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4 Unique Summer Festivals from around the World

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

Summer is going by fast, but it’s far from over. Last month we learned about some local cultural events, so this month we’re going to look at summer festivals from all over the world. Here are 4 of them; can you match the celebration with its name and country?

Choices:

Esala Perahera in Sri Lanka
Eid al Fitr celebrated by Muslims around the world
Raksha Bandhan in northern India
O-Bon in Japan

1. In August, brothers and sisters show their love for each other with this celebration. Girls tie a silk bracelet, called a rakhi, to their brothers’ wrists, and the brothers in turn promise to protect their sisters. The siblings give each other a piece of candy called laddu, and end the ceremony by exchanging gifts. This ceremony dates back more than 400 years.

2. This is a three-day festival, starting on August 1st this year, which means “breaking of the fast”. It comes after a month-long period of praying, fasting, and charity. During this important holiday, people dress in their finest clothes, visit friends and family, adorn their homes with lights and decorations, and give treats to children.

3. Celebrators of this festival keep the memory of their ancestors alive by putting lit candles into lanterns and floating them along rivers and seas. They also visit and clean the graves of those who have died. In one ancient city, people light giant bonfires. This festival is celebrated in July or August, depending on the area.

4. First celebrated in the 3rd century B.C., this is a 10-day festival held every July or August to honor the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. There are dancers, acrobats, drummers, whip crackers, flame throwers, and more than 100 beautifully decorated elephants that parade through the streets.

Answers: 1. Northern India 2. Muslims around the world 3. Japan 4. Sri Lanka

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What do ‘ploc ploc’ ‘plitsch platsch’ and ‘pota pota’ have in common?

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

Onomatopoeia across Languages

Onomatopoeia is a word, or group of words, that imitates the sound it is describing. We can recognize these in English – the car horn “honks”, the gun goes “bang”, and the mouse “squeaks”. However, in British English a car “hoots” and in French a gun goes “pan”. People are often surprised when they realize that these are somewhat arbitrary interpretations of the sounds we hear, and they differ among languages and cultures. Simply consider the fact that there are many sounds for a dog’s “bark” in English, including “bark”, “woof”, “ruff”, “bow wow”, and “arf!” In English, we use these pronunciations simply because we’ve learned them from other English speakers.

The Japanese language uses onomatopoeia perhaps more than any other language. Japanese contains hundreds of onomatopoeic words, usually coming in the form of a two-syllable word said twice, such as “gorogoro” (cat purring). Words that imitate sounds are called Giongo. There are also many words, called Gitaigo, that describe various emotional and psychological states. They are often attached to the verb suru (to do) to become verbs, for example, “wakuwaku suru” (to be excited) and “iraira suru” (to be irritated or impatient). Other words become adverbs, such as “geragera warau” (to laugh loudly) and “perapera hanasu” (to speak fluently/quickly).

Here is a quick chart of some noises and their interpretations in different languages.

Sound	English US/UK	French	Spanish	German	Japanese
Cat meowing	meow/mew	miaou	miau	miau	nya
Frog croaking	ribbit/croak	croac croac	croac croac	quak quak	kerokero
Kissing	smooch or mwah	mouah	mua	schmatz	chuu
Sneezing	achoo!	atchoum	¡Achu! or ¡Achís!	hatschi!	hakuson!
Water dripping	drip drop	plic plic/ploc	ploc ploc; pluip	plitsch platsch	pota pota
Bee buzzing	buzz or bzz	bzzz	bzzz/zum	summ summ	boon boon
Knocking	knock knock	toc toc	toc toc	klopf klopf	kotsu kotsu

English US = United States, UK = United Kingdom

Sound	Italian	Chinese C/M	Korean	Russian	Bengali
Cat meowing	miao	mēu / miāo	yaong	myau	miu miu
Frog croaking	cra cra	/guā	gaegool	qvah qvah	môk môk
Kissing	smack	/boh	zzohk	chmok	chuma (noun)
Sneezing	etciuu	hāt-chī /ah-qiu!	etchi	aptschee!	hachi (noun)
Water dripping	plin plin	dihk dihk /di da	tok tok/ddook	kap kap	ṭup ṭup
Bee buzzing	zzzz	/weng weng		zh-zh-zh
Knocking	toc toc	/dang dang	ddok ddok	tuc tuc

Chinese C = Cantonese, M = Mandarin

Tags: culture, Education, entertainment, trivia
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How do you like YOUR coffee?

