The Diversity Council would like to share some of the ways people around the globe celebrate the holiday season.

Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It falls on different dates each year, between January 21 and February 20. Visits to friends and family take place during this celebration. The color gold is said to bring wealth, and the color red is considered especially lucky. The New Year’s Eve dinner is very large and includes fish, noodles, and dumplings.

Christmas
Christmas is celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas in the United States brings together many customs from other countries and cultures. Around the world, family members help to decorate the tree and home with bright lights, wreaths, candles, holly, mistletoe, and ornaments. On Christmas Eve, many people go to church. Also on Christmas Eve, Santa comes from the North Pole in a sleigh to deliver gifts; in Hawaii, it is said he arrives by boat; in Australia, the jolly man arrives on water skis; and In Ghana, he comes out of the jungle.

Eid Al Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice
Eid Al Adha is celebrated by Muslims on the 10th day of the month of the lunar calendar (In 2008, it fell on December 8  to commemorate the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (or Abraham) to sacrifice his son for God. Today, Muslims sacrifice an animal—usually a goat or a sheep—as a reminder of Ibrahim’s obedience to God. The meat is shared with family, friends Muslims or non-Muslims, as well as the poor members of the community.

Hanukkah
Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, a holiday honoring the Maccabees victory over King Antiochus, who forbid Jews to practice their religion. For eight nights, Hanukkah is celebrated with prayer, the lighting of the menorah, and food. A menorah has nine candles, a candle for every night, plus a helper candle. Children play games, sing songs, and exchange gifts. Potato pancakes, known as latkes in Yiddish, are traditionally associated with Hanukkah and are served with applesauce and sour cream.

Kwanzaa
On December 26, Kwanzaa is celebrated. It is a holiday to commemorate African heritage. Kwanzaa lasts a week during which participants gather with family and friends to exchange gifts and to light a series of black, red, and green candles, which symbolize the seven basic values of African American family life that are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day is the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar on January 1. There are often fireworks at midnight to celebrate the new year. Commonly served in the southern part of the United States, black-eyed peas are thought to bring luck and prosperity for the new year, greens (usually collards) bring wealth, and pork because pigs root forward.

Three Kings Day
At the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas comes a day called the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day. This holiday is celebrated as the day the three wise men first saw baby Jesus and brought him gifts. On this day in Spain, many children get their Christmas presents. In Puerto Rico, before children go to sleep on January 5, they leave a box with hay under their beds so the kings will leave good presents. In France, a delicious King cake is baked. Bakers will hide a coin, jewel or little toy inside it.

Winter Solstice
The Winter Solstice occurs around December 21st. It is the shortest day of the year. People all over the world participate in festivals and celebrations. Long ago, people celebrated by lighting bonfires and candles to coax back the sun.

Source: National Geographic

Have a happy holiday season!

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In celebration of Native American History Month, the Diversity Council would like to share some interesting facts about Native Americans and sources of information about the native tribes of Utah.

Some U.S. English Words with Indian Origins

ANORAK  from the Greenlandic Inuit “annoraq”

BAYOU  from the Choctaw “bayuk”

CHIPMUNK  from the Ojibwa “ajidamoon,” red squirrel

HICKORY  from the Virginia Algonquian “pocohiquara”

HOMINY  from the Virginia Algonquian “uskatahomen”

IGLOO  from the Canadian Inuit “iglu,” house

KAYAK  from the Alaskan Yupik “qayaq”

MOCCASIN  from the Virginia Algonquian

MOOSE  from the Eastern Abenaki “mos”

PAPOOSE  from the Narragansett “papoos,” child

PECAN  from the Illinois “pakani”

POWWOW  from the Narragansett “powwaw,” shaman

QUAHOG  from the Narragansett “poquauhock”

SQUASH  from the Narragansett “askutasquash”

SUCCOTASH  from the Narragansett “msickquatash,” boiled corn

TEPEE  from the Sioux “tipi,” dwelling

TOBOGGAN  from the Micmac “topaghan”

