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Posts tagged Cultures of the world

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rusalke: Vesna & MoranaVesna is the slavic goddess of spring and youth, while Morana is the goddess of winter and death. Every year, after Morana would leave, Stribog, god of wind, would bring Vesna on his wings,  and Jarilo, god of spring, would follow her everywhere. Opposite to Morana, who was feared, Vesna was very much adored goddess. Bird that announces Vesna’s coming, and is associated with her is swallow. Even today it is possible to find celebrations dedicated to Vesna among the Slavic people, for instance Mladenci and Vrbica (which are of course cloaked as Christian celebrations, but have nothing to do with it). Seeing Vesna is a goddess of youth, these celebrations are reserved for young lads and girls (Mladenci) and for children (Vrbica), these weren’t important days for the elders. According to some stories, Jarilo is married to Morana, but he cheats on her with Vesna, and when Morana finds out, she kills him, and this repeats every year, because he is always reborn in spring. Tree associated with Morana is walnut tree, and it is said that young people should never plant it, because one who plants walnut tree will die once tree reaches thickness of his neck. At the end of every winter, a doll that represents Morana was made, it was carried through village while villagers would hit it and yell at it, after which it was burned and thrown in water. This a goodbye to a goddess, which represents how much winter is hated and feard -  of course this doesn’t mean Morana wasn’t respected.

rusalke:

Vesna & Morana

Vesna is the slavic goddess of spring and youth, while Morana is the goddess of winter and death.
Every year, after Morana would leave, Stribog, god of wind, would bring Vesna on his wings,  and Jarilo, god of spring, would follow her everywhere. Opposite to Morana, who was feared, Vesna was very much adored goddess. Bird that announces Vesna’s coming, and is associated with her is swallow. Even today it is possible to find celebrations dedicated to Vesna among the Slavic people, for instance Mladenci and Vrbica (which are of course cloaked as Christian celebrations, but have nothing to do with it). Seeing Vesna is a goddess of youth, these celebrations are reserved for young lads and girls (Mladenci) and for children (Vrbica), these weren’t important days for the elders. 
According to some stories, Jarilo is married to Morana, but he cheats on her with Vesna, and when Morana finds out, she kills him, and this repeats every year, because he is always reborn in spring. 
Tree associated with Morana is walnut tree, and it is said that young people should never plant it, because one who plants walnut tree will die once tree reaches thickness of his neck. At the end of every winter, a doll that represents Morana was made, it was carried through village while villagers would hit it and yell at it, after which it was burned and thrown in water. This a goodbye to a goddess, which represents how much winter is hated and feard -  of course this doesn’t mean Morana wasn’t respected.

(via frouwelinde)

Filed under mythology art slavic europe traditions Cultures of the world

94 notes &

“Hey, Urban Outfitters: My culture is not for sale!” An open letter from an angry habesha woman

lollamohammednur:

by Lolla Mohammed Nur, @lomonur

(Note #1: I use the term “habesha” as shorthand in this article to describe the cultures and people of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is a contested term within the diaspora, and does not necessarily apply to all ethnic groups in those two countries. Here, I use it as a general term to refer to Ethiopians and Eritreans for the sake of brevity). 

(Note #2: The dress was NOT been removed by Urban Outfitters from the website. I initially had assumed they removed it, but I later found out that the dress was actually mysteriously sold within days of the campaign launch. Urban Outfitters declined to tell me who bought it, vaguely citing “customer privacy laws.” Personally, I think it’s all fishy.)

image

For about a week now, Ethiopian and Eritrean diasporans have taken to social media to express their disbelief, shock and anger with Urban Outfitters, a company that has an established reputation for controversy and for cultural insensitivity.

Read More

Filed under Cultures of the world traditions WTF cultural appropriation Africa

62 notes &

To Some Hindus, Modern Yoga Has Lost Its Way

amber-and-ice:

muninandhugin:

searchingforknowledge:

thisisnotindia:

via NPR: 

But some Hindus are taken aback by how so much of the yoga practiced in the United States emphasizes only the physical.

The holistic practice of yoga goes beyond just a couple of asanas on a mat.

- Sheetal Shah, senior director, Hindu American Foundation

One group, the Hindu American Foundation, has launched a “Take Back Yoga” campaign to address what they see as a fundamental disconnect between yoga and Hinduism.