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Puerto Rico’s long association with coffee began when the bean arrived in the 1700s, quickly becoming the island’s main export. Coffee plantations were tended by the Jibaros, or mountain folk who worked for the wealthy hacendados, or landowners. The Jibaros, being uneducated and little more than servants, created a lasting form of expression through music, and their songs still survive today.

Between its tropical climate and rich, volcanic soil, Puerto Rico is the perfect place to grow coffee. The city of Yauco, famous for its coffee, is often called El Pueblo Del Café, or the “City of Coffee.” The Café Yauco Selecto and Alto Grande brands are among some of the highest quality coffee that Puerto Rico has to offer.

Puerto Ricans take their coffee in three main ways. Can you match the name to the drink?

Café expreso Cortadito Café con Leche

1. This drink is layered with a thin sheen of hot milk.

2. Served in a large cup, a large dollop of steamed milk is added to this coffee before serving.

3. Hot water is steamed under very high pressure and through extremely finely-ground coffee to create this very flavorful drink. It is also referred to as pocillo, in reference to the small cup in which it is served.

A series of devastating hurricanes have caused Puerto Rican coffee to lose some of the prominence it once had. However, it is still well known and if you can’t make it all the way to Puerto Rico to try it, you can just stop in at the Mean Cup at Central Market where coffee imported from Puerto Rico is now being sold. These gourmet Arabica coffees are made from carefully selected beans and their many varieties offer hints of chocolate, nut, or fruit in the flavor and aroma.
The Mean Cup: Central Market, 23 North Market Street, Lancaster, PA

Answers: 1. Cortadito, in Spanish meaning “small cut”.
2. Café con Leche , similar to the French café au lait or a latté.
3. Café expreso, from the Italian “espresso”.

Tags: coffee, culture, fun facts, Puerto Rico
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Would YOU put your phone number on an orange to be sold at market?

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

Valentine’s Day is celebrated differently around the world. Below is a list of ways this special day of love is celebrated. Can you match the celebration to the correct country where it is practiced?

Scotland South Korea Japan Thailand Malaysia

1. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in an interesting manner on two different dates. On February 14, females present gifts to their boyfriends or any man close to them. The favor is returned to ladies on the White Day celebrated on March 14 when men pamper the women who gave them gifts a month before on Valentines Day.

As chocolate is the most popular gift for the occasion, days before the festival department and grocery stores stock themselves with chocolates in large variety to lure customers. It is estimated that more than half the chocolate sold in a year is sold around Valentines Day in this country.

2. Their day of love falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar when women write their phone numbers on oranges before throwing them into the closest river with hopes that the man of their dreams might pick one up. Fruit vendors often collect the oranges, which are considered a lucky fruit, and resell them at the market—phone numbers and all!

3. During a Valentine’s Day get-together, each single person writes his or her name on a piece of paper, which is then thrown into two hats—one containing the men’s names, and another containing the women’s names. Everyone draws a name, and the couples pair off for the evening. Since it’s unlikely that the names will actually match, the man has to stick with the woman who picked his name, regardless of whose name he picked.

4. The 14th day of every month is dedicated to an aspect of love. For example, May is Rose Day, October is Wine Day, and December is Hug Day. On February 14, women give chocolate to men, and on March 14 (also called “White Day”), men give non-chocolate candy to women. People, who didn’t receive anything on either day, get together on April 14, or Black Day, to eat black bean noodles and lament their singleness.

