Mango Languages

Travel Tuesday: Traditions, Old & New

Another year has passed and the holidays are upon us yet again. Decorations, family, and food (lots and lots and lots of food) abound. It feels like we were just here, doesn’t it? It’s time for gatherings and reflecting on the past year. Despite our country of origin (or language we speak), one thing about the holidays remains the same: TRADITION (I think they say it better than I ever could). Whether you celebrate by going to a parade, watching “Elf”, or traveling to see family, it’s these traditions that we look forward to every year around this time. Coming from a large family, we always spend Christmas Eve with my dad’s family and Christmas day house hopping to visit all of my mom’s sisters and their families. Each Christmas night ends at our close family friends’ home, which is opened to everyone (literally everyone) looking to celebrate the holiday.  Besides my near comatose state after being force fed at six houses each Christmas (no complaining here, trust me. Nothing beats homemade Chaldean food), the feeling I remember most is looking forward to the traditions within the tradition. For instance, the day always begins with Auntie Samira’s pacha (a Chaldean dish made of tripe… breakfast of champions! Check out one of my favorite Facebook groups to learn more). As the day progresses, we always eat dessert at Auntie Ferial’s (cousin Jeanie’s famous sugar cookies) and see friends we probably haven’t seen since last Christmas at the end of the night at Auntie Lamia’s house. That night we head home, full, tired, and happy, thinking how far away next Christmas seems.

This year, however, things are going to be a little different. When my cousin Anthony’s job was transferred from Houston, Texas to Bangkok, Thailand for the year, my cousins and I knew this was an opportunity for the ultimate vacation. Figuring we would have the most time off around the holidays, we decided around May that we would be spending Christmas in Thailand, no matter what. Now mere days away from our trip, I’ve only just begun to think about how different the holidays are going to be this year. No Christmas mass (shh..don’t tell my mom!), no opening presents by the tree on Christmas morning, and no family visiting on Christmas Day. However, because of the traditions that have been instilled in us throughout the years, we are going to create our own makeshift Christmas. I made sure to get some small gifts for my cousins so we will still have presents to open and my cousin Jeff is even braving making a pot of harissa. This classic Chaldean porridge is as close to comfort food as it gets and we eat it every Christmas Eve at grandma’s. Though this Christmas will be anything but ordinary (with 90 degree weather, a trip to Tiger Kingdom, and massages… rough life, I know), we will still have a little piece of home halfway around the world, due to the traditions instilled in us our entire lives.

Here’s to creating new traditions! Happy Holidays to you and yours!

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? If you have ever been away during the holidays, were you able to hold on to them in some way?

Happy Halloween from Mango

Some of us here at Mango have dressed up to wish everyone a very fun-filled and happy Halloween!

In that spirit, check out these fantastic photos of Halloween Around the World from The Huffington Post and fill us in on your favorite Halloween traditions!

Hey, You Punched my Blini!

Maslenitsa, also known as “Butter Week,” “Pancake Week,” or “Cheesefare Week,” could possibly be one of the most intriguing religious holidays in the world.

A folk holiday that has not been officially celebrated for 85 years, Maslenitsa began again in 2002.  Its roots are actually in pagan ritual, celebrating the sun and the end of winter, though the festival is now Christian in nature. It is held the last week before the Orthodox Lent begins every year, and is considered the last time of year that Russian Orthodox Christians can eat things like milk, cheese, and other dairy products. Naturally, this is a time when many people like to feast, especially on pancakes (called “blini/bliny” in Russian). Blini are an essential food for Maslenitsa, and unlike American pancakes, they are usually topped with caviar, mushrooms, jam, sour cream, and butter.

Although the roots of the festival are interesting, some of the activities during the week of Maslenitsa are really uncanny. Take the group fist fighting, for instance.  It may sound violent, but this is all done in good fun to commemorate Russian military history, when soldiers supposedly fought each other in hand to hand combat.  Not unusual enough for you? In the past, tamers and their bears used to perform and wrestle during the festival. I’m sure you can imagine who usually won.

Other activities include bonfires, sledding, theater, puppetry, singing, and fireworks. So if you have an extra pair of boxing gloves and a week to eat some tasty pancakes, head on over to Moscow.

Do you know of any other holidays which have both pagan and religious roots?