Yalda - Persian Tradition, or another version of Christmas

Yalda is celebrated on the Northern Hemisphere's longest night of the year, that is, on the eve of the Winter Solstice. Depending on the shift of the calendar, Yalda is celebrated on or around December 20 or 21 each year.

Yalda has a history as long as the religion of Mithraism. The Mithraists believed that this night is the night of the birth of Mithra, Persian angel of light and truth. At the morning of the longest night of the year the Mithra was born.”Some fruits and edible things we used to have in this ceremony!On Yalda night, which this year falls on December 21, members of the family stay together, narrate old stories told by ancestors, play traditional games and eat dried and fresh fruits symbolizing various things. 

Pomegranates, placed on top of a fruit basket, are reminders of the cycle of life -- the rebirth and revival of generations. The purple outer covering of a pomegranate symbolizes "birth" or "dawn" and their bright red seeds the "glow of life." 

Watermelons, apples, grapes, sweet melons and persimmon are other special fruits served on Yalda night and all are symbols of freshness, warmth, love, kindness and happiness.

Also we will do divination to book of poetry by Hafiz (One of the most famous Persian poet)

Everyone opens a page of book and reads the poem and others interpret the poem and say how will be the future for that person!

Its for fun!:)

Happy Yalda night to all!

J.S. Bach - Christmas Oratorio BWV 248

Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists

From wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Oratorio

The Christmas Oratorio (German: Weihnachtsoratorium) BWV 248, is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It was written for the Christmas season of 1734 incorporating music from earlier compositions, including three secular cantatas written during 1733 and 1734 and a now lost church cantata, BWV 248a. The date is confirmed in Bach's autograph manuscript. The next performance was not until 17 December 1857 by the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin under Eduard Grell. The Christmas Oratorio is a particularly sophisticated example of parody music. The author of the text is unknown, although a likely collaborator was Christian Friedrich Henrici (Picander).

The work belongs to a group of three oratorios written towards the end of Bach's career in 1734 and 1735 for major feasts, the others being the Ascension Oratorio (BWV 11) and the Easter Oratorio (BWV 249). All include a tenor Evangelist as narrator and parody earlier compositions, although the Christmas Oratorio is by far the longest and most complex work.

The oratorio is in six parts, each part being intended for performance on one of the major feast days of the Christmas period. The piece is often presented as a whole or split into two equal parts. The total running time for the entire work is nearly three hours. In a similar fashion to Bach's other oratorios, a tenor Evangelist narrates the story.

The first part (for Christmas Day) describes the Birth of Jesus, the second (for December 26) the annunciation to the shepherds, the third (for December 27) the adoration of the shepherds, the fourth (for New Year's Day) the circumcision and naming of Jesus, the fifth (for the first Sunday after New Year) the journey of the Magi, and the sixth (for Epiphany) the adoration of the Magi

The Spirit of Christmas - Romanian style

                                                      Home made appetizers

 

Salade de volaille (other versions can be Russian salad or boeuf salad)

  

 

 Cabbage rolls (compulsory!!!) with polenta. Another version is grape-leaf rolls. The filling is meat 

 Baked mutton stew (optional)

Roast pepper salad (optional)

Pork stew (compulsory)

 

Pickles

Traditional cake with wall-nuts cream filling (compulsory)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

This is a traditional Romanian Christmas Carol in a jazzy arrangement made by pianist Dan Stoenescu, where he uses themes from other carols.

Happy Michael and Gabriel day!

Today, the Orthodox Christian world is celebrating the archangels Michael and Gabriel, which in the Hindu world are  Shri Bhairava and Shri Hanuman. Happy anniversary, everyone!

The Sky of Ukraine 2012