Saturday, December 8, 2012

How We Can Know More About The Brazilian Culture

The best way to know about the Brazilian culture if you experience it, however a Brazilian visit is not an every day activity, so first of all a take a look at our short guide to the Brazilian culture, to be aware about the basic aspects that contributes to the complexity of this culture. Weather you are planning to visit the country, or just wish to read a little bit more about it, this short quid will satisfy your interest and gives you some useful information that helps you learn a little bit more about Brazilia.


Culture

Being a very vibrant and complex culture, the Brazilian culture was shaped and developed due to a number of sources during the centuries. The Portuguese were the first Europeans who settled in Brasilia and began the colonial period. So due to the colonization by the Portuguese empire, The Brazilian language, religion, and legal system was highly influenced by the Portuguese culture. Many Portugal settlers married native women, contributing to the new race: mestizos. However the mixture of the other European and African and Asian culture's influence shaped the Brazilian language, cuisine, religion, dance and music.

Religion

Although Brazilia is said to be the one of the largest Roman Catholic country, at around 80% of the population, there are other religions as well. Catholicism was spread by the Portuguese Jesuits during the colonization period, by the mission of converting the native people. Duo to the immigration from the Northern European countries, Brasilia also witnessed the Protestantism; nowadays 15 % of the population declared themselves Protestant. The African slaves brought their own religion Candomblé, however according to the Catholic officials they were prohibited to follow their rituals and they had be converted to Christianity. Nowadays a high number of the African population practice The Catholicism and their own religious beliefs. Due to the religions freedom there are other religions practiced freely by: Jews Buddhist, Spiritists, and Muslims etc.

Language

Portuguese is the official language of Brasilia. Brazilian Portuguese is influenced by the Native American and African words. There are also minority languages that one can hear in the country due to the Amerindian groups and immigrants who speak their own languages.

Etiquette and Customs in Brazil

Hugging and backslapping are the most common greetings among friends. Men shake hands and women kiss each other on their cheeks, however if a woman would like to shake hands with a man, she should extend her hand first. If you are invited to a Brazilian family you should bring flowers or a small gift, orchideas are appreciated. If you decide to bring a small gift avoid the purple and black colors because those are known as mourning colors. If you have an invitation for a dinner arrive at least 30 minutes late, however you can arrive up to an hour late for a party. Brazilia is a country where casual dress is very formal.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Spanish Culture Has Been Influenced By Many Different Cultures

The Spanish culture has been influenced by many different cultures. Their main cultural influence has been the Roman, Celtic, and Iberian cultures. These influences have affected their art, cuisine, architecture and so much more.

Spainish official language is Spanish which is also called Castilian. Over 72% of the Spanish population speaks Spanish. The Ibero-Romance group considers this language to be extremely romantic. During the 15th century, the sounds of the consonants were readjusted to help adapt foreign words from the many different world languages into Spanish words.


The cuisine of the Spanish is divine. The main influence for Spanish food is seafood. The recipes for their food are numerous. Unlike the English food recipes, there are not many Spanish recipes that are common throughout Spain. Some of the Spanish cuisine recipes include jamon Serrano, embutidos and morcilla, chorizo (Spanish sausage), migas, several different types of stews, many different cheeses, paella, and tortilla de patata (tortilla espanola). Many of the Spanish recipes uses bases such as green beans, lentils, and chickpeas. The Spanish desserts that are famous throughout the world are rice pudding, churros, flan, custard, madeleines, and torrijas. A regionally famous dish called Fabada Asturiana is made with chorizo, morcilla, large white beans, pork shoulder, and saffron. These ingredients create a delectable stew.
Most Spanish foods are made using olive oil. Some of the other ingredients used in many of the Spanish dishes include tomatoes, beans, potatoes, and peppers. Buying groceries in the open market is still very much a tradition in Spain. However, there are some of the urban areas that are converting to shopping malls.


The Spanish culture has a special place in it for wine. The world's third largest wine producer is Spain. Rioja is the Spanish favorite when it comes to wine. It is full bodied and available in white and red. Most meals in Spain are accompanied by a glass of wine. The Spanish culture makes having dessert after a meal very traditional. These desserts are usually fruity or dairy. However, on special occasions you will find baked cakes or tarts on the table.

Many of the Spanish population are Roman Catholics. There are a few that belong to other religions. Spanish is one country that shows that many different religions can exist amongst each other. These religions include Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Many of the Spanish festivities are based around religion and generally around the Catholic religion. One big famous tradition is bullfighting. Bullfighting is seen as an art and sport across the country of Spain. There are animal activists who are not in approval of bullfighting. However, bullfighting is still well practiced across many parts of the country.

Spain clothing is seen in a general modern sense. They are conscious of their brands and designers but find quality is more important. Most teenage girls wear pants rather than skirts. True Spanish culture is a bit more conservative but is sure to include style in their wardrobe. Wearing conservative, mature clothing to church is highly advised as it is a sign of respect. Most business wear is seen as stylish and conservative as well. Many men and women are sure to include elegant accessories as part of the wardrobe.

Friday, November 16, 2012

You Need To Know About So Colorful Indian Culture

Indian culture is a complex phenomenon. In its broadest sense, it includes everything a society does. It can also be limited to a particular social class or genre. Still it's always near to impossible to define what exactly a popular culture constitutes. Contrary to what may appear from outside; to Indians, there is no such thing as Indian culture in sense of a uniform manner of doing something. There is little common between the Punjabi culture with its emphasis on having fun and the Bengali culture with its emphasis on intellectualism.

In the south, a person from Kerala finds the food from Andhra too spicy for their tongue. The seven states in the northeast are home to thousands of tribes and regions, each boasting of a rich history and unique culture. So the term 'culture of India' has little meaning, unless it's used an amalgamation of a score of different cultures within the country. Nonetheless, it is thought that the Indian culture stems from its ancient history from the amalgamation of the Aryan nomads that migrated from the Central Asia through Afghanistan and settled in India with the natives of the valley of the Indus River of Dravidian descent.


Food of India

Curry is probably the most popular Indian cuisine in the west. But its connoisseurs mostly live in the south. Curry is not as special for Indians from other parts of the country, as it is to the people in the south. A Punjabi, who loves their chapattis and a dish made from spinach, often cringes at the sight of dhokla, which is another popular dish in the south specially Gujarat. The cuisine of the omnivorous people in the north east is yet to spread to the rest of the country. The Bengalis love fish and rice, but Gujaratis prefer to stay mainly vegetarian. In Bihar, people are particularly fond of a dish called "litti chokha" stuffed with "sattu". The South Indian "masala dosa" is cherished all over India. The point I want to emphasize is that there is no uniform Indian cuisine; there is much variety to be found here.

Indian Cinema

Nothing mirrors a society better than its literature or cinema. It may seem to foreigners that Indian cinema is all about Bollywood and Bollywood is all about Hindi films. Nothing could be far from truth. Of the more than 1,200 films annually produced in India, a little over 200 are in Hindi. Tamil, which also accounts for around 200 films a year, gives a tough competition to Hindi cinema. There is vibrant culture of cinema in other Indian languages too. And it's not only about Indian languages. Each year, several dozen movies come out in English.

Indians love movies, a source of popular entertainment. They love to go out with their friends or family and could easily watch a Hindi movie for 3 hours. Life in India would be quite boring without these the colourful movies.

Festivals of India

India is often dubbed as the land of festivals. Rarely there is a week when there isn't a festival to celebrate. With the exception of a Diwali and a couple of others, India doesn't even have national festivals. Onam is a popular festival in Kerala, very few people in the north are even aware of it. Similarly, Chhath puja is celebrated by only a few outside Bihar. My grandparents are ardent Chhath enthusiasts and every year, it's an occasion where the whole family from all over India would gather.

