Diwali (Deepavali) is one of the biggest festivals for Hindus, celebrated with great enthusiasm and happiness all across India. The festival is celebrated for five continuous days, with the third day celebrated as the main Diwali festival or ‘Festival of Lights.’ Different colorful varieties of fireworks are always associated with the holiday. On this auspicious …
Culture Shock! The mere thought of leaving the known and launching oneself into the unknown congers up strong feelings. When one is exposed to a new, strange or foreign social and cultural environment, they experience a state of bewilderment and distress. This is culture shock. Travel to another culture and you will find yourself out …
Ghosts, goblins, witches, and zombies usually dominate this time of year for the Halloween holiday in the U.S. However, around the world November 1st is acknowledged as a holiday to remember those who have passed. The most famous celebration occurs in Latin America, specifically Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Mexico. The festival …
In survey after survey, business leaders (CEO’s, CHRO’s, and Directors of Mobility) identify that there is an urgency to search aggressively for competent cross-cultural business professionals. Why is it that some leaders seem to be so much more effective working cross-culturally than others? Paula Caliguiri helps us understand that cultural agility is a key indicator …
Wouldn’t communicating across cultural divides be easier if we were like the character in Star Trek, Dr. Spock, and had the ability to mind meld and read other’s thoughts? The art of communicating goes well beyond the actual words spoken as is seen in the gap between Individualistic and Collectivist cultures. This gap was difficult …
Success in an overseas work assignment or the ability to drive business performance in others who differ culturally is directly correlated to having higher levels of cultural awareness, whether one has “boots on the ground” or is working virtually. Today we have a radically different world than ten years ago. Today’s marketplace can be defined …
The Ghost Festival is a traditional Buddhist and Taoist festival held in many Asian countries. Taiwan is celebrating the Ghost Festival on Friday, August 28th, though in some countries the date is different. Traditionally, locals believed that ghosts haunt the island of Taiwan for the entire seventh lunar month, when the mid-summer Ghost Festival …
Singapore is 50 years old! In just 50 years, this city-state has gone from swamp land to skyscrapers, and its booming economic structure has created one of the world’s wealthiest populations. In such a short time, and without having natural resources, Singapore has become a worldwide business center that has brought many expats into the …
This past Tuesday was Bastille Day, a French holiday celebrating the country’s independence. The French National Day is celebrated on July 14 and is celebrated to commemorate the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789, which helped spark the French Revolution. This was the culmination in Paris of a violent revolution that had begun two …
This week the annual Running of the Bulls took place in Pamplona, Spain. Every year from the 6th to the 14th of July the fiestas of San Fermin are celebrated in Pamplona. These fiestas are celebrated in honor of San Fermin, a patron saint of Navarra, the region of Spain where Pamplona is located. Though …
The joyous activities that many people experience from recreational sports such as rollerblading and biking are often taken for granted. In Afghanistan, however, there has been a recent emergence of skateboarders, typically females. Afghanistan inhibits a very traditional culture where women often stay within the home. In fact, often, Afghan girls are restricted from participating …
The world rotates around a variety of calendars: most people follow the Gregorian calendar which is used widely throughout the continents; the Chinese follow their own lunisolar calendar, while Jewish people follow a calendar that shares similarities with the Chinese one. Meanwhile, Muslims follow the Islamic calendar. Within this calendar, a variety of events occur, …
Singapore is considered by many to be an expat metropolis. Companies from all around the world are sending their employees to Singapore, where four main ethnicities (Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian) co-exist in tropical tolerance. A large community of foreigners lives and raises their children in the country without fear of crime or even impolite …
As schools across the USA prepare for the summer break, schools in several Eastern European nations and Russia are also celebrating end of year festivities. The end of year celebration is known as последний звонок (posledni svonok) or last bell. Traditionally during this ceremony, boys wear suits or formal attire, while girls wear the traditional school …
Most people would agree that one of the most visible elements of culture is language. Language barriers can be a major hurdle for expats taking on new assignments and for companies working with overseas partners and customers. In either of these situations, mastery of a common language is often the first thing people notice. For expats, …
King’s Day in the Netherlands is known as the biggest street party of the year. City streets and squares become a sea of orange as most citizens wear the national color in celebration. The name of the holiday changes depending on whether a king or queen is ruling and the day is a celebration of the …
The majority of expats face difficulties in their new surroundings. A recent poll shows that the top three personality traits that lead to successful expat assignments are: flexibility, sense of humor, and resiliency. While some of these characteristics may seem obvious, putting them into practice can be challenging. Flexibility is needed when dealing with …
Culture may seem like a very visual concept, with emphasis often put on clothing, food, or historical landmarks, but culture goes much deeper than this. One way culture breaks through the barrier into the intangible is through language. Because the United States of America and England both speak English, many would assume that the cultures …
When US Americans think of birthday celebrations, images of parties, cake, blowing out candles, and the Happy Birthday song comes to mind. For a baby’s first birthday, some parents will even get the birthday child a smash cake, which the baby with play with, and hopefully eat, smashing it to pieces in the process. However, …
Persian New Year (Nowruz) is upon us. Today, March 20th, Persians will celebrate the New Year. Nowruz marks the first day of spring, the equinox, and the beginning of the year in the Persian calendar. Nowruz is celebrated by many different ethnic communities and religious backgrounds. Though it is a secular holiday, Zoroastrians hold it …