Death Day Celebrations

The celebration of the Day of the Dead is a mixture of Catholic and pre-historic Hispanic beliefs about death. The Spanish conquistadors brought their religious faith to the Americas but their beliefs dated back to the early Christians' adoption of the customs of the ancient Egyptians and Romans.

The ancient Maya, Aztecs and other pre-historic Hispanic people believed in an afterlife. In particular, the Aztecs believed that everyone who died would be born again. They honored the spirits of the dead and invited them to visit earth on certain days of the year. On those days, the ancient people offered them tamales and atoles (a drink made of cornmeal and water).

Over time, October 31st evolved into All Hollows Eve when the spirits of dead children came to visit. November 1st became All Hallows or All Saints Day, a day to pray for the innocent souls of saints and martyrs, and November 2nd became All Souls Day, a day to remember the spirits of departed sinners.

Today, the Day of the Dead celebration is a family event reuniting the living with their dead relatives. Each family and community has its own way of celebrating although many customs are observed in common throughout Mexico.

October 31st is a day of preparation for the celebration. Families shop at the local market for food supplies and items like copal (a resin-based incense), marigolds, candles and calaveras de dulce (sugar skulls).

Back home, children make an altar decorated with small baskets of nuts, hot chocolate in small cups, sugar skulls, flowers, fruit, and toys. They light incense and small candles that will illuminate the way for the angelitos (little angels) to visit earth.

On November 1st, families eat an early breakfast of pan de muertos (bread of the dead), hot chocolate, atole, and tlalludas (chicken broth served with large tortillas). Afterwards, the family does the necessary chores to prepare their house for visitors.

The women of the house make tamales de mole (mole sauce and chicken folded inside a tortilla which is then wrapped in corn husks and tied with string) which are steamed in a large pot. In the meantime, another family member makes a second trip to the market to buy sugar canes and more marigolds.

The adults decorate their own altar by placing a colorful cloth on a table and decorating it with a crucifix, pan de muertos, fruit, flowers, cups of chocolate and atole, a small offering of cooked tamales, and the special things the deceased enjoyed during their life on earth. They light a bowl of lamp oil and place a lighted candle for each dead relative and their photos.

The sound of fireworks and the ringing of church bells announce that the spirits of the dead are on their way to earth. The bells ring without stopping for twenty-four hours, rung by teams of young men.

Families wear their best clothes and visit through the day and night and into the next day, bringing empty baskets which they fill with items from the altars of the homes they visit. Host families take the time to visit friends and relatives, too.

On November 2nd, families visit the cemetery, cleaning and decorating the graves and tombs with flowers. They bring picnic food as an offering to the dead. The families believe that the dead do not actually eat this food but "inhale" it.

The bells stop ringing at 3 p.m. signaling that the dead are departing. Families eat, sing, laugh, visit with their neighbors, and children play among the tombstones. When night falls, candles are lit on the tombs and graves.

Families depart, too, until the celebrations begin again next year.

Day of the Dead Celebrates Lives Lived

The Day of the Dead celebrations held on November 1st and 2nd acknowledge the culmination of the life cycle, and that death will come to us all. While it directly follows Halloween, the holiday is not designed to scare or bring sadness.

The Day of the Dead allows the living to honor those who have died - family, friends, ancestors, and pets. While its origins are from ancient Meso-American cultures, which range from Mexico to Honduras and El Salvador, anyone can adopt this annual observance and tailor this colorful celebration to remember their own deceased loved ones.

History

Starting with the Halloween connection, going back about 3,000 years, the ancient Celtic people believed that on October 31st the boundary between the living and the dead dissolved, allowing spirits of the deceased to cross over into the living world. To combat the Druid festival Samhain (pronounced Sow-wen) held this time of year, the Catholic Church moved All Saints' Day - a.k.a. All Hallows' Day - from mid-May to November 1. Halloween comes from abbreviating All Hallows' Even, the evening before the day.