Ganesh Chaturthi, another popular festival, has yet to cross Maharastra's borders. Gurupurabs are a public holiday in Punjab, rarely a person from West Bengal is even aware of their existence.

The Durga Puja is one of my favourites It is a festival of good versus evil. In Bihar my home state, we celebrate this festival with great devotion and enthusiasm.

Clothes of India

The clothing in India varies from region to region depending on climate and ethnicity. Both South and North Indian women wear the saree that is draped around the body in various formats. The salwar kameez is also very popular in India especially in Northern India. In general unmarried girls wear the salwar kameez while married women wear the saree. However today, the distinctions are less and no such format exists these days. The traditional clothes of men include the kurta pajama, the dhoti, sherwani.

National symbols of India

The national anthem of India is the "Jana-gana-mana" composed by poet Rabindranath Tagore. More than 60 years of Independence from the British, we Indians still take pride in singing the national anthem. The national animal of India is none other than the king of the jungle, the tiger. Ever since the launch of the "Project Tiger" in 1973 by the government of India, tiger population has showed a gradual increase in numbers. Currently there is a ban on tiger tourism in major tiger habitats. The national bird of India is the peacock. The peacock has religious significance and supposed to represent grace, joy, beauty and love. The lotus is the national flower, mango the national fruit, while the banyan tree is the national tree.

The culture of India is more than 3000 years old that has enumerated from several civilizations, religions, philosophies, invasions and influence. To conclude, the culture of India is a broad term which doesn't refer to some Indian way of doing things or looking at the world. As shown above, it's a sum total of the numerous cultures that are found in this part of the world.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

The Special Characteristics of Chinese Culture

China is known for its extensive history. Its vastness often leads to people misunderstanding it or grasping only very little of what it actually is. In truth, Chinese culture is an amalgamation of oldness, modernity, artistry and science. It does not represent only one thing but is multifaceted, and those who claim that Chinese culture is one dimensional have unfortunately seen only a part of it and not the whole. It is not that a Chinese person has an accurate understanding, that they know more than a foreigner. Fact is, clarity is elusive both for insiders and outsiders, who can be students studying abroad or just travelers on a China tour.
Chinese people inherently have an attachment towards land or "earth'' and are comfortable with a life which may not involve a lot of mobility. Farming is often a choice of living and this consequently instills them with a lot of patience. The fact that farming has no instantaneous factor adhered to it, demands the virtue of patience which in turn has resulted in a powerful attribute that most Chinese people have. This however, does not go on to mean that Chinese people are less dynamic than the others.
China has always been in the radar for its unique style of cooking and also the most varied. As diverse as China is, every province/region has its own special way of satisfying the food palette. With this diverseness comes a lot of richness to the kind of food that is served throughout China. For students who have come to study abroad in China or any tourist, China will prove to be a place of immensely soul satisfying food. However, there are a few staples like noodles and tea, both of which are consumed on a daily basis by millions of people. Also it is not unknown that Chinese people eat with chopsticks. Chopsticks again can be of plastic, bamboo or wood. Apart from the regular disposable ones, there are also ones which are beautifully designed and can be given as gifts to people.
Tea is a common drink which is served to guests and is usually considered a drink with which people relax. Drinks apart, dumplings are very popular in China which are simple and very delicious. They can have any kind of fillings, meat or vegetables and are consumed by a lot of people on a daily basis. Another version of dumplings is Balza which has a slightly thicker flour cover, bun-like and is more filling. Another essential in the Chinese diet is rice, which is consumed with almost every meal.
Obviously, China is also about a lot of traveling and a few must-see destinations. The Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and the Terracotta Army are few of the places that no visitor should miss.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Know More About Mid Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival also known as the Moon Festival, is a popular East Asian celebration of abundance and togetherness, dating back over 3,000 years to China’s Zhou Dynasty. In Malaysia and Singapore, it is also sometimes referred to as the Lantern Festival or “Mooncake Festival”, which is just the same as “Mid-Autumn Festival” but with different names.
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually around mid- or late-September in the Gregorian calendar), a date that parallels the Autumn Equinox of the solar calendar. This is the ideal time, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, to celebrate the abundance of the summer’s harvest. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are many different varieties.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Chinese calendar (the other being the Chinese Lunar New Year), and is a legal holiday in several countries. Farmers celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season on this date. Traditionally, on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomeloes together. Accompanying the celebration, there are additional cultural or regional customs, such as:
Eating moon cakes outside under the moon
Putting pomelo rinds on one’s head
Carrying brightly lit lanterns
Burning incense in reverence to deities including Chang’e
Planting Mid-Autumn trees
Lighting lanterns on towers
Fire Dragon Dances
Shops selling mooncakes, before the festival, often display pictures of Chang’e floating to the moon.
While Westerners may talk about the “man in the moon”, the Chinese talk about the “woman in the moon”. The story of Chang’e and her flight to the moon, familiar to every Chinese citizen, is a favourite subject of poets. Unlike many lunar deities in other cultures who personify the moon, Chang’e lives in the moon. Tradition places Houyi and Chang’e around 2170 BC, in the reign of the legendary Emperor Yao, shortly after that of Huang Di.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Know About The Characteristics About Spanish Culture

Spain is a very famous country in the world now, it owns ancient culture and history. But beause of the historical elements, the Spanish culture has been influenced by many different cultures. Their main cultural influence has been the Roman, Celtic, and Iberian cultures, and these influences have affected their art, cuisine, architecture and so much more greatly.

Spainish official language is Spanish which is also called Castilian. Over 72% of the Spanish population speaks Spanish. The Ibero-Romance group considers this language to be extremely romantic. During the 15th century, the sounds of the consonants were readjusted to help adapt foreign words from the many different world languages into Spanish words.


 The cuisine of the Spanish is also divine. The main influence for Spanish food is seafood. The recipes for their food are numerous. Unlike the English food recipes, there are not many Spanish recipes that are common throughout Spain. Some of the Spanish cuisine recipes include jamon Serrano, embutidos and morcilla, chorizo, migas, several different types of stews, many different cheeses, paella, and tortilla de patata. Many of the Spanish recipes uses bases such as green beans, lentils, and chickpeas. The Spanish desserts that are famous throughout the world are rice pudding, churros, flan, custard, madeleines, and torrijas. A regionally famous dish called Fabada Asturiana is made with chorizo, morcilla, large white beans, pork shoulder, and saffron. These ingredients create a delectable stew.

Most Spanish foods are made using olive oil. Some of the other ingredients used in many of the Spanish dishes include tomatoes, beans, potatoes, and peppers. Buying groceries in the open market is still very much a tradition in Spain. However, there are some of the urban areas that are converting to shopping malls.

The Spanish culture has a special place in it for wine. The world's third largest wine producer is Spain. Rioja is the Spanish favorite when it comes to wine. It is full bodied and available in white and red. Most meals in Spain are accompanied by a glass of wine. The Spanish culture makes having dessert after a meal very traditional. These desserts are usually fruity or dairy. However, on special occasions you will find baked cakes or tarts on the table.

Many of the Spanish population are Roman Catholics. There are a few that belong to other religions. Spanish is one country that shows that many different religions can exist amongst each other. These religions include Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Many of the Spanish festivities are based around religion and generally around the Catholic religion. One big famous tradition is bullfighting. Bullfighting is seen as an art and sport across the country of Spain. There are animal activists who are not in approval of bullfighting. However, bullfighting is still well practiced across many parts of the country.

Spain clothing is seen in a general modern sense. They are conscious of their brands and designers but find quality is more important. Most teenage girls wear pants rather than skirts. True Spanish culture is a bit more conservative but is sure to include style in their wardrobe. Wearing conservative, mature clothing to church is highly advised as it is a sign of respect. Most business wear is seen as stylish and conservative as well. Many men and women are sure to include elegant accessories as part of the wardrobe.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Hero Worship Is Part Of Our Psychology

We could list a thousand examples in short order of hero worship in popular culture. This phenomenon, hero worship, is glimpsed here through the unique perspectives of these two women, one a Christian pacifist and one a materialist feminist. Their ideas about classical heroism, and by inference on hero worship, have found themselves swimming together.
  
Worship
  
Hero Worship
They might offer a fruitful point of departure for understanding the masculinist core principle of the most persistent and bloody form of idolatry.
  
Over on Facebook, S. Brian Willson, a personal ‘hero’ of mine who laid in front a train carrying weapons to El Salvador and lost both legs at the knees, recently posted a picture of an Air Force captain – a woman – who was in an air conditioned tactical operations center, at a computer, directing the flight of an armed aerial drone to a “target” in Pakistan.

One of the frequent commentators’ objections to this technical killing by someone who would seem at home in a college classroom was that she wasn’t in the battle directly, and therefore was “a coward.” Get your heads around that; then realize that in the hometown newspapers, she is now consistently included in the boilerplate category, “the men and women of the armed forces who are protecting our freedom,” and we see how many fissures the dominant culture is forced to step over and around to avoid falling into its own cognitive dissonance.
  
In the wake of the euphoria following actor Sanjay Dutt's incarceration and interim bail in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, it seems that the culture of hero worship is more pronounced in India than anywhere else in the world.
  
Largely, the media is being blamed for glorifying the actor by reporting every little aspect connected with him - from what he wore to what he ate while in prison. But a realisation is also dawning on at least among a few members of the press that objectivity in reporting is getting blurred by the paparazzi culture, which is fuelling the tendency of hero worship among the vulnerable masses.
  
In each and every case, it is self evident that, with time and a following, that is to say, the head and the body, they lead in their respecitive fields, and led well; some succeeded or were denied success in the military realms, but even in the chaos of theirdestruction left, in marked contrast to the jooish mind, positive instruction and example.   Compare these efforts, in life or of the pen, with those who would have you, or force you, to restructure your past, and merge into theirs. That of the CHEKA, NKVD. Pol Pot, Marx, Lennin, Trotzky...the list goes on. Hmmm, decisions, decisions...I wonder.
  
No, hero worship is part of OUR psychology, it is a mechanism which brings both chaos and power; it is tenuous, bold, calculating; it is not always liked, nor understood at the moment, but it is behind all cultural change and restoration. It is not a ghost of the Past, but a warm-blood of today, a legacy which is granted to each generation, in vitro, sometimes needed, sometimes cast aside, but always with us.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

The Evolution Of Gentleman Culture

Gentleman behaviour
In ancient Greece where the liberty we value today was established a man believed if anything was worth doing it was worth doing well. If he wanted to be regarded as a ‘compleat’ man by his peers he had to be known to be truthful, trustworthy, courteous(even to personal and professional enemies),courageous, respectful of the rights of others and generous with his possessions (as far as his means permitted).

Today a man who styles himself as a ‘compleat’ gentleman can come from all walks of life and all backgrounds. It is not about money, but about a set of values to live by as he turns his words into deeds through practical action. While elite, a compleat gentleman is not elitist. In his personal presentation he is always appropriate, a trend setter, not a trend follower. And, if he is your friend then he is very definitely all your needs answered.

He was expected to be immune to the temptation to cheat and finally, required to be proud of the code itself. The ‘good men’(citizens) in every polis (city state) were men of leisure, active in sports and outdoor pursuits, if only as part of their military training. They subscribed to a strict code of conduct which had been thrashed out over centuries. This ideal was similar to an aspect of Confucianism in far off Cathay (China). There a perfect man acted as a moral guide for the rest of society. He was required to be expansive, to honour the correct performance of court and religious rituals. He was not meant to be a small man in any way and this did not refer to his stature, but to his state of mind, which needed to be open and expansive throughout his whole life.

FEW things are more fascinating, and none more difficult, than to discover the hidden springs of national achievement. Among the achievements of the English-speaking peoples is the institutionalization of liberty. As an achievement which in modern times has saved them from such plagues as dictatorships and reigns of terror, it has been of particular interest to foreigners-especially, perhaps, to the French, whose own genius it has often been to explore the genius of other peoples. Montesquieu found liberty in England, Tocqueville democracy in America. Mrs. Letwin’s concern with the English gentleman is an enterprise of a not altogether dissimilar kind. It is, indeed, hardly concerned with institutional generalization at all, but it acquires sharpness of focus from exploring the character of the gentleman in terms of the imaginative world created by Anthony Trollope in the nineteenth century.

Meeting in the British Museum’s lobby, we are all given tour labels to wear (so far so normal) and introduced to our guides Nish Kumar and Tom Neenan: “two men who always go back for seconds at the cultural buffet.” The pair give something akin to a compere’s warm-up, by getting us involved in some funny multiple choice questions and instructing us to wave our hands and shout “museum!” if we get lost. The tour is only half an hour and restricted to a few rooms, so the likelihood of someone actually getting lost is small but the shouting and hand-waving certainly adds to the fun and earns our group some bemused looks from other visitors.

A mixture of fact and ridiculous fiction, the tour encompasses some of the important artefacts ‘acquired’ by the British Empire in the last two and a half centuries including the Rosetta Stone, the winged bulls of the Palace of Sargon and a Roman statue of Aphrodite. Along the way, The GOL read out some spurious ‘translations’ they’ve found; introduce us to an ancient game carved on a plinth (“the angry birds of its day”); and (my favourite) present a silly re-enactment of British traveller Charles Fellowes discovering the Nereid Monument, complete with dubious accents and grandiose acting.

The duo’s presentation style is amusingly hammy, with the kind of groan-worthy jokes and character play you might experience on a ‘quirky’ Dickens tour of London. At times, our guides abandon their learned guises altogether, melodramatically pointing out “a massive horse” or a water dehumidifier before moving swiftly on.

Often these reflections are triggered by listening to and telling stories. One couple tells another of a promising college classmate's slide into banality and cruelty; a maintenance man tells a college professor about his seedier extra-legal exploits; and on a plane, a journalist on the verge of starting an affair listens as a screenwriter chronicles his messy domestic life, unwittingly warning of what may lie in store for her too. The self-help preached by these covertly optimistic stories is not uncomplicated, helped by the more opaque messages of the nested anecdotes, but Ross's fondness for surprise endings and late-breaking, slightly slick revelation cheapen this otherwise subtle work. The plots confuse drama with noirishly dramatic turns; the epiphanies leave a cloying aftertaste. These are morality tales, expertly written and discreetly punched up with sex and death.

I love that Ahmad is completely honest and doesn’t shy away from writing about his doubts. We all have questions and if you are faced with a host of other messages without having full knowledge of what it is you are meant to believe in, your faith would be tested all the time. It wasn’t until Ahmad learned more that he felt a bit more secure in his own religion.

This isn’t a somber story of his tale of woe, mind you. Quite the opposite! The biggest reason why this book works is because of Imran Ahmad’s personality. He comes across as incredibly down to earth and moral while still being funny and lighthearted. The reader can tell that even at a young age, Ahmad has always wanted to do the right thing and could see through any hypocrisy that he witnessed. It all may be because he didn’t place first at the Bonnie Baby contest due to nepotism and to be a victim of that at such a young age helped shape that kind of guy he turned out to be.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

The Paper-Cut Is One Of China's Most Popular And Characteristic Folk Arts

paper-cut
The paper-cut is one of China's most popular and characteristic folk arts. It takes paper as the material and scissors or engraving knives as the tool. The tradition can be traced back to the 6th century. However, it probably emerged even a few centuries earlier.
  
