Holiday traditions from around the world

[endikiri]

Since the most popular holiday season of the year is upon us, I thought it would be kinda fun to explore the traditions of cultures around the world.  

[endikiri]

In Japan on the winter solstice, Dec. 22 ( called Tojii) they eat pumpkin because it is a food that makes you warm.

I'm sure there is more, but this is the way my co-worker explained it to me.  

[GeekWhistle]

endikiri

In Japan on the winter solstice, Dec. 22 ( called Tojii) they eat pumpkin because it is a food that makes you warm.

I'm sure there is more, but this is the way my co-worker explained it to me.

I've heard of the pumpkin thing! I was told is that the idea is that the pumpkin wards off paralysis thereby bringing good health in the coming year. I was also told that nobody really knows where the pumpkin eating became a part of Toji traditions, or why exactly that happened. Most of the other food-related Japanese solstice traditions involve local fruits that originated in Japan. The pumpkin is the odd imported thing that somehow worked its way into their solstice traditions.  

[endikiri]

oooo thanks for the extra info. lol there is not much online about some of the Japanese traditions. At least not in English.  

[GeekWhistle]

endikiri

oooo thanks for the extra info. lol there is not much online about some of the Japanese traditions. At least not in English.

Your welcome. I'm pretty up on japanese culture. But I guess I never really noticed the lack of information in english though. I've got my web browser hacked so that it translates everything to english. Excluding Spanish or French because I actually speak those. I'm not well versed enough in Japanese to turn that option off yet.

Speaking of japanese holidays though - have you ever heard of Tanabata? It's a summer holiday, but it's one of my favorites.  

[endikiri]

GeekWhistle

endikiri

oooo thanks for the extra info. lol there is not much online about some of the Japanese traditions. At least not in English.

Your welcome. I'm pretty up on japanese culture. But I guess I never really noticed the lack of information in english though. I've got my web browser hacked so that it translates everything to english. Excluding Spanish or French because I actually speak those. I'm not well versed enough in Japanese to turn that option off yet.

Speaking of japanese holidays though - have you ever heard of Tanabata? It's a summer holiday, but it's one of my favorites.

Tanabata basically translates as Star gazing festival. I absolutely adore the festival. We have a big celebration here and we all tie wishes and dreams on the bamboo trees. oooo and the food is just amazing. The music and dancing are also great.

What do you enjoy about Tanabata?  

[GeekWhistle]

endikiri

GeekWhistle

endikiri

oooo thanks for the extra info. lol there is not much online about some of the Japanese traditions. At least not in English.

Your welcome. I'm pretty up on japanese culture. But I guess I never really noticed the lack of information in english though. I've got my web browser hacked so that it translates everything to english. Excluding Spanish or French because I actually speak those. I'm not well versed enough in Japanese to turn that option off yet.

Speaking of japanese holidays though - have you ever heard of Tanabata? It's a summer holiday, but it's one of my favorites.

Tanabata basically translates as Star gazing festival. I absolutely adore the festival. We have a big celebration here and we all tie wishes and dreams on the bamboo trees. oooo and the food is just amazing. The music and dancing are also great.

What do you enjoy about Tanabata?

I just love the whole idea of it. We don't have any bamboo trees around here, but my friend had a little bamboo plant and one year we all tied wishes to it and it looked like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree plus paper a bit. We adored it though. I shoulda taken pictures. It was great.