Welcome

Welcome to issue 26 of Green Kids magazine. This issue we celebrate some of the many winter festivals that take place around the world at this time of year. You can make your own festive pitta breads using the recipe on page 7, make some colourful finger puppets or find out how to make a christingle candle. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Winter festivals During the winter there are many festivals and feast days as our ancestors needed somethin g to look forward to during the dark est months of the year. Read on to find out about some of these celebrations.

Contents:

3 All about winter festivals 4 Colouring calendar 5 Make nativity finger puppets 6 Pinboard and penfriends 7 In The Kitchen 8 Earth Friendly Kids

Yule or

Winter

Solstice

is celebrated on 21st December. It is one

of the oldest festivals in the world and

marks the shortest day and the longest

night. After the 21st December the

days start to lengthen so it is a time to

welcome the return of the sun.

chanukah begins at sundown on the 22nd December this year. It is an eight-day festival held to celebrate the victory of the Jewish Macabees over the Syrian Greeks. The Macabees found special oil in their reclaimed temple, which had been blessed by a priest. They expected the oil to last for a day but it burned for eight whole days and nights. So every year Jewish people display a menorah (a candlestick with eight candles, see cover) to mark the occasion. You could make your own from paper and each day add another paper flame to the candles. You can also play a game called Dreidel at this time of year.

Editor Melissa Corkhill Design Jez Harris. Green Kids is now a FREE downloadable PDF for everyone. To write to us: Green Kids, PO Box 104, East Hoathly, Lewes, BN7 9AX Tel: 01825 872858 Website: www.thegreenparent.co.uk • With thanks to Fi Bird for the recipes. Advent starts on 30th November, it means ‘coming’. Children around the world celebrate the coming of Christmas using an advent calendar or candle to mark the passing days in the lead up to Christmas. Check out our advent calendar on the next page >

christmas & christingle People celebrate the Christian festival of Christmas on 25th December. Some churches hold Christingle services on Christmas Eve, which are very magical. You can make your own Christingle using an orange, four cocktail sticks, dried fruit and nuts, mall candle and a length of red ribbon. HOW TO: Cut a small cross in the top of an orange, Tie ribbon round the middle of the orange and secure with tape. Place a small square of foil over the cross cut in the top. Then push the candle into the foil and orange. Thread fruit and nuts onto the cocktail sticks and insert into the orange.

St Nicholas

was a rich Christian priest who became a bishop. One

story tells how St Nicholas dropped golden coins into the

stocking of a poor man’s children, which we think is where

the tradition of hanging out your stockings for Father

Christmas came from. He is remembered as the patron

saint of children and in countries like Germany people

celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas on 6th December.

Thread popcorn and peanuts in their shells on brightly coloured string to make a decoration. It can even be fed to the birds after Christmas!

Did you know

In 2006 New York remained

without snow over Christmas for

the first time in 150 years!

Congratulations to the winners of our Crafty Travel Kit competition: Toby Hills, 8; Fiona Bristow, 6; Isla Newton, 9; Tara Furness, 5; Ethan Safine, 5;

Christmas Eve Legend has it that the anima lsspeak on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Some farmers sing carols to their cows on this night. You could take a l antern into your garden and sing s ome carols to the wildlife and ma ybe leave out some fruit and nu ts for the birds and other creatur es.

Send us your winter pictures to win this great game

The Penguin Rescuer game is part of the new Eco Series of toys from Wonderworld. It’s a fun, co-operative game about a family of penguins living on the North Pole who live happily until the temperature increases from the effect of global warming. Worth £17.95, stockists at dkl.co.uk. To enter just send your pictures to address opposite. Good luck!