CHINESE NEW YEAR





Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.

The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.

The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.

Traditional New Year Foods

Probably more food is consumed during the New Year celebrations than any other time of the year. Vast amounts of traditional food is prepared for family and friends, as well as those close to us who have died.

On New Year's Day, the Chinese family will eat a vegetarian dish called jai. Although the various ingredients in jai are root vegetables or fibrous vegetables, many people attribute various superstitious aspects to them:

* Lotus seed - signify having many male offspring

* Ginkgo nut - represents silver ingots

* Black moss seaweed - is a homonym for exceeding in wealth

* Dried bean curd is another homonym for fulfillment of wealth and happiness

* Bamboo shoots - is a term which sounds like "wishing that everything would be well"

* Fresh bean curd or tofu is not included as it is white and unlucky for New Year as the color signifies death and misfortune.

How to be a Kogal?


















--- >Kogals (コギャル kogyaru, lit. “small/child girl”) are a subculture of girls and young women in urban Japan, one of several types of so-called gals. In general, the kogal “look” roughly approximates a sun-tanned California Valley girl, and indeed, the similarities between the two extend to the linguistic, for both subcultures have derived entire sets of slang terms (コギャル語 “ko-gyaru-go”). Kogals are not to be confused with the ganguro subculture, although they are similar.<----

Kogals fashion are perhaps the closest thing to the word “normal” in Japanese fashion sense - the spoilt brat fashion sense that you see all over American and all americanized countries… it screams one word with this sense of fashion: MATERIALISM.

Although, many of you would like to differ that it’s “normal” to me because I’m used to the western fashion sense. True. In Japan, the term normal is a very subjective thing and I agree. Note that i quoted the word normal because in Japan, normal is weird and it’s weird being normal…….hmm.
Anyway, how would you like to be a Kogal? A Kogal looks like the typical Californian surfer babe in miniskirts and bikini tops. So, for the Californian babe look to qualify as a Kogal, here are some tips below:
• Stock your wardrobe with tank tops, spagetti straps, little sun-dresses micromini skirts, skorts and shorts.
• Beach slippers (i.e. Crocs are pretty “in” right now with beach babes, Jandals too), kitty heels, and puma trainers (make sure they’re flats).
• Color your hair sun kissed blond, streak them to make them look really sun kissed like those beach babes.
• Go for a bi-weekly tan - go crazy with it.
• Buy copious amount of make up from your fav. brands (i.e. Channel, Estee Lauder, Shu Uemura, Kanebo, Tommy Hilfiger, Issey Miyake perfumes etc etc)
• WEAR copious amount of make up - use fake eyelashes pls.
• Accessorise with bling blings
• Get a great bag to go with the outfits, make that maybe 10 different bags of your fav. brands (i.e. Kipling, Coach, Nine West, Channel, LV, Georgio Armani, Escada, etc etc)
• Hang out at Shibuya and pretend to titter around shopping. Don’t forget your large Paris Hilton sunglasses to go with it.
• Spend, spend, spend like a rich daddy’s girl.

Follow these 10 tips and you’re on your way to be a Kogal.

Another interesting fact, since the Kogal standards of living is so high (branded clothes and accessories), often times the supplement their living style by being in questionable activities to earn the extra income.

--- >Critics of the Kogal subculture decry its materialism as reflecting a larger psychological or spiritual emptiness in modern Japanese life. Some kogals support their lifestyle with allowances from wealthy parents, living a “freeter” or “parasite single” existence that grates against traditional principles of duty and industry. A small minority appear in pornography to finance their habits. More may engage in the practice of “compensated dating”, or enjo kōsai, which may at times border on quasi-legal prostitution. Internet-based usage of this term has led some Western observers to the mistake of believing that “kogal” means “prostitute”.<---

Well, don’t let it deter you. You don’t have to do all these things - dressing up as a Kogal is just for fun and can be part of your dress up planner on different weeks.. :) Although, those tan can be horribly out of place….