In Chinese culture paper-cuts symbolize the idea of blessedness, luck and fortune. In the past, paper-cuts were sometimes used for religious purpose, serving as decorations for sacrificial offerings to the ancestors and gods. Nowadays most Chinese families use them as window decorations for entrance gates, windows, walls, columns, mirrors, lamps and lanterns.
  
Paper cutting is a traditional art that has evolved throughout the course of Chinese cultural development. Its origin is closely connected with the invention of paper during the Eastern Han dynasty (25 A.D.-221 A.D.). In the days after its inception, paper was extremely precious, as a result, paper cutting was only popular among court ladies in the royal palaces and houses of nobility. During the 7th through 13th centuries, paper cutting was immensely popular among the commoners. By the 15th century, paper cut art works had become an integral part of the everyday life of the people. Paper cutting also became one of the crafts that every girl was to master and that were often used to judge brides. The influence of paper cutting on Europe and Asia can be traced back to the 7th century as well. The art spread to Japan and then to the Middle East and Europe via the Silk Road, thus leading to the creation of many different styles.
  
The art of paper cutting has remained unfading in China through the ages principally because its devotees used the skills of knife and scissors to dynamically depict splendid Chinese culture and folk festivals in all its many facets. For example in ancient times, social calls by ordinary folk involved giving paper cuts as gifts and using fancy paper cut likenesses for beautiful adornment to signify auspiciousness. Subsequently, mutual emulation and minute study led to a superb level of paper cutting technique. By later generations, paper cutting ranged from clipping complicated patterns using a tiny pair of scissors to often making cutouts into window decorations, clothes-making stencils, or embroidery patterns for shoes.
  
Most of the papercut artists are women. The themes of their works usually include everything in people's daily life from dumb things to the surroundings. Familiarity makes them understand the real spirit of the art.
  
The main tool for papercut is scissors. Once they are owned by a master of papercut, they will become so supernatural that the papercuts beyond imagination flow out of his/her hands in the chattering of a common pair of scissors. Another tool for paper cutting is engraving knives which are necessary to enhance a sharpened effect or to make a delicate job.
  
No doubt that arts come from life and serve life. Papercuts are very popular in the countryside. The bright colors of red, green or light blue papercuts provide a strong foil to set off a merry atmosphere. So they are often found in wedding ceremonies or festivals in China. And people like to decorate their windows and doors using colorful papercuts.
  
As the art passed down through the generations, the mainstream techniques developed many diverse forms, but the themes of the subject matter primarily remained folk motifs, with two-dimensional illustrations as the primary form. The technique they display consists of a combination of trimming with scissors and carving with a knife. The rendering of their visual appearance involves such methods as applying multiple layers of color, folding symmetrically, individually pasting, and uniquely engraving. These different cutting methods could be said to be quite beautiful, but manifestation of the unique, lively beauty of paper cutting still depends on the artistic mastery of every artisan.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The Taiwanese Aborigines, An Important Part In Human Culture And History


Taiwanese aborigines culture
For most of their recorded history, Taiwanese aborigines have been defined by the agents of different Confucian, Christian, and Nationalist"civilizing" projects, with a variety of aims. Each "civilizing" project defined the aborigines based on the "civilizer"'s cultural understandings of difference and similarity, behavior, location, appearance and prior contact with other groups of people (Harrell 1996:5–20). Taxonomies imposed by colonizing forces divided the aborigines into named subgroups, referred to as "tribes". These divisions did not always correspond to distinctions drawn by the aborigines themselves. However, the categories have become so firmly established in government and popular discourse over time that they have become de facto distinctions, serving to shape in part today's political discourse within the Republic of China (ROC), and affecting Taiwan's policies regarding indigenous peoples.

Four centuries of non-indigenous rule can be viewed through several changing periods of governing power and shifting official policy toward aborigines. From the 17th century until the early 20th, the impact of the foreign settlers—the Dutch, Spanish and Han—was more extensive on the Plains tribes. The latter were far more geographically accessible, and thus had more dealings with the foreign powers. By the beginning of the 20th century, the Plains tribes had largely been assimilated into contemporary Taiwanese culture as a result of European and Han colonial rule. Until the latter half of the Japanese colonial era the Mountain tribes were not entirely governed by any non-tribal polity. However, the mid-1930s marked a shift in the intercultural dynamic, as the Japanese began to play a far more dominant role in the culture of the Highland groups. This increased degree of control over the Mountain tribes continued during Kuomintang rule. Within these two broad eras, there were many differences in the individual and regional impact of the colonizers and their "civilizing projects". At times the foreign powers were accepted readily, as some tribes adopted foreign clothing styles and cultural practices (Harrison 2003), and engaged in cooperative trade in goods such as camphor, deer hides, sugar, tea and rice (Gold 1986:24–8). At numerous other times changes from the outside world were forcibly imposed.

Much of the historical information regarding Taiwan's aborigines was collected by these regimes in the form of administrative reports and gazettes as part of greater "civilizing" projects. The collection of information aided in the consolidation of administrative control.

TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwan's acclaimed aboriginal war epic Seediq Bale will be screened in China next month, its director said on Tuesday, after concerns the film would not be approved for release by authorities. But the version to hit screens in China from May 10 will be cut short to 154 minutes, director Wei Te-sheng said, compared with the original two-part, four-and-a-half hour version that enraptured audiences in Taiwan last year. Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale is based on the true story of Taiwan's indigenous headhunters who fought against Japanese colonial forces in the 1930s. Taiwan media reported previously that the movie's producer had been worried the film might not be approved by Chinese authorities as it could encourage uprisings by ethnic minority groups in regions like Tibet and Xinjiang.

"Resources for children in rural areas have long been limited, even though the resources in their hearts are abundant," Du said. "Every child has a dream, and it takes the encouragement, company and support of the public to help realize those dreams." Du said aboriginal children in rural villages face multiple challenges. Many have to walk or commute long distances to school, are subject to threats of natural disasters and are often raised by their grandparents after their parents have left the village to work in cities, he said. "Your help gave us support. Whenever I want to give up, I remind myself of the many people at World Vision Taiwan who have helped me," said 25-year-old A-sen, who has received funds from the charity for the past 13 years. A-sen, who was adopted by aboriginal parents at a young age, is now a graduate student in civil engineering.

This year, aboriginal singer Biung Tak-Banuaz and children from indigenous villages in central Taiwan have recorded an album called "A-Nei's Best Friends" to be sold beginning May to help raise funds for the campaign.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Samoan Culture Is An Important Cultures In The World

The Samoan Islands are situated in the South Pacific. It is about 1800 miles east of New Zealand and approximately 2400 miles southwest of Hawaii. These islands are in two parts out of which the ones that are on the eastern side are part of the United States of America and the western islands are an independent unit and form an independent country.

Samoan Culture: People

People form a part of the culture of a place and they are in turn the manifestations of every culture. In Samoan Islands, people are very traditional and they still have respect for the set of hierarchy set by their ancestors, though they are complex and modern concepts teach us the principle of equality now. Samoans are people oriented and they perform all their activities in groups. They do not construct walls in between houses and approximately twenty people can sleep in the same house. The fale is used for social activities during the day. Family is considered to be the basic element in the life of Samoans and then comes the extended family or the "aiga". The family respects the eldest in the family, as a matter of fact all the elders in the family are revered. The social structure is old and well-organized.

Samoan Culture: Society and Government

The system of government that the Samoans follow is known as the "fa'amatai" which has a chief called the "matai" who looks after the entire "aiga" or the extended family. On the basis of need and honor, food and wealth are distributed though everybody is considered equal in terms of social standing and they share equal responsibilities. "Matai" refers to that family that is on the village council and shoulders the responsibility of meting out justice and ensuring that all the customs and rituals are carried out properly. Samoans have very rigid set of rules and regulations and it also teaches its people to be independent, dignified as well as prudent.

