Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year's Eve

Scotland is the birthplace of "Auld Lang Syne" and also the home of Hogmanay (hog-mah-NAY). Hogmanay is the Scot’s word for the last day of the year and is the wild and crazy Scottish New Year's celebration. It is celebrated on December 31. According to my research, before 1600, the New Year officially started in Scotland on March 25! In 1599, James VI, the King of Scots, changed this to January 1.

There are many rituals and customs associated with Hogmanay. The most popular custom is the practice of “first-footing” which starts immediately after midnight. This involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a friend's or neighbor's house and often involves the giving of gifts such as shortbread, whiskey or black bun (a fruit cake). These gifts are supposed to bring luck to the giftee. The first-foot is supposed to set the luck for the rest of the year. Traditionally, tall dark men are preferred as the first-foot.

One of the local customs in northeastern Scotland is "fireball swinging". This involves making a Scottish fireball consisting of wire filled with old newspaper, sticks, rags, and other dry flammable material to a chain or rope. After the clock strikes midnight, revelers swing these fire-lit balls overhead.

The Hogmanay custom of singing “Auld Lang Syne” has now become common in many countries. "Auld Lang Syne" is a poem reinterpreted by Robert Burns and it later became a song. All the revelers stand together, cross arms and hold hands while singing after the clock strikes midnight.

Sounds like the Scots have more fun on New Year’s Eve than we do!

The Happiness Project of 2011

 January 2011-Not so happy!

Around this time in 2010, I had decided to be happy every single day in 2011. I’ve never been what I used to call "the happy idiot" type, smiling and upbeat every day but after a few years of major emotional turmoil, I had decided that 2011 was the year I'd "take back the happy". This was before I had heard of the book, “The Happiness Project” and months before I had read it (and I highly recommend this book to everyone).  This happy type of person is actually the furthest thing from an idiot and probably a lot smarter than most of us.  They.just.are.happy. Period. End of story.

I say that I wasn’t the "happy" type but one of my close friends once asked me why my profile picture on Facebook (at the time) was a non-smiling picture of me.  She mentioned that I am always smiling and laughing and that it made no sense to have a non-smiling profile picture. I think she said something to the effect that I never see you "without a smile on your face". 

After really thinking about it, I decided that what had made me truly happy 30 years ago would probably still make me happy now. Horseback riding, roller skating, walking everywhere I could, reading and snow tubing. After looking over this list, aside from the reading, I realized I am a very physically-oriented person with abundant energy to spare. When I do any of these things, I feel complete joy. Pure bliss. The world falls away.

Everyone should have that kind of joy in their life. Very often, people look for it only in their love lives/in another person. We all know the type. The type of person who can never be alone because they look for other people to fill them and give them these experiences. These people never do what they really want to and never experience what really gives them joy because they settle for getting it secondhand from someone else and then, they, you know, DIE. Never realizing their own bliss.

I soon realized that all these things (with the exception of horseback riding as I had been riding without fail for 11 years after giving up this passion of mine in my early 20s) had fallen by the wayside.

Not only did I get in better shape (mentally and physically) but I met a lot of really cool people along the way. Some younger, some much older, but all people I would not have gotten to know if I had not reclaimed the things I loved. All with an interesting story but all very positive people.

It started with walking in the snow in January as I grew tired of being in the gym and seeing the same faces and wanted to breathe fresh air. I started with walking one mile or so a day and as the seasons changed, I was up to six miles a day. I found that I loved seeing the birds and all the different trees and flowers. Then  I soon started hiking. Everywhere. All the local state parks. I found that I really love to hike.  This was a huge surprise to me.

As I started walking to the local library from my house (about 5 miles roundtrip), I discovered again how much I loved to read and how important the library is to a community and I became involved with the library and read more this year than I have in a very long time. I learned that there is no reason to ever spend a penny on a book; the library can find you anything you want and need.

When I turned 40, I rented a roller rink and had a huge party there. I skated for 5 hours straight. The Mexican food and the margaritas could not even get me to stop. I felt pure joy all night. I said to myself, I want to do this again. Did I? No. Not until 2011. Being in the rink makes me feel young, alive, happy...essentially 12 again! Having my daughter along for the ride is just the icing on the cake filled with exercise, fun, socialization and joy. I’ve found that there are many adults-men and women-who love to skate and I also found out that everything you can do on ice skates; you can do on roller skates. Every Saturday morning is spent roller skating now. I’ve met people my own age who love it as much as I do and I’ve even met people in their 70s this year who still skate.

