#yalda theme

[appleimps]

Wait. Fuck. Nevermind. Now my brain is swirling with ideas on how to oc-ify Yalda and Ganon as some backstory/connections to Isaiah and his journey oooough.....

[pure-ablution]

Tell us all about Zoya’s wedding!!!!!!!!

It’s been a gorgeous, gorgeous weekend!

Friday’s dinner fell on Yalda Night, which is an ancient Zoroastrian celebration of the Winter Solstice and popular all over Iran. Zoya and her husband-to-be had a Yalda-themed celebration, which was so lovely and intimate—not at all what I was expecting from them. They’d somehow got hold of the most delicious fruit I’ve ever tasted—pomegranates that looked (and tasted) like sparkling rubies, watermelon even in December, and the piles upon piles of sticky dried fruit—and made for such a gorgeous, cosy atmosphere even at a black tie reception. We had trilingual readings of traditional poetry, lots of music and dancing, and it was just such a lovely way to get to know the groom’s family and all the other guests without any sort of pressure that usually comes in that sort of formal environment. Yalda Night is traditionally associated with marriage and young couples, so it was just perfect timing for the chance to celebrate right before the happy couple got married. In several parts of Iran, there’s a custom of young brides giving gifts to brides-to-be, so I ended up with an awful lot of gifts, too. Yalda Night is supposed to go on into the small hours, but around midnight, Alajos and I were put on babysitting duty, which was so sweet in itself (my littlest sister looked adorable in her smocked pomegranate dress!!!) and it meant that everyone else could carry on with the celebrations, Alajos (who cannot stay up late for the life of him) could catch forty winks, and I had a little time to catch up with myself after a long, long day and not much sleep the night before. All in all: amazing food, lovely guests, stunning timing, and an all-around perfect night.

Saturday was the biggest day and the one on which the main ceremony took place. Zoya had taken into account that everyone had stayed up until almost dawn the night before, so most of the celebrations took place before sundown, and ended with a quieter dinner. I had to get up super, super early to go to church with her before anyone else woke up, and then we had a few hours to get through hair, makeup, and dressing for the day. Zoya looked so, so beautiful in her dress, like a princess from a storybook, and although she’d caught a bit of controversy for sticking with her own local and ethnic traditions instead of the more generalised ‘Persian’ wedding look, I think it was absolutely the right choice. The wedding itself was still very Persian and elaborate, with a beautiful traditional wedding table and everything, but it was also quite Westernised in some ways, too—those who weren’t wearing more traditional clothing (i.e. everyone who wasn’t part of the bride’s family) were just in Western morning dress. It was a very glamorous and very French occasion in this way, I think, and the pictures are going to turn out stunning, exactly the sort of thing you’d put on a Pinterest board, and exactly the sort of thing my sister wanted for herself. There was, of course, more dancing, and Alajos absolutely delighted all of my side of the family with his knowledge of Caucasian dances, but everything wound down very early by Iranian standards—I was back in my room by 11pm, which is almost unheard of, but very much appreciated.

Sunday was a sweet, sweet day and it made me so happy to see my sister glowing. Her husband came to visit our mother, as is tradition, in the morning after she came back from church, and brought her some of the loveliest gifts, and our grandmothers, too. We spent a great portion of the day helping Zoya to sort out her new gifts and to pack for her honeymoon—they’re going to spend an entire month in the Seychelles, and her husband has privately booked a whole island for just the two of them (I’m so jealous). It was a much calmer day, and I just enjoyed watching my sister truly happy; she was nervous before the wedding, I know, and she’s as sentimental as I am and hated the idea of properly losing her girlhood and family in this way, and becoming a Madame and not a Mademoiselle anymore, but it was what she ultimately so, so wanted, and I think the time was just right for her. I was also able to spend time with the rest of my family, whom I haven’t seen in over a year, and it made me so glad to play with my little sister, and it made me glad to meet Zoya’s new nieces and nephews, too, and to see all the children play together as a newly united little family, and to see Alajos playing with them, too—my Dasha adores him, and I think he’s going to be such a wonderful uncle and big brother-in-law, and eventually a father himself. We started packing everything up ourselves once Zoya and her husband left; I wish we could stay longer, and spend more time with everyone here, but we have to move on again, and I think that’s the hardest part about having such a globally-widespread family and life.

