Sain baina uu! Chào! Annyong!
Say goodbye to Old Man Winter and hello to gentle Lady Spring! The Orient's new year is almost here and brings with it the promise of new beginnings and new cultural experiences. By popular request, we will be celebrating our annual lunar festival in three new countries:
Tsagaan Sar in
Mongolia, Tet in
Vietnam and Solnal in
Korea. The festivities will start on Thursday, February 21 with Vietnam's tradition of honouring first visitors and first deeds and end on Monday, February 25 with a closing ceremony in
The Kublai Khantina hosted by
Kenji Ashikaga.
While it may seem unusual to begin on the last day of China's Lunar Festival, Mongolia celebrates the entire first month with visiting, feasting and gift-giving. We plan to do the same by visiting each country for a day and showcasing its fabulous fun lunar festival traditions. Highlights include taking part in a Mongolian triathlon writing challenge and hunting for the sacred white mare for Tsagaan Sar; honouring ancestors, meeting the Jade Emperor's ancestral "Spirit of the Hearth" Tao Quan and welcoming the Year of the Rat with Vietnamese flair for Tet; and attending a traditional Korean lunar ghost storytelling and consulting a female shamanic fortuneteller for Solnal. There will also be hoods to visit, articles to read, quizzes to take, fireworks to see, decorating to do and other fun surprises.
Be sure to keep an eye on the
Orient Festival Guide for information on all festival activites. We hope everyone will join us for a lighthearted time of welcoming in the new year!
Dream Destinations: Solo, Java, Indonesia
Since I am a quiltmaker, I am always interested in fabrics, and what better way to spend a vacation than shopping in the
Pasar Klewer? The traditional Solo batiks are made by stamping a wax resist onto the fabric which repels the dye and forms the intricate patterning. The stamping is done with copper
caps which are sculpted by hand. Because the Mataram court was located in Solo after 1745, there was a great demand for higher quality clothing and there were even rules about which classes of people could wear which designs, and in which circumstances, as each pattern had a particular meaning.
See some Solo patterns
In recent years, western fabric designers have teamed with the native artisans to improve on mass production methods, working conditions and quality control, especially during the rainly season when the humidity and grey skies affect the dyeing results, while still keeping the unique local fabric designs.
When I get tired of playing with the fabric (or run out of money) I can visit the
Kasunanan Palace or try to catch a musical performance by a
gamelan ensemble . Maybe I'll run into you while I'm there?
Construction Workers Wanted!
The Orient still has a number of undeveloped hoods. Pay a visit to
The Orient Neighborhood Hall and click on the Progress Report button to see where you might like to help!
Orient Site Map
Have you ever forgotten where you saw that interesting group or hood home in the Orient? Help is at hand!
Aria Murasaka has created a wonderful Oriental site map to help us navigate our complicated world. Take some time to explore this most useful resource. You'll wonder how we ever did without it!
Archaeology News
Well preserved paintings which include depictions of everyday life have been discovered in a Western Han dynasty tomb.
Ancient frescos discovered in Shandong
Archaeologists have excavated a 2500 year old sword from a tomb in Nanchang, China.
Ancient Chinese sword
Remains of a canoe in Kerala, India, point to an early and far reaching maritime trade.
Ancient Canoe in Pattanam