I have also spent less time with the "Why are you doing that?", "Why don’t you do this?", "Are you sure that's good for you?" people.  People that think that it is their job to help me with the "closure" of my current situation. Sorry, people. I am all done talking about that. I’ve moved on. Why haven’t you? It's really so 2007, don't you think?

I also gave up meat, caffeine, diet soda, alcohol and most dairy products. It really changed the way I felt-inside and out. I recharged my dormant spiritual side and started meditation and self-Reiki treatments daily. I reconnected with others by taking classes and started learning Chinese.

So, as the last few days of 2011 roll in, I can honestly say that I have had a wonderful year. I haven’t said that in a very long time. A year filled with less tears, more joy, more bliss, more energy, more love and a greater understanding of the interconnectedness between us all.

Here’s to 2012. May it be a positive one for all of you. Happy New Year!

November 2011-Happy!

Happy Horrordays!

 

I admit it. I had never heard of the Krampus until this year. How did I miss this? I love Christmas; I love all things horror. I hang Santa skull ornaments, Day of the Dead, zombies, aliens, half-eaten gingerbread men and skeletons on my Christmas tree. I do also have angels, bells, reindeer, snowmen and all those other “appropriate” Christmas ornaments. My daughter so loves all the nonsense I hang on the tree, she is presenting this "Christmas tradition" to her class this week. Let's see how that goes. However, I digress: How did I not know about the Krampus?!!?

In Alpine countries, the Krampus (known as many other names, including Knecht Ruprecht, Certa, Perchten, Black Peter, Schmutzli, Pelznickel and Klaubauf) is St. Nick’s traveling companion on December 6 (in some traditions, he comes out the night before on December 5). St. Nick takes care of the good kids; the Krampus, the bad. Kind of like good cop, bad cop. It seems to be most common in  Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia.

He is usually seen as a terrifying, incubus-like, goat-headed devil. He’s also pretty scary to look at. His job is to take the bad children (you know, the ones who have not been nice, as the song goes) down to hell in baskets after hitting them with chains and switches. Very, very creepy.

Tens of thousands of years ago, the Europeans celebrated mummery (a performance by people wearing masks and costumes) during the Winter Solstice. People would up dress up as animals and mythical characters and walk in parades and create plays. The most common costumes at that time were Old Man Winter and a horned Goat-Man. These were early predecessors of St. Nick and the Krampus.

The Krampus gets his name from "Krampen," the old German word for claw. In the mid-1950s, educators feared that the Krampus might scar children for life. However, in modern times, the Krampus has been mellowed down, with drunken adolescent boys dressing like goat-men and marching in a parade.

When St. Nick “came to America” in the 19^th century, he became Santa Claus, his look changed, he lost Krampus and the only thing that bad American kids now receive is coal in their stocking. A hell of a lot better than being dragged away in a basket!

Dalahäst

 

Every day, I walk about 5 miles. There is a house in town that I pass daily that has a red Dala Horse as its street address sign. I have always known that these equine symbols are Swedish but I did not know their significance. I love horses and I love to blog, so of course, a new blog entry was born.

Since Viking Times, the horse has been considered a holy animal. The Dala Horse (Dalahäst) is a very popular Swedish souvenir.  The name comes from Dalarna, in central Sweden. 

During the long Swedish winters, long ago, the forerunner to the Dala Horse was created using simple tools. It was only natural that a horse would be a popular model to craft as the horse was invaluable in those days.

According to the story, in 1716, while King Charles XII of Sweden was at war with other parts of Europe, many soldiers stayed in the Mora section of Sweden. Rumor has it that one such soldier carved a Dala Horse from some scrap wood. Since red was a color readily available from a nearby copper mine, he painted it red and gave it to one of the children in the house.

The Dala Horse gained popularity when it was chosen by the National Crafts Union for part of the Swedish display at the Paris Exposition in the mid-19th century.  Skills for creating the Dala Horse creation have been passed from generation to generation. It is one of the few folk traditions of Sweden still living.

The Dala Horse of today is still made by hand, with pine and takes about 9 different people to create. The village of Nusnäs, in Dalarna, is considered by some to be the home of the only authentic Swedish Dala Horses, with over 250,000 Dala Horses produced there annually.

