Dong Zhi, or the Winter Solstice Festival, was celebrated by the Chinese of ancient times. It was commemorated in much the same way Chinese Lunar New Year is now – with visits to friends and relatives. There is customary feasting and businesses will close up for the day. During this time, people will assemble to…
Category: Culture
Chinese Inventions Have Resulted in Some Incredible Innovations
It might be difficult for westerners to perceive that Chinese inventions have been responsible for some of the most important innovations to come about, but the fact is that this is completely true. The Chinese have suffered under the stereotypical belief by others that they are not technologically accomplished. Just for started however, and these…
In Chinese Astrology Ox Comes After Rat, and is the Sign for 2009
In Chinese astrology Ox is after Rat and 2009 is the year of the Ox. In the very beginnings of Chinese astrology, over 3 000 years ago they named the 12 Earthly branches after animals. The 10 Heavenly stems were also named, and this helped people keep the time as well as know when the…
China’s Emperors – The Early Years
Suiren, Fuxi and Shennong are known as the Three Sage Kings. They are the leaders of their time and they made many contributions and sacrifices to improve the lives of the people of their time. The first sage King was Suiren (approx. 16,000 BC) who reputedly discovered how to make fire by drilling wood. With…
Food Culture in China
To say that the consumption of food is a vital part of the chemical process of life is to state the obvious, but sometimes we fail to realize that food is more than just vital. The only other activity that we engage in that is of comparable importance to our lives and to the life…
Introducing the Chinese New Year
The first day of the first lunar month is the start of the Chinese New Year and this important celebration lasts for fifteen days. The Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China and is also celebrated throughout Asia, not only in China. The Chinese zodiac, a twelve-year cycle, and the heavenly stems,…
Australia, The Melting Pot Of Different Cultures
The first inhabitants of this vast continent are the aborigines, coming to the land some 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, and the scholars thought they may have crossed the land bridges from Southeast Asia. These people were mostly hunter-gatherers with a complex oral tradition and spiritual beliefs. The Aborigines were able to use and sustain…
Learn All About Santa And The Reindeer
Maybe it’s the undeniable alliterative appeal of Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer that makes him the most known or popular of all Santa’s nine flying reindeers. It certainly doesn’t seem as easy to come up with a similar catchy description for the others – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen – as named…
Where Did Christmas Traditions Come From
Christians celebrate Christmas to observe the birth of Jesus Christ, which is an event and not a tradition. But many other activities related to celebrating the Christmas season evolved from certain traditions, many of which are from other countries, particularly from peoples in Europe. Among common items used in Christmas decorations are the holly and…
Celebrating Christmas In Central And South America
In Central and South American nations, which have a fairly large Christian population, the Nativity or Manger Scene is the main decoration in homes at Christmas time. In Mexico, a Christmas tree may also be set up in some homes along with the Nativity scene or Nacimiento. The Christmas tree is usually a small artificial…