Flag Monday: Finland

White -  represents snow and also peace and honesty
Blue - represents lakes and sky and also vigilance, truth and loyalty, perseverance & justice

The National flag of Finland should never be flown above another national flag on the same staff as this would suggest superiority, or conversely, inferiority of one flag, or Nation, over another

Capital - Helsinki
Population - 5,421,827
Religion - 76.4% belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, 21.0% (No religious affiliation), 1.1% (Finnish Orthodox), 1.4% (Other)
Language(s) - Finnish, Swedish

Finland was one of the last region of Europe to be Christianised, in the 12th century.

Finland has only been an independent country since 1918. Before that it belonged to Russia or Sweden.

UH OH. WHAT IS GOING ON?

The Libyan Prime Minister was kidnapped on October 9th, 2013.

Food Friday

         A traditional dish in Ecuador is guinea pig or cuy in spanish. The guinea pig will commonly be deep fried, grilled, and almost always cooked whole. It is tradition to eat the whole thing. For wedding presents, one of the most coveted is a mating pair of guinea pigs. Although it may seem bizarre, guinea pig is actually more efficient to produce for consumption than beef is. Guinea pigs are environmentally healthy. The ecuadorians always eat beetle larvae and soup made from bull genitalia. 

Thrashin' Thursday

       Pasillo is an indigenous genre of music, and it is considered Ecuador's national genre. Because this genre is indigenous, you will see many different varieties of it in different villages because every rendition has its own taste and style. Pasillo is played with a guitar and rondin, an instrument that is related to a flute. The genre itself is very similar to waltz and the pasacalle is the dance music form of the genre. With that type of music, a yarabi is traditionally worn. The western coast of Ecuador is known for Amor Fino. Most of these genres, although mostly indigenous, do have European tangs to them. 

Whacky Wednesdays

The trash trucks in Ecuador play music just like ice cream trucks in the USA

You can pay a priest 30 dollars to bless your car

Ecuador was nation in 2008 to declare that nature has constitutional rights 

Traditional Tuesday

          Ecuadorian holidays, though similar to the ones in the United States, are celebrated very differently, though the concepts remain the same. Nine days before Christmas, Novenas start. Novenas are house tours where people can admire others' decorations. For the children, they send a wish list to Santa Claus via a shoe. The kids stuff their lists into an old shoe. 

        

          New Year's is also an interesting comparison. In Ecuador, it is common to make a dummy out of the old clothes of the past year and then burn it. It symbolizes the passing of the old year and the starting of the new. In order to receive the joy of New Years, many people think that the best way to do that is to dress up as a clown. 

         

              A holiday that is primarily Ecuadorian is the Battle of Pichincha day on May 24th. Pichinacha is a volcano where the battle occurred. The volcano is right next to the capital, Quito. The day marks an important battle between the Patriots of Ecuador and the Royalists. The Patriots were lead by Antonio Jose de Sucre and the Royalists were led by Melchor Aymerich. The Patriots won which allowed for the liberation of Quito. The providence that was liberated would become the Republic of Ecuador. 

Reaching Out!

Hello! We're a Model UN club at Meadowdale High School! We would love to hear from other countries about their lifestyles, traditions, and customs or anything else! Thanks!!!

Flag Monday: Ecuador

Yellow: The abundance and fertility of the land.
Blue: The sky and sea.
Red: The blood shed by the martyrs and soldiers who fought for independence.
The bird on the Ecuador flag's coat of arms is an Andean Condor. This native South American bird is also on the arms of Bolivia, Chile and Colombia.

The Ecuador flag was adopted on September 26, 1860, making it one of the world's oldest flags.

Capital: Quito
Population: 14,666,055
Religious: Catholic (95%)
Language: Spanish

The life expectancy is 71 years.

Ecuador has a 93% literacy rate.

Food Friday: Cameroon

The staple foods eaten by the people of Cameroon vary from region to region, depending on climate, and what is grown locally. In general, the Cameroonian diet is characterized by bland, starchy foods that are eaten with spicy (often very hot) sauces. Meat on skewers, fried and roasted fish, curries and peppery soups are common dishes.    

The national meal of Cameroon, Ndolé (pictured below) consists of a nut and ndoleh leaf stew, and fish or ground beef.                               

 

Thrashin' Thursday: Cameroon

Baka Beyond/Baka Gbine
Music has a central role in the life of the Baka. From an early age they have a keen sense of rhythm, as soon as a baby is able to clap it is encouraged to participate in all the communal music-making. There is music for ritualistic purposes, music for passing on knowledge, stories and the history of the Baka people, and music for pure enjoyment. This communal music-making constantly helps to strengthen the bonds between the individuals in the groups.
Baka Music is perhaps best described as bursts of harmonic yodeling, intertwining in a dynamic, rhythmic fashion. It is quite hypnotizing and the environmental forest setting makes the overall effect fascinating.