Heri za Kwanzaa

 

Kwanzaa is celebrated around Christmas time but it is not a holiday dedicated to gift giving. Kwanzaa is not a religious celebration, either. It is a commemoration of heritage and togetherness. Family and friends find Kwanzaa to be a time of sharing and being together.

Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966. Karenga said that he wanted to "give black people an alternative to the existing holiday and an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society.” It is celebrated via song, dancing and recitation of poem. The word Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza (first fruits of the harvest).

Kwanzaa is built on seven principles that are commonly known as "Nguzo Saba". These are:

1. umoja - unity
2. kujichagulia - self-determination
3. ujima - collective work and responsibility
4. ujamaa - cooperative economics
5. nia - purpose
6. kuumba - creativity
7. imani - faith

Kwanzaa celebrations usually last seven days, from December 26 to January 1. Each of the seven days of the celebration is dedicated to one of the seven principles. Every day, a candle is lit that represents each principle.

Some symbols of Kwanzaa include a decorative mat on which other symbols are placed, corn, a kinara (a candle holder for seven candles), a communal cup for beverages, gifts, a poster of the seven principles, and a black, red, and green flag. The symbols were designed to convey the seven principles.

Kwanzaa observers decorate their households with art, colorful African cloth (kente) and fresh fruit. The women wear kaftans. The greeting each day during Kwanzaa is Habari Gani (What’s the news?)

On the evening of Kuumba (December 31) there is a feast called Karamu. This is the main focus of Kwanzaa where cultural expression is encouraged. Karamu generally brings everyone closer to their roots and involves a welcoming statement, remembering ancestors, assessing current situations, a recommitment to values, rejoicing, a goodbye statement, and a call for greater unity.

O Galo de Barcelos

Have you ever wondered what the legend is behind the colorful, ceramic roosters seen in Portuguese souvenir and pottery shops? I have two that sit on my kitchen window and a bottle opener and a necklace (given to me by my Portuguese-American sister-in-law many years ago) and I have always loved them but never really understood their significance. I just knew they were supposed to bring you luck.

The rooster has long been the unofficial symbol of Portugual (much like the eagle in the United States). It symbolizes honesty, integrity, trust and honor. The city of Barcelos is located just east of Braga. It is known for its pottery, handicrafts and earthenware.

As with most legends, it is so old that no one knows the exact details but one version (there are a few other versions with minor variations) goes something like this:

A crime had been committed in Barcelos, Portugual and a man from Galicia was passing through Barcelos on his way to São Tiago de Compostela in Spain and was accused of this crime. Because the man was not able to prove his innocence; he was ordered to die by hanging.

His last request before being hanged was to be able to appear one last time before the judge to try to prove his innocence. His request was granted and he was taken to see the judge who was eating dinner with his friends.

The man from Galicia stated his innocence once again and then, pointing to a cooked rooster on the table and said, “As sure as I'm innocent so will that rooster crow!”

The judge grew angry, still didn’t believe him and his immediate hanging was ordered.

Just as the noose was about to go around his neck, the dead rooster sat up and crowed and the man was freed.

The man from Galicia returned to Barcelos, many years later, and erected a monument to the Virgin and St. James (San Tiago).

Since this day, supposedly, the Galo de Barcelos has stood for honesty.

The Star of David (“Magen David”)

 

During the holiday season, I hang a large, shiny, tinseled, blue and silver Star of David in my home along with my Christmas decorations. Another tiny Star of David handmade by my daughter from popsicle sticks sits atop one of my many Christmas trees. I also have a mezuzah (a symbol of God’s watchful care over the home, as it was described to me) near my doorway but that’s for a different blog entry.

My stepfather was Jewish so we celebrated all Jewish and Christian holidays. It’s just not holiday time without it. As strange as that sounds. I need to display my Star of David around the holidays.

Recently, I wondered about its significance which, always, of course, leads to a blog entry. As with most topics I like to research, its origins are rather vague. The Star of David had not been mentioned in the rabbinic texts until the Middle Ages. After this time, a deeper spiritual meaning was associated with the star by Kabbalists. The David in question would be King David. Medieval Jewish texts spoke of a magic shield possessed by King David which protected him from his enemies.

