CROSSROAD
CROSSROA D S Language StudioÊs Newsletter December,December , 201
20 1 910 unusual traditions from around the world:
From tinsel to Brussels sprouts, Christmas isjust one wacky tradition after another. In
celebration of these festive eccentricities, I’ve
rounded up ten of the most unusual customs
from across the globe...
1) Germany and Austria
The star of a new Hollywood
horror film, the Krampus is
FatherChristmas' scaryfriend, adevilish creature
who punishes naughty children
throughout the festive period.
The mythical beast, which stems from AustroBavarian German-speaking Alpine folklore, ishairy with hooves and large horns.
2) Catalonia
There are a couple of strange Catalonian
traditions, one of which is the caga tió or“defecating log”. In the fortnight leading up toChristmas, a grinning creature is created out ofa small log and placed on the dining room table.
The log must be fed every day with fruit, nuts,and sweets, before – on Christmas Eve – it’sElla
beaten with sticks, excreting its goodies.
3) Caracas
In Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, revellers
Janis to early-morning church services on roller
travelskates throughout the festive period. The roads
are even closed off specially.
4) JapanChristmas isn’t a national holiday in Japan butthat doesn’t stop a large number of peoplecelebrating the festival. Santa Claus, or Santa
Kurohsu, is said to have eyes in the back of hishead to keep an eye on naughty children, while
Japanese Christmas cake is usually made upof sponge, whipped cream, and strawberries.
5) Portugal - Set play in Rugby –scrum
A line-out
In APortugal,families set extra places
at thedining table on Christmas morning for deceased
relatives. The practice is called “consoda” and isthought to bring the family good luck.

6) Czech RepublicOver Christmas, Czech women use a clever trick
to predict their love lives for the coming year.
Unmarried women stand with their backs totheir front doors and toss shoes over theirshoulders. If a shoe lands with its toe pointing
towards the door, the woman will get hitchedwithin the next 12 months.
7) Norway
In Norway, it’s thought Christmas Eve coincides
with the arrival of evil spirits and witches. Toprotect themselves, families hide all their brooms
before they go to bed.
8) Ukraine
Ukrainian Christmas trees are traditionallydecorated with a fake spider and web. Thecustom, which is said to bring good luck, stems
from an old wives' tale about a poor woman who
could not afford to decorate her tree. She woke
up on Christmas morning to find a spider hadcovered it in a glittering web.
9) GreenlandIf you think sprouts are bad, you should try oneof Greenland’s Christmas delicacies. Mattak raw whale skin with blubber - is one. Anotheris kiviak, which is when an auk (a small bird) iswrapped in seal skin, buried for several months,
and then eaten once decomposed.
10) India
Only about 2.3 per cent of the population of India
is Christians, but that still works out as about 25
million people. The day is celebrated withmidnight mass and present-giving, but in theabsence of fir trees or pine trees, banana trees
and mango tree are decorated instead.

