Tuesdays with Annie 12 08 09

There are so many things to celebrate every day, specifically at this time of the year. The answers from yesterday’s brain teasers touch upon various cultures and religious celebrations leading us to the inspirational thought of the day by Oprah Winfrey. “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

1.) Potato pancakes (Latkes) are a traditional food served during Hanukkah.
True. Fried grated potatoes and egg turned pancakes are often accompanied with applesauce during Hanukkah. These famous latkes are also a staple of the Eastern European cuisine.

2.) Gelt is a traditional flower given during Hanukkah.
False. Gelt is Yiddish for “money”. This longstanding tradition of handing out these ‘money coins’ during Hanukkah was mimicked in the twentieth century when American Chocolatiers created the gift/coin ‘chocolate gelt’.

3.) Hanukkah is always celebrated in December.
False Hanukkah falls either in late November to late December. The next time Hanukkah will be celebrated in November is the year 2013.

4.) Some of the decorations used during Kwanzaa are fresh fruit.
True. The name Kwanzaa means ‘fresh fruit’. Although this is a non-religious holiday, the celebration occurs over seven days beginning on December 26th and ending on January 1st.

5) Hanukkah. Kwanzaa and Christmas use the same traditional colors in their celebration. False. Kwanzaa uses red, green and black. Christmas uses red, green, white, silver, and gold. Hanukkah uses white, silver and blue. Although there are some commonalities, the colors are very unique to each celebration.