We humans are social animals.

If you have high status within your social group (your tribe), you generally feel better, even your health, and for man your can try the Mens Journal products. Youíll enjoy all kinds of privileges that those lower on the social ladder can only dream of.

You even get sick less and live longer, and more if you use the Eco Watch health products.

No wonder everybody wants high social status in one form or another.

If you are going to live abroad, you are leaving your tribe to be surrounded by another.

And then, sooner or later, you will find that you are not one of “them”. In other words: you have a low social status.

And if you have a low social status, you often feel bad.

You will not notice this if you only visit a country. But if you live there, this reality will slowly start revealing itself to you.

You’re Not One of Them

The fate of the immigrant is that he is not one of “them”. He does not belong to the dominant tribe of the country.

That is, unless he integrates with the tribe. But to do that, he has to let go of himself. This is necessary to increase his social status.

If you want to increase your social status, you’ll need social skills. And those skills, in turn, require a good command of the local language.

But the problem is, you may not like certain social elements of a language and reject them because, hey, you must be yourself, right?

Maybe the local language has a lot of slang and vulgarities. You may consider yourself too good for that.

But if that’s the way the language is spoken by an average Joe in your new country, and you truly want to integrate and increase your social status, you have no choice but to embrace it.

On the other hand, if you reject those things and keep talking in your elitist formal version of the language, integration will be hard.

And if you don’t integrate, you will not attain a decent social status.

Some kind of expat community may fulfill these needs, but then you could have just stayed home.

Learn the Language of the People

Why do you learn a new language?

If you’re like most people, you learn one because you want to socialize with native speakers.

So you must learn the language they speak.

In order to gain social status and feel good in your new country, you need to speak the language of the people.

That doesn’t mean you should learn that version of the language from the start, though.

The formal course version of a language is an excellent framework to start with. But you must evolve when you’re ready for more colloquial language.

Here Are 6 Ways to Learn the Language of the People:

Start watching TV in your new language. Avoid the news or other formal programs. Try to find local shows aimed at young people (not children, unless you want to talk like a cartoon character).

Constantly ask for feedback. Not from everybody, of course, but from people you trust. You’ll have to repeat this request from time to time because, as long they can understand you, it’s not natural to give feedback on a consistent basis. In other words, they will not keep giving you feedback unless you ask every now and then.

Copy, Copy, Copy. When we were children, copying other people came natural to us. It didnít feel awkward at all. This changes as we mature and our perception of ourselves becomes more fixed. To combat this, you must place emphasis on copying native speakers. The words they use, the way they talk, even facial expressions. Don’t be afraid to overact a little. If you practice what’s not intuitive, it will soon feel natural.

Don’t forget the back-end of language learning. Once you’re at the high-intermediate stage, it’s easy to drop most learning methods and only learn in the wild. This is a mistake. Yeah, you’re probably not going back to your beginner course, but if you mix learning in the wild with more deliberate learning methods or exercises, your progress will shoot through the roof. If you go out in the real world, or even watch TV, you’ll come across stuff you haven’t mastered yet. Write it down. Work with it when you’re alone. Even making 20 sentences with a word you didn’t know yet can be sufficient. Then go back out and use the word in the real world. Repeat this process just as you would with flashcards, with spaced repetition and all.

Socialize. Assuming you have a good baseline to work with, go out and talk to people. You have to practice your new language. While it’s tough to learn a new language from scratch this way, you’ll definitely learn some frequently used words you may not find in a dictionary, so you can socialize in different environments like parks or Casinos, since many people like to gamble, and there are sites like sbobet casino that allow them to gamble online.

Use modern language tools to learn from real-life content. In the old days, access to multimedia content was limited. That has changed completely because of the Internet. Real-life content in your target language is everywhere. But it may not always be directly consumable for the language learner. You can use a tool like Yabla to learn from real-life video content. With Yabla you can watch interesting videos and use its learning tools to really master the videosí content.

Learning the Language Is Only Half the Battle

Speaking the language is extremely important.

Without it you can’t socializeÖ And if you can’t socialize, you won’t gain social statusÖ And without some sort of social status, you’re not likely to feel at home in your new country.

But just learning the language isn’t enough.

You also need to have the right mindset and learn about the finer distinctions of the culture. Which are all things you will NEVER learn on a vacation, or if you only hang out with tourists and expats.