TOMAHAWK  from the Virginia Algonquian “tamahaac”

TOTEM  from the Ojibwa “nindoodem,” my totem

WAMPUM  from the Massachusett “wampumpeag”

WIGWAM  from the Eastern Abenaki “wik’wom”

Many American places have been named after Indian words. In fact, about half of the states got their names from Indian words. The name of Kentucky comes from an Iroquoian word (Kentahten), which means “land of tomorrow.” Connecticut’s name comes from the Mohican word (Quinnehtukqut), which means “beside the long tidal river.” And the word “Podunk,” meant to describe a insignificant town out in the middle of nowhere, comes from a Natick Indian word meaning “swampy place.”
Alabama: may come from Choctaw meaning “thicket-clearers” or “vegetation-gatherers.”

Alaska: corruption of Aleut word meaning “great land” or “that which the sea breaks against.”

Arizona: from the Indian “Arizonac,” meaning “little spring” or “young spring.”

Arkansas: from the Quapaw Indians.

Chicago (Illinois): Algonquian for “garlic field.”

Chesapeake (bay): Algonquian name of a village.

Connecticut: from an Indian word (Quinnehtukqut) meaning “beside the long tidal river.”

Illinois: Algonquin for “tribe of superior men.”

Indiana: meaning “land of Indians.”

Iowa: probably from an Indian word meaning “this is the place” or “the Beautiful Land.”

Kansas: from a Sioux word meaning “people of the south wind.”

Kentucky: from an Iroquoian word “Ken-tah-ten” meaning “land of tomorrow.”

Massachusetts: from Massachusett tribe of Native Americans, meaning “at or about the great hill.”

Michigan: from Indian word “Michigana” meaning “great or large lake.”

Minnesota: from a Dakota Indian word meaning “sky-tinted water.”

Mississippi (state and river): from an Indian word meaning “Father of Waters.”

Malibu (California): believed to come from the Chumash Indians.

Manhattan (New York): Algonquian, believed to mean “isolated thing in water.”

Milwaukee (Wisconsin): Algonquian, believed to mean “a good spot or place.”

Missouri: named after the Missouri Indian tribe. “Missouri” means “town of the large canoes.”

Narragansett (Rhode Island): named after the Indian tribe.

Nebraska: from an Oto Indian word meaning “flat water.”

Niagara (falls): named after an Iroquoian town, “Ongiaahra.”
North Dakota: from the Sioux tribe, meaning “allies.”

Ohio: from an Iroquoian word meaning “great river.”

Oklahoma: from two Choctaw Indian words meaning “red people.”

Pensacola (Florida): Choctaw for “hair” and “people.”

Roanoke (Virginia): Algonquian for “shell money” (Indian tribes often used shells that were made into beads called wampum, as money).

Saratoga (New York): believed to be Mohawk for “springs (of water) from the hillside.”

South Dakota: from the Sioux tribe, meaning “allies.”

Sunapee (lake in New Hampshire): Pennacook for “rocky pond.”

Tahoe (lake in California/Nevada): Washo for “big water.”

Tennessee: of Cherokee origin; the exact meaning is unknown.

Texas: from an Indian word meaning “friends.”

Utah: from the Ute tribe, meaning “people of the mountains.”

Wisconsin: French corruption of an Indian word whose meaning is disputed.

Wyoming: from the Delaware Indian word, meaning “mountains and valleys alternating”; the same as the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania.

Here are some good sources of information on the native tribes of Utah:
http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/nativeamericansinutah.html

http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/goshuteindians.html

Ute http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/uteindians.html

Navajo/Dine’ http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/navajoindians.html

Paiute http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/paiuteindians.html

Shoshoni http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/shoshoniindians.html

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The Diversity Council would like celebrate Seniors during the month of August.

Here are some interesting facts about Senior accomplishments:

On the day of his death, at the age of 78, Galileo was said to be planning a new kind of clock that would tell time—in minutes and seconds, not just hours—using a pendulum swing instead of movement of water or sand.

Sir Isaac Newton, better known for his scientific achievements, became a scourge of counterfeiters as the Warden of the Royal Mint, a position he held until his death in his mid 80s.

Benjamin Franklin only retired from public service when he was 82.

Susan B. Anthony was past 80 when she formed the International Woman Suffrage Alliance.

Alexander Graham Bell was 75 when he received a patent for his work on a hydrofoil boat.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was reading Plato in Greek when he was 92.

George Bernard Shaw was working on his last play, Why She Would Not, when he was 94.

Grandma Moses received her last commission as an artist when she was 99.

 
 

We would like to share links to some resources for Seniors and their caregivers. Senior Citizens’ Resources Local Resources: http://www.weberhs.org/Home/Content/Services/Senior.aspx http://www.tri-county-ilc.com/ http://www.assistedliving.com/ http://www.hsdaas.utah.gov/pdf/utah_area_agencies_on_aging.pdf http://www.caring.com/local/area-agency-on-agings/utah/counties/weber http://aging.utah.edu/agingsmart/edcounty/weberco.html

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Please Join with the Diverstiy Council in celebrating Pioneer Week.  We have posted a quiz  and some facts about the trek of the pioneers to Utah.

Quiz

1.     On Feb. 4, 1846, the Latter-day Saints were driven from their homes. The day was so cold that the Mississippi River froze over. The Saints were forced down a street known as what?

 

2.     After leaving their homeland, thousands of Latter-day Saint immigrants from England and Wales couldn’t afford wagons. So they pulled human-powered handcarts. Fully loaded, a handcart could hold around how many pounds?

 

3.     In 1849, the church formed the PEF, a fund to help poor emigrants on their trek to the Salt Lake Valley. More than 30,000 people were helped through PEF before it was dissolved in 1887. But in 2001, PEF was reinstated under the name Perpetual Education Fund, a fund to assist church members who do not have the money to attend school. What did PEF stand for in the 19^th century?

 

4.     Between 1856 and 1860, 10 companies of handcart pioneers walked to Salt Lake City. Of the total of 2,962 handcart emigrants, how many died along the way?

 

5.     While on the trail, William Clayton heard his wife, Diantha, still in Nauvoo, had given birth to a healthy baby boy, so he wrote the words to the song “Come, Come, Ye Saints.” But “Come, Come, Ye Saints” was not Clayton’s original title. What was the first title to the song?

 

6.   It was from Council Bluffs, Iowa, in July 1846 that 500 male volunteers of the Mormon        Battalion began their march to San Diego. While the battalion never fought in the American-Mexican War, they did make some significant accomplishments, some of which are (circle allthat apply):

a. Cleared the first wagon road across the southern desert to California

b. Secured the Presidio at San Diego

c. Established a U.S. presence in Tucson

d. Contributed to the building of Fort Moore in Los Angeles

e. Helped discover gold at Sutter’s Mill

f. Helped blaze a wagon road east from California toSalt Lake City

 

7.     After Brigham Young and a number of companions turned back east from the Great Salt Lake Valley to help the other Saints, the area between Salt Lake and this famous Mormon Trail destination was inaugurated as the most prominent two-way road in 19th century western America. What was the destination?

 

8.     Who wrote the book “Latter-day Saints’ Emigrants’ Guide”?

 

9.     Along this river, the Latter-day Saints established what was believed to be the first

commercial ferry. Brigham Young had nine men of the Vanguard Company remain behind and  run the ferry, and each year the church sent men to help just before the beginning of the emigration season. Which river was it?

 

10.  The highest elevation of the Mormon Trail was at Big Mountain in Utah, a hill among the surrounding Wasatch Mountain peaks. How high was the elevation?

 

11.  Wanting statehood, church leaders petitioned the U.S. government for the area in the proposed boundaries ranging from central Oregon to Mexico and from San Diego to southern Colorado. Leaders originally called Utah the State of ______?