Meanwhile, over in the Western Hemisphere, indigenous peoples such as the Aztec, Maya, Olmec, Toltec and other tribes in Mexico held rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors during the month of August. It corresponded with a festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl, The Lady of the Dead. When Catholic Spanish Conquistadors came to the New World more than 500 years ago, they tried to eradicate these native rituals that seemed to mock death and symbolized death and rebirth.

The ancient rituals refused to die in the face of forced conversion. So to make the ritual more Christian, the Spaniards moved it to correspond with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, November 1 and 2. In Mexico, Dia De Los Muertos as it is known in Spanish, often honors deceased children and infants on the first day, and deceased adults on the second day.

The early Meso-American attitude was that life is a dream, and death is the awakening to real life. The dead are considered to have semi-divine status, given permission to return once a year. They are to be welcomed, not feared.

How Day of the Dead is Celebrated

Today, Day of the Dead celebrations are held in Mexico, parts of Central and Latin America, in the Southwest U.S., and some European countries. In Mexico, the celebrations are elaborate, even more so than Christmas observances. Parades and profuse decorations in homes and cemeteries make this time of year a tourist spectacle.

Families visit cemeteries to clean the graves of loved ones, decorate them with flowers and candles, and commune with the spirits of the departed. Often, they picnic in the cemetery, bringing the deceased's favorite food and drink.

When the Church granted magical curative powers to relics, it was extended to the use of milagros, Spanish for miracles, metal charms in the shape of body parts that need healing. This gave rise to specially shaped Day of the Dead foods, such as sugar skulls and pan de muerto, sweet egg bread baked in the shape of skulls or bones. These can be offerings to the dead or eaten by the living.

Colorful parades are held with people dressed as skeletons, a reminder that in death, we actually continue life. Skull masks and artwork of skeletons doing everyday activities, such as dancing, bicycle riding, and eating and drinking, remind us that the everlasting soul continues on, separate from the body.

The celebration continues in the home, welcoming the dead with respect and devotion. Some families will make an elaborate dinner, set out the food and not eat it until the next day, to let the spirits eat first. They may also make the bed with fresh sheets to allow the spirits to rest after their long journey to earth. And they construct ofrendas, individualized altars with offerings to maintain relations with the dead.

Making an Ofrenda or Altar

You don't have to be Mexican to honor your loved ones with a Day of the Dead altar in your home and welcome their spirits for a visit. Start by setting up a table with photos of the deceased, and their ashes if you have them. Don't forget to include departed pets!

Decorate around the photos with flowers and candles. Set out foods and beverages that they used to enjoy. Play the music they loved. Put art objects they collected or artwork they created on or near the altar. Write messages to them and place the notes next to their photos. Include items from pets' lives, such as toys, leashes, treats, and tags.

Traditional ofrendas have items that represent the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. A glass of water is included, to give the spirits a drink after their long journey. Tissue paper sheets with elaborate cutout designs, called papel picado, represent air, as they move with the gentlest breeze. Flowers and a bowl of salt often represent the earth, and candles provide fire.

Marigolds are the flower of choice for Day of the Dead decorating. Their pungent scent is said to guide souls to earth, and marigolds are often still blooming in late October. Flowers can be arranged in an arch, along with sheets of papel picado, representing the connection from earth to heaven.

Create the altar prior to Halloween, and keep it up for as long as it feels right. Photograph the altar for posterity. Each year presents a new opportunity to remember and honor those who meant so much to us while they lived. Inevitably, there will be new faces to add as the years go by.

Impulse Purchase in E-Commerce

It is a fact that many purchases are unplanned and even unexpected for buyers, as the decision making process may only be based on feelings and emotions. In ordinary offline shopping this can happen when a person sees something interesting in a shop window and then, at one moment, decides to buy this thing. Could the same happen in e-commerce? Yes, of course. Online shopping can be even more dangerous for shopaholics than a usual shop. Let's review some details.