My favorite movie

Eight Below

Eight Below is my favorite movie. I love the kind of this story because it was about the lovely dogs. The main of this flim was about sled dogs's survival. When an unforeseen accident forces a trio of Antarctic scientists (Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood and Jason Biggs) to leave behind their team of steadfast sled dogs; Maya, Max, Buck, Old Jack, Dewey, Shadow, Shorty, and Truman, the animals must survive a cruel and punishing winter on their own. This film is a Walt Disney Pictures film directed by Frank Marshall and written by David DiGilio, which was released on February 17, 2006 in the United States. It was rated PG for some peril and brief mild language.

Plot :

Jerry Shepard (Paul Walker) is a guide at an Antarctica research base under contact with the National Science Foundation. UCLA professor, Dr. Davis McClaren (Bruce Greenwood) arrives at the base and presses Shepard to take him to Mount Melbourne to attempt to find a rare meteorite from the planet Mercury. Shepard does so against his own intuition, which tells him that it is too late in the season (January) to complete such a treacherous route. Worried about the snowmobiles breaking through the thinning ice or falling in a crevasse, Shepard elects to use his dog sled team for the journey.

Shepard and McClaren make it to Mount Melbourne but are immediately called back to base camp due to an approaching storm. McClaren begs for half a day to search for the meteorite and Shepard agrees. McClaren finds the sample he is looking for and the team heads home.

Shepard pauses to patch up one of the dogs (Old Jack) whose paw is bleeding. McClaren, while walking around to get a better radio connection with base, slides down an embankment when a soft ledge gives way. His landing at the bottom cracks the thin ice and McClaren ends up breaking through. Shepherd is able to get his lead dog Maya to bring a rope to McClaren and the dog team pulls him from the water.

Now, battling hypothermia, frostbite and near whiteout conditions, it is the dogs' stamina and keen sense of direction that gets Shepard and McClaren back to base. They are immediately evacuated, along with all other personnel due to the storm, which is expected to intensify. With too much weight in the plane to carry both people and dogs, the human team medically evacuates Shepard and McClaren with a plan to return later for the dogs. The dogs are temporarily left behind, but the storm is worse than expected and it soon becomes apparent that no rescue will be attempted until the next spring.

The dogs must struggle for survival alone in the Antarctic wilderness until Shepard eventually returns to rescue them, more than six months later. Six of the eight dogs survive. The two who die are Dewey and Old Jack with the six survivors being Buck, Max, Maya, Shadow, Shorty and Truman. Maya was close to death, though, after being bitten in the leg by a Leopard Seal.

The turning point in the film is the moment when McClaren sees a drawing of the dog team by his young son, with the label: "My Hero is... THE DOGS WHO SAVED MY DADDY." The professor realizes the magnitude of his ingratitude and uses the remaining balance of his grant money to finance a rescue mission.

Tom Yum Goong

++Tom yum (Thai: ต้มยำ, also sometimes romanized as tom yam) is a clear soup originating from Thailand and is perhaps one of the most famous dishes in Thai cuisine.

++Tom yum is characterized by its distinct hot and sour flavours with fragrant herbs generously used. The basic broth is made up of stock and fresh herbs such as lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and shallots. The intense flavours come from the addition of fresh lime juice, fish sauce and crushed chillis before serving.

++In Thailand, tom yum is usually made with chicken (tom yum gai), prawns (tom yum goong), fish (tom yum pla) or mixed seafood (tom yum talay or tom yum po tak) and mushrooms - usually straw or oyster mushrooms. The soup is often topped with generous sprinkling of chopped coriander leaves.

++The less popular variety of tom yum is tom yum nam khon (Thai: ต้มยำน้ำข้น) where coconut milk is added to the broth. This is not to be confused with tom kha - where the galangal flavour dominates the soup. Tom yum nam khon is almost always made with prawns whereas chicken is often used in tom kha. Its other cousin is the less well known outside Thailand tom klong. Sometimes Thai chilli jam (nam prik pao, Thai: น้ำพริกเผา) is added to give the soup a bright orange colour, also making the chilli flavor more pronounced. However the bright orange colour might be made from curry paste such geang som (Thai: แกงส้ม).

++Commercial tom yum paste is made by crushing all the herb ingredients and stir-fried in oil. Seasoning and other preservative ingredients are then added. The paste is then bottled or packaged and sold around the world. Tom yum flavoured with the paste may have different characteristics to those made with fresh herb ingredients.

INGREDIENTS ---> AMOUNT
Water or stock ---> 6 cups
Fish sauce ---> 1-2 T
Kaffir lime leaves --->4 each
Lemongrass ---> 1 stalk
Galangal (opt.) --->2 pcs
Garlic crushed ---> 2 clove
Salt & pepper ---> to tast
Shrimp ---> 1 1/2 l
Scallions ---> 1/2 bunch
Straw mushrooms (opt.) ---> 1 cup
Limes juice only ---> 2 each
Cilantro ---> 1/2 bunch
Thai chili peppers ---> 2-3 each

METHOD
Basic Steps: Simmer → Strain → Simmer → Garnish
1.Bring first set of ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes to mingle flavors. Strain and discard solids.
2.Return the stock to a simmer. Add the shrimp, scallions and mushrooms and simmer continue to simmer over medium-low heat until shrimp is cooked through.
3.Stir in the lime juice, cilantro and chilies and serve.

VARIATIONS
*Add the shrimp shells from peeling the shrimp to the simmering stock for extra flavor.
*Straw mushrooms are usually found canned. You may substitute thinly sliced button mushrooms if you like, or omit the mushrooms altogether.
*Sliced bamboo shoots can be added if you like.
*If kaffir lime leaves are unavailable, zest the limes before juicing them and use the zest instead.
*Tom Kha Kung: Substitute coconut milk for half or all the water or stock.
*Tom Yum Gai: Substitute thinly sliced chicken for the shrimp.
*Tom Yum Hed: A vegetarian variation. Eliminate the shrimp and double the amount of mushrooms.

NOTES
*** This is a very simple and popular Thai soup. It is sometimes spelled tom yum koong or tom yum goong.

Mona Lisaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!

Today I bring story about Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda (La Joconde), is a 16th century oil painting on poplar wood by Leonardo da Vinci, and is arguably the most famous painting in the world. Few works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing and parody. It is owned by the French government and hangs in the Musée du Louvre in Paris. The painting, a half-length portrait, depicts a woman whose gaze meets the viewer's with an expression often described as enigmatic.

Title of the painting :

The title Mona Lisa stems from the Giorgio Vasari biography of Leonardo da Vinci, published 31 years after Leonardo's death. In it, he identified the sitter as Lisa Gherardini, the wife of wealthy Florentine businessman Francesco del Giocondo. "Mona" was a common Italian contraction of "madonna," meaning "my lady," the equivalent of the English "Madam," so the title means "Madam Lisa". In modern Italian the short form of "madonna" is usually spelled "Monna," so the title is sometimes given as Monna Lisa. This is rare in English, but more common in Romance languages. The alternative title La Gioconda is the feminine form of Giocondo. In Italian, giocondo also means 'light-hearted' ('jocund' in English), so "gioconda" means "light-hearted woman". Because of her smile, this version of the title plays on this double meaning, as does the French "La Joconde".
Both Mona Lisa and La Gioconda became established as titles for this painting in the 19th century. Before these names became established, the painting had been referred to by various descriptive phrases, such as "a certain Florentine lady" and "a courtesan in a gauze veil."

Mona Lisa’s smile :

Hey all you Monas and Leos out there. Did you ever wonder about Mona Lisa's mysterious smile. What makes it mysterious? It's not surprising that Leonardo da Vinci would keep us guessing. As a young boy he enjoyed telling jokes and creating riddles.
He was so inspired with so many interests that he would move from one project to the next sometimes leaving things unfinished. His many inventions from flying machines to ways to make a painting come to life are a testament to his genius. His love of secrets was legendary. Even his famous notebooks were written backwards so that you and I would have to hold them up in a mirror to read them!
Have fun with me. Color the Mona Lisa and imagine how Leonardo felt carefully choosing his colors. Maybe you have uncovered the secret of Mona's smile.

