April Fools’ Day

April Fools’ Day is celebrated around the world as a holiday of practical jokes and hoaxes.

Today is March 31, the last day in March and the eve of a globally recognized holiday: April Fools’ Day. April Fools’ Day is recognized differently in various cultures, and many individuals have unique ways of celebrating this holiday. I have always wondered how April Fools’ Day originated, so we will take a brief look at the holiday’s history and then discover how it is celebrated around the world.

Some historians trace the holiday’s roots to 1582 when the Julian calendar was replaced with the Gregorian calendar.

The annual tradition of April Fools’ Day and its practical jokes starting to spread in England during the 1700s, but the exact origins of the holiday remain a mystery. Some have said that the holiday stems from ancient festivals such as Hilaria, which was celebrated in Rome at the end of March and involved people dressing up in disguises, or the Medieval Festival of Fools, which was held on December 28 and is a day on which people still play pranks on each other in Spanish-speaking countries. Others state that the holiday originated in 1582 when the French switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. They state that people who failed to realize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 continued to celebrate the new year during the last week of March through April 1, and people made fun of these “behind the time’s” individuals by plaguing them with jokes and hoaxes.

April Fools’ jokes take many forms such this example where the municipality of Beyoglu placed balloons in the streets of Istanbul.

Despite a lack of exact origin, the holiday thrives around the world today. Corporate offices, media venues, fast-food restaurants and multiple other enterprises take part in this holiday through their own hoaxes and fictional claims. Numerous individuals take part in the holiday through various jokes and hoaxes as well. One of my aunts covered every door handle with Vaseline at the office she works at in Connecticut as a joke last year on April 1, and she also covered some of her coworkers’ steering wheels with Vaseline and plastic wrap as well. Practical jokes, trickery and outrageous stunts are all characteristics of April Fools’ Day in the United States, and the prank victims are supposed to maintain good humor and enjoy the hoax.

Fish are placed on peoples’ backs in France as a joke in celebration of Poisson d’Avril.

April Fools’ Day is celebrated in other cultures but takes different forms. The holiday in France is called Poisson d’Avril, which translates to “April Fish.” The term refers to fish that are recently hatched and easy to catch, and the traditional April Fools’ prank in France is to tape a fish to someone’s back and then  call them a “Poisson d’Avril” when they discover it. This is also a common trick in Italy.

Canadians celebrate the holiday similar to Americans, and they also incorporate the tradition of Poisson d’Avril from France. Canadians announce a humorous award for April Fools’ Day called the Pigasus Award, and this award exposes paranormal or psychic frauds or ridicules institutions that promote paranormal claims. The award winners are announced every April 1.

“Kick Me” signs are placed on people’s backs in Scotland on April Fools’ Day, also known as April Gowk.

April Fools’ Day lasts for two days in Scotland and is sometimes called Taily Day or April Gowk. On the first day, the traditional prank is to send someone on a “fool’s errand,” and this is accomplished by sending someone an urgent note that they must deliver, but the receiver learns that it is an April Fools’ Joke. The receiver then sends the not on to another person and the note keeps moving throughout the day. The traditional prank on the second day is to stick an April Gowk sign on someone’s back, and this sign signifies “Kick Me.”

In Poland April Fools’ Day is called Pryma Aprylis. Instead of playing pranks like other nations, the Polish people celebrate his day by dressing up in costumes. The holiday in Poland is mostly a child’s holiday, but adults also participate.

Dressing in costumes is a large part of the April Fools’ celebration in Poland, as seen by the children in this picture.

Denmark, Iran and a few Hispanic countries such as Spain and Mexico have April Fools’ Day celebrations that are not celebrated on April 1. Denmark’s April Fools’ Day is on May 1, and the holiday is called Maj-kat. Hispanic individuals celebrate the holiday on December 28 with pranks and hoaxes, and the holiday is called the Feast of the Innocents. Finally, Iran celebrates Sizdah Bedar at the beginning of April, and it shares many of the same prank-like traditions of April Fools’ Day.

Keep an eye out for April Fools’ jokes, for you may be the target of clever pranks this holiday.

Although April Fools’ Day has origins that are somewhat difficult to define, this holiday has made its mark on many areas of the world. So keep an eye out for pranks that you might encounter tomorrow, because the joke just may be on you.

To learn more about April Fools’ Day around the world, visit http://voices.yahoo.com/april-fools-day-traditions-around-world-2813042.html, http://crossingtimezones.com/2011/04/01/origins-and-traditions-of-april-fools-day-around-the-world/, http://www.alsintl.com/blog/april-fools-day/.