Article by Kevin
NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
…. Try our lessons on the net!
For more Christmas traditions from around the world gohere: https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/Joshua Says: Time flies, too quickly sometimes. It’s been a year since Kevinjoined us, and he’s already moving onto his next assignment in January,in China. He has done a great job teaching with us for the past year andwe, his students and colleagues, wish him the greatest success. “All thebest, Kevin and thanks for a job well done. Who knows, we may yet see
you again some day in the future.”Junko Says: We think rice, which contains a lot of sugar, makes us fat and is badfor our health. But recently Dr. Dominy found that the cause for gaining weight
depends on the amount of amylase in your saliva. If you have more amylase, youhave less chance of gaining weight. He also says that you can increase the amountof amylase in your saliva by chewing more. So if you chew well, you can still enjoy
the delicate sweetness of rice and other grains, and not worry about gaining weight!
Kevin Says: Sometimes it’s easier to express feelings in written form, so here
goes – It’s my last month in Matsuyama before I go to China. Can I just say
this, that it’s been a privilege to have had the chance to listen to you all sharesome of your lives and country’s culture with me. It’s definitely not something
I’ll ever forget. Thank you, farewell and ki o tsukete.
Darrin Says: After looking forward to the RWC for so long and the excitementof the matches, I feel a big sense of emptiness now the rugby has finished.
Four more years to wait until the next one! My main hope is that theJapanese team can continue to build momentum and become a major rugby
power and that my beloved Wallabies rebuild and become strong once more.
Mandcy dit: En regardant la télévision japonaise, j'ai été très étonnée de constater que lesenfants japonais font des bonhommes de neige avec trois grosses boules de neige. En effet, lespetits francais n'utilisent que deux grosses boules de neiges. Une pour la tête et une pour leventre!! En tous cas, je suis très contente d'enseigner à Crossroads. J'ai passé une merveilleuseannée auprès de vous. Je vous remercie du fond du cœur. Je vous souhaite très sincèrement unmerveilleux Noël et une très bonne année. J'ai hâte de vous revoir l'année prochaine.
ACROSS
2 bad behavior
5 not being there
7 not genuine, not real
11 go or happens with
12 valueless decoration
13 no longer living
14 flashing, shining
15 throw in a casual, careless manner
16 offering fun and gaiety
DOWN
1 grows out of or from
3 foolish, strange
4 unwritten stories, proverbs of a culture
6 strange, unconventional behavior
8 discharging bodily waste matter9 get married
10 people celebrating in a noisy party(print version here)

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www.CrosswordWeaver.com

Critic’s corner with S(a)3’s Taro:
The movie,Stagecoach

If you like western movies (or even if you don't), you will
like Stagecoach , an American monochrome film released in
1939. In the story, seven strangers board a stagecoach andtraveled together. The party consisted of two ladies (apregnant woman and a prostitute) and six gentlemen (a doctor,a banker, a gambler, a whiskey salesman, a sheriff, and a
Ringo(Wayne) and Dallas(Trevor)
driver). On their way from Arizona to New Mexico, they pick a
man up, Ringo Kid (John Wayne), a fugitive who had escaped from a prison to take revenge on agang who had murdered his father and brother.
When they arrived at Mesa, Mrs. Mallory (Louise Platt) went into labor. Dr. Boone (ThomasMitchell) helped her to deliver the baby. Dallas (Claire Trevor) worked as a midwife. Although
the other passengers had looked down on Dallas because she was a hooker, she got theirrespects because of her dedication. Ringo fell in love with her, and she also fell in love with him.
When they reached a river, they found the ferry had been destroyed by apaches. They attachedlogs to their stagecoach so that it could float on the water. Just after they passed the river,apaches attacked them. The gentlemen fought to protect the ladies and the newborn baby.
During the battle, the driver was injured and couldn't use his right arm. So, Ringo jumped fromthe stagecoach onto the horses to controlled them himself. Although the gambler died, theyreached Roseburg in New Mexico.
In Roseburg, Ringo asked sheriff Curley (George Bancroft)to give him ten minutes so he could do battled against thegang’s brothers. It was three against one, but the tough guywon. Ringo was then arrested. He had to go back to jail. He
got on a wagon and said goodbye to Dallas. However, Curleyand Dr. Boone let Dallas board the wagon with him and theyescaped together.
The film has many highlights. Although I selected someof them, you can enjoy it from a variety of viewpoints. I wantRingo Kid jumps onto the horses
you to watch it yourself. Have a good trip on a Stagecoach!
E X H A U S T I O NCLRICABTO
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T R O U B L E S O M EELSDS Q U A L I DTI N F L U E N T I A L
DLast Month’s Puzzle Solution
ACROSS
1 extreme loss of energy
6 similar to handcuffs
7 clear, bright colorful
9 harmful to mind or morals
11 where cash crops are grown
on a large scale
13 the time for something toend
14 difficult to deal with
15 foul, unpleasant, offensive
16 power to effect events

DOWN
2 making a clear cut throughsomething
3 crowded, packed tocapacity
4 products bought and sold5 outlawed, forbidden
8 shows or describes in apicture
10 a large number collected in
one place
12 kept apart

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