The "Magen David" or “shield of David”, is seen as a symbol of unity. It is also known as a hexagram or more rarely, “Solomon’s Seal”. The Star of David was first used as a Jewish symbol in 1354. The Jewish people were given the right to have a flag by Emperor Charles IV. The people chose the Star of David as their symbol.

Soon, it became a symbol of the Jewish people and was used as decoration for Jewish architecture. Unfortunately, this symbol of unity was turned into something negative during World War II, when Jewish people were forced to wear a yellow Star of David on their clothes as a badge of shame. Yellow was considered to be a negative color.

Fortunately, after that atrocious time in history ended, the Star of David was turned back into a symbol of respect and honor. During the founding of Israel, the Zionists brought national attention to the symbol by placing the it on the flag of Israel.

The Kabbalists thought that the six points of the star represented God's rule of the universe (north, south, east, west, up and down). The triangles also represented the good and evil in all of us and the star could be used as protection against evil spirits.

The structure of the star, with two overlapping triangles, has also been thought to represent the relationship between God and the Jewish people. The star that points up symbolizes God and the star that points down represents us here on earth. 

חנוכה שמח

Santa Lucia

 

How many Italian-American people can say that they did not grow up with their grandmothers cooking on Sunday with Mario Lanza singing Santa Lucia in the background? Very few, I am sure. I grew up with the notion that Santa Lucia was an old Italian folk song.

Who was Santa Lucia? She was Saint Lucy (283–304), also known as Saint Lucia, who was a wealthy young Christian martyr, venerated as a saint. This Italian saint has been "adopted" by the Swedish and other Scandinavian people.

Her origins, however, are actually not Scandinavian, but instead, Sicilian. According to the Sicilian legend, Lucia's mother (who was wealthy) had been cured of an illness by the sepulcher of Saint Agatha in Catania. Lucia persuaded her mother to show her gratitude by distributing her wealth to the poor. By candelight, the mother and daughter went about the city distributing wealth to the sick.

In art, she is often seen with eyes on an offering plate. Legend has it that her fiancé denounced her as a Christian to the governor of Syracuse, Sicily. The guards were unable to move or burn her, so they took out her eyes with a fork. In another version, her fiancé so admired her eyes that she tore them out, handed them to him and said “Now let me live to God.”

No one is exactly sure how this legend made it’s way to Scandinavia, but it was said that Santa Lucia had appeared during a famine in Sweden in the middle ages, carrying food to the farmers across a lake.

Her feast day is celebrated on December 13. It is generally associated with Sweden and Norway but it is also observed in Denmark, Italy, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Malta, Bosnia, Bavaria, Slovakia and Croatia.

St. Lucia's Day is now celebrated in Sweden by a girl putting on a white dress with a red sash around her waist and a crown of candles on her head. (Electric candles are used in modern times for safety) This crown is made of lingonberry branches as they are evergreen and celebrate new life in winter. A national Lucia is also chosen and Lucias also visit hospitals and the elderly, singing songs about St Lucia and handing out Pepparkakor (ginger snap biscuits).

Sul mare luccia l'astro d'argento,
Placida è l'onda, prospero è il vento  
Venite all'agile barchetta mia...
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!

Con questo zeffiro, così soave
Oh! Com'è bello star su la nave!
Su passaggieri, venite via!
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!

The Changing Names of Countries and Their Cities

Names have always been very important to me. I never can understand why a woman can just give away her last name after marriage when it’s part of who she is. I have never been attached to my first name (it’s bland, boring, it screams “I was born in the late 60s” and is so not me) but I do love my last name; I think it’s beautiful. Due to this, I find it personally disconcerting when a country or city changes its name. And confusing, too!

One day many years back, I was reading an article about a city called Mumbai in India. I realized I was then hearing that word a lot and knew it had to be the new term for the city formerly known as Bombay.  After researching this name change, I learned that in 1995, the Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena won elections in the state of Maharashtra and after the election, the party announced that the city had been renamed after the Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, the city's patron deity. Federal agencies, local businesses, and newspapers were forced to adopt the change. The name “Bombay” was considered to be an English adaptation of “Mumbai”. This was an unwanted legacy of British rule and thus, Mumbai was born.

