Canadian+Culture


 * CANADIAN ATHLETE**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjUVGIgWMDw

 Started from the Bottom [|Drake]  Started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now my whole team fucking here Started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now the whole team here, nigga Started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now my whole team here, nigga Started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now the whole team fucking here I done kept it real from the jump Living at my mama’s house we'd argue every month Nigga, I was trying to get it on my own Working all night, traffic on the way home And my uncle calling me like "Where ya at? I gave you the keys told ya bring it right back” Nigga, I just think its funny how it goes Now I’m on the road, half a million for a show And we started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now my whole team fucking here Started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now the whole team here, nigga Started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now my whole team fucking here Started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now my whole team here, nigga Boys tell stories about the man Say I never struggled, wasn't hungry, yeah, I doubt it, nigga I could turn your boy into the man There ain't really much I hear that's poppin' off without us, nigga We just want the credit where it's due I’ma worry about me, give a fuck about you Nigga, just as a reminder to myself I wear every single chain, even when I’m in the house 'Cause we started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now my whole team fucking here Started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now the whole team here, nigga No new niggas, nigga we don’t feel that Fuck a fake friend, where your real friends at? We don’t like to do too much explainin' Story stay the same I never changed it No new niggas, nigga we don’t feel that Fuck a fake friend, where your real friends at? We don’t like to do too much explainin' Story stay the same through the money and the fame 'Cause we started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now my whole team fucking here Started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now the whole team here, nigga Started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now my whole team here, nigga Started from the bottom now we're here Started from the bottom now my whole team here, nigga


 * Canadian Historical Moments:**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT7qHaRiKAQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7Hdi3L3lCQ (Ma Mere)
 * Ginette Reno > O Canada > Centre Bell (very shortly after her surgery)**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEIXKhnwPFE&list=PLR89xcpNJo53rAR2RYAr9Jo03PtW6eGI0 (w/ French/English Subtitles) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHJ76KA7k4E (w/ photos where Kinetic grew up)
 * Hymn National de Quebec > Music > Gille Villeneuve**

http://watchmojo.com/video/id/10202/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Ib4xxWREo (15 year old learning English)
 * Celine Dion**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rCh0pB7bfw
 * Rene Simard > on learning English**

https://www.nfb.ca/film/sweater
 * NFB > The Sweater**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4706taohunA
 * French Roast (Best Short Film Animated Film 2010)**

__**Tete a Claque > Halloween > Ecole > Limonade > Pere Noel**__ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmwu-srjEh4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c-BRBl5V2I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPfRlxxPWSk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrDnsxsKWuc = = =__**French Canadian Culture**__=

http://www.englishteachermelanie.com/pronunciation-30-french-words-used-in-english-video/ = = ** ballet ** – // a classical style of dance // ** bouquet ** – // a group of flowers put together either to display or to carry // ** boutique ** – // a small store that sells fashionable (and sometimes expensive) clothes and accessories // ** café **– // a small, simple restaurant or coffeeshop // ** chef ** – // a professional cook (who usually works in a restaurant) // ** coup / coup d’etat ** – // an overthrow (removal) of a government (usually by the military); a seizure of power // ** coup **(another definition) – // an achievement that is unexpected and impressive // ** debacle ** – // a messy defeat or failure // ** debut ** – // the first appearance or performance of something (a play, a song, a product, etc.), usually in public // ** décor ** – // the appearance of a room or indoor space; the colour of the walls, the window coverings, the furniture, etc.; the way the room is decorated // ** déjà vu ** – // already seen; the strange feeling that you have already experienced something that is happening now // ** encore ** – // an audience calls ‘encore’ at the end of a performance (a concert, a play, etc.) when they want the performance to continue // ** en masse ** – // all together, as a group, at the same time // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** en route ** –// on the way (to somewhere) // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** entrée ** – // the main course/dish of a meal // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** entrepreneur ** – // a person who starts their own business // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** façade ** – // the front of a building // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** faux pas ** –// an embarrassing mistake, especially socially or in fashion // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** fiancé(e) ** – // the person you are engaged to / committed to marry; fiancé – male, fiancée – female // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** genre ** – // a particular style or type of art, movie, book, etc., // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** hors d’œuvres ** – // appetizers; small bits of food before a meal or at a party // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** liaison ** – // a person or organization that helps other people or organizations work together effectively and helps them communicate // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** matinée ** – // the afternoon performance of a play, or showing of a movie // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** menu ** – // a list of things you can choose from, for example dishes at a restaurant, choices on a computer // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** naïve ** – // innocent, simple, too ready to believe someone or something because of a lack of knowledge or experience // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** petite ** – // used to describe a small, slender woman // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** potpourri ** – // a nice smelling mixture of dried petals, leaves, and spices; used to make a room or other place smell nice // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** protégé ** – // a younger person who is taught, helped, by someone older, more knowledgeable, and more experienced // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** restaurant ** – // a place of business where you can buy and eat a meal // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** resumé ** – // a written summary of your education, work experience, and achievements; also known as a ‘curriculum vitae’ (CV) // <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato,Arial,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;">** sauté ** – // a method of cooking; to fry food in a small amount of fat (usually oil) //
 * Here are 30 French words used in English**

