Insider Volume 23 Issue 12

INSIDER 11.12.2020 | VOL. 23 | ISSUE 12

STUDENT MAGAZINE OF XAMK

Featuring Music

Recipe Xmas & New Year Xmas Trees Health Food

STAFF

EDITORIAL

LIDIIA BENKOVSKAIA

JOONATAN BERG

AVE-LIIS KOOBAK

EVA MOROVSHICHIK

IKRAM BECHARI

MARIAN KEINAN

VLADA POLISHCHUK

MERVEILLE BIVU NDONGA

INSIDER STUDENT MAGAZINE South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences Paraatikenttä 7 45100 Kouvola INSIDER ISSN 1457-1587 Editor in Chief: HUGH CLACK

PHONE +358 44 702 8758 WEBSITE insider.xamk.fi EMAIL insider@xamk.fi 2

EDITORIAL Christmas holidays coming up!

I’m sure all of us are looking forward to the Christmas holidays. Christmas is when we can all be together with our family and have a nice time, weather you celebrate it or not. And gives you time to rest after a hard semester! I hope that all our readers can still spend Christmas together, even though Covid-19 hasn’t gone away yet.

In this week's issue we get all kinds of Christmas content. Eva is going to talk to you about Christmas books and for us. Lidiia will talk about New years and Christmas traditions in Russia, Marian is going to talk about delicious Finnish Christmas foods, and I have also made you guys a Christmas song list for your holidays! But that’s not all: Ikram is going to give you a tasty recipe, Vlada talks about Christmas tree market and Merveille is writing you about the benefits of ice swimming! Hrr I get cold even thinking about ice swimming!

Stay safe and enjoy your Christmas holiday!

Written by Ave-Liis Koobak 3

MUSIC Christmas playlist I have songs for you to listen to before Christmas to get into the Christmas mood! I’m going to talk about the top 6 for this season that you could sing along to!

The first song is a jolly song to get a happy mood and a little dancing going on!

song to get some blood pumping through your veins! Grab a friend or a family member to get some dancing going!

"Fragments"- series of paintings

Candy Cane Lane by Sia says that Christmas is waiting for you! Did you know that this song is a love letter to the Phil Spector?

The second one gets a little worn around Christmas time, but I think it’s still an essential song to listen to. It’s ofc “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”!

How many of these songs did you know? I hope you got new Christmas songs from the playlist I linked for you! Happy Christmas season I hope you can spend it with people you love!

What does Christmas mean to you? 98 degrees is going make you think about it!

Kelly Clarkson’s lovely love song about a special someone always gets me excited and feeling warm. One of my favorites ever. The song is about that special someone being underneath the tree.

Merry Christmas Everyone by Vistas is a groovy 4

Written by Ave-Liis Koobak

RECIPE Easy-Peazy biscuits for the Christmas occasion.

(approx. 40 biscuits) Today, I’m giving you a special recipe for my heart and my tummy. I am sharing with you the perfect Christmas treat. They are very delicious and super simple to make. Besides, it is a recipe that you can make with kids as well. So, if you have children or young siblings at home or around you, you can make it with them. It is an enjoyable activity at Christmas time.[Rivityskohta]This recipe doesn’t take much time, and it’s not complicated at all.

Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Ingredients • 250 g flour + some extra for rolling out • 10g baking powder • pinch of salt • ½ teaspoon ginger powder (optional: depending the taste that you want) • ½ teaspoon cinnamon • 125 g cold butter (cut it into equal-sized cubes) + some extra for greasing • 125 g caster sugar • One beaten egg Instructions 1. Into a large bowl, put the flour and the cold. Rub the butter and flour between your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Add the sugar, the beaten egg, the baking powder, the salt and the spices ( ginger & cinnamon). Mix them all together. Gradually, all the ingredients start to come together as a dough.

3. With your hands, form the dough into a ball when you finish mixing all the ingredients.

4. Sprinkle your work place and the top of your dough with a bit of flour.

5. Roll out the ball to a 5 mm/ ¼ inch thickness. (you don’t need to get your ruler out) 6. Cut out your stars with your star-shaped cutters and gently lay them on the prepared baking tray. Leave enough space between them as they will grow and spread a little in the oven.

7. ontinue squishing and rerolling until you have run out of biscuit ball.

