Entertaining the troops - Mideaimg.midea.com/global/about_midea/publications/... · boss Jack Ma...

Advances Fusion, November, 2015

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Vol. 5, #9, November 2015, No. 53

Entertaining the troops...

During the most lucrative day in Midea’s history


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ADVANCES

Contents

Midea Advances Newsletter is published monthly

by Midea International Business. We welcome all

comments, suggestions and contributions of

articles, as well as requests for subscription to our

newsletter. You can reach us by email at:

[email protected]

Address:

ADVANCES, Midea International Business

Midea HQ

No. 6 Midea Road

Beijiao, Shunde, Foshan, Guangdong

P.R.C. 528311

Web: www.midea.com/global

Quote of the Month:

“Proactive people

aren’t pushy. They’re

smart, they’re value

driven, they read reali-

ty, and they know

what’s needed. - Ste-

phen R. Covey

NEWSLINE

Most Lucrative Day in

Group’s History PAGE 3-4

National Campaign Pulls in

$785 Million in 1 Day PAGE 5-6

www.midea.com

TUNISIA: The Sahara Festival PAGE 20

TURKEY: The Mevlâna

Festival PAGE 19

Group Donates $47 Million

to the Poor PAGE 8

One of Asia’s Most Influential

Brands PAGE 7

Lighting up Lives in India PAGE

8

Group Receives A3 Issuer

Rating from Moody’s PAGE 12

K.I.S.S PAGE 13

BRAZIL: Réveillon 1

Midea Leads Overall

Production Automation in

China PAGE15

A Maintainer of Midea PAGE

16-17

Beautiful People Tested with

Beautiful Products PAGE 9

Love Is in the Air PAGE 11

Russian Opposition Leader

Visits Midea-Gorizont for 2nd

Time PAGE 10

CHINA: Christmas in the

Middle Kingdom PAGE 18

FUSION

PEOPLE

CAC Staff on Family Outing PAGE 14

USA: National Finals Rodeo Page 22


3

Most Lucrative Day in Group’s History

By Kevin McGeary

M idea Group‟s revenue on November 11, the big-

gest day for E-Commerce in China, was US$224.5 million, a

year-on-year increase of 102 percent. Named and timed for

the date that consists of four „ones‟, Singles‟ Day is pitched as

the antithesis of Valentine‟s Day and is an occasion for people

to celebrate single life, by participating in some retail therapy.

As the clock ticked midnight to mark the beginning of

Single‟s Day, Midea‟s e-commerce office resembled the floor

of the New York Stock Exchange on the first day of trading.

Preparation involved a two-month marketing cam-

paign.

By the time Single‟s Day was fifteen minutes

old, Midea had broken 100 million RMB (US$15.7

million) in sales. By 22 minutes past midnight, it had

broken 200 million RMB, by 1 a.m. it had broken

300 million RMB. By 0145 it had broken 400 million.

Though the nation presumably had to sleep at some

point, by 0745 it had broken 500 million RMB and

by 0915 it had broken 600 million RMB. The first

orders began to arrive at customers‟ homes by 5 a.m.

This was the first Single‟s Day to have a major

marketing campaign from overseas, with Alibaba

boss Jack Ma enlisting celebrities such as Daniel

Craig and Kevin Spacey to promote it. The coming

years will quite possibly see November 11 campaigns around

the world.

This meant that Single‟s Day was unprecedentedly com-

petitive, meaning that many sales staff did all-nighters to help

Midea be the best. However, it was not all backbreaking labour.

To entertain the troops, Midea hired finalists from New

Silk Road, China's most prestigious beauty contest to act as

cheerleaders.

NEWSLINE

Jack Ma with James Bond actor Daniel Craig

Staff in high spirits despite grueling workload

Go team


4

Most Lucrative Day in Group’s History

(Cont.) By Kevin McGeary

Five Facts about Singles Day 2015

1. On the eve of Singles Day, US actor Kevin Spacey,

reprising his role from the blockbuster TV series House of

Cards, encouraged Chinese customers to buy items such as

burner phones, presidential M&Ms or replicas of his class ring

from The Sentinel.

2. US$10 billion was spent on Single‟s Day, making it the

biggest one yet.

3. Mobile phone manufacturer Xiaomi was one of the

biggest winners, its Redmi Note 2 outselling other smartphones.

4. Many companies relied on this one day to boost their

Q4 income.

5. Single‟s Day is a 1990s phenomenon, before that the

notion of a dating pool in which people had a say in who they

ended up with was a foreign one. Therefore Single‟s Day can

reasonably said to be part of a sexual revolution in China.

NEWSLINE

The boys were treated to some delightful company... The ladies were not forgotten either


5

National Campaign Pulls in $785 Million in 1

Day By Kevin McGeary

NEWSLINE

O ver 10 million people in 300 conference halls in

over 50 Chinese cities attended Midea sales events on Novem-

ber 7, which has been named as Midea Products Day. This led

to sales of US$785 million as members of the world‟s largest

middle class came in search of bargains.

With the brand already being a household name in Chi-

na, there was a month of marketing campaigns ahead of the

event, which celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of Midea‟s

move into the air conditioning business. In Chongqing, the

historic metropolis in southwestern China, over US$125,000 in

sales were made in one hour.

Check out some of the scenes. You will see some similar,

if not even crazier ones, next year.


6

National Campaign Pulls in $785 Million in 1

Day (Cont.) By Kevin McGeary

NEWSLINE


7

One of Asia’s Most Influential Brands

By Kevin McGeary

C onsultancy

Brand Alliance Group

and its research arm

Influential Brands have

named Midea on the

2015 list of Asia‟s most

influential brands. Ac-

cording to the criteria,

an influential brand is

one that goes beyond

providing a product or

service to form a rela-

tionship with the con-

sumer.

“Brands that

influence and impact

consumers become

public property in a

way. That‟s why we are

celebrating brand lead-

ership,” said Amy Lim,

founder and director

of Brand Alliance

Group.

Based on a na-

tionwide study in Sin-

gapore derived from

three years of extensive

research, consumer

insight, field surveys

and assessment of

brand qualities,

Asia‟s most influen-

tial brands cover

over 100 categories.

These range from

food and beverages

to financial services

and property devel-

opment.

"Midea is honored

to be named as one

of Asia's most influ-

ential brands. To

ease the load of

consumers with

increasingly busy

lifestyles, Midea will

continue bringing in

innovative applianc-

es,” said Alex

Cheng, general man-

ager of Midea Elec-

tric Trading Compa-

ny.

Midea has long been

enriching the lives

of customers with

innovative home

and commercial

appliances, in addi-

tion to offering

manufacturing ex-

pertise to its busi-

ness partners

around the world.

Midea offers a full

range of exciting

appliances and is

dedicated to help-

ing people redis-

cover what home

means, Mr. Cheng

said.” Choosing

Midea means

choosing to make

your home a place

where your family

enjoys its best

moments togeth-

er,” he added.

NEWSLINE


8

Lighting up Lives in India

By Pankaj Yadav

D iwali, India‟s Festival of Light which falls on No-

vember 11, is a day on which clay lamps known as diyas are lit to

signify the destruction of all things negative. Ahead of this

year‟s Diwali, a stall was set up in the factory canteen of Carrier-

Midea India (CMI) for the sale of diyas which had been pre-

pared by mentally challenged children on November 6.

The millennia-old festival is about the banishing of all evils

such as

jeal-

ousy,

anger,

hatred

and

fear.

Thanks

to a

notice

from

Harish

Malik,

founder

of non-

govern-

mental

organiza-

tion Nan

Prerna,

the whole of CMI was

able to get involved and

show support. All of the

stock was sold out by

lunch time, leading to

more requests.

The staff at the

Bawal factory can know

that they did their bit to

help good triumph over

evil.

NEWSLINE

By Liu Degang

Group Donates $47 Million to the Poor

C hina's economic miracle has

mostly been felt in wealthy coastal areas

such as southern Guangdong Province,

where Midea is headquartered. For this

reason, the group is committed to giving

some-

thing

back and

has do-

nated

US $47

million over the past six years

to some of the country's

poorest areas.

