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DON'T FORGET TO DROP YOUR ICE CREAM AT MIDNIGHT: New Year Traditions From Around The World

12/28/2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
In three days we can welcome 2019. As December approached–very fast–I decided for the last Friday of the month to post a recycled blog about New Year traditions. After all, who’s going to be sitting around reading blogs on the weekend of New Year?
Photo: www.hollywoodreporter.com/new-years-times-square No one.

Well, then, what’s the point of posting anything? So, I decided to take a short vacation from blogging. We’ve all seen the Times Square New Year on TV and watched the ball drop. What’s more exciting than that?

As the time neared, I got antsy and decided to search the internet for New Year traditions I hadn’t written about before, intending to prepare a simple short list. HaHaHaHa! I believe I’ve mentioned that I was born without the pithy gene.

● SCOTLAND - HOGMANAY
Hogmanay is one of the biggest holidays in Scotland, possibly eclipsing Christmas, which only became a celebration in the late 1950s. Hogmanay has been celebrated by the Scots dating back to the Norse invaders who observed the winter solstice in late December. In fact, it is a celebration that lasts three days in some places including Edinburgh.

In Scotland, one of the New Year traditions of Hogmanay is "first-footing", a practice requiring the first person to cross a home's threshold in the new year to bring a good-luck gift. (By the way, the good luck is for the homeowner.) Photo Source: www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/Hogmanay

Another tradition is the revelers carrying torches create procession that moves through the streets like a “river of fire”, accompanied by drums and pipers. The procession ends some place which accommo- dates drinking, music, and dancing.

If you last all night or want to wake up early, and if you are brave enough to face the ice-cold water in the Firth of Forth, you can join the early morning Loony Dook, a costumed, polar-plunge event,
Photo source: www.heart.co.uk/scotland-loony-dookers/

● ROMANIA
In Romania, an old rural tradition is dancing around in a bear costume. The Romanians travel from house to house, dancing to chase away evil spirits on New Year's Eve. Also, something nifty happens in Romania at midnight on New Year's Eve. Animals briefly attain the ability to speak! Who knew? If an animal talks, the hearer is in for an awful year filled with bad luck, but all will be well if the animal says nothing.

● SIBERIA
Not to be outdone by the Scots, the people in Siberia brave the icy cold to jump into frozen lakes carrying tree trunks to celebrate New Year. The trunk is to be placed under the ice. Why, I'm not sure, but probably to bring good luck when the lake thaws.

Another tradition there--that shows up in other cultures as well--is banging bread against a wall, loudly, to chase away bad luck and evil spirits. This tradition dates back to a Roman festival, but whether or not it is from some earlier ritual, I don’t know.

● CHILE
While you can find numerous cultures where part or all of the celebrations is related to cemeteries and ancestors, Chileans spend the New Year with ancestors and deceased members of the family. They either spend the night of New Year Eve in the cemetery or set up their chairs next to the graveside on the first day of the year, a tradition for including all family members in the New Year festivities.

● PERU
In Peru, the Takanakuy Festival takes place on December 25, and it is all about descendents of the Incas beating the stuffing out of each other.

The word takanakuy means “when the blood is boiling”, which seems an appropriate name for the festivity where competitors face off in a designated area for a lot of kicking and bare-knuckle punching. Fortunately, the event is supervised by the police, although it’s said that all the punching matches are friendly and represent a fresh start for the year.
Photo source: www.mandatory.com/weirdest-new-years-traditions Photo from LatinLife http://www.fscclub.com/small-takanakuy

The practice started in Santo Tomás, the capital of Chumbivilcas, and has spread to other villages and cities, the prominent ones being Cuzco and Lima. The festival consists of dancing and individuals fighting each other to settle old conflicts or simply to display their manhood--or womanhood.

The procession to the fighting site starts with a high-pitched falsetto, a method of voice production used by male singers, especially tenors, to sing notes higher than their normal range, through the streets. The procession is family oriented as a preparation for the young children who will see the violent fights later on in the day. Children also dress up for the occasion, usually resembling their father's character.

The purpose of the fighting is to settle conflicts with an individual, friend, family member or to settle territorial conflicts which occurred throughout the year. The style of fighting used during the celebration is relatively similar to martial arts, which involves kicking, punching, and quickness of their movements.

Those fighting call out their opponents by their first and last name. They then proceed to the center of the circle and start the fight. The men fighting must wrap their hands with cloth before the fight. Biting, hitting those on the ground, or pulling hair is not allowed during the fight. The winner is selected based upon a knockout or intervention by the official. There are amateur officials who carry whips in order to maintain the crowd under control. At the start and at the end of the fight, the opponents must shake hands or give each other a hug.
If the loser of the fight disagrees with the outcome, he or she can appeal for another fight. This type of fighting also exemplifies one's level of manhood in the community of Santo .

● BELGIUM
In Belgium it is traditional to wish your cows Happy New Year.

● BOLIVIA
In Bolivia coins are baked into sweets and whoever finds the coins has good luck for the next year.

