anything but, in the air, pick up, be caught up in, remind sb. of, dress up, stay away from
—OK!
Wine and beaches, fireworks and music. . . our readers recommend some fantastic festivals.
FestadelTUvaedelVino, Italy
Set on the beautiful shores of Lake Garda, this grapes and wine festival takes over the small town of Bardolino for four days every October. With local wines, food, art projections, fireworks and live music. people come from miles around to celebrate. First and foremost, it's about great wine, but it's worth visiting to soak up the great atmosphere.
Free, 1-5 October
Questfestival, Vietnam
This is a weekend camping festival held just a 40-minute drive from Hanoi, bringing together locals and visitors in a celebration of underground live and electronic music culture. Held in the beautiful Son Tinh campsite, there are usually about 30 local and international DJs and 10 bands. There are also workshops, pop-up cafes, fire performances, dancing and much more.
Weekend tickets about ￡25, 6-8 November
Estival, Switzerland
This is a free festival of jazz which takes place in the first weekend in July in the pretty squares and lakeside beaches and parks around the southern Swiss town of Lugano. People will enjoy the palm trees and summer air see some of Europe's up and coming jazz bands.
Free, every July
IrishRedheadConvention, Ireland
A friendly gathering for all red-haired people is held in the small seaside village of Crosshaven where redheads from all over the world take part in light hearted events. There's live music, art exhibitions, lectures and of course the traditional Parade of Redheads through the village led by the newly crowned Redhead King and Queen.
Free, every August
"The grass looks greener on the other side of the fence(篱笆). "That's an old saying in English. It means that other places often look better, more interesting than the place where you live. "Let's go to KFC for dinner and then watch some Japanese cartoons!" We all know it: more and more Chinese kids love American and Japanese food and movies. Some people worry that young Chinese are beginning to feel that way. They see young Chinese ignoring Chinese culture and, instead, buying Japanese cartoon books, watching Korean soap operas and even celebrating western holidays.
Foreign books and soap operas are good, but Chinese writers and actors are just as good. As for holidays, Christmas is nice, but it can never have the meaning for Chinese that the Spring Festival has, and the West has nothing to compare with the Mid-Autumn Festival. China has lots of cool things in its culture: calligraphy, Beijing Opera, kung fu, and even Jay Chou! And let's not forget the part of Chinese culture I like best: its friendliness. Not all countries are as warm as China.
It's good to enjoy other cultures and to learn from them, but they can never replace your own culture. It's good to look on the other side of the fence, but make sure you take a good long look. You will find that the grass isn't always greener.
Although some people become worried about that, I don't think they should. Will we get more powerful without learning from other countries? Will Chinese people live more happily without American fast food? Besides, it's fun to learn about different cultures. Chinese kids can learn about other cultures and have fun, but they also need to learn more about their own culture. Be proud of Chinese culture and of being Chinese!
Whenever we talk about holidays, my mother teases my sister and me about how we "make out like robbers". She is referring to the fact that we are half Jewish and half Indian, so we receive gifts on both the festivals of lights: Hanukkah and Diwali. Though my mother teases us, I do not mind getting two sets of gifts!
Hanukkah is celebrated on the 25th day of the Jewish month, which is usually sometime in December. On Hanukkah, like most Jewish families, we light a menorah(烛台) and say a prayer each night. We also say a special prayer on the first night. After that, it is a tradition for my sister and me to do "hot and cold", for our hidden Hanukkah gifts. When we walk towards the gift, our parents say "hot" and when we walk further away, they say "cold". We each receive one present every night of Hanukkah. Another part I like about this holiday is seeing family members who we do not see often. My aunt usually stays for a few days, and we sometimes visit other relatives.
Diwali is celebrated on the 13th day of the dark fortnight of the month of Ashwin (October/November). To celebrate Diwali, my family does a pooja, or prayers, in honor of the goddess Lakshmi. Since she is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, the pooja includes washing silver coins in milk and water. In India, people decorate their houses with lamps, similar to the way you might light up your house for Christmas. My family just places a few candles outside. We also set off firecrackers, which is my favorite part. We often do this activity with friends to add to the excitement.
Both holidays have different histories and stories. We celebrate them in different ways, yet they both have the same meaning. And they both mean family and presents for me!
The Torch Festival(火把节) is a traditional festival which is celebrated among some ethnic groups in southwestern China, such as the Yi, Bai, Hani, Lisu, and Lahu, etc. It usually falls on the 24th or 25th of June, with three days of celebrations. The festival came from worship(崇拜) of fire by ancestors(祖先). For some ethnic groups, it's a tradition in the festival for elders to share farming experience with young people and educate them about taking care of crops.
During the festival, big torches are made to stand in all villages, with small torches placed in front of the door of each house. When night falls, the torches are lit and the villages are bright. At the same time, people walk around the fields and houses, holding small torches and placing the torches in the field corners. Inside the villages, young people are singing and dancing around the big torches that keep burning throughout the night. Other activities like horse races are also held during the festival.
In a horse race of the Yi people in Yunnan, torches are used to form hurdles for riders to get through. The Hani people in Yunnan traditionally tie fruits to torches with strings. When the strings are broken after the torches are lit, people struggle for the fruits for good luck.
For the Lisu people in Sichuan, the festival is an occasion for holding torch parades. Big torches are carried by teams of people, which is like a fire dragon. If different teams meet, it's a tradition to exchange the big torches with one another.
It may be one of Britain's most successful exports—Miss World. This 53-year-old event took place in China last week and attracted over 120 women worldwide with knockout looks in a mad struggle for the crown.
Traditional values have long kept the Chinese, especially women, from displaying beauty. But Chinese people have now changed their attitude towards beauty contest, although some men will still be shouting that the winner is no more beautiful than his wife or his former girl-friend or even his mother in a sour tone. . The question to be asked is: why isn't there a Mr. World Beauty Contest?
And a further question to be asked is: does taking part in a beauty contest show a woman's courage, wisdom and liberation or rather the opposite—a forced choice and a revolting act made under conditions of long-term discrimination?
Organizers of such beauty contests claim that the contestants are judged on qualities other than just their physical appearance. But still no answer is given to why there isn't a Mr. Beauty or a Mr. World Contest. ?Why is it that only women's "qualities" need to be recognized but not men's?
Think about who is always standing beside a fancy car on show??And this is how "qualities" are judged: if the girl looks good, there is little reason why the car beside her is not of high quality.
The beauty contests go on year after year, with winners enjoying fame which quickly disappears. , what never changes is the routine practice that in every fancy car show, a girl stands beside a fancy car. What never changes is the need to hold a women's conference every year to appeal for the promotion of respect for and improvement of women. . So let's put more time and resources into trying to change all this rather than holding beauty contests.
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A. Or at least, why isn't that kind of contest popular B. While such events go on and on C. Though a Mr. World Contest is also held D. But such men are not shouting for the right reason E. What never changes is the fate of women as a class F. Is it a boy or a girl G. Women were not allowed to show their beauty in China |
