CULTURE COLUMN YEW CHUNG INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BEIJING
LA FRETIVAL Top festivals in Europe and Oceania Celebrating public holidays has
Tomatina Festival’ (‘Tomato
been one of the longest traditions in
festival’ in Spanish). Many more,
the human history, present in every
generally unknown and
culture. Its name and date might
unheard-of, have been passed
differ from countries and continents,
down through the ages, and by
but its main purpose - to provide
reading on, you will no doubt
people some time to rest and to
find something educational,
reflect on their cultural and religious
rewarding, and possibly actually
background, as well as to honor
useful.
what is important to them - stayed the same.
The
“FESTIVALS ARE LIVELY
Nowadays, in a globalized world, it has become easier
FORMS OF MUSEUM; THEY REPRESENT THE HISTORY AND THE CULTURE IN
and more common to
ACTION (P2 8TH PARAGRAPH
share cultural
LINE 13)”
and religious backgrounds,
Carnival of Venice is a festival held in Venice, Italy, and has been one of
and, through knowing and caring
Europe’s most anticipated
more about others, enjoy ancient
celebrations since 1268. The
holidays internationally.
festival holds nearly all aspects of what is to be expected from a
The regions of Europe and
typical cultural gathering –
Oceania, from which modern
exquisite Italian food and wine,
western culture has risen, are well
parades, classical Italian music,
known for their rich and profound
and the star of every festival,
cultural and religious backgrounds.
elaborate masks worn and
As a origin of many significant
displayed everywhere, that add
events, from rising of Christianity to
a sense of timeless mystery to
Renaissance, Europe with Oceania
the now modern celebration.
also is an origin for many different public holidays, from Christmas to ‘la October 31, 2011 [Edition 1, Volume 1]
YEW CHUNG INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BEIJING
Then there’s the Cheese Rolling Festival every May in Cooper’s Hill,
fruit and perhaps a bit of wine to
clean creatures. After this parade
raise excitement levels.
ends, everyone will join the grand
England, whose name just about explains it. It is traditional in every
party which takes place along the The fight, which has no rules
Yarra River, watching the fireworks
way, holding a century’s worth of
apart from the request that
and enjoy the international foods as
history, but as everyone can imagine,
tomatoes must be squished in the
well as the live concerts.
it’s just about as different from the
hand before hurling, lasts no more
Italian culture-based Carnival of
than an hour, but it is after the
Venice as could be. The original idea
frenzy hour that people emerge as if
culture is very ancient and diverse,
was to have a master of ceremonies
survivors of a recent and brutal
and with that comes the thousands
release cheese wheels down a steep,
massacre covered with bloody
of years’ worth of holidays and
high hill, and have people run after
tomato juice. More surprisingly, with
festivities. Each celebration contains
them in a race of sorts.
another couple of hours, the city
a story, a faith and endless efforts
gets cleaned as if nothing happened
for preservation, which had allowed
earlier.
them to pass down for a long period,
Unfortunately, running almost always evolves into rolling, tumbling, and sliding in every which way. The
Well, there you have it. Western
in some cases hundreds of years, Moomba (means to ‘let’s get
and maintain its true meaning. They
sport may come off as entertaining
together and have fun’)! It is the
are lively forms of museum; they
and amusing, but one of the most
Oceania’s largest environment
represent the history and the culture
important members of the festival
festival, lasting for three days in a
in actions.
every year is the ambulance team
row and involving millions of people.
from a nearby hospital, as no
It actually started as a small festival
participants emerge unscathed, and
in March to show the natural beauty
many are often carted off for
of the city Melbourne in 1955, but
treatment in hospitals. Now, doesn’t
after setting the theme as
that sound fun?
‘environment festival’, it grew rapidly and globally, and now it became the
Scream, Food Fight! August is
Oceania’s largest festival.
red in Spain, red with ketchup and tomatoes that have a tendency to be
During the festival week people
flung. As La Tomatina unravels in
officially don’t have to go to work for
Bunol, Spain, the world’s largest
three days, and many different free
food fight is played with vigor. What
concerts will take place in each part
had been just few tomato farmers
of the city Melbourne. People will
throwing their tomatoes in the main
also be able to enjoy different kinds
square to show their angriness with
of foods from different countries and
the significantly low tomato price in
also enjoy Australian wine. The
1944 had quickly grown out of hand
highlight of this festival is at the last
into this city-wide festival which
day of the festival, where people
involves just under a million pounds
who are dressed up as polluted
of gooey tomatoes, and more than a
creatures and destroy the nature,
few citizens run amok with a certain
but soon gets defeated by pure and
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Yew Chung International school of Beijing
FOR MEXICO OR FOR AMERICA? Mexicans illegally migrating to U.S.A They say America’s rich, with a
have been set up all over
GDP of $14.526 trillion. They say
California, districts that are
America’s free, with the constitution
overflowing with Mexicans,
declaring equal rights for everyone.
districts with graffiti and broken
They say America has more jobs,
windows, fading paint and
better services, and a better
haunted doorways. People are
environment. That’s what they say.
poor, crime rates are high, and
That’s why for decades, Mexicans
the whole ‘American Dream’
have been streaming across the
has vanished long ago.
Mexican-American borderline both
Unfair treatment,
legally and illegally, in search of a
discrimination and racism.
better job, a better life.
Because of the biased views of
According to the most
Americans, the only jobs that
recent
are
estimat
“AMERICANS SHOULD GET RID
es of Mexican
OF THEIR PREJUDICE, AND
immigra
MEXICANS SHOULD REALIZE THE
nts to America, more
REALITY OF AMERICAN DREAM. (P4 8TH PARAGRAPH LINE 11)”
than
available for Mexicans are jobs dirty, dangerou s or dark. Although
one third of the immigrations were
Mexicans are taking all the
undocumented ones, and therefore,
unwanted, underpaid jobs,
illegal. It was shown that the
people are still claiming that
population of Hispanic Americans
these immigrants are stealing
has been growing rapidly over the
jobs from the Americans that
years, and now, there are 50.5
rightfully deserve them, which
million Americans of Hispanic
in turn increase unemployment
descent, with 64% of Mexican
rates and weaken the economy.
descent. The numbers indicate that
But low paid wages
a larger proportion of people in the
mean more profit to the
region of America are now Mexicans
American companies, and so
and the numbers are growing, which
they can afford to set lower
explain the Mexico’s cultural and
prices, and will have more
economic impacts in America.
customers, who spend more,
Over the years, as Mexicans
and contribute to the growing
are entering the United States in the
economy. Who said Mexicans
dark of the night, with little more
are dragging America down?
than their basic necessities, districts 3|Page
Yew Chung International school of Beijing Then, more importantly,
Cultural Day, and maybe show them
farms are left to the old and young
there is that cultural impact on
a bit of Diego Rivera, famous for his
to tend. So, as a result, Mexico is left
America. The most people used to
murals, and tell them some stories
with women unable to support
know about Mexico were that the
of a place they had come from but
themselves, neglected farms and in
food was great, but spicy, and that
never been to. That’s how Mexican
some cases, ghost towns. How
the country is most probably based
culture gets passed on, from
about Mexican economy? The only
on drugs. Well, for one thing,
Mexican to Mexican-American, from
direction it could go is: down.
Mexican food served in America isn’t
Mexican-American to American.
really Mexican. As for drugs, which
Americans have always
Of course, every situation has two sides. More workers working
country doesn’t have a drug problem?
been fortunate culture-wise. The
in America results higher GNP for
The thing is, people have never
nation was founded on British
Mexico, also because those workers
really bothered learning about their
culture, and Ellis Island served its
send most of their money back to
neighboring country because, let’s
purpose in admitting immigrants
Mexico, more and more dollars are
face it, American culture is young
from all over the world into the new
going towards Mexican banks. There
but already diverse and very, very
nation. Cultures from every corner of
are also cases where Mexicans who
modern. They had fashions and fads,
the earth melded it selves into the
have migrated before return with
the signature American cuisine, a
unique culture America calls its own,
more knowledge and skills, helping
burger and fries, and a history a
with different religious celebrations,
the society and improving the
couple centuries old. What else do
contemporary art and literature
economy. Last but not least,
they need?
works, blues, jazz, pop, rock,
international immigration increases
country and other music forms as
the global awareness of the country.
be forced to accept the culture of
well as the American slang and the
Even though Mexico is still a LEDC,
the people that walk among them.
American Dream. Pure Mexican
with low GDP and GNP, and has no
Mexican offspring born in America
culture will only strengthen the
trading business that dominates in
may eventually end up speaking
country’s culture diversity, and open
its area, it is surprising that Mexican
American English, but they also grow
up the minds of Americans to an
and Latin American culture are one
up eating the intensely-flavored and
exotic tradition that they never
of the most widespread cultures in
diverse Mexican food, listening to
thought to understand.
the world, and Spanish (Mexico’s
They need, apparently, to
Lila Downs and Susana Harp singing
Sure, American’s are
national language) is the second
traditional Mexican music, watching
complaining that they get more
Mexican television and listening to
immigrants than they bargained for
the stories their Mami and Papi tell
from Mexico, but Mexico should be
immigrating to America bad? To be
about that poor but beautiful and
the one to file complaints. The
honest, it is impossible to answer
free land in a faraway place called
already poor country is losing
this question. As mentioned before,
Mexico.
valuable labor as its farmers leave
international immigration has
their fields, their wives, their children
advantages and disadvantages to
they’ll have that history with them.
for that rich neighboring nation. The
both receiving and loosing countries.