Types of Products That Can Be Sold as an Impulse Purchase

Inexpensive and Simple Products

As a rule, if the product is not so expensive, the decision to buy it is made easily. Very often, people forget about petty details of life and when they see them, there is momentary flash in their mind: "Yes, I wanted to buy this for a long time!". In e-commerce, this works with cross-selling. You can recommend related products to the visitors of your online store according to their history of sales and searches. It is possible to show some products in the block "You might also like". If you have not enough information about your visitor, it is the right time to advertise simple and not so expensive products which are more likely to be purchased as impulse buying.

New and Unusual Products

The information about new arrivals can stimulate potential customers to make a purchase. The new collection of dresses and shoes, new models of popular devices - such message in communication can work as a call to action. You are lucky if you have loyal customers who like to visit your online store from time to time just to see what new offers you have. Otherwise, your CRM system and the clients' database can help you to deliver information. The personal e-mails or SMS for each client are very good ways to increase your sales a lot.

If you offer some rare and extraordinary products they can also work perfectly for impulse buying, due to the fact that people did not even know about the existence of such products or about them being available for online purchase.

Products with Discounts

If you do not have any new arrivals in your online store you can create other news to attract your customers. Information about discounts is also a reason to send an email. Just be creative and try to deliver your message as a unique opportunity. All methods of sales promotion can be used in this case: discount coupons, special conditions for re-purchase, lottery with valuable prizes, presents and so on. Sometimes it happens that the main purchase is made just to get a gift - interesting trinket. You can use not only the discounts, but also a price raising. For example, it is a fact that winter items such as skis, sleds, and skates can be bought at a lower price in summer, so the information about the prices being increased soon can also encourage the customer to buy.

"Last Items in Stock"

I can't say that there is absolutely no planned purchase. This method might work when a customer wanted to buy something for a long time, but could not afford it or had some other reason not to buy that product, and the information that there are last items in stock available may stimulate him. This variant can be used in a standard way, when each product page contains information about stock balance. But you can also use your browsing history and send e-mails to the customers who viewed this product. Even if the customer does not buy anything, properly formulated and friendly text of an e-mail will show them your customer care.

"Never again"

This method is often used by fashion and beauty supply online stores. The information that a particular product will never be available because it is removed from production is a great call to action. If it is a product that has been offered by the company for a long time, the loyal customers will definitely buy it. Thus, women buy perfume or cosmetic products which they like to use, and even can be upset that some product will not be produced anymore. It is very important to create a proper communication explaining that the existing product will give place to a new one which is better, more effective and so on. But at the same time, they should not miss the opportunity to buy their favorite item while it is still available.

Where to Inform

Just a few words about how you can inform the customer. Certainly, in the case of e-commerce we can't use the effect of shop windows as usual stores can. If a buyer does not visit the online store, you can deliver the information via:

Social networks
Online advertising, Remarketing
E-mailing
Sending catalogs by usual postal service with information about the products
SMS, MMS
Outdoor advertising, for online stores that work on a local market
Don't Lose Customers at the Last Step

Impulse purchase is made on emotions, so the customer can easily change the decision. All processes of online store should work without glitches. It is extremely important for checkout because most of the abandoned carts appear on this step. All payment and delivery methods should be simple and understandable. There should not be any hidden information or changes in the total price of the product.

Ethics of Sales

Each online store strives to increase its sales. But you should always keep in mind that all methods of sales promotion should be used fairly and humanely. If you try to sell no matter what, you can achieve your goal, but the customer's impression about your company may be unpleasant after purchase. Such customer will never come back. Correct and ethical sale with individual approach and customer care is the key to success.

Fundamentals of E-commerce Success

Many retail business owners are being pressured into setting up shop online. But is this a realistic expectation or is it an exercise in futility. There are some very important key questions that have to be answered before considering the move to online sales.

1.Are your products conducive to mail, phone or online sales?

You might think that every product can be sold online and, to some degree, you would be correct. However, should every product be sold online? The answer is no. Many products just don't sell well online because they are not conducive to impulse purchases, the demand is low, or the product itself has a long sales cycle. Given that most people will be making purchases online using a credit card, the products or combination of products should be easily purchased with a credit card that has a limit of $1,000 to $5,000.

2.Are you prepared to sell your products online?

This may seem like a very basic, but it will validate your motivation to succeed online. If your motivation to sell online is driven by a belief that "everyone else is doing it and so should I" , then you should serious consider the implications of selling online. Once you have made the mental decision to sell online, you can begin to formulate your strategy for doing so.

3.Do you have the resources to sell online?

Are you prepared to handle five, ten, a hundred, five hundred orders a day? Do you have the staff to fulfill orders, manage online customer service, and make updates to the website. Do you plan on doing this work yourself? If so, have you considered the impact this decision will have on the rest of your business? Create a plan that sets definitive goals for your online storefront, as you would for any business opportunity. Remember, managing a successful e-commerce website is a full-time job.

4.Who will build your site?

One of the biggest myths about e-commerce is that anybody can build and run an online store. The truth of the matter is that anyone can build and run a store online, but only a select few can do it well. There are many online store builders, shopping cart programs, and hosted applications that let you build a site and start selling your products online, but realistically you get what you pay for with most of these services. Consider hiring a company who specializes in developing online commerce sites for you. The result will be superior to a home grown site and will ultimately result in increased credibility and sales.

5.What is your budget?

Get quotes from a variety of vendors. You will find that the quotes you get back will range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. A reasonable amount to budget for your new website is around $10,000 for a full build out including custom web design and software, and ongoing server and maintenance fees of about $300 to $500 per month. When you consider your budget, take into account that the more you spend upfront, the less likely you will be to change the site. On the Internet, keeping your website fresh and updated is crucial to your credibility.

Now that you have answered the fundamentals, you will want to ensure you take the following steps to get your online store set-up correctly and efficiently:

1. Set-up an Internet Merchant Account

This is a must. You may be tempted to use Paypal, 2Checkout, or some other low cost online payment solution, however, in the end, when your site becomes popular and you start generating significant revenue, you will find that the discount rate you pay with a true merchant account will be much less. Although there is a little more work involved in setting up an Internet capable merchant account, your credibility, not to mention your payment tracking, will be greatly simplified.

2.Purchase a Secure Certificate

This is also a must. Securing your site is mandatory in order to avoid possible issues with credit card theft. All merchant account providers will require you have a secure certificate installed on your server before they issue you the account. Secure certificates range in cost from around $80 CAD to $500 CAD depending on the level of security and authentication you require. For the most part, a basic certificate is all that is required for online sales.

3.Organize your product data

Having your product data organized in a spreadsheet will go a long way to speeding up the set-up of your store. It will also help you organize your store layout and determine what products will sell best online.

4.Take good product photos

Since your online customers won't be able to hold or touch your products, a good photo is your next best option. Your photographs should be bright, with good contrast, and show the product either alone or in combination with complimentary products. For example, when selling a pair of jeans, take a photo of a person (preferably someone who looks attractive in the jeans) actually wearing the jeans. Have the person wear other complimentary products from your store like a popular shirt, shoes, and a purse. Customers will be more inclined to buy the jeans if they can see the jeans in context with other products.

5.Set-up a newsletter

Permission based newsletters are an excellent way to keep your customers coming back to your store. Sending a monthly newsletter that highlights new products, sales, or promotions can be a great way to retain and attract new customers.

6.Visit stores that you like and make notes

Do your research. Look at the sites that are at the top of their game and find out what they do. How are their products displayed? How does their shopping cart work? How often do they update their site? The more information you can provide to your web designer and developer, the closer they will come to meeting your expectations.