● COLOMBIA
In Colombia they carry their suitcases around with them all day in hopes of having a travel filled year. If you don't want the baggage for the whole day, at the stroke of midnight do the obvious thing: grab some empty suitcases and run around the block with them. The faster the would-be traveler runs, the more travel he or she can expect.

● FINLAND
Everyone, everywhere, wants to know what the new year will bring. In Finland people predict the coming year by casting molten tin into a bucket of water or melting down tin horseshoes and pouring the metal into a bucket of water. When the shapes harden events of the coming year are interpreted from the shapes.

● GERMANY
The Germans do something similar to the Finish. They melt small pieces of lead in a spoon over a candle, then pour the liquid into cold water. The bizarre shapes from the lead pouring are supposed to reveal what the year ahead will bring. If the lead forms a ball, luck will roll one’s way, while the shape of a crown means wealth; a cross signifies death and a star will bring happiness. If the photo is any indication, I can predict confusion for me next year... or blindness. I don't see anything in those pieces of lead.

● SWITZERLAND
Here’s a strange one. In Switzerland they celebrate the New Year by dropping ice cream on the floor. I couldn’t find any reason why.

● ECUADOR
Burning effigies of notable people on New Year’s eve seems popular in many countries, but Ecuador seems to take the lead on this tradition. There they celebrate the New Year by building straw scarecrows resembling politicians, celebrities, and others they don’t like.

The scarecrows are made from old clothes and stuffed with newspaper, and on New Year’s Eve at midnight they are burned in front of the house. Burning the old is meant to cleanse away all the bad things from the prior year and start new and clean. They also burn photographs from the prior year.

This tradition may have originated in Quayaquilin in 1895 when an epidemic of yellow fever caused the coffins to be pack with the clothing of the deceased and burned. Since then, it has become big business, and you can buy masks of celebrities and politicians or even the entire scarecrow.
Photo source:
https://list25.com/Burnt in Effigy https://www.life-in-ecuador.com/ecuador-new-years.html

●RUSSIA
One popular Russian New Year's tradition is to write down a wish, burn it, put the ashes in a glass of champagne, and drink up. Participants have to finish their drink before the clock turns 12:01 or else the wish won't come true.

● GUATEMALA
Guatemalans, hoping for wealth in the new year, toss 12 pennies behind their backs into the street when midnight strikes. The pennies represent each calendar month. The Guatemalan centavo doesn’t look like a penny: ▼it looks like this.

https://www.ebay.com/ https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces1039.html

● DENMARK
Breaking things in someone else’s yard is considered vandalism most of the time, except in Denmark on New Year’s Eve. https://list25.com/25-strangest-new-years-traditions-from-around-the-world/

There, people save broken and chipped dishes and glasses all year long to use for the New Year’s Eve tradition of going to the homes of friends and family and smash them against their front doors. The more shards you have on your doorstep the next morning, the more popular you are.

Another Danish tradition, at least in Copenhagen, is jumping off a chair. Just before midnight, everyone in the group stands on the seat of a chair and at midnight they jump off together, signifying a leap into the new year and the leaving behind of evil spirits.

● JAPAN - OMISOKA
The Japanese celebrate New Year's Eve (or Omisoka) by ringing bells in Buddhist temples. However, instead of a mere dozen times, they ring the bells 108 times --the number of human desires and thus, causes of suffering, according to the Buddhist tradition-- is thought to dispel negative emotions and mentalities. If you're in Tokyo, visit the ritual at the city's iconic Zojoji Temple. Photo courtesy of Flickr/bryansblog
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bryansblog/Temple

Maybe watching the ball drop in Times Square isn't the most exciting thing to do at midnight after all.

Sources:
https://www.oyster.com/articles/56515-7-new-years-eve-traditions-that-you-havent-heard-of/
https://www.realbuzz.com/articles-interests/festive-health-fitness/article/7-strangest-new-year-traditions-around-the-world/
https://list25.com/25-strangest-new-years-traditions-from-around-the-world/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/galleries/Strange-New-Year-traditions-around-the-world/
https://www.houstonpress.com/arts/8-strange-new-years-traditions-from-around-the-world-8015726
https://mic.com/articles/21774/top-10-strangest-new-year-s-traditions-from-around-the-globe#.dSAVOGh78
https://www.google.com/search?q=https&oq=https&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60j69i65l2j69i60l2&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/worlds-strangest-new-year-traditions#philippines
https://belarusdigest.com/story/celebrating-the-new-years-eve-in-belarus-the-russians-are-coming/
https://www.mandatory.com/living/796821-10-weirdest-new-years-eve-traditions-around-world
https://www.savoredjourneys.com/quirky-new-years-traditions/
https://www.npr.org/2013/12/28/257658037/as-the-lead-cools-some-see-their-new-year-take-shape
https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/12-weird-new-years-eve-traditions-around-the-world|
https://www.life-in-ecuador.com/ecuador-new-years.html
https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/9-new-years-eve-traditions/
http://www.123newyear.com/newyear-traditions/unitedstates.html

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Unusual Christmas Traditions from Around the World

12/21/2018

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The Holidays are upon us. May the world rejoice in peace.

