Culture of people country wise : September 2016

Ghana culture people food and festivals

Ghanians come from six main ethnic groups: the Akan (Ashanti and Fanti), the Ewe, the Ga-Adangbe, the Mole-Dagbani, the Guan, and the Gurma.

Ashanti

The Ashanti tribe of the Akan are the largest tribe in Ghana and one of the few matrilineal societies in West Africa. Once renown for the splendour and wealth of their rulers, they are most famous today for their craft work, particularly their hand-carved stools and fertility dolls and their colourful kente cloth. Kente cloth is woven in bright, narrow strips with complex patterns; it's usually made from cotton and is always woven outdoors, exclusively by men.

The village is a social as well as an economic unit. Everyone participates in the major ceremonies, the most frequent of which are funeral celebrations which typically last several days. Attendance at funerals is normally expected from everyone in the village and expenditure on funerals is a substantial part of the household budget.

The major languages spoken are Twi, Fante, Ga, Hausa, Dagbani, Ewe and Nzema. English is the official language of Ghana.

The Ashante are part of the Akan tribes who speak various dialects of Twi. The language is very rich in proverbs, the use of which is taken to be a sign of wisdom. Euphemisms are very common, especially about events connected with death

Ghana is a country that celebrates festivals. There are several rites and rituals that are performed throughout the year in various parts of the country. They cover the right of passage child-birth, puberty, marriage and death. To the majority of people, these celebrations provide all that is satisfying to their communities and families.

Many festivals include thrilling durbars of chiefs, when tribal leaders and Queen Mothers process in decorated palanquins, shaded by the traditional umbrellas, and supported by drummers and warriors discharging ancient muskets.

Panafest

This festival is held very summer. It is celebrates Ghanian roots. People from other African countries as well as the African-Americans with roots in Ghana visit the country and celebrate their heritage.

The Homowo Festival

The word "Homowo" actually means 'making fun of hunger.' Our traditional oral history describes a time long ago when the rains stopped and the sea closed its gates. A deadly famine spread throughout the southern Accra Plains, the home of the Ga people. When the harvest finally arrived and food became plentiful, the people were so happy that they celebrated with a festival that ridiculed hunger

A cultural tourism programme called The Slave Route has been initiated by African countries and UNESCO to rehabilitate, restore and promote the heritage handed down by the slave trade. Countries all over Africa are conserving buildings, sites and memories of this iniquitous period in order that today's tourist can appreciate the dark impact of this era.

A careful study of Ghanaian festivals reveal some common features and beliefs. The first and foremost is the belief in life after death and in the nearness of dead ancestors to their living descendants. Some of the major festivals are the Odwira, celebrated by the Akan people of Akwapim, Akwamu, Denkyira and Akyem; the Yam Festival, celebrated by the Akan people of Aburi-Akwapim and several Ewe groups of the Volta Region; the Aboakyir festival of the Effutus of Winneba; the Akwambo festival, celebrated by the Fantes of Agona and Gomoa; the Hobgetsotso festival of the Ewe people of Anlo; the Homowo festival, celebrated by the Gas of Greater Accra; the Damba festival of the Northern and Upper Regions of Ghana; the Bakatue festival, celebrated by the people of Elmina; the Nmayem festival of the people of Odumasi-Krobo; the Asafotufiam festival f the people of Ada and the Adae and Akwasidae festivals of the people of Asante.

Photo: Bakatue (Regatta); Place: Elmina, 157 Km West of Accra, in the Central Region.

Food in Daily Life.The basic diet consists of a starchy staple eaten with a soup or stew. Forest crops, such as plantain, cassava, cocoyam (taro), and tropical yams, predominate in the south. Corn is significant, especially among the Ga, and rice is also popular. The main dish isfufu,pounded plantain or tubers in combination with cassava. Soup ingredients include common vegetables and some animal protein, usually fish, and invariably, hot peppers. Palm nut and peanut soups are special favorites. The main cooking oil is locally produced red palm oil. The northern staple is millet, which is processed into a paste and eaten with a soup as well. Indigenous diets are eaten at all social levels, even by the Westernized elite. Bread is the only major European introduction and is often eaten at breakfast. Restaurants are not common outside of urban business districts, but most local "chop bars" offer a range of indigenous dishes to workers and bachelors. People frequently snack on goods offered for sale by street hawkers

Marriage, Family, and Kinship

Marriage.Tradition dictates that family elders arrange the marriages of their dependents. People are not allow to marry within their lineages, or for the Akan, their wider clan groups. There is a preference, however, for marriage between cross-cousins (children of a brother and sister). The groom's family is expected to pay a bride-price. Polygyny is allowed and attests to the wealth and power of men who can support more than one wife. Chiefs mark their status by marrying dozens of women. Having children is the most important focus of marriage and a husband will normally divorce an infertile wife. Divorce is easily obtained and widespread, as is remarriage. Upon a husband's death, his wife is expected to marry his brother, who also assumes responsibility for any children.

The spread of Western values and a cash economy have modified customary marriage patterns. Christians are expected to have only one wife. Monogamy is further supported by the ability of men to marry earlier than they could in traditional society because of employment and income opportunities in the modern sector. Young men and women have also been granted greater latitude to choose whom they marry. Accordingly, the incidence of both polygyny and cousin marriage is low. There is, however, a preference for marriages within ethnic groups, especially between people from the same town of origin.