5. Perhaps the strangest celebration of Valentines Day in the world is the mass Underwater Wedding Ceremony held in Trang province on Kradan Island. Each year on February 14th couples come to Kradan Island in Trang province for a mass underwater wedding ceremony. Throughout the rest of this country Valentines Day is mostly celebrated by the countries teenagers. This does not sit well with the conservative government who have tried to downplay Valentines Day in the past to keep the youngsters from getting together to consummate their love. February 14th is said to be the busiest day of the year for “short time” hotels, which cater specifically to lovers.

Answers

1. Japan

2. Malaysia

3. Scotland

4. South Korea

5. Thailand

Tags: culture, fun facts, tradition, trivia
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Expressions from Japan

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

AME GA FURU TO YARI GA FURU TO
(EVEN IF IT RAINS OR UNDER FALLING ARROWS)

This expression reflects the firm intention of Japanese to reach their goals. Once the goal has been set, after a careful analysis of pros and cons, the project will surely be fulfilled. In English this is like “I’ll do it even if the sky falls Down”.

JUUBAKO NO SUMI O YOOJI DE TSUTSUKU
(GATHER THE RICE AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE BOX WITH A TOOTHPICK)
The juubako is a box that is used to serve the meal. After eating it, often grains of rice remain in the angles of the box. Only a fussy person would try to pick them with a toothpick. It’s like our “split hairs”.

Tags: culture, fun facts, japanese
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Idiomatic Expressions from around the Globe

Sunday, January 2nd, 2011

YLC will highlight some Idiomatic Expressions from around the Globe over the next few weeks.

Let’s begin with one from Puerto Rico…

“Todo Guaraguano tiene su Pitirre”

Which roughly translates: ”Every hawk has its own kingbird to contend with” or in other words: ”Every big bully has someone smaller than himself who will not be too scared to fight back and win.”

The meaning derives from the fact that the Kingbird and the Red Tail Hawk (both common birds in Puerto Rico – we also have them state side) have an adversarial relationship. The Kingbird, which is much smaller than the Red Tail Hawk often attacks the Red Tail Hawk in flight – pecking at its head – even when the hawk dives, the Kingbird follows it down all the time pecking at its head

Tags: culture, fun facts, trivia
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Unusual Christmas Traditions

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

Christmas Witch

la-befana-xmas-witch[3]

In Italy, children will go to bed waiting for a magical being to bring presents, and I don’t mean Santa Claus.

In Italian folklore, an old witch delivers gifts and candy to children on Epiphany Eve (January 5th). Santa’s competitor, La Befana, is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick, usually covered in soot as she enters homes through chimneys. Very similar to the tradition of leaving cookies and milk for Santa, children will leave wine and food out for the Befana.

Ok — so going along with the Christmas Witch story, here’s one about brooms. There’s a superstition in Norway that advises households to hide their brooms on Christmas Eve. It is believed that witches and evil spirits will rise from the graves and use the brooms to fly through the sky and create chaos until dawn.

With no further ado, it’s time to crown Spain, Italy and Portugal with the ‘Most Unusual Christmas Tradition’ award! Now we all know The Nativity Story, but who knows the additional character in the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese versions of the story? Cue the Caganer. Accompanying Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and the Shepherds, the Caganer is a small statue of a man, which is often tucked away in the corner of model nativity scenes. So if this extra character is such a unique part of these countries nativity scenes, why is he hid in the corner? Originating from Catalonia, the Caganer figure depicts a man in the act of taking a poop.

Strangely enough, there is no record of the exact origin of this tradition but references date back to the 17th century! It is also unclear why placing a ‘pooping’ man in a classic nativity scene has any relevance to Christmas but it has been suggested that the Caganer represents the idea that God can present himself and call upon us whenever he feels necessary and that he shows we are all equal despite race, gender or age. It has of course developed into a fun game for the children!

Happy Holidays!

