I want to make you aware of an important piece of legislation I will be announcing this Friday at the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit in Nashville. It’s called Children in Families First or CHIFF, and it will ensure that U.S. foreign assistance puts into action the core American belief that all children have the right to grow up in a permanent, loving family. CHIFF enhances U.S. Government action on behalf of children living without families using the full array of options – family preservation, family reunification, kinship, and domestic and international adoption – while also streamlining and simplifying U.S. international adoption procedures.

We all work under the steadfast belief that every child deserves a permanent family to call his or her own. We have achieved many successes together on behalf of vulnerable children around the world, and I hope I will have your support for this important new initiative. I plan to introduce this legislation this summer and will keep you updated on developments.

If you want to be involved or have any questions, please contact Whitney Reitz at Whitney_Reitz@landrieu.senate.gov or Libby Whitbeck at Libby_Whitbeck@landrieu.senate.gov on my staff.

All the best,

Senator Mary Landrieu

Please note that the new Form I-600/Form I-600A, Supplement 1, Listing of Adult Member of the Household, must be completed for each adult (age 18 and older) who lives in the home of the prospective adoptive parent(s).  Please see the instructions for Forms I-600/I-600A for details.

Blank USCIS forms are free. Please remember that you may get our forms from the following USCIS sources:

• Download them from our website (recommended).
• Electronically request that we mail them to you.
• Call Our Forms Request Line at 1-800-870-3676.

Kind regards,

Public Engagement Division

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

www.uscis.gov/outreach

This holiday has been celebrated on 22 March, the day of the spring equinox. That’s why the Kazakhs call the month of March Nauryz. It was celebrated as the day of the renewed life which comes with the spring. It was the day when the first spring thunder strikes, buds are swelling on the trees and vegetation grows wildly. Nauryz as a non-religious celebration of the spring and renewal is closely linked to some other Kazakh holidays, such as a “farewell to winter” festival. Boys born on this day would be called Nauryzbai or Nauryzbek, and girls Nauryz or Nauryzgul. It was seen as a good omen if it was snowing on that day.

The March snow is usually soft and particularly white. Beautiful girls were often compared to the white snow of Nauzys. In the past, the Kazakh called Nauryz the Day of the People or the Great Day of the People. People believed, the more generous the celebration of Nauryz was the happier the year would be. Therefore, there are so many rituals and festivities related to this holiday. On the eve of the holiday, people would clean their homes, pay back their debts and reconciled with their opponents because, as the old people used to say, if Nauryz entered the house, all diseases and failures would pass it by. On the night before the festival, all vessels in the house would be filled with milk, airan (plain yogurt), grain, and spring water because it meant that people would have a lot of milk, good yield and plenty of rain during the coming year.

During the day, everybody tried to be in good spirits, would give a big hug to each other and wish good fortune and happiness to others. The celebrations would begin with sunrise. There is an old ritual “If you see a spring, clean up its source”. At dawn, all adults, youngsters and children would pick up spades, go to an agreed place near a spring or aryk (small water canal) and clean it. There, they would also plant trees under the supervision of respectable old people. During the process, they had to say: “Let a man leave a tree rather than a herd in the people’s memory” and “If you cut one tree, you will have to plant ten!”

After the ritual was completed, three messengers went around the village or town and called everybody to join the celebrations. They were dressed in bright festive costumes. Sometimes, they dressed up like heroes of Kazakh fairly-tales: Aldar Kose, Zhirenshe and beautiful Karashash. Then, the show would begin. People enjoyed themselves and congratulated each other with the New Year. They wish each other all the best, sang songs specially composed for this holiday called Nauryz Zhyr, watched wrestling between a man and a woman and took part in the competitions in toung-twisting (“zhanyltpash”) or riddle solving (“zhumbak”).

A great deal of food was prepared during these days. It symbolized prosperity and wealth in the coming year. At noon, a bull was killed and a special dish was cooked from the meat. It was called “bell-koterer” (posture straightening) because the bull was considered to be one of the strongest animals and meals cooked from its meat would give people strength and stamina. Each family would lay a dastarkhan (festive table). People would sit down at the table at noon. Mullah would read prayers dedicated to ancestors before and after the meal. At the end of the meal, the oldest men among them would give a blessing so that prosperity would never leave the family.

The Kazakhs attached special importance to the number of seven during the Nauryz celebrations because it symbolized the seven days of the week, which was considered to be a time unit of the universal eternity. Seven bowls with the Nauryz-kozhe drink (made from seven sorts of seven types of herbs) would be put in front of the aksakals (respectable old people). The meals were composed of seven components, usually meat, salt, fat, onions, wheat, kurt (a type of cheese) and irimshik (a kind of cottage cheese).

