expect anything in return. Even though a gift-giving may involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is meant to be free, the only reason i believe this has happened is because many human societies, feel it is important to mutually exchange money, goods, because this will help contribute to social cohesion or gathering together as a human society.  Wikipedia has said that economists have elaborated the economics of gift-giving into the notion of a gift economy. So what they are saying is that giving out a gift, has a good chance of making others happier or less sad, especially as a favor, including forgiveness and kindness.

Photo by jaimelondonboy

This is a picture taken from flickr of a Window display at Selfridges showing Father Christmas with presents.
So where did the Christmas gift/present first properly start, well it appears to have started as far back as 1844 in the southern U.S.A. I have learn’t that the tradition of saying “Christmas Gift!” was said amongst the among typically poor African American and Anglo farming families in rural areas, What would happen is that on the Morning of Christmas Day, the young or old would come rushing down  to say “Christmas Gift” before anyone else. So the very cheeky people who would say “Christmas Gift”, would then expect the person they have just said it to give them a gift/present. So even though many of us will say “Merry Christmas” it is actutally common and current for the peoples of southern United States, to still say  “Christmas Gift”, especially the people in the  rural south and also in southern Pennsylvania, Ohio Valley, West Virginia, and later in northeastern Texas as a simple greeting and recognizing the birth of Christ as a gift.So whatever you recieve this christmas just be grateful and happy that you have been given a gift/present, well there will be many people who will not recieve anything over christmas.

• Learn about the Christmas Gift on Wikipedia:
• Learn about Gifts on Wikipedia:
• Learn about Gift Wrapping on Wikipedia:
• Learn about Giving Circles on Wikipedia:
• Learn about a Random act of kindness on Wikipedia:
• Find the United States of America on Google Maps:

How to Set up an Artificial Christmas Tree : How to Shape an Artificial Christmas Tree

42,000 Christmas LED Lights Dance to Coca Cola Holiday Song

Photo by Wisconsin Historical Images

This is a picture taken from flickr of a Annual Wisconsin Christmas Tree.
So what is the history of the Christmas tree, well firstly it is also known as a Yule tree, and it has become a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, whether it is real or artificial, and is a major symbol in the celebration of Christmas. It started back in 16th century in a places known as Livonia and Germany. What people do is take the Christmas tree into their homes and decorate it with Christmas lights (originally candles), ornaments, garlands, tinsel, and candy canes during the days around Christmas. You will often find an angel or star on top of the tree, representing the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity.

Photo by ipeters61

This is a picture taken from flickr of a group of Coniferous Trees.
So lets go back to the beginning, there are some people that say the credit goes to St Boniface who was supposed to have invented the idea of decorating a Christmas tree. The problem is that in the vitae which was written in his time mention’s nothing of the sort. But the myth, however, has been found on a BBC-Devon website, and it accounts which places Geismar in Bavaria, and also it has been said in these educational books, including St. Boniface and the Little Fir Tree, The Brightest Star of All: Christmas Stories for the Family,and The American normal readers. There is another saying that the word Tannenbaum, which is a German word means “fir tree”, it is often transliterated into English as “Christmas tree” even though in German the word for “Christmas tree” is also encapsulated in the word “Weihnachtsbaum.” Now it has been found that back in the 15th century Livonia, which is now present-day Estonia and Latvia and also in the 16th century Northern Germany, they would errect a Christmas Tree, this information was found in documented uses of a Christmas tree in Estonia, in 1441, 1442, and 1514 . What happened was the Brotherhood of Blackheads in Estonia, decided to put up a tree for the holidays in their brotherhood house, which back then the town was called in Reval, today it is know as the capital city of Tallinn. And on the last night of their celebrations leading up to the holidays, the tree was taken to the Town Hall Square where they would dance around it. Also it has been discovered that in 1584, there was pastor and chroniclerknown as Balthasar Russow he wrote of an established tradition of setting up a decorated spruce at the market square where you would find lots of young men who would go with a flock of maidens and women,they would all sing and dance around the tree in the square and finally would set the tree alight or aflame and watch it burn. Around about the same period, the guilds they started to put up Christmas trees in front of their guildhalls: There was a man who was known as Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann, he was a Marburg professor of European ethnology, he wrote that he had found a Bremen guild chronicle dating 1570, saying that a small tree had been decorated with “apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers” and put up  in the guild-house, for the benefit of the guild members’ children, who collected the dainties on Christmas Day.

Photo by pubwvj

This is a picture taken from flickr of a group of children decorating a Christmas Tree.
As the years moved on the Christmas Tree became more and more popular and was being used by not just common people, but by many including royality and i know that it arrived in Britain around the time of  personal union with Hanover, by George III‘s Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in early 19th century. But it took a while before it spread beyond Queen Victoria and Buckingham Palace. Today though it is found almost anywhere even including countries that are not of Christian religion. So many different types of Christmas Trees it is bewildering. Not just live, but also artificial trees, with light built on to them. So many different sizes and colours it has gone beyond amazing to almost silly, but that is the Christmas Tree for you. Below is a list of different types of  Christmas Tree they are in  northern Europe most commonly used are:

• Norway Spruce Picea abies (the original tree, generally the cheapest)
• Silver Fir Abies alba
• Nordmann Fir Abies nordmanniana
• Noble Fir Abies procera
• Serbian Spruce Picea omorika
• Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris
• Stone Pine Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees)
• Swiss Pine Pinus cembra

And in North America, Central America and South America most commonly used are:

• Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii
• Balsam Fir Abies balsamea
• Fraser Fir Abies fraseri
• Grand Fir Abies grandis
• Guatemalan Fir Abies guatemalensis
• Noble Fir Abies procera
• Red Fir Abies magnifica
• White Fir Abies concolor
• Pinyon Pine Pinus edulis
• Jeffrey Pine Pinus jeffreyi
• Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris
• Stone Pine Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees)
• Norfolk Island Pine Araucaria heterophylla.