Sheetal Shah, senior director at the foundation, says the group started the campaign when it noticed that while “Vedic,” “tantric” and many other words appeared regularly in yoga magazines, the word “Hindu” was never mentioned.

So, the foundation called up one of the country’s most popular magazines to ask why.

“They said the word ‘Hinduism’ has a lot of baggage,” Shah says. “And we were like, ‘Excuse me?’ “

Shah says she understands why some people have a problem with linking yoga and Hinduism. Many American practitioners associate the practice with something pure and serene, she says. But when they think of Hinduism, she says, they think of “multiple gods, with multiple heads and multiple arms. Colorful [and] ritualistic.”

Hinduism has a lot of baggage???!!!!!!! HINDUISM HAS A LOT OF ….????

WHITE PEOPLE!!!

There was a lot of emphasis in the last yoga class I took on it “not being religious.” To which I had roll my eyes every time, because yeah it actually is.

This is why I liked the yoga I did at school. Because the girl teaching it went and learned from actual Hindu practitioners and right off the bat she was like, “This is a spiritual thing. If you have a problem with that, you should go now.”

I like it that the gym I’m going to not just calls the class yoga but by the hindi names of the phyical paths of yoga. Yoga is a way of living (mind and body). What most western people do is just the part involving the the body.

I don’t understand the “baggage” comment. Is it refering to the religious background or the problematic history (and present) of Hindu & Muslim relationships in India?

Filed under Cultures of the world religions monotheism yoga

49 notes &

lokavinr: pinoro: Shinto temple - Kyoto Okay. You have some beautiful pictures. And if you are actually in Japan right now and taking these pictures, I’m giving you a huge thumbs up! I hope you are having a good time. But these temples you are posting aren’t Shinto. They are Buddhist. As a rule, temple is Buddhist, shrine is Shinto. If it looks like what Westerners call a “pagoda,” it’s Buddhist. “Pagodas” are the East Asian adaptation of stupas, used to house Buddhist relics. The one you have pictured here is the Kinkakuji, built by Ashikaga Yoshimistu as part of the Rokuon-ji Rinzai Zen temple complex. It was made particularly famous in the West by Mishima Yukio’s novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion about a Zen acolyte who burns down the temple. (Incidentally this actually occurred in 1950, though not under the same circumstances as in the novel) Shinto and Buddhism were not fully separated in Japan until the Shinbutsu Bunri in the 1860s, and so you can still find points of religious syncretism at sacred sites around Japan. I don’t remember seeing any small kami shrines at Rokuon-ji, but other temples around Kyoto, such as the Kiyomizu-dera, still have these obvious marks of a syncretic past. However, some quick and easy ways to tell the two apart in the future are as follows: If it has a torii gate, it is most likely a shrine If it has a shimenawa, it is most likely a shrine If any of the buildings are plainly colored wood, it is most likely a shrine If it is surrounded by fox or dog statues, it is most likely a shrine If it has a “pagoda,” it is most likely a temple If it has any variety of Buddha image (including Kannon, Jizo, or Fudo-myo), it is most likely a temple If it has a graveyard, it is definitely a temple If the architecture seems to be in a “Chinese” style, it is most likely a temple If you can walk inside and approach the altar, it is most likely a temple If it has a cultivated garden (whether it be sculpted trees, pebble gardens, or some other man-made landscaping), it is probably a temple I say probably because none of these are fool proof (except possibly the graveyard…Shinto has a taboo associated with death). There are sites in Japan that even confuse Japanese people who have devoted themselves to one or both of these religions. But even with the torii/pagoda rule you can do a pretty decent job of sorting out the two if and when you visit these sites in the future.

lokavinr:

pinoro:

Shinto temple - Kyoto

Okay.

You have some beautiful pictures. And if you are actually in Japan right now and taking these pictures, I’m giving you a huge thumbs up! I hope you are having a good time.

