Dragon Boat Festival By Sharon Schweitzer The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Double Fifth Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday with more than two thousand years of history. It begins on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Because the fifth month is considered an unlucky time of year, many traditions [...]
Japan’s Golden Week By Sharon Schweitzer Golden Week is a significant week-long holiday in Japan, comprising four national holidays - Showa Day, Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day, and Children's Day. These holidays fall between April 29th and May 5th every year, and it's customary for people to take a break from their work [...]
Cheng Ming Festival By Sharon Schweitzer The Ching Ming Festival, also known as Qingming (清明节), is a Chinese custom celebrated worldwide by people of many Asian cultures. Sometimes called Tomb Sweeping Day or the Pure Brightness Festival (pure brightness is the English translation of Qingming), it's an annual event to remember and honor ancestors [...]
International Tea Day By Sharon Schweitzer Tea is a beverage made from the Camellia sinesis plant. Tea is the world’s most consumed drink, after water. It is believed that tea originated in northeast India, north Myanmar and southwest China, but the exact place where the plant first grew is not known. There is evidence that [...]
Celebrating National Rice Month By Sharon Schweitzer The history of National Rice Month which is celebrated in September, started in 1991, when President George H.W. Bush designated the month as such. The president and the United States Rice Federation came to an agreement to celebrate and recognize the usage of the grain in our daily [...]
International Sudoku Day By Sharon Schweitzer For all of the Sudoku enthusiasts out there, you will notice the significance behind this holiday’s date. The goal of the Sudoku game is to fill a 9×9 grid so that each column, row, and 3×3 sub-grid contains all the digits from 1 to 9. In 1892, the [...]
To celebrate National Hot Tea Month, we explore five global regions where tea is a fundamental part of culture.
Image: by Sharon Schweitzer at Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island, Hiroshima Japan Japan’s Obon (or Bon) Festival, also known as the Festival of Souls or Lantern Festival, begins August 13 and ends on August 16, 2021. This annual Buddhist three-day festival has been celebrated for over 500 years in Japan and is dedicated to honoring [...]
Image: stock.adobe.com By Wipark One of Japan’s most cherished celebrations, Golden Week, occurs April 29 - May 5, 2021. This is a special time when the entire country celebrates cultural traditions by observing four historical holidays. Companies close their doors and employees enjoy a week of paid vacation. Global business takes a pause to celebrate each of [...]
Fushimi Inari Shrine, Japan by Pexels One of Japan’s most cherished celebrations, Golden Week spans April 29 - May 5th. This week is a special time when the entire country celebrates cultural traditions by observing four historical holidays. Companies close their doors and employees enjoy a week of paid vacation. Global business [...]
