50 facts and details from the "Harry Potter" movies and books that we still can't tear ourselves away from

What could be a Christmas tree? Lively, artificial, bright, spectacular. Well, come on, strain your imagination. In fact, it can be anything: wooden, chocolate, crystal, precious ... It can be built from bottles, and even old tires. And it will still remain a festive tree.

 

There is nothing left until the New Year. Everyone is waiting for this holiday and, of course, they are preparing for it. Today on Bemorepanda we will show you the most unusual solutions for decorating Christmas trees. By the way, in the role of the forest beauties themselves, they did not always eat. Instead of traditional trees that only people do not use! And books, and skis, and stairs ... However, we will not reveal all the cards. Bemorepanda has compiled a selection of unusual Christmas trees planted in different cities over the years.

 

Most expensive

 

The most luxurious Christmas tree was installed at the Emirates Palace Hotel (Abu Dhabi, UAE). Decorators used gold, diamonds, pearls, emeralds, sapphires, real jewelry worth over $ 11 million to

decorate the 13-meter spruce tree.

 

 

Japanese jeweler Ginza Tanaka is considered a specialist in making the most expensive Christmas trees. The showcase of his jewelry store has been decorated with precious trees for several years. For example, in 2012, a stylized spruce 2.4 meters high and weighing 40 kilograms was created from pure gold. The tree was decorated with figurines of famous Disney characters. The New Year's symbol was valued at approximately $ 4.2 million. A year earlier, a 12-kilogram golden tree decorated with ribbons, orchid flowers and hearts of gold was displayed in the window of the same Tokyo jewelry store, each of which cost about $ 1.5 thousand. The gold star adorning the top of the tree cost more than $ 65,000, and the total cost was approximately $ 2 million.

 

 

The most brilliant

 

Christmas trees studded with Swarovski crystals or almost entirely made of them are installed annually in one of the cities of the world. Last year, Swarovski designers erected a Christmas symbol in the open air on the famous Orchard Road in Singapore. The spruce was adorned with mirrored snowflakes, a swan logo and Swarovski lettering. When decorating the Christmas tree, 28 thousand crystals were used.

 

 

The most budgetary

 

A Christmas tree was made practically from garbage, which adorned the square of Kaunas (Lithuania) in 2011. Several thousand green plastic bottles were needed to create a 14-meter tree. At night, the entire structure was illuminated and looked very impressive.

 

 

Another Christmas tree from unnecessary containers was installed in Haifa (Israel). The spruce was 10 meters high and 5480 plastic bottles were used to make it. Energy-saving LED lamps served as decoration.

 

 

The biggest Christmas Tree

 

The world's largest Christmas tree included in the Guinness Book of Records is located in the city of Gubbio (Italy). This is a huge (130,000 sq. M.) Light installation located on Mount Indzhino.

 

 

The largest living (growing) "spruce" at Christmas decorates the city of Wilmington (USA). The height of the tree is 15 meters, the girth is 33 meters. Although in fact it is a 400 year old oak tree.

 

 

And the tallest artificial Christmas tree in the world was installed in Mexico City in 2009. The tree is 110.35 meters high, 35 meters in diameter, decorated with 1.2 million bulbs, has been entered into the Guinness Book of Records.

 

 

The "Drinking" Tree

 

Another source of inspiration for designers was alcohol, or rather, alcoholic containers.

So, near one of the shopping centers in Shanghai, the Dutch company Heineken built a spruce from 1,100 bottles of beer.

 

 

A Christmas tree was installed in the London Sofitel hotel in 2010, decorated with bottles of French Louis XIII cognac. A crystal chandelier crowned the crown of the Christmas tree. The cost of this installation was approximately £ 35,000.

 

 

Meanwhile, in Lynchburg (USA), a "spruce" of 140 barrels full of Jack Daniel's whiskey was installed.

 

 

 

The most difficult

 

Christmas trees made from the famous Lego bricks appear in different cities almost every year. In 2012, in the city of Johor Bahru (Malaysia), a 9-meter tree weighing 6 tons was made from 400,000 LEGO bricks. It took 10 weeks to create it. The tree is decorated with more than 300 balls and candles made of legoblocks.

 

 

Another similar spruce adorned St Pancras Station in London. The construction of the Lego Christmas tree, 11 meters high and weighing 3 tons, took almost three weeks and 600 thousand LEGO bricks, making up 172 separate parts, which were then connected to each other using a steel rod. The tree is decorated with 1,200 toys, also made from a construction set by London schoolchildren.

 

 

The most delicious

 

To the delight of the sweet tooth, French chocolatier Patrick Rogers created a 10-meter spruce using a ton of the best dark chocolate. White chocolate and powdered sugar were used to simulate snow on the tree. Together with the supporting structure, the resulting dessert weighed 3.6 tons. Everyone could taste a piece of this sweet beauty at a price of 5 euros per 100 grams.

 

 

And in Singapore, the confectionery company Ferrero Rocher created a Christmas tree from huge candies. In the evening it was illuminated with thousands of lights.

 

 

And finally, a few ideas for creating unusual Christmas trees with your own hands.

 

Creative way to create of a modern Christmas Tree

 

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Don't know what to do with your kids for Christmas and New Year? Games, competitions, interesting entertainment for both the smallest and older children, what can you think of? We have selected 35 game options for you with a general description of them. Take a closer look, maybe you will try a couple of games this year!

 

Ways to create a New Year and Christmas mood for children (and yourself)

 

And in order not to follow the pattern, any of the presented games can be upgraded or made the way you think will be better. Complete freedom of action and, of course, an excellent New Year and Christmas mood is guaranteed for your children!

 

1. Drawing in the snow

This game is perfect for nice, snowy days. Before the children begin to draw, level a large snow area. Make sure they are dressed warmly enough so they don't get wet. Fill several spray bottles with water. Encourage children to combine colors to create lettering, pictures and abstract designs for their snow art. Use gel food coloring for more vibrant colors.

