Christmas presents - Regali di Natale Christmas in Italy mainly celebrated in December 24- January 6. Most Italians open their presents on Christmas Day morning or after lunch. On January 6th - Epiphany, l'epifania - children each receive a stocking, la calza, colourful, long socks full of sweets, i dolciumi, if they’ve been good, but they’re filled with coal, il carbone, which is made of black sugar, if they’ve been bad.
Traditionally, it's not Santa Claus but the kind witch La Befana who brings the gifts and sweets. It’s thought she followed the wise men but got lost and has been wandering ever since, handing out presents to children at Christmas.
In Venice and Mantova, it’s Santa Lucia who brings the presents, while in some regions it’s Baby Jesus, Gesu' Bambino, who bears the gifts. But nowadays, 90% of Italians also believe in Santa Claus or Father Christmas, Babbo Natale.
Food & drink - L'alimento e la bevanda In the Italian Catholic tradition, Christmas Eve is a day of abstinence from meat so a celebratory banquet often features il capitone, a dish made with fried eels, and i cardoni, a vegetable dish comprising mainly Jerusalem artichokes and eggs. After dinner, Italians head off for midnight mass. Lunch, il pranzo, on Christmas Day is the most important of all the Christmas feasts and is a lengthy affair.
There is often crostini with liver pâté or the classic tortellini in chicken stock, brodo. There is also lo zampone and il cotechino, to be eaten with mash potato and lentils. Lo zampone is a pig's foot filled with spiced mince meat, while il cotechino is a sausage made from pig's intestines containing a similar filling. Lamb, l'agnello, is another possible dish.
Desserts include nougat, il torrone, and pastries filled with cream 
cheese called i cannoli. A light Milanese cake filled with candied fruit and raisins, called il panettone, is often consumed, while the main traditional cake all over Italy is gold bread, il pandoro, which is very similar but without the candied fruit or raisins. A gingerbread with hazelnuts, honey and almonds, il panforte, is also popular. In fact, most Christmas sweets contain nuts and almonds as, according to peasant folklore, eating nuts aids the fertility of the earth and people, increasing flocks and family.
The essence of Christmas Day in Italy is family, love and food, la famiglia, l' amore e il cibo, but drinking is not so important.
Quirky customs - Abitudine strane Many small towns feature a Nativity scene with actors who go around small streets, stables and squares interpreting ancient trades such as saddlers and knife-cutters. Pipers, zampognari, perform traditional Christmas songs on bagpipes, flutes, and oboes. These travelling musicians come down from the mountains in the regions of Abruzzo and Calabria and typically wear bright red jackets and broad-brimmed hats with red tassels. In Rome, the pipers play at the Christmas market in the historic Piazza Navona, on the Spanish Steps, and at the entrance to St. Peter's Square. Figures of the zampognari are popular in nativity scenes.
MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR - BUON NATALE & FELICE ANNO NUOVO
Bisa bayangin nggak berada di dalam penerbangan ini?
Mass mouse escape on Saudi plane
More than 100 passengers on a Saudi plane were left panic-stricken by the unexpected appearance of furry fellow flyers - dozens of mice. The small rodents - about 80 in total, according to a local newspaper - escaped from the bag of a man travelling on the domestic flight.
An airline official said the aircraft was at 28,000 feet (8,500m) when mice began scurrying around the cabin.Some of the mice fell on passengers' heads, Al-Hayat newspaper reports.
The incident occurred on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from the capital, Riyadh, to north-eastern town of Tabuk.The flight landed safely and the bag's owner was detained by police investigating how he managed to get the mice onto the plane.
No explanation was given for the man's live cargo.
Belakangan ini Ben lagi rajin banget latihan nulis dan gambar terutama gambar dirinya sendiri. Meskipun bisanya baru yang gampang-gampang dan dalam huruf besar. Sebenernya saya lebih senang memberinya contoh dalam huruf kecil tapi rupanya di sekolah mereka mengajarkan menulis namanya yang di persingkat dalam huruf besar: BEN. Memang lebih gampang karena tidak banyak lekukan untuk jari-jari kecil yang belum luwes dan terampil itu.
Tidak puas dengan gambar dirinya sendiri yang kelihatan memble, diputuskan untuk di hapus dan diganti dengan yang dibawah ini. Ben pingginya menuliskan nama panggilannya yang lebih panjang: BENNY, tapi masih suka salah dan hasilnya: BENIN atau BENI.
Inilah master piece photo diri Ben.Setelah beberapa kali di hapus akhirnya tulisan namanya hampri mirip yang dimauninya.
Tidak lupa, gambar manusia laba-laba...... Tiap kali lihar huruf S pasti nyeletuk:"..like the letter of Spiderman"