In summary, don't rush in to anything. Like all good things, a high quality revenue generating website takes time, money and effort to build. There's nothing wrong with starting small, but remember to constantly re-invest in your online store. Make improvements whenever you can and keep it fresh. The days of "build it and they will come" have long been over. Talk to a marketing expert and plan your strategy accordingly.

Sole Parent Travel Tips

Travelling with children is exhilarating, exasperating and exhausting in almost equal measures.

Travelling as sole parent with kids can be even more challenging.

Read on to keep your sanity when travelling solo with the kids in tow.

My daughter and I

My daughter and I have been a little family of just two people since she was about 18 months old. Not being the kind of mum to sit at home mope about my position I took every chance I could to take my daughter out and about to see and do as many things as possible. Why should she miss out because she has just one parent?

We started with small trips around our home city of Melbourne and progressed to flying interstate and finally overseas. We've also had some great road trips. Our longest road trip took us from Perth, across the Nullarbor Plain, to Adelaide then north to Brisbane.

I love having the opportunity to spend time with my child. I generally choose places where we can do things together, rather than places where I could leave her in a kids club and go my own way.

Travelling together has been a great way to build a strong relationship based on our shared experiences.

The rewards

I love travelling with my daughter because it gives us some very valuable one on one time together away from the demands of work, school and household chores. It is a great way to get to know your child as person and help them to become confident going out into the world.

Travelling with your child can be great fun! When my daughter was young I got to be young again too. We visited endless theme parks, festivals, zoos, children's concerts and theatre events. We went skiing, cycling and swimming at the beaches. All stuff I probably would not have thought to do without her. What a load of fun I would have missed out on with out her!

Now that my daughter is in her teens it is good to be able to help her build her life skills and confidence. Travelling has helped broaden her mind and to see that there are many opportunities available to her. Travel has helped my daughter to see the world from a broader perspective than if we had stayed at home.

Keeping your sanity

When it's just you and your child away from your extended familyor friends who usually make up your support network things can get tough. There is no back up when you get tired or stressed.

Sharpen up your negotiation skills, you are going to need them if everyday is not to end in an argument! Calmly discuss limits and expectations with your child. Ensure they know what is possible and what is not. There is no limit to how much it can cost to entertain a child if you don't set some boundaries.

The key to success is to find things that you will both enjoy. Plan your activities according to the age and energy levels of your child.

My daughter found comfort in having a regular routine when she was very young. No matter where we went I did my best to make sure her meals and naps occurred at around the same time each day.

Know when it is time to go home or back to your hotel. Battling with an over tired and screaming child for the sake of staying out a little longer is not an enjoyable experience for anyone!

I found that as my child grew older we could travel further, stay away from home longer and slowly move away from holidays largely focused on kids activities.

Getting Around

The world is generally set up for two people travelling together. Most standard hotel rooms accommodate two people. If you have an extra child there is often the option of adding an extra bed.

Most families I know fly economy. If this is you, two or three people will be able to sit side by side in the same row of seats. Although there may be some negotiating to be done around who gets the window seat!

Discount airfares on international flights are often available for children under the age of 12.

Overseas Travel for sole parent families

If you are an Australian planning to travel overseas your child will need a passport and permission from your former partner to travel. This can potentially be the greatest stumbling block of all!

If your former partner cannot be contacted and is not making financial contributions to your child's upbringing talk to the Passports Office. If you can demonstrate to the Australian Passports Office that you are 100% responsible for your child, the requirement for permission to travel may be waived.

Dining out

Agreeing on where to eat our meals was often a challenge for us. Not all restaurants are family friendly or welcome fidgeting children at their tables. I did not want to eat all of my meals at the fast food chains my daughter loves. There is nothing more dreary than eating room service. So what to do...

