Prayer Flags
Ever wonder what the true meaning is behind a prayer flag? Well, I’ve got your answer.
“Prayer flags are not just pretty pieces of colored cloth with funny writing on them. The ancient Buddhist prayers, mantras and powerful symbols displayed on them produce a spiritual vibration that is activated and carried by the wind across the countryside. All beings that are touched by the wind are uplifted and a little happier. The silent prayers are blessings spoken on the breath of nature. Just as a drop of water can permeate the ocean, prayers dissolved in the wind extend to fill all of space”. www.prayerflags.com
Sounds complicated but the truth is this cultural tradition is all about giving love and peace. Hailed from Tibet, prayer flags are a symbol of universal peace and global harmony.
Around the World begs the question – how do we teach and pass on this cultural practice to our children? We think one way is to teach children the gift of GIVING. Check out the World Bank cards in the Around the World boardgame, www.aroundtheworldgames.com, and your children will begin to learn that in order to get ahead in the game (ahem, world!) you’ve got to give.
Peru has become quite a popular destination. Specifically, Machu Picchu. It’s always in travel magazines and on the backpackers list of places to go. But besides the usual reasons people are traveling there – like for life-altering hikes, high altitude highs or they read about it in the Celestine Prophesy – who are the people of Peru and what is the history behind such a mysterious places?
Since I have yet to travel there, I thought this website was a good place to start. Check it out at http://www.peru-travel-adventures.com/people-culture.html. I’ll get back to you once I visit, but in the meantime share your stories and pics if you have them.
Let’s thank our friends at Travel and Leisure for this beautiful photo.
Cherry blossoms. Sushi. Geisha girls.
Today I want to share a little cultural tid-bit about Japan’s geisha girls. Geisha girls are pretty much synonymous with Japan and quite controversial in character, but do we really understand this custom? I, for one, am intrigued.
Geishas have been around since the 1600 and are traditional female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts, such as classical music and dance. It is an incredibly difficult career, requiring years of training in many artistic areas and endless physical energy to keep up the the routine.
As someone said, “It is a dying art, because it is so demanding.” Foreigners often mistake Geisha for inappropriate entertainers, but I hope this clarifies that being a Geisha is an artform and has been a cultural tradition in Japan for hundreds of years.
HMMM. What do you think?
