Topics

Aug

Cultural Encounters with a Competitive Edge

by Meredith Mullins on August 12, 2019

Bullfrog who is part of one of the most bizarre competitions in the world and also a part of the cultural encounters of competitions around the world. (Image ©

Is this the celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County?
© iStock/Stevelenzphoto

Five of the Most Fascinating Competitions in the World

Grab your frog, your worm, your spouse, your crying baby, your cheese-chasing outfit, your cherry pits, your cockroaches, and your mustache wax.

Let the games begin.

From Calaveras frog jumping, to British cheese chasing, to Japanese baby crying, to Finnish wife carrying, to Indian mustache competitions, it’s time for some competitive cultural encounters.

What is it that drives us to compete . . . besides that thrill of victory? And, more to the point, what is it that drives us to compete in competitions unique to our cultures? Read more...

Meredith Mullins 2 Comments

Cultural Encounters/England/Finland/India/Japan/USA

Jul

What IS That Thing?

by Meredith Mullins on July 29, 2019

It’s beautiful . . . but what IS that thing?
© Meredith Mullins

The Nyckelharpa: Rooted in Swedish Cultural Traditions

On Olov Johansson’s first journey to America, he remembers clearly that he stared into the eyes of wildness.

The Swedish musician was on his way to teach in a music camp in Mendocino— winding his way on a dusty, dark, dirt road in the California hills.

Suddenly the driver stopped the car. A mountain lion was commanding the center of the road.

Caught in the headlights, the animal stared curiously into the car for what seemed like, on this moonless night, a very long time. Read more...

Meredith Mullins 5 Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Sweden

Jul

Cultural Traditions: Kushti Wrestling in India

by Meredith Mullins on July 15, 2019

An Art “Of the Earth”

If you have run five miles, completed hundreds of pushups and squats, finished a long distance swim, and lifted a few sand bags and giant stones—all before your 6 am training session begins—you might have some of what it takes to become a Kushti wrestler.

You would also have to embrace the idea of showing your strength, endurance, and agility in a mud/clay pit that is the traditional sacred arena of this sport. This is gritty work . . . “of the earth.” Read more...

Meredith Mullins 1 Comment

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/India

World Views: