Today's celebrations 2nd September

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Buddha's Birthday

Buddha's Birthday, the birthday of the Prince Siddhartha Gautama is a holiday traditionally celebrated in Mahayana Buddhism.In all east Asian countries except Japan it is held on the 8th day of the 4th month in the Chinese lunar calendar, and the day is an official holiday in Hong Kong, Macau, and South Korea.

Japan

As same as other traditional holidays like New year, Japanese culture "translates" every traditional festival's date into Gregorian calendar's one. The 4th month in Chinese Lunar Calendar is translated into April or May. Therefore Buddha's Birthday is celebrated on April 8 or May 8 in many Japanese temples.In Japan, Buddha's Birthday is also celebrated according to the Buddhist calendar but is not a national holiday. On this day, all temples do celebratory events/festivals called Kanbutsu-e, meaning 'Flower Festival'. The first event was held at Asuka-dera in 606. Japanese people pour ama-cha (a beverage prepared from a variety of hydrangea) on small Buddha statues decorated with flowers, as if bathing a newborn baby.

India

Birth of Buddha or Tathagata is celebrated in India, especially in Sikkim, Ladakh , Arunachal Pradesh, Bodh Gaya and Maharashtra (where 6% of total population are Buddhists) and other parts of India as per Indian calendar. Buddhist People go to common Viharas to observe a rather longer-than-usual, full-length Buddhist sutra, as something like a service. The usual dress is pure white. Non-vegetarian food is normally avoided. Kheer, a sweet rice porridge is commonly served to recall the story of Sujata, a maiden who, in Gautama Buddha's life, offered the Buddha a bowl of milk porridge.

Nepal

The birth of the Buddha is often celebrated by Buddhists in Nepal for an entire month in the Buddhist calendar. The actual day is called Buddha Poornima (or Buddha Purnima), also traditionally known as Vaishakh Poornima. Although the day marks not just the birth of Shakyamuni Gautam Buddha, but also the day of Enlightenment, and Mahaparinirvana. But as a gentle effect of West, the event of Birth is given paramount importance. The event is celebrated by gentle and serene fervour, keeping in mind the very nature of Buddhism. People, especially women, go to common Viharas to observe a rather longer-than-usual, full-length Buddhist sutra, as something like a service. The usual dress is pure white. Non-vegetarian food is normally avoided. Kheer, a sweet rice porridge is commonly served to recall the story of Sujata, a maiden who, in Gautama Buddha's life, offered the Buddha a bowl of milk porridge after he had given up the path of asceticism following six years of extreme austerity. This event was one major link in his enlightenment.It is said that the Buddha originally followed the way of asceticism to attain enlightenment sooner, as was thought by many at that time. He sat for a prolonged time with inadequate food and water, which caused his body to shrivel so as to be indistinguishable from the bark of the tree that he was sitting under. Seeing the weak Siddhartha Gautama, a girl named Sujata placed a bowl of milk in front of him as an offering. Realizing that without food one can do nothing, the Buddha refrained from harming his own body.

Korea

In Korea the birthday of Buddha is celebrated according to the Lunisolar calendar. This day is called Seokga tansinil, meaning "the day of Buddha's birthday" or Bucheonim osin nal meaning "the day when Buddha arrived". Lotus lanterns cover the entire temple throughout the month which are often flooded down the street. On the day of Buddha's birth, many temples provide free meals and tea to all visitors. The breakfast and lunch provided are often sanchae bibimbap.

Sri Lanka

This is one of the major festivals in Sri Lanka. It is celebrated on the first full moon day of the month of May. People engage in religious observances and decorate houses and streets with candles and specially made lanterns.

Other countries

Some places have a public holiday one week later, on the fifteenth day of the fourth month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, to coincide with the full moon. For instance, Visakha Puja in Thailand or Lễ Phật đản in Vietnam was such a holiday on May 12 in 2006. Other countries including Singapore and Malaysia also celebrate Vesak Day on the fifteenth day of the fourth month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, a public holiday in these two countries.

Information taken from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha's_Birthday

Today's celebrations 19th May

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Ho Chi Minh's Birthday in Vietnam

Holiday of Poetry in Turkmenistan

Malcolm X Day in the United States of America

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Today's celebrations May 1st!

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Labour (Labor) day in Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, East Timor, Liechtenstein, Macau, Montenegro, Aruba, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, the Netherlands, St. Pierre & Miquelon, Taiwan, Tajikstan, Bolivia, Bonaire, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jordan, kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Namibia, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saba, San Marino, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, Somalia, St. Eustatius, St. Lucia, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria , Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Yemen, Zaire and Zambia (phew!)

Today's celebrations April 30th!

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Children's Day in Mexico

King's Birthday in Sweden

Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) in the Netherlands

Liberation Day in Vietnam

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Beltane (Northern Hemisphere) in Paganism

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Who is Kim Il-Sung?

Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led North Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994.He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death. He was also the General Secretary of the Workers Party of Korea. During his tenure as leader of North Korea, he ruled the nation with autocratic power and established an all-pervasive cult of personality. North Korea officially refers to Kim Il-sung as the "Great Leader" and he is designated in the constitution as the country's "Eternal President". His birthday is a public holiday in North Korea.

The Communist Party of Korea had been founded in 1925, but had been thrown out of the Comintern in the early 1930s for being too nationalist. In 1931, Kim had joined the Communist Party of China. He joined various anti-Japanese guerrilla groups in northern China, and in 1935 he became a member of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, a guerrilla group led by the Communist Party of China. Kim was appointed the same year to serve as political commissar for the 3rd detachment of the second division, around 160 soldiers.Kim was appointed commander of the 6th division in 1937, at the age of 24, controlling a few hundred men in a group that came to be known as “Kim Il Sung’s division.” Kim’s division only captured a small Japanese-held town just across the Korean border for a few hours, it was nonetheless considered a military success at this time, when the guerrilla units had experienced difficulty in capturing any enemy territory. This accomplishment would grant Kim some measure of fame among Chinese guerrillas, and North Korean biographies would later exploit it as a great victory for Korea. Kim was appointed commander of the 2nd operational region for the 1st Army, but by the end of 1940, he was the only 1st Army leader still alive.Kim became a Captain in the Soviet Red Army and served in it until the end of World War II.In later years, Kim would heavily embellish his guerrilla feats in order to build up his personality cult. He was portrayed as a boy-conspirator who joined the resistance at 14 and had founded a battle-ready army at 19. North Korean students are taught that this Kim-led army singlehandedly drove the Japanese off the peninsula.

Kim arrived in North Korea on August 22 after 26 years in exile. His Korean was marginal at best; he'd only had eight years of formal education, all of it in chinese. In September 1945, Kim was installed by the Soviets as head of the Provisional People’s Committee. He was not, at this time, the head of the Communist Party.During his early years as leader, he assumed a position of influence largely due to the backing of the Korean population which was supportive of his fight against Japanese occupation.One of Kim’s accomplishments was his establishment of a professional army, the Korean People's Army (KPA) aligned with the Communists, formed from a cadre of guerrillas and former soldiers who had gained combat experience in battles against the Japanese and later Nationalist Chinese troops. From their ranks, using Soviet advisers and equipment, Kim constructed a large army skilled in infiltration tactics and guerrilla warfare.Kim also formed an air force, equipped at first with ex-Soviet propeller-driven fighter and attack aircraft.

In 1948, Kim persuaded the Soviets not to allow the UN north of the 38th parallel, believing he could not possibly win a free election. As a result, a month after the South was granted independence as the Republic of Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was proclaimed on September 9, with Kim as premier. On October 12, the Soviet Union declared that Kim's regime was the only lawful government on the peninsula. The Communist Party merged with the New People's Party to form the Workers Party of North Korea (of which Kim was vice-chairman). In 1949, the Workers Party of North Korea merged with its southern counterpart to become the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) with Kim as party chairman.By 1949, North Korea was a full-fledged Communist dictatorship. All parties and mass organizations were cajoled into the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, ostensibly a popular front but in reality dominated by the Communists. Around this time, Kim built the first of many statues of himself and began calling himself "the Great Leader."

After the Korean War, Kim launched a five-year national economic plan to establish a command economy, with all industry owned by the state and all agriculture collectivised. The nation was founded on egalitarian principles intent on eliminating class differences and the economy was based upon the needs of workers and peasants. The economy was focused on heavy industry and arms production. Both South and North Korea retained huge armed forces to defend the 1953 ceasefire line, although no foreign troops were permanently stationed in North Korea.

Kim's hold on power was rather shaky. To strengthen it, he claimed that the United States deliberately spread diseases among the North Korean population. While Moscow and Beijing later determined that these charges were false, they continued to help spread this rumor for many years to come. He also conducted North Korea's first large-scale purges in part to scare the people into accepting this false account.Victims often simply disappeared into the growing network of prison camps.

During the 1950s, Kim was seen as an orthodox Communist leader, and an enthusiastic satellite of the Soviet Union. His speeches were liberally sprinkled with praises to Stalin. However, he sided with China during the Sino-Soviet split, opposing the reforms brought by Nikita Khrushchev, whom he believed was acting in opposition to Communism. He distanced himself from the Soviet Union, removing mention of his Red Army career from official history, and began reforming the country to his own radical Stalinist tastes.

From the mid-1960s, he promoted his self-developed Juche variant of communist national organisation. The Juche is the official state ideology of North Korea. It teaches that "man is the master of everything and decides everything," and that the Korean people are the masters of Korea's revolution. According to Kim Jong-il's On the Juche Idea, the application of Juche in state policy entails the following:

1. The people must have independence in thought and politics, economic self-sufficiency, and self-reliance in defense.
2. Policy must reflect the will and aspirations of the masses and employ them fully in revolution and construction.
3. Methods of revolution and construction must be suitable to the situation of the country.
4. The most important work of revolution and construction is molding people ideologically as communists and mobilizing them to constructive action.

The Juche outlook requires absolute loyalty to the revolutionary party and leader. In North Korea, these are the Workers' Party of Korea and Kim Jong-il, respectively.

A new constitution was proclaimed in December 1972, under which Kim became President of North Korea. By this time, he had decided that his son Kim Jong-il would succeed him, and increasingly delegated the running of the government to him. At the Sixth Party Congress in October 1980, Kim publicly designated his son as his successor.

By the early 1990s, North Korea was nearly completely isolated from the outside world, except for limited trade and contacts with China, Russia, Vietnam, and Cuba. Its economy was virtually bankrupt, crippled by huge expenditures on armaments, with an agricultural sector unable to feed its population, but state-run North Korean media continued to lionize Kim. On July 8, 1994 at age 82, Kim Il-sung collapsed from a sudden heart attack. After the attack Kim Jong-il ordered the team of doctors who always were at his father's side to leave, and insisted that only the best be flown in from Pyongyang. Hours passed as the elder Kim lay near death in a room with his son, when the doctors finally arrived, the elder Kim was too far gone and died despite efforts to save him. Many claim Kim Jong-Il did this to ensure his father's death and his rise to power 3 years later.

There are over 500 statues of Kim Il-sung in North Korea. Some statues have been destroyed by explosions or damaged with graffiti. Kim Il-sung's image is prominent in places associated with public transportation, hanging at every North Korean train station and airport.It is also placed prominently at the border crossings between China and North Korea. His portrait is featured on the front of all recent North Korean one banknotes.

Information from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juche

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Il-sung#Leader_of_North_Korea

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/02_04/BowDownAP_468x293.jpg

Today's Celebrations March 26th!

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Day of Democracy in Mali

Independence Day in Bangladesh

Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana`ole Day (Hawaii) in the United States of America

Youth Day in Vietnam

Khordad Sal (Fasli) in the Zoroastrian religion

International Relations and the Politics of China and East Asia

Joshua, UK, has been applying to Universities to do International Relations, many of which have a year abroad. For one University he had to write this essay on why he wants to study International Relations with a year in China/Hong Kong.

"Why are you interested in the politics of China and East Asia and what do you expect to gain from studying Politics and International Relations with a Year in China/Hong Kong?"

The East and the West are polar opposites that excite intrigue of the other. I have been born and raised surrounded by the interesting world of western politics and affairs; from democratic ideals, to John Locke’s political philosophy on liberalism and Hobbes’s social contract theory. There is no denying these ideas of western politics are engaging, but there is a differentiation between the political west and the political east. Never the less I am fully aware that the politics of the west is, in many cases, inexplicably linked to that of the rest of the world and that of China and East Asia. However, I feel that there is a whole new dimension of challenges and depth when they are studied in the context of the East alone, allowing me to gain a better understanding of international relations in a global context. Likewise acquiring knowledge of the various areas throughout the world individually, will allow me to establish a greater and deeper understanding of the international arena, in which I hope to venture into in the future.

One could ask why I have chosen China and East Asia as opposed to other equally important, interesting and politically complex countries. One of the reasons I begun to look into the Politics of China, and therefore East Asia, was a result of the Beijing Olympics. Here we have a country that was considered somewhat underdeveloped and most definitely not a country in pursuit of, as many would call it, super power status putting on this show that stunned the world. Subsequently China arguably became the most spectacular Olympic host ever seen. Most important for me however is that the Olympics served as China’s announcement to the world and indeed it caught many people’s attention, including mine. As a result I was compelled to look into the historical context of China’s political situation and how they had risen in power, wealth and influence on an international scale.

It is no mystery that China is the world’s fastest developing economy, despite the global recession, and this is perhaps due to the fact that they still have a significant domestic market to cater for the 1.3 billion inhabitants of China. In the context of East Asia, China are the pre-eminent power in the Far East/Pacific basin, indeed it appears that only Japan are in a position to rival China. Likewise Japan does have superiority in terms of technology, but their peace treaty that resulted at the end of WWII hinders their ability to rise into the upper ranks of ‘superpower status’. For example despite Japan’s peace force being invariably large, powerful and heavily financed it is, unfortunately, almost unknown and is not written about. Moreover it plays a small role in the operations of the UN, particularly in comparison to China who in 2007 reapplied to the ROC to gain full UN membership. Overall they are held back by their history and in turn Japan does not have the same unrestrained position as China, whom in a hundred years time could potentially be the world’s pre-eminent power. Thus the opportunity to experience, contribute and be a part of the country that is perhaps going to be the driving force behind global affairs in the future is unparalleled. In addition to this, the fact that China’s prominence is potentially on our horizon warrants a wealth of study and would allow me to step outside of studying the dynamic political systems of the past, and experience the study of a present day developmental marvel. This is not only exciting but intriguing in the sense that it is very likely in my career in British Intelligence, the EU, UN, NGO (UNICEF) or other suitable international role, this knowledge and experience will be directly applicable to current affairs. Thus this gives me an advantage in tackling the issue at hand and allowing me to contribute to my personal development, career and hopefully the world around us.