 

12.  At this Iowa location, the Latter-day Saints met the Pottawattamie Indians. The two refugee

groups did not stay there long — the Pottawattamie remained in the area only in 1846, and the Latter-day Saints moved farther west but continued to travel across the area. What location was it?

 

 

 

 

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Facts about Mormon pioneer settlement in Utah:

The area’s first permanent settlers were Mormons, who were led to the valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847 by Brigham Young. Acquired by the U.S. after the Mexican War, the region was organized as the Utah Territory in 1850; it had been reduced to the area of the present state by 1868. A conflict between Mormon authorities and the U.S. government known as the Utah War occurred in 1857 – 58, and statehood was denied until the Mormons renounced polygamy. When they did, Utah entered the Union in 1896 as the 45th state.

 

In April 1847 the pioneer company of Mormons traveled from Winter Quarters, Nebraska, to Utah. The company included 143 men (including three African-American men), 3 women and 2 children. An advance party entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 22, 1847. The rest of the group entered on July 24. Planting and irrigation began immediately.

 

The establishment of settlements in Utah took place in four stages. The first stage, from 1847 to 1857, marked the founding of the north-south line of settlements along the Wasatch Front and Wasatch Plateau to the south, from Cache Valley on the Idaho border to Utah’s Dixie on the Arizona border. In addition to the settlement of the Salt Lake and Weber valleys in 1847 and 1848, colonies were founded in Utah, Tooele, and Sanpete valleys in 1849; in Box Elder, Pahvant, Juab, and Parowan valleys in 1851; and in Cache Valley in 1856. Settlements in all of these “valleys,” as early settlers called them, multiplied with additional immigration throughout the 1850s.

 

Negotiations in 1849 to create a state proved abortive and instead Utah Territory was established. Conflict arose in 1857, after the territory had accorded local probate courts original jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases to avoid federally administered justice.That year President James Buchanan sent out the army to remove Brigham Young as governor of the territory.

 

The name Utah is derived from a Native American word meaning those who dwell high up or mountaintop dwellers. Arriving Europeans mistakenly believed the name referred to the Ute people, later applying the word to the state. The state’s original name was Deseret, from a word in the Book of Mormon that means land of the honey bee. It in turn gave rise to Utah’s nickname, the Beehive State, connoting hard work and industry.

 

Utah’s remarkably cosmopolitan population today is a result of two primary factors: the Mormon missionary program that drew extraordinary numbers of converts from the Eastern United States, the British Isles, Scandinavia, and the South Pacific; and the development of mines, especially in Carbon, Juab and Salt Lake Counties which lured non-Mormon European immigrants, particularly Slave, Italians and Greeks. Railroad construction through Utah and other economic opportunities lured Japanese, Chinese and blacks. The massive immigration of European converts to Mormonism began soon after the arrival of the first Mormons in Salt Lake Valley. Records of mining and of the experience of non-Mormon and non-Anglo-Saxon Utahns have been preserved and their histories written.

 

From 1846 to 1869, more than 70,000 Mormons traveled along an integral part of the road west, the Mormon Pioneer Trail. The trail started in Nauvoo, Illinois, traveled across Iowa, connected with the Great Platte River Road at the Missouri River, and ended near the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Generally following pre-existing routes, the trail carried tens of thousands of Mormon emigrants to a new home and refuge in the Great Basin. From their labors arose the State of Deseret, later to become the Utah Territory, and finally the State of Utah.

 

The Mormon pioneers learned quickly to be well-organized. They traveled in semi-military fashion, grouped into companies of 100s, 50s, and 10s. Discipline, hard work, mutual assistance, and devotional practices were part of their daily routine on the trail. Knowing that others would follow, they improved the trail and built support facilities. Businesses, such as ferries, were established to help finance the movement. They did not hire professional guides. Instead, they followed existing trails, used maps and accounts of early explorers, and gathered information from travelers and frontiersmen they met along the way.

 

A unique feature of the Mormon migration was their use of handcarts. Handcarts, two-wheeled carts that were pulled by emigrants, instead of draft animals, were sometimes used as an alternate means of transportation from 1856 to 1860. They were seen as a faster, easier and cheaper way to bring European converts to Salt Lake City. Almost 3,000 Mormons, with 653 carts and 50 supply wagons, traveling in 10 different companies, made the trip over the trail to Salt Lake City. While not the first to use handcarts, they were the only group to use them extensively.

 

Congress established the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail as part of the National Trails System on November 10, 1978. This historic trail commemorates the 1846-47 journey of the Mormon people from Nauvoo, Illinois to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. The designated corridor is almost 1,300 miles long and is managed as a cooperative effort among private landowners, trail associations, state and local agencies, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service. Land ownership along the trail is comprised of 822 miles (64%) on private land, 264 miles (20%) under federal management, and 214 miles (16%) in state and local ownership.

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The Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College Diversity Statement:

“Diversity encompasses acceptance and respect which means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing and appreciating our individual differences.”

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Please join with the Diversity Council in celebrating the culture of Japan today in Union Building room 107 from 11:00-1:00.

Japan (日本 Nihon or Nippon^, officially 日本国 Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku) is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People’s Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters which make up Japan’s name mean “sun-origin”, which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the “Land of the Rising Sun”.

Japan comprises over 3,000 islands making it an archipelago. The four largest islands are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for 97% of Japan’s land area. Most of the islands are mountainous, many volcanic; for example, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano. Japan has the world’s tenth largest population, with about 128 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.

 

Interesting facts about Japan

 

Sometimes the trains are so crowded railway staff are employed to cram passengers inside.

Japanese celebrate Christmas, but it is more like Valentine’s day in the western world.

More than 70% of Japan consists of mountains, including more than 200 volcanoes.

 A nice melon, similar to a cantaloupe, may sell for over $300US.

There are four different writing systems in Japan, romaji, katakana, hiragana, and kanji.

Coffee is very popular and Japan imports approximately 85% of Jamaica’s annual coffee production.

Japan’s literacy rate is almost 100%.

Sumo is Japan’s national sport, although baseball is also very popular.

Noodles, especially soba (buckwheat), are slurped very loudly when eaten. It is often said slurping symbolizes the food is delicious, but the slurping also serves to cool down the hot noodles for eating.

Vending machines in Japan sell beer, hot and cold canned coffee, cigarettes, and other items.

When moving into an apartment it is often required to give the landlord a “gift” of money equal to two months’ rent.

There are around 1,500 earthquakes every year in Japan.

It is not uncommon to eat rice at every meal, including breakfast.

Japan is the largest automobile producer in the world.

The Japanese language has thousands of foreign loan words, known as gairaigo. These words are often truncated, e.g. personal computer = paso kon. The number of foreign loan words is steadily increasing.

Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo is the world’s largest.

Men in Japan shave to their heads to apologize.

Girls in Japan cut their hair after breaking up with a boyfriend.

Tokyo has had 24 recorded instances of people either killed or receiving serious skull fractures while bowing to each other with the traditional Japanese greeting.

The first novel, The story of Genji, was written in 1007 by Japanese noble woman, Murasaki Shikibu.

The term karaoke means “empty orchestra” in Japanese.

 

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Please join with the Diversity council in celebrating the sights, sounds and tastes of Italy.

Come to Union Building room 107 from 12:00-1:00.

Italy /ˈɪtəli/  (Italian: Italia), officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica Italiana), is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within the Italian Peninsula, and Campione d’Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland.

Italy has been the home of many European cultures, such as the Etruscans and the Romans, and later was the birthplace of the university and of the Renaissance, that began in Tuscany and spread all over Europe. Italy’s capital, Rome, was for centuries the center of Western civilization. Italy possessed a colonial empire from the second half of the nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century

Interesting facts about Italy

Italy is slightly larger than Arizona.
The Italian flag is inspired by the French flag introduced during Napoleon’s 1797 invasion of the peninsula.

The thermometer is an Italian invention.

The city of Naples gave birth to the pizza .

The piano hails from Italy.

The longest river in Italy is the Po.

