As we take a step into the fall season, we are entering a time of many important holidays. Some secular, some religious, some strictly historical and some a cultural blend. Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday celebrated this year between Oct. 2nd and October 4th. Rosh Hashanah is the celebration of creation as it correlates […]
Holidays
Parsi New Year: A Time of Renewal and Rejuvenation
The New Year is largely see as a time of renewal, rejuvenation, and restoration regardless, for the most part, of which culture you’re in. And though the New Year is far away in the West, the East is gearing up for a time of celebration. In India, there is a community of people known as […]
Canada Day: Celebrate with Red, White, and Maple
Here in the United States, where CAI is headquartered, we are gearing up to celebrate the nation’s Independence Day on July 4th. Fireworks, family and friends, and good food will abound to recognize the time long ago, in 1776, when our nation declared its sovereign independence. But located just north of us stands our neighbor […]
Christmas Traditions: Imported from Germany
WARNING: SANTA SPOILER ALERT! Many of the traditions that Westerners hold so dear during the holiday season actually stem from German folklore. A Christmas tree, commonly the evergreen fir tree, has been used to celebrate winter festivals (both Christian and Pagan) for thousands of years. Some pagans would use the tree or its branches as […]
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 […]
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 […]