Santa Claus is a familiar figure to children and adults across the world; a “jolly old elf” who rides through the night sky on a sleigh, bringing presents to all the good boys and girls. But who is Santa Claus, really? Where the does the legend come from?

The English name “Santa Claus” comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas, in turn, is derived from the Dutch translation of “Saint Nicholas.”

The real-life St. Nicholas was a Greek bishop who lived in what is now Turkey. He was known for giving giving gifts to the poor and protecting children. In fact, one story has him resurrecting children whom a psychopathic local butcher had made into meat pies, like an ancient version of Sweeney Todd.

But what is it with him and the chimney? Apparently, one of St. Nicholas’ many good deeds involved paying the dowries for three poor girls so that they wouldn’t have to turn to prostitution to support themselves. He wanted to make this gift anonymously, but when it came time to deliver the third purse the girls’ father was waiting up for him. So, down the chimney it went, where it was caught by a pair of stockings that the girl had hung up to dry.

Those of us who are used to the unfailingly cheerful modern version of Santa might also be surprised to learn that he wasn’t always so full of good cheer. In fact, in Austria and Bavaria he was supposedly accompanied by a rather unpleasant character called the Krampus. The Krampus looks like a rabid goat, and comes after the children on St. Nick’s “naughty” list. Sometimes, he merely delivers their families a bundle of switches to beat them with. Other times, he eats them. It’s still traditional in this region for young men to dress up like the Krampus and run around frightening the little ones before St. Nicholas’  feast day. If you see a Krampus, you are traditionally obliged to give it some schnapps, which seems like the sensible thing to do.

While the modern-day Santa Claus may have been derived from the legends of St. Nicholas, the two are treated as separate characters in many countries, with the saint delivering presents on his feast day and Santa Claus delivering a smaller load of goodies on Christmas Eve.

Santa as we know him today is an amalgam of St. Nicholas, the ancient Norse God Odin, and the old English character of Father Christmas. Like Odin, he has a long flowing beard and is capable of flying through sky at night. Father Christmas was created to represent the “spirit of Christmas,” defending the holiday from English Puritans who thought that drinking and merriment was an ungodly way to celebrate. From Father Christmas, Santa gets his jolly demeanour (and probably also his rosy cheeks and nose.)

Are you ready for Santa Claus this year?

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Who is Santa Claus?

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This past weekend, on July 30^th, Wales kicked off its annual National Eisteddfod in a field in Wrexham. If you’re not from Wales, you may be asking yourself: What, exactly, is an Eisteddfod?

Basically, it’s a yearly festival celebrating Welsh language, literature and culture. Originally, it was a gathering of bards, where poets and musicians came to test their skills against one another. The first such event that we know of was held by Lord Rhys of Cardigan in 1176.

Today, the National Eisteddfod not only includes poetry, literature, dance and musical performances, but also features exhibits devoted to science and technology and booths where Welsh artisans can peddle their wares. The location changes every year, but it is always held in the countryside. The main fairground is known as the maes.

The proceedings are held entirely in the Welsh language, and crowns and chairs are awarded to the best artists. The festival has a traditionally “Welsh” feel to it: The awards ceremonies are conducted by an official called the Archdruid and if there isn’t already an ancient stone circle in the vicinity, festival organizers used to build one for the occasion. However, in recent years plastic “stones” have been used instead.

But don’t be deceived- the festival may celebrate Wales’ ancient heritage, but it’s more that just a Renaissance festival. Welsh bands of all genres get a chance to strut their stuff, and dance competitions are just as likely to include hip-hop and disco as they are to include traditional Welsh folk dancing.

This year’s festival runs through the sixth of August, and is being held on Lower Berse Farm near Wrexham.

According to the National Eisteddfod website, the opening weekend was a smashing success:

By the end of Sunday, 36,621 people had visited the Maes on the land at Lower Berse Farm in Wrexham, and according to Elfed Roberts, Festival Chief Executive:

“We are happy with the initial response to the Eisteddfod in Wrexham. Visitor figures have been positive, and higher than this period for most of the last few years, which is very encouraging.”

