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The question on my mind is, 'what is the weather like this season?'
Alas, we didn't get a drop of snow at all during the Christmas holidays. In fact Christmas was sunny and pleasant. My mother is ecstatic because all of her plants are in bloom, I hear about the camelias all day long, but I've been dreaming of a White Christmas. I want snowflakes to fall this January, I want to make snow ice cream like my grandma used to, play out in the tundra building snowmen, take photos of icicles dangling from rooftops and maybe get a day off on account of a blizzard? The skies are clear and it feels more like spring than winter right now with temperatures between mid 40s and late 60s. It's cool, but not that cold. There's an occasional rainy day, but no snow fall so far in 2020.
What's the weather outside like where you live as if now?
Christmas where I reside was rather mild. We had very little precipitation and it was unusually warm. However, January has been absolutely brutal. A few days ago, we were colder than the North pole, as it was an astounding -52 degrees Celsius. It has consistently been in the -30s and -40s for about two weeks now and this upcoming week is supposed to warm up significantly, something that I am truly grateful for. It had begun to get so cold that all of the doors in my house began to freeze, making them nearly impossible to open. I'm looking forward to being able to venture outdoors without having to wrap myself up like a mummy.
Hearing you talk of flowers, Sam, makes me wish for an early spring. I simply can't wait to garden. Although, we're more than likely to see snow right through until mid-April, unfortunately.
Christmas where I reside was rather mild. We had very little precipitation and it was unusually warm. However, January has been absolutely brutal. A few days ago, we were colder than the North pole, as it was an astounding -52 degrees Celsius. It has consistently been in the -30s and -40s for about two weeks now and this upcoming week is supposed to warm up significantly, something that I am truly grateful for. It had begun to get so cold that all of the doors in my house began to freeze, making them nearly impossible to open. I'm looking forward to being able to venture outdoors without having to wrap myself up like a mummy.
Hearing you talk of flowers, Sam, makes me wish for an early spring. I simply can't wait to garden. Although, we're more than likely to see snow right through until mid-April, unfortunately.
Oh my goodness! We're going to have to unthaw you or you will turn into a real Alolan Ninetales at this rate. /Serves you a cup of hot tea and warm sweets/
I have to remember that most of the world uses Celsius. Where I live it reached 70 degrees above Fahrenheit this week, so I think that is over 20 degrees Celsius. I wish I could share some of that warmth with you. I want to spin around and catch snowflakes with my tongue, and you dream of gardening. Maybe we could split the difference somehow? I am wishing for an early spring for you my friend, and maybe I can help by taking a little of the cold off your hand, not all, but a bit. I wouldn't mind going down to 30 degrees above Fahrenheit in my town for a little while aka 0 Celsius. Sending a seasonal fairy your way!
Let's think of your favorite foods that warm you up on a winter's day and places to travel full of sunlight. Where might you visit if you could teleport there right now? India? Italy? South Africa? Close your eyes and take a journey into a kingdom of golden warmth.
Today in my country I have the day off because it's the day off because it's Martin Luther King, it's a great time to love thy neighbor, no matter what color they are, their gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or country. We are one all family, this is why this club is called The Feast of Life. It's a day to appreciate your own freedom to be who you are.
This day is in honor of the good Reverend Dr. Martin Luther who gave his life during the civil rights movement advocating for economic justice for the poor and for racial equality and a world without segregation and caste much like Mohandas Ghandi. King also believed in only peace and nonviolence, conquering the forces of darkness with love and forgiveness.
Many people choose to take up the call of service on MLK and engage in activities like visiting nursing homes, giving blood at donation centers or delivering food or clothing to shelters. Parades will take place in cities and prayer services.
Martin Luther King Day along with Thanksgiving, The 4th of July and Memorial Day are some of the important secular holidays holidays we celebrate in The United States.
I share this video footage of MLK, and it's a very intimate and I think inspirational conversation about accepting who you are, never feeling that you are not good enough and being the best you can in life, and hope it will make those who watch feel loved and understand their purpose.
Does your country have any major holiday that celebrate independence and freedom or justice like this one or Bastille Day or Cinqo De Mayo? I always love the opportunity to learn more about what days people look forward to outside of my country.
Greetings everyone! We are currently living through a very special time of the year, the lunar new year! Yippee!
