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Benjamin Byeon Research

Copied from http://www.californiamall.com/holidaytraditions/traditions-Venezuela.htm but will be changed later into own words. =Holiday Traditions of Venezuela "Feliz Navidad"= In Venezuela, Christmas is celebrated with a number of religious and traditional customs. As a predominantly Catholic country, Christmas festivities celebrate the birth of the child Jesus. The religious celebrations begin on the 16th of December with masses said every morning until December 24th, when the religious service is held at midnight (Misa de Gallo). The main celebration takes place on Christmas Eve, "Noche Buena" as it is called in Spanish. Families get together to enjoy the traditional holiday meal: "hallacas," "pan de jamón," "dulce de lechoza." The pan de "jamón" is a long bread filled with cooked ham and raisins. The "dulce de lechoza" is a dessert made of green papaya and brown sugar, slowly cooked for hours and served cold. Many homes put up a Christmas tree but the most authentic Venezuelan custom is to display a nacimiento (Nativity scene). A more sophisticated nacimiento is the pesebre. This represents an entire region with mountains, hills, plains and valleys. The central point is a replica of the manger at Bethlehem. The structure is a framework covered with canvas and painted accordingly. Often, the pesebre becomes a real work of art. On December 25 children awake to find their gifts around the Nacimiento or the Christmas tree. Tradition has it that it is the Child Jesus who brings gifts to the Venezuelan children instead of Santa Claus. The Christmas festivities come to an official closing on January 6, the Day of the Reyes Magos (the three wise kings who came to visit Mary and the infant Jesus), when children again receive toys and candies. Christmas is, above all, the main holiday during which Venezuelan families get together and rejoice. Music plays an important role in the celebrations. The traditional songs of this period are called aguinaldos. In the old days the aguinalderos (singers of aguinaldos) would go from home to home singing their songs and playing traditional instruments such as the cuatro (a small, four strings guitar), the maracas (rattle) and the furruco (a small, elongated drum with a wooden stick in the middle. The movement of the stick slightly indented on the drums leather is what produces the sound).
 * I will get more information from Mr.L our music teacher since he lived there before. *******

Benjamin Activity Idea: If we need to have a sport activity, we can do this; give a prize to the person who balances the soccer ball the longest (winner announced at the end). Every boy would at least try it because they like it. Like most South American countries, Venezuela has always taken an active interest in all sporting activities. Sports are not only played as a leisure activity, but also serve as a full-time profession for many. Baseball is a tremendously popular sport in Venezuela and the country has produced world-renowned players of the stature of Luis Aparicio, who has even found a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame in New York. Football is also found to be gaining popularity in the country, with many youngsters taking an active interest in the sport and the national team receiving several laurels. Canyoning is an adventure sport that has been taken up by many an enthusiast. Merida in Venezuela is the perfect place to try out this adventure sport. The sport promises unlimited thrills and a great adrenaline rush to all its participants. It is very enjoyable to abseil from a high waterfall or jump into narrow currents using super fast natural slides. The sport is highly recommended for individuals who would like to enjoy the natural beauty of the Andes. Another sport that is a favorite of both tourists and natives is horseback riding on the high Paramo grasslands. Western Venezuela with its great landscapes, waterfalls and mountains is a wonderful place to go riding as the scenic beauty of the place keeps the rider enthralled all along the trail. Nature lovers are advised to carry their cameras along to capture the picturesque landscape in print. Paragliding in the Andean area of Western Venezuela is an incredible experience. Individuals can get an actual bird's eye view of the entire mountain range from the glider. Unlike bungee jumping, which lasts for a short duration, paragliding offers an exhilarating and thrilling experience that can last for up to an hour or so. Not too good in soccer.

Society: Dangerous die to its crimes and drug usage. Not a really safe place to be alone. Politic: Venezuelan president is anti-American and is truly considered as a bad president. Society seems to flow like Vietnam during the 1900's. ** F O O D  ** Despite its variety, Venezuelan food has a marked Indian influence. Our national bread is the arepa, prepared with corn flour. At Christmas, all over Venezuela, a special and typical food is cooked in every house; it is called hallaca. The hallaca is a corn-meal pie stuffed with pork or chicken, olives and raisins and wrapped in plantain leaves and boiled. This kind of banana (plátano) is used often in our kitchen and is the base for many national food specialties. The variety of fruits in Venezuela is very rich, and being a tropical country the abundance and beauty are such that their display in our markets makes them look picturesque and exotic. AREPAS The arepa is perhaps the most popular food in Venezuela. It is eaten hot as a kind of bread to accompany a meal, or by itself, stuffed with meat, bologna, cheese, scrambled eggs, or anything one wishes. It is old days, arepas were prepared from freshly husked and ground corn, but today, the pre-cooked white corn flour has eliminated this lengthy process. 2 teaspoons of salt 2 cups of corn flour 2 ½ cups of warm water
 * Ingredients:**

Put the corn flour in a bowl and add the salted water little by little, mixing with the flour until has become a dough. Let it rest for five minutes. Now, shape the dough into round rolls about 3 inches in diameter and 1-2 inches thick. In a lightly greased skillet, slowly cook the arepas until a crust forms on each side. Now place them into a casserole and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, until the arepas sound hollow when tapped. TEQUEÑOS **Ingredients:** 4 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup water (approx.) 1 lb. Soft white cheese 1heaping tablespoon butter 2 eggs yolks 1 teaspoon sugar Combine all ingredients except the cheese, using only enough water to make a rather soft dough. Set aside for a few minutes. Cut the cheese into strips of ½ inch wide by 2 ½ inches long. Divide dough into four parts. Roll each part as thin as possible, but into ½ inch strips and wind around the cheese until the latter become completely covered. Fry in hot deep oil until golden brown. Serve as once. Makes about 60. CACHAPAS DE BUDARE **Ingredients:** 4 cups of tender corn kernels (canned corn may be used) 3 teaspoons of salt ¾ to 1 cup of water (depending on how tender the corn is) ¾ cup of sugar
 * Preparation:**
 * Preparation:**