Mona Art :

Da Vinci's Mona Lisa has been reproduced (posters, greeting cards, etc.) and reinvented (advertisements, artworks, etc.) more than any other artwork in the world. Mona mania began in the 19th century when the painting was stolen from The Louvre. The painting achieved an anthropomorphic status as French and Italian states sought to rescue the work as though it were a damsel in distress. The story of the theft appealed to the Victorian love of Romance in the art and Literature. The event inspired artists, playwrights and musicians to celebrate the painting by creating new works with the Mona Lisa in mind. They say the imitation is the highest from of flattery.

Horoscope

Daily Horoscope for December 29, 2006
Capricorn: You need no encouragement in going after what you want, especially right now. The stars present an amazing array of earthly delights that tempt you into the furthest reaches of indulgence. How delicious!

Aries March 21-April 19
A persistently upbeat attitude helps you get through the day with flying colors, especially if you're a little slower on the uptake than usual. Every situation has a resolution -- or it will, as long as you approach things with hope.

Taurus April 20-May 20
You're in the mood to live large, but keep some of those desires in check. Any overindulgence might leave you with a case of shopper's remorse. Instead of making your credit card sweat, put your own body in motion.

Gemini May 21-June 21
Are you pushing yourself beyond your natural limits? Don't. Working to the point of exhaustion accomplishes nothing in the long run, so don't break something that needs some time to rest, repair and relax.

Cancer June 22-July 22
It's time to find the right partner for a certain venture. Part of you thinks that a friend or family member would be a perfect fit, but think about it. Certain relationships really don't need that kind of pressure.

Leo July 23-August 22
Put your determination on display. Someone thinks you're a lightweight, but they've never seen the full range of your capabilities. Don't be afraid to pull out the heavy artillery if necessary.

Virgo August 23-September 22
It's easy to judge someone based on something that's actually just a small part of the overall picture. Coming to a conclusion becomes trickier when you take in the whole person, not just select bits and pieces.

Libra September 23-October 22
Are you letting something that bothers you stick in your throat? It's time to cough it up. Write it out, even before you talk it over with a friend. You're so empathetic that you could find yourself unconsciously adopting their stance.

Scorpio October 23 - November 21
Someone's attraction is flattering at first, but then it becomes too much. Set boundaries right from the beginning, especially if you're not interested or available. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Sagittarius November 22-December 21
Let the rational reenter your life as you restore organization to some parts that have gone topsy-turvy. A little chaos every now and then is necessary, but now it's time to clean everything up.

Capricorn December 22-January 19
You need no encouragement in going after what you want, especially right now. The stars present an amazing array of earthly delights that tempt you into the furthest reaches of indulgence. How delicious!

Aquarius January 20-February 18
Give your digs some stylish flair. After all, a clean, pleasant and orderly abode is better to come home to and makes getting ready in the morning so much easier. Even dusting surfaces helps.

Pisces February 19-March 20
It's time to adopt an attitude of interested detachment rather than taking every single statement or event as a comment on you personally. Isn't it amazing how much easier your life can be with this new outlook?

