This is the story of a beautiful moon princess, but it is also a story about bamboo, a plant which was once believed to be sacred. Once upon a time, there was a young man called Ma Liang. He was poor and kind and helped a rich man to tend cattle. He liked drawing and … Read more
In this folktale, a good person receives a reward for his kindness, but then decides he wants more and has to face the consequences. Long, long ago, some children were playing at a seaside when they found a turtle. They began to bully the turtle. After a while, a young man came and said to … Read more
This is the story of a kind who was saved when a loyal staff officer sent a beautiful woman to the palace. Thousands of years ago, there was a country that was ruled by another country. The king was a slave who worked for the foreign ruler of this country. His staff officer was trying … Read more
This is a Korean “Cinderella-type” story. A beautiful young girl is mistreated by her ugly step-mother and her ugly step-sister. A long, long time ago, there were two sisters. The older sister’s name was Kongi and the younger sister’s name was Potgi. Kongi had a stepmother. The stepmother and Potgi disliked Kongi because she was … Read more
This is a traditional folk tale Korea. It includes the idea that beautiful girls are nice and ugly people are bad. Generally speaking, most Korean stories include that idea. I think it’s extremely natural. Once upon a time, there were two girls—Jang Hwa and Hong Ryeon. They were sisters. They were very beautiful and nice. … Read more
In this heartwarming story, two brothers in a village show their love. A long, long time ago, there lived two brothers in a village. They were both very poor. The older brother had a little more than the other one: however, he had a larger family to support than the younger brother. One autumn, they … Read more
This is the story of a young man’s true love for his girlfriend, who he loved so much that he was brave enough to risk his life, fighting a dragon. Two hundred years ago, there was a princess named May Yee. She was born in Malaysia. She wanted to get married to a young man, … Read more
Thailand has many holidays, and all Thais wait for their holidays, hoping to have time to take a rest after working hard for a long time. There is one holiday that is three days long, April 13-15. We call it “Thai New Year.” This holiday is the time for young people to show love to … Read more
We celebrate the New Year with big, big parties and “parrandas”. Parrandas are like going caroling from house to house, but our people do this when it is late, late at night. The people that you are supposed to visit can not know about you going to visit them that night; it’s like a big … Read more
New Year’s: Customs, a Quiz, and Resolutions Travel the globe to discover some interesting New Year’s customs. Then take a quiz to see what you remember! Everyone loves to make New Year’s resolutions. New Year’s Memories A student from Argentina recalls beautiful customs in her country. A student describes a Chinese dinner she made with a friend. A Vietnamese student remembers celebrating with her … Read more