<span style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Flying Canoe
<span style="color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> Long ago, there were a number of lonely lumberjacks working in the center of a very large forest. They cut down mammoth trees and watched them crash into the thick snow in exactly the place where they said the trees would land. They would cut up the trees and haul them hither and thither. They worked hard, Mon Dieu, very hard indeed! But they were lonely for the women they had left behind. On New Years Day, it snowed so hard no work could be done. The men huddled in their camp and spoke longingly of their home. They passed around the rum and drank toasts to the New Year, but finally Baptiste said what they were all thinking: "I wish to go home today and see my girl!" There were murmurs of agreement, but Jean replied: "How can we go home today? There is more than two meters of snow on the road, and more snow is falling." "Who said we were walking out of here?" asked Baptiste. "I am going to paddle out in my canoe." Now the men all knew that Baptiste had a canoe with paddles out back of the camp. Baptiste had made a pact with the devil. If the devil would make the canoe fly wherever Baptiste wished, the lumberjack would not say Mass for an entire year. However, if Baptiste did not return the canoe before dawn of the day after he used it, the devil could keep his soul. While Baptiste and his companions were in la chasse-gallerie, they could not say the name of God or fly over a church or touch any crosses, or the canoe would crash. Many of the men refused to participate in Baptiste's New Years scheme, but he managed to find seven companions to fly with him in the canoe back to their home town to visit their women. Baptiste and his friends got into the canoe, and Baptiste said the magic words: "Acabris! Acabras! Acabram!" When Baptiste was done binding himself to the devil, the canoe rose into the air and the men began to paddle their way through the sky to their home. Their womenfolk were so glad to see them! They celebrated long into the night, drinking and dancing. It was close to dawn when the men realized they had to return the canoe to the lumber camp by dawn or forfeit their souls. They searched for Baptiste, and found him as drunk as a lord, lying under a table at the inn. They bundled him into the canoe, spoke the magic words, and paddled away. Knowing that Baptiste would start swearing if they woke him, one of the men tied him up and gagged him so he would not speak the name of God at an inopportune moment and crash the canoe. When Baptiste awoke, he sat up, struggling with the ropes that bound him. He managed to loosen the gag, and shouted: "Mon Dieu, why have you tied me up?" At the name of God, the canoe took a nose-dive, plunging towards the ground. It hit the top of a large pine tree and all the men tumbled out and fell down, down into the darkness just before dawn. They were never seen again!
 * A French Canadian Folktale**
 * retold by**
 * S. E. Schlosser**


 * You can read more Canadian folktales and ghost stories in [|Spooky Canada] by S.E. Schlosser.**

= =__**CANADIAN CULTURE**__=


 * //- AUGUST -//**

SIMCOE Day (Civic Holiday, First Monday in August, Statutory Holiday)
The holiday celebrated on the first Monday of August - giving many, but not all Canadians a mid-summer, long weekend - is known by many names. It's British Columbia Day in Canada's western-most province and Natal Day in Nova Scotia. but in Ontario, the holiday Monday is known by more than one name. Ottawa celebrates "Colonel By Day" and it's "Joseph Brant Day" in Burlington.

In Toronto, however, it's known as Simcoe Day in honour of John Gramves Simcoe, Upper Canada's first lieutenant governor and the man who initiated the abolishment of slavery in Canada. Toronto City Council established the civic holiday in honour of Simcoe in 1869. It's no coincidence that, in of all places, Simcoe's name still resonates in southern Ontario.