And so now it’s Monday, and we’ve said goodbye to everyone, and have just arrived in Vienna. I thought that we’d drive straight on down to Alajos’s family in Hungary, but apparently he has a surprise for me here, so we’re staying overnight and driving down in the morning. It’s bittersweet how hard it was to say goodbye to everyone, and yet, at the same time, I’m glad to be away from the buzz of everything and be in Austria again after only a couple of months away. With Zoya happily married and sunning herself in the Seychelles, I feel as though I can finally start embracing the Christmas spirit and feeling as excited as a little child for all the celebrations that are to come in the next few days. It’s my turn to be nervous, since I’ve never spent Christmas in Hungary before (and I’ve never celebrated Christmas in December before!), but it’s so exciting that I don’t really notice the nerves all that much. Of course, it’s not half as big a deal as getting married or anything like that, but in the same way as Zoya’s wedding was just at the right time, I feel as though this is just at the right time, too. I’m so happy—I feel so lucky to be in such a beautiful city, even for just a day, with pretty markets and church services and joyful children and just so much love.

[rh35211]

A Persian festival, Yalda, celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, with pomegranates, poetry and sacred rituals

As the light spilled through the sky in the moment of dawn, Persians celebrated its appearance with drumming and dancing. It was thought that the day after the longest night belonged to Ahura Mazda, the Zoroastrian lord of wisdom.

Religious studies scholar Joel Wilbush argues that the early Christians loved this ancient Persian celebration. They saw the themes of light, sun and birth as interconnected with the birth of Jesus.

[commersons-fucking-dolphin]

painted my nails for the first time in a long time and i feel so pretty. made them subtly Christmas and Yalda Night themed !! wont post pics bc i hate posting pics of any kind of myself here (i exist here as an amorphous entity lol) so i'll describe my nail polish design. very simple! all fingers and toes black except for the fourth/ring finger. that one is painted a dark red with gold chunky sparkles on it. obvs top coat on everything. i love love loveeee them aaa!!!!!! been a while since I've done any colour on my nails, let alone any colour besides black.

[thehorrortree]

Deadline: October 16th, 2023 Payment: $10 and a contributor's Copy if in the US Theme: A collection of Pagan Yule Time Tales in any genre OPEN NOW - YULE - a collection of Yule Time Tales Submissions Open September 11 Close October 16 Word count 2,500 to 8,000 Pay: $10 payment and a contributors copy Paperback for US residence Ebook for Non-US residence Please read and Follow All Guidelines Carefully or your story may be discarded without being read. Story should be sent as a separate .doc or .docx attachment, Formatted in Shunn format style Cover letter and bio should be in the body of the email. Title your file and subject YULE-Authorname-title Email your submission to editors@speculationpub.com "In winter everything lies dormant in the silent earth, it is a sacred time of rest and reflection before the awakening, and the slow build toward brighter days." We are looking for submissions of Pagan Yule stories, not Christmas stories. All genres are welcome, as long as it is Yule and Solstice centered. The winter solstice is the longest night of the year, but the light will return by degrees after that December night. We want stories about what happens in those dark and still winter months. Stories of transformation and growth. Stories of the winter witch, cold forests, elves and magical places. Old ghost stories. Some specifics we are looking for include: Creative nonfiction (aka narrative nonfiction or literary nonfiction) will also be accepted. Including stories of sympathetic or contagious magik to lure back the sun. Modern tellings of the fight between the Oak and Holly Kings. The Roman celebration of Saturnalia for the god Saturn and the Iranian celebration of Shab-e Yalda for Mithras Krampus stories but no graphic abuse toward children No stories of appropriation or using a specific culture’s god as the “bad guy” in an otherwise western story setting. No stories of graphic sacrifice, especially animals, children and women. We do not want gratuitous or sexual violence particularly toward children or animals, nor are we interested in being a platform for bigotry. There is a clear line here and if you don’t know where it is, we suggest you figure it out before submitting. We reply to all submissions that do not insult us. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know if your work has been accepted elsewhere. Via: Speculation Publication.

[innocentsystems]

hiii I updated yalda's profile with some 💫themes💫

[greatwyrmgold]

I've been thinking for a while about how compatible Miss's goals and Johannes's demense could be. Miss made Kennet a sanctuary for Others fleeing persecution by Practitioners, while Johannes turned his demense into a sort of playground for violent Others. These two goals, while different in many ways, seem compatible...especially since, as I recall, Others in Pact were portrayed as less human than they are in Pale. (I've been meaning to reread Pact to contrast how it and Pale treat Others.)