What about Peking and Beijing? One day, out of the blue, many years ago, I heard the term Beijing, China. This explanation can be a little confusing to a non-native Chinese speaker or someone who is not a student of the Chinese language. The Chinese capital did not change its name but Chinese words became spelled in English differently. You got that?  According to my research, the name stayed exactly the same and most Chinese people were not even aware Westerners think there has been a name change.  Before 1958, the Chinese government used the Wade-Giles system to transliterate Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet. After 1958, the government switched to the pinyin system of transliteration. So now, we call the capital city Beijing (pinyin) instead of Peking (Wade-Giles).

On to the countries. I asked myself one day, “What happened to Yugoslavia"...Why...it became Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hercegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia, of course!  Namibia is a country I’ve just heard of in the last 5 or so years (Thank you, Brangelina). Why? Because it was formed in 1990 and was once just known as Southwest Africa.

Here are some other countries who just couldn’t keep their maiden names:

Persia: Modern Persia was founded in the sixteenth century and later became known as Iran.

Siam: Changed its name to Thailand in 1939.

Zaire: Changed its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997.

The USSR: Separated into 15 new countries in 1991: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldovia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldovia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Czechoslovakia: Split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.

Zanzibar and Tanganyika merged to form Tanzania in 1964.

Abyssinia: Ethiopia’s name until the early 20th century.

Ceylon: Now known as Sri Lanka since 1972.

Burma: In 1989, this country became Myanmar but many countries still aren't recognizing the change, such as the United States.

Transjordan: Known as Jordan since 1946.

Due to all these changes, it is interesting that Siamese and Abyssinian cats are not now known as Thai and Ethiopian cats; Ceylon Tea is not now known as Sri Lankan tea; Burmese pythons are not called Myanmar pythons and Persian rugs are not called Iranian rugs.

Festa dei sette pesci (The Feast of the Seven Fishes)

 

What is the Feast of the Seven Fishes? According to Mario Batali, "It's what Italians do when they say they're fasting."

There is nothing quite like an Italian Christmas Eve. For those who have never experienced it, I take pity on you! I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to be an Italian-American. Every fellow Italian-American, I imagine, has probably grown up with the “no meat on Christmas Eve” rule. I knew it has religious significance but didn’t know what it was entirely about.

The Feast of the Seven Fishes (Festa dei sette pesci) is an Italian Christmas Eve tradition built around fish of all kinds and prepared in as many different ways as possible.

This feast began as a southern Italian custom. The tradition was hugely popular in Italy’s most southern points, including the island of Sicily. In the ancient Catholic church, Christmas Eve was a vigilia di magro -- a sacred fasting day on which no meat could be consumed. This has since been lifted but many devout Italians still follow this tradition (and even most non-devout Italians!)

Some say it’s supposed to remind us of the seven deadly sins (wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony). Some say it is an homage to the last seven commandments which prescribe rules of human interaction, as opposed to the first three. Others say it is because it took God seven days to create the universe.

Others say it is more simple; the long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve is all about abstinence—in this case, refraining from the consumption of meat or milk products—on Fridays and specific holy days. As no meat or butter could be used on such days, observant Catholics would instead eat fish, typically fried in oil.

Yet another theory is that the number seven is a number representating perfection: the traditional Biblical number for divinity is three, and for Earth is four, and the combination of these numbers, seven, represents God on Earth, or Jesus Christ.

Shrimp parmigiana, scungili salad and baccalà are a few of my favorites but other dishes served include:

Crab stuffed mushrooms

Deep fried calamari, oysters, cod, shrimp and scallops

Fried smelts

Insalata di mare

Linguine with clam sauce

Marinated eel

Octopus salad

This is one tradition from my childhood I am very happy to carry on and one of my favorite things about Christmas!

Mangia! Buon Natale!

Die Weihnachtsgurke-Truth or Urban Legend?

Growing up on Long Island and fascinated by the German language (although I ended up studying French in school instead) and being of German descent, I had always heard about the "German Christmas Pickle Tradition". 

 

The story I had always heard was that in Germany, a dry pickle was hidden in the Xmas tree. Supposedly the child who finds the pickle will have great luck for the coming year.

 

This year, I decided to finally put a glass pickle ornament on my tree and then research (just because a pickle ornament is really cool). Much to my dismay, I have found that this “may” only be a urban legend. Here are a few of the myths/backstories:

 

-West Germans have said that East Germans may have had nothing more than pickles to decorate their Christmas trees with after WW II (but East Germans refute this).