To learn more about the history of April Fools’ Day, visit http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/april-fools-tradition-popularized and http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/af_database/permalink/origin_of_april_fools_day.

Birthday Celebrations Around the World

Every culture has unique birthday traditions.

This week one of my brothers celebrates his 19th birthday, and it will be his first birthday away from home. He is now a student at Hillsdale College in Michigan, and we’re hoping his friends will throw him a small party to celebrate.

Homemade birthday cake is an important part of each birthday celebration in my family.

Birthday celebrations are always special occasions in my family as they bring extended relatives together and give us a time to catch up with eachother and celebrate eachother’s lives. We usually celebrate with having our favorite meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, doing our favorite things during the actual day or around the actual date, having a party with friends, opening presents and ending the night with homemade cake and delicious ice cream. But birthday celebrations take different forms in different cultures, and we will quickly explore the diversity of birthday celebrations in the next few moments by comparing American and Latin American birthday celebrations because we have yet to discuss this culture of the world.

Fiesta Quinceanera is an important milestone in Latin American culture.

Every culture has its own unique way of celebrating birthdays, and Latin American culture has its own traditions as well. The Fiesta Quinceanera or Fiesta Rosa is a popular tradition among most Latin American countries, and this celebration marks the passage from girlhood into adulthood and takes place when a girl turns 15. The birthday girl typically wears an elaborate dress, usually in a pastel color, and the family hosts an elaborate party to celebrate their daughter’s arrival to womanhood. The party consists of dancing, eating and socializing with guests. Some Latin American cultures take a more religious approach to the celebration and begin with a service in the Catholic Church where the daughter receives the blessing of God for the passage into this new phase of life.

Fifteen is the year when girls pass into womanhood in Latin American culture.

Pinatas are another tradition that Latin Americans use when celebrating birthdays. The pinata is a brightly-colored party ornament that is usually made from clay or cardboard. It is typically filled with candy and small treats, and these represent gifts from the gods in Hispanic culture. The pinatas are usually in unique shapes and forms as well.

American culture also has unique traditions for celebrating birthdays. Americans place speciail emphasis on the “sweet 16” birthday, similar to how Latin Americans focus on the 15th birthday as the time when a girl becomes a woman. The 16th birthday typically calls for an elaborate birthday celebration in American homes, but this does not take on the same caliber as the Fiesta Quinceanera. Families might host a small gathering for their child and his or her friends, but the child might actually plan the party himself. The party is not often a fancy occasion but instead might take the form of a sleepover or a cookout. Americans have borrowed the tradition of the pinata from Latin American culture, and they have borrowed other traditions from other cultures as well due to the “melting pot” environment of the country.

Pinatas come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes.

Americans might not have elaborate celebrations for their children quite like families in Latin America, but both cultures have unique ways of celebrating the gift of life and the joy of living.

To learn more about birthday celebrations in other cultures, visit http://www.diversitynow.ca/article.jsp?content=20041005_114814_5540&sec=homepage or http://www.birthdaycelebrations.net/traditions.htm.

To learn more about Hispanic culture, visit http://www.explore-hispanic-culture.com/hispanic-traditions.html.

Islamic Culture

We have looked at many different cultures over the last few months, but we have not yet discussed Islam, one of the fastest growing religious and cultural groups in our nation and around the world. This semester I have studied the culture in depth in my history and politics of the Middle East class, and we will discuss briefly the features of the culture and the beliefs in which the culture finds its roots.

Saudi Arabia is the home of Mecca, one of the sacred cities of the Muslim faith.

Muslims believe that there is one true God called Allah and that there have been many prophets who have walked on earth to reveal God’s purpose for humanity. They believe that all of the prophets except Muhammad walked away from the “straight path” and erred in the faith, but Muhammad faithfully brought the revelation of Allah to the people and received what we now know as the Koran, which is the book Muslims believe sets the standards for living a righteous life in the sight of Allah. Muslims particularly follow the five pillars of Islam, which include the testimony of the faith, daily prayer, fasting at Ramadan, alms-giving and the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, the places were Muhammad the prophet was from and where he received the revelations from God.

Sharia law is derived from the Koran, the holy book of the Muslim faith.

The belief system of Islam dramatically shapes the culture of the Islamic people. The beliefs shape government operations, gender roles, views of outsiders and even calendars.

