What is tradition?
A tradition is a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes (like lawyer wigs or military officer spurs), but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings.
ASIA
Asian Festivals![]() Chinese New Year Despite the name, Chinese New Year is actually celebrated in a lot of countries. The 2004 Chinese New Year is the Year of the Monkey and is celebrated on January 22nd. It celebrates the first day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar and is the most important yearly festival for the Chinese. Each year is named after one of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. ![]() Ching Ming Festival
This Chinese holiday, celebrated on April 5th, is the Ching Ming Festival (aka Qingming Festival.) Ching, in Chinese, means pure or clean and Ming means brightness. Most people call this holiday grave-sweeping day because people head to the cemetery to clean graves. ![]() Holi
Holi is a spring festival that is celebrated throughout India. For two days, people party it by dropping powdered colors from the rooftops, drench each other with balloons filled with colored water and have huge feasts. This festival is held to celebrate the defeat of the mythical creature, Holika. Holi starts off with a big bonfire to help clear the leaves and twigs of the autumn that has just past. |
Buddhism![]() While there are as as many religions in Asia as there are anywhere else, Buddhism is one of the predominant ones. Buddhism was established in northern India about 2500 years ago in response to the life and teachings of Gautama Siddhartha who was given the title "Buddha" or "awakened-one."
Dim Sum![]() A traditional Chinese meal that consists of lots of small dishes of a bunch of different kinds of foods, including steamed or fried dumplings.
Tea![]() Tea plays a major role in Asian culture - whether it's in China, India or Malaysia - tea ceremonies, in their various forms, are a major part of most Asian cultures.
Origami![]() Origami is the art of folding paper. While it is quite popular in Japan, it is believed to have originated in China in the first century AD. One of the most popular origami shapes is the crane. The crane is thought to be a sacred animal in Japan and legend has it that if you fold 1,000 paper cranes, your wish will come true.
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EUROPE
European Festivals![]() Venice Carnival The streets of Venice Carnival were full of people in masks, and no differentiation could be made between nobility and the common people. Generally, the costume worn was a cloak with a long-nosed mask. Also popular were masked couples, where a man and a woman would dress as allegorical characters. ![]() Eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve is both a tradition and a superstition in Spain. Rare is the Spaniard who will risk poisoning their fate for the coming year by skipping the grapes, one for each stroke of midnight.
![]() Straw Bear (Strawboer) Day is an old English tradition held on the 7th of January. It is known in a small area of Fenland on the borders of Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire, including Ramsey Mereside. This day is believed to be traditional start of agricultural year in England. A man or a boy wears a straw costume covering him from his head to toes. He goes from house to house where he dances. As prize for his dancing people give him money, food or beer.
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Food![]() European food has a distinct flavor and rich history. The food in Europe can be characterized by four categories: meats, sugar, cereals, and fats.
![]() French Cuisine
French cuisine has a rich history of sophisticated dishes and plentiful feasts. Because of the rich soil, many herbs, fruits, grains, and vegetables are grown in France. Brandy and wine are the most popular French alcoholic drinks. Cheese is very important for French cuisine and is used in numerous dishes. Veal, chicken, goose, duck, mutton, and pork are great meats that French dishes have to offer. ![]() Italian Cuisine
France, Austria, and the former Yugoslavia had a great effect on the cooking techniques and food of Italy. Italian cuisine is based on a few dishes. These famous dishes are pasta, lasagna, ravioli, and pizza. Italian food is very spicy and often includes ingredients such as crushed red pepper, black pepper, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper. Cheese is also an indispensable ingredient. A few types of Italian cheese are romano, parmesan, mozzarella, ricotta, and gorgonzola. |
NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA
![]() Capoeira
Capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that combines elements ofdance, acrobatics and music, and is sometimes referred to as a game. ![]() Christmas in Colombia
In December Colombians celebrate christmas in very special ways. In December 7th of every year. all Colombian cities are lighted with candles in every house in every single street in every single city of the country. ![]() 单击此处进行编辑.
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![]() Pizza
In Southern Brazil pizza is often served in gourmet restaurants with high quality ingredients, where as in the north, where they lack strong Italian influences it is commonly eaten with ketchup and sometimes even mustard or mayonnaise. ![]() Colombia's roasted ants
Many people might be disgusted by the product. The ants' bottoms look like blood-engorged ticks. But to those familiar with the taste - similar to popcorn or nuts - it is often a welcome snack. Gomez's sales were brisk; about one-third of the cars stopped to buy some. |