Before the month of January ends I wanted to wish everyone a happy new year if you observe the lunar cycle. The lunar year started on the 25th of this month to be precise. Because the Gregorian calendar is based on a solar cycle New Year's Day is on January 1st, and is completely different from this New Year's celebration-- which can fall at any time between 21 January and 20 February, depending on when the first new moon is.
In some cultures the New Year is the most important holiday of all, and is celebrated for days and weeks. In China many stores are closed for the first 5 days of New Year, and some shops won't re-open for another week or more from now.
Preparations usually begin days in advance of New Year's day. The first day of the Chinese New Year is known as Yuan Dan, First Morning of the year or Duan Ri, First Day. From this day forward the holiday continues for 2 weeks, culminating in The Lantern Festival, which will be held on February 8th this year.
The famous lion and dragon dances, and all of the brilliant red decorations, fireworks and parades you may associate with New Year's day in China is just the beginning of the festival, heralding the start of 15 days of magic.
An urban legend is connected to the light shows and pagentry of Chinese New Year. It is said that on the darkest night of the year on new moon (the beginning of new year) a sea creature called Nian would rise from the ocean to eat livestock, devour crops and get people.
Nian was described as the size of an elephant with a lion's face, long, sharp teeth, and a dog-like body.
The villagers were terrorized by Nian until a wise man taught them how to ward off the monster, revealing that it feared loud sounds and hated the sight of the color red. After discovering Nian's great weaknesses the townspeople used it against the beast, and made as much noise as they could during the new year to disturb Nian by banging drums and dancing, blinding him by hanging red lanterns and setting off fire crackers until they finally ran the cowardly creature off for good. Some say Nian stays hidden now in the mountains.
This little story is a fun innovation on why there are fireworks and such colorful decorations during the Chinese New Year-- to make sure Nian stays in check!
Interestingly the character for Nian also means "year" in Chinese.
Many of you will be familiar with the Chinese Zodiac, the repeating 12 year system where each year is represented by a different animal said to embody the attributes of the incoming year. This lunar year marks the Year of the Rat, the first animal on the calendar and the start of a brand new cycle.
The 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac are as follows The Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
Legend has it that the Jade emperor needed a way to measure time, and created the calendar by holding a contest known as The Great Race, inviting the animals of the world to participate. The animals who arrived first were each honored in the calendar with their own year.
This amusing, family-friendly video brings the story of The Great Race to life.
Which animal represents you according to the Chinese Zodiac?
Maybe you are a rat, and this is your year? If you don't know you can find out which animal corresponds to the year you were born in the link below.
I was born in the year of dragon, the 5th animal of the cycle!
Many Asian countries observe the Lunar New Year, and every country has their own traditions and customs, and calendars.
In Vietnam Lunar New Year is a 7-day holiday called Tết. In the days leading up to the New year there's lots of gift-buying, including brand new sets of clothes for children that aren't to be worn until New Year's Day
The older generation also passes down generous gifts of red envelopes filled with cash to young people, always in a lucky even number. In return kids wish their elders good health for the new year. This is also practiced in China, and there is a variation on this in South Korea.
Trees and plants are a big part of Tet. Folks buy fruits trees like peach, orange and kumquat trees, hang ornaments over their branches and display them in their living room.
The fruit of the trees symbolize the bountiful fruits of the new year to come. Trees with yellow blossoms are popular in the south, while pink is the color preferred in the north. Whatever color your tree is, seeing it's blossoms open during the time of Tet is a good omen.
The Vietnamese fill their homes with all sorts of lush flowers to welcome spring from orchids to chrysanthemums, and place them in beautiful pots at the entrance of the home. Lots of vivid spring-time color are used in New Year's decorating, especially red and yellow.
A plate of 5 types of the fresh fruit sits on the ancestral altar of every Vietnamese home during the holiday with treats like bannanas, lemons, oranges, persimmons and buddha's hands arranged to form a pyramid. The number five is important to represent the elements metal, water, wood, fire and earth.
As the old year draws to a close a farewell ceremony is performed for the Gods who watch over the house such as Ong Tao, a spirit who resides in the kitchen. The gods and goddesses who gaurd the family are said to travel to heaven to meet the Jade Emperor each year, and tell him all about the family they observe. The vehicle they use to get to heaven in is a carp! Vietnamese households keep gold fish in aquariums and bowls at the altars of their home reserved just for the gods, and release the live fish into nearby lakes, ponds and rivers so the spirits can ride on their backs, and make their journey home at last.
