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Lonely Planet Learn how to travel to other cultures with the new LonelyPlanetTV. Lent 2.0 Many Christians have been abstaining from rich foods or giving up luxuries during lent, the 40 days before Easter. Some young people have decided to abstain from Facebook and other social networking sites. Read more about their sacrifices on CNN. Executive Planet Learn [...] Read More »

It’s Official: Video Games Part of French Culture French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres has inducted three game designers into the prestigious Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Literature), following on a new law signed earlier this month that provides generous tax breaks for video games made on French soil. Wired [...] Read More »

St. Patrick’s Day – March 17th – is one of the luckiest days on which to be married. “Marry in May and Rue the Day” says one Irish proverb. Before the wedding, the groom was invited for a traditional meal of stuffed goose at the bride's house cooked a goose in his honor. After [...] Read More »

The Claddagh ring symbolizes the motto “let love and friendship reign.” Two hands, representing faith, hold a heart. The crown above the heart symbolizes honor. Single women wear the Claddagh Ring on their right hand, with the heart pointing outward toward the end of her finger. When a woman is engaged, she turns [...] Read More »

In many Hispanic cultures, a rope is used to symbolically tie the couple together. In Guatemala, the couple binds themselves together with a silver rope. Mexican couples use a white rope tied in a figure eight. The rope may also be made of braided orange blossoms, which symbolize fertility and happiness. A double rosary lasso [...] Read More »

The tradition of the thirteen gold coins originates in the Roman custom of breaking gold or silver, one half to be kept by the woman and the other half by the man, as a pledge of marriage. Today, the ceremony symbolizes that the groom is placing his trust and confidence in his bride, pledging [...] Read More »

Weddings in Mexico and other Latino cultures are extremely festive, and often very large affairs with many attendants. Engagements can last a long time, and, in some areas, the bride receives a “ring of promise,” sometimes up to a year before the actual engagement ring. A wedding party may include “sponsors,” who are often godparents of [...] Read More »

A Pakistani bride has decorated her hands with beautiful Mehndi designs made from henna. This picture is from Pakistani Pictures and was originally uploaded by maahny. Henna is a dye made from the plant lawsonia inermia, which is found in North Africa, India, and other parts of the Middle East. The plant leaves are [...] Read More »