Samoan Culture: Religion

Religion is an important part of the Samoan Culture and they believe that Samoa was founded on God. Now most of the Samoans are devout Christians though it is believed that initially they believed in a religion that had beliefs that were quite contrary to the Christian beliefs. After the missionaries arrived Protestant Christianity became the greatest influence on people of Samoa.

Samoan Culture: Dress and food

Women in Samoan Islands wear "puletasi" which is a skirt and a tunic with the traditional Samoan designs on it. They also wear a sarong kind of a thing called the "lava lava" which worn by men and women both. Men wear simple sarongs and for women they are intricately designed.

Samoans eat seaweeds and crayfish with baked taro and rice. Coconut is the staple food in Samoa and appears in almost all the dishes. The older members of the family eat first and then the younger family members eat. On Sundays it is the day of rest and many families come together to have their afternoon meal together.

The Samoans have a very old though effective system of government and know how they should manage their own cultural individuality through their language, food, dress, dance and music.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Remnants Of A Rich Maori Culture Exist In Today

The Māori people are native to New Zealand. They are believed to have arrived in the 14th century from an island called Hawaiki in Polynesia, presumably near Hawaii. The tragic Māori history includes years of bloody battles against the British government and European settlers, who hungered after their land.Remnants of a rich Maori culture exist even today in New Zealand. Consistent efforts to preserve and revive Maori traditions, have made it possible for us to be witness to a way of life that evolved sans 'civilized' influences.

Maori Tribes
Māori lineage is described using the term Whakapapa, which means to place one's antecedents layer-wise, one upon another in proper order of genealogy, starting from the first. They trace their ancestors back to the first Māori who arrived in canoes from Polynesia. The most famous wakas or canoes were the Arawa, the Tainui and the Mataatua. Interestingly, the term waka also means 'tribe', as the members of each waka separated into iwis or tribes. The Māori were a tribal people who shared common ancestry within a tribe, and exhibited loyalty to a chief or several chiefs. Members of a sub-tribe hapuu, were treated as extended family. Land was owned communally in the sub-tribe and members encouraged their offspring to pick life partners from within the hapuu.

Maori Spirituality
Traditionally, the Māori believed that all things, alive or inanimate, were connected by common descent, from gods who resided in mountains, rivers and lakes. Probably due to this belief, the Māori had strong ties with nature in general, and land, in particular. They also believed that everything possessed a life force mauri and a spirit wairua. The terms Mana and tapu are used to describe the spiritual essence present in all people or things, again derived from the gods, and the corresponding social code for appropriate behavior with regard to maintaining sanctity. Disregarding the rules/restrictions of tapu implied disobedience to the gods, which could invite punishment. The degree of mana and tapu in things or in people varied, depending on social rank, spiritual powers etc. and consequently made its possessor holy or unchaste.

According to Māori mythology, creation began from the first parents, Papatuanuku (mother) and Ranginui (father). They had 70 male children, including eight divine offspring. Their divine offspring included Tane-Mahuta, the god of humans and forests, including birds and animals; Haumia Tiketike, the god of uncultivated food; Rongomatane, the god of peace and agriculture; Tawhirimatea, the god of weather; Ruaumoko, the god of earthquakes; Tangaroa, the god of the sea; Tu-matauenga, the war god; and Whiro, the god of darkness and evil, symbolized by the lizard. In addition to these, there existed countless other gods and spirits.

The holy of holies to the Māori is the Marae, a sacred open meeting area, generally located in front of the communal meeting house (whare runanga). The marae is considered to have the greatest mana or spirituality, where expression is given to the Māori customs. It is here that most Māori customs, including christenings, weddings, funerals and tribal reunions are enacted. Traditional Māori community life pivots around it. Anyone who dares to desecrate this place invites trouble for himself.

Maori Customs
The word tikanga is used to describe the Māori customs and traditions which have been handed down from one generation to the next over time. Tikanga means things which are true (tika) and not false (teka). The most interesting aspect of the tikanga is that the Māoris believe that their customs, though from the past, are in front of them, guiding them. The future is said to be behind, because nobody can see the future and eventually the future becomes the past. Normally, at Māori gatherings, guests are first presented with an action song and then greeted in the traditional Māori way, called hongi, which involves the touching of one nose to another. At these traditional meetings, food is usually cooked in earthen ovens placed on heated stones.

A prominent tourist attraction is the Māori haka which is a traditional Māori dance form, performed in a group, to the accompaniment of shouts and actions. There were hakas for joy and celebration and hakas to be performed before going into battle. Out of the two types of war dances or hakas were peruperu which was performed with weapons and haka taparahi that was done without them. The hakas are very energetic and full of life.

Probably, the Māori are best known for their tattoos. The Māori tattoo is called moko; while the process of applying the tattoo is ta moko, which literally means 'to strike' or 'to chisel'. A painful and tedious process, these intricate designs primarily adorned the faces of the men, as the head was considered the most sacred part of the body. The bodies of Māori men also were like canvases filled with stunning designs. Traditionally, the men tattooed their torsos and thighs. Tattoos for women were usually confined to the lips and chin. These tattoos were symbolic as they told a story, starting with rites of passage (e.g. childhood to adulthood), followed by important events in the life of the individual. Tattooing commenced with puberty, and the process was always accompanied by many rituals.

Maori Arts and Crafts
Intrinsic to the Māori way of life were weaving and carving. Māori literature, stories and legends were handed down both orally and through these media. A much told Māori fable is about how the demi-god Maui fished the North Island of New Zealand, out of the ocean. Among the Māori relics existing today, are some 500 year old carvings. Māori carvers, who were held in high esteem, were considered as agents through whom the Gods communicated. An image that resonates through Māori carvings is manaia, a side-faced and sometimes birdlike figure. A famous manaia stands today in Easter Island, made up of a side-faced man with a bird-head. Found in the Bay of Plenty area, Marakihau Māori carvings represent deep sea monsters and ocean gods.

Today, the Māori strive to achieve equality in social standing. The stark inequalities present between the Māori and non-Māori were very pronounced in the 2001 census. Their greatest concern now is ensuring that the right support is provided in terms of education and health care, so that they may succeed in society. Widespread racial discrimination is another cause for distress among the Māori. Their battle for redressal of land issues and for the return of Māori land unjustly taken, is ongoing.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Chilean Culture And Lifestyle Is Presented Through Some Interesting Facts

The original inhabitants of Chile were the Mapuches. They lived in the region between Chiloe Archipelago and Aconcagua river. People from different ethnic groups formed the Mapuche population. The Araucanians were the prominent of these ethnic groups. Other ethnic groups categorized under Mapuches are the Nguluche, Picunches and Huilliches. Today, the Mapuches account only for 4% of the Chilean population. Spanish lifestyle, customs and practices influence the Chilean culture of today. The facts about Chilean culture presented below should help us understand more about this country.

Chilean Culture Facts

The family institution is given importance in the Chilean culture and it greatly influences the social life in this country. It is quite common to see family-run businesses in Chile. Handshake is commonly used for greeting. Men greet women with a kiss on the cheek. The expression of tu is the Spanish counterpart of 'you' in English. The term Usted is used to show respect and it means the same as you. Chileans are known to follow many different traditions. Amongst these, Rodeo and trilla a yegua are the important ones.

Rodeo: Rodeo is a traditional sport played mostly in rural areas of Chile. It is a team sport with two members in each team. The players in this sport have to ride horses; the horse riders are referred to as 'Huasos'. Objective of this game is to stop a running calf and pin it against cushions that are placed in the arena.

Trilla a Yeuga: It is a Chilean tradition in which wheat is separated from chaff, and horses are used in this process. Horses are made to walk on the wheat for separating the chaff.