The celebration always included mass games, traditional horse races and other competitions. The most famous and favourite were the games of “Aikysh-uishysh” (towards each other) and “Audaryspek” where dzhigits (skillful horsemen) had to pull each other down from their saddles. Sport competitions were popular and both boys and girls could take part in them. A girl would invite a dzhigit to have a go and compete with her on one condition: if he wins, he would have the right to marry her, and if she wins he would have to obey her and execute her every desire.

Hence, Nauryz would often turn into a wedding celebration. All people regardless of their gender, age and social position were excused from daily duties and took an equal part in the fun and games. Various ethical bans regarding relations between men and women were lifted during this time, even the relations between the oldest brother-in-law and sister-in-law. (Scientists link this game to free dating and mass entertainment which was widespread when two clans were intermarrying at the time when nature came back to life. Then, all bans and restrictions in the relations between men and women were lifted for a short period of time.) A poetic show would complete the day: two Akyns (poets) took part in a song competition. The competition would be over with the sunset when, according to a common belief, the good defeated the evil. Then, people would start a fire and, carrying torches lit from the fire, would go around the village, sing and dance. That was the end of the festival celebrating the spring renewal and equinox. The history of Nauryz has been complicated. The totalitarian Soviet system did not recognize the existence of any national identity and any reference to traditional heritage was considered to be an anachronism and remnants of the past. Nauryz was cancelled in 1926. It was first recreated in Kazakhstan only in 1988 and was extremely popular. Officially, Nauryz was recognized on 15 March 1991 by a Presidential Decree. The President declared 22 March, the day of the spring equinox, a holiday.

Since then, Nauryz has been widely celebrated across the whole country. Of course, the modern festival is essentially different from the old. It is not only about staged shows, ornate yurts, and delicious Nauryz-kozhe. It is also about charitable events, folk sporting games, tending of plants, planting trees, cleaning of parks, streets and squares.

Nowadays, it has become a truly national holiday of spring, work and unity. It is dear to all the peoples living in the multinational Kazakhstan. The ancient holiday of Nauryz has naturally become a part of the modern life, preserving the old traditions.

It is hard to believe but it’s time to start planning, fundraising and recruiting for Kidsave Summer Miracles 2013! We are so excited to get everyone back on board. We truly appreciate your ongoing support and could not run this program without you all.

Our primary focus for the next month is on recruitment. Because of new guidelines from the Colombian government families now need to have EVERYTHING submitted to ICBF by April 15^th in order to be eligible to host for the summer. This means that we would prefer to only be recruiting through February 15^th to allow families sufficient time to complete the application process. We have held a few orientations so far and we need your help in recruiting families for more. Attached are flyers for each community containing the upcoming January orientation dates as well as the contact information for the community organizers who we have on board so far. We encourage all community team members and agency partners to use these flyers to spread the word about Summer Miracles to your networks.

Another component that everyone loves to talk about is fundraising.  This year Kidsave is using a fundraising platform called “Crowdrise” which allows communities and families to set up their own fundraising pages.  Crowdrise is extremely user friendly – you should all be able to go and set up an account either for yourself or your community.  You can learn how by going to http://www.crowdrise.com/online-fundraising.  Please share this resource with families as you recruit and brainstorm fundraising strategies.  To see an example of a community page, view the page set up by Volunteer Coordinator Diane Brule of the Rochester Community at http://www.crowdrise.com/kidsaverocs.

Your primary contacts for the next 3 months will be Lauren Gordon, Director of Family Visit Programs at lauren@kidsave.org and Delta Kirkland, Program Assistant for Family Visit Programs at deltak@kidsave.org. Katy will be starting a new and exciting adventure when she goes on maternity leave beginning next week!

We look forward to working with you all to make Summer Miracles 2013 a success.

Sincerely,

Lauren, Katy and Delta
Kidsave International
100 Corporate Pointe, Suite 380
Culver City, CA 90230
Ph: 310-642-7283
Fax: 310-641-7283
www.kidsave.org

A second request from Valentin Baryshnikov

The letter from the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is below. Please, respond to them directly if you would like to participate - BaryshnikovV@rferl.org

Hi,

My name is Valentin Baryshnikov, I am a journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russian service. RFE/RL is an independent broadcaster funded by US Congress.