8. Put your stars in the your pre-heated oven.

9. Get out your stars from the oven if they are pale gold on top and just a little bit darker around the edges.

10. When they are ready, let them cool a bit before eating them. (They can be eaten warm or cold) Tips • Before starting the preparation, grease 2 large baking sheets with a thin layer of butter. Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F. • If the ingredients don’t all stick together, add a tiny bit of water to help it come together. (Don’t add too much).

• You can use any christmasy cutters to make the biscuits (christmas tree -bell -elf), anything in the christmas theme.

• At 8 minutes cooking, check the biscuits if they are done and ready. The bigger the shape is, the more time they need in the oven.

• Your biscuits can be stored in a biscuit tin or other airtight container for about a week.

Enjoy your treats and don’t hesitate to comment below this post if you try this recipe!

Written and photos by Ikram Bechari

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XMAS & NEW YEAR Christmas, New Year traditions in Russia Every Russian knows the axiom: “As you celebrate and congratulates Russian citizens on the New the New Year, you will spend it!”

Year on all TV channels. After the speech, exactly at midnight, the country listens to the ringing of the New Year is the main holiday of the year in Kremlin, which signals the beginning of the New Russia; it is the most desirable, beautiful, rich in Year, while the chimes strike, one needs to think history, fascinating traditions and funny ordinary and make the most cherished wish. After that, holidays. Today, holiday preparations begin in the national anthem is played. In these exciting mid-December. Streets, shops and businesses moments, everyone is drinking champagne and are decorated with garlands, toys, and posters; wishing each other a happy New Year. decorated Christmas trees appear on the streets of cities.

(source: calendar.ru)

(source: tourism.ru)

In every city, town or village on the central square there are large Christmas trees illuminated with electric garlands. Charming sparkling ice sculptures, snowmen and figures of Santa Claus and Snow Maiden are placed around the tree. At the same time, houses are also decorated with Christmas trees, which people buy at the spruce bazaars. New Year's gifts are hidden under the tree. Christmas trees traditionally stand in homes until January 13-14, when Russians celebrate the Old New Year. The celebration begins at about 11 pm when the family will sit down for a festive dinner. Shortly before 12 noon, a toast is made to the "old, passing year", in which a tribute is paid to the good things that he brought.

In Russia, it is customary to listen to the speech of the head of state on television. The President traditionally sums up the results of the past year

After that, many people like to go outside to launch all kinds of fireworks and light sparklers. Festive performances with songs, dances and games are held in the central squares of cities and towns.

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IN RUSSIA

(source: tripadvisor) An important element of the celebration of New Eve (on the night of January 6-7), the festive Year's holidays in Russia is the presence on the Liturgy (after the restoration of the temple - from table of tangerines, Olivier salad, crab salad, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior) is broadcast on sandwiches with red caviar, herring under a fur federal TV channels. Some Orthodox believers at coat, champagne. Also in Russia it is customary this time stand services directly in the church. not to transfer unfinished business to the new year, and what is more, you need to "leave all On this day, the Orthodox attend divine services debts for the old year," that is, repay debts before in the Temples, then the hostesses clean up the the beginning of the coming year. On New Year's apartments and cook. Divine services, communion Eve, you need to wear completely new clothes, and confession are indispensable "attributes", which at best should be "happy colours" next year. shall we say, of a holiday for the Orthodox. When laying the table, strive to decorate it beautifully - in The Christmas is the second most important the centre there must certainly be a composition of holiday in the country. It is celebrated on January fir branches and candles, distribute several straws 7, not only at the church, but also at the state level. under the tablecloth, they symbolize the manger Children go carols (announce the good news of where the Savior was after birth. the birth of the Savior).

On the table there should be 12 lenten dishes A small nativity scene is set up in the houses. The (according to the number of the apostles), one of birth of the Savior. At all times, at Christmas, it was them is soothing All 12 dishes must be tasted, you customary to give gifts to both children and adults. cannot leave at least one intact. Before Christmas, the table is not cleaned, as are all the food on it.

From January 6 to January 7, in all churches of On Christmas days, you cannot swear, quarrel Russia, a night service is held dedicated to the with loved ones, be offended, be greedy and be birth of Jesus Christ. It is customary to sit down for far from your loved ones, according to legend, if a refectory dinner after the first star appears in the you meet Christmas alone, you will “wander” all firmament. At present, we see this tradition only in year. the fact that many Russian families sit down at the table on the 7th, after a big service.

