
It's the season to shower love on one another, strengthen family ties
and bonds, and spread the message of peace around...When the clock
strikes midnight tonight, the Catholics and Christians will celebrate
the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, which took place more than
2,000 years ago.
Even though, the real date on which Jesus was born is not really
known, officially December 25 is declared as the day on which he was
born into this world to save all mankind...
Like all religious leaders, Jesus too preached the message of love
and peace during his lifetime. But sadly, today, what He and all the
other religious leaders preached seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
We live in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-religious
society where peace and harmony could survive only if tolerance and
respect are cultivated. Instead, what seems to be taking root rapidly
throughout our Motherland is entirely the opposite. What's happening is
destructive and deadly.
It's time to take stock of ourselves and focus on the most valuable
message Christmas brings - PEACE and LOVE. One need not be a follower of
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to realise that without love and peace in
our hearts, we could never live in harmony with the rest of the world.
As we usher in Christmas Day, let's all unite to strengthen the bonds
of love, peace and harmony among all people who call this land their
'home'. This land is our land, and unless we help protect it and develop
it, who else will? We cannot make our Motherland a prosperous place by
simply focusing on our own selfish needs. We have to think of the
welfare of all the others too...
So, let's reflect today on how best we could help others celebrate
life as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christmas is a time to love, a
time to give and a time to share. Anyone can be a partaker of these
wonderful, precious humane acts that the celebration of Christmas is all
about.
As children, you may no doubt be more caught up with the dazzling,
material side of the season, but don't let the toys, the tinsel, the
food and the fun blind you to the true spirit of Christmas. Think of all
those who are suffering due to war, poverty and natural disasters.
We cannot forget our brave soldiers who are fighting to save our
Motherland, and their families who are undergoing hardship, even
struggling to cope with the loss of loved ones. We cannot forget our
brothers and sisters still languishing in makeshift homes, trying to
pick up the pieces even after two years since the tsunami.
Then, we cannot forget those living in refugee camps or in fear due
to the destructive war and Mother Nature's fury. Nor can we forget those
struggling with poverty, those who are orphaned, or those who are dying
of hunger and AIDS. They are all in need of love and compassion.
What better time than Christmas to make a commitment to help brighten
their lives in some small way at least.Remember, your efforts to spread
the message of love and peace by your kind deeds should not be limited
to just one day. Why not make your good deeds last throughout the year.
Change the twelve days of Christmas into twelve months of Christmas!
Have a joyous, peaceful Christmas!
Bye,
Miru
The origin of Boxing Day
The word 'Boxing Day' may not be unfamiliar to you now as the tsunami
which caused much death and destruction in Asia on December 26, 2004 is
now known all over the world as the Boxing Day Tsunami.

Enjoying a Boxing Day dinner |
But did you know why December 26 is known as Boxing Day or what
actually Boxing Day is? Boxing Day, which is widely celebrated on the
day after Christmas (December 26), could also be on the first public
holiday which follows Christmas if the 26th or 27th fell on the weekend.
But what exactly is Boxing Day? Does it have anything to do with
boxing? Many theories exist as to the origin of the day.
One story is that in feudal times (in the time of lords and serfs),
Christmas was a time for the gathering of families, and that the
servants would also gather their families at the manors of their lords
the day after Christmas so that the lords would be able to give them the
traditional gifts of clothes, grains and tools. Each family would get a
box full of these gifts, thus the name Boxing Day.
Another story is that the servants would carry a box when they return
to work after Christmas, so that their lords can put the coins which are
supposed to be the end-of-year gifts for these servants into these boxes
(like modern day bonuses). Another theory, similar to these, is that the
servants of lords would have to work on Christmas Day serving their
masters and thus get the next day off.
The food that was left over from the previous day's festivities would
be packed and boxed and taken by these servants to their families.
Another theory says that there was an early church tradition to open the
donation box on Christmas Day.
The money collected would be given to the poor the next day. So, now
you realise that Boxing Day has taken its name from the word 'box' and
not 'boxing'.
The day is celebrated on most Commonwealth countries and is a public
holiday in some. Boxing Day is now mostly a day for sporting activities;
originally focusing on fox hunting, now it has expanded to football,
cricket, horse racing and yacht races.
It's another day for families to gather for a special dinner and
exchange gifts, just as much a part of tradition as the Christmas
dinner.
But in Sri Lanka, the day will be observed as one of the saddest days
in history, as this is the day that caused much death and destruction in
the island. The Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 wiped out entire villages and
caused over 30,000 deaths and damage worth millions of rupees.
The damage wasn't confined to Sri Lanka either. It affected many
countries in the Asian region with Indonesia being the worst hit with
over 200,000 deaths.
Two years after this incident, as we celebrate Christmas and get
ready to usher in a new year, it's only right that we remember all those
who fell victim to this natural disaster. May such a terrible Boxing Day
never come again!
Project to grow bamboo
Bamboo is a kind of plant that's widely prevalent along the banks of
rivers. Apart from contributing to the natural beauty of the area, they
also prevent breaches of river banks by holding on to the soil with
their roots.
A major project to grow bamboo along the banks of rivers has now been
launched by the Agriculture, Irrigation and Mahaweli Development
Ministry with the intention of protecting river banks. It's expected to
provide a long-term solution to the breaching of river banks.
Accordingly, bamboo will be grown along nearly 11,000 kms on the
banks of all 103 rivers of the country including the Mahaweli and its
tributaries. Measures have already been taken to grow bamboo along a
147kkm stretch of the Mahaweli, from Hatton to Polgolla.
The project will be carried out by the Forestry and Environment
Division of the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority. Nearly 1.5 million bamboo
plants are estimated to be required for this project. The trees to be
cultivated along the Mahaweli river have already been issued to the
relevant zones by the Mahaweli Authority.
A bamboo tissue cultivation project has commenced at Kotmale to
provide the required bamboo for the project. The Ministry also intends
to promote the cultivation of bamboo on a wider scale so that the income
levels of the people living on the banks of these rivers could also be
improved.
Nearly Rs. 50 million has already been spent on this project. The
Chinese Government has pledged a grant of 1.5 million US dollars towards
the project. This method of growing bamboo along river banks had been
utilised by China as a means of protecting river banks.
Hajj festival on 31st
December 31 is a special day for everyone. It's the last day of the
year and the day when people all over the world get ready to usher in
the new year. But this year, the 31st will be special for Muslims all
over the world as the Hajj festival also falls on this day.

Praying for peace
Pic: Ruzaik Farook |
Hajj or the pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) in Saudi Arabia, which is
the birthplace of Islam, is central to the Islam religion. This journey
is made annually by millions of Muslims from all corners of the world.
They are brought together to share a "moving spiritual experience".
All able bodied men try to make this journey, and women go on what's
known as the 'lesser pilgrimage'. Although children are not under
obligation to do so, many do visit the holy city with their parents.
The practice dates back to the time of Prophet Abraham and should be
followed by Muslims at least once in their lifetime.
When the days are shorter and the nights longer
You would have noticed that since October, the evenings were getting
shorter, and the darkness was setting in earlier. Now by 6 pm, it is
very dark. Why?
The Sun is now over the southern hemisphere and moving towards the
Tropic of Capricorn (Makara in Sinhala and Tamil), and getting further
away from us. Hence, we now see the sun setting earlier and rising later
than in the first week of September or the first week of April, when the
Sun was over Sri Lanka.
The Sun appears to be moving between the two tropics, Cancer and
Capricorn, which are 23.5 degrees north and south of the equator. As Sri
Lanka lies between 5 and 10 degrees north of the equator, the Sun is
directly over the island twice a year, in early April on its northward
journey, and on September on its journey south.
That is why we had more daylight hours during those two periods of
the year. Now, the sun is getting closer to the Tropic of Capricorn. A
few days ago, around December 21/22, the Sun was directly over the
tropic. The Sun will not move any further South. The next day, on
December 22/23, the Sun moved northward.
Now it is mid-winter in the northern hemisphere. December 21/22 is
called the Winter Solstice. Solstice is when the Sun's apparent path is
farthest north or farthest south from the earth's equator, that is on
June 21 and December 21/22. June 21 is the Summer Solstice.
From August, days got shorter each day in the northern hemisphere and
with each passing day, it became colder. In October, birds began to fly
south to warmer regions.
Now it is mid-winter and darkness sets in as early as 3.00pm in
countries like England, the Netherlands and Denmark. In countries
further north - Norway, Sweden, Finland, Siberia and Canada - there is
sunshine only for two or three hours, or no sun at all for days in the
northernmost parts. These are the lands that had the midnight sun in
Summer.
From ancient times, people in those countries had noted that the Sun
set earlier with each passing day and on a certain day or a few days,
they saw no Sun at all, and they thought the sun was dead. But the sun
rose again and each day, it climbed higher in the horizon and the days
began to lengthen.
So the people celebrated the rebirth of the Sun with fire and lights
which were associated with warmth and with greenery, a symbol of
continuing life. The ever-green pine tree had a special place in this
festival marking the Winter Solstice.
When Christianity spread to central and northern Europe, the birth of
Jesus Christ began to be celebrated at the same time as the Winter
Solstice. That is how December 25 became Christmas Day.
That the day marked the festivals of the Winter Solstice is now
forgotten.
So, while Christmas is celebrated in mid-winter in the northern
hemisphere, it is mid-summer when countries in the southern hemisphere -
Australia, New Zealand, South America and South Africa - celebrate
Christmas. Then the countryside is the very opposite of the scenes so
common in Christmas cards.
Carols by candle light in the open, now a regular feature of the
Christmas season, even in our country, could have originated only in a
country celebrating Christmas in summer. This is Australia's addition to
the festival. It was in Melbourne in the early 1940s that carols were
first sung by candle light in the open air.
Sumana Saparamadu |