 

Whacky Wednesday: Cameroon

-Cameroon is the first African country to reach the quarter-final in soccer world cup.

-Cameroon is a Portuguese word meaning River of Pawn.

-Cameroon has the tallest mountain in West Africa, Mount Cameroon.

-More than 30% of the total population lives at less than $1.25 per day.

-Cameroon is one of the wettest lands on the earth with annual rainfall of about 1028 cm.

-In most communities within grassland areas no one's allowed to shake hands, or sit on the same bench with the king's wife.

-The North of Cameroon prohibits the consumption of monkeys, horses, and dogs.

- Some of the people of Cameroon, do not eat fruit because of their fears.

source

Traditional Tuesday: Cameroon

The Ngondo Festival

Every first Sunday of the month of December, foreigners join the five tribes constituting the Sawa people to gather around the river Wouri in Douala to celebrate “Myengu”, the gods of the waters, thanking them for their protection during the year. The festival begins from the Saturday before, with exciting activities such as Miss Ngondo conquest, Wrestling ( the Sawa Fight), Dance conquest of different Sawa dance groups and religious organizations. The beauty pageant contestants must be able to speak their mother tongue and know their family genealogy. Only Sawa people are qualified to take part in any competitions, but witnessing it is equally so much fun.
The main event which is the more scared part of the festival comes on Sunday morning. A spiritualist is immersed with a sacred pot under the Wouri river with gifts for Myengu who are at the bottom of the river. He usually stays 10 minutes underneath the water, and his mission is to return with Myengu’s message addressed to Sawa people for the next year. When the pot comes back to surface, it is not wet and it contains the message of the ancestors which the initiates will decode before announcing it to waiting crowd.
In the afternoon there is a canoe race where each Sawa tribe sends its best canoe riders.
Even though in recent years, Ngondo has been taking a commercial turn with some companies taking advantage of the its touristic attraction to infiltrate the event, the festival remains the best display of culture in Cameroon.

Flag Monday: Cameroon

Green: The rich forest vegetation of the country's southern region, and also hope for a happy future.
Red: Independence and unity.
Yellow: The savannas in the north and the sun as a source of happiness.
Star: The unity of Cameroon.

Cameroon is the second modern African state (after Ghana) to adopt pan-African colors. They are based on the colors of the Ethiopian flag.

Capital: Yaounde
Population: 19,406,100
Religious: Christian (70%), Islam (21%), Indigenous (6%), Other (4%)
Language(s): French and English.

After a 1972 plebiscite, a unitary republic was formed out of East and West Cameroon to replace the former federal republic.

The Republic of Cameroon is a union of two former United Nations trust territories—French Cameroun, which became independent in 1960, and southern British Cameroons, which joined it after a 1961 UN-sponsored referendum.

 

Food Friday: Belarus

Traditional Belarusian Cooking!

Gulbishnik:  

 

 

Gulbishnik is made from mashed potatoes which are mixed with hot milk and eggs and is baked in the oven.


Food customs often involve women and point out their role in society. For instance, setting a food table was customarily a woman's job. Men would not engage in such activity.

 An interesting food custom is related to matchmaking, which was always associated with drinking vodka and having food. First the matchmaker would visit a house of a potential bride and offer drinks and food. If the suitor was accepted, he would appear with the matchmaker at the woman's house with vodka and the woman's parents would provide food.

Interestingly, the ceremony could be repeated several times until the couple would be officially engaged. If the engagement were broken, whoever broke the engagement would have to repay the other side for all expenses.

Thrashin' Thursday: Belarus

Most people in Belarus can play at least one musical instrument, and music in the country today boasts a mixture of styles and influences.

 

 

(Traditional Belarusian folk dance.)

 

Traditional and folk music still has a big following in Belarus.

 

Modern pop music is increasingly popular in Belarus. Belarus has been an enthusiastic participant in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2004.

 

Music festivals are very popular in Belarus. The international arts festival Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk has become the symbol of the festival movement of Belarus. Taking part in the festival are popular performers from all over the world.

Whacky Wednesday: Belarus

The currency of Belarus is called ruble.

Belarus is not pronounced as (bell-are-us) instead is pronounced as (bel-ah-roos).

The name "Belarus" stands for White Russian.

There are 31 banks in the country and 1 out of the 31 is owned privately; the other 30 are owned by the government.

source

Traditional Tuesday: Belarus

Kupalle is an ancient pagan holiday celebrated in Belarus on July 6+7.
Called the midsummer night, it is now an old folk festival for the summer solstice and the long summer days. It is now celebrated in a traditional, pagan, and Christian sense.