Most of us living in the North America, South America, US, Europe, and Australia know the common Christmas traditions of the western world. Because Christmas is a Christian religious celebration, it's surprising to find it celebrated throughout the world. Sometimes it is celebrated not as a religious holiday and sometimes in places we wouldn't expect.

The manner in which the Christian religion is mixed with local traditions, ancient pagan beliefs and festivals is fascinating. I’ve posted this blog before, but I update it annually and in 2018 I found some new and interesting “traditions.”

SWEDEN – "GOD JUL AND (OCH) ETT GOTT NYTT AR!"

In Sweden the Christmas is all about time spent with family and friends and eating lots of food and sweets. The festivities start with the St. Lucia ceremony on December 13, the Winter Solstice on the old Julian calendar. But we’ve already looked at the traditions that go with St. Lucia festival.

I’ve run on to another rather recent “tradition” in Sweden: The Gävel Goat. Actually, Gävel is the name of the city where this event takes place. The goat is bocken (boken), in Swedish.
Photo source:Wikipedia

The Yule Goat
The Yule goat is a Scandinavian and Northern European Christmas symbol, a goat made of straw, which is one of the most popular Christmas decorations in Sweden.
The prevalent theory is that the origin dates back to ancient pagan festivals, in particular the worship of the Nose god Thor, who rode the sky in a chariot drawn by two goats. After the advent of Christianity, the Yule goat morphed into a goat which was supposed to help Santa Claus deliver presents. On occasion, Santa rode the goat instead of flying in his sleigh.

The Gävel Goat
Perhaps the city of Gävel, Sweden, used straw Yule Goats in their city’s decorations for Christmas in Gävel’s Castle Square. I couldn’t find out. Photo: http://www.todayifoundout.com/giant-goat

However, in 1966, Stig Gavlén, an advertising consultant, came up with the idea of building a giant straw version of Yule Goat in Castle Square. The first giant goat was constructed by the Gävel Fire Department as were those erected each year from 1966 to 1970 and 1986 to 2002.

As the years passed, the goat has grown in size. The one built in 1985 by the Natural Science Club of the School of Vasa reached 41 feet in height and made it into the Guinness Book of Records. In 1993, it reached 49 feet, setting another record.
The 2011 Goat on fire
Photo source: www.todayifoundout.com/giant-goat-sweden

But our giant goat has a problem. Despite the efforts of the city of Gävel, the goat has been destroyed thirty-six times, the most recent incident in 2016. Usually it is torched, but because the fire station is nearby, they have always managed to save the wooden frame. At least once it was hit by a car and collapsed. Another time the police foiled at attempt to steal it by helicopter.

Since 1986, two goats have been built, one by a society of Southern Merchants and the other by the Natural Science Club of Vasa, so there is a standby. Sometime both get destroyed.

The city has taken many measures to protect the goat. Fences, guards, lights and cameras don't seem to work. The biggest deterrent of all is that it is illegal to burn down the goat, with serious consequences for those caught.

For instance, a 51 year old American tourist, Lawrence Jones, burned the goat down in 2001 after supposedly being convinced by his Swedish friends that it was a legal game the town officials played with the populace. He ended up with a $14,700 fine and an 18 day prison sentence for his efforts.

Of course, despite all this and other efforts, half the fun of the tradition (The Dark Tradition, if you will) is seeing and betting whether or not the goat can stay intact until Christmas.

MEXICO – “FELIZ NAVIDAD”

Mexicans celebrate in many of the same ways as other countries. In Mexico, las posadas begins on December 16. The ninth evening of las posadas is Buena Noche, Christmas Eve. The children lead a procession to the church and place a figure of the Christ Child in the nativity scene there. Then everyone attends midnight mass. And of course, there is a sumptuous Christmas dinner. In Mexico it just isn’t Christmas without tamales.

La Noche de Rábanos - The Night of the Radishes
However, if you spend Christmas eve in Oaxaca, Mexico, you’ll enjoy an interesting tradition you may not be familiar with. The night of December 23 is “The Night of the Radishes” (La Noche de Rábanos), one of the annual Christmas customs in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Yair Lobo [Atlas Obscura User]
Photo source: https://www.atlasobscura.com/
In this festival, competitors carve nativity scenes and other Christmas themes into large radishes, which are proudly displayed at the Christmas market in the town square. Oaxaca has land dedicated to cultivating special vegetables just for this event
The competition’s origins date back to when holiday market vendors tried to make their vegetables more enticing by making sculptures with them.

The Madonna - Photo source : 2013 by W.Scott Koenig Day of the Dead Radish Figures
www.mexconnect.com/la-noche-de-rabanos agringoinmexico.com/night-of-the-radishes

It was such a hit that the governor, Vasconcelos, decided to create an official contest in 1897. It’s been a tradition in Oaxaca ever since. All kinds of sculptures can be seen—saints, musicians, buildings, even a tiny cemetery where little radish people are celebrating the Day of the Dead. To ensure fair competition, everyone uses vegetables grown by the government for the festival. And these radishes are big: Some grow 1.5 feet long and can weigh almost seven pounds.