 

-Some claim that the custom is observed in the small German town of Höxter. The problem is, no one from this town has ever said they know of such a custom.

 

-Another claim is that this traces back to a Bavarian-born ancestor who fought in the American Civil War. Starving, he begged for a pickle before he expired. A guard give a pickle to him and supposedly, he garnered enough strength to go on.

 

-Another claim originated from Berrien Springs, MI. When Spanish boys traveling home from boarding school for the holidays stopped at an inn for the night, the innkeeper stuffed them in a pickle barrel. St. Nicholas stopped at the same inn and freed the boys.

 

Regardless whether this is urban legend or part of German history, this Christmas tradition has taken on a life of its own. Every Christmas store has glass pickle ornaments for sale. Even the Dollar Tree!

Tibet, Dharamsala and The Dalai Lama

 

I climbed to Dharamsala too
I did
I met the highest lama
His accent sounded fine
To me, to me

-Vampire Weekend

Three places I am looking forward to visiting are Tibet (because of it’s rich Buddhist history and it’s excellent energy regardless of the Chinese occupation), Dharamsala, India (because it is the adopted homeland of the Tibetan people and also has a beautiful energy about it) and Nepal (the birthplace of the Buddha).

While I have very strong feelings about Tibet, this blog entry is not a political commentary and my brief description barely scratches the surface of this sad ordeal. That said, let’s move along.

Tibet is situated between China and Nepal and is often referred to as the “Roof of the World”. When one talks about Tibetan history, they are really referring to the history of Buddhism in Tibet due to the strong role that the religion has played in developing the culture and due to the fact that all major historians of the country were Buddhist monks.

Dharamsala is a mountain retreat in the Dhauladhar range in India but it’s best known as the place of refuge for the Tibetan community and the new home of the Dalai Lama. It is frequented by many tourists each year.

The population is little more than 19,000 and the languages spoken there are Himachali, Hindi and English.

In 1855, Dharamsala was founded. The British used it as a summer retreat to escape the intensely hot summers.

In 1950, a year after the communists had assumed power in China, they invaded Tibet, their smaller and weaker neighbor. In 1959, Tibet was annexed, the capital of Lhasa was overtaken by the Chinese and this forced the 14th Dalai Lama and his government to abandon their land. Since then, Tibet has ceased to exist as an independent nation.

During these troubled days, no country would risk the wrath of the growing Republic of China to offer shelter to the Tibetans. India, however, came to the rescue of the Tibetan community and since 1960, they have lived in Dharamsala. It appears that Dharamsala has recaptured the deeply religious feelings, lush locale and peacefulness that Tibet once provided.

The Chinese occupation led to "an estimated one million Tibetans dead from imprisonment and starvation. Tibet's 6,254 monasteries are gutted and in ruins." The Dalai Lama best sums up the situation, "The Chinese claimed that they came to Tibet to 'liberate' us from the past and modernize the country. In fact they have brought the greatest suffering to our nation in its 2100 years of history."

Many people feel visiting Tibet is a slap in the face to the exiled Tibetans (as all the money spent goes to the Chinese people and Chinese government). The Dalai Lama expresses a different belief; he feels that individual travelers to Tibet support the Tibetan cause.

Earlier this morning, I read an article that touched my heart. Inspired by the regret expressed by his terminally ill father that he would never again walk on Tibetan soil, the artist Tenzing Rigdol arranged for Tibetan soil to be brought to Dharamsala. This artist hatched a plan to get the soil from “deep inside Tibet” and bring it to Dharamsala via Nepal.

This was a very bold move. Rigdol commented that "My dad and other relatives would say that, before they died, they wanted to step [once more] on Tibetan soil," and "After my father passed, I remembered what he had said."
 
A young man who was there reported, "I was there the first morning. People were crying and getting very emotional. I was born in India. This was the chance to walk on Tibetan soil."

A tub of the Tibetan soil  was sent to the Dalai Lama. The next morning, it was returned with the word "Tibet" drawn by a finger in the Tibetan script.

10 things to be grateful for when you think there is nothing…

 

I absolutely love Thanksgiving. But, holidays can be difficult for some people. Especially when they are at a time in their lives where their life situation/finances/love life/job situation is not where they’d like it to be. Often times, we get lost in what we wish we had/where we are lacking instead of focusing on what is already here. Now.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’d like to remind everyone of some of the things we often take for granted but owe a huge debt of gratitude for whether we are sick, struggling, lonely, unemployed, lost, hopeless, hopeful or extremely content.