This is a nice news video I found about this Vietnamese ritual.
In South Korea The Lunar New Year is 3-day celebration called Seollal. On this most important holiday people dress formally and wear traditional attire such as the Hanbok.
Tteokguk, a rice cake soup, is eaten during Seollal, and shared with loved ones and neighbors. You can buy them or make them from scratch. You might see special outdoor rice-pounding events where anyone can join in wielding a wooden mallet to help beat the dough into long slabs that represent a continuous, healthy life. Rice is washed with straw filters called Bokjori that symbolically strip away any bad luck from the old year.
Seollal is all about taking time away from whatever your daily routine is to pay homage to your ancestors. People stop and travel from all over to see family during this time, and come bearing gifts. Living elders in particular are honored with bows to the floor on New Year's Day. After new year's day many families get together and visit amusement parks, tour old palaces and museums, and many of the attractions are free during the holiday.
An ancestral rite called Charye is performed on New Year's day. It includes the preparation of a feast to express gratitude and respect to generations of ancestors. The family bows, prays and drinks a liquor presented to their ancestors. This drinking ceremony is known as Fumbok, and by sipping from the same cup of one's ancestors it is believed that you can partake of their virtues.
While there are serious rituals and traditions, Seollal is a very jubilant holiday where people play lots of traditional folk games like yunnori, a board game with bamboo sticks. Girls play on a kind of see-saw called Neikttwigi. Kite-flying is also popular, and one tradition is writing your name on your kite before letting it fly away, to take away any bad luck from the old year.
Have you celebrated lunar new year before? If not, would you like to bring in the new year in one of these countries?
I know there are many different lunar new year celebrations around the world, and wish I could highlight each and every one. I definitely enjoyed sharing these festivities from 3 different interesting cultures, and if anybody would like to mention other holidays then I would be thrilled to hear some more.
I know that there are some interesting holidays coming up this February.
One being Valentine's Day, a favorite holiday of mine.
I have a few questions for members during the month of love.
What are some of your favorite romantic books, movies or television shows?
I was taken with the literary classics War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I have always been inspired by the writing of D.H Lawrence too, he's so sensual.
My all time favorite movie is a French version of Beauty and the Beast from 1946, directed by an artist named Jean Cocteau. I also really love the 1966 film adaptation of Dr. Zhivago. It's a work of art.
It looks like I fancy historical romance.
Are you in a relationship? If so, then what special thing will you to show that lucky lady or man that you care this Valentine's Day?
Yup! I have some music in mind that I want to listen to with my bf, and I shopped for a colorful Valentine's present that I think he will like. Won't say what it is because it's a surprise!
Have you ever sent or received messages carried by a certain luvdisc here at PC?
Most definitely! This is an adorable event that is nice to use even just writing to friends to let them know you care about them, it doesn't even have to be romantic.
This seems like a nice little club! Shame there aren't many members yet. I'll answer all of the questions on this thread to catch up.
Name: Neb
Favorite Time of Year: November
Birthday: February 14th
December Holidays: Christmas
Favorite romantic TV shows, books, and movies: Call Me By Your Name, Tsuredure Children, My Brother's Husband, and That Blue Sky Feeling.
Are you in a relationship?: I've never been in one. A few people have shown romantic interest in me, but it either wasn't realistic or I didn't reciprocate their feelings.
Have you ever sent or received messages carried by a certain luvdisc here at PC?: Nope.
This seems like a nice little club! Shame there aren't many members yet. I'll answer all of the questions on this thread to catch up.
Name: Neb
Favorite Time of Year: November
Birthday: February 14th
December Holidays: Christmas
Favorite romantic TV shows, books, and movies: Call Me By Your Name, Tsuredure Children, My Brother's Husband, and That Blue Sky Feeling.
Are you in a relationship?: I've never been in one. A few people have shown romantic interest in me, but it either wasn't realistic or I didn't reciprocate their feelings.
Have you ever sent or received messages carried by a certain luvdisc here at PC?: Nope.
Hi Neb! Welcome to the Four Seasons! Thank you for the friendly word, we are happy to have you here. I will add your name next to our list of members.
