Celebrating Cultures across the University of Birmingham
Contributed by Kajol Desai You’ve probably heard of a “colour festival” or been on a “colour run”, maybe even celebrated something similar in a club or at a rave, but have you ever wondered where these celebrations of colour originate? When you scrape back the packaged events you may have attended, looking instead for the … Continue reading “Holi: The Festival of Colours”
Last Friday the University of Birmingham celebrated International Women’s Day. The day commemorates and celebrates the achievements, history, and political activism of women across the world. The day is a period to reflect on women’s suffrage, as well as a time to engage with inequalities and disparities that effect women in society today. To commemorate … Continue reading “International Women’s Day – A Retrospective”
Contributed by Belle (Tanyapa Tantrasadetee), Fancy (Zefang Zhang) and Nicolette (Ning Lee) Thinking about taking part in a future celebration as a Cultural Calendar Ambassador? Want to know what to anticipate, or if it’s worth your time? Our Ambassadors from our Chinese/Lunar New Year Celebrations have you covered. Each ambassador has provided a brief description … Continue reading “The Ambassador Experience (Chinese/Lunar New Year)”
Contributed by Tanyapa Tantrasadetee (Belle) Many Thais descend from Chinese ancestors, and because of this Chinese/Lunar New Year is as well celebrated in Thailand as the Thai New Year. Streets and residential areas—especially the China Town in Bangkok—are full of decorations like the infamous red lanterns. Marketing campaigns are launched and specialized for the Chinese … Continue reading ““Xin Jia Yu Ei, Xin Ni Huad Chai” – Thailand and Chinese/Lunar New Year”
Contributed by Ning Lee (Nicolette) Lunar or Chinese New Year is a 15-day festival celebrated in many countries around the world, such as China, Singapore, Malaysia, and even the US and the UK! The festival welcomes the new year of the Lunar Calendar, which was traditionally used prior to the popularisation of the Gregorian calendar. … Continue reading “Food and Lunar New Year in Malaysia”
Contributed by Zefang Zhang (Fancy) This is my third time celebrating the Spring Festival on an island: I am from Beijing, which is a very famous city you may be familiar with in northern China. Of all the times I have celebrated the Spring Festival, this is only my third time doing so on an … Continue reading “Zefang Zhang’s (Fancy’s) “3-2-1” story on celebrating the Spring Festival”
Contributed by Jennifer Arvin Furlong In the U.S. we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy the third Monday of January every year. January 18 marks his birthday, so naturally our news media are filled with images of celebrations and parades from across the country. These images are usually combined with lessons about King’s life … Continue reading “A Lesson from the Mountaintop – MLK Day”
Contributed by Maxane Keogh ‘It’s that awkward time of year before Christmas when you’re not sure if you should start breaking out the scarves and fairy lights yet; however, it’s also getting very cold and Aldi is already selling Christmas chocolates sooooooo… I offer you a middle ground. A time of feasting before Christmas, to … Continue reading “Yet Another Brussels Sprout Riddled Celebration – Thanksgiving”
Thinking about helping us out as a Cultural Calendar Ambassador at one of our events such as our upcoming Chinese New Year Celebration? Want to know more about the ambassador experience? Answering both of these questions, Priyal Desai and Kajol Desai have kindly provided us with an overview of their experiences as Ambassadors during our … Continue reading “The Ambassador Experience (Diwali)”
Contributed by Jaspinder Mann As many across India celebrate Diwali, Sikhs also light Divas (candles) and set off fireworks for Bandi Chor Divas, day of liberation. The Sikh occasion for celebration is in remembrance of their history and the actions of their sixth Guru (spiritual leader) Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji. The origin: Guru Sahib … Continue reading “The Sikh celebration of Bandi Chor Divas! (Diwali time)”
