Cultures of the World

I have been to lots and lots of buffets in my 20-something years of life. They are wonderful places for hungry people to devour an awesome amount of food. Accompanied by my mother’s lectures on not leaving anything on your plate, I became uncontrollable in these establishments. It used to be that I ate myself sick, because there was so much food, and I just wanted to eat everything for as long as I was still sitting.

If you’re every unsure about what to eat, and maybe you want to eat a little bit of every culture’s tastes, maybe you can try out a buffet. But do not go here regularly, as you will become fat and engorged. Also, the food is only mediocre. But you do receive a lot more food than for what you are paying. There are many different cuisines of buffets: American, Chinese, Japanese (Sushi), Indian, and all different types.

I hope you get to experience many different delicious tasting foods from all over the world. But, nothing is really as good as the authentic cuisines~!

Buffet image taken from: http://www.theproducersperspective.com

Chuseok – or Mid-Autumn Festival (15th day of the 8th month in the Lunar Calendar)

This is a harvest festival celebrated in South Korea. Other South East Asian countries also celebrate this holiday, such as China, Japan, and Vietnam. Like other harvest festivals, it is held around the Autumn Equinox.  Food is heavily involved in this holiday, as it is celebrated by families reunited and sharing traditional meals.

Traditional Chuseok food offerings. image from tumblr.com

I celebrate this holiday in my Vietnamese culture. Moon-cake is traditionally eaten in both Vietnamese and Chinese cultures during this holiday. They are sweet treats and go very well with tea!

Cambodian New Year (April13 or 14)

image from wikimedia.org

The Cambodian New Year coincides with New Years celebrated in parts of India, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. This colorful holiday is heavily influenced by Buddhist religion with emphasis on family and friends, like many other Asian New Years celebration. Food is an important aspect of this tradition.

Image from khmerstudents-act.org

Respect for the Aged Day – 敬老の日 Keirō no Hi

Japan respect for the Aged Day, photo from pelican-travel.net

In Asian cultures, filial piety is of the utmost importance. This is exemplified by the Japanese holiday, Respect for the Aged Day (3rd Monday of September)

Japanese Media take time on this day to feature the elderly, such as current population, and the older person in the country.

Normally respect should be shown everyday for these wise and aged people, however special love and attention is paid to them on this day.

The Philippines is a diverse country, its culture is heavily influenced by Asian, Spanish, and American heritaes. While the majority of the Philippines is Christian in religion, there is a small percentage that exercises Islam to the southwest of the Philippine islands.

In this religion, there is a holiday known as Lailatul Isra Wal Mi Raj. And then it is translated to English as: The Prophet Muhammad’s Nocturnal Journey and Ascension.

The Prophet Mohammad traveled from Mecca to Jerusalem, pictured above. ©iStockphoto.com/Claudia Dewald

Timeanddate.com says: “This event marks the night that Allah (God) took Mohammad (also known as Mohamed or Muhammed) on a journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and then to heaven.”

But how is this holiday celebrated?

“Customs around Isra and Mi’raj vary between different Islamic communities. Some people spend the evening or night listening to or studying the story of Isra and Mi’raj in a mosque or at home. They may also decorate their homes or communities with candles or small electric lights and share food, particularly sweets, with each other or prepare a communal meal. People in some communities make a special effort to include children in the celebrations and explain the story of Mohammad’s journey.”

I’m not very familiar with the religion of Islam, so I was very happy to learn about this holiday and share it with you!

In Russia, Defender of the Fatherland Day is the equivalent of Father’s Day mixed in with Labor Day in the U.S. ,

So this holiday celebrates the achievements of military forces and veterans. However, Russian men who have never served in the military are also congratulated and receive gifts on this day. This is because military service is obligatory for most men in Russia, and therefore it is associated as Men’s Day.

Defender of the Fatherland Day remembers both current and past achievements of many Russians including Red Army leader Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (statue pictured above). ©iStockphoto.com/dmitriyd

Now, it is also becoming common for women to be celebrated on this day because of their involvement in the military! Interesting, no?

Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day in Turkey – May 19

This holiday, originally for commemorating Turkey’s War of Independence (1919-1923) [from Ottoman Empire], is now a sporting events holiday.

Young Turkish athletes carry the national flag from Samsun, a Black Sea port to Ankara, the country’s capital. Additionally, sporting events is watched on television, or people participate in various events.

The Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day is annually celebrated in Turkey on May 19. ©iStockphoto.com/atakss

Mexican Independence Day

In America, really any holiday is a cause for celebration and drinking. However, overall, this is a holiday is a cause for celebrating the Mexican heritage.

“Public memory of the Cinco de Mayo was socially, and deliberately, constructed during the American Civil War by Latinos responding to events and changes around them,” says historian David E. Hayes-Bautista. “The Cinco de Mayo is not, in its origins, a Mexican holiday at all but rather an American one, created by Latinos in California in the middle of the 19th century.” (Wikipedia)

In Mexico, all public schools are closed nation-wide.

image taken from britannica.com

Once more we travel to Canada and learn a little bit more of its culture. So there is this day in Canada that comes the day after Christmas and is known as Boxing Day.

Now, my first thought when I heard of such a day is that- wow, Canada must really enjoy boxing! On further inspection, I’ve come to the realization that this is not the case.

Explained so nicely by timeanddate.com, boxing day is a holiday similar to the U.S. holiday of Black Friday (which usually happens after Thanksgiving for us), but with the added difference that more ice-hockey games are watched on this day. It’s Canada, so it makes sense, right?

Many sporting events, such as ice hockey tournaments, are held on Boxing Day. ©iStockphoto.com/dave Skinner

In case you didn’t know it, there is a country that borders the north of USA and it is called Canada. This country has been heavily influenced by British, French, and U.S. culture.

Victoria day (Monday before May 25) is in celebration of both Queen Victoria and the current monarch, Queen Victoria II. Although celebrated nationally, there is especially a big celebration in the city of Victoria, in British Columbia. Likened to the U.S’s celebration of the 4th of July (Independence Day), there is also fireworks involved. This event is a national holiday, and therefore many schools and offices are closed.

This illustration is based on artwork from ©iStockphoto.com/Michiel de Boer & ©iStockphoto.com/George Cairns