Now, there are logistical problems with this thought exercise, not the least of which is how Jacob's Bell becomes the site of a Wildbow climax by the end of Pact. But let's ignore that for a moment.

Question 1 is how Miss and Johannes could start working together. Miss would obviously get a powerful human ally and a well-defended home, at the expense of needing to answer to a Practitioner; there are definitely scenarios you could invent where Miss would be willing to make that sacrifice.

Johannes, though? What could Miss offer him that would justify helping out? I vaguely recall, and the wiki asserts, that Johannes has some beliefs in line with Miss's; however, the wiki has literally zero citations on Johannes's page, and my searches on the website didn't turn up anything relevant except the fake pizza man saying that "Johannes wants a new world, where Others exist in ghettos, eating phantom sustenance." Which doesn't really sound like an ally. (If anyone has a citation on hand, let me know...and also add it to the wiki.)

Anyways, the conclusion I'm coming to from my limited available citations is that this would probably only happen if Miss agreed to do plenty of services for Johannes. They would probably avoid a formal master/bound-Other relationship, but she wouldn't have that much freedom. So you'd need to invent a pretty severe scenario.

...

Moving on to something more optimistic: What Kennet others could we expect to join Miss?

Toadswallow and the goblins would still need to worry about Gerhild, so they'd probably be willing to take refuge wherever Miss set up. I imagine they'd be a good influence on Mags. By contrast, I'm pretty sure Guilherme came to Kennet as much for the rustic aesthetic as anything else; he'd probably be absent. The other Others fall on a scale from Toadswallow to Guilherme, from "will go anywhere that's safe (including Johannes's demense) to "was in Kennet because it's a rural village".

I feel like this Johannes/Miss-burg would be attractive to ghouls like Chloe and Nibble, forsworn like Charles, and possibly Matthew and Edith. John and Yalda would probably want somewhere with fewer people around, unless the vestiges could "soak up" Yalda's influence without hurting anything sapient. I can't imagine Crooked Rook wanting anything to do with this place. The other Kennet Others...dunno, would like to hear any opinions people have.

Which brings me to the big question: What would this place be like?

Johannes would remain in power. That's indisputable. He has the power in this relationship; it's his demense, his shelter, his strength. He can set the terms. So it would still mostly be run the way Johannes did; a place designed for Others to enjoy themselves, paid for in power. A theme park or resort, not a long-term refuge. But Miss's involvement would have its influence.

In particular, she would push for the demense to accommodate the wants/necessities of Others who don't like to hunt people. One area has victims to terrify or consume or whatever, another has marks to con, parties for maenads and bacchae and the like, etc. And I feel like she'd push for Johannes to find places/uses for Others who wanted to live there long-term.

...

And that's about where I run out of ideas. If anyone else has ideas, especially someone who's read Pact more recently, I'd love to hear them.

[eirikrjs]

Sure that explains the Arsene-Mephisto switch, but not why they switched the two big ones around since their gnostic identities still have nothing to do with thieves. I think the only answer to this is that they still wanted to have their old versions in the game, because they're prioritizing "tradition" over sound themes.

@mugentensei also chimed in that Zorro is vigilante/outlaw more than thief. Honestly, who knows what’s going on. I sure can’t tell you.

But I can tell you that P5 continues to surprise in the worst ways. Like I was chatting about the Holy Grail recently and it essentially represents conformity? You know, the kind of conformity common (and arguably essential) to Japanese society and immortalized in the infamous expression “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down”? So the Phantom Thieves are going to cause catastrophic social upheaval in Japan?

UPDATE: I’ve been discussing this with both @sorenblr and @b-reis and apparently the stakes aren’t quite as high as my imagination ran. But still, we are trying to understand exactly what Yaldabaoth affects. Like, how does Yaldabaoth’s presence affect the average (real) Japanese teen, who likes friends, clubs, music and dislikes cram schools, ghosts, and learning English--and not much else? Apparently there’s not a clear answer? I don’t know. We don’t know. Other people b-reis was kind enough to ask didn’t know. If you know, let me know.

Also gays are funny-bad predator guys and sexual assault is bad until it’s funny. Girls have boobs that should always available to be gazed upon by boys and spirit cats. And Holy Grail’s Law-like dialogue makes the original Yalda-tron make even more sense. What I’m saying is, Atlus probably knows that no one is buying these games for cohesive themes or whatever insincere, hypocritical messaging they’re attempting. These are games made for and by the zettai ryouiki generation:

[lokiarsene]

The news about Takuto Maruki getting a trailer clicked a lightbulb on in my head, so I’m gonna put on my tinfoil hat and throw out a pure speculative theory as to why I’m suspicious of the guy.

I think he’s an agent of Yaldabaoth, and Kasumi is unknowingly working for one of them. 

Which isn’t to say Kasumi’s bad or anything, just that her line “I stole a dream,” having her Persona be Cinderella/Cendrillon, and how every single member of the PT gets their dream to come true despite this going against reality makes me pause. While it would be impossible for Kasumi herself to be able to bend reality and make dreams come true, she very well could unknowingly be giving information to the higher power who can make that happen. A higher power with an agent that would keep tabs on what people want the world to be. Perhaps someone like, say, a grief counselor whose job it would be to listen to traumatized teenagers and learn their hopes and fears.

The idea of new characters or just a character being a secret agent or unwitting pawn for a higher, malicious power isn’t new in the Persona series. Persona 4 and P4 Golden did something similar, in which your main character, a subvillain, and one of the new characters in Golden were used by the final boss to learn the true nature of man. Persona 3 also did this with Nyx, Ryoji, and Apathy Syndrome: Nyx believed that what humans truly desired in their hearts was the mindless absolution of pure death, as humans are all born with the Thanatos and Eros urges. Joker/Jun from Persona 2 fills this role as well, as he was manipulated by Nyarlathotep. Persona 5′s base game already has an example of not one but two characters being manipulated by Yalda in a grand scheme.

If Kasumi is working with the doctor, and if he has connections to Yalda, her status as a PT could very well be similar to how Akechi snooped on the PT for Shido, but instead she’s feeding it to the doc, thinking she’s doing something good. This could also be why she’s against the PT’s methods of stealing hearts: she’d have someone in her ear telling her their methods are wrong. Her being an unwitting pawn also fits in the P5 theme of people in power harming those they consider beneath them, and their victims rising up to rebel. All of the PT have a spirit of rebellion, which means Kasumi needs one, too. So far the only thing we’ve seen her explicitly state that she’s against is the PT’s means and motives.

I haven’t read much speculation about Kasumi, though I’ve skimmed some posts here and there, so all of this very well could have been mentioned before. I know people have pointed out her connection to Cinderella, as well as the whole “illusion that will break at a certain time” thing. I’d also like to point out the main song from Disney’s version of Cinderella, A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, as possible inspiration for what the third semester’s twist will hold:

A dream is a wish your heart makes When you're fast asleep In dreams you will lose your heartaches Whatever you wish for, you keep

Have faith in your dreams and someday Your rainbow will come smiling through No matter how your heart is grieving If you keep on believing The dream that you wish will come true

A dream is a wish your heart makes When you're fast asleep In dreams you will lose your heartaches Whatever you wish for, you keep

Have faith in your dreams and someday Your rainbow will come smiling through No matter how your heart is grieving If you keep on believing The dream that you wish will come true

To me this may hint at a way for the PT’s dreams to truly manifest in reality. This would not be far-fetched not just for the Persona series (in which every game since 3 has had the final boss encounter include your max Social Links imbuing you with their energy and strength), but for Persona 5 specifically. That “LEND THE PT YOUR ENERGY” scene at the end of P5 when all your max Confidant links believe you back into being is in canon proof that wishes (dreams) can change reality. And as if that weren’t obvious enough, Mona comes back at the end as well, explaining that his cat self was able to return because the PT kept him alive in their hearts. Incidentally, this is the main reason why me and Mod Sirea were so fucking pissed about P5′s ending. They give you two examples of people coming back from death and yet didn’t do that with Akechi (likely because it was cut for time).

So for people who are worried that Akechi in P5R is only part of the dream world and will fade if the dream world will fade--something I genuinely do not think they’d do--then the game has already provided us with an in canon, pre-P5R example of how a wish/belief can change reality. This is no different than the concept of a cognition altering how people see reality and the Metaverse. In the chance that Akechi is part of the dream world, knows it, and intends to end the dream world even if it means his “death,” then the game has already given us pre-P5R proof of how death can be cheated. Can you think of anyone, even just one person, who would keep Akechi alive in his heart (to say nothing of his thousands of fans and Sae as well)? Yeah, you bet you can. 

That’s all just me playing devil’s advocate, though. I honestly don’t think Akechi’s part of the dream world for a few reasons, the main ones being those which Mod Sirea has discussed previously.

