December 22, 2016
So, you know we at Via Evaluation are passionate about data, and the winter holiday season brings its own data sets and fun facts! Here are just a few fun ones the team at Via gathered from across the internet.
- Did you know that Santa actually has 31 hours to deliver presents? That’s right! Traveling across time zones adds a bit more time to Santa’s clock! (Source: http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/twelve-lists-christmas/holiday-fun-facts)
- If you added up all of the gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas, you would have a total of 364 gifts (1 partridge in a pear tree x 12 days (PLUS) 2 turtle doves x 11 days, etc.) (Source: Gulevich, Tanya.Encyclopedia of Christmas. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, Inc, 2000.)
- Happy Hanukkah…or, wait….is it, Happy Chanukah? The different spellings stem from the translation of the original Hebrew word into the English language. (Source: http://blog.dictionary.com/chanukah/) According to big data from Google Book’s Ngram Viewer (https://books.google.com/ngrams), which indexes words and phrases appearing in books, in the English language, “Hanukkah” is the more popular spelling.
- This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Kwanza holiday. The holiday was created back in 1966 to celebrate family, culture, and heritage by Dr. Maulana Karenga (Source: http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/connect/talk-back/what-is-kwanzaa/)
- Do you like the mistletoe (Viscum Album) tradition? You can thank the Druids (Happy Winter Solstice!!) and other ancient peoples who believed mistletoe was sacred because it continued to stay green and bear fruit throughout the cold season when other plants died. (Source: Allen, Linda. Decking the Halls: The Folklore and Traditions of Christmas Plants. Minocqua, WI: Willow Creek Press, 2000.)
- All that great holiday food and pretty wrapping paper means that in the US, household waste increases by about 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day…that adds up to more than an additional ONE MILLION EXTRA TONS!! (Yuck!!) Remember to recycle that wrapping paper and Chistmas tree, and use reusable dishware during your holiday celebrations! The planet will thank you! (Source: https://www3.epa.gov/region9/waste/recycling/)
The team at Via Evaluation wishes you and yours a bright holiday season filled with the warmth of friends and family!
