PocketCultures

From our contributors: week of December 4

This is what some of our contributors were up to last week:

Sandra, our contributor from Portugal, writes about a show of light and fantastic creatures called Turn on the Lights 2011 at Dam Square (Amsterdam)

“A couple of weaks ago, I went to Amsterdam to meet my friend Raquel. She had invited me to watch a show at Dam Square. A show of light and fantastic creatures: Turn on the Lights 2011 by Bijenkorf”

DeeBee, our contributor from France, writes about the symbolism of Christmas Holly in France from the Celts to this day.

“The use of holly is full of symbolism that, once more, originated in paganism. Celts believed that its prickly leaves had magic power and protected from evil spirits…druids wore a sprig of holly in their hair during the Winter (and Summer) Solstice celebrations. This belief remained and for centuries people hung a sprig of holly above their bed.” (more…)

Ana December 6, 2011 0 comments

Blogs of the World / France / India / Poland

From our contributors: week of November 7

We continue with our bi-weekly roundup of articles written by some members of our contributors team on their personal blogs.

Anu, our contributor from India, writes about a visit to the Corbett National Park, a wildlife sanctuary in Uttarakhand -India- and her search for “the elusive tiger”.

“At present, the reserve extends over more than 1300 square kilometers, including about 500 sq Km of core area, and about 800 sq Km of buffer area. The dense moist deciduous forest mainly consists of sal, haldu, pipal, rohini and mango trees, and these trees cover almost 73 per cent of the park. 10 per cent of the area consists of grasslands. The sanctuary is home to around 110 tree species, 50 species of mammals, 580 bird species and 25 reptile species. However, the main attraction here remains the elusive and endangered Bengal Tiger.”

DeeBee, our contributor from France, writes about All Saints Day celebrations in France.

“In France, the Toussaint – All Saints Day (November 1st) and the Jour des Morts – Day of the Dead (November 2nd) have become one celebration during which French people honour their dead and put chrysanthemums on their graves… In the Language of Flowers the chrysanthemum is the symbol of Peace and Resurrection.”

Jenna, our contributor from Poland, describes the celebrations of All Saints Day in Poland.

“November 1st in Poland is a day for cemetery visits. The tradition is inextricably linked to All Saints’ Day, a significant holiday in the Christian (and particularly, the Catholic) Church. The holiday, followed by its companion All Souls’ Day, is designated as time to reflect on the lives of the Saints and to remember all who have died. Different ways of celebrating and honoring deceased ancestors manifest themselves in communities around the world. The colorful masks and skulls associated with the Day of the Dead in Mexico is one example that comes to mind.”

Neha: from Mumbai to Zagreb

Neha is an Indian expat living in Croatia with her husband. I interviewed her a while ago via email. You can visit her blog at Flying Suitcase

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Neha, and I am a freelance writer.

I was born in India, and spent my first few years in Mumbai. When I was four, I moved, with my parents, to Lusaka, Zambia. I still remember bits of that first journey in vivid details. My mother was nervous. I was upset – at having to leave our home and family behind. I remember the food in the plane – it was terrible, but I loved the packaging – I’ve always enjoyed airplane meals. I don’t remember arriving in Lusaka, but I don’t remember the day we left either.

For a long time Lusaka was home. There was a big Indian community and it made things very easy, especially for my parents. We celebrated all national and religious festivals with great pomp. In fact our whole year revolved around preparing of festivities; the desire to assert one’s cultural identity is so strong when you are away from home, it becomes the centre of your existence. It was only when we moved back to India that I realized the frenzy with which we celebrated all things cultural was not always the norm. (more…)

Ana November 1, 2011 1 comment

India / Music, Art & Cinema / PocketCultures / Topics of the World

Picture Postcards: Graffiti in Hampi, India

Today’s Picture Postcards come to us from our contributor in India, Anuradha, who says this about Hampi:

It was once the capital of the erstwhile Vijayanagara Empire and was a hub of architecture and temple building. It was also a place which drew people, especially traders from all over the world. Today, all that is left of the great city is in ruins, but even they are so beautiful that one can just keep on looking at them!

You can read more about Hampi on her blog.

marie October 24, 2011 0 comments

Across cultures / China / India / People of the World / UK

A mission to understand the youth of the world

Adrian Fisk is the photographer behind the photos of young people from China and India we’ve featured over the last two weeks on People of the World. The concept is simple but effective: photograph young people with their thoughts about the future to compile a snapshot of the preoccupations of a generation, with the objective of increasing understanding between – and within – societies. So far iSpeak has covered China and India, and now Adrian is working on plans to take it to 25 different countries. I caught up with Adrian via Skype to find out more.

Western media project a certain image of China, but is it an accurate one? Pondering this question, Adrian realised how little he (and many others he knows) understood about China’s young people; their worries, hopes and dreams. Formerly a photojournalist, he had been living in India for the last seven years, and seen for himself the rise of South-East Asia, and in particular India and China. Together these countries have 1.2bn young people (aged 16 to 30): this generation is going to have a huge influence on the world, and so to understand where the world is going we need to understand how they see the world.

(more…)

Lucy October 13, 2011 1 comment

India / Music, Art & Cinema / Topics of the World