I know one of the statements about P5R is that “the main story won’t change,” but this is clear misdirection. In its most bare bones state, the main story of going after Shido and Yalda clearly hasn’t changed, but that’s only in the most broad of terms. Kasumi’s entire existence in the game changes the story, as does Maruki’s (albeit to a less blatant extent as he’s just a new Confidant and not a party member).

[macalunge]

#MacAlunge performs at:

The University Lecture on Peace in Africa (2nd Edition) organized by the Departments of Law and International Relations of the University of Buea, in partnership with the Canadian High Commission, British High Commission, Swiss Embassy, the African Union and Civil Society organizations including: Local Youth Corner, Reach Out Cameroon, Noela Lyonga Foundation, YALDA and many others.

The performance was in audience of: The Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor & Registrar of the University of Buea, the Canadian High Commissioner to Cameroon, other dignitaries, 14 CSO leaders, University Staff and over 700 students.

Theme: Reimaging Peace and Security in amidst Covid 19 in Africa

Special thanks to the organizers of this initiative led by Mr Epah Nyukechen. Thank you to Percy Abain for gracing the stage with me with your incredible talent...

#Soldier #OneAfrica2 #DiamondTour #MAPark #Strawacademy #MacAlunge2021

[suraanahita]

I think I will go back to this post to say that Yalda is generally a cultural Iranian festival... with, of course, zoroastrian/mazdaen roots and themes.

But some actual Mazdaen celebrations in relation to this solstice celebration, however, include maidyaar gahambar, jashn-e sadeh, and deygan.

I should mention that on the Fasli calander the winter month (mah) of Dey/Dae (dec. -> jan.) is considered one of the most auspicious, because it is dedicated to the Creator (Ohrmazd).

Shab e Yalda is the Zoroastrian celebration of the Winter Solstice. It is celebrated every December 21th. Culturally, like Nowruz and Mehregan, it involves decorating a table with sweets and symbolic items, particularly pomegranates and watermelons. Also walnuts, dried fruits, and halva. They symbolize good health and the renewal of life. The red hues of these objects symbolize the warm crimson colours in the sky when the sun returns.

Last winter we had so much watermelon out. Even had watermelon jelly. Lmao.

Yalda is an important day.

It is usually said that during the winter solstice, the forces of the daevas and Angra Mainyu were on the loose, or at their peak. They caused a lot of mischief and derangement as the Earth faced its longest hours of the cold night.

There is an old tradition where people would place small fires outside to melt some of the snow and drive out/protect them from evil spirits. They'd also stay inside their homes, play music, eat, etc, because it was important that these negative energies would not get to them. Usually there will be close family get-togethers for this, and many candles are lit for their warming glow. So we spend this day in much good company :)

It is also a celebration of Ahura Mazda’s victory, as the next day ultimately belongs to Him. It is an auspicious and beneficent time, one that signifies the coming glory of the dawn (brilliance of the supreme consciousness which overcomes all difficulties and obstacles).

••••

“There would be feasts, acts of charity and a number of Zoroastrian divinities honoured, and prayers performed to ensure the total victory of the sun that was essential for the protection of winter crops. There would be prayers to God Mithra (Mithr/Mihr/Mehr) and feasts in his honour, since Mithra is an īzad (av. Yazata) and responsible for protecting "the light of the early morning", known as "Hāvangāh".”

••••

It is representative of the light and its victory over eternal night; the forces of good conquering evil. The adorable Yazata or god Mehr (Mithra) is also associated with this holiday as the bringer of light and the rising Sun itself. It is a special festival, marking the power of goodness which illuminates the people with a loving colourful light; saving them from the chaotic darkness.

There is a certain profound type of wisdom in realizing this.

Mithra is ‘apaöúrvím’, aka ‘without a beginning’, like the other Qualities of Mazda. He is the beautiful force of truth. The oath-keeper. Eternal, sleepless, and ever-awake. He is the bridge of friendship between a man and woman to their beloved Yazatas, for in Zoroastrianism God is an ally to mankind; their greatest one at that. Mithra comes into battle against Druj/ultimate falsehood, with the aid of Rashnu (righteousness or integrity), Sraosha (good conscience; inspiration), and Verethragna (victory over obstacles).

Even in our darkest moments light shall shine through. Even in chaos, order will take hold. Even in death, there will be life. This is the hope of Yalda aka “Yaar”, or the most frozen/coldest winter.