The

city of

Ying-

de in

north-

ern

Guang-

dong has been a particular beneficiary, using

money donated by Midea to build new apartment

buildings, parks and a two-year refurbishment of a primary

school.

This apartment complex has improved the living standards of some of the city's least fortunate families

This newly refurbished primary school will save the children from having to commute for over 10 kilometres

This park can form the new centre of the community


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Beautiful People Tested with Beautiful

Products By Advances

A s part of China's most prestigious beauty contest,

finalists have been required to put a range of Midea products

to use to prove their own worth. The New Silk Road contest

is sponsored by Midea and the latest round required the most

beautiful people in the world's most populous country to

show they could thrive during a task as unglamorous as pre-

paring and serving a meal.

At the Victory Hotel in the southern metropolis of

Guangzhou, contestants were examined on everything from

their posture, their patience, and their ability to serve with a

smile. Products that helped them serve customers included

Midea rice cookers, juice makers, hobs, and microwaves as the

country's biggest media organizations watched.

NEWSLINE


10

Russian Opposition Leader Visits Midea-

Gorizont for 2nd Time

O ne of the most recognizable politicians in the Rus-

sian diaspora visited Midea-Gorizont in Belarus on October 8.

Leader of the Communist Party of Russia Gennady Zyuganov,

opposition leader in the world‟s second most powerful country,

was visiting the joint venture for the second time in five years.

Zyuganov, who first ran to become President of Russia in

1996 and finished second in the last presidential election in

2012, was given a tour around the company‟s facilities by Gen-

eral Manager You Baofeng and CEO of Horizont Holding Man-

agement Company Yury Predka. They demonstrated some sig-

nificant changes that had been made to the manufacturing pro-

cess in the past five years.

Mr. Zyuganov was impressed by the organization and the

considerable modernization of the manufacturing process. He

also spoke directly with less senior employees about their life

and work. At the end of the visit Gennady Zyuganov and You

Baofeng presented gifts to each other as a token of friendship

between three countries: Belarus, China and Russia.

Mr.Zyuganov said that Midea and Horizont made the

right decision in establishing a Chinese-Belarusian joint venture

and expressed his belief that the company will continue its rapid

development.

NEWSLINE

By Advances


11

Love Is in the Air!

By Cheng Hang

A matchmaking activity was held for 70 factory

workers at Midea-owned brand Welling Motors on November

11. Activities included flower presentations, team jigsaw puz-

zles, barbecue and punishments for losing contestants such as

being required to sing.

NEWSLINE


12

Group Receives A3 Issuer Rating from

Moody’s Via Moody‟s

M oody's Investors Service assigned an A3 issu-

er rating to Midea Group Co., Ltd on November 18, plac-

ing Midea as China‟s number 1 appliances manufacturer

according to major credit-rating agencies.

"Midea's A3 rating reflects its large scale, geographic

diversification and leading position in China's durable

white goods markets," says Lina Choi, a Moody's Vice

President and Senior Credit Officer. "Such a leading posi-

tion is supported by its well-established brand, extensive

distribution network and strong operational efficiency."

Based on Midea's 2014 and 1H 2015 sales revenue,

Moody's estimates that the company commands above

20% of China's large white goods market, including air-

conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines, as well as

approximately 35%-40% of the small home appliances mar-

ket.

"Moody's expects Midea to maintain its market leader-

ship over the medium-term, backed by a stable market struc-

ture, its highly efficient production process, and a prudent

financial profile," says Choi, who is the lead analyst for Midea.

Moody's notes that Midea has proactively invested in

product upgrades with its energy-efficient and intelligent

home appliances becoming meaningful contributors to its

revenue.

The A3 rating also considers Midea's track record of

maintaining a highly efficient operation. It expanded its EBIT

margin by over 200 basis points to 9.7 percent in 2014 from 7.6

percent in 2012. Moody's expects Midea to further improve its

profitability to around 11 percent over the next two years.