Festival Internacional de la Cancion It is an international song festival celebrated in the month of February. Vina del Mar is where this event takes place annually. Artists from different Latin American countries throng Vina del Mar to celebrate this festival.

Language and Literature
Spanish is the widely spoken language in Chile. German and English are also spoken by few. The Mapudungun and Aymara languages are spoken by indigenous tribes of this country. Out of the nine languages of Chile, 7 have become extinct. Spanish language governs the literary scene in this country.

Chile has produced two Nobel laureates in the field of literature. Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda are poets from Chile to have won the Nobel prize. The characteristic feature of Mistral's poetry is its passionate and forceful presentation. Incorporation of a variety of literary currents is the specialty of Pablo Neruda. The works of these two poets have taken Chilean literature a step forward.

Music and Dance
The national dance of Chile is cueca. The cueca dance developed from, Zamacueca a traditional Peruvian dance. A courting scene is enacted through this dance. This dance is however, also performed solo. There are many variations of the cueca dance form and one of them is Cueca Chilota. In the Cueca Chilota, emphasis is laid on musical performance and the dance steps are lighter. The singer is given more importance in this musical show. Northern Cueca is another variation in which the singer is not involved. Tubas, drums and trumpets are the musical instruments used in the Northern Cueca.

Food
The Chilean people have 4 meals in a day including the 'once' that is taken at a time between 4 pm and 7 pm. Breakfast is not heavy and includes bread served with toppings. Tea or coffee is the beverage taken with breakfast. Lunch is the heaviest of all meals. Bean dishes are commonly found in Chilean meals. Some of the other dishes include pastel de choclo and cazuela. The 'once' meal mentioned above is a breakfast accompanied by tea or coffee. 'Once' was a code word used by Chileans with reference to the practice of drinking liquor at around 5 pm. This tradition afterward changed into the practice of taking a meal between 4 pm and 7 pm. Dinner is heavy just like the lunch.

Geographically, Chile is a thin strip of land which incorporates diverse cultures. This nation has a rich cultural heritage that is reflected in its music, literature, food, traditions, etc. The facts about Chile presented through this article should provide an overview of the culture of this nation.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Original and Amazing Thailand

It is said that you should not visit Thailand until you have seen the rest of the world since Thailand is the place you will keep returning to. The reason is that it is singularly the most amazing place you will discover on earth. The unique identity of Thailand, warm climate and the attractiveness of the people make it irresistibly unique to millions of foreigners.

The king and Royal Family are highly revered. Negative or disrespectful remarks about the Monarchy are considered offensive and in some cases punishable by law. To Thais, the head is sacred, the feet base. Therefore, it is impolite to touch the head even head a friendly gesture. Likewise, do not point or gesture with your feet and avoid stepping over or across people or things.

Thailand is the 20th largest country in the world, in terms of population, with over 63 million people. 90% are Thai while about 10% are of Chinese origin. 95% of the population are Buddhist with nearly 4.5% being Muslim.
Partly the cause of this, is that Thailand, formerly the Kingdom of Siam, is the one place in South East Asia that as never been colonised by a European power. The extraordinary culture and tradition of the country is shaped by Buddhism and is also very much alive in everyday Thai life. Thai people speak their own language and their quiet, friendly manner has led some to label the country as the 'Land of Smiles.'

Always dress appropriately at all religious sites: shorts or revealing clothes like sleeveless shirts are not permitted.

Thais greet each other with a prayer like gesture called a wai. The wai has far more social significance than a western handshake and in general, the younger person or the person with a junior ranking first offers a wai to an elder or senior, who returns the gesture.

Expressions of anger are regarded as crude Not a tradition Thai custom though gaining wider ages but often the coins in changes. Texi fares rounded to the next 5or 10 bath are normal. Restaurants and hotels, which change 10%, require no additional tip and it is all right to keep the change.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The Famous Japanese Culture

I think that the culture in every country is different from the ohter countries. The culture of the Japanese has long mystified many individuals. It has, however, evolved largely over the years. Today, this culture can be said to be a hybrid of sorts. If you look closely at Japan to examine the culture, then influences from America, China, Europe and even India can be seen. 
A perfect blend of convention, conservatism, modernization and the western thought, the Japanese culture proclaims to be one of the richest cultures of the world being deeply influenced by the cultures of Asia, Europe and North America resulting in the typical "hybrid culture". Japan, an island country in the North Pacific Ocean is believed to be the "source of the sun" or Nihon by its inhabitants where, the population consists of more than two million individuals, more than three quarters of which live in urban. The Japanese culture consists of characteristic features typical to the cultures of both the East and the West. A rich literary heritage occupies a place of predominance in the Japanese culture. Japanese is an agglutinative language and consists of presence of vast verities of dialects and scripts and is characterized by a distinct pitch system.

Majority of the people are comfortable with the use of the Tokyo dialect and is the standard form of spoken Japanese. Written Japanese is considered to be one the toughest languages of the world and uses Japanese phonetic symbols that represent sound as well as Chinese characters. "The tale of Genji" of early 1000's is considered as the greatest work of Japanese fiction. The history of Japanese culture is characterized by paintings which acted as an additional tool of the writers. Pictorial representations painted with works of literature added a special effect to the story and gave to the world painting techniques still being followed religiously by modern painters. The periods of 1100's to 1300's and 1300's to mid 1500's were characterized by long picture scrolls and black brush strokes respectively.

The calligraphic art or the "shodo", popularly known as the "shuji" is the art of writing stories, poems or single characteristics with strokes of a paint brush giving it an artistic effect. The earliest Japanese sculptures were haniwa or clay figures placed in burial mounds of important Japanese. The sculptures mainly used wood, clay and bronze and the bronze statue in Japan and the Great Buddha at Kamakura are the famous outcomes. The Ikebana or Japanese art of floral arrangements expresses the appreciation towards nature and color. Traditional Japanese musical instruments consist of the Biwa, Koto and samisen Japanese Culture consists of harmonious traditional Japanese music.

Many cities have their own professional symphony orchestras that specialize in western music. The no plays of 1300's,puppet theatre and kabuki plays of Japan have continued to attract people over hundreds of years while unconventional western plays are also popular. Japanese wear traditional kimono cloth or the "long wear" and are available in variety of colors and sizes for people of all ages and sex. The lighter summer kimonos are known as yukata. Japanese cuisine is sophisticated, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian and dishes like sushi and teriyaki have become world-famous. Traditional Japanese martial arts, the samurai and judo still remain profusely popular all over the world while baseball, football, rugby etc. are also appreciated by the Chinese sportsman. A blend of tradition and innovation, the basketball games and the sumo wrestling, the Western-style clothing and the traditional kimonos, the hundreds of years old kabuki drama and the modern plays, and such other cultural diversifications co-exist like the buds in a floral wreath.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Beijing Opera Is The Representative Of Chinese Opera

Beijing Opera is known as "Oriental opera", it is a Chinese cultural legacy, it's named so because of its formation in Beijing.

Beijing Opera has more than 200 years of history. Its source can be traced from several parts of the ancient local drama, especially in the eighteenth century, the most famous local opera was "Hui Opera".In 1790, the first "Hui Opera" went to Beijing to attend the emperor's birthday show.Then after, there were quite some "Hui Opera" started their play in Beijing. Hui Opera had strong liquidity and good at absorbing other operas of the repertoire and performance methods of gathering a large number of local operas in Beijing, which makes their performance in art increasing rapidly.


Being the representative of Chinese opera, Beijing opera, reputedly the quintessence of China, has a time-honored history of more than 200 years, which is popular among the world for its sophisticated performance, complicated as well as macro momentum.