Tags: christmas, classes, culture, fun facts, tradition
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Where Would You Find 7107 Islands, 200 Volcanoes and Karaoke?

Sunday, November 21st, 2010

The Philippines, officially called the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelago of 7,107 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Located in Southeast Asia, this archipelagic nation is surrounded by neighboring countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Palau and the Republic of China. The Philippines is the only Southeast Asian country that shares no land borders with its neighbors. Manila serves as its administrative capital.

Once, it used be the colony of Spain and Spaniards ruled over it for about three centuries. The United States bought The Philippines from Spain for $20 million in the Treaty of Paris of 1898. On July 4, 1946, the Philippines attained its independence.

The Philippines has an American-style democracy, headed by a president who is both head of state and head of government. The president is limited to one 6-year term in office.

The Philippines has a population of more than 90 million people and an annual growth rate around 2%, making it one of the most populous and fastest growing countries on Earth. It is the 12th most populous country in the world.

The climate in the Philippines is tropical and monsoonal. The country has an average yearly temperature of 26.5°C (79.7°F); May is the warmest month, while January is the coolest. The monsoon rains, called habagat, hit from May to October, bringing torrential rain which is abetted by frequent typhoons. An average of 6 or 7 typhoons per year strike the Philippines. November to April is the dry season, with December through February also being the coldest part of the year.

Tags: culture, fun facts, islands, phillipines, tradition, trivia, vacation, volcanoes
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Interesting and Fun Facts about the Phillipines

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

There are more than 200 volcanoes, though only a few are active.
It is the only country in the world which hoists its flag upside-down when the country is in war.
It was named after King Philip II of Spain.
It is equal in size to Italy.
It is regarded the “text capital of the world”. About 350 to 400 million SMS (Short Message Service) or text messages are sent daily by 35 million cell phone subscribers in the country, which is more than the total daily text messages sent in the U.S. and Europe, together.
The karaoke was invented in the Philippines and not Japan. Karaoke means “singing without accompaniment” in Japanese was invented by Roberto del Rosario. The invention of “Sing-Along-System” was later called karaoke.
The “Conus Gloriamaris”, which the rarest and most expensive seashell in the world, is one of the 12,000 species of seashells found in this country.

Tags: culture, fun facts, islands, phillipines, trivia, volcanoes
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The Karen Culture

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

How many months are in the Karen calendar? When do they celebrate the New Year?

The Karen New Year is not marked by a day but rather by a period whose beginning varies from year to year. The Karen Calendar has 13 months in it and the New Year coincides with the event of Pyathoe, when the year’s harvest of rice is celebrated by consuming the collected crop. People mark the occasion by sounding the Karen horns and drums.

Is it a patriarchal or matriarchal culture?

Primarily, Karen culture is a matriarchal society. The men will work in the fields. The women do the housework such as cleaning, cooking, collect the water, and gathering firewood as well as working in the fields. Men are honored in the home; however the women’s opinion is also well-respected. The head of a spirit clan is always a woman.

Why are so many Karen people coming to the United States?

The Karen people are an ethnic group in Southeast Asia enduring an ethnic cleansing program in eastern Burma. A series of refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border house about 155,000 mostly Karen refugees. Thousands more live in refugee-like situations in Thailand and Burma. Several thousand Karen from Tham Hin, the southern most camp in Thailand, were brought to the U.S. in 2006. Thousands of Karen have and will continue come to the U.S. from these refugee camps. As of 2008, more than 10,000 Karen and Chin refugees have come to the U.S.

When did the country’s name change from Burma to Myanmar?

The military government allowed elections to be held in Burma in 1990. To the surprise of the generals in charge, the National League for Democracy (NLD) won over 80% of the vote. However, the military never allowed the elected government to take power. After the election, the name of Burma was changed to Myanmar and some government positions changed hands but the country remained a military dictatorship. The name Myanmar also has ethnic overtones implying Burmese superiority over the other ethnic groups so most ethnic groups do not use this name if it can be avoided.

Tags: culture
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