In wake of recent events in Russia where authorities adopted legislation which prohibited adoption of Russian orphans by American families we decided to produce a series of special stories to show everyday life of adopted children in US. We think that it is very important to show it to a Russian society as it has little knowledge of fate of adopted children which might sometimes not be easy but definitely is far from what Russian media and anti-American sentiments often describe.

Our idea is to produce something which might be described as a visual diary, a one day of a one child. That means that parents of adopted child would document his or her day, making photos or videos and be the end of the day send it to us along with a verbal description which might be recorded in different ways. Then we edit this and post to our site and promote through different means like social networks etc. You can get an idea of how it might look at http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/photobooth/2012/11/video-the-undecided.html.

We would really appreciate if you find it possible to participate in our project which we would like to start as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Valentin Baryshnikov

Naming is an intentional practice of claiming. Humans name things that have emotional importance in their lives; it is a way to inform others that there is a significant relationship between the person and the named person or object. For example, we name our domesticated pets, but farmers do not name the animals they raise for meat; people often give their cars names, children name their stuffed animals or blankets. Names give people an identity and are often tied to a family’s culture.

For many adoptive parents and adoptive children, there is extra meaning in claiming a child through naming. The parent gives the child the family’s surname to fold the child into their “clan.” Many adoptive parents also give their adopted child a new first and/or middle name, and this is the stage where the concept of name = identity can get more muddled.

Most experts say that children should not be re-named once they are old enough to recognize and respond to their name. This can be as young as one year. However, adoptive parents often re-name their toddler or pre-school aged child, and in some cases even up through elementary age. Dr. Vera Fahlberg, the well respected author of A Child’s Journey Through Placement, cautions that “changes in the child’s first name during [the toddler years] may carry an even higher risk than at other developmental stages” due to the combination of the separation from the child’s birth parents and the strong developmental task during this age for ego and identity development.

Parents who adopt internationally often re-name, for many of the same reasons domestic adoptees are renamed, but also because some parents are afraid that people will not be able to pronounce “foreign” sounding names.

While naming your adopted child is a sign of claiming for the parents, for the child it can be hurtful and may even seem like the adoptive parents are trying to make them into someone else. One little boy, for example, had his name changed by his foster parents to “disguise” his more ethnic sounding name.  Another child was given a “nick-name” by the maternal grandmother, because the grandmother disliked the child’s father, whom the child was named after. However, the child loved her father and was proud of  being named after him and would refer to herself by her given name when the grandmother was not around. Still another child asked to change his name because he associated his birth name with the “bad boy” who was victimized by his biological parents and felt a new name made him a “good boy.” All these examples show the importance that names hold for children.

For some adoptive parents, keeping the child’s birth name may be difficult, especially if the parents dreamed of having a child named “Junior,” for example, to carry on the “family’s name.” If this is the case, the adoptive parents may need to think about whether the adopted child is a “replacement” child for the family, or symbolically represents an “ideal” child.

Some children do not want to be re-named. And many adults who were adopted as children often express that they felt their identities had been “erased” when they learn they were re-named. Although adoptive parents have good intentions when considering re-naming their child, they may need to look inside themselves and consider whether the re-naming is for the child’s best interests, or their own. Changing a child’s name does not erase their past history and it won’t eliminate that have a connection to their biological family. Dr. Fahlberg advises that plans for proposed name changes be discussed with the child. Although most children understand that families often share surnames and welcome this change, some children find changing the surname threatening. Discussions about name changes between the adoptive parents and the child need to be addressed prior to the finalization.

Talking to the youth about naming is a wonderful opportunity for adoptive parents to begin to understand the youth’s
feelings around their birth family, their culture and their history.

Adoptive parents can consider the following things when thinking about changing your adopted child’s name:
• Is the desire to re-name based on the parent’s dream of having a child with a special name?
• Is the desire to re-name based on negative feelings towards the child’s biological family?
• Is your adopted child named after someone in their biological family? How will the child feel about having that connection changed?
• Is the desire to re-name based on negative feelings about the child’s race or ethnicity? If so, parents may need to examine their feelings about other aspects of adopting a child of a different race, ethnicity or
culture.
• Does the child’s name have cultural ties? Will re-naming a cultural name into a more “Anglicized” name cut off cultural ties?
• If the child speaks another language, the name may be even more important for the child as it may be the only linguistic tie to their culture of origin unless the adoptive family speaks the language or is bilingual.
• Does the child hold negative feelings about his or her birth family?
• Does the child have siblings with similar or same names/surnames?