On the night before Christmas, you can make a wish, which must certainly come true. On Christmas

Written by Lidiia Benkovskaia 7

XMAS TREES

Christmas tree market

How often do you buy a live tree on Christmas eve? Nowadays people are increasingly changing their habits in buying this holiday symbol, but is this the only issue in the Christmas tree market?

Unfortunately, climate change, farmers issues, and sometimes economic recession also affect this business niche and brought some changes.

We will figure it out today.

and fungi, acting in places of damage to the bark.

When a tree is cut down, the resin release is particularly intense, so at first, it exudes a strong aroma, and it also does not require storage space.

After the end of the holidays, the Christmas trees that have become unnecessary, for example, can simply be used as firewood.

In the modern world, artificial Christmas trees are becoming more and more popular, as they do not harm nature, do not cause allergies, are reusable, do not crumble, budget, and what is also a big plus that there is a wide variety of models. Of course, all these characteristics attract more customers than the benefits of the live one, and because of this, farmers suffer losses and therefore sell the land or only part of it, and therefore the number of live Christmas trees has significantly decreased.

"Unfortunately, climate change, farmers issues, and sometimes economic recession also affect this business niche and brought some changes."

Christmas trees take 6 to 12 years to mature.

Climate change is leading to temperature and rainfall patterns, which severely affects growers’ ability to produce high-quality trees and the varieties that customers seek. This is also an obstacle to the production and sale of this Christmas symbol.

But what are the advantages of live spruce? Why is it still being sold despite these difficulties?

A live tree has the fragrance of real pine needles. Its wood is saturated with resin with a high content of phytoncides-volatile substances with antibacterial properties. The resin protects the tree from insects 8

Written by Vlada Polishchuk

Cold swim

HEALTH

Have you ever wondered why people swim in cold outdoor water in winter? Isn't it pretty crazy?

You may have wondered or not… Here are a few reasons why cold swimming is popular among Finns.

Cold swimming reportedly affects positively your state of mind. In winter when it is dark and cold, cold water invigorates the mind. It is not advisable to start cold swimming directly but gradually, ie you can start it at home by going to a slightly colder shower and so you get used to that cold.

Many times, athletes go into cold water after a hard performance. Do you know the reason? Cold water has, restorative effects, an event associated with blood circulation.

Cold water also helps with various pain conditions as well as inflammations.

There is a Finnish saying that when you start to swim in cold water, the doctor appointments decrease.

Are you going to try cold water swimming?

Written and photos by Merveille Bivu Ndonga 9

FOOD Traditional Finnish Christmas foods As Christmas is approaching the cravings for Christmas foods just keeps getting stronger.

Maybe it is because we are conditioned to it as you see all sorts of Christmas food advertisements everywhere during this time. In Finland, the Christmas tradition is strong and there are many delicious foods served. There are a variety of options for vegans and meat-eaters too. Here are few amazingly delicious Finnish Christmas foods that will make you hungry.

The Christmas hams

the egg out. This dish tastes sweet and it is very light. It is often eaten with the ham on the side.

Glögi Glögi is a spiced drink that is drunk as a hot beverage. Usually, it is an alcoholic drink, but many stores sell the nonalcoholic version. People from Nordic countries drank this beverage when it was cold, and they had to do activities outside.

Nowadays the drink is the symbol of Christmas in Finland.

This delicious ham is baked in the oven often a day before Christmas eve. It is the main dish on the table, and it is beautifully sliced before serving.

The ham is usually bought from the store and it is already salted, so the ham will be just put in the oven when it is enough frozen, and it must stay in the oven for the whole night at low temperature.

There are also fresh hams sold that are not frozen and are salt-free. These are often considered the authentic version for Finnish Christmas dinner.

Nowadays they also sell turkey ham and special vegan seitan ham that tastes delicious.

Liver casserole with lingonberry jam This dish is very simple to make and it is usually one of the main dishes in Christmas dinner.

Finnish people love this dish so much that they usually eat it throughout the year. You only need beer liver, milk, eggs, seasoning, onion, raisins, butter, rice, and jam. If you want to surprise your Finnish friends, surprise them with this dish.

Carrot casserole This dish is everyone's favorite. Babies to elderly people love this food, it is also vegan if you leave

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Written by Marian Keinan

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