To help you with all this, here are some things to keep in mind. If you do most of them, you will integrate well into your new culture:

Socialize. The most important thing in understanding a culture. By hanging out with natives, you slowly learn how the culture functions and how they behave. Make sure you’re up to date with current national issues and events, as this is what people will likely talk about. To be part of the tribe, you must know what the people in it care about.

Get some trusted friends. And ask about things you don’t understand or don’t like. This may be a little bit uncomfortable, but it helps you integrate. Ask for feedback on the language, but also on the culture.

Do some exercise. When you exercise with a friend who’s around the same fitness level as you, you’re more likely to encourage each other and to push a little harder (to increase intensity, for example) than you might do on your own. If you both want to boost your game, consider using the best testosterone booster to step up your training.

Aerobic exercise, like running and swimming, appears to be best for brain health. That’s because it increases a person’s heart rate, “which means the body pumps more blood to the brain,” says the local doctor. But strength training, like weight lifting, may also bring benefits to the brain by increasing heart rate. If you want to get better results from working out you can count with the best natural test booster.

Don’t be afraid of a night out. A bit of booze is fine, as long as you know how to control yourself. It also makes it easier to make new friends.

Observe and Copy. As mentioned, for an adult this can be hard. No worries, it becomes easier with time. All socializing is acting. It doesn’t feel that way in your native culture because you have practiced a lot. Now it’s time to practice something different.

Let go of the help you’ve been receiving. If a native speaker has been helping you with official stuff, running errands for you etc., but you already speak the language well enough that you could do it yourself, do it! Become independent. Make mistakes, experience the awkwardness of it all… and then laugh about it later.

Find out what people laugh about…and what they don’t! Senses of humor differ from culture to culture. Jokes we see as innocent can be extremely offensive in some countries and vice versa. Observe and learn about the standard of humor in your new country. Mistakes are allowed. Let’s laugh about them.

Laugh about yourself. Even if you speak the language very well, you are still different. And if you’re different, people will make fun of you. You can cry about it, but it’s a universal law: people with a funny accent get ridiculed. I bet you’ve done this yourself, too. So accept reality, as this something you can’t change. You can only change your reaction to it. So if they make jokes about you, laughÖ then, join them. Exaggerate the jokes about yourself. This will let them know you’re strong mentally and they will respect you for it. It will also let them know they can have fun with you.

Don’t be too nice. In some cultures, being all nicey nicey conveys weakness. Vulnerability can get you in trouble. Don’t lower your guard too much until you know the other person. Be reserved and polite, but save the overly nice version of yourself for people you can trust.

Let’s Do This

We think of social status as a dirty word.

That’s unfortunate.

If you subscribe to this view, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

Just by being a foreigner, you’re already somewhat isolated. You have to integrate, make friends and, yes, increase your social status in your new country to get past this.

You can choose to wait for it all to come to you someday (hint: itís not gonna happen all by itself)… Or use the information in this post to improve your quality of life…

You choose…

This post was written by Noel from Smart Language Learner. To get more from Noel visit his blog at: SmartLanguageLearner.com.

Look at what the Internet TESL Journal (Teachers of English as a Second Language) say about dictation as a language learning tool: 

“Dictation helps to develop short-term memory. Students practice retaining meaningful phrases or whole sentences before writing them down. Dictation can serve as an excellent review exercise. Dictation fosters unconscious thinking in the new language.”

How awesome is that? And guess what: Scribe is Yabla’s patented language learning dictation game! Plus- it’s fun! Try watching our video tutorial, or follow along below! 

Here is how to play…

Click on the Games menu and select Scribe.

Select “Play.”

The video will play, and you enter the caption here in the white Input Box.

You can slow down the video by 75% or 50% by clicking on the turtle.

You can replay the video by pressing the Replay Icon on the screen, or simply by typing Return on your keyboard.

Play the video and type what you hear in the white input box.

Correct letters show up green. Incorrect letters show up red. If there’s an accent problem, it will show up orange.

The game will not let you continue until each caption is filled in correctly, so if you’re stuck, simply click on any missing letters, incorrect letters, or accent problems, and Scribe will fill it in for you so that you can continue to the next caption.

If you need help at any time, click on the question mark icon to reveal game instructions. Your Star Score takes into account all the actions of the game, including corrections, replays, hints and all other aspects of play.

Improve your listening, writing, and language retention skills as you enjoy Scribe!