Some children want to change their names. It is not uncommon for older elementary-aged children and teens to ask to change their name, and sometimes their choices seem out-there for adoptive parents. Some kids want to keep their part or all of their names but change the spelling because of pronunciation. A frank conversation about the proposed name change should include exploring reasons why the youth has chosen the name, and to see if it is appropriate to incorporate or keep part of the youth’s birth name once the adoption is finalized.

Original article here - http://www.mnadopt.org/Factsheets/Naming%20Your%20Adopted%20Child_Guide%20for%20Parents.pdf

In 2004, U.S. citizens adopted 22,991 children who had been born abroad, an all-time high. In the eight years since, such adoptions have fallen off sharply, with only 9,319 in 2011. According to Tom Difilipo, Executive Director of the Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS), JCICS is predicting that the numbers will be 8,200 in 2012 and 7,000 in 2013. What accounts for this downturn? What’s happening in the sending countries? What might the future be for intercountry adoption?

What’s Behind the Numbers?

Ethiopia has seen rapid changes in recent years, jumping from 731 adoptions to the U.S. in 2006 to a high of 2,511 in 2010, then falling to 1,732 in 2011. As reported in The Wall Street Journal, “The country lacks infrastructure and personnel to regulate a process that usually begins deep in the countryside,” and adoption agencies fund the orphanages they process adoptions from. In 2009 and 2010, U.S. embassy investigations found instances of adoptees with inaccurate paperwork and orphanage recruitment of children for adoption via financial incentives for birth families. Ethiopia responded by increasing oversight and, in March of 2011, announced an intentional slowdown, reviewing five rather than 50 cases a day. By October 2011, the country had closed about two dozen orphanages. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, however, the rate of processing new cases returned to its previous level this past August, so numbers may begin rising.

Adoptions from Russia reached a high of 5,862 in 2004 and fell to 962 in 2011. The slowdown for Russia began in 2005, by which time several Russian children had died at the hands of U.S. adoptive parents. Since then, Russia has tightened restrictions for prospective parents, and there have been periods of slowdown and shutdown. Domestic adoption has also increased. Although there have been five rocky years for Russian adoptions, the process may become more stable. On July 28, 2012, Vladimir Putin signed into law a new bilateral adoption agreement with the U.S., one designed to provide additional safeguards. U.S. Ambassador Jacobs reports that the State Department is sending a team to Russia to work on implementing the agreement; she expects numbers to begin to increase.

South Korea, which has played a significant role in international adoption, has also seen decreasing numbers, perhaps due to an increase in domestic adoptions. In 2011, the Korean government announced its intention to end international adoption by the end of 2012. As this issue went to press, a State Department team was headed to Korea to discuss with the government whether there is still a need that international adoption can fill for Korean children. Ambassador Jacobs suggests the possibility of an increase in special-needs adoptions.

The Hague Adoption Convention, completed in 1993, was designed to apply safeguards to international adoption, making the process more transparent and free of corruption. The U.S. became a full member in 2008. The Convention did not affect the process in some countries, like China, which already had a Hague-compliant process in place, or non-member countries, like Russia and Ethiopia, but its rules led to slowdowns or shutdowns in other countries. The Hague requires a central authority, with oversight into the ethics of adoption, that many countries were unable to establish. Additionally, according to a new documentary entitled STUCK, a 2010 Hague Commission Report revealed that the Hague has not eradicated corruption. In the film, Senator Mary Landrieu, one of the Hague’s biggest proponents in the U.S., expressed regret at the Convention’s effects.

Guatemala, which sent 4,726 children to U.S. families in 2007, ratified and became a full member to the Convention without having a Hague-compliant process in place. Adoptions had been processed through private children’s homes or lawyers’ offices rather than a central authority. Allegations of corruption and birthmother coercion had become frequent by the time the country shut down international adoption in 2008, with roughly 3,000 U.S. adoption cases in process. There are still 150-200 pending cases. Talks with Guatemala have continued, though, in recent years, they have mainly focused on wrapping up all of the pipeline cases.

Prospects for the Future

In 2004, the top-three countries (China, Russia, and Guatemala) sent 16,164 children, accounting for 70 percent of all international adoptions to the U.S. In 2011, the top-three countries (China, Ethiopia, and Russia) sent just 5,281 children, 57 percent of the total. While a handful of countries still send the majority of children, a new pattern may be emerging; we may be moving into an era in which overall numbers are smaller but more countries are playing a role.