Breakfast

Cut down on the fast food temptations by booking hotel rooms that include a buffet breakfast in the room rate. This will take some of the pressure off you to be up early in the morning, dressed and ready to hit the streets in search of breakfast. The hotel breakfast buffets are usually open until around 10:00am. You may even get a sleep in and time to read the paper while you drink your coffee.

Lunch on the run

Lunch is often a meal on the run if you are out with children. Lunch can cost a fortune for greasy, unappetising food if you are visiting theme parks.

I was lucky that my daughter liked fairly plain food at lunch. If I packed a jar of Vegemite and went to the supermarket for bread, cheese and a few snacks to carry in my back pack I could usually avoid the worst of the junk. Zip-lock bags are perfect for carrying snacks.

Dinner

Everyone is usually grumpy and exhausted by dinner. I found it was hard to get my daughter moving again if we had been out all day and went back to the hotel before dinner. Choosing a place to eat on the way back was the best strategy for avoiding conflict or room service meals.

Eating early is the key to avoiding crowds and frowning waiters in restaurants. Most places are usually keen to move the early diners out before the crowds arrive, which is handy for speeding up the service!

Bring along a few bits and pieces to keep the kids entertained and enjoy your dinner.

Our favourite places for young children

Animals and theme parks were the things my daughter loved visiting the most as a child.

Our top 5 were:

Roar 'n' Snore, Melbourne Zoo, Australia
Disneyland, any of the Disney Parks!
Movie World, Gold Coast, Australia
Dreamworld, Gold Coast, Australia
Skiing at Queenstown, New Zealand
Our favourite places for teens

My daughter now has a wider range of interests and the ability to enjoy travelling further from home, for longer periods of time. The attraction of theme parks is still strong but she is also interested in soaking up the atmosphere, history and culture of the places that we visit.

Benefits of Contract Electronic Manufacture

Contract electronic manufacture service providers refer to the part of the industry which manufactures or repairs or design products for those who manufacture original equipments which are also known as original equipment manufacturers (OEM). There are several benefits associated with contract electronic manufacture service providers and in this article we will try to introduce some of them to you.

The Role of Contract Electronic Manufacture: Electronic equipments are growing fast in use in our day to day lives. Electronic gadgets such as mobile phones, calculators, computers etc have become so much important in our lives that it is hard to even imagine life without them. Increase in equipments is also a result of increasing companies which produce electronic manufacture according to the demand of its customers. If you are a business owner of electronic manufacture or work in one of those, you might notice machines are required for the manufacturing process. Not many electronic manufacture companies provide customized solutions for machinery only for a particular industry. They provide only original electronic equipments.

A few benefits of contract electronic manufacturing services:

On the other hand companies which are classified as contract electronic manufacture service providers are the one who provides customized machinery solutions to their clients. They manufacture the machines according to industry requirements. Having a customized machine for your industry can double your profits and also reduce the load on your workers.

It’s becoming more and more popular today since each particular company requires machinery with a set of operations which 100% might vary with other company’s requirements from machineries set of operations. Contract electronic manufacturers are also experts in designing as well as repairing of the machine. Furthermore they can even handle all set of operations which means designing constructing and offering repair service to their clients according to their client’s budget. Not only hiring contract electronic manufacturer can save your production time but can also end rule of any particular machine component in the production cycle. Hiring them you can rest assured if any problem in machine occurs then you can quickly inform and get the machine repaired by expert engineers. One of the major benefits to choose contract electronic manufacturer’s option is that machinery is available at reasonable prices which lower the production cost up to an extent. So company can produce goods at lower prices and also can enjoy advantage in price terms over competitors.

Electronic subcontract assembly services and their benefits:

Assembly is the most important part in any customized machine. After each and every component successfully finishes then only assembly takes place. Electronic subcontract assembly also serves as protector to security of system if any threats are present. The electronic subcontract assembly now days has become a highly rated feature and is also incorporated in major products as well for safety issues and also keep them intact as well. Electronic subcontract assembly is also known for good technical background and also fine detailing in technical specifications it provides.