 

2. Christmas treat hunt

Let the children look for treats in the house.

 

3. Gingerbread man 

For a sweet post-dinner treat, stuff an adorable piñata gingerbread man with your favorite Christmas candy you have around the house.

 

4. The game "Guess what's in the stocking"

Stuff the stocking with toys and holiday decorations. Let the children feel the stocking and try to identify what is inside. The child who makes the most accurate guesses wins.

 

5. Fold gifts

This game requires several wrapped gifts of different sizes. Try putting them together yourself to make sure the task is challenging enough but doable. You can play this game in teams if you like. The goal is to see how many presents the kids can stack before the stack collapses. In the game, the highest column with the most gifts wins.

 

6. New Year (Christmas) character "Guess who?"

Each child has one minute to ask them a series of quick yes or no leading questions to determine their favorite character.

 

7. Bowling game "Christmas Tree"

Use ten green plastic bottles decorated to look like Christmas trees to create a triangle. Make a bowling alley out of ribbon, then invite the kids to Christmas bowling!

 

8. Christmas charades

Divide the children into two teams and let them guess what one person is showing them.

 

9. Hunting for a New Year's cane

Hide the lollipops and ask the children to find them. Include a few toys in your search for more interest. Let the kids decorate the brown shopping bags with markers and Christmas stickers before the hunt. These bags can be used to carry found gifts.

 

10. The game "Christmas musical chairs"

Musical chairs, classic. Play a game with one missing chair to Christmas tunes. Children run around the chairs placed in a circle, and when the music stops, the child left without a seat leaves the game. Etc. We all know this mobile entertainment since childhood.

 

11. Relay "Snowballs"

The goal of the race is to move snowballs (cotton balls) with a plastic spoon from one end of the room to the other. Divide the children into two teams. Cotton balls are transferred from a full bucket on one side of the room to an empty bucket on the other side using a plastic spoon. They must quickly return to their team line and pass the spoon to the next team member. If a cotton ball falls on the floor, it stays there. Count the cotton balls in the buckets after the game. The team with the most snowballs in the bucket wins.

 

12. Christmas Balloon Tennis

Blow up some green and red balloons. Make rackets by taping popsicle sticks or any piece of wood that isn't very long and heavy to Christmas paper plates. Now the kids can try to reach the finish line by hitting the inflated balloons. As a finishing line, you can use masking tape glued to the floor.

 

13. Obstacle Course "Don't Ring the Bells"

You will need small bells, rope, hoop and string. Use string to tie wind chimes or decorations to the hoop and secure it to the ceiling beam with string. Have each child walk through the hoop without the bell ringing.

 

14. Tossing a bell

Glue plastic cups according to the number of participants in the shape of a triangle on a thick piece of cardboard. Give the children bells (marked with paint or colored tape, everyone should have a different color) to throw them into the cups. Let the children play in groups or pairs. Whoever fills their cup with the most jingle bells wins.

 

15. Gifts, gifts, gifts

Every child should bring their old toy wrapped in holiday wrapping for New Year or Christmas. After the children form a circle, randomly select one of them to start the game. The kid unwraps the gift, and the next child can take the already opened gift or choose one of the other wrapped gifts (other than his own). In the end, everyone will have a new toy.

 

16. Decorate Christmas Cookies

Decorate Christmas cookies to eat or share with others and of course enjoy them for yourself - this is a fantastic activity for the Christmas holidays. Give each child at least four or five livers. Pass out powdered sugar and other Christmas cookie decorations. Family decorating these pastries is a great activity!

 

But be careful: bake the cookies ahead of time so they are cool enough to handle, decorate, and not burn!

 

17. Throwing rings on the "antlers"

One player puts the foam horns on his head, and the other throws light and injury-proof foam rubber rings on them, trying to fasten them to the branched horns. Players can also stand face to face and throw their rings at each other's horns.

 

Warn the children not to throw the rings directly in the face, but to try to throw them on the horns in an arc.

 

18. Shoot down the snowman!

The goal is to throw "snowballs" to knock down the snowmen. The game is easy to set up and fun to play!

 

19. Game "Christmas scent"

Have your child sniff each jar of sweets, jam, or other sweet treats while blindfolded. The kid will have to try to guess all the smells.

 

Of course, sweets should not be hot so that the child does not get burned, and control their placement so that he does not knock them over.

 

20. Game "Minute to win"

Have the children take a classic Christmas lollipop and put it in their mouth with the folded side out. They then use this candy cane to hook another from the pile and throw it into the bowl. The prize goes to whoever catches the most candies.

 

21. The game "Drawing a snowman"

Give each participant a white paper plate and a pencil. Each participant must hold a paper plate above their head and be ready to start drawing!

 

22. Bowling from boxes for napkins "Snowman"

Have the children paint some tissue boxes white. When dry, stack them up and have the children add an orange cardboard carrot nose, a silver cardboard bucket, and any buttons for decoration. It's time to "break" those snowmen by throwing a ball at them!

 

23. Pin Rudolph's nose

Prepare a red cotton ball or paper circle. Blindfold each player and give each player a pushpin. Spin each of them, have them put a button on Rudolf's nose. The one who successfully attaches it to the nose wins.

 

24. Snowman bowling

Create your own indoor snowman bowling alley from any empty plastic bottles.

 

25. Game "Reindeer"

Give each child a pencil and a piece of paper with the words "reindeer" written at the top of the paper. The players are tasked with coming up with as many words as they can in three minutes using the letters that make up the word "reindeer". Whoever has the most words at the end of the game wins.

 

26. DIY snow paint

Mix white PVA glue and shaving foam to make snow paint. A mixture of 3/4 cup shaving cream and 1/2 cup glue works great for this. Now with its help you can make three-dimensional drawings!