Hello!!! Two days ago I went to Siam to see Eragon at EGV Siam Discovery. It was so fantastic and I enjoyed very much. Not Eragon is the most exciting movie to see in this month but there are also Night at Museum, The holiday, or Nativity Story which are just showing on the cinema and you shouldn’t miss. Spoil your New Year time with these movie.
Plot Summary for Eragon
Eragon begins with a 15 year old boy, Eragon, finding a mysterious blue stone in The Spine, an untamed range of mountains near the small village he calls home, Carvahall. Eragon takes place in a land called Alagaësia, which is ruled by the evil, twisted king, Galbatorix, who was once one of the dragon riders until he lost his dragon and was corrupted by madness after the dragon riders denied him another dragon. After being unable to sell or trade his find, Eragon soon witnesses a baby dragon hatch from inside the "stone." Dragons are a species thought to be extinct, with the exception of Galbatorix's dragon. He raises the dragon in secret until two hooded figures, the evil Ra'zac, enter the town looking for his mysterious blue stone. Eragon and Saphira, as he names his dragon, manage to escape danger by hiding in the forest, but Eragon's Uncle Garrow is not as fortunate. The Ra'zac kill his uncle and destroy the house. Eragon, remembering tales of the past, takes it upon himself to become one of the Dragon riders, the ancient warriors who were slaughtered by the crazed Galbatorix in his rise to power. Accompanied by Brom, a mysterious old storyteller from his village who knows much about the Dragon Riders, swordfighting, and magic, Eragon learns the ways of the Dragon Riders as they hunt down the elusive Ra'zac.
Much researching in the town of Teirm leads Brom to the conclusion that the Ra'zac reside in Dras-Leona.
However, revenge is not what Eragon finds in Dras-Leona. He, Saphira, and Brom are instead lured into the Ra'zac's ambush. They are rescued by a mysterious stranger, Murtagh. Unfortunately, Brom is gravely injured, and he soon dies--but not before revealing his past to Eragon. Eragon is shocked to find that Brom was also a Dragon Rider that lost his dragon. The new company of three (Eragon, Murtagh and Saphira) travel in search of the hidden Varden, a strong rebel faction which Brom had mentioned on their journey. On the way Eragon has many dreams about an elf, all of which feature her suffering great pain. Ultimately, Eragon is captured and imprisoned in the same prison as where the elf is being held captive. Murtagh and Saphira stage a daring rescue and Eragon escapes with the elf, but this does not happen without incident. Eragon and Murtagh have a face - off with a Shade, one of the most powerful creatures in the land. The fact that a Shade is walking freely in the land lends Eragon to believe that some monstorous plan is afoot and that Galbatorix, the king of Alagaësia, himself a traitor of the dragon riders, has allied himself with the foulest creatures of the land. The new Dragon rider faces many perils on his way to the Varden, specifically the army of Urgals at their heels. Once inside the Varden's fortress, hidden deep within the Beor Mountains, Eragon learns of the pact between the dwarves, the elves and the Varden and how it was that Saphira's egg was magically teleported to the Spine. The group is at last able to rest, but the invasion by the army of Urgals is imminent. An intercepted message from Galbatorix confirms their fears that the king is involved. In a battle that follows, a seemingly endless army of Urgals seem poised to take the fortress, before Eragon destroys the Shade, Durza, that he had recently encountered, but at a price: a terrible wound on his back that leaves him disfigured. The Urgals seem to be lifted from a spell, giving the Varden a chance to rout the Urgals. As the story ends at the close of the battle, we learn that Eragon will soon be sent under the tutelage of the elves in the sequel, Eldest.


Plot Summary for
The Holiday
In Nancy Meyers' The Holiday, a romantic comedy from the director of Something's Gotta Give and What Women Want, two women trade homes only to find that a change of address can change their lives.
Iris (Kate Winslet) is in love with a man who is about to marry another woman. Across the globe, Amanda (Cameron Diaz), realizes the man she lives with has been unfaithful. Two women who have never met and live 6000 miles apart, find themselves in the exact same place. They meet online at a home exchange website and impulsively switch homes for the holiday. Iris moves into Amanda's L.A. house in sunny California as Amanda arrives in the snow covered English countryside. Shortly after arriving at their destinations, both women find the last thing either wants or expects: a new romance. Amanda is charmed by Iris' handsome brother Graham (Jude Law) and Iris, with inspiration provided by legendary screenwriter Arthur (Eli Wallach), mends her heart when she meets film composer Miles (Jack Black).
Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz), the owner of a prospering advertising firm that creates movie trailers, lives in Southern California. Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) writes the popular wedding column for London's Daily Telegraph and resides in a charming cottage in the English countryside.
Though Iris and Amanda live 6,000 miles apart, they are in exactly the same place: Just before Christmas, Iris and Amanda decide to take a needed break from the men in their lives (played by Edward Burns and Rufus Sewell) -- and neither is much in the mood for a nostalgic chorus of "Auld Lang Syne."
Amanda, wanting to get out of town for the holidays, stumbles onto an internet site that specializes in home exchanges, and finds Iris' English cottage to be the perfect antidote to her troubles. On impulse, Amanda and Iris agree to crisscross continents and move into each other's homes for two weeks.
Iris lands in Los Angeles on a spectacularly clear day warmed by the gusts of the seasonal Santa Ana winds. Not long after she arrives at Amanda's Brentwood home, she is befriended by Arthur (Eli Wallach), a noted screenwriter from Hollywood's Golden Era, and Miles (Jack Black), a film composer who works with Amanda's exboyfriend.
In England, where it is anything but balmy, Amanda is just settling into the cozy solitude of the snow-covered Rose Hill Cottage, when Iris' handsome brother Graham (Jude Law) comes knocking at the cottage door.
In an unexpected turn of events, both women discover that the best trips are the ones where you leave your baggage behind.