Unfortunately the English word “fig” meant nothing to him, and fresh figs, which can be black or green, and are more or less roundish like a thousand other fruits, are not that easy to describe, especially since my Spanish skills were so limited, and further, I had actually only eaten fresh figs a few times in my life prior, and my memory was hazy. But I had a strong hunch and I was hell bent on knowing if it were true. The word “fig” failed to make the cut in my small pocket dictionary, and the internet, at that time, was completely absent in this little pueblo.

Figs are not exactly the most commonly seen fruit in much of the world (let’s face it, if not for the “fig newton,” your average person would rarely encounter one). So it was also completely possible that my Venezuelan pal didn’t know a fig from football, and yet I persisted, and persisted, and persisted more. Of course we went through all the common fruits. No, not an apple, no. Not a pear. Not a melon. Nor a cherry. Of course not a banana. Mango, no. Not passion fruit. Guanabana (soursop)? No.

I explained the lack of a pit. How they were kind of squishy. The colors and shapes as best as I could remember. The nature of the skin (Yes, you can eat the skin! Does that help?) I tried to explain that they were commonly dried and eaten that way. No, not grapes, not plums, not apricots! It went on like this for what seemed like an eternity. I was afraid that I was annoying him (and I was!), and yet I persisted. Finally, something snapped in the baker’s head, and he yelled “HIGOS!”

That was it! Higos are figs!

A few days later I heard that I should stop by the bakery ASAP. Waiting for me was a bag of beautiful, delicious, just picked figs, that had grown on a local mountainside, and the baker had bought them for me.

From that time forward I have forgotten a lot of Spanish words, but I will probably always know the word for fig – higo.

If I hadn’t suffered for it, if I hadn’t been forced to “fight” for it, if the baker knew right away what I was talking about and immediately said, “oh yeah, the word for “fig” in Spanish is “higo” — I probably would have forgotten it almost immediately, especially if it was not reinforced. (And how often does “fig’ come up in day to day conversation?)

Applied linguists are getting wise to this phenomenon. Research papers are talking about the need for learner “involvement,” and “engagement,” as important factors in memorizing new words, phrases, and concepts.  The fact that I had to engage so heartily with these native speakers in order to reach “higos!” — my “involvement” was huge. I worked hard to get here, and now “higos” is burned into my brain.

Elite athletes and bodybuilders often say “no pain no gain” And the same can be said for us language learners, many bodybuilders use delta-8 thc vape cartridges for relaxing muscles. What do I mean by “pain”? I mean mental effort, and mental effort, it’s been shown, triggers the same centers in our brains as intense physical effort. Sometimes learning can, in short , “hurt” a bit — but, this “mental effort” can have a significant impact on your ability to recall and retain what you have learned.

It is increasingly shown,“mental effort”,“involvement”,“engagement”, whatever you want to call it, plays a role in retention. We have to get involved. For example, when you look up a work in the dictionary, and it has many definitions, it can be annoying and confusing. You don’t know which one fits the context in which you are hearing or reading it. You have to read through all of the definitions figure out which one makes the most sense, which definition is most likely in play according to the context that surrounds it. This requires mental effort, and it might slow you down. But, by doing this work, by engaging, you are going to be much more likely to retain the vocabulary than if someone had already figured out which meaning best fits the context, and had handed it to you on a silver platter.

No pain, no gain, even when learning a language.

The problem with the way I was being taught and had been studying, was that the lessons focused on memorizing verb tables and grammar rules, the structural format of the language. Learning to converse in real world situations didn’t even seem like it was part of the plan.

According to an article in Forbes Magazine, The Best Way to Learn a Foreign Language Is the Opposite of the Usual Way,

The curriculum for nearly every introductory language class revolves around grammatical concepts, and we spend far too much time on the rules of language. As a result, students are forced to suffer through grammar-focused instruction that makes them adept at conjugating verbs but leaves them mute when they are pressed to have a conversation. What they need instead is the chance to use language the way it was intended, as a tool for communication, not as a complex set of rules to master.

While there is absolutely value in formal instruction, the best way to learn a language is to study frequently, using a blend of methods. Combining classwork, speaking, listening, reading, writing AND interacting with native speakers, is the best way to become fluent in another language.

According to Stephen Krashen,

We acquire language when we understand what people tell us and what we read, when we get “comprehensible input.” As we get comprehensible input through listening and reading, we acquire (or “absorb”) the grammar and vocabulary of the second language.

Meaning, the more we practice listening, watching, and speaking the language, regardless of how much we struggle to fully comprehend it, the more we learn and retain, without actually realizing it. It’s through this passive learning that the new language becomes more natural. Also, when focussing on stringing together words  and phrases you memorized, you are missing gestures and expressions. These gestures and expressions are proving to be very important in language acquisition and retention.