Beijing opera is a form of traditional Chinese opera which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics together. It utilizes the skills of speech, song, dance, and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive, rather than realistic, which are required to master for the performers since they are very young.
Roles in Beijing Opera could be classified into Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou, each of which has numerous subtypes. Sheng is the main male role in Beijing opera, which has several subtypes. The laosheng is a dignified older role which has a gentle and cultivated disposition and wears sensible costumes in the opera. Young male characters are called xiaosheng which are often involved with beautiful women by virtue of the handsome and young image. The wusheng is a martial character for roles involving combat which are highly trained in acrobatics.

The Dan refers to any female role in Beijing opera. Dan roles are generally divided into five subtypes. Old women were played by laodan, martial women wudan, young female warriors daomadan, virtuous and elite women qingyi, and vivacious and unmarried women are huadan. The Jing is the male role with a painted face in the opera, which will play either primary or secondary roles according to the particular troupe. This type of role will entail a forceful character, so a Jing must have a strong voice and be able to exaggerate gestures. The Chou is a male clown role, which usually plays secondary roles in a troupe.

Mei Lanfang, the most prestigious artist in China, who has made great contribution to the development of Beijing Opera and is really a great honor for every Chinese.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Information About American Culture

We teach our children regarding American Culture. We teach them to be first-class Americans by sharing our customs of nationality, American Holiday Celebration, Craftsmanship, free enterprise, struggle, management, Know How, and optimistic feelings.

Ahead of the walls of our residence lies a great Nation with a customs of its own. The constitution of our Government, our laws and the way populace communicate to each other have great authority on our actions and thoughts. What do you feel concerning when you hear the words: The United States of America? The ground of the liberated, and the home of the fearless". Lots of of us believe of that quotation, or quotes from the song: "America The Beautiful", such as "roomy skies" or "orangey waves of grain".


There is a society in this kingdom whether spoken or understood that manifests itself in everything we say, do, or believe. For example, in the United States we anticipate to compete in every aspect of our lives. At the equal time we suppose to struggle, we also expect to be given equal chance to develop to our potential. We consider we all have equivalent rights under the law. We imagine American Industry to put out a excellence product and for our Nation to be a leader in the globe. at times we even discover ourselves "on the soap box" emit expectations of our Nation's performance or the routine of American Industry not recognize that except we each live up to these expectations, our Nation and our Industries cannot. Commonly, many of our challenging welfare and our strong desire to make sure the Individual Freedom result in unexpected events taking place that can only be clarify by the appearance: "Only in America".

No matter what our "National" traditions may be, lots of of us depend on our schools and foundation to teach our children. Should we leave this valuable part of our children's education just to schools and other institutions? Importance and exemplar at residence are very important to the improvement of our kids so that our Nation remains strong into the future. What Customs and Traditions do you examine in your relatives so that you pass on the imperative characteristics of our American Culture importance to our future survival? What categories of conversations do you have with your children?

Americans work more hours and have smaller quantity holiday days than the majority Europeans. According to Robert Reich, previous Secretary of manual labor, the average American worker at present spends two weeks additional on the occupation than he or she did 20-years ago. And the common married couple's connect yearly workload is currently seven weeks longer than it was just a decade before.

Not needed to say, all this work puts wonderful boundaries on relationships with family and friends. People have very little free time. the majority of the parents fight back to balance work and relatives. Americans are for all time searching for faster and more efficient ways to accomplish their work. This need is one factor that drives the technology and workstation industries. Although because it's impracticable to save time, these advances generally mean that people just end up doing additional work.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Italy Skiing Is Really Perfect

Italy skiing resorts: The best place to visit in Italy is the Venice which is also called as The Queen of the Adratic Italy and some called as floating city. Venice is one of Italy's fashion and shopping center. Vacation package to Italy will includes a visit to the fashion and jewelry stores which line the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco.

Venice is also called as the bride of the sea which is one of the most beautiful locations in the world. Venice is also having a name of ?ity of canalswhich is the capital of the region called Veneto and also of the province, Venice. This place has a major network of canals rather than streets and the Grand Canal serves as the main canal. So don't avoid this place when planning to travel abroad.
Ski vacations packages: All of us are planning to go for a vacation every year. In the vacation there are more excitement. Planning a trip to another part of the world will surly take some few years for planning and save for and others are lucky enough to take a different vacation every year. Choosing the location is the first step when you are planning your vacation. Among many vacation locations Italy is one of the main locations which can be in the top of your list of places to visit when planning your holiday.
Italy is a country made up of diverse regions that offer travelers exciting nightlife, world famous art work, delicious foods and gorgeous countryside. Italy is the country of love and romance. With outstanding beauty, matched with its cultural richness, makes Italy a premier honeymoon destination
Honeymooners will always find Italy as the perfect choice for a romantic trip and a wonderful place to start off a marriage. The beauty and romance can be enjoyed in Venice or explore the historic city of Rome on your honeymoon vacation. Tuscany is a romantic and visually stunning location for spending a enjoyable honeymoon. Explore the historic city of Florence and view the countryside.
Vacation packages to Italy take the work out of your vacation planning. Packages of the vacation will include tours of the regions, accommodations and also the flight. Relax and begin to search and learn about the areas which you travel and also the time when your travel.
A family vacation to Italy is a wonderful way to introduce a new culture to your children and give them the opportunity to see the gorgeous scenery of Italy. Family vacation packages can provide a great chance to take the whole family on a reasonably priced trip to Italy.
Italy vacation is the right choice for you and your family. Make a list of the factors that make an ideal vacation for you. Italy will give you great food, world famous art and spectacular scenery. Weigh all of your options and take a look at the prices that you can get with Italy vacation packages for your family.

Research the regions of Italy for choosing the place for spending your vacation. Take a tour of the country and enjoy a day or two in each region, or you can devote all of your vacation time to one region and explore it thoroughly.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Fast Food Culture Is Ideal Or Wrong

Now, rapidly Food Culture is such pandemic and has quite a few of its input and canonization. The reason is that it not merely accommodate quickly paced life but also has specific adjustment utility of remitting tension and born feelings generated in tough competition. The best way to judge regardless of whether a culture is ideal or wrong We ought to see whether or not it has the impact of surpassing times and what’s much more, whether or not it really is adopted and approved by extensive populate. So as to promote social development, develop social to diversification, speed up the pace of life, enhance recreational means, the emergence of fast-food culture is inevitably. The so-called rapidly food would be to let our culture get rid of heavy and esoteric, turn to be extra readable, uncomplicated to have an understanding of, well-liked for the individuals.

What truly quick food culture brings to us?
Very first, the vast quantity of facts. These message consist of each aspects, like news, amusement, physical culture, preferred fashion,hairdressing fashion and so on. Anyhow, it entails all aspects we may possibly contact with. Any data species we want could be discovered trace on the net. As a result, livelihood becomes less complicated and you could stay inside doors but know incredibly strange stories. Within the next location, convenient channels of information and facts. Just the very same as a bubble instant noodle simplifies the cooking program, snack culture also simplified our facts hunting channel. Opening a pc and then clicking the mouse, the details you would like to know or do not wish to know or don’t know must know will all arrived at the sight of the screen. Compared with history single newspapers, radio, Television news and so standard means of dissemination, it has no time limits, no details restrictions, and has an wonderful propagation speed. This let the details time distinction of sender and receiver counted in seconds. So fast, favorite is taken for granted.
Second, that the culture marketplace of quickly food culture requirements chief culture goods aren’t classical works but can accommodate changing requirement. That is to say it can offer folks some cultural enjoyment of points for any time.
As the matter of truth, at that time, Chinese odes and songs, lyre-playing are all component of quick food culture. Especially, the superlative quick food culture is qing words. It was known as Chinese idiomatical arts too as drama art, calligraphy and painting. They’re empowered people today leisure for noble entertainment behavior, and still worthy of popularizing folks to this these days. For the reason that ultimate purpose of any rapidly food is enjoyable and very good enlightenment to human itself. They make an individual grow to be healthy and very good.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

What Are Major Differences Between Chinese And Western Culture?

