Culture is the way of life for people and how they think about the world and their lives. Culture can be seen in people's music, art, writing, cooking, clothes, religion, and in what they do, use, and make. There are many different cultures in the world. Different cultures can be found in different countries, regions, places, and groups. Holidays, celebrations, and food are part of culture.
Halloween
The Halloween is a celebration on October 31 that involves parties, dressing up in costumes, trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins, telling scary stories, and decorating with pumpkins, ghosts, witches, and scary themes. The word Halloween comes from All Hallows' Eve because it is the evening before All Saints' Day that honors saints. Halloween is celebrated in some countries especially the United States.
Christmas
Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays around the world. It has some religious and non-religious traditions. For some people, Christmas is a Christian holiday honoring the birth of Jesus. For many people, Christmas is a time for family and friends to get together and exchange gifts. Some popular Christmas traditions include parties, dinners, decorating Christmas trees, caroling, and giving to others.
Easter
Easter is a celebration in many countries that occurs on a Sunday in March or April. For some people, it is a Christian holiday associated with the resurrection of Jesus. Popular Easter traditions include coloring eggs, egg hunts, baskets of candy, rabbits, and hot cross buns.
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world on February 14. Valentine's Day began as a religious celebration of a saint named Valentinus. The day became associated with romantic love in the High Middle Ages. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by giving flowers, candy, and cards.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a week long celebration of African and African-American culture and history. Kwanzaa takes place from December 26 to January 1. The festival was first celebrated in 1966. It is mostly celebrated in the United States. Kwanzaa traditions include a feast, gift-giving, and 7 candles (3 red, 3 green, and 1 black) to represent the 7 principles of Kwanzaa (unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith).
Diwali
Diwali is the festival of lights and the most important holiday in India. It is celebrated in other countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, and Thailand. Diwali is celebrated in November or December. It is mostly celebrated by Hindus, but has become a national festival. Diwali originated as a harvest festival. Diwali celebrations includes lamps, fireworks, lights, worship, and time with family.
Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in Mexico that means May 5th in Spanish. It is the anniversary of the battle between Mexico and France in 1862. The victory was a turning point in Mexican national pride. Cinco de Mayo has also become a popular holiday in the United States to celebrate Mexican culture. Cinco de Mayo celebrations include Mexican food, music, dancing, costumes, and decorations.
Chinese Food
The basic parts of Chinese food are rice, noodles, vegetables, sauces, and seasonings. Chinese food is known for being colorful and flavorful. Chinese food includes styles from different regions of China, and from Chinese people in other parts of the world. Some popular chinese dishes are sweet and sour pork, fried rice, spring rolls, chow mein, won ton soup, dumplings, peking duck, spicy tofu, and Kung Pao chicken.
Italian Food
Italian food is famous for pasta and pizza. Tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and cheese are often used in italian food. Pasta comes in different sizes and shapes with names like penne, spaghetti, linguine, lasagna, and stuffed pasta like ravioli and tortellini. Polenta, risotto, salami, prosciutto, eggplant, zucchini, olives, and anchovies are popular Italian foods.
Middle Eastern Food
The Middle East is a region that includes Egypt and Western Asia like the countries Turkey, Isreal, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Some common ingredients of Middle Eastern food are spices, chickpeas, olives, and mint. Hummus, falafel, pitas, kebabs, kibbeh, shawarma, labneh, and bakalava are some popular Middle Eastern foods.
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for Chinese people. It is based on the Chinese lunar calendar and can be in January or February. Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is often celebrated for 15 days. Chinese New Year traditions include wearing red clothes, dragons, visits and meals with family and friends, gifts of money in red envelopes, fireworks, and lanterns. The Chinese calendar also includes the zodiac in which each year is named after one of 12 animals.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is Jewish holiday that is a festival of lights to remember the rededication of the Temple. It occurs in December and lasts for 8 days. Hanukkah celebrations include lighting candles on a menorah, eating fried foods like latkes, playing dreidel, and gifts to children.
Mexican Food
Corn is the basis of the Mexican diet and can be found in almost every meal, usually in the form of the tortilla. Popular fruits and vegetables are beans, peppers, tomatoes, squash, avocado, mango, pineapple, and papaya. Cheese, rice, and meat like chicken, pork, or beef are often used in dishes. Some popular Mexican food dishes are tacos, burritos, fajitas, enchiladas, tostadas, guacamole, and tamales.
Spanish Food
Food from Spain is flavorful and colorful. Paella is a famous Spanish dish of rice, vegetables, and seafood or meat. The Spanish omelette or tortilla which contains eggs and potatoes is also famous. Gazpacho is a common Spanish soup with tomatoes, vegetables, and spices and eaten cold. Tapas or appetizers are small dishes like olives and cheese, shrimp, mussels, ham croquettes, fried squid, and chorizo.
French Food
France is known for its gourmet food. Popular dishes include Ratatouille, omelettes, quiches, crepes, souffles, onion soup, and salade nicoise. Cheese, baguettes, and croissants are popular to eat in France. A lunch or dinner is usually eaten in courses which include salad, main dish with meat, cheese with bread, and dessert.
Japanese Food
Japanese food often includes rice or noodles. Soy sauce and ginger are often used in Japanese cooking. Japan is famous for sushi which is fresh raw seafood or vegetables on top or rolled with rice. Other popular Japanese foods include tempura, tofu, udon, soba, gyoza, ramen, miso, yakatori, tonkatsu, sashimi, pickles, and eel.