Christmas 2016 And Robin's Birthday - Disneyland

Did You Know? - Records of honey cakes can be traced to ancient Rome. Food historians ratify that ginger has been seasoning foodstuffs and drinks since antiquity. It is believed gingerbread was first baked in Europe at the end of the 11th century, when returning crusaders brought back the custom of spicy bread from the Middle East.

Ginger was not only tasty, it had properties that helped preserve the bread. According to the French legend, gingerbread was brought to Europe in 992 by the Armenian monk, later saint, Gregory of Nicopolis (Gregory Makar). He lived for seven years in Bondaroy, France, near the town of Pithiviers, where he taught gingerbread cooking to priests and other Christians. He died in 999.

Gingerbread, as we know it today, descends from Medieval European culinary traditions. Gingerbread was also shaped into different forms by monks in Franconia, Germany in the 13th century. Lebkuchen bakers are recorded as early as 1296 in Ulm and 1395 in Nuremberg, Germany. Nuremberg was recognized as the "Gingerbread Capital of the World" when in the 1600s the guild started to employ master bakers and skilled workers to create complicated works of art from gingerbread.

Medieval bakers used carved boards to create elaborate designs. During the 13th century, the custom spread across Europe. It was taken to Sweden in the 13th century by German immigrants; there are references from Vadstena Abbey of Swedish nuns baking gingerbread to ease indigestion in 1444.

The traditional sweetener is honey, used by the guild in Nuremberg. Spices used are ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom.

Did You Know? - The melody for the Happy Birthday song was first penned by two sisters, Mildred and Patty Hill.

It is thought that birthday celebrations originated in the Roman Empire. And they were largely due to the prominent religion at the time, Mithraism, which was later supplanted by Christianity.

Children who are on the leap day of February 29th often celebrate their birthdays on March 1st.

Germans take birthdays very seriously, sometimes receiving a half-day of vacation. The most common gifts among friends include flowers and wine.

In England, when you reach 80, 90 or 100 years of age, you receive a telegram from the Queen.

In India, black and white gift wrapping is considered unlucky.

The French and Italian celebrate Name Days more so than birthdays.

In Korea, the two most important birthdays are the 100th day and the 60th year.

A Golden Birthday happens only once in a person's lifetime. It happens when the person's age and the date of the day they were born is the same.

Close to two billion Birthday Cards are sent each year in the U.S. alone, accounting for nearly 58 percent of all cards sent.

The world's largest birthday cake was created in 1989 it weighed 128,238 pounds, 8 oz. and used 16,209 pounds of icing.

The most common birth date is October 5 and the least common is May 22 in U.S.A.

The day of the week in which the most babies are born is Tuesday while Sunday is the lowest day.

Anne Frank's world famous diary was given to her when she was thirteen years old.

The children's day in India is celebrated on 14th November- the birthday of Jawahar Lal Nehru in memory of his love for children.