But these temples you are posting aren’t Shinto. They are Buddhist. As a rule, temple is Buddhist, shrine is Shinto. If it looks like what Westerners call a “pagoda,” it’s Buddhist. “Pagodas” are the East Asian adaptation of stupas, used to house Buddhist relics. The one you have pictured here is the Kinkakuji, built by Ashikaga Yoshimistu as part of the Rokuon-ji Rinzai Zen temple complex. It was made particularly famous in the West by Mishima Yukio’s novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion about a Zen acolyte who burns down the temple. (Incidentally this actually occurred in 1950, though not under the same circumstances as in the novel)

Shinto and Buddhism were not fully separated in Japan until the Shinbutsu Bunri in the 1860s, and so you can still find points of religious syncretism at sacred sites around Japan. I don’t remember seeing any small kami shrines at Rokuon-ji, but other temples around Kyoto, such as the Kiyomizu-dera, still have these obvious marks of a syncretic past.

However, some quick and easy ways to tell the two apart in the future are as follows:

  • If it has a torii gate, it is most likely a shrine
  • If it has a shimenawa, it is most likely a shrine
  • If any of the buildings are plainly colored wood, it is most likely a shrine
  • If it is surrounded by fox or dog statues, it is most likely a shrine
  • If it has a “pagoda,” it is most likely a temple
  • If it has any variety of Buddha image (including Kannon, Jizo, or Fudo-myo), it is most likely a temple
  • If it has a graveyard, it is definitely a temple
  • If the architecture seems to be in a “Chinese” style, it is most likely a temple
  • If you can walk inside and approach the altar, it is most likely a temple
  • If it has a cultivated garden (whether it be sculpted trees, pebble gardens, or some other man-made landscaping), it is probably a temple

I say probably because none of these are fool proof (except possibly the graveyard…Shinto has a taboo associated with death). There are sites in Japan that even confuse Japanese people who have devoted themselves to one or both of these religions. But even with the torii/pagoda rule you can do a pretty decent job of sorting out the two if and when you visit these sites in the future.

Filed under shinto Cultures of the world Japan

1,069 notes &

mayeko: spuriouscontent: paperschemes: fuckyeahoddities: The word swastika comes from the Sanskrit svastika: su meaning good, asti meaning to be, and ka a suffix. While it is natural to think the Swastika originates from deep within some Nazi advertising agency, concocted to strike fear and terror throughout the world, it is in fact thousands of years old, previously a talisman of power, good luck, and strength. Life provides many great ironies; this is one of the bigger ones. Because the Third Reich was so good with public relations (or at least, getting the message out), the Swastika is basically an emotionally-charged symbol now, representing oppression, violence, Anti-Semitism, and mass murder. It’s kind of unlikely to ever revert to its previous positive meaning any decade soon. This doesn’t mean that people aren’t trying, mind you; every once in a while someone comes along and gets a swastika tattooed on himself to show the world that it’s a meaningful symbol with a glorious past. But, as you might expect, they are branded as a Nazi as quickly as they were branded with its symbol. One side-effect of the Swastika’s recent use is that there are coins, poetry and other ancient/old artifacts that have swastikas all OVER them, and chronologically-challenged folks have assumed that those people were Nazis too. This has no doubt caused some pretty caustic Letters to the Editor, that were hopefully tossed in the trash. To find out more about the original uses of the Swastika, visit reclaimtheswastika.com or their tumblr. So glad someone made this. It’s a real shame, because aesthetically speaking, the symbol itself is really visually pleasing. I think the problem is that it is still used as a symbol of hatred in the media. Modern white supremacy groups still use it, or at least they do on the TV and that’s really all that matters to the social consciousness.

mayeko:

spuriouscontent:

paperschemes:

fuckyeahoddities:

The word swastika comes from the Sanskrit svastika: su meaning good, asti meaning to be, and ka a suffix. While it is natural to think the Swastika originates from deep within some Nazi advertising agency, concocted to strike fear and terror throughout the world, it is in fact thousands of years old, previously a talisman of power, good luck, and strength. Life provides many great ironies; this is one of the bigger ones.

Because the Third Reich was so good with public relations (or at least, getting the message out), the Swastika is basically an emotionally-charged symbol now, representing oppression, violence, Anti-Semitism, and mass murder. It’s kind of unlikely to ever revert to its previous positive meaning any decade soon. This doesn’t mean that people aren’t trying, mind you; every once in a while someone comes along and gets a swastika tattooed on himself to show the world that it’s a meaningful symbol with a glorious past. But, as you might expect, they are branded as a Nazi as quickly as they were branded with its symbol.

One side-effect of the Swastika’s recent use is that there are coins, poetry and other ancient/old artifacts that have swastikas all OVER them, and chronologically-challenged folks have assumed that those people were Nazis too. This has no doubt caused some pretty caustic Letters to the Editor, that were hopefully tossed in the trash.

To find out more about the original uses of the Swastika, visit reclaimtheswastika.com or their tumblr.

So glad someone made this.

It’s a real shame, because aesthetically speaking, the symbol itself is really visually pleasing.

I think the problem is that it is still used as a symbol of hatred in the media. Modern white supremacy groups still use it, or at least they do on the TV and that’s really all that matters to the social consciousness.

(via nikkidrill)

Filed under symbols History Cultures of the world

293 notes &

theatlantic: A Pop Star Shouldn’t Shave Her Head in Shame for Having a Boyfriend Minami Minegishi, a popular member of AKB48 since the group’s founding in 2005, faced the camera and apologized profusely to fans. As tears washed over her face, she said those in charge of the group had demoted her to the “trainee” team and, to punish herself, she had shaved her head. Her transgression: being caught leaving a young man’s apartment several days earlier. Thousands in Japan watched the just-buzzed Minami deliver her tearful apology, and on Twitter the video promptly took up five trending-topic spaces. Many were shocked by what she had done to herself, while others believed the punishment was just and were surprised by what she had done. It quickly morphed into the country’s first big entertainment scandal of the year, but Minegishi’s painful-to-watch apology is much more than tabloid fodder: Her situation highlights the more disturbing aspects of the Japanese entertainment industry, and also on a growing gender problem in Japan. Read more. [Image: AKB48]

theatlantic:

A Pop Star Shouldn’t Shave Her Head in Shame for Having a Boyfriend

Minami Minegishi, a popular member of AKB48 since the group’s founding in 2005, faced the camera and apologized profusely to fans. As tears washed over her face, she said those in charge of the group had demoted her to the “trainee” team and, to punish herself, she had shaved her head. Her transgression: being caught leaving a young man’s apartment several days earlier.

Thousands in Japan watched the just-buzzed Minami deliver her tearful apology, and on Twitter the video promptly took up five trending-topic spaces. Many were shocked by what she had done to herself, while others believed the punishment was just and were surprised by what she had done. It quickly morphed into the country’s first big entertainment scandal of the year, but Minegishi’s painful-to-watch apology is much more than tabloid fodder: Her situation highlights the more disturbing aspects of the Japanese entertainment industry, and also on a growing gender problem in Japan.

Read more. [Image: AKB48]

(via wickedcherub)

Filed under music Cultures of the world Japan j-pop idol music feminism

15,796 notes &

thekhooll: Tomb Raider Ta Prohm is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university.

thekhooll:

Tomb Raider

Ta Prohm is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara. Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university.

Filed under Cultures of the world places photographs ASIA

315 notes &

They’re stealin’ our holidays!!

lokavinr:

A little piece of religious studies education.

Some world holidays from late autumn to winter:

Diwali: The “festival of lights.” Hindus celebrate the rescue of Sita by her brave husband Rama, lighting candles to guide them home through the dark night. Feasting and family gatherings abound.

Chanukah: The “festival of lights.” Jews celebrate a miracle of YHWH that allowed the Menorah to burn for eight nights during the re-dedication of the temple. Feasting, candles, gift giving, family time, etc.

Saturnalia: A Roman feast dedicated to the fertility deity, Saturn. Celebrated as the Dies Natalis of Sol Invictus, the Sun God, during the late Roman period. Gift giving, partying, feasting, and wax candles.

Mōdraniht: An Anglo-Saxon midwinter festival mentioned by Bede. Probably a time of making sacrifices to the Matronae asking for their blessings and warmth during the long nights. Feasting (?), community and family time, and probably lights, since, you know, there’s a pattern going here.

Yule (traditional): A Germanic/Scandinavian Midwinter festival honoring fertility deities such as Freyr and Thor. Feasting, lighting fires, community merrymaking, swearing oaths for the new year, and possibly an increase in spiritual activity between the realms of the living and the dead (Odin’s Wild Hunt).

Alban Arthan: “Light of Winter.” A Celtic/Welsh winter solstice celebration marking the longest night and subsequent return of light (the clash of the Holly King and the Oak King). Feasting, mistletoe, and, in Welsh tradition, the birthday of Pryderi by Rhiannon. Sometimes called Meán Geimhridh (Midwinter).

Soyal: A festival celebrated by the Hopi and Zuni nations to welcome back the sun into the world after the longest night. Community blessing, singing, dancing, feasting, and sometimes gifts of kachina replicas for children. A time of setting intentions for the coming season.

Goru: A celebration of the Dogon people of Mali honoring the arrival of humankind via the sky God Amma who arrived in the “Ark of the World.” Offerings to ancestors, feasting, and community gatherings.

Yalda: A Persian winter solstice celebration with Zoroastrian roots. A time of eating special foods, lighting candles, and gathering together with one’s family. When celebrated as part of the religion of Mithraism, this morning after the longest night was believed to be the birthday of Mithra, the angel of light and truth.

Feast of Rozhanitsa: A Russian/East Slavic feast in honor of the antlered winter goddess, Rozhanitsa. Offerings of sweet honey and bread, the making of colorful embroidery, and the gifting of white, deer shaped cookies.

Ziemassvētki: A Latvian/Baltic festival celebrating the birth of Dievs, the high God of light in the Latvian religion. The lighting of fires, community singing and celebration, and a feast for the spirits of the dead believed to arrive on this night in a sleigh.

Şeva Zistanê: “The Night of Winter.” A Kurdish festival honoring the rebirth of the sun. Later seen as a day of victory for God and the angels. Feasting, candles, and the giving of sweets to children.

Christmas: A Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus, the son of God, and the star that shone over his birthplace in Bethlehem guiding travelers to him. Feasting, family gatherings, singing special festival songs, lighting candles and trees, and gift giving.

Mawlid: A late winter festival celebrated in some regions of the Islamic world commemorating the birth of the Prophet. A nighttime festival celebrated with community gatherings, feasting, and public sermons. Earlier celebrations in regions with Sufic influence included animal sacrifice and the lighting of torches.

Kwanzaa: An African American holiday celebrating the blessings of the harvest season and a renewed sense of shared cultural heritage. Decorating the home, lighting candles, feasting, music, and giving respect and offerings to the ancestors.

Yule (Neopagan): A winter solstice celebration commemorating the birth/return of the God (of Light). Feasting, the lighting of the Yule log, and enjoying the warmth of the community during the longest night.

Festivus: For “the rest of us.” A Seinfield-inspired festival for celebrating the winter holiday without the pressures of religion or commercialism.

And many, many more that I have regrettably missed (and hopefully not too many that I have buggered up here).

The long nights of winter and promise of the returning sun inspired countless cultures to gather together, celebrate the warmth of their community through feasting and partying, and light fires to sustain them through the long night. Some customs have influenced others, but nobody owns the rights to this season. There are countless unique cultural celebrations inspired by the astronomical phenomena of the winter season.

Nobody is a “thief” for celebrating their traditional or chosen winter holiday (and believe me, I’m not just talking to the Christians when I say this). Likewise, nobody is trying to “be different” or “ruin it for everyone else” by celebrating something less mainstream during this season. These are all holidays. There are tons of them. They have similarities, and they have differences.

But they’re all equally valid.

Filed under yule christmas chanukah diwali winter solstice kwanzaa alban arthan saturnalia soyal goru yalda rozhanitsa ziemassvetki mawlid festivus traditions winter Cultures of the world

133 notes &

Belarussian villagers wearing traditional clothes gather to celebrate the pagan holiday of Rusalye, devoted to water nymphs, in the village of Sosny, Belarus, on June 10. According to legend, mermaids come out of the water during the spring and summer to visit the village, and walk through fields and meadows. © Viktor Drachev / AFP - Getty Images

Belarussian villagers wearing traditional clothes gather to celebrate the pagan holiday of Rusalye, devoted to water nymphs, in the village of Sosny, Belarus, on June 10. According to legend, mermaids come out of the water during the spring and summer to visit the village, and walk through fields and meadows.

© Viktor Drachev / AFP - Getty Images

(via valkyriethais)

Filed under pagan traditions brauchtum Cultures of the world