Tradition

Thanksgiving

Unique American tradition

Although Canadians have Thanksgiving

2nd Monday in October

America: 4th Thursday in November

Turkey

Turkey Day

Always on a Thursday

Harvest Festival

Be grateful for food

Harvest Festivals in Europe …

… Autumn Equinox

Between Summer and Winter

America: 4th Thursday in November

Why is Thanksgiving big in America?

Pilgrim Fathers

Pilgrims

Japanese Pilgrims

Japanese Pilgrim

On the Mayflower: Puritans

Wanted Religious freedom

Looking for signs

Signs of superiority

Signs that you will go to heaven

Make money and go to heaven

True Grit: Bible

• “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion” Proverbs 28:1

God’s Law and Human’s Law

Pilgrim Fathers: God’s Law on earth

New England: not an easy place to live

Native Americans had been there 30,000 years!

Native Americans were not so unfriendly!

Some spoke a little English!

Learned from English fishermen

One Native American spoke very good English!

Squanto: kidnapped and taken to London!

Spoke great English!

Gave a lot of advice and help to the English settlers

Pretty amazing coincidence!

Maybe America is English-speaking because of Squanto!

Settlers didn’t learn native American language

Only a few native words borrowed early on

But they WERE grateful to the native Americans

The natives helped them

The natives taught them how to grow food

The early settlers WOULD have died

So Thanksgiving …

Giving thanks …

… to the Native Americans

Perhaps we should ALSO remember …

The population had dropped dramatically

Because of diseases

Disease brought by foreigners!

So the natives NEEDED immigrants

Remember what I said about immigration last week ?

Anyway – more on traditions

I’m from Wales

We’re a very small country

Less than 3 million people

But we’re VERY proud of it

To the point of madness

We’re proud of our traditions

We have lots of traditions

We are an ancient country

Ancient language

Ancient traditions

Sometimes strange

Sometimes harmless

Sometimes very strange

Two symbols of Wales

Daffodil and Leek

Yes, leek

Special tradition in Wales

St. David’s Day

March 1st

Kids dress up at school

Do strange stuff

Notice the leek

Yes, leek

We have funny competitions at school

Singing, drama, speech etc.

Here’s my old school

Yes – actually my old school

Hogwarts

That’s a lie

Not Hogwarts

Not very exciting

I hated it

But on St. David’s Day ….

… we had competitions

We actually had 4 School Houses!

Just like Harry Potter!

I was in Hufflepuff

Sorry, that’s a lie!

Different Houses

• Cadoc• Baruc• Illtyd• Dyfan

• I was in Cadoc• Not Hufflepuff

And sometimes people wore leeks

Yes, leeks

Obvious problem – bad smell

It stinks

Obvious question

• Is it OK to be anti-social …• … if it’s traditional?

Another example

Bonfire night

A very British tradition

ONLY Britain!!

No one else!!!

Remember, remember the 5th of November

• Remember, remember, the 5th of November• The Gunpowder Treason and plot• I see of no reason why Gunpowder Treason• Should ever be forgot

Gunpowder plot?

These guys

One most famous guy

His name is actually Guy

Guy (Guido) Fawkes

Iconic terrorist

Iconic gesture of protest

A Catholic terrorist

Tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament

Blow up THIS!

He should have blown up this!

They wanted to kill the King!

They wanted a Catholic King or Queen!

Here they are

Gunpowder

In the basement! 1605

They failed

They were captured

And they were punished

Executed

In very very nasty ways

Head chopped off was the nice bit

After 1605, there was a new law

• Give thanks to God for stopping the Catholics• Church bells ringing• (and lighting fires is OK)• (as long as you are careful)

People didn’t really care about the bells

• They liked the bonfires• Much more fun• And they kept doing it • Every year• In 1859, the government said STOP• But people kept doing it anyway• The fires – not the bells!

So what’s important?

Anti-Catholic tradition?

Or the fires?

People burned effigies

Sometimes the Pope

Or Guy Fawkes

But anything is OK

Kids do this

Penny for the Guy

And interestingly …

It seems British people have ALWAYS done this

Halloween fires

End of October

Beginning of November

Some people even do this NOW!

Although they may be crazy!

I don’t know

Welcome the spirits of the dead

Traditionally with HUMAN sacrifice

Of course, this is NOT OK now

But how about this?

Openly hostile to Catholics?!

Is that OK?

Just because it’s a tradition?

How about Japan?

Any traditions that people find offensive?

Any traditional practices causing problems?

Stick to tradition

It’s Japanese culture!

I know it’s culture

Everything is culture

Who will suffer most when this has gone?

80% consumed in Japan

Stocks are down 94%

Is it really tradition?

Or is it lack of control?

I think this is lack of control

Lack of control

Without control ….

… you probably lose your traditions, anyway