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Do You Really Know Halloween?

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

We are all familiar with Halloween in America and its immense popularity. Western media and cultural influences in other countries have spread our Halloween traditions, along with all the pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, and costume wearing. However, many countries practice holidays that are actually a lot closer to the original meaning of Halloween. Here are a few examples of Halloween-like traditions from around the world.

Mexico – Dia de los Muertos

In Mexico, people celebrate the Day of the Dead on November 2nd to guide the spirits of their loved ones back home. They may set off firecrackers or make a path of flower petals leading from the graves to their front porches in order to do this. It is a happy celebration; family members picnic beside the graves of their loved ones and assemble altars in their homes that commemorate them.

China – Teng Chieh and Feast of the Hungry Ghosts

During the festival known as Teng Chieh, food and water are placed in front of the photos of loved ones, and bonfires and lanterns are lit to light the spirits’ path back to earth.
In another festival, during the 7th lunar month, the souls of the Hungry Ghosts wander the earth in search of affection. Hungry Ghosts may not have been properly cared for or given a proper burial after their death. People in China will set out food and gifts for these spirits and light bonfires to guide them. This is to make them feel welcomed and placate any anger they may have.

Austria

In Austria, some people leave bread, water, and a lighted lamp on the table when they go to bed. This is to welcome the spirits back to earth on a day of particularly strong cosmic energies.

Belgium

People light candles in memory of their deceased relatives. It is also believed that it is bad luck for a black cat to cross your path.

Italy and other Roman Catholic countries – All Souls’ Day

Family members visit the graves of their deceased loved ones, bringing flowers or candles with them.
In Italy some families prepare a special feast for the souls of the departed on All Souls’ Day. They make cookies called “Bones of the Dead”. After they prepare the feast, they all go to church to pray for the souls of the deceased. They leave their home open so that the spirits can enter and enjoy the feast.

And now, a trivia question:

In what country is Halloween said to have originated?

A. Portugal
B. Ireland
C. United States
D. Belgium

Answer: B. Ireland

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Meet our Interpreters: Maxime

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Maxime, one of our interpreters, is from a multicultural French-Middle Eastern background. He speaks native and Creole French as well as English, all of which he acquired through his parents from birth. He has a BS in Life Science Biomedical Engineering and a MS in both Education and Applied Engineering Mathematics. He is currently a PhD candidate in Health Care and is working on his ESL certification with the Midwest Education Group. He has been with YLC since last December and has over ten years of experience interpreting.

One thing he would like others to know about his culture is that the French care about each other and enjoy life. One myth about his culture is that the French are arrogant; if you show them respect, they will respect you just as in any other culture. Finally, some advice he has for meeting or working with a French person is to be courteous, respectful, and ask questions before making any invalid statements.

Keep checking in for more bios on our interpreters and teachers!

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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”.

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Idiomatic Expressions From Around the Globe… France

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

Sometimes the French use funny idioms to describe the same types of situations that English speakers do.

  • Boire comme un trou literally translates as to drink like a hole but means to get wasted which isn’t even grammatically correct in English.
  • Poser un lapin literally translates as to leave a rabbit but means to stand someone up which in literal English would mean to put someone in a standing position.

Sometimes idiomatic expressions are based on the same idea, such as with ‘beef’ below, but are then used differently in French and in English.

Faire un boeuf translates into To make a beef. In French that means to improvise musically — as in a jam session. Of course in English, to beef means to complain or make a fuss.

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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

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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!

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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.

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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.

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How Much Do You Really Know About the Benefits of Studying Abroad?

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Here are the answers from this week’s newsletter:

1. What percentage of students in the United States between the ages of 18 and 24 cannot locate Iraq on the world map? Afghanistan? Japan? The United States? 

ANSWER: 

             IRAQ = 87%, AFGHANISTAN = 83%, JAPAN = 58%, UNITED STATES = 11%

2. ________ of people in the United States agree that students should have a study abroad experience sometime during college, but only ______ of students from the United States currently study abroad each year.

 ANSWER: ____79%____ of people in the United States agree that students should have a study abroad experience sometime during college, but only ___1%___ of students from the United States currently study abroad each year.

3. Studying abroad exposes students from the United States to valuable _____________ and cultural understanding and forms an integral part of their education.

ANSWER: a. shopping sprees    b. global knowledge    c. memories    d. all of the above

 4. Some of the core values and skills of __________ education are enhanced by participation in study abroad programs

ANSWER:    a. higher                      b. lower                           c. no                d. the same

 5. Institutions of higher education in the United States are struggling to graduate enough students with the ____________ skills and cultural competence necessary to meet the current demands of business, government, and educational institutions.

ANSWER:    a. reading                    b. writing                         c. language    d. science

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*Statistics provided by U.S. Senate.

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Answers: How Much Do You Really Know About St. Patrick?

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

1. Where was Patrick born?
A. Ireland B. Britain C. France
Patrick was born in Roman Britain in the fifth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family. His father was a deacon in the Church, like his father before him.

2. What happened at the age of 16?
A. Got married B. Ran away C. Was kidnapped
C. At the age of sixteen he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave. It is believed he was held somewhere on the west coast of Ireland, possibly Mayo, but the exact location is unknown. According to his Confession, he was told by God in a dream to flee from captivity to the coast, where he would board a ship and return to Britain.

3. What did he study?
A. Religion B. Medicine C. Plants
A. Upon returning, he quickly joined the Church in Gaul and studied to be a priest.

4. Where did he go to convert the royalty and aristocrats?
A. Ireland B. Britain C. France
A. In 432, he again says that he was called back to Ireland to save the Irish. He focused on converting royalty and aristocracy, as well as the poor.

5. Why did he use the Shamrock?
A. For luck B. Protect him from lice C. Teach the Trinity
C. Irish folklore tells that one of his teaching methods included using the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit) to the Irish people.

6. What happened on March 17th, 461 AD?
A. He died B. He became a Bishop C. He started a church in Ireland
A. After nearly thirty years of teaching and spreading God’s word, he died on March 17, 461 AD. Although there were other more successful missions to Ireland from Rome, Patrick endured as the principal champion of Irish Christianity, and, as such, he is held in esteem in the Irish Church.

7. What was the original color associated with St. Patrick’s Day?
A. Red B. Orange C. Blue
C. Originally the color associated with St. Patrick was blue, not green. However, over the years the color green and its association with St. Patrick’s day grew. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick’s Day as early as the 17th century.

8. Where was the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade?
A. Dublin B. Boston C. New York

 B. Irish Society of Boston organized what was not only the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in the colonies, but the first recorded Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in the world on March 17, 1737. The first parade in Ireland was not until the 1931 parade in Dublin. The parade in Boston involved Irish immigrant workers marching to make a political statement about how they were not happy with their low social status and their inability to obtain jobs in America.

 

 

four-leaf-clover

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! – From YLC

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