New Year Tradition from the World

The new year has arrived! Do you have a family ritual or traditional way to celebrate the new year’s day? Here are some fun facts about new year traditions of many different countries.

 

    1.   In the early American colonies, the sounds of ___________ shots rang through the air, and black-eyed ______________ and pork foretell good fortune in southern United States.

 

    2.   The Irish enjoy pastries called _______________.

 

    3.   In India and Pakistan, rice promises _________________.

 

    4.   _____________ dipped in honey are a Rosh Hashanah tradition.

 

    5.   In Swiss homes, dollops of __________________ cream, symbolizing the richness of the year to come, are dropped on the floors and allowed to remain there.

 

    6.   “Wassail”, the Gaelic term for “good ______________”, is served in some parts of England. Spiced “hot pint” is the Scottish version of wassail. Traditionally, the Scots drank to each other’s prosperity and also offered this warm drink to neighbors along with a small gift.

 

    7.   In Rome, gifts of gilded nuts or ______________  marked the start of the new year.

 

    8.   ___________, the symbol of fertility, were exchanged by the Persians.

 

    9.   Early ___________________ traded earthenware flasks.

 

    10. In Scotland, coal, shortbread and silverware were traditionally exchanged for ____________________________.

 

 

*Source from The Old Farmer’s Almanac

 

 

Answer Keys

1.  gun/ pistol, peas

2.  bannocks

3.  prosperity

4.  apples

5.  whipped

6.  health

7.  coins

8.  Eggs

9.  Egyptians

10.              Good luck

A Piece of Poem dedicated to All the Cooks at Home in the Quarantined Year of 2020 by Jean Lee

 The 12 Days of Christmas Ode to All the Cooks at Home in 2020

by Jean Lee

 

On the 1^st day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

A spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 2^nd day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 3^rd day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 4^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 5^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 6^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree.

On the 7^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Seven naans a burning, six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 8^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Eight drinks for sipping, seven naans a burning, six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 9^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Nine licorice for licking, eight drinks for sipping, seven naans a burning, six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 10^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Ten gourds of pumpkins, nine licorice for licking, eight drinks for sipping, seven naans a burning, six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 11^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Eleven griddles for frying, ten gourds of pumpkins, nine licorice for licking, eight drinks for sipping, seven naans a burning, six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

 

On the 12^th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Twelve cutters for cookies, eleven griddles for frying, ten gourds of pumpkins, nine licorice for licking, eight drinks for sipping, seven naans a burning, six cheese I’m saving, five muffin rings, four tubs of curds, three dozen eggs, two tons of flour, and a spare fridge instead of a tree

Time to Play the Puzzle with Christmas related sentences!

This is the latest Sunday Word Puzzle from NPR! Here are some sentences about Christmas. For each one, change one letter in one of the words to reveal a state capital.

Example: I'm a lover of the whole Christmas season. --> DOVER (Delaware)

 

1. The kids made a lot of noise unwrapping their presents.

 

2. Did you hear Santa Claus landing on the roof?

 

3. Christmas is a season of traditional sacraments.

 

4. The little sock hanging by the fireplace is my baby brother's.

 

5. You'll have to pierce the packaging to get out the Christmas ornament.

 

6. Julys and Augusts are when stores place their Christmas orders.

 

7. Is this the same Santa we ran into at the other mall?

 

8. I can't wait for the after-Christmas sales.

 

Answer Keys

    1.  Boise (Idaho)

    2.  Lansing (Michigan)

    3.  Sacramento (California)

    4.  Little Rock (Arkansas)

    5.  Pierre (South Dakota)

    6.  Augusta (Maine)

    7.  Santa Fe (New Mexico)

    8.  Salem (Oregon)

Finding Phrases with First 2 Letters of Each Given Word (from NPR Sunday Puzzle)

Time to play the puzzle! This is the latest NPR Sunday Puzzle (created by Will Shortz) aired on December 13^th, 2020.

Every answer today is a familiar phrase in the form "___ & ___," in which the first two letters of the first word plus the first two letters of the last word themselves spell a word. I'll give you that word as well as a definition of the phrase. You tell me the phrase.

 

Example: SODA — combination performance --> Song & dance

 

1. BOAR — Native American weapon

 

2. CAMO — cunning game that a feline and rodent might play

 

3. EVAN — old-fashioned phrase meaning "occasionally"

 

4. ABBE — more than could possibly be expected

 

5. LASE — amphibious

 

6. SHAW — overwhelm through a show of force

 

7. BACH — heavy restraint to keep a prisoner from escaping

 

8. HOVE — like the positions of the x and y axes on a graph

 

 

 

 

Answer Keys

    1.  Bow and Arrow

    2.  Cat and Mouse

    3.  Ever and Anon

    4.  Above Beyond

    5.  Land and Sea

    6.  Shock and Awe

    7.  Ball and Chain

    8.  Horizontal and Vertical

Finding Proverbs

 It’s time for this last Sunday’s (December 6^th, 2020) ‘on-air challenge of Word Puzzle by Will Shortz’ on NPR!!

Three consecutive words somewhere in each sentence to be read are the first three words of a familiar proverb or saying. Tell me what it is.

 

Example: Put out a saucer of milk when the cat's hungry. --> When the cat's away the mice will play.

 

    1.   As meteorologists know, every cloud has water droplets.

 

    2.   Variety is the daily publication of show business.

 

    3.   The surgeon put a stitch in the gaping wound.

  

    4.   Through the mountains the road to the next town is very twisty.

 

    5.   On average the proof of most whiskey is 80.

 

    6.   In this motel a picture is hanging over every bed.

 

    7.   The joke starts: a priest, a fool, and a lawyer walk into a bar.

 

Answer Keys

   1.  Every cloud has a silver lining.  

   2.  Variety is the spice of life.   

   3.  A stitch in time saves nine.

   4.  The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

   5.  The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

   6.  A picture is worth a thousand word.

   7.  A fool and his money are easily parted.