They’ll tell their friends, their
loss of labor means less output, less
Perhaps the best way to solve
classmates, and their colleagues
GDP, and, more importantly, less
problem is to change our perspective
about the soccer they played in the
food for the country’s starving
and treat everyone the way you
midst of broken down buildings, the
people.
want to be treated. Americans
And when they grow up,
fiestas they went to and the Mexican
And as the young men leave
most spoken language in the world. Are Mexican people
should get rid of their prejudice, and
dancing they enjoyed, the traditional
villages, local women find it hard to
Mexicans should realize the reality of
costumes they wore to school on
find suitable marriages, and the
American dream. 4|Page
Yew Chung International school of Beijing
BUDHISM The reality of traditional Asian religion Separated from other Asian and about 30,000 members religions, East Asian religions elsewhere, primarily in Asia, share many unique features Australia, Canada, Europe with each other. Another name and the United States. for these religions is ‘Taoic Caodaism’s main religious religions’. The name ‘Taoic’ center is in Tay Ninh, about comes from the fact that all 60 miles (100 km) North these religions focus on the West of Saigon. It is also East Asian concepts of Tao(道, called Dao Cao Dai in Vietnamese, where “Cao” “the way”) and De(德, means "high" and "Dai" “integrity/morality”). Although means "palace". As we can this idea of Tao and De was see from its name, Caodai originated from ancient Chinese refers to the supreme philosophers, it still exists palace where God reigns. nowadays in a slightly different Caodaists believe that the form. Except for the concept of God divided his spirit into TaoDe, all Taoic religions are many parts and created the also similar in their place of universe. This led them to origin, practices, and beliefs. think For that “BODHISATTVAS (ASSIST instanc every e, many BELIEVERS) ALWAYS PRESENT animal of them and AND ACTIVE IN THE WORLD, are plant mainly THUS ALL-TIME CAN BE contain come UNDERSTOOD AS SACRED. a part from of China, (P4 8TH PARAGRAPH LINE 11)” gad’s Vietna spirit. m, and They Japan, believe that animals and and are believers of humans have 3 components, monotheism and Karma. which are physical body, Caodaism, Shinto and spirit from the god, and its Mahayana Buddhism are the own soul (personality). Like most representative Taoic many other religions, religions. Caodaists believe in Karma Caodaism is a Vietnameseand reincarnation. Their centered religion, since it is unique practices include originated in Vietnam and most praying at least once a day, of its followers are Vietnamese. eating from a vegetarian Being one of Vietnam’s official diet at least ten days each religions, Caodaism is the third month and observing five largest religion in Vietnam, interdictions. Interestingly, after Buddhism and Roman interrelated to Confucianism Catholicism. It has 7 to 8 and Buddhism, their million followers in Viet Nam 5|Page
Yew Chung International school of Beijing
practices also include three duties and five virtues of Confucian and meditation. Unlike Caodaism, which is relatively ‘global’, Shinto is originated and is almost uniquely believed in Japan. The name ‘Shinto’ was adopted from the written Chinese (神道, shén dào), where 神 means ‘kami’ (spiritual essence) and 道 means philosophical study. Although Shinto is not a widespread religion, it is still regarded as a large branch of Taoic religions, because of its affinity with other religions. For instance, it is so similar to Mahayana Buddhism, that some people even call it a “Japanese Buddhism”. Even Shintoists themselves emphasize their ancestry of traditional Buddhism. Like Mahayana Buddhists, Shintoists build temples, use donation of propert as means of salvation,
and practices meditation. Shinto was very firstly recorded and codified in the written historical records of Kojiki and Nihonshoki early in the 8th century. These include many folklore, history and mythology that are almost regarded as ‘common knowledge’ for Japanese. Mahayana Buddhism is one of the most wide-spread and well-known East-Asian religions. However, unlike other Taoic religions, Mahayana Buddhism was originated from the North-western Indian subcontinent in the 1st century B.C.E. After having about 300 years of consolidation process in India, it started to rapidly prosper in East-Asian countries like China, Korea and Japan. It particularly prospered in China partially because of Han dynasty’s chaotic situation and people’s spiritual need.
Mahayana Buddhism named ‘Mahayana’ to highlight their openness and to be separated from traditional Buddhism, called Theravada Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is different from other Taoic religions in a sense that itas no sacred time. The believers explain this by saying that Bodhisattvas (assist believers) always present and active in the world, thus alltime can be understood as sacred. However, there is there is sacred space, like temples and Mandalas, and Mahayana Buddhism also believes in Karma, reincarnation and Dharma. In their sacred place and daily life, Mahayana Buddhists practice complex meditation, ritual devotion to Buddhas and Bodisattvas, visualization, pilgrimage and mantra recitation.
Europe and Oceania written by Steven and Sherry America written by Steven, Sherry and Sang Woo Asia written by Sang Woo and Iris
Edition 1. Volume 1. Edition date: 10-31th- 2011. Culture Group Leader: Steven Chun Culture Group Members: Sherry, Sang Woo, Iris Yoon, Yeon Ho Hong, Ham Ye Jin and Min Uk Seo.
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