Your picked a nice favorite time of the year with beautiful gold autumn leaves. November is right in the middle of so many great holidays. It's right after Halloween, Thanksgiving is in the month of November and the winter celebrations like Christmas and Hannukah are just around the corner. I'd love to know what it is that makes November your favorite time of year? I'm a sucker for all of the holiday food and baked goods at that time of year to warm you up on a cold day.
It's also awesome that your birthday falls in a holiday, Valentine's Day. Happy belated birthday!
I hope that you have had some pleasant moments of spring. The weather has been absolutely exquisite where I live. We've reached temperaments of 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and my town is covered with flora and fauna. There's azaleas everywhere, camellias, my state tree the dogwood is flowering, little rose buds are starting to appear and the irises are on the way. What's growing in your area?
I had a little mischief this week too with April Fool's Day. It's nice to be able to laugh for a day though this has been a difficult year for many of us. So don't be afraid to share if you played pranks or got tricked yourself teehee.
A holiday that I am very much looking forward to in the days to come is Easter. This year Easter will be held on the 12th of April. I sent messages out to you guys last week, asking if you would be interested in an easter egg dying event to celebrate this wonderful day. You guys wrote me back by pm and the answer seems to be a resounding YES! So we're going to make it happen. Let's celebrate this Easter together.
Next weekend share photos of your Easter creations. These are some of my eggs from a previous year. ^_^
Spoiler:
Do you have any Easter traditions like arranging baskets, eating a gold-wrapped chocolate bunny or marshmallow chicks, Chocolate bunnies, going to church on Easter Sunday or painting eggs?
Easter traditions:
Easter in Croatia is pretty much what you see in Easter-related slav memes: eggs, ham, green onion, horseradish... The whole Easter bunny thing, while present, is not what immediately comes to mind when you think about this holiday over here. Easter presents are mainly in the form of chocolates and eggs that you've painted. Idk about the rest of the world, but here it's a tradition to decorate a branch for Easter, usually something like a goat willow.
It has become a tradition of mine to draw birds on eggs and gift them to friends and family.
2018:
Spoiler:
House Sparrow, Hawfinch, Goldcrest and White Wagtail
2019:
Spoiler:
Great Spotted Woodpecker, Atlantic Puffin, Black Stork and Bearded Reedling
I am so happy to see those amazingly painted eggs! Thank you LucarioBread, welcome and happy Easter.
I had very simple eggs with metallic dye, but I had an Easter Parade. My spring dolls have gathered together to gobble up the Easter eggs they found on the hunt.
I couldn't take an actual picture of my eggs since my phone needed charging at the time, but here are a couple of eggs that I made with friends from work using a tutorial:
Spoiler:
Not my image, but exactly the same thing pretty much. We used some plant and onion leaves to leave stamps with paint on them for a nice pattern~
These are some pictures of my delicious Easter meal!
Homemade pumpkin pie!
Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls!
Pierogies!
We had lots of other scrumptious dishes that I didn't take photographs of! I meant to post these days ago but I got sidetracked.
My mother and I had Little Women on in the background as we prepared everything. It was a lot of fun. I'd say that Easter in isolation was a complete success!
These Easter eggs are all works of art! So cool! I also want to give a warm welcome to LucarioBread for joining us. I have added your name to the list of our members. So come and sit under the tree.
All of these celebratory photos make me so happy! I would love to eat at Lina's house. I adore perogies. The site of that delish feast reminds me of my friend from Poland named Lora who showed me how to make those potato dumplings. All of it looks scrumptious.
This April has been filled with holidays to give us hope and strength like Easter and Passover, and there have been lots of fun moments too like April Fool's Day and the month of April is also the official Poetry month! Today happens to be Earth day, and with so much in bloom I'm taking pictures of some of our roses to bring a little spring to everyone.
This path of flowers is right outside my door, that's a peek into my backyard.
If you guys spot something in nature that you want to share a photograph of then spread some love here at the Four Seasons.
I'm going to curl up and re-watch Disney Nature documentaries like African Cats and Monkey Kingdom, and be thankful for the beautiful world we have.
I have a topic question. What is your favorite animal?
Given I live in a hilly area, it's quite common for people to own a cottage with a vineyard. My family is no different and we've been doing some spring maintenance on it. This also gives me an opportunity to wander around nearby woods which echo with bird song at the moment. I've heard Orioles and Nightingales sing for the first time this year last week; the migrants have more or less all returned from their wintering grounds.
