CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE WORLD
COUNTRY
USA
BIRTHDAYS
WEDDINGS
NEW YEAR
They are celebrated more for children than
adults, unless it is a milestone like 21, 30,
40 or 50. For children, balloons and
streamers are hung up and lots of friends
are invited to parties. There are always
presents, cakes and ice cream. The birthday
person has a cake topped with candles; one
for each year and they must try to blow
them out in one breath. If successful their
secret wish will come true.
Gifts are an important part of the U.S.
wedding tradition. A couple may “register” at
a specific store where their gift needs are
tracked. This allows well-wishers to not only
purchase gifts that are truly useful to the new
couple, but to also be assured that no one else
has purchased the same gift.
In Delaware, it is against the law for a
newlywed husband to go fishing during the
honeymoon. He must take her shopping,
however, if she requests it. In Texas you can
be legally married by publically introducing a
person as your husband or wife 3 times.
The bridal couple in Japan takes nine sips of
sake, becoming husband and wife after the
first sip. They will set across the table from
each other, looking directly into the eyes of
the other, each taking a sip at the same
moment, being very careful to set the cup
down on the table at the same exact
moment. The purpose of this is to keep one
from dying before the other. The tradition
being, that whoever's cup is set on the table
last will be the first to die.
American New Years Customs such as Dance parties
are thrown on New Year's Eve to see in the year.
Times Square in New York City has a ball drop hosted
by the television celebrity Dick Clark. This is
broadcast all over the United States. At the stroke of
midnight on New Year's Eve people will kiss or honk
car horns. Paper blowers and whistles are blown. A
soul food of black-eyed peas and rice called Hoppin'
John is eaten by some. Other foods that are eaten at
New Year are cake and champagne. In the US they
believe that black-eyed beans are lucky.
JAPAN
New Clothes. The birthday child wears
entirely new clothes to mark the occasion.
Certain birthdays are more important than
others and these are celebrated with a visit
to the local shrine. In Japan there is a
Shinto Festival called Shichi-Go-San, which
roughly means "seven-five-three". All three
year old children, as well as five year old
boys and seven year old girls, are taken to
the temple and given special sweets by the
priest. Parents are expected to express
their joy that their children have reached
that age and are bound to praying for their
wealth and happiness.
GERMANY
Sweeping the stairs of city hall. When men
reach the age of 30 and they still don't have
a girlfriend that they have to sweep the
stairs of the city hall. All their friends will
throw rubble on the stairs and when you're
finished they'll throw some more rubble
there. This way every girl can see that this
man reached the age of 30 and still doesn't
have a girlfriend (and that he can clean a
house very well!).
The tradition coming to us out of Germany
includes the bride and groom holding candles
trimmed with flowers and ribbons. This
beautiful old tradition could be included in a
wedding of today, with the couple placing
candles they have carried to the alter beside
their unity candle. These candles could then
be used to light the unity candle at the end of
the ceremony.
CHINA
Noodles for Lunch. The birthday child pays
respect to his/her parents and receives a
gift of money. Friends and relatives are
invited to lunch and noodles are served to
wish the birthday child a long life.
Traditionally, Chinese people do not pay a
lot of attention to birthdays until they are
60 years old. The 60th birthday is regarded
as a very important point of life and
therefore there is often a big celebration.
After that, a birthday celebration is held
every ten years, that is the 70th, the 80th,
etc, until the person's death. Generally, the
older the person is, the greater the
celebration occasion is.
RUSSIA
Birthday Pies. Instead of a birthday cake,
many Russian children receive a birthday
pie with a birthday greeting carved into the
crust.
Red is the color of "Love and Joy" in China. In
China today, many girls still choose to go by
the old traditions of their forefathers, but
more and more, the country is becoming
westernized and brides are opting for the
exquisite white gowns worn throughout the
world. Some time before the couples are
married, the groom's family carries wedding
gifts in red baskets and boxes to the bride's
house. One of the baskets will contain "uang
susu" or 'milk money'. Others will contain
personal things for the bride, so that on her
wedding day all of her personal belongings will
be in the groom's house. The bride takes the
gifts to another room where they are sorted
through.
