VietNam Woman's Opera Association

Bai nay hay that . Khi nao tam nho rua tay nha

hello hong minh, i should pay more attention to my surroundings, i was at work and thought i was on your page, it is a very funny video, with very funny lyrics, but a very serious message, thank you for sharing, it is a very good link. tam biet

no, of course not. It's not my page, this is common page of me and my friends .... And one of my friend, funnylovely, she posted this clip on this one. I just introduced it for you. Have a nice day, John ^^

cam on ban hong minh, and cam on ban funnylovely for sharing a very good video,

you're welcome it will be good if you can share somethings in our 4rum how do you think? ^^

hello funnylovely, i will be very happy to share as much as i can. that is why i am on opera, to make friends and share my time and thoughts with my new friends. toi la john, cam on, if you just let me know how i can help, i will do my best. tam biet funnylovely, i hope to hear from you soon john

hello sister minh, i have something to share, i hope it will be of interest to you and your group,

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

GIANG SINH VUI VE

SELAMAT HARI NATAL DAN TAHUN BARU 2010



MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG. AND A GOOD EXPLANATION OF THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS.





to me, christmas means 2 weeks off work, but the real meaning is a lot more complicated.
originally it was a time to celebrate the birth of a baby called jesus. and over time that was forgotten by most people, now christmas means gifts, cards, food, and seasonal songs, "carols"
here on this blog i will post both carols, and my favorite christmas songs, and pictures showing traditional things to do with christmas.





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Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The date of commemoration is not known to be Jesus' actual birthday, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either a historical Roman festival or the winter solstice. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.
Although traditionally a Christian holiday, Christmas is widely celebrated by many non-Christians, and some of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, Christmas carols, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, and garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, Father Christmas (known as Santa Claus in North America and Ireland) is a popular mythological figure in many countries, associated with the bringing of gifts for children.
Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.





In Christianity, Christmas is the festival celebrating the Nativity of Jesus, the Christian belief that the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament's Messianic prophecies was born to the Virgin Mary. The story of Christmas is based on the biblical accounts given in the Gospel of Matthew, namely Matthew 1:18-Matthew 2:12 and the Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke 1:26-Luke 2:40. According to these accounts, Jesus was born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, in the city of Bethlehem. According to popular tradition, the birth took place in a stable, surrounded by farm animals, though neither the stable nor the animals are mentioned in the Biblical accounts. However, a manger is mentioned in Luke 2:7 where it states "She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Early iconographic representations of the nativity placed the stable and manger within a cave (located, according to tradition, under the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem). Shepherds from the fields surrounding Bethlehem were told of the birth by an angel, and were the first to see the child. Many Christians believe that the birth of Jesus fulfilled prophecies from the Old Testament.
Christians celebrate Christmas in many ways. In addition to this day being one of the most important and popular for the attendance of church services, there are numerous other devotions and popular traditions. Prior to Christmas Day, the Eastern Orthodox Church practices the Nativity Fast in anticipation of the birth of Jesus, while much of the Western Church celebrates Advent. People decorate their homes, and exchange gifts. In some Christian denominations, children perform plays re-telling the events of the Nativity, or sing carols that reference the event. Some Christians also display a small re-creation of the Nativity, known as a Nativity scene or crib, in their homes, using figurines to portray the key characters of the event. Live Nativity scenes and tableaux vivants are also performed, using actors and live animals to portray the event with more realism.
There is a very long tradition of producing painted depictions the nativity in art. Nativity scenes traditionally set in a barn or stable and include Mary, Joseph, the child Jesus, angels, shepherds and the Three Wise Men, Balthazar, Melchior, and Caspar, who are said to have followed a star, known as the Star of Bethlehem, and arrive after his birth. [


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8rY0Fyws20 ALL I WANT FOR XMAS IS YOU.


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Originating from Western culture, where the holiday is characterized by the exchange of gifts among friends and family members, some of the gifts are attributed to a character called Father Christmas (also known as Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas or St. Nikolaus, Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle, Père Noël, Joulupukki, Babbo Natale, Weihnachtsmann, Saint Basil and Father Frost).
The popular image of Santa Claus was created by the German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840–1902), who drew a new image annually, beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast's Santa had evolved into the form we now recognize. The image was standardized by advertisers in the 1920s.
Father Christmas, a jolly well nourished bearded man who typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, predates the Santa Claus character, was first recorded in early 17th century England, but was associated with holiday merrymaking and drunkenness. In Victorian Britain, his image was remade to match that of Santa. The French Père Noël evolved along similar lines, eventually adopting the Santa image. In Italy, Babbo Natale acts as Santa Claus, while La Befana is the bringer of gifts and arrives on the eve of the Epiphany. It is said that La Befana set out to bring the baby Jesus gifts, but got lost along the way. Now, she brings gifts to all children. In some cultures Santa Claus is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, or Black Peter. In other versions, elves make the toys. His wife is referred to as Mrs. Claus





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Christmas cards are usually exchanged during the weeks preceding Christmas Day on December 25 by many people (including non-Christians) in Western society and in Asia. The traditional greeting reads "wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", much like the first commercial Christmas card, produced by Sir Henry Cole in London 1843. There are innumerable variations on this greeting, many cards expressing more religious sentiment, or containing a poem, prayer or Biblical verse; others stay away from religion with an all-inclusive "Season's greetings".
A Christmas card is generally commercially designed and purchased for the occasion. The content of the design might relate directly to the Christmas narrative with depictions of the Nativity of Jesus, or have Christian symbols such as the Star of Bethlehem or a white dove representing both the Holy Spirit and Peace. Many Christmas cards are secular and show Christmas traditions such as Santa Claus, objects associated with Christmas such as candles, holly and baubles, and Christmastime activities such as shopping and partying, or other aspects of the season such as the snow and wildlife of the northern winter. Some secular cards depict nostalgic scenes of the past such as crinolined shoppers in 19th century streetscapes; others are humorous, particularly in depicting the antics of Santa and his retinue





BELOW IS A YOUTUBE VIDEO, IT HAS A FEW DIFFERENT CAROLS I HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM.








