Topics

Sep

Culture Smart: Worry Less With Guatemalan Dolls?

by Sheron Long on September 29, 2013

Guatemalan weaver continues the culrural traditions of her village

A weaver in Guatemala creates textiles in patterns unique to her village
and reuses scraps to make worry dolls.

A Cultural Tradition With Promise

Descendants of the Maya living today in Guatemala bring beauty to the world with their handcrafted weavings, often using unique patterns indicative of their villages.

Guatemalan worry doll, used in a centuries-old cultural tradition as a folk remedy for worrying

This worry doll is ready to hear your troubles!

The fabric scraps the weavers have left don’t go to waste—they use them to make sets of colorful worry dolls. Read more...

Sheron Long 1 Comment

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Guatemala

Sep

What’s Napoleon Doing in a Japanese Rice Paddy?

by Sheron Long on September 26, 2013

Japanese rice paddy art of Napoleon on his white horse (2009), showing creative inspiration by the villagers of Inakadate (Image by Captain76)

Across the summer of 2009, this image of Napoleon emerged in a rice field in Inakadate—
a slow reveal for an emperor used to making a grand entrance!
(Image by Captain76)

He’s Growing from Creative Inspiration and Some Seeds!

In fact, Napoleon grew from several different kinds of seeds that sprouted in different colors. They became the “paint” on this giant canvas depicting the French emperor.

Origins of Tanbo Art

Known as tanbo (rice paddy) art, or tambo art, the idea originated in 1993 with Japanese villagers in Inakadate. They had a creative inspiration—grow a huge image in the rice paddy behind town hall. Read more...

Sheron Long 1 Comment

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/France/Japan/The World's Art & Design

Sep

Culture Smart: The Moon at Its Brightest

by Sheron Long on September 22, 2013

Moon cake, part of the Vietnamese tradition of the mid-Autumn Moon Festival

The round shape of the moon cake ties to family unity.

Family Times During Tet Trung Thu

On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month on the Chinese calendar, the moon is at its brightest, and Vietnamese families in all parts of the world are celebrating Tet Trung Thu (tet trūng tū). This mid-Autumn Moon Festival is similar in many ways to other harvest festivals throughout Asia, with one notable distinction. Read more...

Sheron Long Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Southeast Asia

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