View Chinese Culture - #1 for an explanation of this series.
Chinese Tradition: Winter Solstice Celebration
This is probably just as much a superstition as a tradition.
The tradition part is to gather all your friends and family on Winter Solstice, the first day of Winter, and have a large feast of good quality food. This follows the tradition of many cultures around the world in marking the start of winter and the shortest day of the year. Its a good time to bring everyone together, make sure everybody is doing well and to prepare for the long hard winter ahead.
This year, 2010, is especially noteworthy as it is also a full moon and a total lunar eclipse on that day - Dec 21. Its my understand that this happens once is only about 20 years.
The Superstition comes in Chinese culture, celebrating this day with a large feast of good quality food means that you will be healthy and never go hungry in the coming year. Its like starting the ball rolling on having plenty of good food and being healthy.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Chinese Culture - #7
View Chinese Culture - #1 for an explanation of this series.
Chinese Practice: Removing your shoes when entering a household
This is a very pervasive practice. I have experienced in every household in China as well as Chinese living in America. Often times, the homeowners will provide you with house slippers when you arrive. Again, this goes towards cleanliness. You've been out all day tromping around is lord knows what. You really don't want to be tracking that junk all around a nice clean home.
Chinese Practice: Removing your shoes when entering a household
This is a very pervasive practice. I have experienced in every household in China as well as Chinese living in America. Often times, the homeowners will provide you with house slippers when you arrive. Again, this goes towards cleanliness. You've been out all day tromping around is lord knows what. You really don't want to be tracking that junk all around a nice clean home.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Chinese Culture - #6
View Chinese Culture - #1 for an explanation of this series.
Chinese Saying: Sleep like a Pig
I'm not exactly sure why a pig is referenced instead of any other animal, but as you might have guessed, this means sleeping very well and very deep. Westerners 'Sleep like a Log', which to me is equally as confusing as logs do not sleep. Western saying also include "Sleep like the dead", but this is a major no-no in Chinese Culture to referring to the dead in just anything. Very, very taboo. So don't do that.
Chinese Saying: Sleep like a Pig
I'm not exactly sure why a pig is referenced instead of any other animal, but as you might have guessed, this means sleeping very well and very deep. Westerners 'Sleep like a Log', which to me is equally as confusing as logs do not sleep. Western saying also include "Sleep like the dead", but this is a major no-no in Chinese Culture to referring to the dead in just anything. Very, very taboo. So don't do that.
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