In nations such as Saudi Arabia, which is considered the heart of the Islamic faith and has a majority Muslim population, the government rules by Sharia law, which is the law of the Islamic faith. Nations such as Saudi Arabia do not have any distinction between matters of church and matters of state, and religious leaders address both theological and government matters.

Modesty for women is an extremely important part of Muslim society.

Additionally, gender roles are also affected by Islamic beliefs. The family is the most important unit in the society, and men are considered the head of the household. But women are treated poorly in the culture and receive basically no rights as people. They are required to cover their bodies from head to toe, and they are sometimes not even allowed to show their eyes in public. These strict rules are due to the standards set in the Koran regarding male and female relationships and modesty.

Islamic beliefs also affect a Muslim’s view of outsiders. To Muslims, there are two worlds: the world of peace where Islam is observed and the Koran is practiced, and the world of warfare and ignorance, which is dominated by non-Muslims. Therefore, Muslims view outsiders as those who have either left the faith or as those who haven’t yet found the truth. This can either have positive effects or negative effects regarding the treatment of others, for Muslims may use their view of outsiders as motivation to reach them with the truth, or they also may use their view of outsiders as motivation to act in whatever way they choose against those who disagree with them.

Daily prayer is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, and this ritual guides everyday activities.

Finally, Islamic beliefs have also influenced the calendar and time. Muslims the Muslim Lunar Calendar, and this calendar began in 622 A.D., which is when Muhammad the prophet migrated from Mecca to Medina, a period of time known as the Hijra. The calendar indicates which days to fast for Ramadan, one of the most important events in the Muslim year.

Even though Islam differs greatly from American culture, we can still learn many valuable lessons from Muslim culture.

As we can see, Islamic beliefs have clearly shaped the culture of Muslims. Muslim culture is different than American culture in many ways. Although America was founded by Christians and on Christian principles, our nation has a clear distinction between church and state, government and religion and faith and politics. Secondly, Americans and Muslims view females in a completely different light. America promotes female empowerment and feminist ideologies, and this is something that would not be promoted in an Islamic culture. Thirdly, Americans do sometimes have negative views of outsiders and of those who have different views, and both cultures should realize that differences are not necessarily negative. Rather, differences enable us to learn more about ourselves and more about humanity as whole. And finally, the calendar system that the United States follows is based on the Gregorian calendar, which is also called the Christian calendar, and this calendar is based on Christian events and not on Islamic activities.

Although Muslims culture differs from American culture in many ways, there are many important things that we can learn from the Islamic way of life.

To learn more about the family in Muslim society, visit http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1071164/.

To learn more about Islamic culture, visit http://www.hilalplaza.com/islamic-culture/.

Urban Hope

Urban Hope is a training center and community church located in Philadelphia.

I love going on vacation and having the chance to take a break from regular routines and everyday life. As a college student, spring break offers so many options of places to go and things to do. I usually head home to Massachusetts to visit my family and friends, and many people take this time to visit their families. But some students travel to Florida, Georgia or even California to bathe in the sun, and others travel overseas to the Bahamas, Peru or Bolivia for mission and service trips.

Instead of going home for break, this year I traveled with a team of 15 students to Urban Hope, a training center and community church located in Philadelphia. Urban Hope’s mission is to reach urban families through children and youth and to train individuals in cross-cultural urban ministry, equipping individuals for urban ministry and a life of service. The day before we left I was a little nervous at what God had in store for me, but after arriving at Urban Hope and interacting with our team and the staff members at the center, I knew that God had brought me there that week for a purpose.

Visiting Philadelphia made me realize how much city culture and suburban culture differ.

I learned so much about inner city culture during this trip. Although Philadelphia is in the United States and only eight hours away from Cedarville, the culture of the city is drastically different than the culture of the cornfields. Comprised of a large number of Irish, Hispanic, Polish, Italian and African Americans, Philadelphia is a wonderful example of the mixture of the diverse cultures that comprise our nation. After spending time in Philadelphia, I found that inner city culture and suburban culture are different in many ways including methods of worship, presence of crime and poverty, and general disposition of the individuals in each community.

Individuals worshiped God in many different ways at the churches we visited.

During the ministry trip to Philadelphia we had the opportunity to visit different urban churches and noted the differences in their worship styles and the general role of the church. The churches that we visited were much more casual in style than churches in suburban America. At Sharon Baptist Church, an African-American church, members of the congregation stood or sat in their pews at their own discretion, unlike the typical pattern in most white, suburban churches. Many church members expressed their love for God in dancing to the worship music or shouting acclamation at the pastor’s words of preaching. Additionally, the members of the congregation at Urban Hope’s church service were unusually open with the struggles each of them were facing in their individual lives. Instead of the stiff, often forced facade that permeates churches in suburban American, the churches in the city revealed that people can be real with each other and worship God freely in numerous different ways.

Kensington is one of the poorest neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

Another noticeable difference in city culture compared to suburban culture is the prevalence of crime and the extent of poverty. Urban Hope is located in Kensington, a neighborhood in Philadelphia. One of the top ten recreational drug corners in the city is located in this neighborhood, and it is one of the worst spots for crime and murder in city. Additionally, families in the neighborhood are stricken with poverty, and each home houses an average of 10 individuals due to financial difficulties. Compared to the financial and physical security of middle-class America that we experience in the suburbs, the neighborhood of Kensington revealed that suburban culture is clearly different in many ways than city culture.

We went on a scavenger hunt on South Street to learn about the city and talk to local residents.

Urban individuals are also much more open about sharing their lives with strangers in contrast with individuals who have grown up in suburban atmospheres. During the trip we had many opportunities to talk with multiple individuals and hear their stories. For instance, we completed a scavenger hunt while visiting South Street and also talked with many local residents while visiting the Italian Market one afternoon. Each person we talked to willingly shared what they liked and didn’t like about the city, and each person also willingly answered the questions that we asked them about faith. I had never talked with a stranger so openly about God, religion and faith, and I realized that people in the city are very different than the people where I have lived most of my life. It was so neat to see people honestly discuss their doubts, worries, fears and ideas about God, religion and life.

We also had the opportunity to help out with after-school programs for children while in Philadelphia.

Although Philadelphia is only eight hours away from the cornfields of Cedarville, the two places have so many differences. While the financial stability and physical security of the suburbs and country may seem attractive to most of us, my eyes were opened for the first time to the beautiful friendships, relationships and diversity that the city has to offer. A place with so many different cultures, unique traditions and patterns of living, the inner city offers us so many opportunities for growth and helps us understand the diverse world in which we live.

To learn more about Urban Hope, visit http://www.urbanhope.net/.

To learn more about the inner city culture in Philadelphia, visit http://www.philaculture.org/.

Celebrating Irish American Month

Over one million people take part in Dublin's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.

In honor of Irish American month, let’s take a brief look at the well-loved holiday St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday celebrated around the globe with many unique traditions and customs.

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, and the Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. The holiday celebrates Saint Patrick, the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who lived during the fifth century. Born in Britain and brought to Ireland as a slave at 16, Patrick later escaped his captors and eventually returned to Ireland at a later date. Many credit Patrick with bringing Christianity to Ireland, and legend states that he explained the Holy Trinity to the Irish using the shamrock, an Irish three-leaf clover.

Legend says that Saint Patrick used a four-leaf clover to explain the Holy Trinity.

The Irish began observing the Catholic holiday of St. Patrick’s Day around the ninth or tenth century, but the first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in 1762 in the United States and was led by Irish soldiers seeking to reconnect with their Irish roots. Research reveals that the Irish and Americans have unique and somewhat different ways of celebrating this holiday.

Many credit Saint Patrick with bringing Christianity to Ireland.

St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland is celebrated first and foremost as a feast and a holy day, a day of remembrance of the great Saint Patrick. The holiday is celebrated with week-long festivities, and the Irish typically attend Mass on the actual holiday. The holiday is treated as any other saint’s day or religious holiday in Ireland. Families typically gather on St. Patrick’s Day for special meals of bacon and roast chicken, and parades are common in the larger cities of Dublin, Galway and Cork. The parades feature live musical performances as well as visual and performing art displays.

The city of Chicago dies the Chicago River Green on St. Patrick's Day.

Although the United States does not recognize St. Patrick’s Day as a federal holiday, Americans around the world participate in the holiday in various ways. Celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day in America stem from Irish immigrant sources and developed extensively in the 1800s. Currently, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in America revolve around extravagant parades, parties and alcohol. The holiday is recognized by shamrocks and the color green, and the city of Chicago even dies the Chicago River green each year to commemorate the holiday.

Clearly, St. Patrick’s Day has many unique traditions and customs. Although the Irish celebrate March 17 primarily as a religious holiday and the Americans typically view the day as a day of fancy parades, both cultures recognize the significance of St. Patrick’s Day and have sought to honor the Irish culture in March, the Irish American month of the year.