The average Italian consumes half a pound of bread a day.

Italy’s contributions to science include the barometer, electric battery, nitroglycerin, and wireless telegraphy.

Famous Italian explorers include Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo, John Cabot, and Amerigo Vespucci.  

Enrico Fermi, inventor of the nuclear reactor, was an Italian.

Italy is home to two microstates, San Marino and Vatican City .

Besides Julius Caesar, Shakespeare also set in Italy ( entirely or partially):
Romeo and Juliet, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Cymbeline,Much Ado About Nothing, Othello,The Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus, The Two Gentlemen of Verona,The Winter’s Tale

Cologne came out of Italy.

The ice cream cone is an Italian invention.

 

Eyeglasses are an Italian invention.

Italy has 16 regions and 4 autonomous regions.

The average Italian consumes 26 gallons of wine a year.

Italy has more hotel rooms than any other nation in Europe.

The espresso machine hails from Italy.

Over 40% of Italy’s labor force is unionized.  

Over 75% of Italy is mountainous or hilly.
The typewriter is an Italian invention.
Italians used to be known for having large families, however Italy is now known for having Europe’s lowest birthrate.
The average Italian consumes 25 kilograms of pasta a year.
The Jewish Ghetto in Rome is now one of the most expensive real estate area in the city
With over 5 million people, Rome is Italy’s largest Italy.
Italians refer to their country as Italia.
The Seven Hills of Rome are Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and Viminal.
The symbol SPQR can be found on many ancient buildings in Rome. It stands for “the senate and people of Rome.”
Rome was founded in 753 BC.
Italy did not become a united country until 1861
Before Rome became a republic and an empire, it had seven kings.
The first king of Rome was its legendary founder, Romulus.
“Ars longa, vita brevis” is a common saying in Italy. It means “art is long, life is short” and reflects the Italian love of leisure.
An engineering marvel of the ancient world, Cloacus Maxima, is the sewer of Rome.
The first Roman Emperor was Augustus Octavian, who came to power in 27 BC.
The Roman Empire fell in 476 AD, after its last emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was forced to abdicate by barbarian invaders.
A Roman Centurion commanded 100 hundred men.
A Roman Legion was made up of 6,000 men.
Italy’s current constitution took effect January 1, 1948
The president of Italy is a ceremonial figure.

The prime minister serves as the head of government and is the one who runs the country.

Since October 1946, the national anthem of Italy has been Inno de Memeli .

The Italian flag is green, white, and red.

The colors of the Italian flag represent three virtues: hope (green), faith (white), and charity (red).

98% of Italians are Roman Catholic.

The Roman Catholic Church is based in Italy.

Italy has over 3,000 museums.

The national sport of Italy is soccer (known as football outside of America).

The Italian language evolved from the Latin of the Roman Empire.

The Italian island of Sicily is famous for being home of the illicit Mafia criminal organization.

The Alps mountain range form part of Italy’s northern border, and for a long time, protected the peninsula from invasion.

Italy has three active volcanoes: Vesuvius, Etna, and Stromboli.

Rome’s nickname is “The Eternal City.”

Florence is home to Italian art.

 

 

 

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Today we celebrate the culture of India.

Please join us from 11:00 to 1:00 Monday in Union Building 107, join us for food, music and cultural displays.

Indian Culture

 

Identity

 

The culture of India has been shaped by the long history of India, its unique geography and the absorption of customs, traditions and ideas from some of its neighbors as well as by preserving its ancient heritages, which were formed during the Indus Valley Civilization and evolved further during the Vedic age, rise and decline of Buddhism, Golden age, Muslim conquests and European colonization. India’s great diversity of cultural practices, languages, customs, and traditions are examples of this unique co-mingling over the past five millennia.

 

Language

 

Hindi (Standard Hindi besides many dialects of varying mutual intelligibility) is the most widespread language of India. The Indian census takes the widest possible definition of “Hindi” as a broad variety of “Hindi languages”. The native speakers of Hindi so defined accounts for about 40% of Indians.

