Topics

Dec

Mochi: A Cultural Encounter

by Janine Boylan on December 31, 2012

Japanese New Year's mochi decoration, showing a cultural encounter

Japanese plastic mochi © Janine Boylan

Japanese Traditions for the New Year

When I was living in Japan, I made every effort to have as many cultural encounters as possible. I picnicked with friends under the cherry blossoms in the spring. I participated in a formal tea ceremony. I attended events at the local museum. I even threw pots with a local potter.

So, around December, when these bright, shiny plastic packages started appearing in grocery stores, I knew it was time for another cultural encounter! Read more...

Janine Boylan 1 Comment

Cultural Encounters/Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Japan

Dec

For the New Year: Creative Inspiration from Emily Bear

by Meredith Mullins on December 27, 2012

piano keyboard, symbolizing creative inspiration from music

Looking for Inspiration, Not Resolutions

I stopped making New Year’s resolutions years ago. They were becoming less-than-meaningful clichés and always had relatively short lives. From a few days to a few weeks, they stayed in focus only until some project or practical necessity pushed them aside. (And, by the way, when you resolve to limit yourself to only one croissant a day in Paris, you are doomed to failure.) Read more...

Meredith Mullins Comments

The World's Music

Dec

Ten Christmas Traditions Stuffed in Stockings ‘n Shoes

by Janine Boylan on December 24, 2012

Christmas stocking showing Christmas traditions in different cultures

How Different Cultures Fill ‘Em Up

Every Christmas morning, plump velvet stockings line our hearth. And Christmas tradition dictates that each stocking has a tangerine and a brand new penny in it.

Getting the Hang of Stockings and Shoes

According to legend, the Christmas stocking originated when three impoverished girls hung their freshly-washed socks by the fire to dry. Walking by their home that evening, Saint Nicholas saw the stockings, and, feeling pity for the girls, secretly filled each sock with a generous bag of gold. The gold changed the lives of the girls forever. Read more...

Janine Boylan Comments

Cultural Diversity/Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Worldwide Sites

World Views: