New Year’s Day in Vietnam

Every country in the world has special holidays such as Labor Day, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. One important day in Vietnam is New Year’s, and we always have a lot of preparation for that day. About a month before New Year’s Day, we buy such things as food, drinks, and gifts. We also need … Read more

Celebrating the New Year in Japan

I will explain a traditional Japanese New Year. Nowadays, although young people go somewhere with their friends during the long New Year holidays, many families still enjoy it with families and relatives. So, at the very end of the old year and the beginning of the new year, it is very crowed in trains, in … Read more

So-nal, Lunar New Year’s Day in Korea

Like many other Asian countries, Korea has two different New Year’s days according to solar and lunar calendars. The more widely preferred one is the lunar New Year’s day, called So-nal. Sol-nal is a day for the whole family’s reunion and for refreshing everyone’s common life at the very beginning of a year. The day has many … Read more

Our Chinese New Year

I thought originally that I would have a lonely Spring Festival in the U.S. this year, but afterward I knew I was wrong. Instead of it, Shelly and I had a very happy and busy holiday. It is the right time for our Chinese New Year Eve on Friday. My friend Shelly and I were … Read more

Our New Year’s Resolutions

Readers from Brazil, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the United States, and Venezuela share their resolutions. One of my resolutions for next year will be to save enough money for my son’s education. I’d like to have less stress in my life and dedicate more time to my family. To show … Read more

New Year’s Customs from Around the World

Around the globe, countries have special or unusual New Year’s customs. Some customs are shared; others vary from country to country. Some are amusing, such as the Thai custom of throwing water on people; and many are intended to bring good luck during the new year ahead, such as the Spanish custom of eating 12 … Read more

Celebrating Santa Lucia

Hello, my name is Sarah Lucas. I come from Sweden where we have Santa Lucia Day. One girl wears a crown on top of her head with five, sometimes, six real candles. A boy is behind, dressed in a white robe with yellow stars. There is an elf that is dressed in green, sometimes red. … Read more

Festivals and Celebrations in Peru

Peru is a country full of history and traditions where you can enjoy vivid festivals and celebrations all year round. Peru was the Incas’ land. Then, when the Spaniards conquered South America, Peru was the center of the Spanish colony for about 300 years. During that time, Chinese and Negros were also introduced to the … Read more

International Recipes from Students in Australia

Tesfanesh Abate from Ethiopia Ageresh Abate and Awoke Abate from Ethiopia helped with the preparation. Alicha is like a stew or casserole, and the Ethiopian name for this is a wat. Stews are very popular in my country. Alicha, a more delicately seasoned Wat (stew), contains no berbere (chili). It is often eaten at home, and it is also served … Read more

A Visit to an Amish Community

After studying the Amish lifestyle in class in Japan, a Japanese girl has the opportunity to visit an Amish community in Pennsylvania. Wow! I was very impressed when I first visited an Amish family. I was visiting the family of my former sociology professor Vasantkumar who lives near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and they asked me if … Read more