The festival starts in the morning, when everyone can see the artists working on their sculptures, but wait until night if you want to see the finished masterpieces. The festival also features concerts around the city, fireworks, and light shows.

SPAIN - “FELIZ NAVIDAD”
The Spanish celebrate with a number of traditional events such nativity scenes (they like large ones), midnight mass, dinners and special deserts, the Three Kings, but there are a few somewhat irreverent traditions also.

● Caga Tió or Tió de Nadal (The Pooping Log)
A Catalan tradition is the Pooping Log. The word Tió means log. Children decorate a small log by adding legs, a face, and a red Catalan hat ('barretina') and sometimes a red cloth or blanket. They are for sale everywhere around Christmas time.

From the 8th of December until Christmas the children feed the log small pieces of bread or fruit, take care of it and keep it warm. As Christmas approaches, the parents often replace the first log with a bigger one. The children believe if they take good care of the log, it will grow bigger and they will get bigger presents.

On Christmas Eve or Christmas day the children sing a special song to make the log “poop”, then they beat him with a stick.

After giving the log a good beating and still singing, they leave the room, giving parents the opportunity to put candy and presents in the hallow log or under the blanket. Traditionally, when the log has nothing left to poop, it finishes the deed with a salt herring, a head of garlic, an onion, or it 'urinates' by leaving a bowl of water. These days the presents pooped out by the log are candy, sweets and turrón nougat, and maybe one gift, since the big day for gift giving in most of Europe is January 6, the day of the Epiphany.

●El Caganer (The Defecator)
All Spaniards seem to like nativity scenes, big and small. You find them everywhere. Some families buy a nativity scene rather than a Christmas Tree. A second Catalan tradition I’d never heard of is the Caganer. It’s a small figurine of a man wearing a red Barretina squatting with his pants around his ankles, defecating.
Photos: 2012 Article by Barbara Weibel
holeinthe donut.com/2012/caganers

That’s strange enough, but the kicker is that in every crèche there is a hidden Caganer.

The Caganers are for sale everywhere at Christmas time, and have become so popular you can find a caganer figurine with the face of every celebrity in the world.

In a 2012 article, Barbara Weibel writes, “No one knows for sure how the Caganer originally came into being and even today, opinions are divided on what it symbolizes. Some insist that excrement is symbolic of fertilizing the earth.”

According to the ethnographer, Joan Amades, it was a “customary figure in pessebres in the 19th century, because people believed that this deposit fertilized the ground of the pessebre (a manger, crib, nativity scene)…placing this figurine in the pessebre brought good luck and joy and not doing so brought adversity.”

Others believe the act of defecation is symbolic of the equality of all people, regardless of status, race, or gender (i.e. everyone does it). The explanation Barbara Weibel says she likes best is the reference to an old Spanish proverb which translates as “Dung is no saint, but where it falls it, it works miracles.”

THE PHILIPPINES – “MALIGAYANG PASKO”
Tagalog, 1 of 8 Philippino languages Photo source: www.cnn.com/san-fernando-philippines-christmas

“MALIPAYON NGA PASCUA” in Ilonggo;
“MAAYONG PASKO” in Sugbuhanon or Cebuano;
“MAUGMANG PASKO” in Bicolano;
“MAUPAY NGA PASKO” in Warey arey
“MAABIG YA PASKO” in Pangalatok;
“MAGAYAGAN INKIANAC” Pangasinense

Christmas is a major holiday in the Philippines because over eighty percent of the population is Roman Catholic, and you can say “Merry Christmas” in eight Philippino languages. The people make the season last as long as possible, and some of the shopping and caroling begins in September.

Many of the Christmas traditions came from Europe with the missionaries in the 1500’s but there are some traditions unique to the Philippines.
The parol, the most popular Christmas decoration, is a bamboo pole with a lighted star lanterns on it. Made from bamboo strips and colored paper or cellophane, it represents the star of Bethlehem which guided the Wise Men. Originally these lanterns were simple, and only about eighteen inches in diameter.

The Lantern Festival (Ligligan Parul Samper-nandu) is held each year on the Saturday before Christmas Eve in the city of San Fernando – known as the “Christmas Capital of the Philippines.”

The festival attracts spectators from all over the country and across the globe. Eleven villages take part and compete for the most elaborate lantern. Today these lanterns are about 6 meters in diameter lighted from within by electric bulbs that sparkle in patterns.