Photo by crackedmoon

This is a picture of a Yule/Solstice Tree on Flickr.
Then you have the first Artificial Christmas trees they were made in Germany during the 19th century, there had been other tree examples before, but this one was to move artificial trees forward. These were known as German feather trees  and were used with goose feathers that were dyed green. These trees were made to try and prevent the continuing of deforestation in Germany. It appears to have done something, because oday, we have a wide range of artificial trees, the Feather Christmas trees ranged widely in size, from a small 2-inch (51 mm) tree to a large 98-inch (2,500 mm) tree sold in department stores during the 1920s. Often, the tree branches were tipped with artificial red berries which acted as candle holders. So this is a shorten version of the Christmas Tree story, to find out more about the Christmas Trees, please refer to Wikipedia, below.

• Learn about the Christmas Tree on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the Artificial Christmas Trees on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the Christmas Tree Ornaments on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the Christmas Tree Production on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the Chrismon Tree on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the New Year Tree on Wikipedia:

Holiday Yule Log Cake

Photo by Telephone Melts

So what is the Yule log, well it happens to be a large and extremely hard log which people use to burn in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in a number of European cultures. The Yule Log can also be a part of the Winter Solstice festival or the Twelve Days of Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or Twelfth Night.

Photo by grafiksgirl

But the funny thing is that nowadays not only do people burn the Yule Log, but it has now become a cake and it is a  refer log-shaped Christmas cakes, which is also known as “chocolate logs” or “Bûche de Noël“. This cake is normally eaten over the Christmas and Yuletide period, such as the tradition known as the Ashen faggot. I have learn’t from Wikipedia that the Yule Log could have started back in the times of the historical Germanic paganism which was used across northern Europe before Christianisation. It is said that a man known as the English historian Henry Bourne, who, wrote in the 1720s, describing the practice occurring in the Tyne valley. He also theorised that the practice comes from the customs in 6th to 7th century Anglo-Saxon paganism.

Photo by Rodny Dioxin

Robert Chambers, he wrote in his 1832 Book of Days , that there are two traditions used in this pagan festival which are the hanging up of the mistletoe and the burning of the Yule log.” But there was a man known as James George Frazer he wrote in his book The Golden Bough  that “the ancient fire-festival of the winter solstice appears to survive” in the Yule log custom. He also says that the traditions come from the countries of England, France, among the South Slavs, in Central Germany (Meiningen) and western Switzerland (the Bernese Jura). But to no real surprise, there are some historians who disagree and say that is no religious connection to the Yule Log and that it is just a festive decoration, this was said by the Swedish folklorist Carl Wilhelm von Sydow who attacked Frazer’s theories. But whatever is true about the Yule Log, just enjoy it wether you are burning it in the hearth or eating it at the christmas table.

• Learn about the Yule Log on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the Bûche de Noël on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the Tió de Nadal on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the Badnjak in Serbia on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the Yule Goat on Wikipedia:
• Learn about the Yule Log televised program on Wikipedia:

Roger Whittaker – The Holly And The Ivy

Holly and Ivy ( Christmas History ) some upsetting images for young children, many thanks.

Photo by exquisitur

Photo by Jim (jaytay)

Right, when i was at school i remember we often used to sing the christmas carol the Holly and the ivy, i was never really sure why this was a christmas carol, until i learn’t the lyrics. So what is this carol and what is it’s meaning, lets find out.Well this is an English traditional Christmas carol. Well the first thing that comes to me is that it is not just a christian song, but the carol appears to contain some intermingling between Christian and Pagan imagery. The Holly and ivy plants actually represent Pagan fertility symbols, but at the same time you will find that the holly and ivy are very often used by christian churches as christmas decoration’s  since at least the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when they have been mentioned regularly in churchwardens’ accounts” (Roud 2004). But there is another scenario when the Holly and ivy are also figured in the lyrics of the “Sans Day Carol“, which is known as the “Sans Day Carol” or the “St. Day Carol” . This carol is a  Cornish Christmas carol which was written in the 19th century. The carol was is a melody which was first transcribed from the singing of Thomas Beard, a villager in St Day in the parish of Gwennap, Cornwall. But what is odd is that the fourth verse of this carol which is a translation from the Cornish version, “Ma gron war’n gelln”.Funny enough the lyrics are similar to those of “The Holly and the Ivy” and it is no. 35 in the Oxford Book of Carols. Going back to the Holly and the ivy, the music and most of the text for the carol was mainly first published by Cecil Sharp. But it was actuallly down to Sir Henry Walford Davies he then wrote a popular choral arrangement that is now often performed at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and by choirs around the world. This is a very popular and fun carol, especially for christmas.

Photo by D1v1d

Photo by tomylees

• Learn about the “Holly and the ivy” on Wikipedia:
• Learn about European Holly on Wikipedia:
• Learn about Ivy on Wikipedia:
• Learn about Christmas Carols on Wikipedia: