Taste of the World
July 31st, 2010No matter which destination is selected, going overseas is a terrific adventure. One of the greatest lessons someone can learn by travelling overseas is that every culture has its own crotchets and eccentricities, but is of even importance to all other threads in the quilt of humanity. The mix of each regions’ culture creates a magnificent cultural story of the world. Cultures differ in their dances, traditions, and maybe most interestingly, their holidays. Looking at the 3 spectacular regions, we can picture how South Americans, Chinese and Indians celebrate holidays.
South America holidays are normally Catholic in nature. South American holidays such as Saints carnivals are very common; Dia de Todos Los Santos for instance celebrates all Catholic saints, but each day of the year celebrates a specific saint. South Americans usually get their names based on the saint whose day they were born on. One of the most famous festivals in South America is Carnaval, the equivalent of Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday. This festival celebrates the day before the forty-day Catholic festival of Lent and involves massive celebrations of excess, samba music, and parades.
Holidays in China are very distinct in comparison to other regions. China is known for its unique culture where the religious and orthodox meets the modern-day and the eccentric. The chinese celebrate their holidays with great spiritual importance. The spring festival, or Chinese New Year, is the biggest holiday celebrated in China. Almost everyone in China hold the day sacred, partaking in rituals and ceremonies to ensure a blessed and healthy year ahead. Modern holidays like Women’s Day are also adopted where all women in China are permitted to take time off.
Holidays in India are very much different from the aforementioned regions. These holidays range from those associated to Hinduism to Christian holidays, to Muslim celebrations. For Indian people, holidays come every day of the year. The most famous civic holiday celebrated is the birthday of celebrated civil rights leader, Mohandas Gandhi. Gandhi’s natal day has been designated as a day of non-violence, and no booze is traded on this day in his respect.
Half of the experience when traveling is learning about the culture of the country that you will be visiting. These holidays are a short list of the many wonderful and exhilarating holidays seen abroad.