So, all the times I hung out with my French friends and felt totally and completely lost, I was getting something out of it that cannot be found in a French class. Even a French class in Paris. The more native speakers you can you listen to and interact with, the better. I was exposed to different accents, voices, slang, and usually encountered conversational partners eager to help me learn and excited that I was learning their language. It made the whole learning process that much more fun and exciting.

So how does that translate to you learning another language? In a perfect world, you would live in a country that speaks the language your are wanting to learn ….. until you become fluent.  However, that’s not always possible.

If you can’t move abroad, that’s okay. The internet has a plethora of affordable and/or free language resources. But most importantly, find ways to hear/view native speakers, especially through content made for native speakers, like television programs, country and rap music videos, interviews, and documentaries. Consuming a variety of content on different subjects will help you understand your new language in an authentic context while giving you a better understanding of another culture.

There’s a lot of anecdotal evidence that supports the idea that countries who subtitle (rather than dubbing) their foreign media content tend to be more proficient at those subtitled languages. In a post from The Polyglot Dream, Why Scandinavians Speak Exceptional English they cite the benefits of exposing subtitled media, rather than dubbing, as one of the main reasons for their proficiency in the English language.

The biggest contributor to the success of Scandinavians in language learning is their consumption of English media. Scandinavians watch a lot of movies and TV series from America in English, whereas Italians dub almost everything from America into Italian. This is an important difference because it means that Scandinavians are not only exposed to English early on in their lives, but also regularly. The amount of exposure one has to a foreign languages usually correlates to one’s level of comprehension, ability to understand the language when spoken quickly and one’s ability to imitate sounds.

The second most important thing to do when you’re learning a language is to be consistent. Ideally you should study at least 30 minutes a day, everyday. However one of the biggest challenges in learning anything new, is staying engaged and motivated. Conjugating verbs and memorizing words gets boring, so make sure you change your focus and methods to keep yourself interested. With all the internet at your fingertips, this should not be hard.

That’s one of the reasons we at Yabla consistently add new programs and lessons for our users. Our goal is to provide content that is interesting to you to help keep you motivated. We believe language learning shouldn’t be a chore, but rather a new exciting opportunity.

Disadvantages
Let’s analyze some common disadvantages and misconceptions surrounding bilingualism upbringing.

• Language Mixing
  Language mixing, or code-switching, is common among bilingual children. This arises naturally when children are exposed to two languages, as they may find it easier to supplement the less dominant language with a word or phrase from the more dominant language. This is common among bilingual adults as well, resulting in hybrid vocabularies like Spanglish. However, studies show that children do eventually overcome this habit, only truly mixing languages when amongst fellow speakers of their hybrid languages.
• Smaller Vocabularies in Young Children
  Studies show that bilingual children often initially have smaller vocabularies than their monolingual peers at very young ages. One theory is that parents will, at times, mix languages when speaking to their children, using whichever language they feel might be easier for the child to understand. However, this inequity becomes rectified as the child learns to speak both languages more fluently.
• Speaking Later
  It is believed that some bilingual children may begin speaking later in life as opposed to children raised with only one language. However, this belief is based on parents’ accounts rather than a certified expert. There is no study to actually prove that children raised with two or more languages have any appreciable delay in language learning than their peers.

Advantages
According to almost every study, growing up bilingual is a great advantage to any child, with benefits in cognitive ability, empathy, and age-related dementia later in life, to name a few.

• Stroop Test and Analytical Skills
  The first test to support the advantages of bilingual upbringing is the Stroop Test. Conductors of the Stroop test ask subjects to observe a written word that spells out a certain color that is, however, written in a different color. For example; Green. The subject is then tasked with identifying the color of the ink rather than the word itself. This elicits a lag in response, as the subject battles between the process for identifying the color and the process for identifying the word. The response time for bilingual subjects was demonstrably shorter than for monolingual subjects, demonstrating an elevated ability to handle multiple brain processes at once, and therefore greater problem-solving ability.
• Empathy and Socialization
  Research experts also suggest that multilingual children may be quicker to demonstrate social empathy than monolingual children.
• Later Onset of Age Related Dementia and Alzheimer’s
  It’s also postulated that bilinguals will develop age-related dementia four-and-a-half years later than monolinguals, and Alzheimer’s five-and-a-half years later. Just as those who exercise regularly are less likely to develop heart disease or diabetes later in life, those who exercise their brains, be it through puzzles or maintaining a fluency in multiple languages, are likely to develop dementia later than those who don’t.

