Yours,

Li Hua

2 . Fantastic Fall Festivals You Won’t Want to Miss

Admission to the Seymour Apple Festival is free and so is the entertainment! More than 15,000 people from all over the region come out to take part in the activities, ranging from drawings, vendor booths, food, apple contests, bike decorating contests, and more.

The popular Marionville Apple Festival is home to countless activities and events. The carnival, pony rides, and games will keep the kids busy, while adults will enjoy watching the pie-eating contest and browsing dozens of craft vendor booths.

The Humansville Fall Festival may be hosted by a small town, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking big fun. Perfect for all ages, this fall festival is celebrating its 70th year and will provide three full days of fun. This year’s festival will feature live music from fantastic local musicians, which will definitely make it different from the ones in other years. You’ll also find fun carnival rides, talented artisans selling their goods, and an amazing parade to wrap up the event on Saturday.

The Southside Fall Festival is perfect for family celebrations, with an alcohol-free environment and free admission. Enjoy a colorful parade and float contest, delicious food vendors, live music, karaoke, and more.

Make sure to bring the kids along for this festival that celebrates all things creative. The Fall Into Arts Festival features a host of kid-friendly activities like a lego build, sand art, bubble stations, chalk the sidewalk, a jump house, and more. Parents will have plenty to do as well, with an excellent variety of artists, festival food, a mini film festival, and much more.

Last year at Christmas time, my wife, three children and I were on our way from Paris to Nice. Somehow everything went wrong. Our hotels were “tourist traps” and our rented car broke down. On Christmas Eve, when we checked into a dirty hotel in Nice, there was no Christmas spirit in our hearts.

It was raining and cold when we went out to eat. We found a small restaurant poorly decorated for the holiday. Only five tables in the restaurant were taken. There were two German couples, two French families, and an American sailor, by himself. They were eating in stony silence except the sailor. He was writing a letter, and a half-smile lighted his face. In the corner a piano player was listlessly (无精打采地) playing Christmas music.

All of us were interrupted by an old French flower woman through the front door. She had a worn overcoat and her old shoes were wet. Carrying her basket of flowers, she went from one table to another. No one bought any. Exhausted and sad, she sat down at a table.

The sailor finished his meal and got up to leave. Putting on his coat, he walked over to the flower woman’s table.

“Merry Christmas,” he said, smiling and picking out a handful of flowers. “How much are they?”

“Two francs, sir.”

The sailor put a twenty franc note in the woman’s hand.

“I don’t have change, sir,” she said. “I’ll get some from the waiter.”

“No, ma’am,” said the sailor, leaning over and kissing the ancient cheek. “This is my Christmas present for you.”

Then the sailor headed for our table with the flowers in his hand.

5 . While some feel that bookstores are fading away, one Chinese bookstore has found new life by marching into rural (乡村) areas in China.

By absorbing local characteristics, the village branches of the Library Advantage Bookstore (LAB) chain have changed into important platforms to display local history, culture and folk traditions. These village branches are not just bookstores; they are helping to relieve spiritual poverty and becoming centers for gathering and displaying country culture.

To better fit in the lives of local people, each village branch has its own characteristics, like one in Shaxi, southwest China’s Yunnan province. Many of nearly 20,000 books in the store are associated with the history, geography and folk customs of Yunnan and the Bai people.

“Making money is not our only aim. Our bookstore has become a public gathering space for villagers. They do not buy books, but pass time by reading or chatting there.” explained Liu Xia, the bookstore owner.

Besides, the bookstores add a good cultural atmosphere (氛围). Some turn to the books to find answers to the troubles they face, such as running a business or attracting tourists from big cities. One of the biggest benefits is that it helps provide a healthy environment for children’s growth. “My kids often come to the store. They love reading books here. They gain knowledge and curiosity about the outside world.” one villager said.

9 . Live at Leeds Festival, United Kingdom

A weekend of indie music taking over Leeds for one day in May, Metronomy, Sundara Karma and Tom Grennan will headline, but there’s a focus on the city’s newer bands, with the festival aiming to bring new artists into the spotlight. Events take place across the city, with wristbands giving you access to all the places. And to go to this festival, you need to be over 14 years old.

Time: 4 May, 2019

Midnight Sun Film Festival, Finland

Almost a hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, Sodankylä is where Finnish film director brothers Aki and Mika Kaurismäki rock up every summer for their Midnight Sun Film Festival, a five-day-and-night celebration of new cinema. A mix of silent films, contemporary Finnish ones, recent festival hits and box-office classics are screened around the clock.

Time: 12 - 16 June, 2019

Fuji Rock Festival, Japan

The first ever Fuji Rock Festival was held at the bottom of Mount Fuji back in 1997 and has brought in music and rock fans from all over the world. The festival is now held in the Naeba Ski Resort and is celebrating its 23th anniversary this year. The artists who perform aren’t all rockers. Your wristband has to be checked at the entrance. We offer facilities for children, but they can’t be left unaccompanied.

Time: 26 - 28 July, 2019

The White Nights Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia

The White Nights Festival is held at the city’s famous Mariinsky Theatre and shows some of the world’s best opera and ballet. It’s the best time to visit St. Petersburg because it’s held during the magical summer period when there’s almost 24 hours of sunlight a day.

Time: 11 May - 31 July, 2019

10 . There is more of a connection between food and culture than you may think. On an individual level, we grow up eating the food of our culture. It becomes a part of who we are. Many associate food from our childhood with warm feelings and good memories and it ties us to our families, holding a special and personal value for us. Food from our families often becomes the comfort food we seek as adults in times of frustration and stress.

On a large scale, traditional food is an important part of culture. It also operates as an expression of cultural identity. Immigrants bring it wherever they go, and it is a symbol of pride in their culture and means of coping with homesickness.

Many immigrants open their own restaurants and serve traditional dishes. However, the food does not remain exactly the same. Some materials needed to make traditional dishes may not be readily available, so the taste and flavour can be different from what they would prepare in their home countries. Additionally, immigrants do not only sell dishes to people from the same countries as them, but to people from different countries. Therefore, they have to make small changes in the original dishes to cater to a wider range of customers. Those changes can create new flavours that still keep the cultural significance of the dishes.

We should not only embrace our heritage (传统) through our culture’s food, but also become more informed about other cultures by trying their food. It is important to remember that each dish has a special place in the culture to which it belongs, and is special to those who prepare it. Food is a window on culture, and it should be treated as such.