W o W - Week of Words - December

This section covers the certain words related to Christmas. The “W o W” word Christmas Tree (Noun): An evergreen tree decorated at Christmas with ornaments and lights. Origin of Christmas Tree The Christmas tree comes to us from Germany. Martin Luther a German monk, is credited with being inspired by the starry heavens one night, and expressing his feelings to his family by bringing a fir tree into his home, and attaching lighted candles to its branches. Fir meant fire, and fire is an ancient symbol for spirit. The tree also pointed toward the heavens. Evergreens were thought to represent the ever-burning fire of life. The color green signified the life force through the year. Eventually decorative balls represented the planets, while the star that radiates from the top reminds us of Bethlehem. The entire tree and decorations teach us that the universe is witness to the Incarnation. Red at Christmas reminds us of the fire of the Spirit. Green affirms nature, and the ongoing life. And in the Incarnation, Spirit unites with nature.

The “W o W” word Santa Claus (Noun): The personification of the spirit of Christmas, usually represented as a jolly fat old man with a white beard and a red suit supposed to bring gifts to children on Christmas Eve. Legend of Santa Claus The American version of St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus originally came from the Dutch version called Sinter Klaas. The Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam (New York) brought this fun and lively tradition (some even say cult) to America. This version of Santa has given the current myth its visual form and the most curious tradition: A merry old man with red and white clothes. He arrives on a sledge rode by eight flying reindeers from his home located near the North Pole. With the habit of filling socks or stockings with presents on the night of December 24th, he is popular for entering houses through the chimney.

The “W o W” word Crèche (kresh) (noun): Christmas manger scene. A day-care center for small children The Baby in a Manger A crèche or Christmas crib, is a replica of the Nativity scene; the stable where Jesus was born in Bethlehem. It usually includes a manger, with figures of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Magi, shepherds, sheep, and other animals. The custom was popularized by St. Francis of Assisi on Christmas Eve in 1224 outside his church in Greccio, Italy. He used real people and animals to re-create the manger scene. This practice soon spread all over Europe, being adapted differently by each culture. Some countries developed a fine art of wood carving to create beautiful scenes. Some cities to this day create large spectacles, dramatizing that holy time and place in Bethlehem. The custom of the crèche was brought to the United States by Moravian settlers. It is found mainly in Catho1ic countries (the Pope has his own in Rome), but has spread to more Protestant countries.

The “W o W” word Hogmanay (Scottish) (noun): New Year's Eve; Silvester New Year’s Eve in Ecuador New Year's Eve is on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year, and the day before New Year's Day. Ecuador celebrates a unique tradition on the last day of the year. Elaborate effigies are created to represent people and events from the past year. Often these include political characters or leaders that the creator of the effigy may have disagreed with. The dummies are made of straw, newspaper, and old clothes, with papier-mâché masks. Often they are also stuffed with fire crackers. At midnight the effigies are lit on fire to symbolize burning away of the past year and welcoming of the new year. In Ecuador, other rituals are performed for the health, wealth, prosperity and protection of each member. These rituals are the following: v Twelve grapes: Each person eats twelve grapes before midnight, making a wish with each grape. v Yellow underwear: One of the most popular traditions, yellow underwear are said to attract positive energies for the New Year. v Suitcase: Walking around the block with the suitcase will bring the person the journey of their dreams.

The T&T word Spaceflight (speys flIt ) (noun): A voyage outside the Earth's atmosphere. Spaceflight is the use of space technology to fly a spacecraft into and through outer space. Space Tourism Ready... Virgin Galactic is a company within Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group which plans to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to the paying public. Further in the future Virgin Galactic plans to offer orbital spaceflights as well. Virgin Galactic’s mission is to fly passengers who are not professional astronauts to an altitude slightly over 100 kilometers (62 mi) and allow them to experience weightlessness for up to 6 minutes. Although seats on the first flights have been sold at a premium (starting at US$200,000 for the first 100,) after the first 500 passengers, seats will be booked with a deposit of US $20,000. According to Virgin Galactic president Will Whitehorn, the company had sold nearly 200 seats as of November 2007. The first passenger flight is planned for 2010. Virgin Galactic is aiming to be the first space tourism company specializing in the provision of sub-orbital flights to the public. [More Info] : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceflight / http://www.virgingalactic.com/ / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Galactic