New Year

Vietnamese/Chinese New Year! The diversity of our country is surreal. No matter where each culture came from, they were able to bring their home to their new home – the United States. I was completely enamored with the Vietnamese/Chinese New Year celebration at the St. Andrew Dung Lac Catholic church’s event center, which also doubled as a Catholic bible school on Saturdays. The colors, the people, the food, music, and everything gave broaden my perspectives and experiences of other cultures. It…

Numbering of Jewish Years). Jews use the abbreviations C.E. (Common or Christian Era) and B.C.E. (Before the Common Era), as do scholars today. In reference to the civil calendar, A.D. refers to “the year of our Lord and B.C. to Before Christ. The Biblical calendar also uses the abbreviation A.M. (Anno Mundi) meaning Year of the World (Hebrew Calendar. par 4). The "first month" of the Jewish calendar is the Spring month of Nissan, when Passover occurs. However, the Jewish New Year is Tishri, the…

Watching 12 Years a Slave and Gangs of New York is not an easy thing to do. The scenes are brutal and detailed. 12 Years a Slave is a movie that presents the hardships of slavery—separation of families, rape, and physical punishment. While the Gangs of New York depicts New York City in the mid eighteen-century, a time in where Irish immigrants were unwelcomed, politicians were corrupt, and the streets were unsafe. Some may argue that the film-makers of these movies focus on violence and other…

Many people want to turn a new leaf whenever the new year starts. They will have new dreams, want to accomplish better goals in life, and will have new enthusiasm. Some goals could be losing weight, learning a new language, writing a new book, or streamlining their financial help. It just happens to be that people find it hard to lose their old habits. There are many factors that influence why many people fail to continue their new year resolutions. Some fear that they will not be able to…

The Pastor cleared his throat. "Your father has gone to be with the Lord." Fifteen years ago, my dad received a kidney and pancreas transplant. It was a successful surgery. He was a juvenile diabetic, and for the first time since he was nine-years-old, he didn 't have to inject himself with insulin. It was a successful surgery. Two weeks later, on New Year 's day, my older sister and I were sitting in the family room waiting to go to our next door neighbor 's house. My dad had been throwing up…

New Years Eve is filled with tradition and celebration. For the last 8 years of my life I have spent my New Years Eve night with many of my closest friends. The first year we all celebrated together sparked a tradition that has only grown more intense each year. One custom in the southern regions of the United States eating black-eyed peas as a way to ensure good luck and prosperity throughout the year ahead. Although I am not from the South, many of my friends have families that are. The…

and applesauce onto it. My brother adds a immense scoop of mashed potatoes, and another man adds a heap of sauerkraut and pork mixture. The steam from the hot food warms my face, and the smell makes my stomach growl. What a great way to start the new year. The family…

Laos traditionally three shots are fired into the air to frighten away evil spirits. This in not often done in the U.S. because of laws prohibiting it heavily populated areas as well as general gun laws in any area. "The body is washed and dressed in new clothes. Mourners bring gifts to the deceased family members and are in return fed by the family. The Shaman plays an important role in death as they are the ones to make an offering of alcohol and tell the spirit that the body has died. They…

colors which converts into beautiful customs, calypso and steel pan music, different forms of dancing, foods, and Caribbean style arts that fascinates thousands of people from many different parts of the world. Trinidad and Tobago carnival is a once a year event with a combination of many different activities. The main purpose of the carnival is to reveal their culture and way of life by bringing everyone together. Trinidad and Tobago is a dual island, which is found on the southern frontier of…

celebrated every year. In Pakistan several days are designated as national holidays in reminiscences of national heroes and significant events. Some most common of them are: • Pakistan Day – 23 March. • Independence Day – 14 August. • Defense of Pakistan Day – 6 September. • Birth and death anniversaries of Quaid-e-Azam – 25 December and 11 September respectively. • Labor Day – 1 May. While some frequent religious festivals, celebrated according to the Islamic lunar calendar every year are as…