Exploring Colorful Asia Ancient Chinese Wedding
No. 39 Fall 2014 ISSN 1599-4880 Registration No: 00017
Content
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Holi-Indian Festival of Colours and Joy
Ancient Chinese Wedding
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30 Wars Past Used to Promote Peace Education
A Must-be Programme for Educators
Director’s Message
Special Column Higher Education, the Right Vector for Broader Change
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Focus : Exploring Colorful Asia 7 Holi-Indian Festival of Colours and Joy 12 Ancient Chinese Wedding 17 Shining Blue Pearl of Central Asia 22 What a Dish, Cina’s Spice of Life 27 Korea’s Traditional Colours and Their Presence in Daily Life
Lving Together, Helping Each Other No. 39 Fall 2014
Best Practices
Letter
32 The Mosaic of Understanding
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Battling Dyslexia Through Images and Inspiration
Ab Hara’s Dream
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Comic Relief
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Special Report Towards Global Capacities Education
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Interview Making the Right to a Proper Education Universal
Peace in My Memory
Understanding the Asia-Pacific Region Thailand’s Rock Art Opens Gates of History
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APCEIU in Action
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The Mosaic of Understanding
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Battling Dyslexia Through Images and Inspiration
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Making the Right to a Proper Education Universal
SangSaeng is published three times a year by the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) under the auspices of UNESCO. 120, Saemal-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 152-050 T: (+82-2) 774-3956 F: (+82-2) 774-3958 E-mail: sangsaeng@ unescoapceiu.org Web: www. unescoapceiu.org/ sangsaeng
SangSaeng, a Korean word with Chinese roots, is composed of two characters: Sang, meaning “mutual” (each other) and Saeng, meaning “life.” Put together, they mean “living together,” “helping each other,” which is our vision for the Asia-Pacific region.
SangSaeng aims to be a forum for constructive discussion of issues, methods and experiences in the area of Education for International Understanding. SangSaeng also seeks to promote Global Citizenship Education, which is one of the three priorities of Global Education First Initiative launched by the United Nations in 2012.
Publisher: Utak Chung Editor-in-Chief: Kwanghyun Kim Editor: Sunmi Ji Copy Editor: Yoav Cerralbo Designed by: Seoul Selection Printed by: Pyung Hwa Dang
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ISSN 1599-4880 Registration No: 00017
Signed articles express the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of APCEIU.
Thailand’s Rock Art Opens Gates of History
Homepage www.unescoapceiu.org
FOCUS : Exploring Colorful Asia
Ancient
Chinese
This character means happiness in Chinese. In Chinese tradition, it is especially use for the symbol to paste on everywhere in the house of newly weds during wedding time.
Lving Together, Helping Each Other No. 39
Wedding Chinese Culture and History Article by admin in Wuxia Edge wuxiaedge.gmail.com
E
ver since ancient times, there has been a saying that the three most delightful moments in one’s life come with success in the imperial examination, marriage and the birth of a son.
From the Qin (221 BC – 206 BC) to Qing (1644 – 1911) Dynasties, the feudal system dominated over two thousands years. During this period, the importance of getting married was far more than that a person found his better half. For the male side, it determined the prosperity and even the future fame of their family;while for the female side, it meant that parents lost the chance of seeing their daughter for a long time.Thus to choose an ideal partner was vital for both the individual and the family.
RED IS THE COLOR OF WEDDINGS IN CHINA Red is central to the wedding theme of China. It signifies love, joy and prosperity and is used in a variety of ways in Chinese wedding traditions. The bride’s wedding down is often red, as are the wedding invitations, and wedding gift boxes or envelopes for cash gifts. Even the bride and groom’s homes are decorated in red on the wedding day.
COMB RECITALS 一梳梳到尾, 二梳百年好合, 三梳子孙满堂, 四梳白发齐眉. HERE’S WHAT EACH STROKE MEANS IN ENGLISH:
May your marriage last a lifetime May you be blessed with a happy and harmonious marriage until old age May you be blessed with an abundance of children and grandchildren May you be blessed with longevity
The center image: Hair comb ritual with red threads © Singapore Brides 2015 | Blessed-I Photography The bottom right image: Bride peeks out from the bridal sedan with the two attendants holding big plates of good words © Happiness by Design 2014 | Babysbreath
Lving Together, Helping Each Other No. 39 Fall 2014
Focus : Ancient Chinese Wedding | 7
THE WEDDING CEREMONY On the day of the wedding, the “Hair Dressing” Ritual of the bride and the “Capping” Ritual of the groom symbolized their initiation into adulthood and were important parts of the wedding preparations. Red, symbolic of joy, featured prominently in the clothing and other ritual objects pertaining to the wedding.
1. The “Hair Dressing” Ritual At dawn on her wedding day (or the night before), the bride bathed in water infused with pumelo, a variety of grapefruit, to cleanse her of evil influences; and one suspects as a cosmetic to soften her skin in the manner of contemporary alphahydroxls. She put on new underclothes and sat before lit dragonand-phoenix candles. A ‘good luck woman’ attended the bridal preparations. She spoke auspicious words while dressing the bride’s hair in the style of a married woman. After her hair was styled, the bride emerged from her retreat. She was carried to the main hall on the back of the ‘good luck’ woman or her most senior sister-in-law. There she donned a jacket and skirt and stepped into a pair of red shoes, placed in the center of a sieve.
The bride’s face was covered with either a red silk veil or a ‘curtain’ of tassels or beads that hung from the bridal Phoenix crown. After completing her wedding preparations, the bride bowed to her parents and to the ancestral tablets and awaited the arrival of the bridal procession from the groom’s house.
2. The Procession from the Groom’s House to Obtain the Bride The dim of firecrackers, loud gongs and drums marked the start of the procession from the groom’s home. The groom led the procession accompanied by a child as an omen of his future sons, and the bridal sedan chair was proceeded by attendants with lanterns and banners,
musicians, and a ‘dancing’ lion or unicorn. According to Hsiang, “Several decades ago, when there was a wedding in Fukien, the groom would to the bride’s house to fetch her, taking with him the bridal chair, which was completely covered with red satin and fresh flowers. He himself made the journey there and back in a blue and yellow teak sedan chair. ” On arriving at the bride’s house, the groom’s party was met by the bride’s friends, who would not ‘surrender ’the bride until they were satisfied by red packets of money, ang pau from the groom’s representative. This was the occasion of much good-natured haggwling before the two parties could reach an agreement.
3. The Bride’s Journey to the Groom’s House The ‘good luck woman’ or a dajin, employed by the bride’s family to look after the bride, carried the bride on her back to the sedan chair. Another attendant might shield the bride with a parasol while a third tossed rice at the sedan chair. Sometimes the bride was borne out in a wooden ‘cage’ with her feet padlocked; presumably a remnant from rougher times with extremely reluctant brides. A sieve, shai-tse, which would strain out evil, and a metallic mirror, king, which would reflect light, were suspended at the rear of the bride’s sedan to protect her from evil influence. The bride might also attach a special mirror to her garment, which she would not remove until she was safely seated upon the marriage bed.
4. Arriving at the Groom’s House Once again, firecrackers were set off just before the procession arrived. A red mat was placed before the sedan chair for the bride lest her feet touch the bare earth as she dismounted. All the household would be waiting to receive her. The bride was required to step over a saddle or a lit stove to cross the threshold, since the words for “saddle” and “tranquillity” sound the same, ngan, and the fire would cast out of evil influences. An attendant might immediately place a heap of rice in a sieve over or near the bride. If the bride did not wear a lucky mirror, one might be used at this time to flash
light upon the bride. In some regions, a grain measure and a string of of copper coins were laid out as talismans of prosperity. After these rituals took place, the groom could finally raise the red scarf and view the bride’s face.
THE WEDDING In contrast to the elaborate preparations, the wedding ceremony itself was simple. The bride and groom were conducted to the family altar, where they paid homage to Heaven and Earth, the family ancestors and the Kitchen God, Tsao-Chün. Tea, generally with two lotus seeds or two red dates in the cup, was offered to the groom’s parents. Then the bride and groom bowed to each other. This completed the marriage ceremony, except in some regions, where both also drank wine from the same goblet, ate sugar molded in the form of a rooster, and partook of the wedding dinner together.