40 days later (Jan.30th) there is Jashne-Sadeh, the festival of magnificent bonfires, which celebrates the final defeat of the chilling cold and a day to honour the holy and bright fire.

[appleimps]

If your OC Yalda were like, corrupted by the Triforce or the Evil Realm into some sort of monstrous animal person (like how Ganondorf becomes hog-like), what kind of creature do you think their theme would be? Xe gives of bat vibes going off appearance to me, but I'm curious what you think.

Oh MAN sorry I didn't see this until now, idk how long this has been sitting in my inbox BUT:

A bat is a really cute idea! I think it's fitting aesthetically, some kind of bat would match Yalda's design really well I think. However, I normally pick stuff like this based on personality and or skills, so for Yalda I think I would have to pick some kind of Python species-- a silent, cold, and calculating ambush predator.

I think design wise I'd take inspiration from the giant serpent from Sekiro, and the beast afflicted snakes from Bloodborne's forbidden woods (my beloved). Large, blind, and mmmmaybe albino with red markings because of their Sheikah ancestry.

[slytheringirlsgang-archive]

#SLYTHERINGIRLSGANG PRESENTS: HOLIDAYS AT HOGWARTS

Inspired by POC!Potter Week, Slytherin Girls Gang is celebrating the holiday season this year with the 12 Days of Christmas!

Our 12 Days of Christmas are going to stretch from the 9th to the 20th of December so that they do not interrupt any time that will be spent with your families and friends.

NOTE: this event is not limited to Slytherin girls

TO PARTICIPATE:

Reblog this post to spread the word

Follow @slytheringirlsgang

Create something for one or more days of the event

Post your creation on the relevant day with the description:

@slytheringirlsgang Holidays at Hogwarts: Day X → THEME “QUOTE / DESCRIPTION”

tag your creation #slytheringirlsgang in the first 5 tags to ensure we see it

THE THEMES:

Day 1 (9th December): Traditions

Day 2 (10th December): Minor characters

Day 3 (11th December): Friendships

Day 4 (12th December): Houses

Day 5 (13th December): Ships

Day 6 (14th December): AUs

Day 7 (15th December): Schools

Day 8 (16th December): Families

Day 9 (17th December): Eras

Day 10 (18th December): Free choice

Day 11 (19th December): Celebrations*

Day 12 (20th December): the Yule Ball

Under the cut is some extra information and a list of some lesser known holidays that occur during December

FAQ:

What can I create? You can produce and kind of creation you want, from edits, graphics and gifs to playlists, fics or headcanons.

Does my creations have to feature Slytherin girls? No, for our special events we often allow creations featuring any characters from the Harry Potter universe, not just Slytherin girls

How can I ensure my creation is seen and reblogged to the net blog? By tagging us in the description and tagging #slytheringirlsgang in the first five tags when you post your creation we should see it, but you can always submit us a link to your creation if you’re worried that we missed it.

If you have any other questions about the event feel free to send us an ask.

All event creations on the net blog will be tagged with #12days17

*OTHER HOLIDAYS: ⎯ please message us if any of this information is incorrect

December 12th: the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Catholic) - the latest date on which the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego

December 12th - 20th: Hanukkah (Jewish) - commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem

December 20th - 21st: Shab-e Yalda (Zoroastrian) - celebration of the winter solstice

December 21st - 25th: Pancha Ganapati (Hindu) - celebration in honour of Ganesha

A list of more religious, secular, and historical holidays during December, and other months can be found on Wikipedia

[amkcomet2014]