During Kupalle one had to be especially careful not to give away, lend or sell anything. It was especially forbidden to take fire or bread out of the house – this could bring poverty to the family.
When the Kupalle fire was big enough, people sang songs and jumped across the flames. It was supposed to “purify” people of all evil for the whole year. One could also make a wish while jumping over the fire.
Girls made garlands and tried to tell their fortunes by putting them into water. If the garland swam a long distance, the girl’s future husband would come from far away; if the garland stuck to the riverbank, the husband would be a local guy; the sinking garland was a bad omen.
Source: http://democraticbelarus.eu/news/kupalle-photos-video

The audio is not so nice, but the video makes up for it with guys jumping over a roaring fire! Cool!

Flag Mondays: Belarus

Red: The country's past, and the blood shed by their defenders.
Green: Hope, spring, revival, and the color of Belarus' rich forests and fields.
Traditional Pattern: Symbolizes Belarus' cultural heritage, spiritual continuity, and the unity of its people.

The present day Belarusian flag was adopted on June 7, 1995. This flag is very similar to the flag used when Belarus was a part of the Soviet Union, although it doesn't have the sickle and hammer emblem.

Capital: Minsk
Population: 9,457,500
Religious: Eastern Orthodoxy (48.3%), Irreligion (41.1%), Catholicism (7.1%), Other (3.5%)
Language: Belarusian and Russian.

80% of the population is made of native Belarusians, the rest is composed of minorities; mainly Russian.
Belarus is a presidential system; it has a president and a national assembly.

Food Friday: Afghanistan

Traditional Afghan Cooking!

 

Quabili Pallow

         This is a traditional Afghan dish. It is served to special guests or on special occasions such as weddings. Cooking and food has a very important role in Afghan culture. Unexpected guests might be seen as rude or an imposition in western culture, but not in Afghan culture. Anyone that shows up to eat will leave full and happy. It is typically made with lamb shank, carrots, a variety of spices including cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, and saffron (all very middle eastern spices), and takes around only 30 minutes to prepare!

If you would like to try Quabili Pallow or other Afghan dishes, you can go to Kabul Afghan Cuisine which is located in Seattle.

Thrashin Thursday: Afghanistan

Afghan music is a mix of Persian melodies, Arab scales, Indian principles and typically include lyrics in Dari (Persian) and Pashto. But since the late 70's, Afghanistan has been involved with many wars and people became less concerned about music. By the 90's, the post-Soviet and Taliban governments banned instrumental music and public music-making. Even though the destruction of musical intruments and arrests were made, musicians continue to play to this day.
The classical form of Afghanistan music is called klasik, which involves instrumental and vocals, as well as belly dancing ragas. Afghan ragas (guitar-looking) are more focused on rhythm and played with the tabla (small drums), in comparison to the Indian ones.

Whacky Wednesday: Afghanistan

The people of Afganistan are called Afghans not Afghanis; Afghanis is the nations' currency.

The national game is called Buzkashi (means goat-grabbing) It's basically a sport where players of two teams try to catch a goat while riding horses. It's been played for a long period of time and is even semi-sponsored.

source

Traditional Tuesday: Afghanistan

Poetry

Afghanistan is a nation where most of its citizens feel a stronger tie to their respective clans and tribes rather than the nation and have varied cultures and traditions.
But, one tradition that they all share is the love of poetry.

Poetry has long been a tradition and passion among the Afghan people. It is often one of the biggest components in education. Mushaeras or poetry competitions are a common indulgence with the ordinary people. Afghanistan was noted for its poetic language even before the Islamic conquest of Afghanistan in the 7th through 11th centuries.

This is a translated poem by Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī, known simply as Rumi in the English-speaking world. He is one of the most famous Persian poets and was born in the region that is present-day Afghanistan.

Flag Mondays: Afghanistan

Black: Darkness of the past history of Afghanistan
Red: Blood shed and war in the history of Afghanistan
Green: Hope, Prosperity, and a Bright future
The wheat represents what the King Yamah and the founder of Afghanistan Ahmad Shah Durani recieved as a reward.
Each past regime has changed the flag to their liking; this most current regime that created this flag has been in control since 1919.
Capital: Kabul
Population:  29,835,392
Religious: Muslim (99% of pop.)
Language: Persian or Dari and Pashto
The total literacy rate of the country is approximately 34%. The women literacy rate is less 10%
The government is similar the American government system.

Homework

Research 5 facts on Vietnam's opinion on  food safety. It can be anything about food.

This will be due next Monday (3/17/13)

Mock Conference

The topics will be:

Should there be a 6th period
Should AT be at the end of the day all at the end of the day
How early should school start

Conferences

A nice example of how the Conferences work.