2018 Sources
http://www.christmasinthephilippines.com/christmas-decor/parol/
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/san-fernando-philippines-christmas/index.html
https://www.momondo.com/discover/article/christmas-traditions-around-the-world
https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/philippines.shtml
http://www.mjenemark.com/blog/2014/01/the-unfortunate-fates-of-the-gavle-goat-a-timeline
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2012/12/gavle-goat-sweden-burn-interview-eje-berglund.html?gtm=top&gtm=top
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A4vle_goat
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2015/12/giant-goat-sweden-people-try-burn-every-year/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/night-of-the-radishes-carving-festival
https:/twitter.com/Gavlebocken
http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/3955-radiant-radishes-la-noche-de-rabanos-in-oaxaca
https://gastropod.com/night-living-radishes/
http://agringoinmexico.com/2013/12/25/night-of-the-radishes-the-roots-of-oaxacas-oldest-festival/
https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/christmas-traditions-around-the-world-ga9.htm
https://www.smartfundiy.com/21-mexican-christmas-traditions/
https://www.uvolunteer.net/blog/how-to-celebrate-christmas-in-costa-rica/
https://www.godutchrealty.com/costa-rica-real-estate-blog/how-to-prevent-culture-shock/christmas-traditions-in-costa-rica/
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/8-spanish-christmas-traditions-you-need-to-know/
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/catalonia-tio-de-nadal-christmas-log-tradition-presents-what-is-it-a8091921.html
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/12/22/572569325/caga-ti-a-catalan-log-that-poops-nougats-at-christmas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ti%C3%B3_de_Nadal
https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/12/feeding-the-poop-log-a-catalan-christmas-tradition.html
https://www.barcelonayellow.com/barcelona-christmas-articles/625-caga-tio-christmas-log-tradition-and-song
https://scarylittlechristmas.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/kallikantzari/

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THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

12/14/2018

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS…”
So begins one of the best known and favorite Christmas carols. The origin of this delightful song is believed to be French, a children’s forfeit game with ever more elaborate gifts added to the collection, verse by verse, as a test of memory.

The song was first published in English in 1780. The twelve day of Christmas are those between Christmas and the Epiphany on January 6, which marks the end of the Christmas season on the religious calendar.

Whatever its origins, the carol grew in popularity throughout Europe during the 19th century. Numerous versions and variations of its lyrics and tune emerged during this time, primarily because the music and words were passed down from performer to performer and from location to location in verbal form, not written. Some places substituted the words in their own language or dialect.

Some of the 1780 lyrics remain intact in the version we sing today, which is derived from a 1909 arrangement of traditional folk melody by English composer Frederic Austin, who added the five golden rings to the original.

EVOLUTION
Scottish poet and artist William Scott Bell recorded an early version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" in 1892. The words are substantially the same as today but in his version each verse concludes not with “a partridge in a pear tree,” but with a more ostentatious “very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.”

In the original 1780 version with additions by Frederic Austin, the “four calling birds” are “four colly birds.” Colly – literally “coaly” – is the old English word meaning “soot-black.” By the mid-19th century, however, the word colly had largely fallen out of use, leaving several Victorian editions of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" to come up with their own replacements. “Colour’d birds” and even “curley birds” were used in some editions, while an exotic “four canary birds” were added to the lyrics of one version. The now-standard “four calling birds” first appeared in the early 1900s.

In 1869, an article appeared in The English magazine The Cliftonian which described a traditional Christmas in rural Gloucestershire, southwest England. The author of the article wrote he had heard some local carolers singing a curious Christmas song, which he noted for the “peculiarity and the utter absurdity of the words.” He goes on to explain that the carol “proceeds in this ascending manner until on the twelfth day of Christmas the young lady receives … [an] astounding tribute of true love”—among which are “eight hares a-running” and “eleven badgers baiting.”

If you want to get into all the variations, Wikipedia lists twenty different variations dating from 1780 to 1966. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song)

There is an amazing collection of critters and people, along with bell’s a-ringing and sprigs of juniper, participating in this multitude of verses.

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves,
And a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Three fat hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Four soot-black birds,
Three fat hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Five golden rings,
Four soot-black birds,
Three fat hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Six Geese a Laying,
Five golden rings,
Four soot-black birds,
Three fat hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Seven squabs a-swimming,
Six Geese a Laying,
Five golden rings,
   Four soot-black birds,
   Three fat hens,
   Two turtle doves,
   And a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Eight hares a-running,
Seven squabs a-swimming,
Six Geese a Laying,
Five golden rings,
Four soot-black birds,
Three fat hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Nine bulls a-roaring,
Eight hares a-running,
Seven squabs a-swimming,
Six Geese a Laying,
Five golden rings,
Four soot-black birds,
Three fat hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Ten asses racing,
Nine bulls a-roaring,
Eight hares a-running,
Seven squabs a-swimming,
Six Geese a Laying,
Five golden rings,
Four soot-black birds,
Three fat hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Eleven badgers badging,
Ten asses racing,
Nine bulls a-roaring,
Eight hares a-running,
Seven squabs a-swimming,
Six Geese a Laying,
Five golden rings,
Four soot-black birds,
Three fat hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Twelve dancers dancing,
Eleven badgers badging,
Ten asses racing,
   Nine bulls a-roaring,
   Eight hares a-running,
   Seven squabs a-swimming,
   Six Geese a Laying,
   Five golden rings,
   Four soot-black birds,
   Three fat hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.

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THE AFRICAN BIG FIVE: Poaching ... And I Don't Mean Eggs!