Indian English is recorded as the native language of 226,449 Indians in the 2001 census. English is the second “language of the Union” besides Hindi.

Thirteen languages account for more than 1% of Indian population each, and between themselves for over 95%; all of them are “scheduled languages of the constitution”.

Scheduled languages spoken by less than 1% of Indians are Santali (0.64%), Nepali (0.28%), Sindhi (0.25%), Manipuri (0.14%), Bodo (0.13%), Dogri (0.01%, spoken in Jammu and Kashmir). The largest language that is not “scheduled” is Bhili (0.95%), followed by Gondi (0.27%), Tulu (0.17%) and Kurukh (0.098980986%)

 

Interesting Facts About India

 

Chess was invented in India.

 

 

Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.

The ‘Place Value System’ and the ‘Decimal System’ were developed in India in 100 B.C.

 

India is the largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.

 

 

India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world.

 

 

The largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.

 

 

India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India’s wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.

 

 

The Art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh over 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘NAVGATIH’. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Nou’.

 

 

The value of “pi” was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem.

 

Sushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over2600 years ago Sushrata & his teamconducted complicated surgeries likecataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.

 

 

Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism,physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.

 

 

The four religions born in India – Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world’s population.

 

 

The largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia built at the end of the 11th century.

 

 

Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.

 

 

Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.

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Please Join with the Diversity Council in celebrating Diversity Week. Monday we celebrate the culture of China.

From 11:00 to 1:00 Monday in Union Building 107, join us for food, music and cultural displays.

Interesting Facts about China

Total Land Area of China is 9,596,960 Sq. Kms. It is the fourth largest Country in the World. Shanghai and Beijing are two of the largest and most populous cities in the world.

At least 14 countries and 4 seas border China . Since the country is so large, climate is extremely varied.  It is sub arctic in the North and Tropical in the South.

The population of China according to a July 2006 estimate is 1,313,973,713. It is officially the most populated country in the world. The Chinese Government has adopted a “one child” policy in an effort to curb the high numbers. Unfortunately this also makes China one of the fastest aging countries .

China has an obligatory Military service of 2 years for all men between 18 and 22. Women of the same age group are also recruited for specific military jobs.

The Han Chinese is the largest majority group in China. Mandarin Chinese is the official language . However in total, 55 official minorities and 206 listed languages are mentioned.

The Jen Min Jih Pao or People’s Daily is the largest official publication .

The Tienanmen Square is the world’s largest public gathering place and the Three Gorges Dam is the biggest dam.

Chinese Civilization is one of the few ancient civilizations to have its individual writing script. The Chinese language has over 20,000 characters. The average Chinese only learns about 5,000 of these in his lifetime.

Dashanpu in the Sichuan province of China has yielded over 1000 Dinosaur Fossils . Four Winged Feathered Dinosaurs called Theropods have been found; these are considered to be the missing link between dinosaurs and birds.

Child Emperor Pu-Yi was the last imperial ruler of China in the period 1908 -1912. Empress Wu of the Tang dynasty was the only female Emperor of China .

The Great Wall of China is also known as the “Ten Thousand Li Wall”, one Li is equal to 500 meters. The wall is over 1500 miles in length.

Khubililai or Kublai Khan issued Silk Notes as currency . There was also a Jade currency .

Acupuncture treats illnesses with inserting sharp thin needles in various pressure spots, it originated over 5000 years ago from China.

The Chinese calendar is based on the Lunar Cycle . It is the oldest known calendar , originating in 2600 BC. It has twelve Zodiac signs. A complete cycle would take 60 years to complete.
Paper , Compass , Explosive Powder and Printing qualify as the ” Four Great Inventions of China “. They are also credited with having invented the wheel and the first calendar.

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Please join with the Diversity Council in celebrating Diversity Week April 20th – 23rd.  Each day Monday – Thursday, we will be celebrating a different culture from 11:00-1:00 in the Union Building room 107.

Monday-China

Tuesday-India

Wednesday-Italy

Thursday-Japan

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