Moody's believes that the company has strong financial

strength, as reflected in its reported net cash position, strong

operating cash flow, and healthy liquidity profile. Moody's ex-

pects adjusted debt/EBITDA will stay around 1.5x over the

next two years.

The stable outlook reflects

Moody's expectations that Midea

will maintain its leadership posi-

tion in China's durable white

goods market with stable profit

margins; and will continue to

pursue its growth strategy in a

prudent manner and maintain a

strong financial profile.

Moody's Investors Service pro-

vides international financial re-

search on bonds issued by com-

mercial and government entities

and, with Standard & Poor's and

Fitch Group, is considered one of

the Big Three credit rating agen-

cies.

NEWSLINE


13

K.I.S.S

By Advances

M ebel, the

largest furniture industry

fair in Eastern Europe,

was held in Moscow

from November 23-30,

with 742 exhibitors from

31 countries. There were

approximately 76,000

visitors and the catego-

ries included Style; Com-

fort; Components;

Kitchen; Office; Dream;

Decor; Doors.

Midea had a stand

under the kitchen catego-

ry and its slogan was

Kitchen Integrated Solu-

tions System (KISS). To

commemorate the event,

Midea prepared kitchen

towels, chopping boards

and oven gloves with its

own brand name to commemorate the event.

About Mebel

Every autumn Expocentre brings together leading global

brands and manufacturers, designers and interior decorators

to showcase new collections and the best items of the furni-

ture industry. Participating in the exhibition everyone gets a

great chance to enjoy business communication and find new

opportunities for development.

The exhibition presents the latest trends of the furniture

market and brings together manufacturers and distributors

with customers. The exposition includes a great variety of elite

and budget furniture for bedrooms, dining rooms, living

rooms, nurseries and kitchens, as well as couches and arm-

chairs, fittings, finishing materials and various decor items.

NEWSLINE


14

CAC Staff Taken on Family Outing

By Li Yi

S taff from the headquarters of Midea Commercial

Air Conditioning (CAC) and their families joined an annual

teambuilding trip in November. The workers were treated to a

trip to Jiangmen, a historic city that neighbors Shunde, the

group‟s global home.

During the day they were taken to the stunning village

of Enping which boasts a petting zoo, a manmade lake and a

canal on which visitors are free to row. At night they were

treated to live music performances.

NEWSLINE


15

Midea Leads Overall Production Automation

in China By PR Newswire

This article was originally published in PR News-

wire on November 20

A s a global leader in residential and commercial air

conditioning industry, Midea's Industry 4.0 strategy has suc-

cessfully transformed and upgraded the company's manufac-

turing bases to improve the production efficiency by reducing

70 percent of total labor costs.

Midea achieved a four percent worker-machine ratio by

deploying over 800

robots in all produc-

tion bases for the

whole group also

guaranteeing a 99.9

percent pass rate.

Midea's central

air conditioning base,

major core compo-

nents production

lines including main

boards, compressors,

metal plates as well as

condensers and evap-

orators have been

upgraded to robotic

assemblies.

"The pioneer-

ing fully automatic bending machine developed by Midea

broke through the limit of manual bending in the production

of condensers and evaporators, the machine can deliver Auto-

mated Guided Vehicle to the loading zone to realize compre-

hensive automation from loading materials to bending and

discharging," explained Tian Mingli, general manager of

Midea Central Air Conditioning.

Inefficient tasks requiring significant physical strength

such as installing compressors and fluid reservoirs have also

been completed automatically by robot Charge Coupled De-

vices (CCD) developed by Midea. Another refrigerant oil fill-

ing robot that employs CCD visual identification system and

robotic arm merge the robot into an oil filling machine to

achieve full automation in the filing process.

Midea has invested USD 21.34 million to import the origi-

nal production line from Eisenmann to build

a manufacturing platform of water heaters.

Eisenmann is a leading international supplier of produc-

tion systems in fields ranging from material flow automation to

environmental technology. The production center Midea imple-

mented features the core technology called E+ Blue Diamond.