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Welsh Language & Culture Festival

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According to The Voice of Russia, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev recently declared a new holiday: June 6th, Russian Language Day. The intention of the holiday is to:

“preserve, support and develop the Russian language as the Russian people’s national heritage, a means of international communication and an inalienable part of the cultural and spiritual heritage of the world civilization.”

Why June 6th? That’s the birthday of Alexander Pushkin, generally considered to be Russia’s greatest poet and playwright. According to Wikipedia, most of the English-speaking world knows Pushkin’s name but not his work, simply because the language he used contains layers of meaning that don’t translate well. For example, when Vladimir Nabokov attempted to translate Pushkin’s short 100-page novel “Eugene Onegin” into English, he ended up with a dense, two-volume tome.

To celebrate the occasion, Medvedev spent the day at the Alexander Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, according to Isria.com. In a speech, he stressed the importance of preserving the language, telling the audience:

“We need to look after our cherished Russian language, and not just on special dates of course, but all the time. The president can announce a symbolic event such as this, but looking after our language is something we all need to do every day, after all, every person living in our country uses the Russian language.”

At K International, we’d like to do our part to help celebrate Russian Language Day. So, here’s a brief round-up of some of the most useful Russian language resources on the web:

Omniglot’s Russian Language Page: Is a trip to Russia in your future? Stop here to learn how to read and pronounce some essential Russian phrases. Audio recordings are included.

RussianLessons.net : This site gives you a more in-depth view of the language, with lessons covering the Russian alphabet, vocabulary and grammar.

The BBC Guide to Russian : The BBC’s guide to Russian features cool facts about the language, useful phrases and even a Russian “soap opera.”

What’s Gained in Translation : This old essay from the New York Times takes excerpts from Eugene Onegin as translated by four different translators and compares them. It’s an interesting read and good way to get a feel for Pushkin’s work.

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Russian Language Day Was June 6th

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re well aware of the fact that the Royal Wedding was this past Friday. Millions of people around the world tuned in to watch the traditional “white wedding,” and what a beautiful ceremony it was! But that’s not the only way to get married, by any means. In honor of the happy couple, let’s take a look at some of the more interesting traditions surrounding marriage in different parts of the world:

Show Me the Money

Starting a new life together is expensive. In some countries, wedding guests are expected to give the happy couple the most practical gift of all: Cold, hard cash. For example, in many parts of Greece, it is traditional for guests to pin money to the bride’s dress as she dances during the wedding reception. Interestingly, this also a tradition in some parts of the Philippines. In Southern Italy, wedding guests are expected to hand the newlyweds envelopes of cash as they exit the reception in exchange for a wedding favor.

Henna

In some countries, including India and Morocco, it’s tradition for the bride to have her hands and often her feet adorned with intricate, detailed designs in rich brown henna paste. Once the paste is removed, the designs can last for weeks, slowly fading over time.

Party Hearty

If you were exhausted after your wedding reception, be grateful you’re not from Poland or Romania, where wedding ceremonies and the ensuing after-party can last for days. In Poland, one tradition has wedding guests obstructing the path of the newlyweds with “passing gates.” To pass, the bride and groom must provide the guests with vodka.

In Romania, the wedding celebrations can last up to 2 days, and often involve a good deal of alcohol. The elaborate ceremony and the reception are guided by special musicians called  lăutari, who play traditional Romanian songs as they choreograph the festivities.

Practical Jokes

As if the poor groom didn’t have enough to deal with, in some cultures it’s traditional to tease him or play jokes on him. For example, in some parts of Italy, the groomsmen are expected to poke fun at him, saying things like “Maybe she forgot where the church is.” Meanwhile, in Romania, the groom’s friends will often “kidnap” the bride from the reception, taking her somewhere else and making the groom pay a ransom to get her back.

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Wedding Traditions from Around the World

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It’s always a good idea to be skeptical about what you read on the Internet, but on April 1^st that’s especially true.  This year, for example, Google has probably tricked  countless gullible people around the world into dancing in front of their computer to try out a “new beta” called “Gmail  Motion” and/or applying for a job as an “autocompleter.” If you have psychic powers and the ability to type 32,000 words per minute, Google might have a job for you…not!

Why do we play pranks on each other on April 1^st? There are a couple of theories as to how this holiday got its start. The first theory is that April Fools Day began after Europe switched from the old Julian calendar to the modern Gregorian calender. Prior to the switch, most of Europe celebrated the beginning of a new year from the 25^th of March to April 1^st, to coincide with the festival of the Annunciation.  “April Fools,” then, was a day to play jokes on “April fools,” or people who insisted on celebrating New Year’s on the wrong day.

There’s also another possibility: the April Fool’s Day holiday could have been derived from the Persian holiday of Sizdahbedar, which also falls on April 1^st, involves pranks, and has been celebrated since at least 536 BC.

Either way, everyone loves a good practical joke, and countries around the world celebrate April Fools Day. Here are some examples:

• In France, the tradition is to sneak up on someone and attach a paper fish (called poisson d’avril, or “April’s Fish”) to your victim’s back without them catching on.
• This tradition is also practiced by children in Italy. Popular adult pranks include fake reports about alien invasions, free money giveaways, etc. Here, all practical jokes played on April Fools’ Day are called “pesce d’aprile,” or “April’s Fish,” whether they involve a fish or not.
• Scottish people traditionally referred to April 1^st as “Hunt-the-Gowk Day.” To celebrate, they would find an extremely gullible person and ask them to deliver a sealed message to a third person requesting help with an urgent issue. Instead of requesting help, the message would actually say: “Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile”.  Then, the recipient would tell the victim to deliver the letter to yet another person. The idea was to see how many people the poor “gowk” would be willing to deliver the letter to before realizing he’d been had.
• In Poland, the holiday is called “Prima Aprilis.” Kids get to dress up, and just about everything on the news is a hoax.

What’s the best April Fools’ joke you’ve ever played?

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | April Fool’s Day Around the World

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In the English-speaking world, New Year’s Day has already come and gone. However, in China, it is still to come. This year, the Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival) falls on February 3^rd. To celebrate, here are 8 fun facts about this holiday (from Wikipedia):

1. The traditional Chinese New Year celebration lasts 15 days.
2. 2011 is the year of the Rabbit. Children born during the Year of the Rabbit are said to be sensitive, brooding and artistic.
3. Everyone goes home for the Chinese New Year celebrations, if they can. The period just before the Chinese New Year, called chunyun, is the busiest travel time of the entire year. All across China and beyond, you’ll find people on their way home to spend this time with their families.
4. The Chinese New Year is seen as the perfect time to do some spring cleaning.  Traditionally, it was believed that cleaning house for the new year’s celebrations swept bad luck away and helped ensure good fortune in the year to come.
5. Traditional foods include fish, which is served at the end of the New Year’s meal and symbolizes abundance, and a sticky fruitcake called Neen Gow or Nian Gow.
6. Red decorations are everywhere, because the color red is considered to be one of the luckiest colors of all.  Older family members use red envelopes to give gifts of cash to their younger relatives.
7. Shou Sui is the practice of staying up until midnight as a family to greet the new year.
8. During the Chinese New Year, people often greet each other by shouting “auspicious phrases” thought to bring luck, like “gōng xǐ fā cái,” which translates to “Congratulations and be prosperous.” Children sometimes use the following variant of this greeting when they are feeling cheeky: “gōng xǐ fā cái, hóng bāo ná lái.” That means “Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope!”

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | 8 Fun Facts about the Chinese New Year

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It’s official: 2010 is drawing to a close. While New Year’s celebrations around the world almost universally involve fireworks and drinking, many places have their own intriguing local traditions as well. Here’s a look at some interesting ways that people around the world are welcoming in 2011:

Scotland: Hogmanay

The Scottish New Year’s celebration is called Hogmanay. This is an ancient festival with roots that go back to the pre-Christian era. Many Hogmanay customs are designed to provide celebrants with good luck in the coming year. For example, the “first-foot,” or the first person to enter the house after the clock strikes midnight, brings gifts for the household. In some regions, this person is believed to bring good or bad fortune depending on their physical characteristics, with “tall, dark and handsome” men being preferred.

Fire is another traditional part of Hogmanay celebrations. For example, in Stonehaven, people build fireballs by wrapping chicken wire around flammable substances like paper. Then, they run through the town to the sea, swinging the fireballs over their heads until they go out or until they reach the water’s edge.

