Tag: culture

On traditions

I was listening to the radio in the car today and there was this piece about China and its traditions and how people are afraid that traditions are being forgotten. On the average day I would just call it a bull and switched it off. But somehow they managed to catch my attention.

There were a few interviews with diffirent kinds of people about this issue. Old people were saying that they were worried that the younger generations don’t care anymore about the history and customs. Young people interviewed were saying that they indeed didn’t care much and that Western lifestyle and trends suit their interests better. And, of course, there were a few smart people who said that this all is a natural process and that, as always, the combination of old and new is waiting for us in the future. Like in all times.

These, lastly interviewed, people were saying something that is very close to watch I believe. I respect the traditions and the ways of the old. But I just hate it when people try to forcefully push the old ways into the future.

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The story of Big Leonidas

The bright one among you have probably guessed by now that my name is Leonid. Well, in Greek and Cypriot culture there is no such name. There is a variation though. It is Leonidas.

As with many other names there was once a hero named Leonidas. In Greece, he was called Big Leonidas. I suspected it, but never got to learn the story until recently.

One of the aging Cypriots asked me if I know the story of Big Leonidas after he learned my name. I had to answer negative. The guy looks at me, relaxes in the armchair preparing to tell a long and noble story and tells me this (word in word):

Once there was a warrior. His name was Big Leonidas. Five hundred… no… one thousand Persians attacked him. And they all died.

He than gave me one of those looks that demanded appreciation. He spent the whole twenty freaking seconds educating me. Wow. It took me another twenty seconds to realize that the story was over. I thanked him afterwards…

Daily del.icio.us bookmarks

I was reading up on the subject of kung fu. History of Shaolin monastery makes a good part of it. As does Beijing Opera which created lots of kung fu movie stars (Jackie Chan as an example).

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Diging into cultures

Lame title, I know, but I couldn’t think of a better one and now it’s too late.

One of the things I like about living in Cyprus is that I can meet with people of different cultures. Cypriots, Greeks, British, Russians, Eastern Europeans, Indians, Phillipinos, Pakistanis, Chinese, Lebanese – these are just a subset of people living in Cyprus. Additionally, there are a couple of millions of tourists travelling in and out of country every year.

Meeting these people and talking to them, even if briefly, greatly expands the horizons of cultural understanding. Even just watching them – how they behave on their own or in the group of their countrymen or mixed with others – triggers a lot of thinking.

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