Germany culture people food and festivals

Germany is at the center of Europe, not only geographically, but also in terms of politics and economics. The country is Europe's second most populous after Russia, with more than 81 million people, according to the World Factbook. The German economy is the largest on the continent and the fifth largest in the world.

While German exerts its influence on the countries that border it — Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland and Poland — all of these cultures have, in varying degrees, had a hand in shaping today’s Germany.

In the present times, traditional clothing in Germany is worn only during special occasions like weddings and festivals. If you wish to get a glimpse of the rich traditions Germany has in terms of fashion, attend the Oktoberfest. The local crowd usually like dressing up traditionally; women in their Dirndl in vibrant colors, and men in their Lederhosen. Dirndl is a traditional women’s attire that comprises a fitting bodice and blouse with a skirt and apron. According to customs, the married women’s apron is knotted. Lederhosen is a leather trouser for men. It is worn either short (above the knee) or long (as a capri, just below the knee). Men often pair the lederhosen with a light colored shirt and haferl shoes.

Festivals in Germany

According to the official tourism website of Germany, the country hosts about three million events each year, many of which are specific to the city or town and month. These events include religious festivals, cultural carnivals and ‘funfairs’. The most popular festivals and carnivals in Germany include the following:

Oktoberfest – Originally held in Munich, this 16-day extravaganza constitutes gallons of beer, millions of roasted meat and more than 200 years of traditions.
Wine Festival – Wine festivals are organized in a number of locations in the wine producing regions of Germany, like Stuttgart, Frankfurt, and Mainz. The largest wine festival in the world is in Bad Dürkheim, which is popularly known as Wurstmarkt.
Schützenfest – This ten-day fair held in Hannover highlights a procession by over 10,000 riflemen.
Christmas Markets – This December shopping fair is held in over 150 places in Germany and features hand-crafted, unique, and home-made treats and gifts sold by their makers. Nuremberg and Dresden are famous for their Christmas markets.

The Arts

Culture doesn't just refer to how people interact and look. "Culture also means refined intellectual, artistic and creative achievement, for example as in cultural knowledge, or a cultured person," Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London, told Live Science.

Germans have made tremendous contributions to classical music, and the traditions of famous German or Austrian composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig von Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler live on today.

Germans love their cuisine, and so does the entire world. From sausages to the sumptuous Black Forest Cherry Cake, no one does it better than a German. In the country although, each region features their own style of cooking, dishes and tastes.

So, if in Bavaria veal sausages and pork knuckles are praised, Hamburg offers labskaus stew, and Saxony swears by their stollen cake. The different regions are basically influenced by their individual histories and the country they are location-wise closest to. The only common factor it seems is the love for different types of breads, potatoes and meat. Some of the most popular gastronomical delicacies in Germany are Sauerbraten (pickled meat), Sauerkraut (pickled cabbage), Butterbrezel (buttered soft pretzels), Eintopf (traditional German stew), Knodel (potato dumplings), Apfelstrudel (literally, apple strudel), Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cherry Cake), Schnitzel (meat cutlet), and Wurst (Sausages).

Georgia culture

Georgia culture people food and festivals

Georgia is a country with ancient and rich original culture which goes back as far as millennia. Its knowledge and recognition has crossed national borders and entered the international level to become the cultural legacy of the mankind.

Georgian monumental architecture, world-renowned art of singing and music, book miniature, rich spiritual and secular literature, colorful dances, jewelry, chasings and paintings along with the hospitable Georgian people are inalienable part of this ancient country.

Music and Dances (folklore)

There are just a few countries in the entire world with such a developed choral culture as in Georgia . The national originality of Georgian people fully is fully reflected in harmonious singing

Social Stratification

Classes and Castes.The systems of social stratification changed significantly because of the increasing income gap between the impoverished masses and former white-collar workers, and the new rich, who have used financial and social capital to accumulate capital through privatization or trade, or have taken advantage of corruption in the state bureaucracy. Another change is linked to the restructuring of the political and economic system from the Soviet centralized type to a free market, although frequently the same Soviet bureaucrats and Communist officials have becomecapitalistsand advocates of a liberal economy. Much of the new capital is concentrated in Tbilisi, Batumi, and the Black Sea port of Poti and thus is dominated by ethnic Georgians. The Armenian and Jewish economic elite that once played an important role, especially in Tbilisi, has lost its position because of emigration or because they maintain a lower profile.

Food in Daily Life.The greatest culinary divide is between the western and eastern region. In the west, there is a greater emphasis on vegetarian food, predominantly prepared with walnuts. Herbs and spices, especially tarragon, basil, coriander, feuille Grec, and pepper make western Georgian food hot and spicy. Cheese usually is made from cow's milk and is eaten with either corn bread or a corn and flour porridge.Khachapuri,a kind of cheese pizza, is common.

Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions.At the New Year's festivity, ground walnuts boiled in honey are served, along with a turkey or chicken in walnut sauce. An Easter meal includes hard-boiled eggs dyed red and other bright colors, roasted piglet and lamb, and special cakes with vanilla and spices. Special dishes are served at a wake: rice with mutton in the east, and meat with sweet rice and raisins in the west. Special wheat porridge with walnuts and honey is served forty days after a person's death