While Africa accounted for only five percent of all (worldwide) international adoptions in 2003, that percentage had increased to 22 percent by 2009. Lesotho recently joined the Hague, and South Africa has authorized two U.S. adoption service providers (ASPs) to start accepting applications. Other African countries that are seeing an increase are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire. Ambassador Jacobs stressed that all of these countries will start small, and that is a good thing. The numbers are not as important, she said, as completing every adoption properly.

It seems likely that several other countries will reopen. Adoption from Vietnam to the U.S. ended in late 2008, when a bilateral agreement expired. Amid suspicions of corruption, the agreement was not renewed. Now that the country has joined the Hague, however, adoptions may resume. Cambodia, where international adoption was banned in 2009, in response to proven corruption, has joined the Hague and is working to reopen. Kazakhstan joined the Hague and began authorizing agencies, though adoptions remained suspended at press time.

The demographics of the children who join U.S. families are changing, as special-needs adoptions increase. In China, where more than 50 percent of adoptions have already shifted to Waiting Children, more families are adopting boys, older children, and children with medical needs, including many with minor or correctable needs.

Ambassador Jacobs highlighted two Office of Children’s Issues initiatives that should improve international adoption. A new process for non-Hague countries, called Pre-Adoption Immigration Review (PAIR), means that our State Department will investigate orphan status and identify potential problems as soon as a petition is received, not at the end of the process. PAIR should be of great benefit in Ethiopia. The Universal Accreditation Act, which is expected to pass after the election, will mandate that all ASPs meet Hague standards.

While the history of international adoption has involved cases of corruption, the vast majority of stories are about the creation of loving families. Numbers may never again reach 2004 levels, but there is still hope for the many children in orphanages around the world, who deserve to grow up in families.

Elisa Rosman, Ph.D., is a consultant on early childhood and adoption issues. She is a mother of four, including three children adopted from China.

Original article can be found here - http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=2387

When we took the many hours of parenting classes required to adopt our two sons, they emphasized the importance of family traditions as a way to strengthen family bonds, teach our new children our family values, and give our kids a sense of identity and security within our family: “The Smith Familyalways makes pancakes on Sunday mornings” or “The Lin Family plays football together every Thanksgiving” or “The Morales Family always makes a birthday sign for the birthday child.” In reality, not only adoptive families will benefit from creating special family traditions- all families will enjoy family rituals and become stronger as they incorporate them into their lives.

Traditions do not have to be complex, time-consuming, or cost a lot of money. When asked, kids can help to come up with new family traditions, and then you can work together to make it a ritual, and share the knowledge and experience. If you’d like to get more examples, check out The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays and Every Day by Meg Cox, or I Love You Rituals by Becky Bailey (these are more songs, fingerplays, daily rituals). Both of these books come highly recommended by Attachment Parenting and adoption professionals.

Here are some of our winter family traditions. Please adapt, repeat, or share with your family, and build your own family culture!:) Leave your favorite WINTER family traditions in the comments or on facebook. Then check back in the spring for more seasonal family traditions!

One favorite family tradition we’ve had is to visit the Science and Industry Museum (in Chicago) for their annual exhibit of “Christmas Tree Around the World.” If you’ve never been, it is incredible!! There are also exhibits on Chanukkah, Diwali, Chinese New Year, and Ramadan, and more, with live performances of songs and dances, and facts about how each country celebrates these winter holidays. This is one of my most favorite traditions! We always take pictures in front of the trees that are significant to my family: Mexico, China, Ireland, Slovenia. We frequently visit this after Thanksgiving when it first opens, and it really feels like the Christmas season has started.

A new tradition this year: caroling at our friends’ houses. We learned a couple of songs and attempted to surprise our friends one evening. My kids liked it so much that we repeated it on two other nights (after getting requests from kids at school!).

Every single night, we snuggle and read books on the couch. Every single night, throughout the year. During the winter we read about all of the winter holidays, stories about snow, the gingerbread man, and other seasonal books:). When it’s 80 degrees out and humid, this helps us get into the Christmas spirit!

Every year we attempt to make lots of Christmas gifts. From ornaments, to boxes, to tshirts, to soap- I try to find little projects that the kids can do without much help.

Watching Christmas movies! We have movie night every Friday, so during the winter we sometimes pick Christmas movies. Our must-see favorites are White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Charlie Brown’s Christmas

Every year our kids participate in “Breakfast in Bethlehem,” a living Nativity scene. The kids can dress up as an angel, as Mary and Joseph, as a shepherd, or any farm animal- and then as they read the story of the first Christmas, the characters come on stage. Here’s sweet Maya as angel last year.