The fully automatic Eisenmann sand blasting machine has

adjustable internal parts to meet the requirements of different

workpieces,

while the more

intelligent Eisen-

mann coating

machine uses

imported materi-

als that are com-

monly applied to

rocket and mis-

siles to achieve

even coating

automatically

with top level

adherence.

"From the cur-

rent developing

trends in central

air condition

industry, Midea is now at the forefront to lead Chinese compa-

nies into Industry 4.0 era with advanced integration in equip-

ment network, intelligent logistics, production transparency and

information management," Tian said.

About PR Newswire

PR Newswire is a news agency based in New York City .

Founded in 1954, it is currently owned by The Fuel Team.

The PR newswire database includes

10,700 syndicated websites and has 543,379 journalists and in-

fluencers in its network.[

NEWSLINE


16

A Maintainer of Midea

Zhi Yang

Electrical appliances, like people, age with eve-

ry day. Just as a football team needs a goalkeeper,

an appliances manufacturer cannot survive without

its repair and maintenance professionals.

This month, I caught up with Ren Pengfei,

maintenance stalwart

at the Hefei factory of

Midea Commercial

Air Conditioning

(CAC). Here is what

he had to say.

Zhi Yang: You have

been at the Hefei factory

for about a year right?

Why did you choose this

place?

Ren Pengfei: Actu-

ally, I have been with

Midea since 2008, though

I spent most of my time in

the refrigerator division. I

joined CAC in April 2014

so I have been at this fac-

tory for a year and a half

now. Why did I choose

this factory? Well, I have

been at Midea for a long

time so this felt like a logi-

cal next step.

I am used to this company. I am used to its culture. I am

used to my brothers and sisters who work here.

Zhi Yang: You are involved in motor maintenance?

How long have you done this work?

Ren Pengfei: I have worked in motor maintenance since

I graduated from university in 2006. My entire career has been

spent doing this.

Zhi Yang: Having been involved with motors for all these

years, you must have some stories to tell about challenges and

obscure equipment. Can you think of any examples?

Ren Pengfei: When the 4/2 was first released, we figured

that a fault was caused by

burned relay contacts. When

we replaced the relay contacts,

the problem reoccurred.

When we put the problem

down to the solenoid valve

pull current being too large,

we addressed it but the prob-

lem kept coming back once or

twice a month.

After finding that the operat-

ing frequency was too fast, we

switched to a non-contact pull

SSR. This finally solved the

problem.

Zhi Yang: What are some of

your most memorable experi-

ences in this job?

Ren Pengfei: In one of my

first projects at the company,

I found that one of the cham-

bers in a motor was faulty. I

had no choice but to admit

that I needed help. The sup-

port that I received from everybody around me made me feel

that I was part of a family and that this was something that

could last a number of years.

Zhi Yang: As an experienced professional, what qualities

do you think are required to do what you do?

PEOPLE


17

A Maintainer of Midea (Cont.)

Ren Pengfei: I

think anybody with the

professional training can

do it. When you are

learning the craft you

need to have a proactive

attitude and eventually

you will develop a sixth

sense for when some-

thing is amiss.

Zhi Yang: How

would you describe

yourself in one word?

Ren Pengfei:

Persistent. You only

really get the measure of

a person when you see

them face seemingly insurmountable challenges. The thing that you need most in this job is persistence.

Zhi Yang: Do you have any

big plans about the future of

your career?

Ren Pengfei: Electrical

equipment ages by the day.

Most needs repairing after

three years and replacing after

five years. Through facing new

challenges at Midea, I have

learned a lot about myself and

my own limitations. I have

also grown a lot.

Going forward, I am deter-

mined to be my own harshest

critic. I still have a lot to do to

fulfill my potential at this

company.

PEOPLE


18

CHINA: Christmas in the Middle Kingdom

By Kevin McGeary

FUSION

places.

Activities

Though not a national holiday, Christmas Day in China

has a similar status to St. Patrick‟s Day in America. It is a day

for going out and having a good time rather than staying home

with family.

Santa

Claus is eve-

rywhere dur-

ing the holi-

days, alt-

hough for

some reason

he is often

portrayed,

with startling

frequency, as

jamming out

on a sax, Bill Clinton-style. Sometimes he is playing a trumpet

or French horn. It is unknown why this is.

A tradition that's becoming popular on Christmas Eve is

giving apples. Many stores have apples wrapped up in colored

paper for sale. People give apples on Christmas Eve because in

Chinese Christmas Eve is called 'Ping An Ye' (which means

quiet or silent night) and the word for apple in Chinese is 'Ping

Guo' which sounds similar.

Some people go Carol singing, although not many peo-

ple understand the lyrics or know about the Nativity Story.

Jingle Bells is a popular Carol in China. People who are Chris-

tians in Chi-

na go to

special ser-

vices. Going

to Midnight

Mass ser-

vices has

become very

popular.

T hough Christmas is nominally a religious festival and

China is officially an atheist country, the holiday is inescapable

throughout the People‟s Republic every December. The south-

eastern city of Yiwu produces 60 percent of the world‟s Christ-

mas presents, and whatever present you receive this year was

probably made in China, however the Chinese are not averse to

an excuse for a party and a shopping spree of their own.

Origins

Christmas may be the second-most-celebrated festival in

China after the Spring Festival among young Chinese, accord-

ing to research conducted by the China Social Survey Institute

(CSSI), which found that 15- to 45-year-olds are the most likely

to observe it. The holiday‟s popularity is an outgrowth of study-

abroad

pro-

grams,

Sara

Jane Ho

from

Institute

Sarita

told The

Atlantic.

Eighty-

five

percent of wealthy Chinese send their children to countries like

the U.S., U.K., and Canada for higher education. Around

275,000 Chinese students enroll annually at American universi-

ties, accounting for more than 30 percent of all international

students in the country. When the holidays cause their Ameri-

can peers to go home to family and friends, Chinese students

often turn to each other for companionship. Nicknamed “sea

turtles”, these students often bring their own version of Christ-

mas back home.

Christmas is “an excuse to party” whereas Chinese festi-

vals are comparatively “solemn, serious, and spiritual,” accord-

ing to Jane Ho. Instead of gathering around the family table for

a turkey dinner most go to “entertainment places”—movie

theaters, bars, or karaoke clubs—or out to eat. Christmas is just

an excuse to go shopping, as there are many big sales at a lot of


19

TURKEY: The Mevlâna Festival

By Kevin McGeary

FUSION

Do not claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be

silent...”; and "You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl

through life?"

Activities

Throughout the festival, the dervishes dance their fa-

mous whirl, but it‟s the night of the seventeenth that‟s truly

special. The dance is subdued and trance-like. The dervishes

dress in long white robes with full skirts that represent their

shrouds. Their black cloaks symbolise their worldly tombs,

their conical felt hats their tombstones.

The ceremony begins when the hafiz, a scholar who has

committed the entire Quran to memory, intones a prayer for

Mevlâna and a verse from the Quran. A kettledrum booms

out, followed by the plaintive sound of the ney (reed flute).

Then the seyh (master) bows and leads the dervishes in a circle

around the hall.

After three circuits, the dervishes drop their black cloaks

to symbolise their deliverance from worldly attachments. Then

one by one, arms folded on their breasts, they spin out onto

the floor as they relinquish the earthly life to be reborn in mys-

tical union with God.

By holding their right arms up, they receive the blessings

of heaven, which are communicated to earth by holding their

left arms turned down. As they whirl, they form a

„constellation‟ of revolving bodies, which itself slowly rotates.

The seyh walks among them to check that each dervish is per-

forming the ritual properly. The dance is repeated over and

over again. Finally, the hafiz again chants passages from the

Quran, thus sealing the mystical union with God.

M evlâna, also known as Rumi, was a Persian poet,

jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Rumi's influ-

ence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions: Iranians,

Tajiks, Turks, Greeks, Pashtuns, other Central Asian Muslims,

and the Muslims of South Asia all appreciate his spiritual lega-

cy.

On December 17, Mevlâna Festival is celebrated, a night

of dancing and recitals of the Quran. The date is to mark the

anniversary of the poet‟s death, a subject on which he offered

much wisdom, with lines such as “When we are dead, seek not

our tomb in the earth, but find it in the hearts of men”.

Origins

Mevlâna (Our Guide) is one of the most translated and

biggest-selling poets around the world. He famously believed

that union with God was possible through dance.

He lived most of his life under the Persianate Seljuq Sul-

tanate of Rum, which was one of the most advanced civiliza-

tions in the world. He was buried in Konya and his shrine be-

came a place of pilgrimage. Following his death, his followers

and his son Sultan Walad founded the Mevlevi Order, also

known as the Order of the Whirling Dervishes, famous for its

Sufi dance known as the Sema ceremony. He was laid to rest

beside his father.

Today, the chance to witness this sema draws more than

one million people to the Anatolian city of Konya for the

Whirling Dervishes Festival, which commemorates Mevlâna‟s

death, a date which is now known as his „wedding night‟ with

Allah.

Though most of his work gets somewhat lost in transla-

tion, his famous quotes include “Paradise is surrounded by

what we

dislike; the

fires of hell

are surround-

ed by what

we desire”;

“Observe the

wonders as

they occur

around you.


20

TUNISIA: The Sahara Festival

By Kevin McGeary

FUSION

huge celebra-

tion that at-

tracts over

50,000 people

every year,

from no-

mads, to po-

ets, artists,

camel racers,

and even

sand-hockey

players.

Activities

Most of the events take place in the H‟naiech stadium on

the outskirts of Douz. One of the most popular events is cam-

el wrestling where two strong, heavy camels attempt to knock

each other to the ground. It's mating season so two males

from rival herds compete for the attentions of the female.

Gurgling loudly to assert their prowess, they face off, each

using their necks to knock the other off its feet.

Traditional plays tell the story of a brave Bedouin warrior

called Mandour. He falls in love with a beautiful young girl

from a rival tribe. This leads to dangerous encounters and

rivalry. Meanwhile, the nakh (hair dance) is performed by a

group of local girls wearing bright-colored dresses and veils.

They rhythmically swing their long hair in unison to the music,

which was once used to hypnotize men and trick them into

marriage. As the tempo increases they swing their hair in wider

circles before

collapsing to

the ground.

There is

also a craft fair

and nearby

vendors also

hang around

to offer some

traditional

local cuisine.

W hile the Christian world is occupied with Christ-

mas, Saharan nomads flock to Douz, Tunisia‟ for a celebration

of their culture. The sandy town hosts camel races, hunts, and

performances. In these military displays, riders on Arabian

horses skillfully canter, turn, stop and shoot their rifles.

Up to 50,000 turban-wrapped visitors pitch their Bedouin

tents on the outskirts of town. In the evenings, there are dances

by Tunisian, Algerian and Palestinian companies and recitals of

poetry, which is still a primary method of communication in

the desert.

Origins

The festival, called the Camel festival, began in 1910

when Tunisia was under French rule. In 1967 it took on its

modern identity according to the will of Habib Bourguiba, Tu-

nisia's first post-colonial president and is now the country's

oldest and best-known festival.

Scholar M'hammed Marzougui, who dedicated his life to

making people aware of and appreciating the nomadic way of

life and traditions, was mainly responsible for the festival's

foundation. Since then, every year at from December 23-27,

thousands of people, mostly from all over Tunisia and other

Maghrebien countries, flock to Douz.

Since 1981, the festival has been international, and has

given visitors from neighboring countries a taste of Tunisia‟s

uniquely evolving culture. The festival has now grown into a

President Habib Bourguiba


21

BRAZIL: Réveillon

By Kevin McGeary

FUSION

beach. From about 8pm, bands perform on stages strung out

along the 4km-long beach, pumping out a variety of Brazili-

an and international music. At midnight, a fireworks display

lights up the night sky for up to 20 minutes. The hardiest of

revellers keep things going all night long, then watch the

sun rise the next morning.

