Tag Archives: china

National Tug of War Day

Wednesday the 19th of February is National Tug-of-War day, so today we here at Penguin are going to have a look at where in the world tug of wars regularly took place. Originally thought to have been practised in ancient Egypt, Greece and China, the Tug of War sport was first made popular in Great Britain in the 16th century by Lord Elliott Simpson.

‘Hook pulling’ in the Tang Dynasty

According to a book dating back to the Tang Dynasty, tug of war was a training method used by military commanders of the time as an exercise of strength for warriors. The Emperor at the time; Emperor Xuanzong of Tang promoted the use of large scale tug of war games to train warriors, and these games normally used ropes of up to 550 feet long with shorter ropes attached for people to hold onto.

Each side of the ‘war’ had over 500 people on it, on the larger tug of war matches, and each side also had a set of drummers to encourage the participants.

Helkustinda in Ancient Greece

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There were three different variations of tug of war in ancient Greece; helkustinda, efelkustinda and dielkustinda. All of these variations come from the word helko which means ‘I draw, I pull’. The first two variations of ancient Greek tug of war seem to be ordinary versions, whereas dielkustinda was tug of war without the rope.

This was done by linking hands with your teammates, and was considered much more difficult as it is harder to sustain grip on hands than on a rope.

Like in the Tang dynasty, all types of tug of war were used by the ancient Greeks as strength building games and also to build up strength in preparation for battle, when they would have to move quickly in heavy armour.

As an Olympic Sport

Tug of War was an official part of the Olympic Games from 1900 to 1920, but has not been included since, perhaps because of health and safety reasons as people have been known to had fingers severed and limbs broken as a result of the rope snapping.

The Tug Of War International Federation hosts annual world championships for tug of war, with both indoor and outdoor contests. The 2014 World Championships is being held at Olin-Turville Court in Madison, USA. Why not hire out a car to help get you to the Championships if you are thinking of going?

‘Naha Tug of War’ in Okinawa

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Originating in the 17th Century, an annual festival held in Naha, Okinawa Japan, holds a giant tug of war contest that correlates with the competition between two ancient rulers in the Naha area. The event attracts over 25,000 attendees each year.

Happy Chinese New Year!

January 31st marks the official Chinese New Year 2014. It is widely known as one of the most important traditional Chinese Holidays throughout and marks the first day of the Chinese calendar. The Chinese New Year festival celebration is known as the longest in the Chinese calendar, as it lasts from New Years Eve to the 15th of the first month, otherwise known as the Lantern Festival. That is over two weeks of celebration!chinese-new-year-celebration

There are a number of activities that most Chinese families partake in when celebrating the New Year. The coming of the New Year is a big event, one of new beginnings and of getting rid of the old, evil spirits in order to make way for better, brighter days ahead. If you’re planning on visiting China at all this year, make sure it is during this holiday! Or if you simply want to have a go at celebrating the Chinese New Year, why not try some of these to help bring in the New Year!

Cleaning

Chinese families give their homes a thorough cleaning in preparing for the New Year as this serves to ‘sweep’ or clean away the bad luck gathered over the preceding year, and to make their homes ready for good luck. Sweeping and cleaning instruments like brooms are kept locked away after the clean to ensure that the good luck is not accidentally swept away. Home altars and statues are also cleaned, and if any are adorned with decorations from the previous year, these are taken and burned as a way of cleansing the house of the bad luck of the previous year.

chinese-new-year-decorationsDecorating

Often Chinese Families will decorate their home with lanterns and paper cut-outs depicting Chinese good luck sayings and phrases to welcome in the New Year. Decorators and paper cutters are in high demand in the days preceding New Year, as many people also opt to give their homes and windows a coat of new paint, washing their windows and making sure that everything looks up to date and new.

Primping

chinese-good-luck-charmsFollowing on from the ‘new beginnings’ theme, purchasing new clothing and shoes in lieu of the New Year can also symbolise a new start, and many Chinese people also opt to get their hair cut before the New Year. Cutting hair on the New Year is considered bad luck because of the connections between the Chinese word for ‘hair’ and the word for ‘prosperity’. It is customary for families to send each other gifts of food to extended family members and business partners, and business partners will often endeavour to clear the debts that they have accrued over the course of the year.

Eating!

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And now the fun part! No Chinese New Year Festival would be complete without a selection of delicious traditional dishes. A fish dinner is normally eaten to bring in the New Year, considered as important as a Christmas dinner in the west. In Southern China they make a Niangao, a New Years cake, which is sent to friends and family, whereas in Nothern China, jiaozi or dumplings are popular to eat after midnight. After the meal the family will normally visit the local temples to pray for a prosperous year.

Penguin’s Bucket List – Things to do and see before you die

By definition a bucket list is a list made by people – mostly when you reach your midlife crisis – who want to do certain things or visit certain places before they die. The phrase ‘bucket list’ takes inspiration from the saying ‘to kick the bucket’ because your bucket list wants to be complete before you ‘kick the bucket’. These lists can comprise of anything; see a long lost loved one, travel the world, even spend a day doing absolutely nothing. It all depends on the individual. However most people worldwide have a list of places they would like to see before they died. Other people want to make a bucket list, but aren’t quite sure what to put on there. Why don’t we help? With a collection of truly magnificent, memorable and beautiful places that you should really visit before you die.

Zhangye’s Colourful Rock Formations

zanghye-danxia-formationsKnown as the Zhangye Danxia, these mountains consist of over 24 million years worth of laying down different mineral deposits. The creation of these landforms is something so perfect, so beautiful, that only nature could have done it by accident. Over time the layers of mineral deposit were compressed into rock, and then undulations were caused by the collision of the Eurasian and Indo-Australian tectonic plates, resulting in the stunning landforms we see today. These collisions made by the same two tectonic plates would also create the Himalayan Mountains.

The contrasting layers of different mineral rock make the formations look as if bright white lines have been painted across the landscape. Considering that these fantastic mountains were once just sand blowing in the wind, the Zhangye Danxia formations serve as a great representation of the magic of time.

The National Park where these formations are located is about an hour’s drive from the city of Zhangye, and although no tour buses or coaches normally go there, it is easy to hire a car and drive to see these fantastic formations for yourself!

The Mysterious Moai Statues of Easter Island
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These statues were thought to be a monument to the seafaring skills of ancient Polynesian peoples, however little to none oral or written history has survived regarding the Moai statues. They were painstakingly carved and sculpted, then moved to the location in which they now stand, by the ancient people of Rapa Nui. Each head averages around 4 metres in height and weighs a staggering 14 tons.

The statues are situated in a nearly unbroken line around the island, and a further 600 more have recently been discovered in a quarry, all in various stages of completion. The overwhelming sense of mystery that accompanies this island is what makes Easter Island a frequent subject among historians. Nobody quite knows why the Moai statues exist or their relevance to ancient culture, but the stalwart design and eerie frequency of these statues makes Easter Island a must see on bucket lists worldwide.

Want to create your own Bucket List?

We will be focusing on ‘places to visit before you die’ throughout the coming months, so why not check back regularly for ideas?