 

27. Dear Santa Claus!

Put pencils and blank sheets on the table for writing a letter. This year, children will begin to convince Santa Claus of their good behavior with triple strength and collectively.

 

28. Game "Snowplow"

All you need is a colorful straw and a few cotton balls for each participant. On a large sheet of paper, mark the finish line or tape it to the table. The goal is to be the first to move the cotton ball to the finish by blowing through the straw. The group with the most points wins.

 

29. Christmas maze

Stretch the yarn across the room, passing it under/over/around the furniture in the room. Attach one end of the thread to the pencil. Make sure the thread crosses the first thread a few times before cutting the thread and starting again with another pencil. Continue to thread until you have one for each child. Invite the children into the room. Give them a pencil and tell them that their task is to wind the yarn.

 

Attention! Make sure that the threads do not cling to those objects that can fall to the floor and break.

 

Attention! Make sure that the threads do not cling to those objects that can fall to the floor and break, or, even worse, fall on a playing child.

 

30. The game "We collect tangerines"

Santa Claus was in such a hurry that he lost all the tangerines along the way, but the children will help him collect them! 20-50 tangerines are placed on the floor. Two guys with baskets (can be replaced with bags) in their hands compete in the ability to collect blindfolded. Whoever finds the most wins.

 

31. Who will eat a delicious "dinner" the fastest

You need to eat a whole plate of mini marshmallows and drink a cup of hot cocoa in a minute. Who is the first - he won!

 

32. "New Year's Applause"

The facilitator says a set of words, and the children must recognize the definitions related to winter and the New Year. When the players hear the right word, they should clap their hands in unison.

 

33. Game "Christmas tree beads"

We need paper clips (buy a large set and it is advisable to buy multi-colored ones). The essence of the game: in 5 minutes to the New Year's music, you need to collect long chains. Whoever ends up with the longest beads wins.

 

34. Competition "New Year's round dance"

Each participant is blindfolded, the leader changes places, and the music is turned on. Everyone starts dancing. At the end, everyone's eyes are untied, and everyone stands in a row. Each of the guests in turn takes each other player by the hand, and they must guess with whom he danced, that is, who was nearby both on the right and on the left.

 

The winner(s) will be those who named correctly those who were next to him.

 

35. Competition "Clock strikes 12"

All players are given sheets of paper and pencils. They should have time to draw as many New Year items as possible in 1 minute (tree, decorations, gifts, snowman, etc.). The participant who draws the most objects during this time wins ...

 

 

For centuries, mankind has created a history that has been passed down from generation to generation. The myths or the reality about the leap years that have survived so far make everyone think about this inexplicable fact.

 

What is a leap year?

 

 

The term "jump" in Latin has a numerical meaning - 2/6. It is scientifically the fourth year above the standard number of days (366).

 

The historical period of a leap year

 

 

During the reign of Y. Caesar, there was an additional day repeated in the Roman calendar, with a number (February 24).

 

The Romans counted the days, the years, according to the Julian calendar.

 

In the Julian calendar, every fourth year was considered a leap year, and the last two days of February were below the same number.

 

After the death of the Roman ruler, the priests deliberately began to appoint the third year - a leap year. There was a change in the annual time and people, for this reason, lived up to twelve leap years.

 

Due to the decree of the new emperor of Rome - Augustus Octavian, everything fell into place. It took sixteen years to get the "jump time" right.

 

Sixteen centuries later, the Orthodox Church introduced new changes to the calendar.

 

The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Gregory XIII, proposed to calculate the calendar according to the new rules. He proposed introducing an additional day in February with a different date (February 29). At the general assembly, before the coming Easter, the idea of ​​the head of the Catholic Church was successfully accepted. The Roman calendar had a new chronology. In honor of the leader of the Catholic Church, she began to be called a "Gregorian."

 

The modern concept of a leap year

 

It is known that a year consists of 365 days. The next fourth year is considered a leap year. It's a longer day.

 

In a leap year, February is not twenty-eight days, but twenty-nine, but this phenomenon happens every four years.

 

Assumptions and superstitions for the leap year

 

 

Our Slavic ancestors believed that the leap year was a mystical, superstitious year. Probably the reason lies in the distant history of Saint Kasyan.

 

Saint Kasian served in the Galilean monastery and was its founder. He became famous for his writing career after writing twenty-four essays on "Interview," based on a moral, Christian attitude toward the faith.

 

The main flaw in Saint Kasyan's life was that his date of birth fell on the last day of February and even at the end of the year.

 

According to the Slavic faith, the last day of the year was considered the end of a severe winter. For this reason, the holy monk gained a bad reputation.

 

The superstitious Slavs considered the last day of a leap year to be the most difficult. They believed in evil spirits. Hence the fear of people before a leap year.

 

The signs of a leap year have been associated with Saint Kasyan:

 

• If Kasyan approached people, the disease would attack them.
• Kasyan was next to the animals - their deaths were inevitable.
• Where Kasyan's gaze falls, there will be trouble and devastation.
• The unsuccessful year is approaching Kasyanov - unsuccessful.

 

According to legend, in a leap year, there are many things you should not do, for example:

 

• Play weddings
• Plan a pregnancy, have children
• Create new projects
• Go into the woods for mushrooms
• Haircut
• Divorce file
• Borrow money
• Plant new seeds
• Make interior renovations
• Buying real estate

 

The approach of a leap year in modern society is controversial. One part of society believes in its negative actions, the other does not.

 

Negative side of a leap year:

 

• Natural disasters
• Military conflicts
• Frequent accident

 

 

The positive side of a leap year

 

People born in a leap year are creative and talented people. Endowed with a brilliant charisma, strong character, love of life (Julius Caesar, Leonardo da Vinci, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Gauguin).