**Slavery in Canada**
Simcoe was known supporter of abolition. "His bill was brought about by an incident - the Chloe Clooey incident," said Natasha Henry, a curriculum consultant specializing in African Canadian history.

Simcoe received word of a slave owner violently abusing his slave, a girl by the name of Chloe Clooey, on his way across the Niagara River where he went to sell her into the United States. It was said that her screams were heard by many and the matter was brought to Simcoe's attention by Peter Martin, a former slave.

"It was his impetus to introduce the bill, but it was then met by objection from a number of the members of his government," Henry said.

Many members of the legislative assembly at the time owned slaves of their own and so resisted Simcoe's urge to abolish slavery in Canada. The resulting law was a compromise that would gradually lead to the end of enslavement. The act allowed slave owners to maintain the workforce they already had - who would remain enslaved until their death. Owners were not allowed to purchase new slaves from the United States and any children of female slaves that were born after the act was passed would become free at the age of 25. Simcoe's anti-slavery act was the first to pass in a British colony and remained in effect until August 24, 1833, when Britain's Slavery Abolition Act put an end to slavery in most of the empire.

**Emancipation Day**
Emancipation Day is celebrated across the former British colonies. Countries in the Caribbean as well as Canada and some parts of the United States mainly observe these days in August because of the Slavery Abolition Act. Although the name is still only cemented in Toronto, the entire province of Ontario has dedicated the civic holiday to Emancipation Day since 2008. In Ontario, the largest Emancipation Day celebration takes place in Owen Sound. Although many just see it as a day off, Henry thinks it's important for people - especially youth - to see where the name comes from, because the name in and of itself is at least a start at engaging in the topic.

"The weekend is a way of getting to have a discussion about slavery and the growing abolition movement," she said. "[It was] a movement that later would also spark the flood of freedom seekers from the United States." It's quite significant that Toronto is where the holiday retains the original name.

**Caribbean festival connection**
Simcoe moved the capital of Upper Canada from Newark (now Niagara-on-the-lake) to Toronto, which he named York in 1793. Since 1967, Toronto has been home to the annual Caribbean Carnival, or as it used to be known, Caribana. Henry said the festival's traditions are related to Emancipation Day celebrations that some Canadians brought from their former home countries. "How it's celebrated stems from the committee that was struck up in the 1960s, preparing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Canada," Henry said. "People were asked to put on some various cultural events, so theses committee members, a lot of whom were immigrants from the Caribbean, infused into this event some of the ways in which Emancipation Day was celebrated back home." The festival of food, costume, music and dance attracts more than one million people annually. Henry says understanding the reason behind the name is important because of the conversation it generates. "Understanding the reason behind the name generate conversation, it also puts Toronto and Ontario at the centre of an international discussion on the practice of owning and selling people." Motions to declare the civic holiday as "Simcoe Day" across the province have been put forth but have thus far failed.

(submitted by Kinetic, July 2015)

Remembrance Day **Let There Be Peace On Earth** Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. let there be peace on earth the peace that was meant to be. With God as our father, we are family. Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony. Let peace begin with me let this be the moment now. With very step I take Let this me by solemn vow, to take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. []

[]

= Thanksgiving =

There is beauty in the earth, The mountains high, the valleys green, The rippling brook, the waterfall, The wild sweet rose so oft unseen; the song of birds, the smell of spring Autumn colours bright and gay, A thousand treasures we can find if we but look about each day; Yes, gracious is the bounty That God to man does send; Then, as a crowning glory, God gave to man // - a friend.. //
 * From India: **

== ‍A true friend is one to whom you can tip out all the contents of your heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away. ==
 * From the Arab world: **


 * From William Shakespeare: **

‍Go often to the house of they friend, for weeds choke up the unused path.

 * Random Thoughts on Friendship: **

‍"Friends are the family you choose for yourself."
A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words. (from boardofwisdom.com)


 * Prayer: **

‍**O Great Spirit:**
We know we are your children. We want to serve you faithfully. Help us to listen to your voice. Help us to be willing and quick to do your work. Help us to be freindly and loving. And help us to thank you every day for all the gifts you give us.

