Facts About Seasons and Festivals
Interesting cultural facts. For example, the Chinese celebrate New Year for 15 days. It begins between the middle of January and lasts up to the first week of February.
Image via Wikipedia
1) During the winter, days are dark in the northern lands of Scandinavia- Sami or Lapp children go to school by the light of the moon and stars!
2) Some people are so miserable in the dark days of winter, that they fall ill. Doctors call this SAD syndrome, and find that bright often cheer their patients up.
3) The calendar we use today was invented by Roman ruler called Julius Caesar, more than 2,000 years ago. He gave each year 365 days and arranged them in 12 months.
4) The Chinese celebrate New Year for 15 days. It begins between the middle of January and lasts up to the first week of February.
5) The Jewish New Year festival of Rosh Hashanah begins in October or November. People eat apples and bread dipped in honey in the hope a sweet year to come!
6) The ancient Greeks had a ten-day week. So, it was a long wait until the weekend!
7) The ancient Geeks believed that the sun was a god called Helios. The day began when Helios rode across the sky in a chariot of flames.
8) In tropical lands near the equator, the sun rise at almost the same time each morning. And it sets at almost the same the same time every evening. The days and nights are always equal- 12 hours long.
9) Different kinds of animals come out of their homes at different times of the day. A bee and a badger never meet. The bee is diurnal and the badger is nocturnal.
10) On New Year’s Eve in Ecuador in South America, people burn the old year on a bonfire!
11) It’s hard to tell the time in space. A clock would not work there and you cannot use the moon, sun or earth. Astronauts stay in touch with base, and follow earth-time. It’s their radio, not their clock that tells them the time!
Liked it