Beaches throughout the country have bands, DJs and

parties with free admittance. Earlier on in the evening be-

fore the party gets into full swing, people flock to the

beaches and waterfronts to throw flowers into the ocean

for Mamãe or mother Iemanjá, the Orixa Goddess of the

sea, an African-

Brazilian deity from

the Candomblé and

Umbanda religions.

The flowers are for

blessings. They then

jump seven times over

seven small waves to

ensure good luck in the

coming year.

Because of the

potential for crowd

trouble, glass is not

allowed except for

those who are drinking

champagne. It is tradi-

tional but not mandato-

ry to wear white.

T hroughout the Portuguese and French-speaking

worlds, New Year‟s Eve is known as Réveillon. The name of

this dinner is based on the word réveil ("waking"), because par-

ticipation involves staying awake until midnight and beyond.

Brazil is particularly associated with parties, beaches,

dancing, and celebrations that combine both the religious and

the secular. Those lucky enough to see in the new year in

South America‟s largest country get the chance to enjoy a

unique carnival atmosphere.

Origins

Civilizations around the world have been celebrating the

start of each new year for at least four millennia. Since 1582,

festivities have begun on December 31 in countries which use

the Gregorian calendar.

As a former Portuguese colony, Brazil takes many of its

traditions from Europe. On this day, champagne is drunk and

rice, grapes, pomegranate seeds, and lentils are eaten. The num-

ber seven is considered lucky so it is recommended to eat

things in quantities of seven. Turkey and crab are bad luck food

on this day.

Activities

Rio Di Janeiro‟s biggest holiday after its Carnaval sees

around two million people pack the sands of the Copacabana

The Copacabana Beach

Iemanjá


22

USA: National Finals Rodeo

By Kevin McGeary

FUSION

not have any equipment to compensate for errors of balance

or skill.

Steer wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo

event in which a horse-mounted rider chases a steer, drops

from the horse to the steer, and then wrestles the steer to the

ground by twisting its horns. Team roping also known as

heading and heeling is a rodeo event that features a steer and

two mounted riders. The first roper must rope the front of the

steer, usually around the horns, but it is also legal for the rope

to go around the neck, or go around one horn and the nose

resulting in what they call a "half head". Once the steer is

caught by one of the three legal head catches, the roper must

wrap the rope around the rubber covered saddle horn and use

his horse to turn the steer to the left.

Bronc riding involves a rodeo participant riding on a

horse (sometimes called a bronc or bronco), that attempts to

throw or buck off the rider. Calf roping features a calf and a

rider mounted on a horse. The goal is for the rider to catch the

calf by throwing a loop of rope around its neck, dismount

from the horse, run to the calf, and restrain it by tying three

legs together, in as short a time as possible.

In barrel racing, a horse and rider attempt to complete

a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In

bull riding, a rider gets on a large bull and attempts to stay

mounted while the animal attempts to buck off the rider.

T he National Finals Rodeo, organized by the Profes-

sional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), is the premier

championship rodeo event in the United States. It showcases

the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money-winners in each event

as they compete for the world title.

The rodeo is held each year in the first full week of De-

cember, at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Events include bareback rid-

ing, barrel racing, and bull riding.

Origins

The NFR was established in 1958 and the first one was

held in Dallas, Texas in 1959. In 1984, Las Vegas, bid for the

event. Although the Oklahoma City Council considered build-

ing a new $30 million arena at the State Fairgrounds, the Las

Vegas bid won. Since 1985 the NFR has been held in the

Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The NFR has become

Thomas & Mack Center arena‟s biggest client, bringing in more

than 170,000 fans.

Many casinos carry the events live in their sports books or

host special parties to accommodate all of the fans in town who

cannot get tickets for the events. Most of the major hotels and

casinos book special entertainment into their showrooms with

a country theme offering many of the regular shows an extend-

ed break.

Activities

The finals is an attempt to win seven events and the over-

all winner is decided by the average. Bareback riding is a form

of horse-

back rid-

ing with-

out a sad-

dle. It

requires

skill, bal-

ance, and

coordina-

tion, as the

rider does

Barrel racing

Bull riding


23

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