(from Prayers, Graces and Invocations for Ecumenical & Multifaith Groups)

- Kamikaze 13-10-11

__**Canadian Culture Assignment - Canadian ICONS**__ 1. With your partner, compare your list of Canadian Icons. Choose your favourite Canadian Icon. 2. Write a paragraph about this Icon in a "Word" document. 3. Copy and paste it to this Wiki below

- Kamikaze 13-10-10

**Canadian Culture Assignment - Canadian Charade Words**

 * 1. Find the definition of each of your 3 words.**
 * 2. In a MICROSOFT WORD document, write these short definitions in your own words. You may include a picture or a sound clip if you like.**
 * 3. Copy and paste your work to the Wiki below.**


 * Kamikaze, October 7, 2013**

Beaver Tail


 * The Beaver Tail pastry is similar to several other [|fried dough] pastries and is topped with various condiments. The pastry looks like the tail of the beaver.**

Loonie


 * The Canadian one dollar coin, commonly called the** Loonie**.**
 * ( The Two dollar is called the** Toonie **( "two" + "loonie").**

Terry Fox


 * Terry Fox (July 28, 1958 – June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. He is a Canadian hero.**


 * Young, October 7, 2013**

__Tundra__ **is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and a short growing season .**

__Alexander Graham Bell__ **(March 3, 1847-August 2, 1922) was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone.**

__Driving across the Confederation Bridge__ **is a bridge spanning the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland strait, linking prince Edward Island with the mainland New Brunswick, Canada.**

__Avro Arrow__ **was a delta –winged interceptor aircraft designed and built in Canada.**

__Porcupines__ **are rodents with a coat of sharp spiney quills, that defend them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, Southern Asia, Europe and Africa.**

__Toque__ **is a type of hat with a narrow brim or no brim at all.**


 * Nice & Sincere, October 7, 2013**

__49th parallel:__
 * north as a border between the [|Canadian] provinces of [|British Columbia], [|Alberta], [|Saskatchewan] and [|Manitoba] (to the north), and the [|US] states of [|Washington], [|Idaho], [|Montana], [|North Dakota] and [|Minnesota] (to the south)**

__francophone__**:**
 * The term “ Francophone Canada” is sometimes used to describe regions of Canada with a large French-speaking population, especially Quebec, which has a high concentration of French speakers. One can also use the term more generally to describe the French-speaking**

__Steve Nash:__
 * is a Canadian professional [|basketball] player for the [|Los Angeles Lakers] of the [|National Basketball Association] (NBA). After a successful [|high-school] basketball career in [|British Columbia], he earned a scholarship to [|Santa Clara University] in [|California].**


 * Shiny, October 7, 2013**

**FAMILY DAY**
Hi Lucky, What a perfect Family Day spent with your family ! - Keen 12/04/12
 * I just wrote some sentences for Family Day, would you please tell me any problems with it? Thank you.**
 * February 20th is Family Day in Ontario. On this day, many people don't work and students do not go to school, they stay at home with their family. My family, my wife, my daughter, Lucy, and I got up at 8:00 in the morning. We planned to visit a sports centre at 10:30. While arriving at the centre, I was in line to register to play indoor soccer. I was exited. Then, I saw everyone holding a number in their hand. I went to the reception counter to ask for a number, but the guy told me the tickets for the indoor soccer had been sold out, and unfortunately, there were no numbers any more. Although I felt a little disappointed, I drove my family to the next station-Square One for shopping. In the mall, people were crowded. Walking in the chaotic aisles, it seems we went back to a shopping centre in Beijing-so many people there. After buying some fruit and finishing lunch, we went out of the mall and back to our car. On my way to the car, a driver asked if I had a car parked in the parking space for there was no space for parking. Oh my god, it seems that all the people in Mississauga arrived at Square One at the same time.**
 * Feb.27, 2012, Lucky**

