The three Chinese New Year I spent in Hangzhou (three hours’ drive from
Shanghai) have now muddled into one big celebratory memory: into one giant steamed bun, baozi: into one enormous good luck lantern. Chinese New Year, for me, was always a kind of alien Christmas with its red and gold, music and food, cards and gifts. The place in my mind where I most vividly experience the festivities are the streets surrounding Xihu, West Lake near the centre of the town. There, the crisp rattle of fireworks becomes a part of the air that Hangzhou breathes and the booming and cracking doesn’t pause until the two weeks  are over. My most vivid impressions…

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Happy Chinese New Year! This January will be the start
of the Year of the Dragon, as the world welcomes the Chinese New Year. The New Year falls in January due to the track of the new moon, as the Chinese calendar is a mixture of the Gregorian and lunar-solar calendars. Did you know that it’s such an auspicious year that many couples are hoping to have a child born during the Year of the Dragon? Read this full article to get to know many other aspects of the Chinese New Year and see some super pictures.

When you are out and about over the next fifteen days, if you meet
up with a Chinese friend, remember to wish them a Happy New Year. The most common auspicious greetings and sayings consist of four Chinese characters, such as the following:

• Jinyu mangtang – “May your wealth [gold and jade] come to fill a hall”
• Dazhan hongtu – “May you realize your ambitions”
• Yingchun jiefu – “Greet the New Year and encounter happiness”
• Wanshi ruyi – “May all your wishes be fulfilled”
• Jiqing youyu – “May your happiness be without limit”
• Zhubao pingan – “May you hear [in a letter] that all is well”
• Yiban wanli = “May a small investment bring ten-thousandfold profits”
• Fushou shuangquan – “May your happiness and longevity be complete”
• Zhaocai jinbao – “When wealth is acquired, precious objects follow”

See related articles:

The Chinese New Year Explained

The Fifteen Days of the Chinese New Year

Remember these Chinese New Year Sayings to greet your friends with!

Today is Chinese New Year; but unlike many people who celebrate the occasion just over one night the Chinese honour the New Year by welcoming it over fifteen days.

First day–  This is the day for welcoming the deities of heaven and earth. Cleaning is considered bad luck today and meat is not consumed for health reasons. It is also the day when people honour the elders in their family. Money is given in red envelopes from married relatives to single ones, from business managers to their employees and from parents to children.

Tuesday, 29th November marks the International Day of
Solidarity with the Palestinian People. It is the anniversary of the adoption of the UN resolution for the partition of Palestine. The observance of this day encourages Member States to continue to give the widest support and publicity to the observance of the International Day of Solidarity and to continue to seek solutiosn for Israel and Palestine that address the fundamental security concerns of both parties, ‎find a solution to the refugee issue and see Jerusalem emerge from negotiation as the ‎capital of two States.   What does this situation mean to those living it? Read below some insights for Palestinian people…

“Hello” has got to be one of the most important words we use and
learning a few “hello“s in a different language will helps us build trust in our relationships with those from other cultural backgrounds. Nowadays, more than ever, our everyday encounters find us engaging with people who are different from ourselves; whether speaking from your desk to someone on the other side of the world,  whether in the local supermarket or whether  travelling abroad – do take a moment to learn that precious word in a new way. Our picture shows The Prince of Orange of the Netherlands receiving a hong (Maori greeting) from a Maori warrior in Wellington, New Zealand. Listen and see how many languages you can recognise out of these twenty languages:  final composite hello.

Here’s help: listen & learn in 30 different ways to say hello…

It’s World Hello Day, so reach out and greet just ten people in the
name of peace. That is the simple message behind World Hello Day. Started in 1973, in response to the conflict between Egypt and Israel, this day is now commemorated in over 180 countries. Taking part couldn’t be easier, but rather than just greet family or friends why not reach out to someone you know in another country and say “hello”? You can do your bit to promote peace all over the world and bridge barriers between different nationalities – you could even learn to say “hello” in a different language!

For World Hello Day why not learn to say “hello” in another language? Listen to this audio and see how many “hellos” you can recognise from the 20 languages you’ll hear.

“Hello” in sign language

“Hello” is signed by moving the hand away from the forehead in a forward and downward motion, similar to a salute.

DBS final composite hello

Have you ever thought about how  television and cultural diversity are closely related? It’s time to think -Today is World Television Day

Television is one of the most powerful communications media in today’s world and brings into people’s living rooms the everyday reality of other’s lives: be it major issues facing mankind, new fashion trends of American youth or the impact of a tsunami in the Philippines. Television  is universal; meaning that, at the very least, television tells us what’s going on in the world as news stations broadcast important alerts about world affairs and conflicts.

But more than that, television helps us learn quickly about different cultures and places that we could not normally travel to, giving us the opportunity to ‘experience’ what life is like as we engage with someone else’s story. Television links countries together via our TV screens. If used properly it can ‘promote mutual understanding and tolerance‘.  That is why the UN General Assembly decided to proclaim 21 November as World Television Day –  recognising the increasing impact television has on decision-making by alerting world attention to conflicts and threats to peace and security and its potential role in sharpening the focus on other major issues, including economic and social issues.

So, what do the political upheavals in the Middle East, caused
by the Arab Spring, mean?  What about the unparalleled discrepancy in earnings between the wealthiest and the ‘normal’ tax paying citizen? What does the continued lack of opportunity for the ‘have nots’ in the world do for society as a whole?  These are just some of the questions we should take time to think about today: UNESCO World Philosophy Day. World Philosophy Day is a celebration of practical ideas for facing the challenges of today and envisioning a brighter future.

With nearly one million young people unemployed in the UK
(in the North East of England 47% of young people are unemployed) and not much hope of that changing quickly, we need to encourage young people to think differently about how they earn their money. With the slogan “Starting Tomorrow’s Business Today” the Global Entrepreneurship Week begins today.  Every business starts with a conversation, so start talking with young people today about their entrepreneurship dreams and get those conversations turned into actions!  Only 1 in 20 young people start their own business in the UK – even though more than half of them want to.  Global Entrepreneurship Week  is about turning a dream into something that is achievable.