We usually make pancakes on the weekends, but during the winter we change up the designs. These are supposed to be reindeer!? I am not the most creative, but the kids LOVE it. By the way, these M&Ms melted when I flipped the pancakes over!

We always, always make gingerbread cookies with Grandma, to the point where my kids don’t think we can make them at our own house:). When they were little, they made silly green hats with my mom- and this has now turned into the tradition. “We have to make the hats with the cookies!”

Every year in my parents’ local newspaper, they publish the most lit-up houses in the area, with a map and guide. These are SO over the top, and outrageously decorated, with coordinating music and moving figures- the kids go crazy, we blast Christmas music, and the adults just end up laughing the whole time. I need to get a picture of this one house that has a huge train set that the kids can get out and control- I’m thinking our house will never make the list, which is why it’s fun to see others’ hard work.

We always visit Santa! In line for this visit on Christmas Eve night, I asked my kids what they wanted for Christmas. Maya looked around, saw a wreath, and said “a bow.” Perfect, I thought. It finally was our turn, and Santa asked her the same question, but misunderstood her answer. “A boat?” Her eye lit up, “Yes! A boat!!” I imagine Santa had a hard time with all of his obligations that night to come up with a boat, but somehow he did! The same visit, Ricky asked for a gingerbread house with a slide. Whew! I’m not sure how Santa made one that evening out of graham crackers and candy, but he must have finished around midnight with a lot of help from his elves! You can see why these visits are so crucial, though I suggest going before the 24th.

Christmas Eve the kids leave out cookies and milk for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph, and try to go to sleep. We always sleep at my mom and dad’s house in a big sleepover that ends quite early in the morning. The rule is: no one can go downstairs until the coffee is on, faces are washed, dogs are walked, and the adults are all awake. 

Excitedly waiting at the top of the stairs!! Hurry up grown-ups!!!!

After opening presents (though sometimes presents wait until other aunts/uncles/cousins can make it to my parents’ house!:) we go to mass. Don’t they look so angelic?? 

We have lots of parties with family in the weekends before and after, and sometimes even a visit from Santa. Playing with cousins and huge meals are favorite traditions in our family (like many other families!).

When in Mexico, we celebrate Las Posadas, a re-enactment of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. It ends in a big party: delicious food, songs, a piñata, and luces de bengala (sparklers).

If there’s snow, we love to go sledding and have hot chocolate.

Every year since Vivi was born, we walk around downtown Chicago checking out the decorations in Marshall Fields (sigh, now Macy’s), watching the ice skaters, visiting the Christkindl market, and staying warm with hot cocoa and lots of layers!

It’s our family tradition every New Year’s Eve to play lots of board games. This game is similar to Bingo, but is called “Lotería.”

Here is our family’s typical New Year’s Eve fare: tapas and finger foods that we like to call “goodies” (we have the same family tradition for Christmas Eve!). With music blasting, the kids run around playing and dancing, and are able to eat “on the run.” The adults relax with somerompope or sangría, and get ready for the countdown. We usually head to the downtown for a bit to see the carnival-like atmosphere (and sometimes they have an early countdown for kids!). Then we come home for the final house. In true Mexican tradition, we eat 12 grapes at the chimes of midnight, for good luck and prosperity in the new year (technically we also need to wear red underwear!).

Ethiopian Christmas is just a little bit later, on January 7th. Ganna, as it is called in Amharic, is a time when families gather for church and then a celebratory meal. We like to go out for Ethiopian food!

January 6th, we have Reyes Magos, the Feast of the Epiphany. In Mexico, there is a tradition of buying special bread this day and having a party with friends. As you choose your piece of bread, everyone waits to see if you got the niño Jesus (baby Jesus) in your slice- if you did, you must have a party with tamales on February 2nd, El Dia de la Candelaria.

Finally, we have Chinese New Year (which varies from year to year, celebrated somewhere near January or February). We usually go to several parties, parades and/or restaurants with other adoptive families and with Chinese friends. A couple of times the Chinese Consulate has had a wonderful party with games and food for the kids. We always follow the traditions of getting haircuts, doing a huge spring cleaning of our house, and eating some looooong noodles for a long life:).

So many family traditions!!! Just writing this post is getting me excited for the upcoming months:). What are rituals or customs that you follow during the winter months? Please share your ideas here!

http://kidworldcitizen.org/2012/12/09/importance-of-family-traditions-and-a-look-at-ours-winter/#more-3338

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/09/19/peds.2012-2261