 

Today, a leap year is perceived as a year of disasters, wars, catastrophes. After all, the worst events took place during this period.

 

People are prone to believe something and most often evil. A leap year is perceived as a time of loss, disappointment, sadness. Is that right? Just ask yourself.

 

Leap year: where did the extra day come from?

 

 

Do you think that the Earth will make a complete revolution in exactly 365 days? No, it's not like that - the Earth makes a complete circle around the Sun a little longer, that is, 365 days and 6 hours.

 

In other words, an extra quarter is added each year. For 4 years, such quarters come out 24 hours. So, it turned out that a year that is a multiple of 4 (2008, 2012, 2016, the calendar of leap years is based on this principle) is different from the rest.

 

The leap year is intended to eliminate this surplus and to bring the balance into chronology. If it weren't for the leap year, then in a few centuries the new year would have been postponed to the beginning of March, and that's pretty serious!

 

Differences from leap year

 

The differences between a leap year and other years, from a material point of view, are limited only by the number of days. In addition, people need to work harder for a day. Sometimes, however, it turns out and rests once again, but this happens quite rarely.

 

Astrologically, there are a lot of problems around the Earth around the Sun in a leap year:

 

• everyday problems;
• man-made disasters;
• natural cataclysms;
• relatively high mortality.

 

However, one can argue with the latter - there are no comments from ritual service workers about the increase in mortality. Only a few older people die.

 

Year leap: Greetings from Antiquity

 

 

For the first time, the ancient Romans were concerned about the inconsistency of the calendar with the actual course of time. In this country, it was forbidden to transfer significant data in another season. People were guided by the movement of the Sun in the sky.

 

Gaius Julius Caesar solved the problem quickly and radically - from the time of his reign, people began to live according to the Julian calendar, which just added a day in February every 4 years. They gradually started moving to the new calendar, not everyone accepted it, but time took its toll.

 

Over time, the pagan calendar migrated to Christian culture. But in some regions this year he is associated with Kasyan Visokos, one of the saints, the patron saint of monasticism.

 

He is believed to have been drinking without restraint for three years, and at the age of four he gets angry and takes revenge in public for the fact that his birthday is celebrated only once every 4 years.

 

However, there is a discrepancy here - a Christian saint, by definition, cannot be a drunk, plus there is no record in the church that Visokos would like.

 

Signs and beliefs associated with a leap year

 

 

Now the leap year is relatively simple, and earlier some people were afraid to leave home on February 29 in a leap year. For example, there was a sign that if you get a good frost on that day, and the frosts can be severe at the end of February, then a person will certainly catch a cold and die.

 

The same goes for animals. Popular belief says that any mistake in caring for pets on this day can cost animals their lives. For example, malnutrition or overeating.

 

Starting a new business in a leap year, according to popular belief, cannot be very successful.

 

Surely everything will be ruined: even if a man builds a house, he even opens a business. In addition, all major cases should be postponed until at least February 29 - this time is considered the most unfortunate since the beginning of the year.

 

To calm Visokos a little, you need to do the following:

 

• under the bells, throw a glass of vodka from the window (another alcohol is suitable, but it must be strong);
• drink without glasses that shake when it is exactly midnight;
• If you still have glasses, then you should put the glasses on the table before taking a sip.

 

According to popular belief, Visokos' anger will diminish slightly before the completion of the next journey around the Sun.

 

Another interesting sign is associated with the collection of gifts from nature. Picking mushrooms and berries is usually difficult on February 29, but things found on the street, such as money, can cause problems if they enter the house.

 

And if the dog barks at the same time (a dog day on February 29 itself is a bad sign), then trouble is guaranteed. You have to ignore it while saying, "Hold me out."

 

Prohibitions of the leap year

 

 

Because this year is so unlucky, people have come with a lot of bans, noticing that you can remove the troubles from home. By the way, nature "participates" in these prohibitions as well.

 

For example, according to ancient memories, in leap years, usually a poor apple crop.

 

So what not to do in a leap year:

 

• You can't sing carols for baptism. This ritual in itself is relatively associated with evil spirits and once every four years it is especially "attentive" to humans. You better not litter. So, no matter how many sweets people offer, it is better to avoid carols.
• It is not recommended to sell homemade products. It is believed that happiness and wealth leave home with them.
• You can't show the first erupted tooth to a baby to anyone, except maybe your closest relatives. If the ban is violated, the child will have crooked teeth.
• You can't start a big business, including getting married. Everything will break down, as I mentioned above.
• You can't buy "coffin stuff". It sounds weird, but for some people in their old age it is the norm to buy things for their own funeral. Doing so in a leap year will hasten death.
• Women are strictly forbidden to dye their hair. This can lead to the lady becoming bald.
• It is forbidden to change jobs or places of residence. In a new place, a person will simply not take root, you will have to start from scratch (this point is sometimes impractical because there are different circumstances in life).
• Having children joins this forbidden group, but not everyone takes this restriction seriously.

 

Everything may sound archaic, but the fact remains - people often complain to astrologers and psychics about the misfortunes that began even after violating such prohibitions.

 

Conclusion - until the Earth makes a complete revolution around the Sun in a leap year, some activities should be abandoned.

 

The reason for the bad reputation of a leap year

 

 

We must recognize that if we did not have leap years, there would be a regular change of seasons. Therefore, they help to synchronize the Gregorian and astrological calendars and do not allow the seasons to change in other months.

 

But why a leap year is considered bad, you have to figure it out. In Slavic culture, there has long been a negative attitude towards such years. An additional day in February was considered the cause of disasters and landslides.

 

Perhaps the reason for such antipathy was that this time, on February 29, according to Slavic beliefs, Kashchey-Chernobog was subdued, commanding dark forces, sowing evil, death, disease, and madness.