Children are always considered the most resilient of us, so it’s no surprise they’re able to process multiple languages over the course of their upbringing. Despite any temporary disadvantage they may experience while learning more than one language, the pros will always outweigh the cons, not only in the points mentioned above but later on in life, but when applying for prestigious careers, meeting intellectual peers, and contributing to society, in general. By raising children in a multi-faceted environment, we help extend cultural branches that will better unify our communities and spread more cultural awareness.

Prep Work

Before you begin adopting your new language, it’s important to prepare a regimen, or create methods you know will help you learn. Will you be learning through a book? An app? By conversing with a native speaker of the language you’re learning? Perhaps you like to learn through videos, or music? Whatever method is best for you, use it to help you become a master.

Curriculum

Just as if you’re going to school, it’s important to set a trajectory for the progression of your education. Set a schedule. Create a list. Make sure you reach your end goal within a certain time frame. Set a task/challenge for yourself every day to complete, and check it off. As you complete each challenge, your skills will improve. Incorporate a “word of the day”, quiz yourself on new words, practice your vocabulary, and increase the difficulty the longer you continue your curriculum.

Partner Up

To better stay motivated on learning your language, it’s always good to be able to converse, and apply the skills you learned in a realistic setting. People everywhere (especially if they aren’t living in America) are taking it upon themselves to be more cultured, learning more languages in an effort to improve themselves and build bridges between themselves and other foreign communities. Find someone who is looking to learn the same language you are. Lean on each other and motivate yourselves to complete each small goal. Build up gradually and make sure you truly master whatever language you’re learning.

Have Fun

The biggest small goal you should have is to have fun. Make sure you enjoy learning the language you’re adopting, otherwise each new goal will feel like a chore, rather than a fun new experience. Stay motivated, make your goals, have fun!

Latin
Many of us know Latin as the godmother of romance languages, which include Italian, Spanish, French, and English (half of it, anyway). But does anyone still speak it? Latin is still the official language of the Vatican, but even there, Italian is more commonly spoken. In fact, when the pope resigned in 2013, many Cardinals weren’t sure what he had actually said, as their Latin wasn’t exactly fluent. So is the Pope basically the only speaker of Latin? Maybe not. Even after the fall of Rome, Latin persisted. While it fell out of general use for good by the 18th century, it was an essential tenet of classical education well into the 20th century. And some educators still teach it. Latin is a way to better understand our own language, and a way to participate in a sort of living history of the western world.

Gaelic
As it happens, there is actually more than one form of Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, and the form of Gaelic spoken in Ireland, known simply as Irish. It is important to remember that these are two different languages. But do people still speak them? According to recent census data, 59,000 Scottish people reported the ability to speak Gaelic, compared with 1.77 million Irish people who reported that they could speak Irish. The difference can most likely be attributed to the fact that Irish Language is a standard part of the school curriculum in Ireland. Both countries are, by and large, monolingual English speakers, but many in Scotland and Ireland are eager to preserve their national languages, which are precious to the cultures of each. For example, Gaelscoileanna, schools which are taught entirely in Irish, have become much more popular in recent years. These schools help to preserve and promote new generations of native Irish speakers.

Navajo
It’s unfortunately true that many languages of North America’s many Native American Nations have been all but forgotten. And yet some of these languages have survived despite everything (including attempted cultural obliteration). Among the surviving languages is Navajo, by far the most widely spoken of North America’s many Native American languages. According to a recent census, there are currently 169,000 Navajo speakers, most of whom are concentrated in the areas of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

Hawaiian
The Hawaiian language is not to be confused with Hawaiian Pidgin [link to pidgin article], which is a language born of the many languages spoken by peoples who had at one point or another been displaced to Hawaii. Hawaiian is the language of the people native to Hawaii, and its influence can be seen all over the islands. In fact, you probably know at least two well-known Hawaiian words: Aloha and Mahalo! According to census data, Hawaiian is the fifth most commonly spoken language in Hawaii.