Plot Summary for
Night at the Museum
The hallowed halls of the Natural History Museum are lined with the most amazing things - wild-eyed prehistoric creatures, fierce ancient warriors, long lost tribes, African animals and history's legendary heroes - all frozen forever in time. Or... are they? In the action-adventure-comedy, "Night at the Museum," the brand new night guard at the Natural History Museum is about to discover that when the visitors go home at the end of the day, the real adventure begins - as the museum's stuffed, waxed and well-preserved residents come out to play.
The fantastical adventure kicks off when Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), a down-and-out dreamer whose imaginative ideas have never paid off, finds himself in desperate need of a job. Larry has always believed he was destined for big things. But he has no idea just how literally gargantuan and hairy a challenge he will face when he grudgingly accepts the supposedly menial graveyard shift as a security guard at the Natural History Museum. On his very first night on the job, Larry is handed an over-sized flashlight and a dog-eared instruction manual, then left all alone in the eerily quiet, cavernous museum. At least, he thinks he's alone.
But wait, what's that noise? To his utter astonishment and disbelief, Larry watches in shock and awe as, one by one, the primeval beasts and storied icons that surround him stir magically to life - and total havoc ensues. Now, as Tyrannosaurus Rex and Attila The Hun carve a swath of destruction through the marble corridors, and lions and monkeys prowl the fragile exhibits, Larry is at a loss as to how to get the museum back under control. At his wit's end, Larry must recruit the help of historical heavyweight Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) just to survive the night. Facing the possibility of losing his job and letting down his son Nick yet again, Larry must wage an incredible battle to save the museum, hoping to become at last the bold, adventurous dad he's always wanted to be. The man who's been forever waiting for his moment of greatness - just found it.