 

Old Russians often associated a day of jumping with Cassian, who was born on February 29th. Based on the legends, where he was assigned the role of guardian of the gates of Hell, the traitorous cherub, the adoptive one of the demons, etc., one can understand why this character was very feared and strongly cursed. The Russians were convinced that Cassian had a negative impact throughout the year. There was a pestilence of cattle and poultry, crops were destroyed in the fields, and famine began.

 

On February 29, people once again tried not to go out into the yard, to keep cattle and birds closed.

 

It is difficult to answer unequivocally why a leap year is considered bad. Some scientists claim that natural and man-made disasters are becoming more common during this period. Many personalities are also in a hurry to cancel their individual problems for more than a year.

 

The following tragic events are historical facts:

 

• the collapse of the Byzantine Empire and the city of Constantinople falls in the leap year 1204;
• the bloody Spanish Inquisition began in 1232;
• the plague of the inhabitants of medieval Europe from the plague, in which 1/3 of the population died in 1400;
• the terrible events of the Night of St. Bartholomew in 1572;
• the terrible tsunami in Japan in 1896 and the earthquake in China in 1556;
• In 1908, everyone became aware of the fall of the Tunguska meteorite, etc.

 

 

List of leap years in the 21st century

 

 

To plan important events in your life, such as marriage, birth, change of profession, place of residence, etc., information about leap years in this century will be helpful.

 

Leap years, list of the twentieth century: 1904, 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988 , 1992, 1996.

 

Leap years in our century: 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036, 2040, 2044, 2048, 2052, 2056, 2060, 2064, 2068, 2072, 2076, 2080, 2084, 2088, 2092, 2096, 2100.

 

 

Let's summarize

 

A positive attitude and self-confidence form a strong basis for important achievements in a person's life, and small superstitions should not become an obstacle to achieving goals.

 

Is it the leap year or 2022? 2022 will be an ordinary year. From year to year, the approach of the new year arouses enthusiasm among superstitious people.

 

Interest is based on the popular signs and superstitions associated with the addition to the additional February 29th. One day, February 29, is added to the calendar every four years.

 

If you believe in your own strengths you will be able to do whatever you want in any year! We at Bemorepanda advise you not to be guided by superstitions!

 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is an exciting new chapter in the Black Panther story and a beautiful tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. Indeed, the cast and crew came together to create something truly incredible, both on screen and behind the scenes.

 

Behind-The-Scenes Facts About 'Wakanda Forever' Movie Pays Tribute To Chadwick Boseman

 

Did they succeed?

 

Our selection of 23 interesting behind-the-scenes facts about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will answer this question.

 

Attention: spoilers!

 

1. The White Wakandans At King T'Challa's Funeral Are Based On Ghanaian Tradition

Costume designer Ruth E. Carter told Vanity Fair, "We spoke to a historian of African culture, especially West African culture, and he told us that Africans in Ghana usually wear white at funerals."

 

2. Designing hundreds of white funeral gowns, costume designer Ruth E. Carter drew inspiration from the various cultures of Africa to create a unique identity for each tribe in Wakanda.

She told InStyle, "The whole warehouse was full of white clothes and we needed to identify the tribes somehow. You see dancers who are more like Zulu - they have white fur and shells, white raffia skirts and white paint on their chests. We had West Africa, with Baaba Maal singing and the drum guy. Queen Ramonda wore her white isikolo representing South Africa and she had many Ndebele symbols (a people of the Nguni group living in South Africa) all over her dress... In fact, all the tribes could be identified, although they were all in white, but white united them in honor of the departure of T'Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman."

 

3. In versions of the script written before Chadwick Boseman's death in 2020, T'Challa lamented the time he lost between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

Director Ryan Coogler told Inverse, "The character had to mourn the loss of time, you know, coming back after a five-year absence, that's what the movie was about. He mourned the time he could not get back. Grief was a big part of that action."

 

4. There was "literally a list of hundreds" of potential titles before they settled on "Wakanda Forever" which "feels right because it's a story of triumph through adversity"

Producer Nate Moore told Collider: "It's a story about legacy, it's a story about perseverance, and Wakanda Forever tells all of that. It's a story about heritage, it's a story about perseverance." Choosing a title for a sequel is always a difficult task, especially for a film that has run into so many problems like Black Panther 2.

 

5. Toward the end of a long 10-month shoot that was plagued with several production delays, the actors had a witty joke.

The cast joked that "it's Ryan Coogler's (director's) fault because he called this movie 'Wakanda Forever', which means this movie won't just end." Lupita Nyong'o told the Hollywood Reporter, "This is forever and ever."

 

6. When Tenok Huerta first received an invitation to play Namor, he answered the question "Can you swim?" with the phrase "I've never drowned before" (he couldn't swim)

In the end, for the sake of the film, he had to learn how to swim. As he told Jimmy Kimmel, "I took lessons...with an inflatable vest."

 

7. After learning that most of the film would take place underwater, Lupita Nyong'o made it her mission to train by "holding her breath and carrying gigantic weights through the water."

She sent Coogler and Moore videos of her workouts.

 

Moore told The Hollywood Reporter, "By the way, we didn't ask her to do anything. We thought, “What is this lady doing? She was so eager to feel plausibly comfortable in the water. She wanted to be as much of an expert as possible. And it is visible. She was able to do things that other actors couldn't because she was so determined to go further to make sure this character felt real."

 

8. Director Ryan Coogler also learned how to swim for the film.

He told Variety, "Many of us have been raised to be afraid of the water. I needed to figure out how to swim so I could make this film."

 

9. Among the actors, Mabel Cadena (who plays Namora) can hold her breath underwater the longest - six and a half minutes!

 

10. For the underwater city of Talokan, costume designer Ruth E. Carter tested the actors' costumes in a 6-meter tank. She ended up having to weight the costumes to make them look normal while filming.

