Christmas

Category

Science of Christmas | What was the star of Bethlehem?

The story of the Star of Bethlehem appears only in the Book of Matthew. The gospel tells us that a bright star appeared in the eastern sky when Jesus was born, famously seen by a group of wise men. These biblical “Magi,” sometimes called kings, now adorn nativity scenes around the world. Matthew 2:1-12 Tree of Life Version Wise Men Follow His Star 2 Now after Yeshua was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, magi from...

Animals of Christmas : the Robin

The robin is a fundamental creature of Christmas season Appearing on Christmas cards ( right )   ~~~~~~~~~ The Robin – according to some English folklore – is the harbinger of “bad luck” . Note I’m not all into superstition, however I found this intriguing ….. “A robin in the house is a portent of death The humble little robin, eh? Who’d have thought he hid such sinister purpose? But some people take this very seriously indeed. On Dartmoor, it...

Christmas & Nature : the “New Zealand Christmas tree”

  The New Zealand Christmas tree The skies are grey in England, While ours are blue and clear. The holly gleams in England, Pohutukawa here. But the self-same Christmas spirit Holds each world in thrall, As we spread the Christmas message, “Peace and goodwill to all.” This poem comes from a 1930 edition of the New Zealand Herald, and it compares Christmas in England with Christmas in New Zealand. The author notes that while holly is traditionally associated with Christmas...

Christmas animals – robin

The robin is, without doubt, one of our favourite garden birds. It seems to trust us, staying close when we’re in the garden and even taking food from our hands. Where do robins go in summer? As most robins don’t migrate, they don’t really disappear over the summer – they just become a bit less visible. When food is more readily available during the summer, robins are more likely to forage out of sight in the woods rather than coming...

Christmas animals: Caribou v reindeer

They may be the same species, but these two animals are very different. Many of these differences stem from their relationship with humans throughout history. Reindeer in Eurasia were domesticated over 2000 years and although some animals remain in the wild, reindeer is a blanket name that includes both the domesticated and wild populations. In Canada, we refer to them as caribou, and almost all of them are wild; the ones that are not are also referred to as reindeer....