This week’s photo was contributed by Anna on Pocketcultures who has been photographing a town called St. Jacobs which has a Mennonite history. Thanks Anna!
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Picture Postcards: Canadians celebrating Canada Day
It’s Not Summer ‘Till You Camp
How to Make Things Happen in Canada
October is Virgin Mary’s month. In Portugal, it’s time to pay a special visit to Our Lady of Fátima sanctuary, in Cova de Iria (Leiria). There, especially on the 13, we will find Catholics from all over the world celebrating the last appearance of the Virgin Mary in October 1917.
The Three Shepherd Children
According to the Catholic Church, Nossa Senhora de Fátima (Our Lady of Fatima) appeared to three shepherd children on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May,13 and ending on October,13. The three children were Lúcia Santos and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto.
Jacinta died in 1920 and Francisco in 1919. The siblings were victims of the great influenza epidemic that swept through Europe in 1918. Sister Lúcia, born in 1907, became a Carmelite nun in a monastery in Coimbra and died six years ago. (more…)
Nigeria is a secular country, with a mixture of Christian, Muslim and animist religious beliefs. Certain Nigerian states also observe the sharia law. Despite the multicultural nature of Nigeria, Ramadan is observed in pretty much the same manner across the country.
A typical day of fasting consists of increased prayers, charity and refraining from consuming any food or liquids, sinful thoughts or deeds, and sex. It is a time for meditation, forgiveness, and refocusing one’s attention on God.
Fruit is a major part of Ramadan in Nigeria. Many Nigerian muslims break their daily fast with fruit before settling down to have a full evening meal. As a result, Ramadan is accompanied by a hike in price of fruit. In Lagos State, the commercial hub of Nigeria and former capital city, 100 Naira (£0.40 pence) now buys 3 or 4 oranges instead of usual 6 as local traders capitalise on the increased demand.
In Kyrgyz culture marriage is one of the most important decisions and acts of person’s life. Family definitely stands among highest priorities of Kyrgyz people and marriages are meant to last for a lifetime. Therefore the wedding is very important not only for the bride and groom, but for their extended family and friends.
Kyrgyz weddings incorporate rituals, some of which often controversial. For example it is quite common to marry in a white “western style” gown, but along the “western” style wedding it’s mandatory to conduct the ritual of nikkah, the muslim traditional ritual of marriage. In other words, just like Kyrgyz culture, Kyrgyz weddings represent mix of traditions and cultures, which are cherished and influential in Kyrgyzstan.
To get a clearer picture of what a Kyrgyz wedding looks like, I have decided to describe two real weddings, one done in modern “western” style and another in “traditional” Kyrgyz style.
Today, Friday 24 June, is in France the day we celebrate St. John the Baptist and it is also an opportunity to celebrate the Feux de la Saint-Jean.
This tradition, which dates back to ancient times, most likely originated in Asia Minor and was introduced to Eastern Europe by the Celtic tribes 3000 years ago. Feux de la Saint-Jean was originally the celebration of the Summer Solstice on June 21st. The ancients use to light bonfires on the previous evening in honour of the Sun, a way to pray for its protection for the harvest to come.
Calendars come in many forms, from huge ones hanging on walls to pocket-sized ones and today, digital ones on the computer or mobile. No matter what changes, one thing remains constant – the calendar itself. We have become so used to the Gregorian calendar that no one needs reminding about the day the New Year begins – the first day of January. It is difficult indeed to think of all the calendars which preceded the one we are so used to today.
However, one place where the ancient calendars still survive is in India, even though we follow the Gregorian calendar in our day to day life. When it comes to family celebrations, be it birthdays or weddings, a sacred thread ceremony, or even a death in the family, the first thing we hunt for is the Hindu calendar. Here again, there are so many versions, depending on the region we belong to. While some of us follow the solar calendar, others follow one which is called the ‘Luni-solar calendar’. Confused? Well, it is rather confusing even to those of us who have grown up with it. Just to give you an idea of the similarities and differences, let me tell you about two different new years that we celebrated this year. (more…)
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
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From our contributors: week of May 13
Familiarizing the World with Assam.
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