суббота, 28 ноября 2015 г.

Peace Symbols

The symbol originally designed for the British nuclear disarmament movement is now widely used.
A number of peace symbols have been used many ways in various cultures and contexts. The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by Pablo Picasso after World War II. In the 1950s the "peace sign", as it is known today, was designed as the logo for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and adopted by anti-war and counterculture activists in the United States and elsewhere. The peace sign was first used in the United States.

The olive branch

The use of the olive branch as a symbol of peace in Western civilization dates at least to the 5th century BC. The olive tree represented plenty, but the ancient Greeks believed that it also drove away evil spirits. The olive branch was one of the attributes of Eirene, goddess of peace.
The Romans believed there was an intimate relationship between war and peace.  Appian describes the use of the olive-branch as a gesture of peace by the enemies.

The dove and olive branch

The use of a dove and olive branch as a symbol of peace originated with the early Christians, who portrayed the act of baptism accompanied by a dove holding an olive branch in its beak and also used the image on their sepulchers. The dove appears in many funerary inscriptions in the Roman catacombs sometimes accompanied by the words in pace.
Christians derived the symbol of the dove and olive branch from two sources: Greek thought, including its use of the symbol of the olive branch and the story of Noah and the Flood. The story of Noah in the Hebrew Bible ends with a passage describing a dove bringing a freshly plucked  olive leaf a sign of life after the Flood and of God's bringing Noah, his family and the animals to land. Jews never used Noah's dove and olive leaf as symbols of peace.
In the earliest Christian art, the dove represented the peace of the soul rather than civil peace. 

The broken rifle

The broken rifle symbol is used by War Resistance International (WRI). In 1915 it appeared on the cover of a pamphlet, Under the Broken Rifle. The (German) League for War Victims, founded in 1917, used the broken rifle on a 1919 banner.
In 1921, Belgian workers marching through La Louvrière on 16 October 1921, carried flags showing a soldier breaking his rifle. 

вторник, 17 ноября 2015 г.

Chinese culture and traditions

China is an extremely large country, and the customs and traditions of its people vary by geography and ethnicity. More than 1 billion people live in China, according to the Asia Society, representing 56 ethnic minority groups. The largest group is the Han Chinese, with about 900 million people. Other groups include the Tibetans, the Mongols, the Manchus, the Naxi, and the Hezhen, which is smallest group, with fewer than 2,000 people.


Chinese New Year


Of all the Chinese festivals, Chinese New Year is for kids of all ages the most loved and anticipated. In China, planes, trains, buses, boats, donkeys, and any means of transportation you can imagine, are jammed packed with people returning home to enjoy the celebrations with their friends and family. And all over the world, wherever there is a Chinatown, the festivities are a colorful display of dragon dances, lantern festivals, feasts, and of course firecrackers!

The History of Chinese New Year
This traditional fest has been celebrated for more than four thousand years. It came about from ancient celebrations to mark the end of the long winter season and the beginning of spring. It celebrates the earth coming back to life and the beginning of the growing cycle. This is why it is also called the Spring Festival. For Chinese people all over, the Lunar New Year is the celebration of the year, a time for happy reunions, family and friends, rich in colorful traditions and customs.

When is Chinese New Year?
In western countries, New Year's Day always falls on January 1st. In China, New Year's Day is also the first day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar! Therefore, Chinese New Year dates vary each year and could fall at the end of January or in February. The New Year celebrations begin on New Year's Eve, the big party is on New Year's Day, and the action continues for the next 15 days. It all ends with the first full moon of the year, fifteen days later with the Lantern Festival, another great carnival and the perfect ending to this great holiday season. As per long-standing Chinese customs, each year is assigned an animal according to the Chinese Zodiac.

Chinese New Year Decorations
Dazzling and glittering Chinese New Year Decorations never fail to capture the magic and energy of this fabulous season. Just like in the West at Christmas time, as Chinese New Year approaches, homes, businesses, shopping centres, offices, shops, airports, train stations... are dressed in their holiday best. A sea of red and gold, bright lanterns and auspicious plants and flowers are the hallmarks of the season, heralding the arrival of the largest and most important festival of the year.

Bright Red Lanterns
Bright red lanterns are perhaps the most popular way to add that spark to the celebrations. You see them popping up everywhere around town, the temples, the stores, homes, parks... Chinese lanterns come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours, although for Chinese New Year, the traditional red and gold balloon lantern is one of the most popular ones. The red Chinese Lantern has become a symbol of Chinese Culture. To Chinese, it represents vitality and prosperity, you see them hanging year-round in Chinatowns around the world.