1 . Harvest Festivals Around the World

The harvest season falls at different times of the year depending upon region, climate, and crop, but festivals celebrating its arrival are held the world over. The following list highlights four particular harvest festivals.

Rice Harvest Festival in Indonesia (May 1-June 30)

The Rice Harvest Festival that is held in Bali, Indonesia, is a feature of the island’s Hindu culture. The harvest time, which follows the New Year by about one month, is dedicated to the rice goddess and is a time of joyous celebration. Sculptures of the goddess are placed in the fields in thanks, towns are decorated with colored flags, and special bull races are held.

Yam Festival in Ghana (August or September)

The Ewe people of Ghana in Africa celebrate the end of the rainy season and the first appearance of yams, a staple crop. The duration and exact days of the celebration vary according to place, in hopes of driving away hunger in the coming year. People gather and hold huge feasts and activities such as dances and parades.

Sukkoth in Israel (September-October)

Sukkoth, the “Feast of Booths (棚子),” is held shortly after the High Holy Days of the New Year celebration. Special booths are constructed to recall the period of the Exodus, recorded in the local religion, when their ancestors lived in booths in the desert before entering the Promised Land.

Pongal in India (January)

The four-day festival of Pongal is a celebration of the rice harvest period. Held after the winter solstice (冬至), it celebrates the return of longer days of life-giving sunlight. Pongal is similar to other festivals held in South and Southeast Asia, but its name comes from a local word meaning “to boil” and is also the name given to a rice dish that is prepared during this time.

2 . On the bustling streets of Sydney, Australia, Dong Min, a young Chinese woman, dressed in elegant Chinese traditional clothing — hanfu, gracefully holds a dizi, the bamboo flute of China, fascinating passersby with the melodies of traditional Chinese music.

Dong Min, a talented musician was born in 1990. Seeing a female performer playing the bamboo flute on TV fired her interest in this Chinese traditional instrument at the age of 8. Soon her interest blossomed into talent. At the age of 10, winning a provincial-level Chinese musical instrument competition earned her one of only four spots for further studies in Beijing. After graduating from Minzu University of China with a major in Chinese bamboo flute in 2015, she enrolled at the University of New South Wales in Australia to study cultural leadership where she initiated street performances, featuring Chinese traditional instruments. One year later, she formed a band and founded the Sydney Meya Institute of Chinese Music to teach various Chinese traditional instruments to more people.

Apart from street performances and her institution, Dong also offers online dizi lessons to a global audience and organizes online exchange concerts for her students worldwide. “Our students range from 4-year-olds to 80-year-olds, reflecting the timeless appeal of Chinese music across generations,” Dong said.

Her effort paid off eventually. Her performances grew in popularity. Many audiences traveled all the way from cities like Melbourne and Brisbane to Sydney just to attend her performances.” Many music schools now offer courses on Chinese instruments. I hope to create a platform for music enthusiasts to connect and cultivate friendships through their shared love for music. Thus, we can not only raise awareness of Chinese traditional music in Australia but also share the richness of Chinese culture through music with the international audience.” Dong Min said.

4 . You’ve got the perfect Halloween costume picked out, but here’s the real question: Where are you—or your kid—going to wear it? Here are some of the best.

The undead return to Silver Spring, looking for brains—and the 11:15 p.m. screening of “night of the Living dead” at the AFi Silver. One of the region’s biggest (and most enjoyable) spooky season gatherings finds hundreds of costumed zombies wandering the streets. Everyone—adults and families alike—gathers at the Quarry House tavern at 7 p.m. before shuffling（移动） over to Ellsworth drive by 9 p.m., then over to the theater. There’s no charge to participate, and topical outfits are welcome (the gorier the better).

If you’ve been to Kensington’s Babycat Brewery, you know that kids are welcome—and, on some weekend afternoons, seem to outnumber the adults. Fans of all ages are welcome to celebrate the brewery’s first year in business, with costumes “strongly encouraged.” Younger ones can be amazed at the Kensington Volunteer Fire department’s firetruck, which will be on-site from noon to 3 p.m., while older folks will appreciate live music from 3 to 9 p.m. Look for special beer releases to go with the pop-up food from Steezeburger—our No.1 burger in the D. C. area—plus o’ Boy pizza and neighbors the dish and dram.

It’s a day of two parts at the perch, the park located 11 stories above McLean. From noon to 4 p.m., a family party includes “spooky golf” at the Perch Putt mini-golf course, bounce houses, pumpkin decorating and face painting, and costume and pie-eating contests. From 4 p.m. on, the party is for 21 and older, with live music from the cover band “Lights Out”. By 8, beers from the Starr Hill Biergarten, a costume contest and more fun.

5 . Canada is diverse and vast, and the festivals celebrated there reflect this. Here are some exciting ones that attract visitors worldwide.

Vancouver Celebration of Light

The largest fireworks competition in the world is held every summer in Vancouver. It consists of concerts, food stalls, and the Seawall Challenge, a popular urban adventure race. The festival, which lasts about a week, makes for a great way to get to know the city from a local standpoint.

Edmonton Folk Festival

From its humble beginning in 1980, Edmonton Folk Festival has grown to be one of the world’s famous folk festivals. Held each August, the lineup of the 10-day-long festival is always outstanding and ticket prices stay reasonable. Edmonton is also a gateway to Jasper and the Canadian Rockies, about two hours away in case you have extra time to explore after the festival.

