1st of June: a Day for the Child Within

 

 Today, I will share with you something from my own culture that was very important in my childhood years.... But wait a second! I actually discovered that it is a tradition related to various countries. As a matter of fact, on the 1st of June, almost 50 countries accross the world are celebrating Children's Day. Most of these countries belong to the former Soviet Union, also the former communist block of Central and Eastern Europe, but also China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Yemen, Lebanon, and many more. This celebration was established on the 1st of June 1950, in Moscow, by the Women's International Democratic Federation. 

     When I was little, I was looking forward to it. Summer holiday from kindergarten or primary school was approaching, and it was a day when instead of lessons we would go to the amusement park with our teacher, receive stories' books as a present, and play with each other till afternoon, without ever being tired. I have several friends in the other countries where Children's Day is celebrated - they have told me pretty much the same thing: the park, games, ice-cream. Well, well... if only every day at school had been like that! 

    What do I believe now, as an adult? That we should still celebrate it! Among serious commitments, the first grey hairs, the first wrinkles, and maybe not having the same energy we had when we were kids, I think deep-down we have not changed that much. And we still deserve once in a while to be carefree, joyful and free. Or maybe we should let ourselves be spoiled by our families, or still visit our teachers and remind them what good kids we were. I know that I never stopped celebrating, and most probably never will. And probably neither should you! 

Namaste India: an Explosion of Colours, Flavours and Legends

 

  Yesterday I took a short trip to India. "I beg your pardon?!" I almost hear you say. The fact is, Bucharest has just hosted the festival of Indian culture "Namaste India". "Namaste" is a form of greeting, basically meaning "I recognize the divinity within myself and salute the divinity within you". Therefore, that means that all of us are divinity in our essence, and that is a good thought to keep in mind at all times. 

  

  I must admit I never had the luck to travel to far-away lands, or at least not yet, but even this visit of a few hours gave me a good glimpse of India and Indian culture. Stands of colourful clothes, accessories and handmade objects, exotic foods and traditional teas, natural cosmetics brought straight from India, Hindi and Sanskrit language books, but also books on history, religion, yoga and meditation. Plus, we could not miss themed workshops, travel stories from people who experienced India, and of course, traditional music and dances.  

   

  Apart from yoga, which I have always been a huge fan of, with its benefits on the human mind and body, I was particularly curious about cuisine, motives in art and decoration, languages and dances. So many  things I never knew before! 

Did you know that.... ?
.... all the spices such as turmeric, cardamom or coriander, which give Indian foods and drinks those particular flavours, also have medical properties, healing and preventing health problems such as flu, articular problems, or sight problems.
... there are various traditional symbols of the Indian soul, commonly present in interior and clothing design, but also in urban design. They represent elements from both Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, but also creatures deemed sacred, such as the cow, the peacock, the elephant, the Bengali tiger or the sea-shell. These symbols are used as blessings, bringing luck, power, good health, fertility and beauty. 
.... the Hindi language has more than 300 million mother tongue speakers. It originates from the ancient Sanskrit language, with a fair share of Arab and Persian influences. 
.... the Indian rainbow comprises more colours than its occidental version, each colour has a specific meaning and these meanings are often expressed in poems and songs.
.... even movements in Indian dances have a deeper spiritual meaning, and very often they have the role of energizing the dancers, chasing away negative states of mind.

And these are just a few of the things I discovered! Hopefully, I will get the chance to go deeper into these topics over time. But one thing is sure: India is not just a country, it's a completely different universe, full of legends, symbols, traditions, and magic. All human senses experience something new. And if this the case on a smaller scale, you cannot help but wonder.... how will it be in the case of a proper trip to India?

Sing Your Way into Europe!

  What else could we talk about today, other than the song contest we all love to hate? Indeed, every year we declare we hate it, or in the happiest of cases, that we don't understand the whys and hows of one result instead of another, and that next year we won't be watching it again. But we can't help it, next year comes, and here we are: watching Eurovision again. 
  Why do we like it, deep down? I think it is, first of all, a patriotic thing: most probably everyone would like to see their country win. And apart from that, whatever generates controversy also generates fervent debates, and that can prove itself constructive sometimes. In theory, it should be all about music - after all, it is a "song contest". But, as I recently heard some people say, it's hardly just about music. Apart from everyone's likes and dislikes related to the songs and the shows put on by each performer, the other issues always come up. Is the voting fair, or based on geopolitical affinities?  What about the views on various current affairs related to the country in question? Is it the controversial character who attracts attention and votes? 
  During the past couple of years (with a huge thanks to modern technology and social media), I was able to comment on Eurovision in real time with numerous friends and aquaintances all over Europe. And, no matter what happens, no matter what is being discussed, and what is the personal view of each person, this manifestation does bring us together. That we agree or disagree, it doesn't matter: it makes us interact. About this year's edition, some would say it was an expression of freedom and human rights, some would say it was simply the attraction of the controversial, some would say we should just listen to the song without looking at the lady.... or gentleman.... or whatever. Myself, I belong to the second and third categories. But that is just me.
  Who knows what next year will bring? But I bet that even the most disappointed of this year's viewers will be watching again. I think we want to be surprised, entertained, and participate in heated debates with our friends. 

European ... and Loving It!

    

   We must admit that in these days most of us would deem the entire world as our home. Well, or at least on a smaller scale, the entire Europe. Borders seem to have vanished, at least mentally, and most of us have a far bigger curiosity and willingness to discover the "other". Today is an important day for the European Union - exactly 64 years ago, on the 9th of May 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman presented his proposal to create a structured Europe. Since then, the European Union has grown into 28 member states, and most probably it will not stop here.

  Many of us have controversial feelings about the EU, whether this cohesion is good or bad - politically, economically and even culturally. Many people say that they were better off without their country being in the EU.  And, truth be told, there are still various discrepancies and disadvantages from the economic and political points of view.

  But what about the cultural aspect of being European? If there is one factor that brings conciliation where others fail, that is culture. We have  different regions, countries, languages, traditions, all brought together and enhanced by the freedom of movement of the population. Thanks to the EU legislation, travelling and even settling in another country has become easier than ever before. However, is that not a threat to a nation's, or even an individual's cultural identity? I would say it is not, because by these intercultural interactions becoming more frequent and more intense, every one of us would feel more propense to promote and defend their own cultural identity, whilst at the same time being open to learn about the other. 

   What does it mean for myself personally? When Romania joined the European Union I was already a young adult who had already had foreign experiences, and who had been "suffering" the previous restrictions that were applied to non-EU countries: the hassle of obtaining a visa, higher university fees, limiting employment policies, and so forth. Now all these restrictions have disappeared, and what were they replaced by? An even more intense whirlwind of travel and discovery after 2007. I arrived to places I had never visited before, and met people of all European nationalities (both EU and non-EU, to be specific). And I discovered that, to a larger or smaller extent, there are always at least a couple of details about out cultures that are similar and that bring us together. And, come to think of it, even Romania is at a cross-roads between various countries and cultures. I couldn't say exactly how much of our culture and traditions is 100% ours, but we are definitely "a bit of all", and I am sure the feeling is the same in other countries too. Our language is latin, our religion is orthodox, our cuisine is a mix of balcanic, Eastern-European and Austro-Hungarian, and as far as our traditions are concerned... we could go on for ever. 

    So maybe, in the end, we are all fundamentally European, history has made us all interract at some point, in more or less friendly ways. We all learnt from each other, but we have always kept something unique to our own country and culture. All I can say is... Happy Europe Day! Happy Birthday Europe, and let us co-exist and keep discovering each other for many, many generations to come!