Another reason why I have an interest in the politics of China in particular regards its political system. Other countries in East Asia do not offer such a unique, alternative political train of thought. For example Malaysia adopts a multi party idea run under a federal constitutional monarchy, and Singapore and Vietnam take on the ideals of democracy. On the other hand China is a vast country, and the political system of China is dictated by its size. Thus in order to maintain control of a large space China must retain a strong central bureaucracy to govern each state. As a result China has a communist political system, but remains unique because of its implementation of a capitalist economy. Naturally from the perspective of a person who is interested in politics and international relations the individuality of China’s political system sets it apart as a dynamic place of study. With its rare culture and politics that contain numerous aspects I have never come across and now wish to understand.

Notably for me Communism is somewhat of an untouched subject, something that I have always known about, been aware of and wanted to learn more about, but it was never tangible. Thus I believe that the only way to truly experience and understand a communist system would be to live, and even study, within one. My interest in communism within China specifically was heightened following my reading of the events of Tiananmen Square, in which I begun to contemplate democratisation with regards to China. The protests which were sparked by the death of the democratic figure Hu Yaobang initiated the people’s instinct to call for reforms within the Chinese political system, reforms that took a democratic slant. What is even more interesting, yet unquestionably shocking, is that the Chinese government attempted to quell the rebellions by proceeding to shoot their own people. Such an audacious statement compels me to try and find the motivations and reasons behind such an act, never the less these motivations are complex and it appears they can only be deciphered in an environment of higher education that delves deeper into Chinese politics.

Furthermore upon learning about the event I began to question the idea that democracy as an unassailable good that should be seen as fundamental political intent within all countries. Instead it appears that it is essential to take into account the cultural implications with regards to the political system. Specifically in the case of China and the ideas of Confucius one could argue that democracy is not a principle embedded in the culture and general mindset of the Chinese people. Indeed China has been ruled as an empire because of emperors for numerous years through out its history. So it is no wonder that the Chinese people may not be accustomed to democracy. Never the less it is a flourishing nation on the rise and communism, despite common belief, can be argued to be working on a number of levels. Although to make this statement definitive, would be to look at China in a superficial context, it is true that while their economy is on the rise so is their rate of inequality. In addition China’s communist state causes them to censor their media exposure, which some would argue is an infringement of human rights. Taking these points into consideration it seems that China has a duality in which it is hard to ascertain if, in the grand scheme of things, their method of ruling is for the better or worse. I for one look forward to seeing China in the future but in the present – through higher education – I will endeavour to understand how China reached the position they are in today, so I can help understand where China will be going in the future.

As an emerging key player in the global arena, it is very likely China will begin to branch off into other countries. Indeed as a person who wishes to work in international relations it is likely that I will be required by many employers such as MI6 to possess competency in Chinese (Mandarin). Similarly employers such as MI5, GCHQ and UNICEF state Mandarin is a highly favourable attribute. Likewise as I wish to apply for a British intelligence position upon graduation the opportunity to become highly competent if not fluent in such a desirable language would be of my complete benefit. Aside from my career, I am intrigued by the world and I wish to learn several languages, of which Mandarin is perhaps the most challenging, hence becoming fluent would enhance my ability to learn yet more languages. Furthermore the difficulty of the language also means that unlike Spanish or French it is unlikely that I will have another opportunity to learn Mandarin outside of the academic environment. Particularly as my knowledge can be compounded by the year abroad, a principle that I feel is integral to learning such a complex language and a feature that is very hard to replicate outside of this course. Overall regardless of its difficulty, the language will enhance me personally as well as professionally.

Ultimately for an international relations applicant the experience of studying in China is invaluable. China to an international relations student is what the brain is to a medical student. A place of undiscovered study that will be at the forefront of research in the future. The prospect of learning the language so early in my career, gaining a deeper understanding of Chinese politics, along with analysis and interpretative skills, independence and a new outlook on global affairs that reaches beyond the headlines, can not be found elsewhere.

What do you think about China and the politics of China? Do you live in China? Are you interested in Chinese politics? Comment and let us know!