-You woke up this morning;

-You had food to eat for breakfast when many did not;

-Your home is warm and has power;

-You have legs for walking, eyes for seeing and hands for holding;

-The sun rose this morning to light your world and it will, hopefully, set this evening to darken your world;

-Whether they are here with you or departed, whether they properly showed it or not,  your parents loved you and you are here because of them;

-You can speak, smell, hear, think, jump, cry…FEEL;

-You can laugh and be joyful;

-There IS an “interconnectedness” between every human being in this world…You Are Not Alone;

-You are here…ALIVE...NOW…and that, above all else, you matter.

No matter where your life circumstances led you tomorrow on Thanksgiving, you have a lot to be grateful for...

Global Days of Gratitude

 
Thanksgiving is an American holiday and is a tradition that began in 1621, as a day of gratitude. Thanksgiving was proclaimed as a holiday in 1777 by the Continental Congress. In 1941, the U.S. Congress proclaimed that the fourth Thursday of November is the official day to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

Although Thanksgiving is an American-specific holiday, countries around the world show their gratitude on special days, as well.

Canada’s Thanksgiving is called the Fete de Grace, or Harvest Home Festival and falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the United States. It is an annual Canadian holiday to give thanks at the close of the harvest season

In Asia, Japan celebrates Labor Thanksgiving Day (勤労感謝の)on November 23. It is an occasion for commemorating labor and production and giving one another thanks. Local elementary students create drawings and bring them to the local police station.

The Chinese celebrate Chung Ch'ui (which literally means “the middle of Autumn”) during harvest time. It is celebration of the birth of the moon. Chinese people pay visits to their older relatives, do housekeeping, visit tombs, set up altars for the ancestors and eat moon cakes.

In Brazil, every fourth Thursday of November, the Dia Nacional de Acao de Gracas is celebrated. According to my research, when the “Ambassador of Brazil visited U.S. at the invitation of National Cathedral of Washington, D.C., he was enamored by the concept of Thanksgiving and brought it to his homeland.”

In Switzerland, the Federal Day of Thanks, Penance, and Prayer (Eidgenössischer Dank- Buss- und Bettag), is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday in September each year. This is considered a high holy day.

Germany gives thanks during Erntedankfest, which occurs on the 1st Sunday in October. This holiday celebrates the end of harvest time and involves the creation of displays of fruit, bread and grains that are set up to show gratitude for God’s grace and kindness. Afterwards, all the produce is donated to the needy.

In the British Isles, they celebrate Lammas Day, one of the oldest medieval festivals. It is a feast with pagan origins. The end of the growing season and the gathering of the harvest are celebrated. Bread is baked and placed it on church altars as offerings and dolls are made out of grain. These dolls are then planted in the spring to ensure a plentiful crop.

South Africans celebrate Incwala in December. This festival is also called the Festival of the Fruits and lasts for six days. Priests gather foam and salt water from the ocean, men cut down branches of the Lusekwane tree and there is lots of dancing and chanting.

In Israel, Sukkoth is celebrated at the end of September-early October. This holiday is named for the huts used by Mohammed and the Israelites as they wandered for forty years in search of the promised land. Each year, families create these small huts, fill them with fruits and vegetables and then they eat dinner in these huts for the first two nights of this eight day festival.

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in Liberia on November 3 and it shadows the same traditions of the American Thanksgiving day. Liberia was founded in the XIX century by freed slaves from the United States. Because of this, Liberia was never under the power of Europe like other African countries. Liberia became colonized under the American Colonization Society between 1821 and 1822 and it was intended to be a place for slaves freed in the United States and that wanted to immigrate to Africa in search of more personal freedom and equality as citizens. So, on Thanksgiving Day, the Liberians show gratitude to God and America for their freedom and for the creation of Liberia.

Certain holidays are specific to certain countries but gratitude is expressed globally. It appears that the one thing that all the countries have in common is that the more gratitude you show for what you have, the more that comes to you...

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

About Polish...

I have always loved the Polish language. All the Ws, the consonants and the interesting punctuation. It has always been one of my favorite languages to work with during my 16 years in the localization industry. I am finally at a point where I can tell the difference between Czech and Polish by sight but it did take a few years. I can also tell the difference by sound between Russian and Polish but they sound very similar and this also has taken many years!

