International Day of Portuguese Language and Culture

        Today, May 5, is the International Day of Portuguese Language and Culture. This day is designed to celebrate the cultural diversity and richness of the countries who speak Portuguese, and are all unified under a dialect of the language.

According to the United Nations, Portuguese is spoken by an estimated 250 million people worldwide, throughout nine countries, and four continents. The countries that utilize Portuguese as its official language, are:

•  Angola
•  Brazil
• Cabo Verde
• Equatorial Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Mozambique
• Portugal
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Timor-Leste

       In addition to being spoken colloquially by millions of people, Portuguese is also widely used in diplomacy, as the official language of several international organizations, including:

• The Commune of Portuguese Speaking Nations of the UN (CPLP)
• The Organization of The Cooperative Treatment of the Amazon
•  The Latin American Association of Integration
• The African Union
• The Commune of Latin American and Caribbean States
• The Common Market of Africa and Australia
• The European Union
• The Latin Union

       Portuguese is also a diverse language within itself, with several dialects and pronunciations spread throughout its rich landscape. Happy International Portuguese Language and Culture day, to all of the passionate Lusophones out there! 

This article was written by Andrea L., LAMP Portuguese Interpreter.

Nowruz - Persian New Year

The Nowruz special table

        In Afghanistan the New Year’s first day, called NOWRUZ, It is also the first day of spring; therefore Afghans considers Nowruz a symbol of hope, and new and fresh life.

         The wild tulips and other plants start to bloom at this time of the year. Every year, there is a traditional celebration called the RED FLOWER FASTIVAL “Maila e Gule Surkh” which thousands of people traveling from all over the Afghanistan to Mazare Sharef province to join Maila e Gule Surkh the Red Flower Fastival,  last for forty days. 

         Families and groups of friends go on picnics to parks or green fields playing different kind of games, playing  music and dancing  . Another custom on Nowruz is preparing Haft-mewa which is literally means, “Seven Fruits”. It is a mixture of seven kind of dried fruits soaked in water. 

     
       The soaked fruits usually include walnuts, almonds, pistachios, two different black and red raisins, sinjed( a kind of berry)and dry apricot. After being mixed and soaked for a night or two, the fruits are served along with their flavorful syrup on New Years day (Nowruz). If you visit an Afghan family on the New Year’s Day, you will get to try this tasty treat.

The Nowruz special table is called 7 S’s or (Sufra e Haft seen):

Senjed (Special kind of Berries)

Sabza (Grasses)

Sir (Garlic)

Sib (Apple)

Seka (Coins)

Serka (Vinegar)

Somaq(Spices)

Samano(Weeds)

Nowroz Mubarak! 

      To learn more about Newroz, visit http://thekurdishproject.org/history-and-culture/kurdish-culture/kurdish-newroz/ or http://www.ibtimes.com/what-norooz-greetings-history-traditions-celebrate-persian-new-year-1562607 

This article was written by Frozan S., LAMP Dari/Farsi Interpreter

Defender of the Fatherland Day - Russia

Defender of the Fatherland Day is a holiday observed in Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and several other former republics of the Soviet Union. It is celebrated on February 23, except in Kazakhstan, where the date is May 7.

Men's Day:

On Feburary 23rd, Russia celebrates its men. Although this holiday has a military history, first celebrated around WWI, it has evolved to become Russia’s somewhat odd counterpart to Women’s Day on March 8th. On February 23rd, Russian women (and sometimes men) celebrate the important men in their lives – fathers, brothers, teachers and even co-workers. This holiday is also the Russian equivalent of Father’s Day in other Western countries (which has not traditionally been celebrated in Russia).

A brief history:

Defender of the Fatherland Day (or Men’s Day) is a truly Russian creation, first observed to mark the date of the creation of the Red (Soviet) Army in 1918. The holiday was originally known as Red Army Day, and then Soviet Army and Navy Day; in 2002 it was given its current name, Defender of the Fatherland Day by President Putin and declared an official public holiday.

Although some more feminist societies may find issue with the concept of celebrating a “Men’s Day”, in Russia it is not seen as strange, offensive or inappropriate. While Russian society can be quite (frustratingly) patriarchal, nonetheless it is widely accepted by both sexes that both men and women have put a lot of work into the prosperity and success of Russia. Men, in particular, helped to do so by fighting in the wars, and their military achievements are the reason for this day. However, even if the men in one’s life have not been involved in war, it is still seen as polite and important to at least recognize them on February 23rd. In part this is because Women’s Day (March 8^th) is so widely celebrated – to forget to celebrate Women’s Day is considered quite rude in Russia – and Men’s Day is a way to recognize that men and women are both important to one another.
Men’s Day celebrations are usually smaller and more perfunctory than Women’s Day ones – except the public celebrations and parades, which conversely are much bigger for Men’s Day.

Chanukah (Hanukkah)

THE STORY OF CHANUKAH

During the time of the 2nd Temple, the Holy Land of Israel was ruled by cruel Syrian Greeks (at war with Rome). They made it illegal for Jews to observe Judaism. They burned Torah scrolls and holy books. They publicly executed big Rabbis if they refused to eat pork. They placed pigs and idols in the Holy Temple. They went throughout Israel and put idols in all the places of worship and forced the Jews to bow down to them. 

The First Miracle.

The Syrian Greeks, had one of the most powerful armies in the world. But miraculously, the Jews rose up against them and, led by the Maccabees, they won! The Chanukah lights remind us that with the help of God, even a small group of dedicated fighters - fighting for the right reasons -- can beat the most powerful armies in the world.

The Second Miracle.

The Holy Temple had in it a Menorah - a 7 branched candelabra. Fire from olive oil burned 24 hours every day - to show the continuous presence of God in the lives of the Jewish People. Only pure oil could be used, and the Syrian Greeks had destroyed it. After winning the war, the Jews needed to immediately re-dedicate The Holy Temple and light that fire. ("Chanukah" means "dedication.")

The Jews were able to find one vial of holy oil -- enough for one day. They lit it, and the one vial kept burning for 7 more days - enough time for more pure oil to be made. Another Miracle! In that way, the light was rekindled and burned continuously once again -- showing the return of the presence of God in the Holy Temple. 

JOYOUS LIGHT!

Jews celebrate Chanukah by eating foods cooked with oil (not good for you -- but good!), and by playing with a spinning top called a "dreidel" that says a Great Miracle Happened There (In Israel it says "Here"!). Most importantly, we celebrate by lighting candles on each of the 8 days of the holiday. We start with one and by the 8th day, the entire Menorah is alight. This shows that just as the Macabees started with only one person, they inspired a whole nation to do the right thing. All of us can inspire others to do good simply by lighting our single candle. 

We display our Menorah in prominent windows in our homes to remind everyone that to dispel the darkness, all it takes is one candle! This is the meaning of Chanukah.

This article was written by Spanish interpreter, Norma R.. 

The Republic Day of Turkey

The Republic Day of Turkey (Turkish: Cumhuriyet Bayramı) is one of the public holidays in Turkey and Northern Cyprus, commemorating the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923.


The holiday commemorates the events of October 29th, 1923, when Mustafa Kemal declared that Turkey was henceforth a republic. Turkey had in fact been a republic since April 23rd, 1920, the date of the establishment of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, but the official confirmation of this fact came only three-and-a-half years later. On 29 October 1923, the status of the nation as a republic was declared and its official name was proclaimed to be Türkiye Cumhuriyeti ("the Republic of Turkey"). After that, a vote was held in the Grand National Assembly, and Atatürk was elected as the first President of the Republic of Turkey.

Many people go to local stadiums on October 29th to watch performances dedicated to Republic Day in Turkey. Such performances usually consist of theater sketches, poetry readings and traditional Turkish dances. Many school children participate in school performances for parents and teachers. Parades may take place in some cities and politicians may give public speeches on this day. Many people also lay wreaths to Atatürk’s monuments or visit Atatürk’s mausoleum in the country’s capital, Ankara.


In the evening of October 29in many cities have traditional processions with flags and musical bands to commemorate Republic Day in Turkey. The processions usually end with fireworks, which begin after dark.








This article was written by Tugrul O., LAMP Turkish Interpreter.

More information:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-to-mark-92nd-republic-day-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=90462&NewsCatID=341

Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNz-VigialM


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTa9h9g9Vw8

Victory Day in Turkey

Flag of Turkey
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Turkey)

August 30^th, Victory Day of TURKEY honors the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and the military victory over the proxies of the Allies, namely Greece on the Western front, Armenia on the Eastern, France on the Southern and with them, Great Britain and Italy in Istanbul. The last battle of Turkish Independence War was fought from to August 26 to 30, 1922 near Kütahya in Turkey. The Turkish victory of this battle is the beginning of the end for the Allies presence in Anatolia. The Armistice of Mudanya was signed by Turkey, Italy, France, and Great Britain on October 11, 1922. Greece was forced to agree to it on October 14^th.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
(http://turkishtravelblog.com/mustafa-kemal-ataturk/)

 Although foreign forces left the country for good in the late fall of 1922, Turkish people accept August 30^th as the date of the Turkish troops’ overall victory. It became a national holiday in 1935.