Wedding guests received small thank you gifts
when attending the traditional Russian
wedding of days gone by. Popular items
included small pictures, bud vases or other
tiny items. These were in appreciation of their
presence and well wishing.
The Japanese New Year Oshogatsu is an important
time for family celebrations, when all the shops,
factories and offices are closed. The Japanese
celebrate the New Year on January 1, but they also
keep their beliefs from Shinto their religion. To keep
out evil spirits, they hang a rope of straw across the
front of their houses, which stands for happiness and
good luck. When the New Year begins, the Japanese
people begin to laugh, and this is supposed to bring
them good luck in the New Year. In Japan temple
bells usher out the old year, and then comes the
joyano-kane which is the "night-watch bell", this is a
series of exactly 108 peals. These, it is said, free the
faithful from the 108 "earthly desires" lambasted in
the Buddhist canon.
Midnight is often marked by fireworks and fire
crackers. Many people drink and toast with
champagne or other sparkling wine. People may give
each other gifts of four-leaf clover as a symbol of
good luck for the New Year. Fireworks, firecrackers,
sparkling wine and the four leaf clover are seen as
symbols of New Year's Eve. In some areas, people
take part in a form of fortune telling known
as Bleigiessen. They melt small quantities of lead on
a silver spoon above a candle. The molten lead is
then tipped into a bowl of cold water where it
solidifies. The shape that the lead takes on is a
symbol for the fortunes of the coming year.
The Chinese New Year "Yuan Tan" takes place
between January 21 and February 20. The exact date
is fixed by the lunar calendar, in which a new moon
marks the beginning of each new month. There are
street parades where thousands of people line the
streets to watch the procession of floats in the New
Year parade. Dancing dragons and lions weave their
way through the crowded streets. The dragon is
associated with longevity and wealth. Inside the
costumes are 50 dancers, twisting and turning the
dragon's long silk body and blinking eyes. Chinese
people believe that evil spirits dislike loud noises so
they decorate their houses with plastic firecrackers.
The loud noises are intended to frighten away evil
spirits and bad luck that the spirits might bring.
From 1918, Russians celebrated the New Year on 1st
January according to the Gregorian calendar and
again on 14th January which is 1st January according
to the Julian calendar.
Russian New Year traditions include a New Year's
Tree known as Novogodnaya Yolka. It is decorated
with sweets and has a bright star on top.
.- ¿En qué casos los cumpleaños en Estados Unidos es importante que se festejen para los adultos?
2.- ¿Qué se prohíbe en Delaware hacer durante la luna de miel?
3.- Que se consume tradicionalmente en Estados Unidos en la celebración del año nuevo y cuál es la razón?
4.-¿ En Japón por qué se llama así el Festival “Shichi-Go-San” y quiénes van ahí?
5.- En Japón, ¿qué y cuanto bebe la pareja al casarse y que propósito tiene? ¿En qué momento quedan
casados?
6.-En Japón, ¿Cuál es el propósito de colgar una soga en frente de sus casas durante la celebración del año
nuevo?
7.- En Alemania, ¿Qué tienen que hacer los hombre que ya cumplieron 30 años y aun no tienen novia y que es
lo que debe hacer sus amigos?
8.- En Alemania, qué es lo que llevan los novios al casarse en su camino al altar?
9.- ¿Cuáles son los símbolos de la víspera del año nuevo en Alemania?
10.- ¿Cuál son los cumpleaños más importante en China?
11.- ¿Para qué se sirven fideos en los cumpleaños de los niños en China?
12.- ¿Qué es lo que lleva la familia del novio a la casa de la novia?
13.- ¿Cuándo se celebra el año nuevo chino?
14.- ¿Con qué se asocian los dragones que desfilan en las calles de China durante la celebración del año nuevo?
15.- ¿Por qué motivo los chinos decoran sus casas con petardos de plástico durante la celebración del año
nuevo?
16.- En Rusia, ¿ qué es lo que reciben los niño en su cumpleaños?
17.- ¿Qué es lo que reciben los invitados a una boda en Rusia?
18.- ¿Por qué en Rusia se festeja dos veces el año nuevo?
19.- Por qué en Japón se dan 108 campanadas para festejar la llegada del año nuevo?
20.- ¿Por qué en Alemania se vacía en un recipiente plomo derretido durante los festejos del año nuevo?