Subject: Put Your Party Hat On
Posted by: looney_tunes
Date: Aug 12 10
Every country has its special holidays, and holiday traditions – food, costume, celebratory activities – that we can enjoy as we travel on the Bus Ride. We may not manage to be there on the best day, but let's share information about what we could experience in the right season!
Many of us will be relying on second-hand sources for information - if you live in the country we are visiting, please let us all know how YOU celebrate any special holidays.
Posted by: looney_tunes
Date: Aug 12 10
Every country has its special holidays, and holiday traditions – food, costume, celebratory activities – that we can enjoy as we travel on the Bus Ride. We may not manage to be there on the best day, but let's share information about what we could experience in the right season!
Many of us will be relying on second-hand sources for information - if you live in the country we are visiting, please let us all know how YOU celebrate any special holidays.
225 replies. On page 5 of 12 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
looney_tunes 
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For over 100 years, until it was abolished in the 1980s, Liberians celebrated Matilda Newport Day on December 1. This festival celebrated the reported actions of Matilda Newport, an elderly woman who lit a cannon with her pipe to repel native tribespeople who were attacking the American-Liberian settlers in what became known as the Battle of Fort Hill in 1822. Historical details are sketchy – she may have been elderly or not, white or black, married to her first husband (Thomas Spencer) or her second (Ralph Newport); the cannon may have been lit on purpose as an act of defiant bravery or accidentally when she threw her pipe down as she ran away; etc. In any case, the celebration was felt to be a celebration of the superiority of the settlers over the natives, and to contribute to longstanding uneasiness between the groups. http://liberianperspectives.blogspot.com/2008/12/monday-december-1-matilda-newport-1822.html Reply #81. Oct 15 10, 12:26 AM |
PDAZ
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Congrats to our resident expert on food and holidays -- she's the latest editor! Reply #82. Oct 15 10, 9:16 PM |
looney_tunes
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Thanks, PDAZ. Don't think that the time needed for editing will keep me from posting my little tidbits here - it's one of my favorite FT activities! With over half the population practicing Muslims, it is not surprising that Sierra Leone's national public holidays include the major Islamic Feasts, whose dates are based on local moon phases. These include Birth of the Prophet (around February), end of Ramadan (around September), and Feast of the Sacrifice, celebrating the end of the Hajj (around November). This three-day feast involves the sacrifice of a sheep, camel, or goat, in an act to remind the faithful of the sacrifice that Abraham was willing to make. The meat from the sacrificed animal is mostly given away: one-third is eaten by the family and relatives, one-third is given away to friends, and one-third is donated to the poor. The ritual symbolizes willingness to give up things about which one cares both in order to follow Allah's commands and in order to strengthen the ties of friendship and community. Reply #83. Oct 16 10, 1:46 AM |
janetgool
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Mazal Tov to Looney-Tunes! You'll be a fantastic editor. What categories will you be editing? Shalom, Janwr Reply #84. Oct 16 10, 12:42 PM |
| looney_tunes
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When I finish learning the ropes, I will be editing in Literature and Humanities. There's a lot to learn, but I am eagerly exploring and getting ready! Now, back to the party. Eritreans celebrate a number of local feasts in the Christian tradition that are not celebrated elsewhere. One of these if the Festival of Mariam Dearit on May 29. Two kilometers outside Keen is a large baobab tree inside which stands a statue of the Virgin Mary which is considered to have healing powers. In 1869 a group of French nuns opened an orphanage in the area, and were sent a bronze statue of Mary which they installed inside the baobab tree after carving out a suitable shrine area. The annual pilgrimage to the shrine leads to a large family event at the site, involving prayers, a procession of the statue around the tree, feasting and traditional singing and dancing. You can see pictures at the link below. http://www.asmera.nl/eritrea2005/eritrea5529.htm Reply #85. Oct 17 10, 12:28 AM |
| looney_tunes
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Since 2005, Bolivia has celebrated National Protected Areas Day on September 4. This day celebrates the establishment in Bolivia of a National Protected Areas System with 22 national protected areas covering over 15% of its national territory, as well as a number established on the local and departmental levels. This is an attempt to preserve Bolivia's biodiversity – it is one of the leading nations in the world in terms of the diversity of species, plant and animal, to be found there. http://www.discoveringbolivia.com/bolivia_biodiversidad.html Reply #86. Oct 18 10, 2:48 AM |
| looney_tunes
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Andorra's national holiday is Our Lady of Meritxell Day, September 8. Our Lady of Meritxell (Mare de Déu de Meritxell in Catalan) is a statue (found in Meritxell) depicting a Madonna and Child. Our Lady of Meritxell is the patron saint of Andorra (according to some sites; others state that it is St Stephen). The legend behind the statue dates from the late 12th century, when a wild rose in bloom was found in mid-winter by villagers on their way to mass in Canillo. Under the rose was a statue of Mary and Jesus. They took the statue to the Canillo church with them, and reverently placed it there. The next morning the statue was back underneath the original rose. They tried taking it to the church in Encamp; again it returned to its original spot. Taking this as a sign, the villagers of Meritxell built a new chapel in their town to house the statue. The original statue was destroyed by a fire in 1972, but a replica can be seen in the rebuilt chapel. You might wonder, as I did, why the national holiday is on September 8, when the legend after which it is named occurred in January. September 8, 1278 was the date on which the Principality was first formed, with two rulers, to end the long-running squabbles between France and Spain over control of the region. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Meritxell Reply #87. Oct 19 10, 12:05 AM |
| looney_tunes
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Christmas is a big deal in Norway. Half of December 24th, the 25th, the 26th and half of the 31st are national holidays in Norway. The schools have a lot longer vacation, usually lasting two weeks. December 23 is called 'Lille Julafter' (Little Christmas Eve), and is when most families decorate their Christmas trees and homes. It is traditional to decorate Christmas trees with handmade baskets woven from red and green paper and then filled with fruits, candy, and nuts. December 24 is called 'Juleafter' (Christmas Eve). The day is spent in preparation for Christmas, often including church services, and sometimes visits to graves of family and friends. It is also a tradition (clearly pre-Christian) to leave a bowl of porridge in the barn for the gnome who lives there and protects both the barn and the animals it holds. The evening is the time for the traditional Christmas dinner. December 25 is usually a family day of celebration, with December 26 being for a wider circle of friends. December 31 (or, in some parts of Norway, another afternoon/evening between the 27th and the 30th) is the time for children to go 'Nyttarsbukk'. Dressed in costumes, they go door to door singing carols and collecting treats such as candy, cookies and fruit. Sound familiar? http://www.norwaves.com/christmas-norway.html Reply #88. Oct 20 10, 12:43 AM |
| looney_tunes
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The most widely celebrated holiday in Vietnam is Nguyen-dan, more colloquially known as Tet, the lunar New Year. Tet is celebrated during the full moon prior to the spring planting, usually in late January to mid February. Originating as a festival before spring planting to pray for a good crop, it has become much more significant over time. People travel to their childhood home for the celebration. On the last day of the year a plant, such as a bamboo, is planted in the courtyard and decorated with bells, flowers and red streamers to guard against evil spirits. During the week leading up to the New Year, there is a traditional observance of the kitchen gods (tao) as represented by the three-legged cooking pot. It used to be customary to offer the gods a carp (placed in a bucket of water at the house's altar for the relevant period of time), representing a stage in the process by which animals gradually transform into dragons, on which the gods can travel. There are a number of traditional foods associated with Tet, including a special rice pudding known as banh Tet, which contains mung beans and pork, as well as preserved sweets, beef, chicken, fish, oranges, coconuts, grapefruits and other seasonal fruits, especially watermelon. Watermelon is considered lucky because the flesh is red; the seeds are often dyed red and served as delicacies. Celebrations go on for nearly a week. Amongst other things, this is when birthdays for the year are celebrated – babies have a celebration after one month of life, and then celebrations are during Tet. It is also a time to pay respect to one's dead ancestors, whose spirits are believed to return to earth during Tet. An offering to them is made at the household altar every day during the festival. http://www.fathertimes.net/vietnamesenewyear.htm Reply #89. Oct 21 10, 12:19 AM |
| looney_tunes
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In the Croatian city of Dubrovnik, St Blaise's Day festival is celebrated on February 3 with parades, official ceremonies and parties. According to Wikipedia, "Blaise is the patron saint of the city of Dubrovnik (where he is known as Sveti Vlaho) and formerly the protector of the independent Republic of Ragusa. At Dubrovnik his feast is celebrated yearly on 3 February, when relics of the saint, his head, a bit of bone from his throat, his right hand and his left, are paraded in reliquaries. The festivities begin the previous day, Candlemas, when white doves are released. Chroniclers of Dubrovnik such as Rastic and Ranjina attribute his veneration there to a vision in 971 to warn the inhabitants of an impending attack by the Venetians, whose galleys had dropped anchor in Gruz and near Lokrum, ostensibly to resupply their water but furtively to spy out the city's defenses. St. Blaise (Blasius) revealed their pernicious plan to Stojko, a canon of St. Stephen's Cathedral. The Senate summoned Stojko, who told them in detail how St. Blaise had appeared before him as an old man with a long beard and a bishop's mitre and staff. In this form the effigy of Blaise remained on Dubrovnik's state seal and coinage until the Napoleonic era." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Blaise Reply #90. Oct 22 10, 1:39 AM |
