An International Merry Olde Christmas with quotes and pix

Vesele Vianoce a stastny Novy Rok

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in Slovakian

plate of traditional Slovak cookies

http://www.slovakcooking.com/

Well, it has been a bit of a rough week. Hence, no postings.

Sorry!

I hope you have all been busy decorating for a celebration

visiting friends and family

reaching out to neighbors

enjoying some special food and treats

and smiling a lot!

Santa Claus Academy trainees, 2011 Tokyo, Japan

photo credit Yoshikazu Tsuno

I find it so sad around holidays when people's tempers are short,

the driving is more aggressive

the kids whine more

the parents holler more

with lots of pushing and bustling and

well,

really,

doing everything OPPOSITE of what the season is all about!

vintage Christmas card

"It is not the magnitude of our actions

but the amount of love

that is put into them that matters."

- Mother Teresa

I'd like to share with you some photos of celebrations around the world.

Some celebrate Grandfather Frost,

some Father Christmas;

some celebrate Santa Claus,

some Kris Kringle.

Some will focus on Mary, the mother of Jesus,

and some will focus on the Christ child;

some will decorate with nativities and wise men,

and some will decorate with angels and harps.

There is glizty bling, and simple carved wood.

Candles, icicles, oranges, stockings and green trees -

no matter what your tradition or style,

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve mass

Surabaya, Indonesia

"Sharing and giving are the ways

of God."

- Sauk Indian proverb

Rodrigo de Freitas Lake, 2011  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

photo by Andre Durao

siblings checking out the new lawn decor

Brea, California, USA

photo courtesy of Mindy Schauer

"The Angel Blesses

Christmas Day

while little children

Play."

- vintage verse

Santa Claus in Jammu, India

nydailynews

French soldier, United Nations Interim Force in Deir Zifa, Lebanon

"Christmas waves a magic wand

over this world,

and behold,

everything is softer

and more beautiful."

- Norman Vincent Peale

Decorating at a shopping mall in Beijing, China

photo credit Andy Wong  2011

Harrods 26th parade with Father Christmas London, England 2011

photo credit Steve Finn

2010 Annual Half-naked Santa Run, Budapest, Hungary

photo credit Bernadett Szabo

"Like snowflakes,

my Christmas memories gather and dance -

each beautiful, unique

and too soon gone."

- Deborah Whipp, web designer

tree lighting in Tyn church, Old Town Square, Prague, Czechoslovakia

photo credit Michal Cizek  2011

Time for me to go do some things.

If you have a family tradition that you would like to share,

just leave a comment.

My comment section is easy to use, and you don't have to sign up for anything!

Upcoming -

how do the animals celebrate Christmas?

:0)

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

http://www.inkspiredmusings.blogspot.com/

The Language of Flowers - Chrysanthemum Part II

Damai

(Indonesian for "Peace")



Today I will continue to discuss the Victorian language of flowers,

and the November Flower of the Month:

the Chrysanthemum

www.fotos-bilder.biz

Just as many of the previous flowers we have looked at,

the chrysanthemum has several slightly varying meanings

depending on who you consult.

A red chrysanthemum symbolizes 'love'.

Another source states that a red mum stands for 'sharing'.

Hmmm..., okay.

A yellow mum symbolizes 'neglected love', or 'platonic love'.

'Platonic Love' is described as a 'just friends' type of love.

www.Pacificumscientific-web.com

The Society of American Florists has specified that

bronze mums symbolize 'excitement'.

Hmmm, can't find that anywhere else,

and besides, just what the heck is a bronze mum?

They do come in a rainbow variety of colors, but I'm not sure I would say

any of them are 'bronze'. Rust, yes. Orange, yes.

Oh well!

Who am I to fuss with experts, right?

:0)

A white mum symbolizes 'truth' and 'devoted love'.

The Society of American Florists agree that a white mum stands for 'truth'.

www.flowerpics.tk

Next, we have the traditional symbolism of any color chrysanthemum.

www.flowerinfo.org

Teleflora says that the mum is a 'symbol of the sun',

and that it symbolizes 'optimism' and 'happiness'.

Now, if you are sending mums to those grieving the death of a loved one,

and they are in Europe,

sending mums is an expression of 'sympathy'.

www.enenda.net

In Asian cultures, mums are 'a symbol of life'.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5811329_meaning-chrysanthemum-flower_.html

www.clker.com

In 1920 Japan declared the chrysanthemum as its' national flower.

The mum is honored yearly during the Festival of Happiness.

The mum is an honored flower and adorns many family crests of nobility.

The mum is the emblem of the Japanese emperor.

vintage soap label

Generally, the mum is second only to the rose in its' popularity.

It is believed that a mum petal inside the bottom of a wine glass

ensures a healthy and long life.

an embroidery transfer from turkeyfeathers

The mum also represents fidelity, long life

and joy.

They represent love, praise and admiration.

'Golden Autumn with brown birds' painting by Qin Xing,

a Chinese painter.

Confucius suggested they be used as an object of meditation.

The chrysanthemum originated in China as a flowering herb,

and Confucius is the first to describe the mum in his writings.

www.flowersgallery.net

From 365 AD - 427 AD, T'ao Yuan Ming improved on mum cultivation techniques.

Today we have over 200 varieties, shapes, and colors!

Now, in the 4th century mums reach Japan.

Japan closely guarded the secrets of mums and cultivation for the next

1,500 years!!

In the mid-19th century mums finally made it to Europe, and then England.

From there they made their way across the Atlantic to the Americas.

Quite the long history.

I bet there's a very interesting story behind that first mum that reached Japan

in the 4th century!



Teleflora tells us that the Japanese consider the orderly unfolding of the petals of a chrysanthemum represents perfection.

cool!

www.mzephotos.com

Well, that almost makes a book about mums!

Hope you have enjoyed the long history and many meanings of

the chrysanthemum.

www.flowerpics.net

Okay, I just have to share with you these last two things!

First, a Scott Joplin song -

c.1904

and I have to get in at least one fairy.....

Have a wonderful autumn day, with mums!

;0)

inkspired

www.inkspired.etsy.com

www.inkspiredmusings.blogspot.com

www.myinkspired.com