Winter

Winter the coldest time of the year that last 3 months. Like I have said about Fall being a transition from warm to cold, well at this point the transition has been completed. It is officially cold and winter, with that comes snow. Winter goes through December, January, and February. When winter comes by then all the leaves have completely fallen off the branches of the trees. In the first month of winter is December, when it’s December it’s all about the holidays. I mean you can see it everywhere, on TV they show movies, specials, and TV episodes with holiday themes, decorations everywhere especially outside with holiday lights, and so much more. I should mention some previous things about Fall, for the most part football season ends in high school usually in November or late Fall, Marching Band season ends, while cheerleaders continue for basketball season, the 1st quarter in high school is over, and half the 1st semester is over with midterms been taken. With winter comes as I said before its starting snowing and becomes cold. For me and almost everybody we have to change our clothes in our closets. So no more short socks, sandals, shorts, short sleeve shirts or sleeveless undershirts. Clothing in winter time can bug me a bit because you have to wear a coat or jacket, a winter hat like a beanie or knit hat, have gloves, a scarf, wear long pants, t-shirt undershirts, long socks, anything long sleeve like hoodie, you can wear a a short sleeve t-shirt but you have to put on a hoodie or a long sleeve shirt, and sneakers or boots. The point is you have to wear a crap load of things during winter but, in summer in warm weather you can just wear sandals, shorts, and a t-shirt and you’re done simple as that. But, it’s winter so I do wanna stay warm so I can deal with that. Now other things begin in winter like basketball season or other sport seasons begin in high school and there is the performances of concert band, jazz band, chorus, and the school play with practices beginning in the Fall. During this time like I have said holidays are big most TV shows have the same of new holiday themed episode and during the holidays TV shows seem to take a break for the holidays and come back on after the holidays in early January. For college it marks the end of the semester first half of the year is over and with finals to end it all. College football is quite a long story like high school football season ends in late November college football regular season ends also in late November. In early December there is the conference championships where the best teams in the two divisions in the conference compete for number one standing in the conference. Other college football teams have a playoffs that go on during December and have the championship in early January. For most college football teams they have bowl games postseason exhibition games that are important. The bowl games take place from late December to early January, depending on the standings where a team is at with wins and losses and conference they are in determining if they are eligible for any of the 40 bowl games to play in. There is a top 25 ranking that is released weekly on college football teams, the top 4 teams play in the playoffs first they have semi-finals games during the time of all the other bowl games and the championship is held in early January ending the college football season. Now with winter, December, and the holidays comes with many many things. People enjoy the sight of seeing it snow when it stops snowing people like to go outside while wearing their winter clothes obviously, to lay down and make snow angels, make snowballs and throw at each other and create snow forts play like a war game, and finally people like to make a snowman. Now with holidays comes many things like I said before about holidays themed specials, movies, and tv episodes. There comes decorations, food, and parties. The things I see are presents, wrapping paper, snow, snowflakes, snowmen, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus, reindeers, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Christmas trees with Christmas tree decorations or ordinates, holiday lights outside around the house, stockings, candy canes, Christmas cookies, eggnog, gingerbread cookies, gingerbread houses, holiday reefs, hot cocoa, mistletoes, holiday chocolates or candy, bows, bells, candle lights, snow globes, stars, angels, the Nutcracker, Jack Frost, elves, Christmas or Santa Claus hats, reindeer antlers, fruitcakes, cards, Christmas or Holiday parties, and finally holiday themed music or songs traditional or modern there are so many of them. Now I should mention about holidays in December, I think the most holiday that represented in December is Christmas which influences music, tv shows, specials, movies, parties, food, and decorations. A lot of people say Merry Christmas and think of Santa Claus. One thing I should mention similar to where stores put up Halloween decorations early as September or August same thing with Christmas. Late October maybe a few days before Halloween Christmas stuff is put up stores even during November, seems like when Halloween is over people think about Christmas next even though they are skipping over Thanksgiving but still put importance in the holiday of Thanksgiving. Like Halloween where I want to put up decorations I also like to put up decorations for the holidays in December like lights, now I use to call them Christmas lights but, nowadays I call them holiday or seasonal lights and same goes for the decorations. I even use to say Merry Christmas but, nowadays I say Happy Holidays. In December there are many holidays celebrated by people of religions and nationality there is Bodhi Day celebrated by Buddhists, Pancha Ganapati celebrated by Hindus, Kwanzaa celebrated by Africans, Yule Celebrated by Pagans, Hanukkah celebrated by Jewish people, and finally there is Christmas celebrated by Christians. I should mention there are some holidays that can be celebrated in December depending on their religious calendar like Muslims have a holiday called Eid, and like I said depending on the religious calendar it can be celebrated in anytime of the year which means it can be celebrated in December and it can be celebrated in December again just maybe after ten years. Christmas is a religious holiday celebrated by Christians the holiday is the commemorate the birth of Jesus but, for non-Christians they could celebrate it non-religiously maybe think of it as another or second Thanksgiving celebrated in December. I just mention above is something I just like to share and what I believe in. In the end no matter what religion, nationality, where you live, or who you are the point of the holidays in December is to enjoy life, spend time with family, and be happy and thankful. The last holiday celebrated in December is New Years which is a universal holiday celebrated by everybody. For this holiday people would look back at the moments and memories throughout the year the good and bad and look forward to the new year and maybe make changes for the new year like a restart those are usually called New Years Resolutions. After December is over the new year begins after some time students go back to school. For high school students their finishing up the rest of the 1st semester and 2nd quarter but, for college students they are starting their second semester. For the rest of winter in January and February some things happen like it would snow periodically and might at times create delays or snow days. TV shows continue after the holiday break with their TV seasons and NBA basketball season continues on including high school and college. In January the NFL football regular season ends and begins playoffs which leads to the Super Bowl in late January and early February ending the NFL football season. By the time of late January and early February the first semester is over and the second semester begins with the third quarter for high school students. I feel like nothing much happens in the rest of winter but, I should include these holidays too because they’re just as important. First is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a holiday to honor him on his birthday on the third Monday in January. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an African-American who fought for civil rights for black people in America, he did this non-violently he helped improved race relations in America. Today every American of any race, religion, nationality, gender, age, and disability have equal rights in America and treated respectfully and equally in America. Martin Luther King, Jr. should be remembered for all the work and sacrifice he did to improve race relations, equality, and spreading the power of love over hate. There is also no school on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day too. St. Valentine’s Day or Valentine’s Day. As we all know there’s candy themed for Valentine’s Day decorations, cards, and parties. Just a holiday celebrating the ones you love in your life. So, by end of February three months of the season of winter has passed and not to mention high school starts to wrap up. At the end of February comes something everybody waits for since winter break. Spring break a one whole week off of school in the first week of March. This marks the beginning of the end of the cold winter season into the warm refreshing spring season. 