 

11. Carter also had to completely rethink the types of materials she could use for the characters' costumes to make them waterproof. She ended up replacing a number of materials with silicone.

 

She told Vanity Fair, "What we built in the first movie was no longer available to us because it was made from leather and raffia and other things that break down in water. So we had to start over and… sculpt and recreate things out of silicone.”

 

12. The white Adidas Shuri sneakers were hollow and made with a new 4D technology that the company will be launching soon.

 

At first, they only sent Carter one pair of shoes, but she asked Adidas to make enough shoes for all the tricks.

 

“When you go outside of our industry, they say, 'What do you mean you need two?' Two! We need two. We need ten! Because, you know, you can lose some, some will break. You never know what's going to happen," she told InStyle.

 

13 Makeup Supervisor Joel Harlow came up with the idea to use paint rollers to make it easier to paint the actors playing the Talokans blue.

 

14. There were several versions of Namor's headdress with feathers - one for terrestrial scenes, and others, waterproof, for underwater scenes.

 

15. Tenoch Huerta called his Namor costume "shame shorts" because of how small they are.

 

16. In the post, Namor shares a lot of similarities with DC hero Aquaman, so Coogler focused on building on their differences.

He told Uproxx: “When Aquaman came out and was a success in the marketplace, it was a great guide for us and helped us understand how Namor is different from Aquaman. Just out of respect for the audience, because a lot of people have watched this movie. Many people love this movie. I think if you can give people something different and good, but also unique, that's always great. We wanted to focus on what makes these two characters different because it's obvious that they have a lot in common."

 

17. In the comics, Namor is the ruler of Atlantis, but director Ryan Coogler decided to change him to Talokan "out of respect for the audience, not wanting to give them something like other things that came before."

He told Inverse, "There have been many representations and creative depictions of Atlantis based on Plato's Atlantis, the Greco-Roman concept of a city submerged in the sea. This idea exists in many different forms. We wanted our film to exist alongside these films and be different."

 

18. Casting Rihanna on the soundtrack was originally a "fantastic idea," but composer Ludwig Göransson's previous friendship with the singer - along with an appeal to Jay-Z and Roc Nation's Jay Brown - helped Coogler realize the dream.

 

19. Daniel Kaluuya had to keep his W'Kabi character's absence from the film a secret and protect fans from spoilers because he didn't want to disappoint people.

He told CinemaBlend, "If I said something, people would be very disappointed. That's how I feel about it."

 

20. For Lupita Nyong'o, being able to speak Spanish in the film was "just a gift." She also felt that the film "represents different sides of [her] heritage" because she was born in Mexico to Kenyan parents.

She stated: “I have always wanted to work in Spanish, and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that such an opportunity would appear in Black Panther.

 

21. Before Chadwick Boseman died, he was “inspired by the potential of Native American representation and what it could mean.”

Coogler told Uproxx: "He always had an incredible understanding of how an audience would react to things. I was happy to start working with him."

 

22. Coogler decided to make Shuri the main character because T'Challa's death would affect her the most.

“In character storytelling, she was the only main character who never moved away from T’Challa… Every day in her life, T’Challa was there. He was a constant for her, so it was clear to us that she would probably be the most saddened by his departure, and that would probably be where the narrative should be centered."

 

23. And finally, on set, Letitia Wright dedicated every scene to her late co-star Chadwick Boseman.

She said on The Tonight Show, "I wanted to dedicate this movie to perfection so it can be proud."

 

 

The heyday of horror movies came in the 70s and 80s when censorship was finally abolished, and special effects became more and more realistic. At that time, many horror films appeared on the screens, which later became classics. At the same time, slashers were born, aimed at a younger audience.

 

What are some of the best horror movies?

 

Unfortunately, by the 90s, horror films almost died out, giving way to thrillers. The popularity of The Silence of the Lambs played a significant role. Horror returned to the screens only after the beginning of the 21st century, slightly changing the plots to more social ones.

 

20. The Shining

USA, UK, 1980.

Horror, thriller, drama.

Duration: 144 minutes.

 

Writer Jack Torrance is in a creative crisis. To earn extra money and at the same time to be distracted, he gets a job as a caretaker at the Overlook Hotel, which is closed for the winter and moves there with his family. Jack plans to spend this time writing a new novel. But soon, terrible things begin to happen in the hotel.

 

The author of the original book Stephen King was dissatisfied with the adaptation by Stanley Kubrick. But still, the director managed to perfectly convey the mystical and frightening atmosphere of the hotel, inhabited by ghosts. Well, the fantastic performance of Jack Nicholson makes the picture a must-see.

 

19. Alien

USA, UK, 1979.

Horror, fantasy, thriller.

Duration: 116 minutes.

 

The spacecraft Nostromo receives a signal from the new planet LV-426. Crew members assume they are being asked for help. But soon, the team encounters a creepy alien who kills the heroes one by one.

 

With the cult film by Ridley Scott, a whole multi-year franchise about xenomorphs began, on which various directors worked. But still, the sequels are more like gloomy action movies. And the first film is a fantastic horror, where a monster hunts for heroes in a confined space.

 

By the way, initially, the author planned to kill all the characters in the film, which would exclude the possibility of a continuation. But the producers opposed this move and forced him to change the ending.

 

18. The Thing

USA, 1982.

Horror, fantasy.

Duration: 109 minutes.

 

In the ice of Antarctica, polar explorers find an alien organism. It soon turns out that he attacks people and can take the form and even copy the behavior of any living creature. Now all the station inhabitants suspect each other, trying to figure out the monster.

 

John Carpenter's film is based on the 1951 Thing from Another World. But the remake managed to surpass the original in terms of visual presentation and psychological tension.

 

17. Rosemary's Baby

USA, 1968.

Horror, drama, thriller.

Duration: 137 minutes.