Western culture:
1. Western culture is based on individualism rather than on mass (collectivism). For instance, in the US, you always talk about individual rights, instead of placing the whole society above your own self. This is clearly different in China where a country, society or family are placed above your own self.
2. Western culture is adventurous and exploration based. Westerners like to discover new things, invention and expand outwards. For instance, bungee jumping is considered adventurous and common in western culture, but you will probably find no-one doing such a thing in China.
3. Western culture is based on science, which attempts to resolve people and nature’s relationship.
4. West uses law to resolve people and people’s relationship. You can never find ‘law’ well-established in China. For 2000 years, China is a land that’s based on human relationship rather than law.
5. West uses ‘god’ and religion to resolve human and spiritualism relationship. In case of problems with your own self, you just pray to god.
6. A culture that expands and develop outwards.
Chinese Culture:
1. A culture based on masses (collectivism). People placed country and family above your own self.
2. A culture that is based on humanism and people
3. To resolve the relationship betwen man and nature, the chinese attempts to fuse the human and ‘heaven’ as one.
4. To resolve people and people’s relationship, chinese uses ethics and tolerance
5. To resolve human and spiritualism, chinese emphasizes internal cultivation
6. A focus on balance and mean. By ‘mean’, it means ‘middle way’. You don’t go into extremism. Peace is always honoured.
7. Pay homage to heaven and earth, as well as bearing a remembrance to the homeland. This was accorded to the fact that chinese had been a farming civilization and therefore will be more prone to remember their land.
8. A culture that expands internally rather than outwards.
Table manners:
The main difference between Chinese and western eating habits is that unlike the West, where everyone has their own plate of food, in China the dishes are placed on the table and everybody shares. If you are being treated by a Chinese host, be prepared for a ton of food. Chinese are very proud of their culture of cuisine and will do their best to show their hospitality.
And sometimes the Chinese host use their chopsticks to put food in your bowl or plate. This is a sign of politeness. The appropriate thing to do would be to eat the whatever-it-is and say how yummy it is. If you feel uncomfortable with this, you can just say a polite thank you and leave the food there.
Don’t stick your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason for this is that when somebody dies, the shrine to them contains a bowl of sand or rice with two sticks of incense stuck upright in it. So if you stick your chopsticks in the rice bowl, it looks like this shrine and is equivalent to wishing death upon a person at the table!
Make sure the spout of the teapot is not facing anyone. It is impolite to set the teapot down where the spout is facing towards somebody. The spout should always be directed to where nobody is sitting, usually just outward from the table.
Don’t tap on your bowl with your chopsticks. Beggars tap on their bowls, so this is not polite. Also, when the food is coming too slow in a restaurant, people will tap their bowls. If you are in someone’s home, it is like insulting the cook.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

There are many classic poems about the moon from Chinese poets for thousands of years. Do you know which is the most popular one? I’ll let you know following a brief intriduction about the festival. ChineseHour is very happy to share the happy hours of the Moon Festival with our Chinese learners, and wish you would have a good day at the festival, a good taste of the moon cake and a good taste of Chinese learning too.
jǔ tóu wàng míngyuè
举  头  望   明 月,
I gaze upwards toward the moon in the skies,
dī tóu sī gùxiāng
低 头  思  故 乡。
And downwards look when a nostalgia does arise.
míngyuè jǐshí yǒu
明 月   几时  有,
Bright moon, when was your birth?
bǎ jiǔ wèn qīngtiān
把 酒  问  青 天。
Winecup in hand, I ask the deep blue sky.
It is now the eighth month in the lunar calendar, the time for the Chinese to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival. It is so called because it is in the middle of the eighth month, which is a full moon. We used to celebrate the full moon by fruit, moon cake, and children played their lanterns with neighbor.
On the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar the moon is full and it is time for the Chinese people to mark their Moon Festival, or the Mid-Autumn Festival. The round shape symbolizes family reunion. Therefore the day is a holiday for family members to get together and enjoy the full moon - an auspicious token of abundance, harmony and luck.
Sons and daughters will come back to their parents’ house. Sometimes people who have already settled overseas will return to visit their parents on that day. Adults will usually indulge in fragrant moon cakes of many varieties with a good cup of piping hot Chinese tea, while the little ones run around with their brightly-lit lanterns. After nightfall, entire families go out under the stars for a walk or picnics, looking up at the full silver moon, thinking of their nearby relatives or friends, as well as those who are far from home. A line from a verse “The moon at the home village is exceptionally brighter” expresses those feelings. It is also a romantic night for the lovers, who sit holding hands on riverbanks and park benches, enraptured by the brightest moon of the year.
Round “moon cakes”, made of fruit, ice cream, yogurt, pork, mushrooms, green tea, flowers, jelly etc., are a traditional food eaten during the festival. People also enjoy pomelos on this day; yu, the Chinese word for pomelo, sounds the same as another Chinese word to beseech the moon god for protection.
“水调歌头 Shui diao ge tou” is the most popular poem about the moon and the moon festival. It is primarily recommended in the Chinese school textbooks and most students can memorize it without missing a word.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Arabian T Shirts Culture

T shirts identify the man's persona. It tells about your personality type and character. It also reflects the person inside you. T-shirts were originally worn as undershirts but now T-shirts are worn frequently as the only piece of clothing on the top half of the body, other than possibly a bra or an undershirt that is vest. T-shirts have also become a medium for self-expression and advertising, with any imaginable combination of words, art, and even display the photographs. T-shirts present a wonderful opportunity to experiment with color, designs and their reasonable cost makes it painless to replenish your selections each season. The various fabric contents and textures used today also work to create new silhouettes, from the classic shape to the cut of the moment; T-shirts have serious flexibility of fashion.
T-shirts are normally made of cotton or polyester or in a mixed percentage of both. T-shirts owe its soft natural texture to the jersey stitch knitting that very much holds the fabric together. 100% pre-shrink, heavyweight cotton T-shirts are highly absorbent and comfortable when dried. However, when soaked from over work or exercise, it may sticks to your skin and blocks the skin pores and takes long time to dry.
When cotton is blended with polyester (65%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20% or 10%), it give the shirt strength, reduce shrinking, decrease drying time, enhance wrinkle resistance and better breathing of the skin. A 50% cotton and 50% polyester fabric makes a great logo shirt; a wash and wear - no ironing, ideal gifts for customers, business promotions, clubs, fund raisers, events, reunions, schools uniform shirts and sports team outfit.
Tees with Arabic slogans are in fashion. It gives the contemporary and urban look. Also it adds the taste to the culture. Printed Arabic calligraphy in black, white or golden color adds traditional look to tees. You can see many people who wear Tees with Arabic slogans, even if they do not belong to specified country. You can find the quotation written on these t shirts in Arabic, which symbolize peace and harmony. But the main reason behind the Arabic calligraphy didn't penetrate the pop culture is because of very closely association of it with religion and the usage of these styles may be a sensitive issue in an outside country.
Custom or personalized t-shirt printing is the freedom to choose the Arabic words, graphics and even photographs that you want on your t-shirts. But with so many t-shirt printing companies that sprout like mushrooms in the printing industry, you will be having a hard time to choose who among these printing doors you will go into. Tees with Arabic symbols and slogans are available in stock on the internet. Also, seasonal discounts are available, so that you can get tees on flat 50% or 80% off. The tees are available in wide variety of colors and designs with your fitting size, so that you can choose easily and comfortably. It is better that you call the contact number given at the top of the site to check the authenticity.