| looney_tunes
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Germans celebrate many holidays and festivals, of which the best-known internationally is probably Oktoberfest, a celebration of beer running for 16-18 days in Munich from late September through the first weekend in October. The first celebration of Oktoberfest was a horse race held on October 12, 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig. It was so successful that it was repeated, and over the years grew 'like Topsy'. Horse races ended in 1960, but there is still plenty of activity, especially lots of beer and traditional food such as Hendl (chicken), Schweinsbraten (roast pork), Schweinshaxe (ham hock), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick), Würstl (sausages) along with Brezn (Pretzel), Knödel (potato or bread dumplings), Kasspatzn (cheese noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), Sauerkraut or Blaukraut (red cabbage) along with such Bavarian delicacies as Obatzda (a spiced cheese-butter spread) and Weisswurst (a white sausage). Reply #91. Oct 23 10, 12:21 AM |
| looney_tunes
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Independence Day is celebrated in the Maldives on July 26. The main event of the day is centred on Republic Square, featuring military displays by the National Security Service and the National Cadet Corps, as well as traditional dances and marching bands. On this day, as on other public holidays, the roads are decorated with red and green national flags. Music is likely to be a blend of traditional musicians and singers with modern jazz and pop music. Some of the holiday culinary delicacies include gula (fried fish balls made of tuna and coconut), kuli boakiba (spicy fish cakes), foni boakiba (rice pudding made with coconut milk) and kiru sarbat (a sweetened milk drink). Reply #92. Oct 24 10, 12:02 AM |
| looney_tunes
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In Douz, Tunisia, the International Festival of the Sahara is celebrated in November or December. (I have found both dates given – does anyone have first-hand knowledge?) The first festival, called the Camel Festival, was held in 1910. When Tunisia gained independence, its first president promoted it to stand as a symbol of the importance of the nomadic way of life in the country's history. According to Wikipedia, 'After the official opening ceremony, the main events take place in the H'naiech stadium in front of the desert surrounded by Bedouin tents. Camel marathons, fantasia- galloping Arab horses ridden by daring riders, a Bedouin marriage, sloughi desert hunting dogs - catching rabbits are the principal features. In the evening, groups from visiting countries perform popular songs and dances. However, the central event is the annual poetry contest run by the famous desert poet, Abdellatif Belgacem in order to keep poetry alive, which represents the desert's principal communication medium.' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Festival_of_the_Sahara Reply #93. Oct 25 10, 12:59 AM |
| looney_tunes
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Canadian Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October, so it has come and gone for this year. This has not always been the date– it has been a very mobile holiday! There were a number of localized celebrations drawing on the First Nations traditions as well as celebrating various events in the lives of colonists, but the first official Thanksgiving Day after Confederation was a civic holiday observed on April 5, 1872 to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales from a serious illness. From 1879, Thanksgiving Day became an annual holiday, but with no fixed date. From 1979 to 1890 it was celebrated on a Thursday in November; from 1899 to 1904 it moved to a Thursday in October; next it moved to a Monday in October; from 1921 to 1930, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11 occurred; in 1931 it moved back to October. Finally, on January 31, 1957, Parliament set a fixed time for Thanksgiving as the second Monday in October. According to the official declaration of the holiday, it is a day of thanksgiving to God for the harvest. Despite this official religious connection (and the holiday is observed with church celebrations), the holiday is usually celebrated as a secular one, with parades, family gatherings (often for a traditional turkey dinner) and football (Canadian, of course). Reply #94. Oct 26 10, 1:37 AM |
| looney_tunes