[notatreeblog]

Spice Breeze is a monthly culinary spice subscription box. Each package contains recipes with corresponding spices in the amount of your choice. Choose the Duo and receive 2 pre-selected spice kits for $5.90 monthly. Choose the Quad and receive 2 pre-selected recipes and choose 2 of your own for $11.85 monthly. Not a Tree Reviews received this package at no cost for review purposes.

*contains affiliate links

Check out the unboxy box video

Here’s the Box Breakdown

Our first glimpse inside the Spice Breeze “Happy Holidays” themed package for December.

Everything that we received for December. This month we received a fun licorice candy recipe which is a stray from the ordinary!

  So what is all this stuff?

Our first recipe is Lebkuchensauce a Polish gingerbread spice mix. This sauce is like licorice and can be poured over mashed potatoes, sausage or any dish you’d like.

This spice packet includes; cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg and licorice

  Next up we have our Khoresh Fesenjan, a Persian spice kit. This dish is served on Shabe Yalda – the longest night of the year.

This spice packet includes turmeric, cinnamon, orange peel, cardamom and rosebud. This dish sounded delicious but we ran out of pomegranate molasses and have to order it from Amazon, so we figured we’d try something with ingredients that were a bit more accessible.

  Second to last we have Keshi Yena an Aruban (very first time we’ve received an Aruban recipe) spice kit. While this recipe looked fantastic to us – you fill the shell of a cheese wheel with meat, peppers and tons of other flavorful ingredients, our husband detests cheese so we’ll keep this one for a big lunch cheat day!

Our spice packet for this dish included; black pepper, garlic, onion, Hatch chiles, shallots, oregano and sage.

  Our final recipe and the one we decided to create for the month. This twist on classic beef stroganoff includes juniper cacao. This is traditionally a Russian – French recipe.

Our spice kit includes; juniper, roasted cacao, black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and of course our second packet includes delicious pink peppercorns which are tangy and bright!

To create this recipe we slice our beef into 1 inch slices.

At the same time we start our noodles.

Now we’ll salt and pepper our beef and coat it in flour.

Then fry on each side for 3 minutes.

Remove your beef from the pan and add 1 tablespoon of oil, then add your chopped onion.

Cook until translucent and then add your first spice packet, mushrooms and garlic.

Cook until your mushrooms are almost done.

Now add the juice of one orange

As well as your cream and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the beef to the mixture, stir and top with pink peppercorns! We served this over wide noodles and it was a hit with the whole family!

  So in summary

Presentation: We always love the way the spices look in side the Spice Breeze package.

Quality: We love the blends that the Spice Breeze subscription creates. Many of the spices are organic as well!

Curation: We feel like this month’s mix was varied and we love that they included an Aruban blend, that one is really new and interesting to us.

  Subscribe to Spice Breeze

    Spice Breeze Subscription Box Review + Unboxing | December 2018 Spice Breeze is a monthly culinary spice subscription box. Each package contains recipes with corresponding spices in the amount of your choice.