Usually one for embracing change and experiencing new things, knowing that my family at home in the USA was gearing up to celebrate Christmas while I was abroad made me long for the familiarity of home. Watching the days grow shorter and thermostat drop heightened my sense of anticipation for my favorite time of year. […]
festivals
Moveable Feast: Easter a Celebration of God
This upcoming weekend marks the arrival of Western Easter, followed by the observance of Orthodox Easter or Pascha. For Christians around the world, either of Eastern, Western, or Protestant, faith these observances are for many the most significant and holiest celebrations of the year. Hundreds of millions celebrate with family and dear friends alike. Religious […]
Celebrating the Festival of Light – Diwali in India
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 […]
How Cultures Honor the Departed
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 […]
Asia’s Ghost Festivals
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 […]
Cultural Brief: Bastille Day
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 […]