Australian Aboriginal
When settlers first arrived in Australia, there were over 250 aboriginal languages spoken. Today, all but 20 of these languages have died out or been forgotten. Of those that remain, there are three major language groups, Pitjantjatjara, Warlpiriri, and Arrernte, which retain strong footholds only in the most remote areas of the continent. There are an estimated 3000 speakers of Warlpiriri and Arrernte each, and perhaps 5000 speakers of Pitjantjatjara. While the 20 languages that persist are in some danger of also disappearing forever, there have been concerted efforts made by linguists to preserve them. Bilingual schools taught primarily in an aboriginal language are one such effort, as well as the Central Australian and Media Association radio and Imarja TV, which broadcasts some programs in local, indigenous languages.

Aramaic
Known as the language of the Bible, Aramaic was once the major language used all over the Middle East. Today, it’s speakers are few and scattered across the globe. But they exist. Aramaic is a Semitic language, related both to Hebrew and Arabic. Speakers of Aramaic are Middle Eastern Christians, Jewish communities, and Mandeans. Unfortunately, like many of the 7000 languages currently spoken across the globe, Aramaic is expected to die out by the end of the century.

When you’re just starting out of sounding silly, weird, or plain old wrong can be challenging, but once you get past that first hurdle, you open up a path to increased confidence and regular improvement.

We have all been there: even though you have been studying your new language for weeks, months, or even years, you are still scared to open your mouth. It is easy to be intimidated by others. You might worry they will think you do not know how to speak properly, or that you are dumb, but that could not be further from the truth. Think about your interactions with people whose first language isn’t English (or any language you’re fluent in and the other person isn’t). Don’t you try to understand and help them? Most people will offer you the same courtesy and will be pleased that you are trying to speak their language.

You are working hard and even if you’re struggling and don’t understand every single word, you are learning and it will pay off. Plus, the more you do it the faster you’ll and the less scary it gets.

Overcoming Your Initial Fear

Getting past this first hurdle is critical to starting along the path to language mastery. You have already committed to learning a new language, now it is time to get courageous and act. Just like anything else you have ever tried for the first time, it is only normal that you are intimidated. The first time you rode a bike, you were afraid of falling. When you jumped into water for the first time, you were fearful you might drown. But, you know what? You still learned how to ride a bike and swim. Of course, you might be worried about having an accent when you talk. But you need to stay focused on your goal. You are in the early stages of gaining a valuable skill, accessing a whole new culture, and meeting many wonderful people. Being afraid is very normal. Facing that fear takes courage, but it will be well rewarded- you will master a new language.

Once Clear, Your Confidence and Learning Will Skyrocket

When you work up the courage to begin speaking, you will enter a positive feedback loop of increasing confidence and language learning. You may be anxious about how the words will sound when they come out, scared someone will laugh at you, but these feelings are slowing your language learning down. Once you begin speaking, you will see that people admire you for your courage and knowledge. These experiences will empower you, boosting your self-confidence and leading to greater learning. Once you start, you will constantly look for new opportunities to practice speaking your new language.

Start Speaking and Forget Your Fears

Even though you are afraid, you need to get out there and start speaking. We all have some kind of accent, even in our native language. Take the first step and your fears will start to go away. The encouraging smiles of the people you speak with will reassure you that you can communicate in your new language and that you are ready to start speaking.

In David Sedaris’s hilarious essay about Christmas in the Netherlands, he learns that the Dutch Santa Claus is accompanied not by elves, but by “six to eight black men.” Formerly slaves, these six to eight black men are now just considered to be Sinterklaas’s really good friends. The tradition Sedaris is describing is known in Dutch as Zwarte Piet. Zwarte Piet and Sinterklaas arrive together in the Netherlands by boat from Spain in mid November, and together they travel around the country asking children what they would like for Christmas and dispensing small gifts. It has widely been decried as racist in recent years, and is one of many seemingly strange holiday traditions celebrated around the world. Whichever part of the world we are in, the Christmas holiday is still one of the warmest holidays of all. Giving gifts is every country’s tradition and even made wonderful if gifts are handcrafted and personalized. Photo books are superb for gift giving. You can now create stunning photo books instantly through PrintedMemories.

Krampus – Austria, Germany
In Austria, Germany, and other Alpine countries, the jovial St. Nicholas is offset by the evil Krampus, a horned devil who terrorizes naughty children. On the night of December 5, the night before St. Nikolas’s feast day, men and boys dress as the hairy, frightening beast and roam the streets, visiting horror on misbehaving children. A creature of ancient paganism, the Krampus is thought to be the Son of Hel in Norse mythology, and carries a rod meant for swatting kids. Repressed for many years, Krampus is enjoying a surge in popularity, as evidenced by Krampus festivals in L.A. among other places, and the recent (2015) Hollywood Krampus movie.