PLANTS PLAY A BIG PART IN HOW WE CELEBRATE, everyones favorite is mistletoe, and trying to avoid getting caught and kissed under it, ha ha, actually, here is a great explanation of some of the plants we use and why. even i did not know most of this, ha ha,

Many holiday traditions are celebrated during the season surrounding the winter solstice. Many people will have their community and family traditions and in many of these traditions, plants play a central role. Let us take a quick look at some of the plants used in many of the celebrations of the holiday season.


Oak and holly play an important role in many of our holiday celebrations surrounding the winter solstice. In ancient cultures the holly tree symbolized the waning sun commencing with the summer solstice and the oak tree symbolized the waxing sun commencing with the winter solstice. The Druids believed holly’s evergreen nature made it sacred and that it remained green throughout winter to keep the earth beautiful at a time when deciduous trees shed their leaves. Holly was used for decoration throughout homes with it being used for boughs over entrances to peoples’ homes or formed into holly wreaths that were hung on doors. Placing a ring of holly on doors originated in Ireland since holly was one of the main plants that was green and very beautiful with its red berries at this time of year and gave poor people a means of decorating their dwellings. Decorating one’s home with holly was believed to bring protection and good luck to the inhabitants in the coming year. Do you remember the seasonal song “Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly

The “mighty oak” was the most sacred tree of Europe, representing the waxing sun, symbolized endurance, strength, protection, and good luck to people in the coming year. On the winter solstice, on the longest night of the year, people would place and set afire a giant oak log in a community fire pit or families would place a smaller oak log in their fireplace. This log became known as the “Yule log.” Tradition has it that the burning of the Yule log was performed to honor the Great Mother Goddess. The log would be lit on the eve of the solstice using the remains of the log from the previous year and would be burned for twelve hours for good luck and protection. As the fire began all other lights would be extinguished and the people would gather round the fire. In thanksgiving and appreciation for the events of the past year and in bidding the year farewell each person would toss dried holly twigs into the fire. The next phase of the burning of the Yule log commenced with people tossing oak twigs and acorns into the fire and they would shout out their hopes and resolutions for the coming New Year and sing Yuletide carols. The celebration of the Yule log fire ended with unburned pieces of the Yule log saved to start the fire of next winter’s solstice Yule log.

Mistletoe is another important plant that is used in many holiday traditions surrounding the winter solstice. Druids believed that anything found growing on an oak tree had been sent from heaven and mistletoe found on oaks was especially sacred. In the Celtic language, mistletoe means “All heal” and it was thought to possess miraculous healing powers and hold the soul of the host tree. Mistletoe would be hung over the entry into peoples’ homes and atop doorways within their homes as a token of good will and peace to all comers. It is said that when warring Viking armies met under a tree in which mistletoe occurred that they would cease battle for the remainder of that day. Today, many people still hang mistletoe in their homes and couples kiss when they meet under the mistletoe. In some traditions each time a couple kiss under the mistletoe a single white berry is removed and the kissing ceases when the final berry is removed. There is a myth associated with this practice that stated if any unmarried women of the household went unkissed during the hanging of the mistletoe, they would not marry in the coming year.


Lastly, decorating the Yule tree was also originally a pagan custom. Brightly colored decorations would be hung on evergreen trees such as pines, firs, cedars and junipers to symbolize the various stellar objects that were of significance to the pagans – the sun, moon, and stars - and to represent the souls of those who had died in the previous year. These evergreens symbolized the continuity of life and hopes for protection and prosperity in the New Year.

i did not know why we decorate trees, and i bet a lot of other people who do it every year did not know either, we just all shrug our shoulders and say, "it is a tradition" but we forget what the tradition signifies,


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SO WHO WANTS TO BE FIRST UNDER THE MISTLETOE WITH ME??? :HAPPY:
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FOOD IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT AT CHRISTMAS. we have our main christmas dinner, which is traditionally roast turkey, boiled and roasted potatos, sprouts, cabbage, peas, carrots,cauliflower,stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce. there are other vegetables too, suedes, turnips, but mostly i just have the ones i listed first, after eating our christmas dinner, we have a christmas pudding, not me though, as i do not like them, ha ha, we also eat a lot of nuts, mince pies, and chocolate, it is a bad time for people on diets, below are some pictures of traditional christmas foods,

TO ALL OF MY FRIENDS AND MY SISTERS, I WISH ALL OF YOU,

HAPPY CHRISTMAS, + A HAPPY NEW YEAR IN 2010

GIANG SINH VUI VE

SELAMAT HARI NATAL DAN TAHUN BARU 2010


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THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY BLOG, I HOPE YOU BOTH, LEARNED SOMETHING, AND ENJOYED IT,
I HOPE YOU WILL TELL ME ABOUT YOUR TRADITIONS,

the songs have not pasted again, so to hear christmas songs and christmas carols you will need to visit shreklookalikes blog,

http://my.opera.com/shreklookalike/blog/2009/11/20/christmas-is-goming