Category: American
Culture News March 20 ‘07
A Random Collection of News and Notes on World Cultures
Expatriate blogger Ben Ross tries to explain American satire to his Chinese readers.
Somali Muslim cashiers at Target stores in Minneapolis are given the option of wearing gloves or being assigned to other duties after they refuse to touch pork products and some customers complained. Eating [...] Read More »
St. Patrick’s Day
Irish communities around the world celebrate their patron saint on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17. It is the Irish national holiday, and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, the territory of Montserrat, and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The holiday is also widely celebrated in the United States, and [...] Read More »
Valentine’s Day
Valentine's Day is a holiday dedicated to love and romance in many cultures. It is a good day to get engaged, plan a specially romantic date, buy chocolates or flowers for your sweetheart, or simply “give a valentine” to your friends. Many schoolchildren exchange Valentines with their class mates, which can be home-made cards or [...] Read More »
Groundhog Day
February 2 is Groundhog Day in the United States and in Canada. The groundhog, also known as a woodchuck (Marmota monax), is a member of the squirrel family. According to American legend, the local television news and Hollywood, he is also a weatherman.
If he sees his shadow when he emerges from his [...] Read More »
The Tooth Fairy is a Mouse in France and a Magpie in Korea
In American culture, the tooth fairy visits whenever a child looses a baby tooth. Children put the tooth under their pillow when they go to bed at night, and wake up in the morning to find that the tooth has been replaced by some money! Sometimes the tooth is put in a decorated [...] Read More »
The Yule Log and La Bûche de Noël
At Christmas time, people all over France and Belgium serve the “Bûche de Noël” – a cake shaped and decorated to look like a tree trunk. In Anglo-Saxon cultures, many people still burn a “yule log” in their fireplace at Christmas. There is even a television station in New York that shows a [...] Read More »
Celebrating Birthdays in Chinese Culture
In traditional Chinese cultures, age is based on the Chinese Lunar New Year. Babies are said to be one year old when they are born, and they turn two as soon as they enter the New Year – regardless of how many months ago they were actually born.
Not all birthdays are important in traditional [...] Read More »
BBC to Link School Children Around the World on December 6
On December 6, 2006, BBC News 24 plans to link and facilitate discussions among school children across various troubled and conflicting regions around the world. The children will be entirely responsible for driving the discussion and asking questions of their counterparts. Areas to be linked include:
Baghdad, Iraq - London, UK
Urban - rural China
Abuja, [...] Read More »
The American Thanksgiving Weekend
The American Thanksgiving Day celebrations kick off what for most people is a four-day holiday. Aside from eating a big Turkey dinner on Thursday, here are some of the other activities that people engage in over that weekend:
1. American football: There are two nationally-televised football games on Thanksgiving Day, with special entertainments scheduled [...] Read More »
The Legend of the White Stag, or, Why Rudolph Has a Red Nose
The legend of the white stag is part of the mythology of many cultures, originating with early European and Asian cultures who depended on hunting for their survival.
Star Mythology
The most ancient legend of the stag revolves around the "great hunter" (the constellation of stars known as Orion), who hunts the heavenly stag (Ursa Major), [...] Read More »