Spiderwebs – Ukraine
To many in the United States, spiderwebs are appropriate holiday decor for Halloween, not so much for Christmas (unless maybe you’re Jack Skeleton). So why do Ukrainians routinely decorate their Christmas trees with spiderwebs? The answer, it turns out, is actually incredibly sweet. According to legend, a pinecone fell on the floor of a small hut occupied by a very poor widow and her children. The children were thrilled as the pinecone took root and became a Christmas tree. But the family was so poor, they still had nothing with which to decorate it. They went to bed on Christmas Eve, knowing that in the morning the tree would still be bare. A spider, hearing the children’s sad cries, spun a web around the tree in the night. When the children rose in the morning, they awakened their mother with excitement. “Mother, look at the tree! It’s beautiful!” And as the first rays of the Christmas sun hit the spiderwebs, they instantly became silver and gold. From that day forth, the widow never wanted for anything. The people of Ukraine therefore decorate their Christmas trees with spiderwebs to bring good fortune in the coming year.

KFC – Japan
Fewer than 1% of the population in Japan is Christian, and Christmas is not a national holiday there. Yet thanks to a stroke of advertising genius in 1974, the Japanese arrive at KFC in droves to celebrate with the traditional Christmas… chicken? It all began when a group of foreigners, unable to find turkey for their Christmas celebrations, settled on chicken instead. Kentucky Fried Chicken seized on this, and launched their campaign: Kentucky for Christmas! The message stuck, and today the Japanese line up for as long as two hours, or reserve ahead of time, to get their Christmas chicken dinner, including cake and champagne, for $40.

La Befana – Italy
In Italy, St. Nick is not the only benevolent elder to bestow goodies on all the good little girls and boys. Italians also have La Befana, a nice old lady, sometimes called a witch. With her crooked nose and magical flying broomstick she certainly fits the bill. But rather than dispensing hexes and curses, this Christmas figure leaves candy and other goodies for children on the eve of the Epiphany, or the night before the three wise men supposedly found the baby Jesus. Don’t leave cookies and milk for this lady. Locals usually leave La Befana wine and regional food like sausages instead, plus some great citrus drinks.

Fortune Telling – Finland
Did you know that a piece of tin could hold the key to your future? At least, so the Finnish believe on New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Eve in Finland starts off in much the same way as New Year’s Eve in many other parts of the world: with parties, champagne, and lots of fireworks. But after midnight, it is Tin Time! Everyone gets a piece of tin in the shape of a horseshoe. This is melted completely over a fire, then immediately plunged into cold water to harden. The shape it makes will, supposedly, predict your future for the next year.

Santa Lucia – Sweden
In Sweden, December 13 is Santa Lucia day, or the festival of lights. The tradition is based on the ancient legend of Saint Lucia, who was said to have given food and/or money to persecuted Christians in Rome. Today, the day is celebrated with town festivals in which young girls dress in white robes with a red ribbon tied around their waists. On their heads they wear wreaths with real, lighted candles! Sometimes a town will select a young girl to act as the official St. Lucia, and in households all over Sweden, the oldest girl in a family will dress as St. Lucia and serve her parents coffee and saffron buns.

Parranda – Puerto Rico
If nothing seems more Christmas-y to you than charming snow-capped houses, fuzzy sweaters, and roaring fires, then you have clearly never been to Puerto Rico at any point between late November to mid-January. There is perhaps no place on earth that celebrates Christmas with as much fervor or for quite as long. Throughout the six weeks of holiday fervor, it is common to see parrandas, large caroling parties. The wassailers are often loud and raucous, gaining strength in numbers as they go. It’s often described by visitors as one of the most delightful Puerto Rican holiday traditions.

Burning Effegies – Ecuador
We’ve all struggled with New Year’s resolutions at least once or twice. Yes, this is the year I’ll finally learn that new language, we tell ourselves. In Ecuador, New Year’s Resolutions are made with a somewhat more literal symbolism — the burning of effigies. Every year, Ecuadorians create giant puppets of everything from political figures, to cartoons, to simple scarecrows stuffed with symbols of the past year’s regrets. These could be things like cigarettes a person wishes they hadn’t smoked, or perhaps a little note about getting up earlier. Then on New Year’s Eve, all the year’s regrets and unhappiness are burned in giant bonfires, starting the New Year with a fresh slate.