Having two children who are half-Polish and were blessed with a long surname that can be hard to spell, I decided to delve into the language and find out more about it.

Polish is spoken by 50 million people and is part of the western branch of Slavic languages, and belongs to the Indo-European family, along with Slovak and Czech. Although there was pressure from non-Polish administrations in Poland to suppress the native language, Polish is currently the largest, in terms of speakers, of the West Slavic group. It is also the second most widely spoken Slavic language, preceded only by Russian.

Polish is the official language obviously of Poland but it is also spoken as a second language in some parts of Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. This is due to migration of the Polish people and border changes after World War II.

Interesting facts about the Polish language:

-          There is no " Q ", " V " or " X " in the Polish alphabet.

-          Many words in the Polish language were borrowed from German due to its close proximity.

-          The Polish call their language język polski or polszczyzna.

-          Slovak is similar to Polish as German is to Swiss German, with more than 70% of vocabulary shared.

-          Polish and Russian are like Spanish and Italian, with 55-60% of vocabulary similar

-          While Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian use the Cyrillic script, Czech and Polish use the Latin-based script.

-          The Polish have a special fondness for English and it is the most popular foreign language in Poland.

Some common Polish phrases:

Dzien dobry : good day
Dobry wieczor : good evening
Dobranoc : good night
Czesc : hi / hello
Do widzenia : good bye
Prosze : please
Dziekuje : thank you
Dzieki : thanks (less formal)

The origins of Dano-Norwegian (Bokmål)

I was recently asked by a client to provide a “Dano-Norwegian” medical translation. Since I had never worked with this dialect/language before, this led me on a quest for information and of course, a new blog entry.

Norway has two official written languages, Bokmål (Dano-Norwegian) and Nynorsk (New Norwegian). According to my research, they are given equal status and are both used in public administration, in education and on TV/radio. Books, magazines and newspapers are published in both languages.

Dano-Norwegian is an official literary form of Norwegian based on written Danish. In other words, it is a Norwegian variant of the Danish language and predecessor of the Bokmål written standard of the modern Norwegian language. It is a form of Danish with Norwegian pronounciation and minor local differences. It is what is called a koiné language (this is a language/dialect that occurs or is created due to contact between two dialects of the same language). “A koiné variety emerges as a new spoken variety in addition to the originating dialects; it does not change any existing dialect. This separates koineization from normal evolution of dialects.”

Up until the 13^th century, the language spoken in Norway was "Old Norwegian".  In 1380, Norway entered into a union with Denmark. By the early 1600s, the United Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway (1536-1814) was formed. This koiné language evolved during this time. The official language of the time was Danish. The urban elite in Norway spoke Dano-Norwegian. In 1814, the two countries separated. At that time, Dano-Norwegian was still the official language of Norway.

During the 20^th century, a new approach was taken with written Norwegian to reflect the urban and rural jargon of that country. The first Norwegian successor to Dano-Norwegian was known as Riksmål (literally "national language"). Since 1929, this official written standard has been known as Bokmål (literally "book language”). According to my research, Riksmål officially changed its name to Bokmål after a proposition to use the name Dano-Norwegian lost with a single vote in the Lagting (a chamber in the Norwegian parliament). Later attempts to bring it closer to and eventually merge it with the other Norwegian written standard, Nynorsk (literally “new Norwegian”), constructed on the basis of Norwegian dialects, have failed due to widespread resistance.

In The Phonology of Norwegian, Gjert Kristoffersen writes that:

"Bokmål [...] is in its most common variety looked upon as reflecting formal middle-class urban speech, especially that found in the eastern part of Southern Norway, with the capital Oslo as the obvious centre. One can therefore say that Bokmål has a spoken realisation that one might call an unofficial standard spoken Norwegian. It is in fact often referred to as Standard Østnorsk ('Standard East Norwegian')."

While researching, I happened to find some interesting Dano-Norwegian facts:

-The famous Ibsen works, “A Doll’s House”, “Hedda Gabler”, “An Enemy of the People” among others were originally written in Dano—Norwegian. 

-The Norwegian National Anthem (“Ja, vi elsker dette landet”) was originally written in Dano-Norwegian as that was frequently used in Norway at the time. A more modern version has evolved over the years.