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Chuseok 2015



Once a year, Koreans flock from the big city to visit their ancestral hometowns to celebrate Chuseok, a time of thankfulness and memorial. Along with friends and family, they dedicate the next three days to celebrating the harvest with traditional feasts of songpyeon and hangwa, rice wines like dongdongju, and games and dances like Ssireum and Ganggangsullae.

Like other autumn equinox festivals across the world, Koreans spend Chuseok giving thanks for the good things in their lives. It’s also a time to venerate ancestors whose spirits watch over the living. After a morning memorial service and a special feast (Charye), the people of Korea honor their ancestors by visiting their gravesites (Seongmyo) and tidying up the surrounding area (Beolcho).

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Mid Autumn Festival 2015



Celebrated on the fifteenth day of China’s eighth lunar month, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a moment of thanks and togetherness whose origins stretch deeply into ancient history. In days long since passed, so the myth goes, ten blazing suns beat mercilessly upon the earth, withering crops and blistering fields beyond salvation. A skillful hunter named Hou Yi rode to the top of Mount Kunlun where, with tremendous strength, he drew an immense bow and shot down the nine superfluous suns, cooling the earth and revivifying the harvest.

In return for his heroism, Hou Yi was bequeathed an elixir that would elevate him to the heavens and render him immortal. Unable to bear the thought of leaving his wife, Cháng'é, and fearing the vial would fall into the wrong hands, he gave her the potion and asked that she deliver it from sight. One day, while Hou Yi was out, a nefarious squire stole into his quarters in search of the elixir. Finding Cháng'é, the man demanded it; knowing a struggle would be futile, Cháng'é dashed away and swallowed the potion, whereupon she drifted into the ether and landed on the moon.

Returning to find his beloved had vanished, Hou Yi was plunged into a deep sadness. But upon lifting his eyes to the sky that night, he beheld a particularly brilliant lunar glow.

And being that the moon, as it is, can be something of a lonely place, Cháng'é is accompanied by rabbits wherever she goes.

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Google Gameday Doodle #3



There are a few ways to turn heads on a football field. Some get looks because they throw a great deep ball, some have soft hands; some can run the 40-yard dash under 4.5 seconds. Another way is to dump a bucket of ice cold water on your coach’s head. Maybe they’ll cut the kid some slack--it is little g’s birthday, after all.

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Evidence of water found on Mars

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German Reunification Day 2015

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Google Gameday Doodle #4

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121st Anniversary of the first published timetable in Japan

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I presume this was for trains.

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Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva’s 123rd Birthday



Times of conflict breed some of history’s strongest voices. Born of the Russian Revolution, Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva’s poetry told vibrant stories etched with stirring emotions. The expressive lyrical style of her poems, prose, and folkloric narratives spans ten collections. Beloved across the world, her work influenced generations of twentieth century poets.

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Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s 67th Birthday



Imagine an entire genre of music, rooted in antiquity, that lies hidden to most of the world. Its traditions stretch back 700 years, yet few know it exists. Its beautiful melodies dip and soar. But no one is around to listen.

Such was the state of Qawwali in a not-so-distant past. Then came Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who opened the world’s ears to the rich, hypnotic sounds of the Sufis. Born to a musical family, Khan brought Qawwali from modest origins to international attention. He collaborated with, and influenced, countless musicians. And his endurance was astounding; some performances could last as long as ten hours!

Thanks to his legendary voice, Khan helped bring “world music” to the world. To celebrate his 67th birthday, let’s just listen.