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As a change from all the religious and independence celebrations (of which Nigeria has its share), let's visit the riverside town of Arugungu in Kebbi State for the Fishing Festival. The first one, in 1934, was organized in honor of a visit from the Sultan; it has become an annual tradition, and a stretchof the river is protected all year to ensure an abundance of fish.. Fishers (several thousand, in recent years) enter the water armed with hand-held fishing nets; drummers in canoes midstream, accompanied by men rattling seed-filled gourds, drive the fish to shallow water where they can be caught. It's all over in less than an hour, leaving the banks covered in fish. The events of the day also include canoe racing, duck hunting, bare-handed fishing, diving and swimming. Reply #95. Oct 27 10, 1:50 AM |
| looney_tunes
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In Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand) the traditional Maori celebration of the New Year occurs on the first New Moon after the appearance of the constellation Matakari (known to astronomers as the Pleiades) in the sky, near the end of May. As this is early winter in New Zealand, it is a fitting time to mark the start of a new cycle. Coming after the harvest have finished, it was traditionally a time to make offerings of thanks for the previous year's bounty, as well as in the hope of a good season in the coming year. Celebrations included sharing of food and other gifts, with large banquets in honor of any visitors. It also marked the transition to winter activities – preparation of sufficient preserved food for the winter is an important start. The tradition continues today, with the underlying principles of sharing, learning, feasting and partying still in force. Matakiri is a season of a range of cultural celebrations (varying from region to region) which provides a bright time in contrast to the dreary winter season that is approaching. Reply #96. Oct 28 10, 2:11 PM |
| looney_tunes
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Hari Raya Aidilfitra is a three-day celebration of the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting in the Islamic calendar. Celebrations are similar to those in many other Islamic countries, but for oversees visitors one interesting feature is the brief opportunity to tour Istana Nurul Iman, the Sultan's official residence and the world's largest residential palace. For these three days, you can have a buffet meal in the banquet hall that accommodates up to 4,000 guests and meet members of the royal family as you view the 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, 5 swimming pools, the (only 1) air-conditioned stable for the Sultan's 200 polo ponies, a 110-car garage, and a mosque for 1,500 people. Reply #97. Oct 29 10, 12:12 AM |
Matthew_07
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Small typo. It's Hari Raya Hari Raya Aidilfitri, or it's usually denoted by the abbreviation Eid, which stands for Eid ul-Fitr (of Arabic origin). In Malaysia and Brunei, the locals call it Hari Raya Puasa (literally translated as fasting celebration day), or simply Hari Raya. I think Hari Raya is celebrated for one whole month, I am not so sure about this, but I will ask my Malay friends. :) However, the Nurul Iman palace is only open to the public for the open house for 3 days. I have been there twice, and I must say the food is delicious -- curry chicken, rendang (beef + spice + coconut milk), ketupat (rice dumpling), etc. Then you need to queue up if you want to meet the Sultan and his families. One queue for male, meeting Sultan and his sons,; and another queue for female, meeting Sultan's wives and daughters. They are giving away green packets for small children, which contain money inside (similar to Chinese red packet / angpau). I remember seeing a golden carriage there? But I have not seen the swimming pool and air-conditioned stable. The palace is just too big. :) Reply #98. Oct 29 10, 4:28 AM |
| looney_tunes
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Neither of the two previous postings remembered to indicate that today we are visiting Brunei (officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace). The English spellings of words that are originally written in another alphabet are often not well defined, and different places use different spellings. I actually try to use all the variants as I find them in research, to remind us all that these things are not set in concrete. The feast denoting the end of the month of Ramadan has many aliases! Reply #99. Oct 29 10, 4:04 PM |
| looney_tunes
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In Bhutan, National Day is celebrated on 17th of December in commemoration of the accession of Gongsa Ugyen Wangchuk, chosen as the first hereditary king, to the throne of Bhutan in 1907. Bhutan was founded and unified as a country in the middle of the 17th century by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. After his death, the country had a dual leadership structure: a civil administrator (the Druk Desi) and a religious leader (the Je Khenpo), both officially under the authority of the Shabdrung, a reincarnation of Ngawang Namgyal. In practice, the Shabdrung was often a child under the control of the Druk Desi, and regional governors (penlops) rules virtually independently in their regions. Early in the 20th century the Wanchuk family, traditional penlops of Trongsa district, gained supremacy, and became the hereditary royal family. The king of Bhutan is formally known as the Dragon King (Druk Gyalop). Reply #100. Oct 30 10, 2:22 AM |
225 replies. On page 5 of 12 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
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