1. The Nuptial Chamber Immediately after the ceremony, the couple were led to the bridal chamber, where both sat on the bed. In some areas, honey and wine were poured into two goblets linked by a red thread.
Lving Together, Helping Each Other No. 39 Fall 2014
The bride and groom took a few sips and then exchanged cups and drank it down. On the day of the wedding (and sometimes for the next three days), the bed chamber was open to visitors, who were given to teasing the young couple with ribald remarks.
2. The Wedding Banquets Generally, separate wedding feasts were given by the parents of the bride and the groom for their respective friends and families. Even at the feast, men and women sat separately. There could be a single feast for each or a series of feasts over several days. However, the most important feast was that given the groom’s family on the day of the wedding. It was generally considered as public recognition of the union.
CRITERIA IN TEA CEREMONY
1 The top image: Bride and Groom are holding the traditional wedding tea cups © Stories by Integerity 2015 | Grace Tan
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The bottom left image: All types of dishes on a Chinese wedding banquet © Beautiful life 2014 | Joy Foulds
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You, the bride, will position yourself on the left and your groom on the right. You and your groom may or may not be expected to kneel before your elders as you serve them tea. Always serve the male elders first as a sign of his superiority. Parents of the couple are the first to be served, followed by their relatives based on their seniority in the family. Remember to address the relatives by their formal titles (fifth aunt or second uncle, for example). If you’re not sure, do clarify before the ceremony begins. In return, your elders should gift you with red packets or gifts as their blessings. However, any unmarried older sibling is exempted from presenting a red packet for you and your groom. Both your younger siblings and cousins will serve you tea instead, and you will present them with gifts or red packets.
Interview
Making the Right to a Proper Education Universal An Interview with the EFA Global Monitoring Report Team Catherine Jere, Report Team, UNESCO headquarters cm.jere@unesco.org
Gender Equality in Education Š 2014 | Mohammad Rakibul Hasan
Interview | 11
Q1.
Could you tell us about the main message the report aims to deliver?
Analysis for the 2013/4 Global Monitoring Report (GMR) reveals a global learning crisis that is hitting the most disadvantaged the hardest. The Report shows that 250 million children are not learning the basics – how to read and write and do basic arithmetic. All the more worrying is that over half of these children are unable to read or write despite having spent at least four years in school.
false economy that has failed to ensure that all children have learnt the basics.
This has a huge impact on the young people in many countries as they enter the marketplace. In subSaharan Africa, for example, 40 per cent of 15-24 year olds cannot read a single sentence. In South and West Asia, one-third of young women cannot read all or part of a sentence.
Looking across the EFA goals, the Report also shows that, despite progress, many countries are not on track to achieve these goals by 2015. Universal Primary Education, for example, is likely to be missed by a wide margin. Globally, 57 million children are still out of school, the majority of whom are girls. By 2015, less than a third of countries will have adults all literate.
In terms of cost, this learning crisis results in $129 million spent annually toward a
Central to this crisis is the huge lack of qualified teachers. In a third of countries analysed by the Report, less than threequarters of primary teachers are trained. Children living in poor or remote areas are much less likely to be taught by qualified teachers.
A girl trying to learn math Š 2014 | Bindaas Madhavi
Q2.
Could you elaborate on the characteristics that the Asia-Pacific region shows in terms of achieving EFA goals?
Overall, the East Asia-Pacific region has made substantial progress towards EFA goals, with almost universal enrolment in primary education and youth literacy, for example. However, pockets of disadvantage and marginalization remain in some countries across the region. In terms of specific targets, enrolment in pre-primary education across the region has doubled from 39 to 62 per cent between 1999 and 2011, still short of the key benchmark of 80 per cent enrolment (Goal 1). For Goal 2, Universal Primary Education, gross enrolment rates have risen from 95 to 97 per cent. However, the retention rate of the last grade of primary education has shown less progress (from 84 to 89 percent between 1999 and 2011),
indicating that a significant minority of children still fail to complete their primary education. Gross secondary enrolment has risen from 62 per cent in 1999 to 80 per cent in 2011, and whilst 8.9 million adolescents of lower secondary school age were out of school in 2011, this does represent a 64 per cent decrease compared with 1999 rates (goal 3). Adult literacy has also improved, from 82 to 95 per cent in 2011 (goal 4). Gender parity has been achieved at the secondary level – a GPI of 102 – and primary level enrolments are slightly in favour of girls: a GPI of 103.