To learn about the history of St. Patrick’s Day, visit http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day.

To learn more about St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, visit http://www.irelandforvisitors.com/articles/st_patricks_day_in_ireland.htm and http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/ireland/st-patrick-day.

To learn more about St. Patrick’s Day in America, visit http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/st-patrick-day, http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2010/03/st_patricks_day_made_in_the_us.html and http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/110316-saint-patricks-day-2011-march-17-facts-ireland-irish-nation/.

Chinese and American Culture

Americans must grasp Chinese culture because China is quickly becoming a leading voice in the global arena.

I have recently spent many hours researching the Chinese culture, and this culture continues to amaze me with its unique traditions and cultural standards. I am continually intrigued with how different the culture is from our own. After gaining a brief understanding of China, we will discuss six differences between Chinese culture and American culture, discovering the importance of understanding each culture in order to learn how to communicate effectively with this people group.

China is home to the world’s largest population of 1.3 billion people. The country’s official language is Mandarin, and many dialects permeate the culture as well. China is composed of many ethnic groups, and the Han Chinese constitute the largest ethnic group. China operates as a communist country, and the government received independence in 1949. China has recently shifted from a closed, centrally planned economic system to a market-based society that is looking to play an active role in the global economy.

Individualism values the individual rather than the group and encourages self-reliance and independence.

China is economically moving closer to a free-market system that is similar to the United States system, and the nation is eagerly seeking to become a leader in the global arena. But the Chinese culture differs in so many ways from American society.  First of all, Chinese and Americans have completely different views of people. Chinese individuals place emphasis on the group, an ideology called collectivism, while Americans place much value on the individual and self-reliance, an ideology called individualism. Individuals in China are more concerned with how their actions affect the group instead of how their actions affect them personally. Thus they are often willing to make huge sacrifices for the greater good, unlike Americans who often simply look out for themselves.

Collectivism values the group over the individual, as shown in this performance where all work together to produce one cohesive performance.

The social structure in China follows a formal, hierarchical structure compared to the informal structure in America. It is not uncommon in America to see individuals from a higher class of society interacting with each other, but this would be considered taboo among the Chinese.

Additionally, the Chinese view friendship differently than Americans, and I think Americans could learn many valuable lessons from their culture in this area specifically. Chinese culture values lifelong friendships with a small number of individuals that have deep obligations to serve each other and help each other whenever the need arises. They view friendship as close family members, and this starkly contrasts to the typical American view of friendship. Americans often avoid relationships that require obligations or commitment, and this is often detrimental to our society. Friendship and relationships are an important part of life, and we see this throughout history as well as in our own lives. Even the Bible tells us that relationships are vitally important to our lives, for “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).

The Chinese avoid direct confrontation at all cost and highly value friendships.

Chinese culture also views confrontation differently than American culture. Direct confrontation is rarely used in China, and respect often supersedes confrontation and speaking the truth. In contrast, American individuals are often outspoken and direct in confrontational situations, so we must understand this dichotomy when interacting with Chinese individuals.

Reputation is an extremely important aspect of Chinese culture, and the Chinese do everything they can to protect their reputations and “save face.” Reputation is looked at as something that is somewhat important in American society, but Americans do not go to nearly as extensive measures as the Chinese in order to protect their reputation. Americans are more often concerned about finishing a job or task than with maintaining a good reputation.

Chinese culture views deadlines as suggestions compared to Americans who see deadlines as imperatives.

Finally, we must understand the different views of time in Chinese culture. Unlike Americans, the Chinese view time as a suggestion rather than as a specific and certain deadline. Therefore, Americans and Chinese individuals must understand their different cultural ideologies regarding time in order to learn how to work together to communicate and interact successfully.

Clearly, Chinese culture is vastly different than American culture. But I believe that this nation really will rise up to be a great power in the coming years, and thus it is vitally important for Americans to understand Chinese culture, learn from its ways and discover opportunities to reach out to this society that makes up one fifth of our world.

Americans and Chinese have many differences but yet have much potential for successful dialogue and communication.

To learn more about the comparison between Chinese and American culture, visit http://rgraf.hubpages.com/hub/10-Major-Cultural-Differences—China-and-the-United-States.

To learn more about Chinese culture, visit http://www.cultural-china.com/, http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/culture/, http://www.chinaculture.org/ and http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Chinese-Americans.html.