Post by putianliu on Dec 5, 2012 8:11:23 GMT
Finland: Brides wear golden crowns. After the wedding, Nike Hyperdunk 2012 Men Shoes-28unmarried women dance in a circle around the blindfolded bride, waiting for her to place her crown on someone's head. It is thought that whoever she crowns will be the next to wed. The bride and groom have seats of honor at the reception. The bride holds a sieve covered with a silk shawl; when the guests slip money into the sieve, their names and the amounts given are announced to those assembled by a groomsman.Greece: The koumbaros, Nike Hyperdunk 2012 Men Shoes-27traditionally the groom's godfather, is an honored guest who participates in the wedding ceremony. Today, the koumbaros is very often the best man, who assists in the crowning of the couple (with white or gold crown, or with crowns made of everlasting flowers, or of twigs of love and vine wrapped in silver and gold paper), and in the circling of the altar three times. Other attendants may read Scripture, hold candles, pack the crowns in a special box after the ceremony. Nike Hyperdunk 2012 Men Shoes-26To be sure of a "sweet life", a Greek bride may carry a lump of sugar in her glove on wedding day. When one mentions Italian cooking to most foreigners they almost automatically think of pizza and spaghetti. This is a sad oversimplification, because Italian cooking is as diversified as it is delicious. The centuries during which Italy was a collection of separate kingdoms, duchies, and republics has given the modern Italians a cuisine with as many subtle variations as their language. Pizza, for example, is a south Italian regional dish that was once served because it combined all the virtues a thrifty cook looks for - it was inexpensive, simple to make, nourishing, and tasty.The popularity of pizza as a meal or a snack in America is probably greater than in Italy where it is safe to guess that many people have never even tasted one of their best-known exports. The name "Italy" is extremely old. It seems to have been used first in documents of the 5th century BC. To describe a small territory at the tip of the boot-shaped peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea. Historians used to think that the name came from that of a legendary king, Italo. Many other ingenious and improbable theories have been suggested to explain the origin of the name. No matter what its origins, the name of that small territory at the tip of the boot spreads,Nike Hyperdunk 2012 Men Shoes-24 little by little, to indicate the whole peninsula. By about AD1000 the name designated a region, a dialect, and a culture. But it was not until the mid-19th century that the many separate nations on the peninsula were united into one nation,Nike Hyperdunk 2012 Men Shoes-25 the nation to which the ancient name "Italy" was given. Venice, which is considered one of the world's most beautiful cities, was founded by refugees fleeing from barbarian invaders in the 5th century A.D. The refugees chose well. Venetians called their city the Bride of the Adriatic and proudly spoke of being wedded to the sea, for it was the sea that brought them wealth. With its strategic location at the crossroads of east - west trade, Venice grew into a great maritime power.