Lving Together, Helping Each Other No. 14 Fall 2014
Some countries still have significant progress to make if EFA goals are to be achieved. Progress towards universal primary education has stagnated in the Philippines with almost a third of primary school age children not in school, 1.46 million children out of a total population of 5.1 million. In terms of the quality of education, several countries in the region score very highly in international benchmarks for learning. They include Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore. In East Asia and the Pacific as a whole, around 15 per cent of children leave school having failed to read and write. In Malaysia, enrolment in secondary education has increased, but learning outcomes have worsened, widening the inequality amongst students.
Interview | 13
Q3.
As one of the priorities of the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) launched by the UN Secretary General, global citizenship education (GCE) toward the post-2015 agenda has been gaining international attention. Please share your thoughts on the ongoing discourse on the post-2015 agendas and GCE, as well. Education in a globalised world is increasingly putting emphasis on the importance of values, attitudes and communication skills as a crucial complement to the traditional emphasis on knowledge and skills. Whilst the exact definition of GCE is itself contested, there is growing consensus on the need for non-cognitive aspects of competencies – such as empathy, openness and aptitudes to interact with those from different backgrounds – to be included in the post-2015 agenda. In addition to quality, the relevance of education to understanding social, political, cultural and global issues will be an important yardstick for education post2015. This includes a role for education in supporting peace, human rights, equity, diversity and sustainable development.
EFA GLOBAL MONITORING REPORT
GCE is action-orientated and ultimately transformative. As such, global citizenship education should give the learner the opportunity and the competencies to
link their own lived experiences to global issues, and should acknowledge that learners themselves can make a powerful contribution to change. In most countries, the formal education system is likely to be the main mode of delivery for GCE, but there is a growing understanding that this might have to be complemented by non-formal approaches, including ICT modes, to target populations currently outside the formal system and to promote life-long learning. One key issue post-2015 will be governments’ ability to measure GCE competencies, if they are to be adequately monitored and achievements recognized. In the time up to post-2015 education agenda, UNESCO is working with the Learning Metrics Task Force to define what is required to support young people to become global citizens, both in terms of learning outcomes and broad competencies.
Developed by an independent team and published by UNESCO, the EFA Global Monitoring Report is the prime instrument to assess global progress towards achieving the six ‘Dakar’ EFA goals. The team puts together an annual publication that tracks progress, identifies effective policy reforms and best practice in all areas relating to EFA, draws attention to emerging challenges and seeks to promote
international cooperation in favour of education. The Report is targeted at decision-makers at the national and international level, and more broadly, at all those engaged in promoting the right to quality education – teachers, civil society groups, NGOs, researchers and the international community. EFAreport@unesco.org
A student of the Safar School smiles while listening to the talk about security and education in Garmsir district during a shura © 2014 | Cpl. Reece Lodder
Q4.
Could you give us a brief introduction about the next report entitled “Have we made it?”? The 2015 EFA GMR will review how much the EFA movement has contributed to ensuring that all children, young people and adults enjoy their right to an education that meets their basic learning needs.
The Report will provide a definitive global assessment of overall progress toward the six EFA goals that were established in Dakar, Senegal in 2000, paying particular attention to gaps between those who benefited and those who did not. This assessment will provide lessons for the framing of post-2015 education goals and strategies.
Lving Together, Helping Each Other No. 14 Fall 2014
Q5.
Lastly, do you have any message for the global readers of SangSaeng? Despite substantial progress towards EFA goals, particularly in East Asia and the Pacific, global inequalities remain stark. As attention turns toward the World Education Forum in the Republic of Korea next year, we urge readers of
SangSaeng to make their voices heard in ensuring that equity and cooperation are at the heart of any post-2015 global education agenda.
SangSaeng is available online: www.unescoapceiu.org/sangsaeng