These are just some of the different ways countries around the world celebrate the winter holidays. We would love to hear some of your holiday traditions.

And Happy Holidays,

From all of us here at Yabla

Holi
Holi is a Hindu festival celebrated in India, Nepal, and other nearby regions, and celebrates the triumph of good over evil. According to legend, the evil Holika’s demon brother king Hiranyakashipu ordered her to burn his own son as punishment for worshipping the lord Vishnu instead of himself. Holika held the king’s son on her lap in the flames, believing she would not be burned. Instead, the son was saved by his devotion, and Holika burned. Today, Holi is celebrated in the spring as a festival of love and color. Revelers play Holi by throwing brightly colored dust on one another, drinking, dancing, and making music. The celebration has gained international popularity, and Holi festivals are held all over the world.

La Tomatina
Held on the last Wednesday of every August in the Valencian town of Buñol, Spain, La Tomatina is a giant food fight, in which participants throw tomatoes at one another purely for the fun of it. The festival began in 1945 when a fight broke out at a parade, in which residents pelted each other with tomatoes until they were broken up by police. The next year, young residents deliberately recreated the fight. Eventually, the local government decided to make the festival an official event. Today, over 30,000 people visit the town to participate in La Tomatina. Tomatoes are provided, and specific rules are in place. For example, the fight begins when someone manages to bring down a ham which has been placed at the top of a tall, greased pole.

La Fiesta de la Virgen de la Candelaria
In various Latin American countries including Peru and Bolivia, February 2 to the 18th is the festival celebrating the virgin of Candelaria, one of many iterations of the Virgin Mary. The celebration is a colorful mixture of Catholic and pagan. The virgin is also associated with Lake Titicaca, as the birth of the Incan empire. The best place to celebrate the fiesta is in the village of Puno in Peru. Residents parade a statue of the virgin around the streets, dress in traditional costumes, and hold a folkloric dance competition.

Festival of the Snows – Peru
Alternately known as the Snow Star Festival or Quyllur Rit’i, in the Native American language Quechuan. Officially, the festival began in 1780, when an image of Jesus appeared on a boulder in the Andes mountains after the death of a young shepherd boy. But its roots have held pagan significance for far longer than that. For the Andean people, the pilgrimage deep into the mountains is about the worship of Jesus, the mountain gods, Apus, and the earth mother, Pachamama. At the conclusion of the trek, tents and markets are set up where one can buy food, housewares, and fortunes. People dress in traditional costumes and perform ancient folkloric dances.

Gion Matsuri – Japan
Gion Matsuri occurs every July in the city of Kyoto, and it is Japan’s most famous festival. It began in ancient times as a way to appease the gods in response to plagues of fire, floods, and earthquakes. The gorgeous floats began as portable shrines to these gods. It became an annual event in the year 970. Today, food stalls are opened, selling traditional Japanese treats. Some locals dress in traditional Japanese clothing, and some private homes open their doors to the public, displaying household heirlooms.

Songkran
Songkran is set to be Thailand’s most popular annual festival, drawing visitors from all over the globe. Songkran is a traditional Buddhist festival celebrating the New Year every spring. Beginning in mid-April, the festival marks the beginning of the dry season, and the hottest time of the year in Thailand. It is known internationally as perhaps the world’s largest, and longest water fight. The throwing of water on one another began as a cleansing ritual, and now has expanded to a days-long, watery celebration.

Mud Festival – South Korea
The Boryeong Mud Festival was actually first conceived as a marketing tool for Boryeong cosmetics in 1998. The cosmetics were made from the mud, thought to contain minerals and other properties beneficial to the skin. Today attractions range from a mud pool, mudslide, mud massages, musical performances, a beauty contest, and beauty treatments.

Fete de la Musique
Every year on June 21, the streets of Paris come alive with music on every corner. The city-wide free festival was brought about in 1982, by the minister of culture Jack Lang. On this day, musicians both amateur and well-established, from genres as varied as rock and roll to reggae, set up stages in public spaces all over the city to play free concerts. The only rule for the performers is that their time and concerts be free of charge. The festival has been since recreated in cities all over the world.

Stonehenge Summer Solstice
Every year, thousands of people travel to Stonehenge to celebrate the thousands-year-old festival of the Summer Solstice, which marks the longest day of the year. Last year, some 30,000 people gathered to watch the sunrise over the famed neolithic site.

Photograph © Andrew Dunn, 21 June 2005.
Website: http://www.andrewdunnphoto.com/