Celebrating a wedding with the local population is indeed a great honour and something very enjoyable. As guests one is made to feel very welcome at Chinese weddings.
There are many variations of wedding celebrations in China. Traditionally the ceremony starts with fire crackers, lots of confetti, noise, dancing and walking to the celebration point. Read the rest of this entry »

Canadian Aboriginal Seniors increase in both numbers and percentages of the Canadian Aboriginal community with improvements in health care and life expectancy. “Seniors are revered in many aboriginal communal cultures for their knowledge and experiences, and the integral rile that they place in the vitality and well being of their families , communities and nations “, says a Statistics Canada Government Report titled “ A Portrait of Seniors in Canada”.
“Aboriginal people turn to their elders as key sources of traditional knowledge, wisdom and community continuity”. “The Portrait of Seniors “ Statistics Canada report used data in part gathered from the official Government of Canada 2001 census. Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone seems to associate French culture and customs with food, which isn’t a bad place to start. The French love their food, and mealtime is a leisurely affair to be spent with family and friends. While it seems like many Americans try to eat as quickly as possible, often on the run in the car or in front of the television, the French eat slowly and savor each meal. The culture and customs of French eating trend toward long, leisurely meals with smaller portions of rich foods. The French sit at the table to eat (not in front of the television), and eat late dinners, often with multiple courses. And wine almost always accompanies the meal. Read the rest of this entry »

Balinese culture is a unique combination of spirituality, religion, tradition and art. Religion is considered to be art and it seems that almost every Balinese is a devoted artist, spending ‘free time’ applying skills and images which have been passed down from generation to generation and grasped from a very young age. Expressed through beautiful and intricate paintings, extraordinary carvings, superb weaving, and even in rice decorations that cover the myriad shrines found in public areas, in paddy fields or in homes, the island is alive with art and religious homage. Read the rest of this entry »

Male roles in the Aborigine culture of Australia, traditionally defined, revolve much around their sacred “rite of passage”. This rite serves to separate the genders into two distinct, yet “equal” parts. This equality has much debate surrounding it, as many westerners will label the Aborigine as abusive of their women, while Aboriginals are more likely to defend their culture. Read the rest of this entry »