12/7/2018

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The question most asked of authors is where they get their ideas. The answer: Everywhere. Just look, listen, and ask "What if...?"

I plotted the last of my five-book romantic suspense series [Tour Director Extraordinaire] while I was traveling in Africa. It's finally been released as ALL FOR A BLAST OF HOT AIR. The African Big Five - Photo source:
http://pradeepamohan.net/blog/2012/07/13/south-africas-big-five/

I use world travel as an inspiration for writing novels. On nearly every trip I've taken, annoying, funny, or scary incidents occurred. There is always one person in the group who is an interesting, annoying, quirky, or otherwise notable character. And, of course, most world travelers are exposed to new sights, sounds, smells, and customs.

The important thing is to pay attention. I have to keep a notebook where I jot things down. Some people write a daily journal. Not everything ends up in a book. In fact, most of it doesn't, although knowledge garnered adds significantly to the author's "command" of the setting.

THINK AFRICA, THINK THE BIG FIVE
When most of us think about Africa, we immediately envision wild animals and, in particular, "the big five." This term applies those African animals most difficult and dangerous to hunt on foot, not the size of the animal. These are lions, African elephants, Cape buffalo, leopards, and rhinoceros. But there are plenty of other interesting animals such as zebra and giraffes, and observing them in their wild habitat is a one-of-a-kind experience.

My trip to southern Africa in 2008 (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia) was one of the most interesting and exciting adventures I've had. Seeing the animals in the wild was awesome, even in a safari vehicle filled with tourists.

Here's my point. I knew there were, and still are, significant efforts to protect the African wildlife habitat and the animals, but I had no idea how endangered the animals are. And, of course, the primary source of threat comes from humans.

AFRICAN LIONS
Everyone, regardless of location or point in time, recognizes the lion (Panthera leo). Depictions of lions date back 17,000 years, at minimum, to the carvings and paintings from the Lascaux and Chauvet caves in France. Lions are the second largest living cat species after the tiger.

African lions live in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, the Central African Republic, South Sudan and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa. They wander a territory of 100 square miles, according to National Geographic. This territory consists of scrub, grasslands or open woodlands; they are not found in forests.

First two photos from Wikipedia My night shot of a lioness Me and Alex [6 months]
Kreuger National Park,So.Africa Ethosia National Park, Namibia

Males are more robust than females and have broader heads and a prominent mane which covers most of the head, neck, and shoulders. The tails of both male and female end in a dark, hairy tufts. Typical weight range for male is 330 to 550 pounds and for females, 265 to 400 pound.

A hundred years ago, the estimated number of lions in Africa was 200,000. Today, experts say the lion population is between 20,000 and 30,000. They were not identified as “endangered” until 2015, and the news keeps getting worse. Recent studies show the populations have declined by fifty percent over the past twenty years and are expected to decline as rapidly in the next twenty.

According to Luke Hunter, president of the wild-cat conservation organization (Panthera) one of the greatest threats to the existence of lions “is that the bushmeat trade has left the Africa Savannah devoid of the animals that lions traditionally prey upon. It’s a commercial endeavor, not just a subsistence one.” Thus lions turn to livestock, which subjects them to local farmers killing the lions. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/african-lions-protection/

AFRICAN ELEPHANTS
The African elephant is the largest animal walking the earth. Their herds wander through thirty-seven countries in Africa, much of that area in wildlife preservation areas. They use their trunks for communication and handling objects. Large ears allow them to radiate excess heat. Upper incisor teeth develop into tusks in African elephants and grow throughout their lifetime.

● Savannah Elephants
Savannah elephants live in the East and South of Africa in Savannah and grassy plains: Botswana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa and Mozambique. This type of elephant is the largest animal on Earth. You can recognize them by their large ears (larger than other elephants) and the fact that their front legs are longer than back legs. Both male and female have tusks. ▼

Savannah elephant and baby Baby Savannah elephant Forest Elephant
Photos: R. Ann Siracusa, Zimbabwe www.aboutanimals.com
● Forest Elephants
Forest elephants live in the forest of the Congo basin in Africa. This species has a narrow, small mandible, smaller round-shaped ears, and stronger tusks which are straighter and point downward. Since it is in a forest it is known to use the tusk to remove branches and trees on the ground. There are also differences in the size and shape of the skull and skeleton between the two subspecies.

AFRICAN RHINOCEROS
The rhinoceros gets its name from the Greek rhinoceros, rhinos meaning nose and kerato meaning horn. Even with a herbivorous diet, they can reach two tons in weight, and have a 1.5 to 5 cm protective skin formed from layers of collagen.

There are depictions of these giant animals on the walls of the Chauvet Cave in France, 10,000 to 30,000 years ago, so they've been around for a long time. There are two species of rhinoceros in Africa, Black and White, although in color they are similar and both are varying shades of gray. They are near-sighted and can be easily startled.

●White Rhinoceros
The largest rhinoceros species (Ceratotherium simum) consists of two subspecies—the southern white rhinoceros, which lives in the southernmost regions of Africa, and the northern white rhinoceros of central Africa.

White rhinos have broad flat mouth and the natural head posture faces down, features aiding eating grass. The Dutch name is wijd or weid mond rhino which means wide mouth. That ultimately morphed into the name white rather than wide. The males can reach over two tons in weight, but they are very social animals and often can been seen in groups. They are also less aggressive than black rhinos but, nonetheless, you don’t want to mess around with one.

While survey numbers vary, there are about 20,000 southern white rhinoceroses in the wild, but the northern white rhinoceros is on the brink of extinction, a mere handful of individuals surviving in zoos and nature reserves. The conservation efforts to save the southern white rhino is a success story and that population is estimated in recent years as about 21,000.

Photo: Wikipedia, White Rhino – Waterberg-Nash    Photo: Wikipedia - Black Rhino at St. Louis zoo

● Black Rhinoceros
These are smaller than whites and have small hook- or beak-shaped mouths for feeding on trees and shrubs. Large males weigh up to about one ton. They prefer thick vegetation, and are short tempered and aggressive when compared to the white rhino. They also prefer solitude and do not remain in groups.

Protection efforts have been in existence for nearly 100 years, yet in the 1970's, there were about 70,000 black rhinos on the continent of Africa. In the 1980's, this population had been reduced to 15,000, and the species has all but disappeared in at least ten African countries. In the 1990's, there were 2,475. Since then, through conservation efforts, the population has increased to 5,458 in 2015. While progress has been made, these statistics are pretty pathetic for an animal whose evolutionary history can be traced back fifty million years.

AFRICAN CAPE BUFFALO
Yay! The African Cape Buffalo is alive and well, and not endangered. Nine hundred thousand of them live in the wild.

This is Africa’s only wild Bovine species and is one of the ‘Big Five’ mammals that were once popular with trophy hunters. The animal has a bulky build, thick horns, and a sparse covering of hair over the body typically ranges from brownish to black in color. The imposing horns spread outward and downward from the head, and in some males the horns are joined by a large shield covering the head, known as a ‘boss’ro. The males tend to be larger than the females, with longer, thicker horns.

They are vegetarian and travel in herds, being very social animals. They are also unpredictable and considered very dangerous to humans. They will continue to charge even after being shot. There are four subspecies, three Savannah and one forest.

● Forest Cape Buffalo
These are the smallest of the subspecies, about half the size of the Savannah species, and males weight from 600 to 1,000 pounds. They are a reddish brown. Their heads are lower than the top of the backline, and the horns are smaller and swept back. Their front hooves are wider than those in the rear. Distinctive tassels hang from the tips of the forest buffalo’s ears.

Forest Cape Buffalo at the African    Savannah Cape Buffalo Photo: Doug Lee:
Reserve of Sigean, France-Photo: Wikipedia    Photo: R.A.Siracusa    www.wildliferanching.com/

● Savannah Cape Buffalo ▲
The Savannah types are larger, from 1,100 to 2,200 pounds. They have black or dark brown coats. Old bulls have whitish circles around their eyes. Below a comparison of the Cape Buffalo to an elephant and a lion.

AFRICAN LEOPARDS
The African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) is a leopard subspecies native to many, widely separated locations in Africa.

They sport a large variety of coat colors and pattern, depending on location and habitat. It varies from pale yellow to deep tawny and sometimes black rosettes or black. Males weight from 130 to 200 pounds. Females average from 77 to 88 pounds.

Mountain leopards from the Cape Provinces had different physical characteristics form leopards in the northern provinces of Africa. Rain forest leopards have a darker golden coat while east African leopards display a more circular pattern of spots. Southern leopards tend to be lighter in color and have squarish spots.

According to DiscountAfricanHunts.com, “An adult male can eat up to 20 percent of its body weight at one feeding. A leopard will eat any and all types of meat from impala to carrion."

African leopards favor a diet of animals like baboons, pigs, warthogs, monkeys, domestic stock and small antelope, and can carry a complete carcass equal to their weight up into a tree with ease. This is due to the leopard’s massive skull and strong jaw muscles.

Its success in stalking and hunting can be credited to its opportunistic behavior and impressive speed. A healthy male leopard can run at speeds approaching 35 miles per hour. The African leopard is the smallest animal that consistently kills and eats man - he’s the ultimate evolution of a carnivore.”

WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE?
At one time not so long ago, the Big Five of Africa were akin to natural wonders of the world. Wild and mysterious. Today some of them are fast disappearing off the face of the earth, except in zoos and facilities for preservation.

The reasons for this include the loss of habitat due, in part, to population growth and human encroachment. Big game hunting also adds to the problem, but the big ticket item is illegal poaching. Not only Africa, but the rest of the world is facing an alarming increase in illegal poaching, working against decade of preservation efforts. But it is big business, and money rules. The trade runs in the hundreds of millions of dollars per year, and at least some of it goes to support world terrorism.

