Anna Mckay shares a recipe perfect for celebrating Chinese New Year
Ding Huang demonstrates the art of paper cutting
Laura Reynolds looks at the habits of exam-weary students
Faye Priestley has rounded up the last of the sales bargains for guys
2010 is the year of the Tiger and the day falls on February 14th. The celebrations are centuries old and exemplify many traditional customs and beliefs. Houses are lavishly decorated in preparation and on the night before New Year families sit down to a large meal together, ending with an explosion of firecrackers. The next morning children will wish their parents a healthy and happy new year, receiving red envelopes filled with money in return. Chinese New Year officially ends with the Lantern festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and involves children venturing out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns and solving riddles.
The Hindu festival that we all wished we could participate in as part of our RE lessons, Holi takes place on the day of the last full moon of winter and is a celebration of new life and the seasons. There are numerous stories relating to the origin of the festival, some suggesting that it originated with Krishna, who threw coloured water over the milkmaids, whilst the story of Holika is also connected with the day and links to the bonfires that are built during this period. Although the festival officially lasts up to sixteen days, Dhuleti is the day on which families and friends visit one another and cover everyone in coloured water or powder- usually red.
No-Rooz, literally means ‘New Day’. It traditionally falls on the first day of Spring and celebrates the concept of re-birth. No-Rooz is deeply rooted in Zoroastrian traditions and culture and has been celebrated for at least 3,000 years. In preparation for the new year the house is cleaned and new clothes are bought. A table called the ‘Haft Seen’ is prepared with seven items each beginning with the letter ‘S’, which correspond to the seven creations and the seven holy immortals protecting them. These items usually consist of: Seeb (apple), Sabze (green grass), Serke (vinegar), Samanoo (a meal made out of wheat), Senjed (berry), Sekke (coin), and Seer (garlic). On the last Wednesday of the old year families and friends will gather together and set up a bonfire, which they then jump over whilst reciting songs and poetry as a symbol of cleansing. New Years day involves the exchanging of gifts and presents, whilst on the thirteenth day of the new year ‘Sizdah Bedar’ families head outside for a picnic, and girls can wish for a husband by knotting two blades of grass together.
Each year approximately two weeks after ‘Semana Santa’ Holy Week, the citizens of Seville take to the streets for a week of partying, drinking and dancing. The festival began as a livestock fair in 1847, but soon developed the fun spirit that it embodies today. Each day there is a parade to the bull ring, a traditional aspect of Andalusian culture, and ‘Casetas, small marquees, are set up on the fairground by various groups of families, organisations and friends, where people meet to dance ‘Sevillanas’, drink ‘Jerez’ sherry and eat tapas. The Feria in Seville is distinguished by the extravagant costumes worn by both men and women making it a beautiful and engaging spectacle.
It may be an American import, but it does present an opportunity to indulge in a turkey with all the trimmings. Originally a day to celebrate the harvest and give thanks to God, it now provides a chance to reflect on all the privileges we have in our lives, whilst getting together with family and friends. Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November the festivities last the weekend, and involve parades and numerous sporting events.
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