Mix all the ingredients in a blender. The mix should become thick and heavy. If not, add more corn or a few tablespoons of Jiffy Corn Muffins Mix. Shape the mix into small pancakes approximately 1-2 inch thick and about 5 inches in diameter. Let them cook on medium heat for about one minute on each side, or until small bubbles form on the top. Pancakes should be served hot, and may be accompanied with cheese (feta cheese is a good option). CHEESE BALLS ¼ cup cornstarch (optional) 6 or 8 eggs or egg whites 2 lbs. Grated white cheese (llanero) A little milk is necessary Blend ingredients into a stiff dough using milk. Shape into small balls by rolling between the palms of hands. Fry in hot, deep fat oil until the balls rise and become of a brown color. Serve at once on toothpicks. Makes 40 to 50.
 * Preparation:**
 * Ingredients:**
 * Preparation:**

BOLAVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA Geography: Divided into 23 states.


 * i'm SUPER SLEEPY>.... i have like information written down.. but i'm like sleepy so i'll finish pasting them later...

FOOD: Native Dishes:   Typically Venezuela food is fish and shellfish which both have a very high quality. Venezuela and especially Margarita Island has a matter of course almost everything when we talk about the fruits of the sea.
 * //Pabellon// - stewed and shredded meat accompanied by rice, black beans, and banana
 * //Hallaca// - a traditional Christmas dish.
 * //Cachapa// - a type of sweet corn pancake served with cheese.
 * //Arepas// - a type of round cornmeal biscuit.

One plate of giant high quality shrimps is going to cost you about $10, a dozen oyster $1 and a huge steak about $5. Beer and South American wines are cheap; a bottle of wine costs about $3. In a small grocery the price for at a bottle of water is about $0.6.

The national dish is //pabellon// which consists of stewed and shredded meat accompanied by rice, black beans and banana. This dish is absolutely okay but rather put your money on fish and shellfish which maybe is a little more expensive, but tremendously fresh and tasteful.

One of the most significant foods in Venezuela is the //Arepas//, which is a kind of bread. This unique dish is made of corn flour, water and salt.

Since this special kind of bread is wide popular in and around Venezuela it´s easy found in the small restaurants around Margarita. //Arepas// could be topped and eaten with almost everything like cheese, ham, jam, chicken, etc.

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 * ~ Date ||~ Local Name ||~ English Name ||~ Remarks ||
 * [|January 1] || //Día de Año Nuevo// || [|New Year's Day] || Beginning of the [|Civil Year] ||
 * [|January 6] || //Día de Reyes// || [|Epiphany] || [|Christian] feast, the visit of the three [|Magi] to [|Jesus]. ||
 * Monday and Tuesday before [|Ash Wednesday] || //Carnaval// || [|Carnival] || - ||
 * From [|Palm Sunday]to [|Easter] || //Semana Santa// || [|Holy Week] || Commemoration of the [|Passion] and [|Resurrection] of Christ. ||
 * [|March 19] || //Día de San José// || [|Saint Joseph's Day] || In honor of [|Saint Joseph] ||
 * [|April 19] || //19 de abril// || [|Beginning of the Independence Movement] || Remembering the [|1810] coup and start of the [|Venezuelan Independence] ||
 * [|May 1] || //Día del Trabajador// || [|Labour Day] || - ||
 * [|June 24] || //Batalla de Carabobo// || [|Battle of Carabobo] || Ensurance of the Venezuelan Independence; tagged also as [|Army's Day] ||
 * [|July 5] || //5 de julio// || [|Independence Day] || Signing of the [|Venezuelan Declaration of Independence] ||
 * [|July 24] || //Natalicio del Libertador// || Birth of [|Simón Bolívar] || Also tagged as [|Navy's Day]. ||
 * [|August 3] || //Día de la Bandera// || [|Flag Day] || Previously, in Venezuela the [|Flag Day] was celebrated in [|March 12], until [|August 3] , [|2006] , in honor of the disembarkation of [|Francisco de Miranda] in [|La Vela de Coro], [|1806]. ||
 * [|October 12] || //Día de la Resistencia Indígena// || [|Day of Indigenous Resistance] || Previously, in Venezuela the holiday was called //[|Día de la Raza]//, conmemorating the arrival of [|Christopher Columbus] to the [|Americas]. ||
 * [|November 1] || //Día de Todos los Santos// || [|All Saints Day] || - ||
 * [|November 17] to [|November 19] || //Feria de la Chinita// || [|Feria of La Chinita] || Only in the [|Zulian] region; celebrating the miracle of [|Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá]. ||
 * [|December 8] || //Inmaculada Concepción// || [|Immaculate Conception] || Celebrating the preservance of [|Mary, the mother of Jesus] from the [|original sin]by the Grace of [|God]. ||
 * [|December 24] || //Nochebuena// || [|Christmas Eve] || Birth of [|Jesus] (//Divino Niño//). ||
 * [|December 31] || //Nochevieja// || [|New Year's Eve] || Final day of the [|Civil Year] ||

From Wikipedia