Elephants tusks have long been sought for the ivory, but now poaching for Rhino horns is the biggest problem. Treehugger.com stated in 2009 that "Rhino horn is now worth more than gold: A kilo of rhino horn now goes for $60,000 on the black market, where-as that much gold is currently a bit over $40,600. That's $1610 an ounce for the rhino horn." The major use of rhino horn is in traditional Asian medicines. Yowza!

Photo Source: PhotoSource: Photo source: Photo source:
www.wildlife-pictures-online.com/ www.wildlife-pictures-online.com/ https://www.jamiiforums.com/ https://www.change.org/p/rhinoceros

Photo source: http://www.engelbrechtsafaris.com/plainsgame.html

It is possible in the not-too-so-distant future, the only place where some of the big five and other animals survive will be in zoos.

STORY IDEAS
This blog isn't all about wildlife conservation, but how real life and traveling translate into novels. Knowing the situation in Africa, how could an author use it in a novel? A heroine who is fighting poachers to save elephants or rhinos confronts the big game hunter, or poacher or perhaps works with a park ranger. The situation would provide for plenty of action and, perhaps, enlighten readers at the same time. If you want to stick to US settings, here’s a news headline from the November 13, 2013 Denver post which might give you an idea.

   "U.S. authorities on Thursday crushed 6 tons of seized ivory, each piece cut from
   dead elephants, signaling a resolve to kill a $10 billion illicit trade linked to
   international crime and terrorism."

I knew, when I went to Africa, that I wanted to use that setting for a novel in my romantic suspense series Tour Director Extraordinaire. I had a paragraph length concept, but nothing else. If you read my latest release All For A Blast of Hot Air (which has nothing to do with poaching), you'll see how I used the setting.

ALL FOR A BLAST OF HOT AIR
BOOK 5 - TOUR DIRECTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE SERIES
By R. Ann Siracusa

A secret prenuptial honeymoon, a hot air balloon safari, and a plot to kill the US president all come together at a Vatican wedding.

BLURB
I'm Harriet Ruby, tour director extraordinaire. Finally, I'm tying the knot with Will Talbot, my favorite spy and the love of my life, despite my nagging concerns about his dangerous profession.

He could get killed!

I don't want my children to grow up with an absentee father...or a dead one, but Will's work is his calling. I can't ask him to give it up. When he holds me in his arms, I have no doubt he'll find a way to make everything right.

To avoid the huge Italian wedding my mother is planning in California, I jump at an offer to get married in the Vatican, only to learn my whole tribe is making the trip to Rome for the ceremony. Darn. Now, I'm stuck planning a big wedding in two months without help. I freak out totally when my boss cancels my vacation time scheduled for the honeymoon.

At Will's suggestion, we get married at city hall, hire a wedding planner, and then take off on our honeymoon before the church ceremony. The first leg of our trip is a hot air balloon safari in Africa—well, it sounded like fun at the time—but afterward, we'll have two quiet, relaxing weeks totally alone.

When a member of our tour is kidnapped, I learn Will accepted an assignment from the US government to keep the kidnap victim under surveillance—after he'd promised me his full attention. All my doubts about the marriage raise their ugly heads.

Have I jumped the gun? Sure, we love each other, but is that enough to make this marriage work?

It won't matter if we don't get out alive.

Sources for Blog
https://www.thoughtco.com/10-facts-about-rhinoceroses-4134431
https://www.change.org/p/rhinoceros-in-south-africa-need-your-help-before-their-extinction
https://www.theonion.com/michelle-obama-seen-outside-walking-family-rhinoceros-1819575131
http://www.animalfactguide.com/tag/rhinoceros/
https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-rare-is-the-rhino
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/african-elephant
http://www.typesofelephants.com/
https://animalsadda.com/african-forest-elephant/
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/teacher_resources/best_place_species/back_from_the_brink/african_savanna_lephant.cfm
http://www.wildlife-pictures-online.com/elephant-poaching-aftermath.html
http://www.answers.com/Q/Why_are_African_lions_endangered?#slide=2
https://faunalytics.org/endangered/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9KnH_KXB2QIVUZ7ACh2KaQAFEAAYBCAAEgIB1fD_BwE
https://biglife.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9KnH_KXB2QIVUZ7ACh2KaQAFEAAYAyAAEgJcP_D_BwE
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/african-lions-protection/
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/lions-peril/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion
https://www.livescience.com/27409-buffalo.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG5usL03g8g
http://www.wildliferanching.com/content/cape-buffalo-syncerus-caffer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_buffalo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_leopard
http://www.africa-animals.com/big_five_animals.html
http://pradeepamohan.net/blog/2012/07/13/south-africas-big-five/
http://wildlifevagabond.com/africa/mammals/herbivores/african-elephant/
https://www.aboutanimals.com/mammal/african-forest-elephant/
http://www.typesofelephants.com/
http://www.namibiahuntingoutfitters.com/dangerous-game-hunting-packages-namibia-africa
http://www.nikondigital.org/dps/dps-v-4-01.htm
https://animalpetitions.org/164936/save-southern-african-leopards-from-extinction/
http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2007/10/traditional-chinese-medicine-and-endangered-animals/

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