Category Archives: Traditions

Culture, Food & Drink, Traditions, Travel, Videos, Views

Culture: Scallops, Ciders & Caramels In Normandy

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With its chalk cliffs and its bright green meadows, the French region of Normandy offers stunning scenery but also iconic local produce. It’s in this unique landscape that cider producer Guillaume Capelle grows apples, the local fruit, to make the world-famous Calvados brandy.

Meanwhile, Pierre Marie is hoping for a good season for scallop fishing – another emblematic product of Normandy, along with Isigny butter and caramels. For the latter two to see the light of day, dairy farmer Pierre Aubril pampers his Normandy cows, who produce up to 1,200 litres of 100 percent organic milk every day.

Culture, Documentaries, Profiles, Traditions, Travel, Videos

Culture: A Nomadic Life In The Gobi Desert, Mongolia

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DW Documentary (February 25, 2023) – Otgo is the youngest child of a nomadic family in the Gobi desert. They make their living breeding cattle. Otgo loves their life, in harmony with nature and old traditions. Yet she dreams of becoming a dancer at the opera house in Ulan Bator.

In Mongolia, it is becoming increasingly common for the younger generation to leave traditional life behind. Otgo’s dream would take her far from her family’s yurt. She wants to become a dancer and later, a dance teacher. Her parents leave it up to her to decide how she wants to shape her life. They agree to support her, if she embarks on her great endeavor. In the meantime, Otgo has become an almost indispensable help to the family.

She gets up early in the morning to water the camels with her father, and it fills her with pride that she can help her family. The breathtaking landscape of the Gobi Desert and the strong bonds between the different nomadic families do not make it easy for Otgo to follow her dream. Otgo’s story paints a portrait of her world and of the men and women who have long passed on their culture from generation to generation, through the eyes of a child.

Culture, Traditions, Travel, Videos, Views

West Africa Views: The Cliff Of Bandiagara, Mali

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UNESCO – The Bandiagara site is an outstanding landscape of cliffs and sandy plateaux with some beautiful architecture (houses, granaries, altars, sanctuaries and Togu Na, or communal meeting-places).

Several age-old social traditions live on in the region (masks, feasts, rituals, and ceremonies involving ancestor worship). The geological, archaeological and ethnological interest, together with the landscape, make the Bandiagara plateau one of West Africa’s most impressive sites.

Culture, Documentaries, Historical, Reviews, Traditions, Videos

Taiwan Views: Democracy And The Digital World

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DW Documentary (January 20, 2023) – For Taiwanese Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang, democracy is itself a technology. This film shines a light on Taiwan’s political history, as well as the country’s contemporary experience of democracy. Taiwan deployed innovative technologies in the battle against Covid-19.

Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang worked with the tech community and civil society to successfully stem the spread of the virus. This was partly due to citizens’ direct involvement in the solving of political problems. Taiwan is rethinking democracy. Digital applications and new technologies are having a democratizing impact.

A look back at Taiwan’s recent history makes it clear how the World Wide Web plays a crucial role in the fight for democracy. The documentary also focuses on Taiwan’s desire for national sovereignty and civil rights. It also considers the threat posed by China, which views the democratic island of Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic and is pursuing plans to annex the territory.

Arts, Culture, History, Reviews, Stories, Traditions, Videos, Views

Egypt Culture: A Look At 5 Ancient Craft Traditions

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Insider Business – A traditional dyehouse, Fez hats and a thousand-year-old ancient hieroglyphs carving method have nearly disappeared in Egypt in recent decades. But five artisans are determined to keep their traditions alive. Here’s how they do it.

Video timeline: 00:00 Introduction 00:46 Tiles 07:13 Fez 14:40 Papyrus 22:13 Dyehouse 27:27 Stone Carving

Climate Change, Ecosystems, Traditions, Videos, Views, Wildlife

Alaska Views: ‘Salmon Reflection’ (BBC Earth)

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BBC Earth – A unique relationship is changing in Alaska. In her film ‘Salmon Reflection’ Norwegian and Unangax̂ filmmaker Anna Hoover explores the effects of a changing world on the communities of Bristol Bay, one of the last surviving wild salmon ecosystems.

Culture, History, Traditions, Travel, Videos, Views

German Villages: Seiffen – Home Of The Nutcracker

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FRANCE 24 English – For centuries, this small German town has been making these Christmas traditions by hand.

Seiffen is a charming “Toy Story” village in eastern Germany’s wooded Erzgebirge (known in English as the Ore Mountains). Located off the beaten tourist path, minutes from the Czech Republic border, it’s the 19th-century birthplace of nutcrackers, the whimsical wooden figures that are a traditional symbol of Christmas in many cultures.

Business, Reviews, Traditions, Travel, Videos, Views

North Africa Views: High Values In Moroccan Rugs

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Insider Business (December 17, 2022) – Moroccan rugs are valued around the world for their complex patterns and thick wool. A large rug can take months to weave, but the women who complete each step by hand usually receive the least profit. Selling directly to consumers is challenging, so artisans often rely on middlemen who sell the rugs for several times more in big cities. Online, Moroccan rugs can sell for several thousand dollars.

Events, Traditions, Travel, Videos, Views

France Views: The 2022 ‘Lyon Festival Of Lights’

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FRANCE 24 English – The annual Festival of Lights – a spectacular display of illuminations projected on historical monuments and public buildings across town – kicked off in Lyon in France this Thursday. But with Europe in the grip of an energy crisis, this year’s extravaganza has also been designed to use as little electricity as possible while still putting on a memorable show.

Events, Traditions, Travel, Videos, Views

Christmas 2022 Events: Krampuslauf In Salzburg

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Travel and Adventure Studios (December 2022) – The wild jangling of bells, shaggy pelts, curved horns and terrifying masks: When Krampus and Perchten run down the street, growling, half dancing, half stamping, every single spectator is left just a little unsettled.

Krampus- and Perchten parades truly are an unforgettable experience, as much a part of Salzburg’s Christmas season as the famous Christkindlmarkt and the almost meditative Advent Singing. From the end of November until the beginning of December, you can also experience this unique folk custom in the City of Salzburg itself.

While no one would claim Perchten parades are peaceful, they will definitely leave you with lasting memories. An ancient tradition you can only experience in this part of the Alpine world.