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So cool to read about everyone's home tradition they miss the most! I'm from England but I've been living in the States for five years and the thing I miss the most is Bonfire Night on November 5th.
The best thing about Bonfire Night is the fireworks, oh, and the bonfires! … and the history behind it. Basically, Guy Fawkes and his friends tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I. They nearly did it too – they hired a room under the House of Parliament and filled it with explosives. But someone told the royal palace. The authorities found Guy Fawkes in the room guarding the explosives, and he was sentenced to torture and death.
So it's a tradition that celebrates the fact that the king survived. It also means people don't forget what happens if you plot against your country. There's a kind of poem about it that starts 'Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot.' That's why we build a 'guy' – a life-size model of Guy Fawkes – and burn it on the bonfire. Pretty dark and horrible when you think about it!
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So cool to read about everyone's home tradition ... - Remember, in a forum you are part of a long conversation with a lot of other people so they might ask you questions.
Hi everyone,
I am Praveena. I am from Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, we mainly celebrate the New Year festival in April. In this month, most people clean their houses, buy some new furniture , and do some repairs. For those days, there are a lot of sweets and traditional foods made in every home. We called "Kavili". Many people visit their relatives and friends. There are lot of festivals which we can enjoy with lot of traditional games. The people give lot of gifts for their parents, relatives and friends.
Hi everyone, I am from Vietnam and I am a newbie here.
Thank you for your posts. I've really enjoyed reading them. I'd like to tell you about our traditional Lunar New Year - Tet holiday.
Tet usually takes place around Jan to Feb as it follows lunar calendar. During Tet, people usually go back to their hometown to get together with their families. We clean the house, prepare traditional food, visit relatives and friends, and adults usually give lucky money to the old people and children.
There is a traditional Vietnamese saying "The first day is for father's side in the family, the second day is for mother's side and the third day is for teachers. After these three day, people spend more time to their friends and other relatives.
I hope you can have a chance to experience Tet in Vietnam, someday!
I was really fascinated by other people's posts about their traditions. As a Vietnamese person, one tradition I really cherish is the tradition of commemorating our deceased loved ones. Once a year, family members get together to prepare the dishes that the deceased person used to enjoy the most. We share a meal, reminisce about the good times we had with them, and talk about how they enriched our lives and made a lasting impact on us.
Hi! I'm Mijoh from the Philippines.
What's cool about my country is that our National Hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal did not die in war to save our country but he saved us through writing a two novel that opens the eyes of Filipino People about the colonization and slavery of Spaniards. Using their lands and force labor. We celebrate his death every 31st of December. It is sad though, coz new generations does not celebrate this day. Patriotism in my country is fading. There are many contributions or factors why most filipinos now a days are not commemorating this day. Due to Politics and Poverty. we felt like it's not worth it because life is too hard. Corruption is evident. This is my country Philippines. Thank you
Hi, my name is Vanessa.
I think it's always important to know about history, because without it, we would be nothing.
We are history, without it we would be nothing and we wouldn't have the evolution we've had up until today.
Hello everyone! I don't know much about festivals in other countries, but as someone who has lived in India since birth, I can certainly tell you about the diverse traditions and festivals that we follow and celebrate.
One of the most eagerly awaited and joyful festivals, Deepawali, is celebrated every year in November. According to the story, on this day, an evil king named Ravana was defeated and killed by Lord Rama, who is considered an avatar of Lord Vishnu. On this day, people celebrate Rama's victory over Ravana by lighting lamps and setting off fireworks.
Reading about traditions from all over the world was very exciting! I am from Spain and we have many traditions during the year related with god and some certains dates like Christmas or Easter. But, my favourite traditions are the ones that are not subject to any specific date, for example spanish people we use to have lunch or have dinner in weird hours for other countries. For example, we have lunch at 14:00-15:00pm and we have dinner at 21:00-22:00pm.
Furthermore, i really enjoy one thing after meetings with family or friends, we ussually spend a lot of time while eating, we call that "Sobremesa". After everybody has end eating anyone move from their chair, we can keep speaking and spending our time arround the table sharing our knowledge, experiences or funny moments between eachothers. Basically speaking.
I really love spending time with my close family and friends.
Hi everyone! I wasn´t familiar with this cultural tradition in England! In Colombia, we celebrate what is called "El día de las velitas" (Candle´s Day) on December 7th during Christmas. On this day, families remain together to go to the front of their house and light seven colorful candles there at midnight, praying to the Lord to protect them.
So nice to read about the Day of the Little Candles! I think it’s a beautiful tradition because it brings families and neighbors together, lighting candles and lanterns in the streets.
In Colombia we also celebrate “Love and Friendship Day” in September. It’s a time when people give small gifts, sweets, or flowers to friends, family, and couples. What I like most is that it celebrates friendship as much as love.
Do you also enjoy both traditions, or do you have a favorite one?
Hello Everyone,
It was very exciting to hear about everyone's home tradition and their history. I'm from Mumbai , India - the country of many festivals. One of my most favorite festival is the Ganesh Chaturthi. Lots of people in Mumbai and India wait for the time of the year when we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in the occation of the birth of Lord Ganesha. It is a 10 day public festival where everyone brings Lord Ganpati's idol in there home or there society and does a lot of seva (taking care) of the idol. Everyone visits there relatives house where the Lord Ganesh's idol is brought and enjoy there family get together with joy.
In this 10 days some magical energy is present in the air that everyone can feel. It genuinely feels like Lord Ganesha is with us and is enjoying every moment. That's what makes this festival so special for me !!