 

Rosemary and Guy Wodehouse move to an upscale neighborhood in New York. They quickly become friends with their new neighbors, and everything seems to be going well in life. But one day, Rosemary dreams about being raped by a demon. And soon, the girl discovers that she is pregnant.

 

Director Roman Polanski approached the staging of his debut film in Hollywood very carefully, paying attention to the minor details in the plot. The author wanted no one to doubt the realism of what was happening. As a result, the picture perfectly combines the story of a classic horror film about a satanic cult and a reflection of the natural fear of motherhood.

 

16. The Exorcist

USA, 1973.

Horror.

Duration: 122 minutes.

 

Actress Chris McNeil's 12-year-old daughter has strange seizures. Moreover, during attacks, she behaves aggressively, and then she begins to speak in a male voice and move strangely. Doctors do not find any physical problems, and then it becomes clear: the girl is possessed by the devil.

 

William Friedkin's film is widely regarded as a horror classic. The director set it as his task to scare the viewer in every way, for which shaking scenery, terrible makeup, and many special effects were used. And many considered the scene of the exorcism of the devil even too realistic, although the performer of the role of Merrin's father, Max von Sydow, said that he did not believe in evil spirits.

 

Well, the moment where the girl's arms and legs bend has firmly gone down in history: it was copied in dozens of horror films and then parodied in many comedies.

 

15. Jaws

USA, 1975.

Horror, adventure.

Duration: 124 minutes.

 

The sheriff of the local police discovers on the shore the remains of a girl torn to pieces by a massive white shark. The number of victims is growing every day, but the city leadership does not dare to notify residents of the danger. Then the main character teams up with a shark hunter and an oceanologist to catch the monster together.

 

Steven Spielberg's film made a splash at the box office, paying off dozens of times and turning the term "blockbuster" into an independent genre. And all the more surprising is that this is a story about a vast monster devouring people.

 

14. Night of the Living Dead

USA, 1968.

Horror.

Duration: 96 minutes.

 

Barbara arrives with her brother at her father's grave. And right in the cemetery, they are attacked by a creepy man in rags. The girl manages to escape, and soon she finds herself in a house where several more strangers have gathered. And around begins the invasion of the living dead.

 

The film by aspiring director George Romero was the first story in which zombies were shown in their usual form today - before this term was referred only to as voodoo magic. Interestingly, Romero himself did not use it.

 

The film has many sequels and remakes, and the idea of ​​the mindless walking dead, who are primarily dangerous because of their numbers, has gone into popular culture.

 

13. Halloween

USA, 1978.

Horror, thriller.

Duration: 101 minutes.

 

Since childhood, Michael Myers has been in a hospital because he killed his sister. But one day, an adult criminal escapes, puts on a white mask, and begins to terrorize a group of teenagers.

 

The author work of John Carpenter launched a whole wave of slasher films - horror films where a maniac in a mask hunts teenagers. Such paintings even became a symbol of the eighties. And Halloween itself has evolved into one of the longest-running horror franchises in history. In 2018, another part was released, which continued the events of the very first film, ignoring the sequels.

 

12. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

USA, 1974.

Horror.

Duration: 83 minutes.

 

Girl Sally and her friends go to Texas to visit their grandfather's grave. On the way, they come to a farm where an extraordinary family lives, working in a slaughterhouse. Guests are invited to dinner, but it turns out that the owners are not opposed to hunting people.

 

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" became the primary prototype of all slashers, anticipating both "Halloween" and other prominent representatives of the genre. The first part may seem rustic to date, although it has enough dark scenes.

 

But the picture also has many sequels, and in 2017 a prequel about the origin of the main villain, nicknamed Leatherface, was released. By the way, this character has an actual prototype - the maniac Ed Gein.

 

11. The Omen

USA, UK, 1976.

Horror.

Duration: 111 minutes.

 

The wife of American diplomat Robert Thorne gives birth to a dead child. Her husband decides not to tell his wife the sad news and takes another baby instead. The child, named Damien, grows up in the family as his own. But in fact, his soul is cursed from birth. After all, Damien is the Antichrist.

 

And another classic horror movie that embodies the idea of ​​fear of children. The contrast between the angelic face of the young actor and his sinister actions hooked the viewer. The picture came out with two more successful sequels, where they talked about Damien's adolescence and his mature years.

 

But the restart of the story of the same name failed, although the film's advertising campaign was built very ingeniously, releasing the picture on 06/06/2006.

 

10.  A Nightmare on Elm Street

USA, 1984

Horror.

Duration: 92 minutes.

 

High school students of one of the schools begin to dream the same dream: they are being pursued by a mutilated maniac Freddy Krueger with metal knives in his glove. And the worst thing is that those he killed in a dream die in reality. The heroes are trying to figure out where this ghost came from. But for this, they need not sleep.

 

One of the most recognizable on-screen maniacs came up with director Wes Craven, and over the years, the image of Freddy Krueger has become firmly established in pop culture. Everyone knows his invariable attributes: a red-green sweater, a hat, a burnt face, and a glove with claws.

 

It is ironic that in the late nineties, when the horror genre was in severe decline, the same Craven made the film Scream, in which he deconstructed the slasher genre and showed all the stereotypes of such movies.

 

9.  The Fly

USA, UK, Canada, 1986.

Horror, fantasy, drama.

Duration: 96 minutes.

 

Scientist Seth Brundle creates a teleportation device. After several successful experiments with objects and animals, he decides to try the invention on himself. But at the moment of teleportation, a fly flies into the device. Because of this accident, Set gradually turns into a giant insect.

 

And again, a remake that surpassed the original in quality and popularity. The fact is that the master of the body horror genre David Cronenberg undertook to shoot it. He was able to very vividly and unpleasantly show the mutations of the human body. Yes, he designed a creepy and cruel plot into a good drama.

 

8. The Conjuring

USA, 2013.

Horror, thriller, detective.

Duration: 113 minutes.

 

Spouses Ed and Lorraine Warren are experienced exorcists. They exorcise ghosts from houses and also give lectures about otherworldly forces. But one day, they have to face such a potent evil that not only the inhabitants of the damned home are in danger, but also the spouses themselves.

 

This film was directed by James Wan - the creator of another famous horror franchise, "Astral." He took as a basis the memoirs of the honest Lorraine Warren, who claims that all these events happened. The result was a great horror movie with many scary scenes, which later turned into a whole franchise with spin-offs like Annabelle.

 

 

7. Carrie

USA, 1976

Horror.

Duration: 98 minutes.

 

Quiet and timid schoolgirl Carrie is constantly intimidated by her fanatically religious mother and offended by her peers. Aggression accumulates inside her, which suddenly manifests itself in supernatural abilities. And at this time, classmates want to play it again right at the prom.

 

The film adaptation of Stephen King's debut novel by the famous Brian De Palma cemented the book's popularity and stimulated many other directors to pay attention to the writer's work. The secret to the story's success is simple: King took a familiar story about bullying at school and turned it into supernatural horror. Well, Palma only managed to adapt all this perfectly.

 

The movie's tagline is "If The Exorcist made you flinch, Carrie would make you scream." And this is not an exaggeration: at first, many viewers were seriously frightened by the terrible bloody scene at the school.

 

6. Suspiria

Italy, 1977

Horror, drama.

Duration: 98 minutes.

 

Young American ballerina Susie Bannion travels to Germany to study at the famous dance school. Soon, girls begin to die mysteriously there. And then Susie realizes that the school has become the site of a coven of witches.

 

Dario Argento is a recognized master of the Giallo genre, which combines a crime thriller, explicit scenes, and cruelty. But in Suspiria, he went further, combining dark mysticism with a beautiful musical film.

 

And in 2018, a remake of the same name was released. The new version turned out to be more ambiguous and even philosophical. However, there are enough beautiful and scary scenes in it too.

 

5. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

USA, 1978.

Fantasy, thriller, horror.

Duration: 115 minutes.

 

Alien plants appear in an American town. Gradually, they turn into absolutely exact copies of people and take the place of the originals. The only difference is that the aliens are entirely emotionless.

 

The classic film of the same name came out in 1955 when the US went through a hysteria about foreign spies. Then the film set the fashion for the story of the alien invasion.

 

The 1978 remake was even more interesting than the original. The atmosphere of horror and creepy scenes of the appearance of copies from cocoons were added to the unusual plot. And the gloomy ending of the picture went down in history as one of the most sinister scenes.

 

4. Poltergeist

USA, 1982.

Horror, thriller.

Duration: 114 minutes.

 

The Freeling family moves into a new house, where strange things soon happen: objects move on their own, and appliances turn on. Then the tree outside the window tries to kidnap the son of the Freelings, and while his parents are getting him out, their daughter disappears.

 

The creator of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tobe Hooper, years later released another cult horror film, only now in a completely different style. Based on a script by Steven Spielberg, the story has become one of the best examples of haunted house horror.

 

3. Ringu

Japan, 1998

Horror, thriller, detective.

Duration: 96 minutes.

 

There is a legend among teenagers about a creepy videotape. As soon as someone watches the tape, the phone rings in his house, and a week later, he dies. And after the mysterious death of his niece, reporter Reiko Asakawa decides to look into the origin of this tape.

 

This film gave us a creepy girl with black hair crawling out of the TV. First, she turned into one of the most famous and frightening images and then into the object of many parodies.

 

The popularity of the original film was also noticed in Hollywood, and three years later, they released their version of the picture in the United States. Curiously, later the continuation of the American version was directed by the director of the Japanese original, Hideo Nakata.

 

2. The Babadook

Australia, Canada, 2014.

Horror, mystic.

Duration: 93 minutes.

 

Amelia, who has lost her husband, brings her young son Sam a children's book called The Babadook. But the monster of history becomes tangible. It inhabits the heroine and tries to kill the child.

 

Australian actress Jennifer Kent in her directorial debut, was able to talk about the deep feelings of a single mother. Therefore, if you oversee the film, you can see not only cool screamers but also the expression of a woman's grief over her dead husband. And the ending hints that secret fears cannot be eliminated - they can only be controlled.

 

1. The VVitch: A New-England Folktale

USA, UK, Canada, Brazil, 2015.

Horror.

Duration: 93 minutes.

 

The action took place in the 17th century. The family of William and Katerina are expelled from the settlement. She and her four children set up a home near the forest, but a witch steals their newborn child. The family blames the eldest daughter Thomasin for all the troubles, who did not keep track of her brother, and this becomes the beginning of even more significant problems.

 

Rookie director Robert Eggers tried to shoot the whole picture as naturalistically as possible: most of the shots here are shown in natural light in rather pale colors. And in fact, the meaning of the picture is not witchcraft. Much more frightening is that each hero hides something even from his loved ones.

 

 

What’s the best movie for Halloween and why?

 

Even though the coronavirus restrictions canceled all plans for a massive Halloween celebration, you can always celebrate October 31st at home. You just need to stock up on food, turn on the scariest horror movies and arrange yourself a night marathon. We've put together tips from filmmakers to help you decide on your Halloween horror movies.

 

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

 

One of the most creative comedy slashers of recent years is based, in fact, on one extended joke: two main characters - harmless rednecks, who nevertheless look like typical horror villains - is mistaken are by a group of students for maniacs due by a series of misunderstandings. And then it begins stupid deaths, absurd situations, go to the people "students have arrived and committed suicide in the fresh air." "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil" is a Homeric genre shifter that deftly walks through the most worn clichés of slashers and turns them against themselves.