In 1923, Turkey was established as an independent republic. The holiday is a celebration of the nation's military, the republic Atatürk being founded, and the spirit of the Turkish people to resist tyranny and rule by outsiders.

Victory Day is celebrated throughout Turkey and on the island of Cyprus. The primary celebration is held at Atatürk's Mausoleum in the city of Ankara. Leading military officials visit the tomb to lay a ceremonial wreath. Veterans come from all over Turkey to attend the event. Wreaths are also placed on various statues of Atatürk found throughout the city. A ceremony including military and governmental officials is then held at the Atatürk Culture Center. Military leaders later retire to the General Staff headquarters to greet dignitaries from the country's major political parties, parliamentary and judicial officials, and the prime minister. A ceremony is also held at the War Academy in Istanbul, while marches are held in major cities across the country.

Military Marches
(http://www.thetower.org/article/ataturk-ben-gurion-and-turkeys-road-not-taken/)

Victory Day is a national public holiday in Turkey on August 30^th. Administration buildings and schools are closed on this day. Workers in private companies may have a day off or work until noon. Public transport routes may vary in the event of street parades.

Victory Day in Turkey was celebrated by many people by attending military parades, which take place in major cities throughout the country. Residents and shop owners decorate their windows with Turkish flags and images of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. State officials attend a ceremony at Atatürk's Mausoleum in Ankara. All promotions in the Turkish Armed Forces take place on this day, and military schools hold annual graduation ceremonies on August 30^th.

To learn more about Victory Day, visit these links: 

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/turkey/victory-day

http://aglobalworld.com/holidays-around-the-world/turkey-celebrates-victory-day/

http://www.officeholidays.com/countries/turkey/victory_day.php

Check out this video on Victory Day! 

This article was written by Tugrul O., LAMP Turkish interpreter. 

Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Portugal

          June 10, titled Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas, has a dual purpose of celebration. It celebrates both the entirety of the Portuguese heritage and its cultural impact, and also the anniversary of poet Luís Vaz de Camões’s death. The holiday is considered a national day of rest, and therefore, most Portuguese workers have the day off, in honor of both celebrations. The holiday’s dual significance has a special place in two distinctive periods of Portuguese history, emphasizing its national importance to all citizens.

            During the New State dictatorship that lasted from 1933 to 1974, the holiday was formally called “Dia da Raça: A Raça Portuguesa ou os Portugueses”, which translates to “The Day of Race: The Portuguese Race or the Portuguese People.” This day’s formal celebration is associated with a negative connotation today, because it signifies an attitude formerly focused on Portuguese supremacy, by disfavoring Portuguese emigration, and foreign immigration into the country. This celebration of the Dia was changed during the April 1974 Revolution, where the Portuguese military disbanded the dictatorship and established The Republic of Portugal. Since the Revolution, the day has been celebrated with its current connotation, here previously mentioned. Currently, the day is celebrated by the President and his accompanying state dignitaries, who participate in formal ceremonies led by the military, which are held in different cities yearly. The reasoning for these ceremonies being held in different cities annually is to equally celebrate all regions and talents of Portugal, as well as emphasizing the country’s unity, despite geographic separation. In order for a city to earn the distinction of hosting the ceremony, it is considered a great honor, and they are recognized for their incomparable contributions to the state and its national mission.

http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/
country/portugal.html

        The significance of Vaz de Camões’s poetry to the holiday manifests itself in his Portuguese epic, titled Os Lusíadas. The epic narrates a fantasy-driven version of the Portuguese voyages of discovery, which were Portugal’s call to fame, during the New Age of discovery. The epic is comparable in impact to the Iliad, and specifies in great detail, the nature of sons of Portugal, the “Lusus”. The significance of defining the “Lusus”, is that the state of being Portuguese, whether being an emigrant or immigrant, now had a formal definition and title. The title is still used as a prefix to describe foreign nationals of Portuguese ancestry, and is utilized warmly during international celebrations of the holiday. The author’s death signifies that being Portuguese is still an honor and definable today by both his work and original terminology, and salutes him for his contributions to Portuguese society annually.

To learn more about the Dia and its international celebrations, please visit:

http://www.calendarr.com/portugal/dia-de-portugal/ (Portuguese)

http://viaexpress.ch/?p=616&lang=es (Spanish)

http://www.portugalday.com/ (English)

This article was written by Andrea L., LAMP Portuguese interpreter.