Denmark

According to Travel + Leisure, one popular Danish New Year’s tradition is for everyone to jump off chairs at the stroke of midnight. Per Wikipedia, it’s also traditional to throw old dishes at your friends’ houses on New Year’s Eve, but according to this article that tradition is no longer practiced. Any Danes want to weigh in?

Ecuador

In Ecuador, people celebrate the New Year by burning effigies called Años Viejos. These figures are often dressed to resemble unpopular politicians and stuffed with firecrackers. Another custom, this one brought over from Spain, is that of eating 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight, making a wish as you eat each one.

Mexico

On New Year’s Eve, Mexican families make a list of all the bad things that happened during the old year. After midnight, the lists are burned in a bonfire to signal a fresh start. Just as in Ecuador, Mexicans also participate in the tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight.

Japan

In Japan, it is customary to send postcards called nengajō to friends and relatives. The postcards are sent in December to arrive on or near New Year’s Day. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, Buddhist temples all across the country ring their bells 108 times to cleanse the people listening to them of the 108 worldly desires described in Buddhism.

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | New Year’s Around the World

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Christmas is celebrated in many different countries around the world, but the way it’s celebrated varies from place to place. Here are 5 of the most unusual ways to celebrate the holiday:

Catalonia – Tió de Nadal

In Catalonia, one important part of the Christmas celebration is the “Tio de Nadal,” or the “Christmas Log.” That’s the polite name, at least. The Tio de Nadal is more commonly called “Caga Tió,” or “pooping log.” During the month of December, the hollow log is “fed” each night with sweets, nuts and candies. Then, on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, the log is beaten with sticks and made to “poop” out its presents. The last thing to come out of the log is something less tasty, like an onion, garlic or salt herring.

There are a bunch of different traditional songs that people sing while beating their Caga Tió. Here’s one, from Wikipedia:

caga tió,
caga torró,
avellanes i mató,
si no cagues bé
et daré un cop de bastó.
caga tió!”

This translates to:

poop log,
poop turrón,
hazelnuts and cottage cheese,
if you don’t poop well,
I’ll hit you with a stick,
poop log!

Scandinavia and Midwestern US – Lutefisk

In Scandinavia and the Midwestern US, which was largely settled by Scandinavian immigrants, one traditional Christmas delicacy is known as lutefisk. This infamous dish consists of fish that has been soaked in lye until it attains a jelly-like consistency. Per Wikipedia, “The Wisconsin Employees’ Right to Know Law specifically exempts lutefisk in defining “toxic substances”.” That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?

Greenland – Kiviak

According to the Food Lorists blog, kiviak is a dish traditionally eaten in Greenland to celebrate Christmas. It consists of whole auks (a type of seagull) that have been sewn into a blubbery seal pelt and buried in the permafrost for 7 months.

To be fair, Food Lorists claims that kiviak tastes like cheese and compares the process to making fish sauce.

Wales – Mari Lwyd

The Mari Lwyd isn’t really a Christmas tradition, since it dates back to before Christianity. However, it is a seasonal Welsh tradition that’s performed either in December or January to celebrate the New Year, so we’ll include it here. Basically, the Mari Lwyd is like caroling with a horse skull. Here’s how it works: A group of people decorate a horse skull (the Mari Lwyd) and attach it to a pole. Fabric is used to hide the pole and the person carrying it, and the horse skull is carried around town. The Mari Lwyd party then stops at houses and businesses throughout the town, where townspeople and the person holding the horse-skull sing insulting songs at each other. Eventually, sweets or other little presents are sometimes exchanged.

Serbia – Ransom for Presents

In Serbia, it’s not traditional to exchange gifts on Christmas Day itself, but it is traditional to exchange them earlier in the month.

On the Sunday 3 weeks before Christmas, called Detinjci, children give gifts to their parents and others. On the Sunday 2 weeks before Christmas, called Materice, mothers give gifts to their children. Finally, on the Sunday 1 week before Christmas, called Oci, men give presents to their families.

What’s unusual about Serbia’s gift-giving traditions is that the designated “givers” get tied up, and then use gifts they’ve bought previously to ransom their freedom. Better make sure the recipients like their presents!

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | 5 Unusual Christmas Traditions from Around the World

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This is yet another email I am sending to you. I somehow cannot give up on hope, nearly thirty years on.

How have you been?

Did you read the “Prevent Diabetes Today!” leaflet I sent to you last month? Don’t take it personally, I just saw your picture on a tin of candies. You obviously put on a little weight, didn’t you? Here is an idea for a New Year resolution

On the other hand, some diet and exercise may work miracles, especially now when you’ve found your second half. Huh! How do I know about it?

The other week some lady aged around 60 said she liked my scarf very much. It was the one you got me for last Christmas, remember? When I said I got it from you, her eyes sparkled and she smiled kindly. I am not easy to fool, so I caught the drift.

Please tell me, is it very difficult to maintain such a long distance relationship?

Anyway, as usual, please find attached a signed list of all my good deeds for 2010 (plus the last week of 2009). Last year’s lot was sent to you via email, I am afraid ‘good deeds09.xls’ bounced back to me. I realised that only this month.

I assume the recession must have hit your pocket too. Therefore I kept my wish list is as short as possible. BTW, are you cutting heads and employ fewer helpers now?

I also hope you didn’t switch to airways. The airports are not very reliable at the moment to be honest, even though the tickets are sometimes dirt-cheap.

I must admit last Christmas you caused a little confusion to some of my friends. A lot of their presents were not signed at all! They didn’t know exactly which gift is meant for whom. It was ok with me, but some seemed really embarrassed.

If you need a list of template translations of the phrase: “from Santa to …” then just drop me a line and we will produce it for you at K International.

PS. The book I requested this year (i.e. “Lapland Inside Out”, new edition) is quite urgent. I have a feeling the publisher may run out of copies due to the massive demand. I’d suggest you place the order ASAP from your smartphone app. You’re probably on your way at the moment, away from the laptop.

If you ask me why this book, I’d like to come over to Lapland sometimes next month. I would rather not cause any shock to you by suddenly appearing at your door. It might be dangerous for someone your age…

I look forward hearing from you very (very!) soon.

Merry Christmas!

Your beloved Konrad.

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Dear Santa…

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Want to know all the secrets behind entrepreneurship? Already an entrepreneur yourself? Fancy sharing your experiences and ideas? If you answered “yes” to one of these questions, you are cordially invited to the best business networking event about sucessful entrepreneurs coming in town soon! My mate Liz Endler is going to hold the conference here in vibrant Milton Keynes, check the details out if you want to join the party…

Join us at the Hilton Doubletree in Milton Keynes for a new style of business event which has been specially designed to activate the rich seam of creativity and growth amongst the entrepreneurial community.

Our aim is to bring together entrepreneurs, the academic community and those involved at strategic levels in helping to foster business growth to share their different skills, knowledge and perspectives and provide a springboard to creating new business growth.

Listen to some of the best business speakers share their experiences of developing successful businesses and practical business theories – both to inspire you to focus on further growing your business and to give you a host of practical tools to help you maximise the potential of your own unique business.

Some of the benefits of attending:

• Connect with other like minded passionate entrepreneurs in a vibrant atmosphere.
• Listen to successful entrepreneurs sharing their experiences.
• Take away a whole range of ideas to harness further growth in your own unique business.
• Find new opportunities for growth in the expanding local economy.

Our Keynote Speakers include:

Deirdre Bounds

Deirdre started i-to-i.com – which was to become the world’s largest gap year travel company, taking it from an untried idea to selling it for an 8 figure sum, 11 years later.

Dr Tony Grundy

Tony has been a non-executive director for a variety of entrepreneurial companies and has taught for many years at Cranfield School of Management and Henley Business School. He is also an author of 17 books including ‘Smart Things to Know About Growth’.

David Morris

Founder of Cirris Solutions Ltd, one of the largest global players in cable harness testing. David is a serial entrepreneur and business owner with a philanthropic view of business.

Find more details at our eventbrite page : http://bgf1.eventbrite.com/

Hope to see you there!

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Business Networking Event Coming to Milton Keynes

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