Here are some photos I took:
A male Great-Spotted Woodpecker:
Orchards, vineyards and hedges provide a great breeding place for Yellowhammers and their song is one of the most common sounds you'll hear at the moment:
I was also surprised by a pair of adorable little Goldcrests. Normally only a wintering bird at the location (as far as I've recorded over the course of last couple of years), but I'm hopeful they'll maybe nest here for the first time this year.
Given I live in a hilly area, it's quite common for people to own a cottage with a vineyard. My family is no different and we've been doing some spring maintenance on it. This also gives me an opportunity to wander around nearby woods which echo with bird song at the moment. I've heard Orioles and Nightingales sing for the first time this year last week; the migrants have more or less all returned from their wintering grounds.
Here are some photos I took:
A male Great-Spotted Woodpecker:
Orchards, vineyards and hedges provide a great breeding place for Yellowhammers and their song is one of the most common sounds you'll hear at the moment:
I was also surprised by a pair of adorable little Goldcrests. Normally only a wintering bird at the location (as far as I've recorded over the course of last couple of years), but I'm hopeful they'll maybe nest here for the first time this year.
These are all such beautiful pictures! The landscape seems lush and beautiful, and the birds are all so unique! The woodpecker especially is simply gorgeous! I really love birds!
While I have no pictures, I had a pair of blue jays that visited my backyard quite frequently and would squabble with the crows and robins that nested nearby. We also used to see chickadees every once in a while, as well.
Perhaps the most gorgeous bird that I've seen is a great blue heron. It isn't too often that you see one but you can sometimes find one hopping about the riverbank actively searching for sustenance. They're simply magnificent birds. Pelicans tend to flock in large numbers and float down by the river as well and I've already witnessed a few clusters of them this spring.
Perhaps one of my favourite birds native to this region are loons. I do have many fond memories of listening to their eerie calls at night when at a lake. They are such sleek birds with calls that are so distinct and beautiful.
Such lovely pictures! The photographs of those woodpeckers and goldcrests
look like professional pictures from a magazine! Stunning work LucarioBread. I was wondering if you made your living as an artist.
I hope everyone is having a pleasant week so far.
It's May, it's May, the lusty month of May!
That lovely month when everyone goes blissfully astray
I am going to google that Great Blue Heron. Most beautiful bird I have seen
up close is the Victorian Crown Pheasant when visiting an aviary in my state. I also have seen an eagle perch on my roof once. It was majestic, and seems like an auspicious omen.
I have also seen peacock walk by me. They are truly gorgeous. I was at a petting zoo a couple of years, and managed to snap a shot of this, It was an interesting juxtaposition I thought- photographing this regal, exotic beauty just walking by casually in the middle of a mundane parking lot beside someone's old pickup truck. I found it surreal and like a herald of greater things,
This is reminds that I forgot to answer my own topic question last month! I
love so many animals that it's hard to pick a favorite, but I can pick a favorite
bird, and that would be penguins. They are such gentle birds, really devoted parents. They smart, the way they work together to see each other through such a harsh climate is fascinating. We have much to learn from them. They are also so immediately appealing looking, It looks like they are wearing a tuxedo, and they have that whimsical waddle through the snow that warms your heart. Emperor penguin for the win!
I'm getting interested in ravens though, and am amazed by their intelligence. Fable the Raven on YouTube played a big part in my growing curiosity about this bird. If you would like to meet the talkative Fable watch here.
I have a new topic for this month too here at the Four Seasons... the topic is ... moms.
In my country Mother's Day is this Sunday. My mom loves flowers and really wants to add new gardenias to the garden, so I am buying her four gardenia bushes this weekend.
I was wondering if any of you folks celebrate Mother's Day?
Perhaps you live in a place that celebrates this holiday on a different day than this upcoming Sunday, or has a similar/equivalent to this holiday that's called something else. If so did/will you do anything to give thanks to your mom? Father's Day is celebrated next month in the USA on June 21st, and I'll make a topic about that too when the time draws near.
Even if there isn't a specific holiday dedicated to parents where you live, you are welcome to share some detail about your mother in this thread if you have a good relationship with her. Even if she is with you in spirit now you can always share a good memory you have of her, or tell us what she was like, what her job was, her favorite things!
