THE DIGEST

1st January – New Year’s Day

New Year’s Day was first celebrated in 45BC when Julius Caesar was appointed as Roman Dictator. He felt the Roman calendar at the time needed revising.

New Year’s Day is often seen as a time to celebrate and reflect on

the past year. Lots of people make New Year’s resolutions, but often these aren’t kept to all year round! There is a belief of luck on this day - in Scotland, the first person to enter the house on New Year’s Day is known as the ‘First Foot’ and brings luck to the family for the year.

National Fruitcake Toss Day The earliest fruit cake recipe included pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins that were then mixed with barley. In the Middle Ages, honey, spices, and preserved fruits were introduced and added to the mix. The popularity of fruit cakes soon grew across Europe, although the recipes varied from country to country as availability of ingredients was diverse and there were certain church regulations to abide to. In the 16th century, sugar was added as it helped preserve the fruits and sweetened the recipe. Manitou Springs in Colorado has hosted the Fruitcake Toss tournament every year since 1995. During the competition, fruitcakes are thrown using a variety of instruments to get the furthest distance!

THE DIGEST

THE DIGEST

National Buffet Day

The buffet originated in Sweden in the form of what was the ‘smorgasbord’. This was a pre-dinner ‘meal’ which men and women enjoyed separately along with drinks. Buffets are often used at get-togethers, parties and celebrations throughout the year. Many restaurants offer an ‘all you can eat buffet’ for a set price. In Las Vegas, ‘The Carnival World Buffet’ offers over 300 dishes for $24 and you can stay all day!

Digest

THE DIGEST

4th January – Jane Wyman born (1914)

Jane Wyman was an American actress, singer, dancer and philanthropist whose career spanned across seven decades. She was also the first wife of actor Ronald Reagan (the 40th President of the United States). They married in 1940 and divorced in 1949.

Wyman won an Oscar for a film where she played a character unable to speak or hear.

She won 10 awards in her time along with 11 other award nominations. Jane Wyman died age 90 in 2007 of natural causes.

National Screenwriters’ DayNational Screenwriters’ Day commemorates those people who create films right from the very beginning. Screenwriters create, write and re-write the scripts before the film directors even see them! They are the core of imagination and creativity of the film. The president of ‘ScreenwritingU’, Hal Croasmun, thinks screenwriters are the real engines that drive movies. For this reason, he created the national day to honour their work.

If you wrote a film, what would it be called?

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6th January – Show Boat opens on Broadway (1946)Show Boat was on Broadway for a whole year, with 418 shows in total. The show is based on Edna Ferber’s novel of the same name. It tells the story of performers living on a show boat sailing on the Mississippi in Chicago between 1880-1927. It takes us on a journey through the troubles and tribulations they experience. Show Boat won a gold medal at the Photoplay awards in 1952 and was nominated for 3 others in America.

Have you ever seen Show Boat?

TURN THE PAGE FOR OUR OOMPH! DIGESTIVE

Music to listen to this week:_ Nina Simone

Feelin Good

_ The Dixie Cups

Going to the Chapel

_ Stevie Wonder Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing

_ John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over

_ William Warfield Old Man River

National Soup Day

Soup has been traced back as far as 6000 BC. It is believed that hippopotamus was the first known meat to be used in soups. The early Greeks sold soup at market places and streets, which implies that soup may have been one of the first known “fast foods”.  In fact, before people began adding lentils, beans and other ingredients, soup was really just broth, the broth was used to pour over or dip bread into.  This bread was called ‘sop’, which gradually became ‘soup’ as it is now known.

Digest

THE DIGEST

Why not spark up a conversation around: New Beginnings

Get acquainted: Make name badges and say hello.

Get chatting: What’s the weather like today? Which articles did you enjoy reading this week in The Digest?

Get singing: Enjoy a singalong to ‘Old Man River’

Get Playing: Soft ball catch. Say a name of a type of bird before passing the ball to someone in the group.

Get thinking:

_ Why do we make new year’s resolutions?

_ Are new beginnings a worry or an opportunity?

_ What will your new year’s resolutions be this year?

Keep up the conversation: How can you create something new where you live?

Digest Quiz

1. In which country is the first person to enter the house on New Year’s Day, known as the‘First Foot’?

a. Englandb. Irelandc. Scotlandd. Wales

2. In which year was sugar added to thecommon recipe for fruitcake?

a. 12th centuryb. 16th centuryc. 14th centuryd. 20th century

3. Which American president did Jane Wymanmarry in 1940?

a. Ronald Raeganb. John F Kennedyc. George Bushd. Bill Clinton

4. Where was boat sailing to in the film ShowBoat?

a. Californiab. New Orleansc. Massachusettsd. Chicago

5. When is it believed that people first beganeating soup?

a. 6000 BCb. 2000 BCc. 300 BCd. 8000 BC

Digestive

The perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea…

Quiz Answers: 1)c, 2)b, 3)a, 4)d, 5)a