Plot Summary for
The Nativity Story
“One family. One journey. One child who would change the world forever.”
A cinematic journey into the heart of history's greatest story, The Nativity Story is poised to come to the big screen for the first time in a major motion picture event.
New Line Cinema's The Nativity Story chronicles the arduous journey of two people, Mary and Joseph, a miraculous pregnancy, and the history-defining birth of Jesus. The dramatic and compelling film traces the perilous journey of a young couple who must travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem, Joseph's ancestral home, to register for a census ordered by King Herod. It is a journey of over 100 miles, through treacherous terrain, made much more difficult by the fact that Mary is nine months pregnant.
The actual story of the Nativity can be found in the Biblical Gospels of Matthew and Luke. It begins at the end of the intertestament era - the 100 or so years between the time of Judas Maccabeus and the birth of Christ.
The story begins with the King Herod (client king of Judea under Caesar Augustus) and his fear of the Old Testament propechy of the Messiah. Paranoid he will lose his kingdom, he orders the infamous Massacre of the Innocents - the slaughter of all male children under two years old in the city of Bethlehem.
Following the trail of the prophecy, the film then flashes back one year to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem where Zechariah, a pious priest, receives a vision from God instructing him that his wife "will bear him a son and he shall be a prophet, preparing the way for the Lord." As Zechariah's wife Elizabeth is past her child-bearing years, he expresses disbelief and is struck dumb.
Meanwhile, in Nazareth, a town oppressed by the devastating taxation practices of King Herod, a teenage Mary is told by her parents that they have arranged for her to marry Joseph. Distraught by the idea of marrying "a man I hardly know, a man I do not love," Mary takes refuge in an ancient olive grove to collect her thoughts. There, she is visited by the angel Gabriel, who tells her that she has been chosen by God to bear his son and call him Jesus, and that he will be a Saviour for his people. Mary accepts this news, but is overwhelmed by this annunciation and has no idea how to tell her parents.
Back in Jerusalem, King Herod begins to feel threatened as word spreads of a prophecy that a new King will soon arrive. Herod orders his troops to kill anyone who might be this "man of power, this Messiah."
In Persia, another group of men are following the prophecy, but with great excitement. The three Magi - Melchior the scholar, Gaspar the skeptical translator and Balthasar the Ethiopian astronomer - have studied the ancient documents and feel that a celestial event (what we now call a planetary convergence) is about to occur, which will signal the birth of the Messiah. Melchior convinces his comrades to undertake the long journey to Judeah, following the "star."
In Nazareth, Mary, in an effort to understand her situation, goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, assuring her parents that she will be back for the harvest. Mary is relieved that what Gabriel told her is true: Elizabeth is in the midst of a miraculous pregnancy due to her advanced age. Elizabeth provides Mary encouragement and shares in her joy. Following the birth of John the Baptist, after which Zechariah regains his speech, Mary is emotionally ready to return to Nazareth.
Her homecoming is less than warm: as she climbs off the wagon in Nazareth's town center, her coat slips open and her pregnancy is clearly revealed. She is scorned by the locals and faces a difficult confrontation with Joseph and her parents, who do not believe her: "An angel told you this? That you would bear the Son of God?" The following night, Joseph has a dream in which he is visited by the angel Gabriel, who confirms Mary's story. He tells her he will stand by her, no matter what the others say: "You are my wife. I am your husband. That is all anyone need know." For the first time, Mary starts to realize that Joseph is, as her mother said, "a good man, a strong man."
Shortly thereafter, following a decree from Rome, King Herod orders everyone to return to the town of their birth for a census which he craftily believes will help him find the Messiah. This forces Mary and Joseph to begin a long trek to his birth home of Bethlehem. Crossing treacherous mountain passes, swift-flowing rivers and barren deserts, Joseph walks the entire way, doing everything he can to live up to his promise to Mary's parents: "I will protect your daughter and the child, with all that I am." Mary's appreciation for this man grows stronger with each step.
Mary and Joseph pass through Jerusalem undetected by Herod's soldiers, but the Magi, in their magnificent silk robes and ornamented camels, are spotted by the soldiers and forced to "dine" with the King. He seduces them with a feast and discusses the impending birth. Herod "encourages" them to find the boy, then return to him with news of his whereabouts so he "may worship him as well."
Mary and Joseph reach Bethlehem just as Mary goes into labor, but they find no inn and no room. Eventually, a shepherd lets them use his stable and in this grotto, Jesus is born. At the moment of the birth, the planets align, creating an extremely bright "star" - a celestial event seen by all - including shepherds in the fields, who follow it to Bethlehem and pay homage to the child. The Magi also arrive at the stable, offering gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Melchior is stunned to find this new king born in a stable, instead of a palace, proclaiming "The Greatest of Kings, born in the most humble of places."
Deeply moved, the Magi realize that going back to Herod with this news would be a mistake. Furious that the Magi did not return to him, Herod orders the Massacre of the Innocents. As Herod's soliders charge toward Bethlehem with murderous intent, Gabriel warns Joseph: "Arise, Joseph...take the child." Mary, Joseph and Jesus escape just in time, heading to Egypt...and fulfilling the prophecy."

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