Happy Easter from Asia!

In the west, when one is asked to list traditions that follow the beloved Easter holiday, symbols like eggs, chocolate, and the Easter bunny often come to mind. But if you were to ask Christians in Asian countries including South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong, they would lack any understanding of such traditions. 

It is an interesting concept that Christmas receives such attention yet Easter almost none- this is most likely due to the heavily commercialized aspects of Christmas, where media coverage of the Easter season is limited to department stores advertising new clothes and candy stores selling chocolate eggs. Despite half the population being Christian in South Korea, you would still be hard pressed to find any kind of tribute to Easter when walking the streets of the towns and cities. 

However, take a trip down to China and it will be a completely different story. The passing of Spring is a time that holds a tremendous amount of significance to the Chinese, and Easter falls during this time- thus making it of importance to their culture. 

The three symbols associated with Easter in the west are also found in Chinese Easter traditions, the egg, the rabbit, and the baby chick. Painting and decorating eggs is a big part of the western celebration of Easter that is also found in China around this time of year. It is considered to be an art form and is taken quite seriously.

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The eggs are first drained in preparation to be painted, then images of women, scenes, and other beautiful images are carefully drawn on. It is also custom to use jade and wood to carve a dragon's egg, which is then given to children to represent growth and change. 

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Rice to Feed the World (Part two of two)

Rice has been feeding countless people for thousands of years but its growing potential was truly recognized this year when Sumant Kumar broke the world record for growing 22.4 tons of rice on just one hectare of land. 

This dedicated Indian farmer has been growing rice for many years, but until recently, his efforts have remained relatively unknown. For him, and many other rice growers, a typically yearly harvest would consist of four or five tons per hectare. But an unusual amount of rain in his village of Darveshpura was responsible for the sudden spike in rice production. He recalls that the stalks he cut on his paddy, located near the bank of the Sakri river, seemed to be significantly heavier than usual as he was harvesting them. 

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When he went to weigh his crop on the village scales, even he was shocked at the result. The result was not eight tons or even fifteen, but a jaw-dropping 22.4 tons of rice. This number allowed Kumar to take the prize for the world record of tons of rice per hectare of land, using only manure free from herbicides to do it. 

This is such big news for us because we whole heartedly believe in the importance rice can have in not only different customs and traditions, but also of helping to feed our growing population of seven billion, half of which uses rice as their staple food. 

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Rice To Feed the World

 Grown for thousands of years, rice has been a food held dear to countless cultures throughout history. Used for everything from comfort food to a religious offering, rice's significance isn't diminishing anytime soon- in fact it is steadily increasing. Accounting for 90% of the world's population and consumption of rice, Asia takes the prize for the biggest rice producer in the world. 

Rice plays an important role in Hindu and Buddhist religious services, two of the major religions of Asia. There is even a Chinese proverb that says that 'precious things are not pearls and jade but the five grains, of which rice is the finest.' There are Chinese myths that say that when the people were starving after a flood, long yellow seeds grew into rice and saved the hungry villagers. 

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So even though, rice being an important part of many cultures and customs is nothing new, it has been said that the plan is to raise the production of rice by 70% in the next few decades after research has shown how rice is a cheap way to provide nutrition for those who need it most. Demands for rice are continuing to grow as people have figured out that if given to poorer urban families, rice can provide up to half of their necessary calories each day. 

The origin of rice or the people who first discovered is unclear, but what is certain is that rice has fed more people for more years than any other crop in history. 

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Saint Patrick's Day- Is It Really Just For the Irish?

Even though St. Patrick's day is known as the holiday for the Irish, Ireland isn't the only cool place to be this March 17th. Much to one's surprise, serval different countries in Asia know how to kick up their heels and celebrate Irish history. 

A lot of green can be seen throughout Seoul, South Korea on this day. St. Patrick's day has been celebrated by the Irish Association of Korea since 2001. Since this place just loves an excuse to party, St. Patrick's day is no exception. Parades throughout the city have attendance numbers around 15,000 people- so if you're there you can expect plenty of folk dancing, singing, bands, and of course plenty of beer. 

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Plenty of St. Patrick's day celebrations make it to Singapore as well. Due to the large connection to British isles they also have a St. Patrick's Society. One of the most looked forward to events of the year is the annual St. Patrick's Day Ball, held on March 16th followed by the St. Patrick's Day Parade. People in Singapore really know how to keep a party going, even continuing the holiday celebrations through the 18th! On the 18th the parades and ball combine to form one giant street party, gathering outside the local Irish pubs. 

The cultural festivities have even spread to Tokyo, Japan- who has embraced the Celtic holiday for many years now. This year over 30,000 are expected to gather in the streets along with beer and green as far as the eye can see! 

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Japanese Acknowledge Loved Ones with White Day

For us the holiday dedicated to love has been long forgotten till next year, but in Japan that was only one of two days reserved for romance!

One month ago today people around the world celebrated Valentine's Day. It is common knowledge that this is a day for men to rush out for those red roses, box of chocolates, and dinner reservations- but Japan does Valentine's day a little differently. 

In Japan, it is custom on Valentine's day for the women to express their love or friendship to men by presenting them with chocolates and chocolate gifts. When the chocolates are handmade it is meant to represent more sincerity, emotion, and effort on the woman's part. The favor is then returned to the women a month later with a holiday known as White Day.

On March 14th, it is custom in Japan for men to shower the women in their life with gifts. Traditional White Day gifts include cookies, white chocolate, white lingerie, jewelry, and marshmallows. A general principle of the holiday is that the men who received a honmei-choco, or the chocolate of love, on Valentine's day are expected to pay two to three times the price when choosing their White day gift! The term sanbai gaeshi, literally translating to triple the return, is often used to describe this rule. 

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Other countries in Asia also acknowledge White day but put a slightly different spin on it than China. For example, in China Valentine's day is where the men give women presents and White day is the day for women to return the favor. In Korea it is popular for children to exchange candies and chocolates with their classmates on both holidays. 

To learn more about the cultural and diversity taught at Fujimini Island, please click here.