Toronto International Film Festival

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is one of the leading film festivals in the world, ranking closely with Cannes and Sundance. Films such as Hotel Rwanda, American Beauty, and The Big Chill made their premieres (首映) at this famous star-filled event held each September. The 11-day-long festival is also known as the kick-off of awards season, with many films that make their first public performance at TIFF going on to get nominated for Oscars and Golden Globe awards.

Montreal Comedy Festival

Since 1983, Montreal Comedy Festival, or, Just for Laughs as it is more commonly known, has been inviting people to get together just for fun, just for entertainment-just for laughs. The festival, which takes place every year for two weeks in July, has grown in popularity and reputation and today features some of the world’s greatest comedians and it also resulted in a television show that is broadcast internationally.

6 . The Rise of “China-chic”

Over past years, guochao, or “China-chic” has been gaining popularity among Chinese consumers. Guochao conveys the cultural heritage and values of China.     1    . “China-chic” is rising, but what is it?

The idea of guochao was first borrowed from some international brands, and began to win over Chinese consumers in 2015.     2    . In 2018, Chinese sportswear band Li-Ning presented its Wu Dao (the principles of Taoism) collection at the New York Fashion Week. It featured bright red color and Chinese characters. More brands have since followed, heralding (预示) the early period of guochao.

    3    . This was a period when applications of big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and 5G technology hit the market one after another. Domestic tech companies such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and DJI made headlines.

In its third stage, guochao became more common in everyday life. Over the past decade, guochao has expanded from consumer goods to experiential products. As consumers are showing greater interest in cultural identity and creativity, productions like the TV program National Treasure, and the dance show Night Banquet in Tang Dynasty Palace integrate cultural and historical elements with the latest audio-visual technologies.     4    .

Nowadays, guochao is moving to the next stage. No matter how the trend evolves, Chinese people’s positive attitude toward the country’s development and their recognition of and growing confidence in national culture won’t change.     5    . Seen from a broader perspective, guochao mirrors the rise of China, a country eager to make its presence felt globally. Guochao is a style, but more importantly, it transmits culture and values.

7 . Falling on March 20, Spring Equinox, or Chunfen is the fourth of the Twenty-four Solar Terms following Awakening of Insects (惊蛰) about half a month ago. On Chunfen, the day and night balance across the globe. Usually, Chinese people do farm work based on the solar terms (节气). However, Chunfen is one of the few solar terms that has little to do with agriculture. What people often do is to enjoy the good weather by taking part in various activities in different places to celebrate Chunfen. One of the most popular is going outdoors to fly kites.

Yang Liping, a kite maker, who is good at making swallow-shaped kites, a typical type of kite in Beijing said Chunfen is the best time to fly them. Since he was a little boy, it was a tradition for him and his friends to fly kites on Chunfen because the wind is stable and kites can easily soar (扶摇直上).

As a Beijing local, the 59-year-old recalls that 10 years ago, he and his companions often made kites themselves and went to the fields to fly them. They were told by old people that flying kites on Chunfen can get rid of bad luck and bring back good luck. “It was a really happy time in my childhood. But nowadays it’s hard to find a place without high buildings to fly kites in cities,” says Yang Liping, adding that the kites he made are showed in people’s homes as a decoration instead of being flown.

“Sometimes, I can see the elderly in parks fly kites. Young people and children maybe are attracted by entertainment programs on their mobile phones, ” jokes Yang. “My students are interested in making kites. However, they don’t have a good site to fly them and the pandemic held back their passion to go outdoors,” says Yang.

Apart from flying kites outside, the Chinese also have the tradition to cook particular vegetables on Chunfen. People cook newly-springing vegetables to welcome a season of renewal and rebirth.

8 . Differences between people within any given nation or culture are much greater than differences between groups. Education, social standing, religion, personality, belief structure, past experience, affection shown in the home, and a myriad (大量) of other factors will affect human behavior and culture.

Sure there are differences in approach as to what is considered polite and appropriate behavior both on and off the job. In some cultures “yes” means, “I hear you” more than “I agree”. Length of pleasantries and greetings before getting down to business; level of tolerance for being around someone speaking a foreign (not-understood) language; politeness measured in terms of gallantry (殷勤) or etiquette(e.g., standing up for a woman who approaches a table, yielding a seat on the bus to an older person, etc.); and manner of expected dress are all examples of possible cultural differences and traditions.

In México it is customary for the arriving person to greet the others. For instance, someone who walks into a group of persons eating would say prove Cho (enjoy your meal). In Chile, women often greet both other women and men with a kiss on the cheek. In Russia women often walk arm in arm with their female friends. Paying attention to customs and cultural differences can give someone outside that culture a better chance of assimilation (同化) or acceptance. Ignoring these can get an unsuspecting person into trouble.

There are cultural and ideological differences and it is good to have an understanding about a culture’s customs and ways. Aaron Pun, a Canadian ODC net correspondent, wrote: “In studying cross cultural differences, we are not looking at individuals but a comparison of one ethnic group against others. Hence, we are comparing two bell curves and generalization cannot be avoided.” Another correspondent explained the human need to categorize. True and true, but the danger comes when we act on some of these generalizations, especially when they are based on faulty observation. Acting on generalizations about such matters as eye contact, personal space, touch, and interest in participation can have serious negative consequences.