Portugal Culture

PORTUGAL CULTURE
I have been wondering about Portugal culture since 2005 and I have some search now to be aware of what will happen if I go there for this summer. Now, I have a lot of about Portugal culture.

First of all, Portuguese cuisine is diverse with different regions having their own traditional dishes. There are more than enough bacalhau dishes for each day of the year. Two other popular fish recipes are grilled sardines and caldeirada. Typical Portuguese meat recipes, that may take beef, pork, lamb, or chicken, include cozido à portuguesa, feijoada, frango de churrasco, and carne de porco à alentejana. Portuguese wines have deserved international recognition since the times of the Roman Empire, which associated Portugal with their god Bacchus. Today the country is known by wine lovers and its wines have won several international prizes. Some of the best Portuguese wines are: Vinho Verde, Vinho Alvarinho, Vinho do Douro, Vinho do Alentejo, Vinho do Dão, Vinho da Bairrada and the sweet: Port Wine, Madeira Wine and the Moscatel from Setúbal and Favaios. Port Wine is well known around the world and the most widely known wine type in the world. The Douro wine region is the oldest in the world. Some rankings about drink;
Beer consumption - 22nd highest, at 59.6 litres per capital
Wine production - 11th highest, at 576,500 tonnes

The culture of Portugal is rooted in the Latin culture of Ancient Rome, with Celtiberian. Portugal, as a country with a long history, is home to several ancient architectural structures, as well as typical art, furniture and literary collections mirroring and chronicling the events that shaped the country and its peoples. It has a large number of cultural landmarks ranging from museums to ancient church buildings to medieval castles, which testify its rich national cultural heritage. Portugal was once one of the largest and most powerful cultural, political and economic powers in the world. Starting with the Age of Discovery in the 15th century, since the 16th century to the end of the Estado Novo regime in 1974 Portugal's dominions were transcontinental. Since then Portugal has redefined its role in the world as a member state of the European Union.

The Portuguese language was developed gradually from the Vulgar language (i.e. Vulgar Latin) spoken in the countries which formed part of the Roman Empire

Portuguese musical traditions are diverse and dynamic, they reflect multifarious historical, cultural, and political processes with influences from non-European cultures from both North and sub-Saharan Africa and Brazil.

Bahadır SERT

CHINESE CULTURE

Cuisine in China:
Chinese cuisine is one of the oldest on earth. Tastes vary by region, where chefs have been honing their skills for thousands of years.

Music in China:
The music of China is as diverse as the country itself. Popular genres include everything from Peking opera to rap music.

Supersititions in China

What's so Great About the Number Eight?

The start date for the Beijing Olympic Games is no accident.

At 8:08:08 p.m. on August 8, 2008, the world will watch as China opens the 29th Olympiad.

Eight has long been a lucky number in Chinese culture because its pronunciation in many Chinese dialects is similar to the word which means "wealth" and "prosperity."

Two eights next to each other also resemble the Chinese character for double happiness – a common symbol for weddings as it shows two people uniting as one.

Chinese New Year Superstitions

1. Dirty Doings

Put your feet up and relax. Certainly the most enjoyable of the Chinese New Year superstitions, sweeping and cleaning is strictly forbidden. The Chinese believe cleaning means you'll sweep all of your good luck out the front door.

2. Time to Come Clean

Before you can enjoy number two, you need to give the house a full spring clean, before putting cleaning tools in the cupboard on New Year's Eve.

3. Read Between the Lines

Be sure to stock up on reading materials before Chinese New Year, as Hong Kong's bookshops will be padlocked tight. In Cantonese, book is a homonym for 'lose'.

4. Choppy Waters

Make sure you avoid rough seas in the new year by not buying shoes over the holiday period. In Cantonese, shoes are a homonym for 'rough'.

5. Balance the Books

If you're in debt, it's time to dip into your pockets and pay people off. The Chinese believe that if you start the new year in the red, you'll finish it the same way.

6. Ghostly Conversations

Caught round a campfire over the holiday period? No ghost stories. Tales of death, dying and ghosts is considered supremely inauspicious, especially during Chinese New Year.

7. Lady in Red

Chinese New Year is packed with colors, and while all the colors of the rainbow bring good luck, it's the color red that is considered the ultimate luck bringer.

8. Sweet Year

Hong Kongers have a sweet touch at the best of times, but Chinese New Year offers the perfect chance to raid the sweet shop, as eating candies is said to deliver a sweeter year.

9. Feel the Breeze

Welcome in the New Year with a blast of fresh air, opening your windows is said to let in good luck.

10. Get to the Point

Sharp objects are said to be harbingers of bad luck, as their sharp points cut out your good luck, pack them away.You should also avoid the hairdressers or you'll have your good luck chopped off.

Differences and similarities between Turkey and Russia

Similarities

• National honour is very important for Russia and Turkey, because both of them have an empire heritage. Consequently, they respect to their long-established state tradition.


• Russian and Turkish people behave and think emotionally, rationalism comes after being emotional.


• Both of them are hospitable and generous nations. They share poverty and wealthiness as well.
  

Differences

• In Turkey, people like intruding their views upon other.


• In Russia, individual freedom is more common. There is no pressure especially for religion.
  
• Turkey has a secular and democratic system. However, some people may criticize you if you wear low-cut dress.
  
• Russian people love entertainment very much and do not know a border for it:)

PALESTINE

                                                                                                                      PALESTINIAN CULTURE

                Next week I am going to go to Palestine so I have researched about Palestinian culture and I have listed the things that I found:

1.       Palestinian cuisine is divided into three regional groups: the Galilee, the West Bank and the Gaza area. Galilee inhabitants specialize in producing a number of meals based on the combination of bulgur, spices and meat, known as kibbee by Arabs. Kibbee has several variations including it being served raw, fried or baked. Musakhan is a common main dish that originated in the Jenin and Tulkarm area in the northern West Bank. It consists of a roasted chicken over a taboon bread that has been topped with pieces of fried sweet onions, sumac, allspice and pine nuts. Other meals common to the area are maqluba and mansaf, the latter originating from the Bedouin population of Jordan. There are several foods native to Palestine that are well-known in the Arab world, such as, kinafe Nabulsi, Nabulsi cheese (cheese of Nablus), Ackawi cheese (cheese of Acre) and musakhan. Some common mezze dishes are hummus, tabouleh, baba ghanoush, labaneh, and zate 'u zaatar.

2.       Stories invariably have a happy ending, and the storyteller will usually finish off with a rhyme like: "The bird has taken flight, God bless you tonight," or "Tutu, tutu, finished is my haduttu (story)."

3.       The Ataaba is a form of folk singing that spread outwards from Palestine. It consists of 4 verses, following a specific form and meter. The main aspect of the ataaba is that the first three verses must end with the same word meaning three different things, and the fourth verse comes as a conclusion to the whole thing.

4.       Food

Appetizers : Falafel - Shakshoukeh - Mafghoussa - Mutabbal - Bakdoonsiyeh - Pickled Green Olives - Artichoke Heart with Coriander

Salads : The Green leaves of spring in Palestine - Fatoush - Mish - Arabic or Fallahi Salad - Jarjeer Salad

Main Dish : Mjaddara - Rishtaye - Chicken Fatteh - Musakhan - Roasted Leg of Lamb - Aubergine with Tomatoes (Msaqa’a)

Desserts : Mutabak - Halawiyat Zalatimo - Qatayef - Cream Pudding with Pistachios " 'Eish es-Saraya".

5.       Father and son relationship is important because sons are valued to continue on the family name.

6.       Filial piety or respect for one's parents or elders.

7.       Women are expected to carry on domestic duties, marry and have children.

8.       Greetings Gestures

a.       Handshaking

b.      Bowing

c.       Avoid direct eye contact

9.       Touching Gestures

a.       Not touch oriented societies

b.      Avoid public display of affection

c.       Pushing (bumping) in crowds

10.   Avoid using fingers in pointing to an object.

                                                                    Ersin KOÇ

ıreland

• ın ıreland it's very important to have eye contact. ıf you don't have eye contact while you're talkind it means you're unfaithful.


• they like to be discuss their underlying value system religious politics with strangers. but don't start the topic. let them start to prevent any confusion.


• they don't like the people who are praising their country. so don't offend them by rejecting their culture.


• when you have a dialog with an irish person don't stop speaking. it's rude to have long spaces while you're talking.


• they make fun of the people who are labeling themselves as hardworking or very special and so on.


• sarcasm is one of their cultural characteristics.


• agressive people make nonsense to them.


• they like talking about loads of sports.


• they like people who are culturally awared.

Scotland

Scotland is known well in food and drink. Their culture is based on Scottish whisky. Some of cultural foods are haggis, Buccleuch Scotch beef, the Arbroath Smokie, salmon, venison, cranachan, bannock, Scotch Broth and shortbread. Most of them include deer meat. Loads of Scottish people believe strongly to their culture.

In Scotland, people give respect to their education culture and they do not have superficial aspect to foreign cultures. They enthuse to learning and their history.

Scots have great respect to their religion also, they always visit sacred places and heritage their culture to next generation.

Lastly, their men can wear special skirt, which calls kilt. In our culture, this is very weird but in their culture, it is normal to wear kilt.

 

 

                    Yahya MUŞTA—Yağmur KARA—Hazal TEMELLİ

what shouldn't you do when you go to Japan

A Japanese can ask you about your education, family and your money. don't be offended it is so normal in Japan.

When you go to a place which is crowded you have to salute to everyone

You are not able to talk about World War 2. This is the most important fact which you have to aware of.

Never tell a joke when your not absolutely certain about you will be understood. Japanese people haven't been assimilated about joke field and they are so strict.

When you take someone's personal id card you should read it then smile.

Elder people has to enter anywhere before younger ones.

Don't use ''OK'' when your speaking English because OK means "money" in Japanese. Japanese people can label you because of this attitude.

Laughing out loudly is one of the most vulgar behaviour. People thinks about underlying elements about it.

Don't blow your nose or your throat maybe it's look like a superficial factor but It's a shame even on the downest classes of society.

If you are going to respond a question on a neggative way or you are going to reject a suggestion You have to open ypur hands.