Describe a cultural product or practice and reflect upon the cultural perspective(s)it illustrates.
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Describe a cultural product or practice and reflect upon the cultural perspective(s)it illustrates.
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On the Taglit Birthright website they call this experience an "educational journey". "One of the primary objectives of our trips is to motivate participants to explore their Jewish identity through a peer educational experience of historic and contemporary Israel".
Birthright is not about brainwashing people to think or act a certain way but to educate them on their religion and state. This is not a mandatory trip in any way, it is a privilege to have this opportunity and it is up to the individual whether or not they would like to participate. In fact it is not always easy to get on one of these trips, most people are rejected the first time they apply because spots are limited and you have to meet the eligibility requirements. There are a lot of factors taken into consideration that decide if you are eligible such as age, previous Israel experience, whether or not they are involved in a Jewish studies program and of course Jewish heritage. Since religion in our present time can be a complicated thing to define for an individual, Birthright lays out a guideline on how they define having a strong enough Jewish heritage to be eligible for the trip: you must identify as Jewish without practicing another religion, have at least one Jewish birth parent or have completed Jewish conversion and be recognized as Jewish by one of the denominations of Judaism.
The program was first founded to address the growing divide between Diaspora Jewish youth and the land and people of Israel. Judaism is unlike most other religions in the way that is not only a faith but also a culture. If people of a culture are spread all across the world how can you keep that culture as one? To preserve our culture it is necessary to bring our people together to learn, grow and form bonds that keep our culture and loyalty so strong.
"Taglit-Birthright Israel aims to change the course of Jewish history and ensure the continuity of the Jewish people by strengthening Jewish identity, Jewish communities, and solidarity with Israel via an educational trip to Israel for Jewish young adults around the world". So does this disturb the natural evolution that Borris speaks of? Perhaps. Did the Holocaust disturb the natural evolution of the Jewish people? Absolutely.
Borris compared the natural progression of people losing their Jewish identity to the fact that more and more Muslims are moving into France and the number one religion is changing from Catholic to Islam. So what he is trying to say is that if Birthright did not exist, the number one religion in Israel would not be Judaism, or not for long at least. These are in fact two very different situations. First of all people in France are choosing not to practice religion which is driving the population of Catholics down drastically. Second of all there are more Muslims moving in who practice another religion. The difference between France and Israel is that France is not based upon a religion while Israel is. So if the number one religion in France changes that does not directly change their politics but it would in Israel. Another difference is that the people who go on this trip do not live in Israel so do not affect the population of the country unless they decide to move there (which sometimes happens but is not the main purpose of the trip). Also it is extremely difficult to continue a culture if the people are not physically together, making this trip a necessity to keep it alive.
Israel is the state of the Jewish people - the only country built off of religion. This puts Israel and its people in a very different category than most other countries. The Jewish people are also fortunate enough to have this unique opportunity to learn about their heritage and religion which is fantastic. Can you really disagree with a people for wanting to educate their youth and pass on ancient traditions?
Borris?
Navaratri is a festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity Durga. The word Navaratri means ‘nine nights’. The nine nights and ten days are spent worshiping the Shakti (ultimate, absolute creative energy) of the Divine represented as Mother Goddess-Durga. Navaratri is celebrated five times a year and they are called: Vasanta Navaratri (March-April), Gupta Navaratri (June-July), Sharad Navaratri (September-October), Paush Navaratri (December-January), and Magha Navaratri (January-February).
Navaratri begins on the first day of the bright fortnight of lunar month of Ashvin. The first three days the goddess is separated a spiritual force called Durga in order to destroy all our evil and grant boons. The second three days the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi the goddess of wealth, who will bestow wealth upon her devotees. The final three days spent worshiping Saraswati, goddess of wisdom. During the nine days a special fast is held by the worshipers: they can only eat fruits.
I have been thinking a lot lately about the Israeli practice of keeping kosher. Now, there are many Israelis who don't keep kosher, but because a lot of them do, and a lot of them have to because they are Orthodox, the huge majority of restaurants in Israel are automatically kosher. By that, I mean that it is very difficult to buy pork or shellfish, it is difficult to get a cheeseburger, and even at places like McDonald's, they've changed the chicken nugget recipe so that the breading doesn't include milk (so that you are not mixing milk and meat by eating them). I am just thinking about it because I think it is fascinating that the dietary requirements of a few dictate what the vast majority of the country eats. Now, speaking to my Israeli friends about this, I know that it is not impossible to get traif (pork, shellfish, anything that goes against the laws of kashruit). But generally - how would this work, would it work, if it existed in the US? Does it only work because it is in a country that is founded on religious pricinples? Even so, I think it is wrong to make some people in actuality act a certain way. I don't know. Just something that ends up happening because some people need it to happen... I think it's weird and I think I don't like it.
As my first presentation for 105, I presented on Dandiya. This is a special event in India that I truly love. Navratri is a festival dedicated to worshipping the Hindu deity Durga. Navratri literally means "nine nights" in Sanskrit. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Dev are worshipped (Durga is an incarnation of Devi). Navratri is a major festival celebrated all throughout India. During this festival, the traditional dance of Gujarat known as "Garba" is performed. Garba is usually performed in circles surrounding a lit lamp or a picture or statue of the goddess Devi. Dandiya Raas is the traditional folk dance from Vrindavan, India. It is performed to represent the common sport of Radha (Hindu Goddess) and Krishna (Hindu God). Dandiya Raas is usually performed alongside Garba during the Navratri festival. Dandiya Raas is performed by two circles consisting of men and women, and they use two sticks to dance. Typically Garba dancers wear very brightly colored Lenghas full of mirror work as well as very heavy jewelry. Men'd dress caries upon region - but fancy Indian attire is worn. "Dandiya" is what the event is commonly referred to as slang. It has always been one of my favorite events because everyone is colorful and everyone dresses up and dances together. It is so much fun!
If there is something that Swedes absolutely love, it's music. There have been multitudes of popular groups emerging from Sweden in the 20th and 21st centuries: ABBA, Ace of Base, Peter Bjorn and John, The Cardigans, Lykki Li, The Hives, and many more. More recently, however, Swedes seem to be taking over the techno/house music scene. The likes of Icona Pop, Basshunter, Avicii, Alesso, and Swedish House Mafia are all Swedish DJs/artists who are pumping out club hits that are adored all around the world (not just in Ibiza!). Recently my Swedish language partner went to a concert in D.C. to see only one of the members of Swedish House Mafia perform (the group has recently split up). Music is very culturally significant to Swedish people and I get the sense that there is also a lot of pride in home-grown Swedish music from Swedes who live outside of Sweden (they call themselves utlandssvensken, literally Swedish foreigners). It is also interesting to note that like residents of other countries take to American pop music, those who live in Norway and Denmark also look to Sweden for their music icons and hits. All the evidence I have gathered from research and person experience leads me to believe that the music scene is highly active in Sweden and that Swedes both home and abroad take great pride in their musical icons (especially when they gain success outside of Sweden). Below is a sample of music from Sebastian Ingrosso, formerly of Swedish House Mafia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuAtcpFQpMw
Njut! Enjoy!
Ukrainian traditional dances are popular within Ukraine, many of which derive from rural "Cossack" villages. One Ukrainian style of dancing is called the "Kalyna", in which both men and women participate simultaneously. In Ukrainian dances, the women wear colorful costumes, featuring a solid colored tunic that's usually blue, green, red, or black, with a matching apron. Under the apron, Ukrainian women usually wear an open skirt with a white skirt right underneath it. The skirts are also usually embroidered with some type of colorful hem. If the women choose to wear a tunic, then under that they will wear a long sleeved richly embroidered white shirt. Traditionally, women wear red leather boots to dance in. They also wear a flower head piece "vinok", that is basically a headband covered with flowers and that has long flowing ribbons down the back that flow beautifully when they dance. In terms of jewelry when in dances, Ukrainian women wear plain red coral necklaces. Men wear similar outfits compared to the women. During dance, men wear baggy trousers that are usually blue, white, black or red, and a shirt that is usually white and embroidered at the neck and down the stomach. Over the shirt they sometimes will wear a richly embroidered vest. Around their waist they wear a thick and colorful sash with fringed ends. Like the women, they wear boots, but these can be black or white, not solely red. Kalyna dancing involves partner dancing. One dance, called the "pryvitannia", is a greeting dance. It is slow and respectful, the women bow to the audience and present bread with salt on a cloth and flowers as a sign if their hospitality. Ukrainian people believe that hospitality is a key characteristic to their culture. In almost very dance there are signs of respect and hospitality towards guests and friends. Another, called the "hopak" is much more lively, and involves many fast-paced movements. Hence "hopak" as a dance is derived from hopak martial art of Cossacks. This reflects on the liveliness of Ukrainian people at social events, where they tend to drink and celebrate very intensively. The dance culture in Ukraine is dominant and reflected in their everyday habits. Ukrainian men and women tend to spend much time choosing their outfits. Even the everyday outfits of Ukrainian men and women are usually bright and colorful, similarly to their traditional dance outfits. Overall, Ukrainian people incorporate traditional dance into their everyday lives through their tendency to be frequently present at social gatherings, their intense social gathering habits, their choice of bright clothing and their passion for hospitality.
Here are my sources for this Cultural Post.
Shevchenko Scientific Society Inc. USA and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (1995) Encyclopedia of Ukrainian Diaspora, Vol. 4 (Australia-Asia-Africa), (In Ukrainian) Kiev-New York-Chicago-Melbourne
http://www.kinorox.com/Home.html
http://www.dance.net/ukrainiandancing.html
http://www.abuda.ca/about/
http://www.cnuf.ca
Law of Jante
I did this powerpoint for my 105 class. In short the law of jante is an unspoken set of rules that tell Scandinavians how they should act. The law embodies the concept of being humble and equal to others. It isn't seen so much in modern times but rather in the older generation. I attached my powerpoint that I did in class that goes more in depth to the concept.
Law of Jante.pptx