**CHRISTMAS**
There are very few people in the world today who do not know what the Christmas holiday is all about. Christmas, as we know it today, is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, which happened over 2000 years ago. The word “Christmas” translates to “Mass Of Christ”. However, we can all be sure that the celebration of the Christmas holiday did not start right away. So how did the actual celebration of the Christmas holiday begin? Believe it or not, many of the traditions that we observe during the Christmas holiday season began way before the birth of Christ. Exchanging gifts, decorating trees, and the burning of the Yule log were all winter traditions that began before Christ was born, but were eventually incorporated into [|the holiday] that became known as Christmas, and became part of Christmas history. Over 4000 years ago, the Mesopotamians celebrated each new year with a 12-day festival, called Zagmuth. The Mesopotamians, who believed in many gods, held this festival in support of their chief god, Marduk, because they believed that he battled the monsters of chaos at the beginning of each winter. It is from this festival that the 12 days of Christmas is believed to have originated. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The ancient Romans held a celebration each year in honor of their god Saturn. The festival, which they called Saturnalia, began in the middle of December and lasted until the first of January. The Romans decorated their homes with garlands, as well as trees upon which they hung candles. During the festival the citizens of Rome would visit each other’s homes and hold great feasts. One of the theories of how the tradition of the giving of Christmas gifts came about was from the Roman practice of exchanging gifts between family and neighbors during the festival of Saturnalia to promote good luck. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">During the winter in ancient Scandinavia there would be a certain amount of days where the sun would not shine. Upon the return of the first sunlight, the Scandinavians would hold a festival called the Yuletide. A Yule log would be burned in a special fire, and everyone would gather around the fire and hold a great feast. To remind themselves that the spring and summer would surely return again, people in some areas of Scandinavia would tie apples to tree branches. The tradition of the Christmas tree is believed to have evolved from this ritual, as well as from the Roman ritual of decorating trees with candles during the festival of Saturnalia. Some believe that the tradition of singing carols began when people in Scandinavia would sing celebration songs on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, which happened around December 22nd.



<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">One theory about the evolution of the winter celebrations to the celebration of the birth of Jesus is that the Roman emperor Constantine, who converted to Christianity, wanted to incorporate the pagan winter rituals together with the celebration of Jesus’ birth. In this way, Constantine hoped to help both pagans and Christians celebrate together. Many believe that this is the reason for celebrating the birth of Christ on December 25th. It is widely believed today that Jesus was not actually born on, or even close to, December 25th. Eventually, the Roman church became almost completely successful in making the December celebration only about the birth of Christ, replacing any celebrations that were in honor of pagan gods. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Though the celebration of Christmas is basically based on the same belief today, it is not celebrated in exactly the same way in every country. In Great Britain, one tradition they observe during the Christmas season is “Boxing Day”. On Boxing Day, the boxes containing alms for the poor are opened at every church and the alms are distributed to the poor. An alternate theory to the origin of carols is that they originated in Great Britain and not Scandinavia. Whether or not this is true, many of the Christmas songs that we sing and Christmas music that we hear today were written in 19th century England. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Christians in China celebrate Christmas by decorating their homes and trees with paper lanterns, paper flowers, and paper chains. Christians in Iran refrain from eating any animal products from December 1st until after Christmas church services on December 25th, after which they have a traditional feast of chicken stew. In Venezuela, Christians attend daily morning church services between December 16th and December 24th. In the capital city of Caracas, it is customary to roller skate to these services. People in Northern Brazil celebrate Christmas with a traditional play called “Los Pastores”, or “The Shepherds”. In the Brazilian version of this play, the shepherds are always women, and there is a scene where a gypsy attempts to kidnap the Christ child. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">It is believed that British painter John Callcott Horsley designed the first Christmas card in 1843. Horsley designed the card for his friend Sir Henry Cole, who was the first director of the Victoria and Albert museum. The card showed a family celebrating Christmas, and read “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You”. The tradition caught on quickly in England, and it was not long before the first Christmas cards began showing up in the United States and other countries as well.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">One cannot talk about the history of Christmas without mentioning SantaClaus. Bishop Nicholas of Smyrna, who lived in the 4th century A.D. in what is known today as Turkey, was a very wealthy and generous man, who especially loved children. He was known to throw gifts into the houses of poor children in order to brighten their spirits. He was later titled Saint Nicholas, and became the patron saint of children and seafarers. From his story evolved the legend of Santa Claus – the jolly man who brings gifts to children all over the world on christmas Eve. In England he came to be known as Father Christmas, in China he is known as Dun Che Lao Ren, which means “Christmas Old Man”. Many believe that the giving of gifts originates from the deeds of Bishop Nicholas, and not the Roman tradition of giving gifts during the festival of Saturnalia. More likely, the tradition evolved from both practices Source: [|www.historyofchristmas.net] Merciful, Dec. 17, 2011