Blogs Posts in The Circle of Life category; 222 blog posts

baptising a baby the gypsy way

The gypsy or Roma tribes are spread throughout Eastern Europe. They retain their unique customs whichever country they reside in. superstition plays a large part in Romani customs. A new baby is baptized two to three weeks after bir [...]

Posted On : Apr, 06 2007 | Comments : 0

The Roma funeral

The gypsy or Roma people believe that death and burial require complete absorption. The survivors of the deceased will not cook, bathe or shave before the funeral. Touching the body of the deceased is believed to invite contaminatio [...]

Posted On : Apr, 06 2007 | Comments : 0

St. Lucia's Day called 'The Festival of Lights'

St. Lucia's Day, otherwise called The Festival of Lights, is celebrated on December 13, a week after St. Nikolaus' Day. It is celebrated in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Italy, Bosnia, Iceland, and Croatia. Before the reform of the Greg [...]

Posted On : Apr, 04 2007 | Comments : 0

Development of Cultural Studeis

Edward Sapir was an anthropologist and was posthumously considered as the pioneer of modern linguistics as it is now existent regarding the study of language. According to the works done by Edward Sapir in the field of anthropology, he con [...]

Posted On : Apr, 01 2007 | Comments : 0

Difference between South Asian Cultural Norms and Other Part...

I recently read a book: Dimension of Sociolinguistics in South Asia (Edward, Dimock, Braj, Krashnamurti, Eds). The book has a chapter South Asia as Sociolinguistic Area which is also referred to as Sprachbund. Under this concept the idea t [...]

Posted On : Apr, 01 2007 | Comments : 0

a chinese funeral

The burial of the dead is a matter taken very seriously in Chinese societies. The commonly held belief is that improper funeral arrangements can bring disaster upon the family of the deceased. Chinese funeral rites and [...]

Posted On : Mar, 30 2007 | Comments : 0

Maori Warrior 'New Zealand'

The Maori were the first settlers of New Zealand. Maori society on the islands eventually became organized into tribes, and warfare between groups may have been frequent. A Maori warrior greets John Daniel, Assistant Director-General for E [...]

Posted On : Mar, 30 2007 | Comments : 0

Self Identity and Culture

Anthropologists have long studied one single phenomena that is found form the earliest records of civilizations in history (such as the Incas, the Ancient Grecian, the Ancient Roman, the Ancient Egyptian, and so on) that all the people in t [...]

Posted On : Mar, 30 2007 | Comments : 0

The Edo naming ceremony

The Edo of southern Nigeria holds a naming ceremony for a new baby seven days after the birth. It is customary, especially for young couples, to request the paternal grandfather to choose a name for the child. On the morning of the [...]

Posted On : Mar, 29 2007 | Comments : 0

What is Culture to You!

What is Culture to You? I often think about the concept of culture and wonder many times about its different facets and dimensions. It seems that culture is something that is grown inside you. It is initially your environment that shapes [...]

Posted On : Mar, 29 2007 | Comments : 0

Make the World a Better Place

Hey look what I have recently read in a book about culture and languages. A US-based Summer Institute of Linguistics survey, published in 1999, found that “there were 51 languages with only one speaker left, 500 languages with fewer [...]

Posted On : Mar, 29 2007 | Comments : 0

ancient egyptian mummification

The ancient Egyptians were experts in the art of preserving the body. The embalming techniques which were used have ensured that the deceased have remained in a perfect state of suspended animation right up to the present day. The ritual wa [...]

Posted On : Mar, 28 2007 | Comments : 0

the sebou ceremony

Egyptian newborns are the beneficiaries of two traditions: the Muslim faith and an older convention which is derived from Afro-Asian roots. On the seventh day after the birth the Sebou’ celebration begins with the baby being [...]

Posted On : Mar, 27 2007 | Comments : 0

a jewish burial

Jewish tradition requires that the deceased never be left alone, for this reason shomerim or guards stay near the body. These people are usually relatives, it is not allowed for priests to stay near or touch the body. The deceased i [...]