Category: CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS
Easter Witches in Sweden
Most Christian holidays have pagan roots and traditions, and Easter is no exception. In Sweden, it is said that this is the time of year that witches mounted their broomsticks and flew off to Blockulla – the mystical meadow where witches gathered to dance with the devil.
This piece of folklore is commemorated in Sweden [...] Read More »
Carnival in Germany: Fastnacht / Fasching / Karneval
Carnival, the rowdy celebrations preceding the start of Lent, is celebrated across many cultures with different traditions. While Latin cultures are famous for their Carnival celebrations in places such as New Orleans and Venice, there is a very strong Carnival tradition in northern cultures, as well, especially in the Catholic areas of Germany, where [...] Read More »
Chocolates and Valentine’s Day in Japan and Korea
In cultures that observe Valentine’s Day, it is usually the men who are under a lot of pressure to make a dinner reservation and buy a gift for their wife or girlfriend. In Japan and Korea, however, it is customary for the women to give gifts to men on Valentine's Day instead. Typically, [...] Read More »
Culture Notes Oct 11 ’07
Ghana in Ithaca: Ghana native Sulley Imoro teaches African Drum and Dance to college students in Ithaca, New York as the Ithaca College School of Music’s artist in residence. Includes audio slide show of an African Drum and Dance performance.
No Sports Culture in India: In a country of many cultures, there’s one [...] Read More »
Culture Notes – Sept 30 ’07
Hollywood Fails to Anticipate Afghan Views on Dishonor in Filming of Kite Runner. The movie version of the excellent and hugely popular novel by Khaled Hosseini was filmed with an Afghan cast. Some of the actors, including the boy who plays the lead role, didn’t completely understand some of the plot elements before [...] Read More »
Cinco de Mayo
The “Fifth of May,” is a holiday that is widely celebrated in the United States both by people of Mexican background and by Americans regardless of their ethnic origins. In Mexico, it’s not that big a deal. Similar to St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that is more widely observed in [...] Read More »
The Maypole and other May Day Traditions
The beginning of May was an important feast day in many ancient cultures, a time to celebrate the coming of summer. The Druids of the British Isles thought that May 1, the Feast of Beltane, divided the year in half, with the other half ending on Samhain on November 1. Both days were celebrated by [...] Read More »
Tiradentes Day: Independence for Brazil
April 21 is a national holiday in Brazil known as Tiradentes Day, which honors Joaquim José da Silva Xavier (1746 to April 21, 1792), a Brazilian revolutionary who fought for Brazilian independence and freedom from Portuguese taxation as part of the movement known as the Inconfidência Mineira. He was a dentist, and his nickname, “Tiradentes,” [...] Read More »
Vaisakhi: the Punjabi New Year and Harvest Festival
Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi, is the Punjabi and Nepali New Year, and the beginning of the harvest season in Punjab, India and Nepal. It is one of the major Sikh religious festivals, and is celebrated by Sikh communities around the world.
The date of Vaisakhi is determined by the solar calendar; it is the [...] Read More »
Easter Monday: Angel’s Monday, Wet Monday, Dyngus Day
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday. It is an official holiday in many largely Christian cultures in Europe, Africa and Central and South America. It is sometimes called Angel’s Monday, because it is the day that, according to Christian traditions, the angels gave the message of Christ’s resurrection to the women [...] Read More »
