UNI-SQUARE
UNIVA CAPITAL Group
The World Holiday Calendar
Unlike the previous years, we will not have a theme for UNI-SIGHT 2022. In each issue, we will introduce “people, objects and incidents” of our group from different angles. The February issue of UNI-SIGHT is published on February first 2022, New Year’s Day in the Lunar calendar. Our NAKAMA are celebrating the New Year with family and friends in many parts of the world. Happy New Year!
In our February “UNI-SQUARE”, we will introduce holidays that are celebrated by people of UNIVA CAPITAL Group. UNIVA CAPITAL Group is comprised of 63 companies, operating 15 ventures in 14 countries/regions. Almost every month, our NAKAMA somewhere in the world are celebrating their holidays. We are a global organization. We want to help you learn about lives of our NAKAMA in other countries. It is our hope that we will see the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and soon will be able to travel freely once again.
“The New Year” around the Globe
When you ask your NAKAMA, “When is your New Year’s Day?”, you may get different answers. Amongst the 14 countries where UNIVA CAPITAL Group operates its business, people in 9 countries/regions, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam, and Brunei, celebrate Lunar New Year. This year February first, the day that the February issue of UNI-SIGHT is published, is 2022’s Lunar New Year. Many NAKAMA are taking time off and enjoying the New Year celebration.
For people in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and for Chinese people all over the world, Lunar New Year, which has a long tradition, is the most important holiday. You can feel the festivity everywhere. Streets and buildings are decorated with red lanterns and good luck couplets. “Red” is an auspicious color and is ubiquitous during the Lunar New Year celebration. “Red envelopes” with money will be given to children and people who are younger than oneself. People place potted plants such as kumquats and daffodils at front doors and balconies as they are believed to bring good luck. The entire family gather to celebrate the New Year.
The Lunar New Year is called “Seollal” in South Korea. Families celebrate the New Year together. As the New Year approaches, gifts are given to relatives and to people to whom you want to express gratitude. New Year’s dishes are offered at the family altar to show respect to ancestors. Tteokguk, a traditional Korean New Year’s dish, is a part of the enjoyment of the Korean New Year’s celebration.
“Tet”, the most vibrant and widely celebrated holiday in the country, is Vietnam’s Lunar New Year’s Day. People start preparing for Tet in mid-December of the Lunar Year calendar. Homes are adorned with colorful flowers. Splendid special dishes for the New Year celebration represent Vietnam’s diverse regional flavors. You should try Bánh Chưng, a dish with rice, mung beans and pork wrapped in lá dong leaves and boiled for hours. It is delicious!
Songkran, the New Year’s Day in Thailand, is in April. It is the time to celebrate the earth’s 12-month revolution around the sun and to entering into the time of Aries. There is a traditional custom of purification where people pour water on Buddhist statues, pagodas and hands of seniors. People on the streets splash water at each other for fun, in what came to be known as “water festivals”. “Water festivals” take place during a 3-day period on April 13th, 14th and 15th and are national holidays. New Year’s events are held not only in Bangkok, the capital, but in many areas of Thailand, and attract many visitors. However, due to COVID-19, “water festivals” have not been held last two years. We hope they can revive the events this year!
Ramadan and Post-Ramadan Celebration
Do you know the difference between “holidays” and “national holidays”? National holidays are “days that nations designate as anniversaries, “days to commemorate historically important incidents” and “days to admire people who made great achievements”. In contrast, “holidays” include days that have religious significance. One of the holidays celebrated by many members of culturally diverse UNIVA CAPITAL Group is “Post-Ramadan.”
For Muslims, the most important rite of the year is Ramadan (a fast for one month), and the biggest holiday of the year is “Post-Ramadan”. “Ramadan” is September, the holy month, in the Islamic calendar. During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food or drink each day from sunrise to sunset. “Ramadan” also means “Saum = Purification”. Through fasting, Muslims are expected to practice self-restraint, piety and generosity. During Ramadan, you may see Muslim people seating at a restaurant with food on the table and waiting for the sunset, so they can dig in as soon as they are allowed.
When the month-long fast ends, people will have a day of celebration. The Post-Ramadan Celebration is called “Hari Raya” in Malaysia and “Eid al-Fitr” in Indonesia which is an Arabic word. In the morning after Ramadan ended, people wear new clothes and head for mosques to worship. Afterword, they visit family and friends for new year greetings. This is also the time for people to renew gratitude for having food. Children receive new year’s money called “Duit Raya” and some special sweets.
The Best Known Holiday in the World
The origin of Christmas, the most widely observed holiday in Europe and the U.S., is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Some culturally diverse countries in Asia such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines designate Christmas as national holidays. Even in countries where Christianity is not widely practiced, many people take advantage of the occasion and have fun on Christmas. They say on the six largest continents in the world, there is no continent where Christmas is not celebrated. Christmas may be the best known holiday in the world.
What is Christmas like in the United State where different cultures co-exist? In the end of November after the Thanksgiving holiday, people start preparing for Christmas. These days, a phrase “Happy Holidays” is often used instead of “Merry Christmas” for greetings. This is due to the awareness that not all people are Christians. It may be unique to the United States where people with many different religions and ethnic backgrounds live.
You cannot spend Christmas in the U.S. without a Christmas tree. In late November, Christmas tree lots appear and sell fresh conifers. Why do you need a Christmas tree? That is because Christmas presents are placed under the tree. Presents are given not only to children, but to spouses, siblings and other family members, and are piled up under the tree. How exciting! Presents from Santa Claus to children will be delivered in the night of 24th of December. Don’t forget to leave a glass of milk and some cookies on the mantle for Santa Claus!
The most common main dish for Christmas meals in the U.S. is a roasted whole turkey. On Christmas day, families and friends surround a table on which a turkey roasted hours and hours in the oven is the center of attention. Christmas lights in the U.S. are spectacular. Even in private homes, people decorate their Christmas trees, houses and yards with countless colorful lights. You may wonder if they are the work of professionals, but most of them are installed by the residents themselves. These elaborate and large scale Christmas lights at private homes may be uniquely American. Christmas is a fun time of the year. How was your Christmas? Please send your comments and share your stories.
From net resources
From net resources
Interesting Holidays in the World
Unlike cheerful New Year’s celebrations that were introduced here earlier, some people spend “very quiet” New Year’s Days. People in Bali Island of Indonesia observe “Nyepi”, a day of silence. It is not permitted to go out; it is reported that a number of people are arrested every year for breaking this rule. Making loud noises are prohibited, and a use of electricity is restricted. Stores and restaurants are closed, and you don’t even see/hear airplanes taking off or landing. It is the most holy day of the year for Hindus in Bali Island. If you want to experience “true quietness”, visit Bali during Nyepi. Please be aware that the date of Nyepi changes every year, as it is based on Saka calendar, a luni-solar calendar used in Bali.
March 8th is International Women’s Day, a day to commemorate women who played important roles in promoting social progress. It is also a day for women to be inspired to achieve further social progress. Some countries designate International Women’s Day as a national holiday. In China, women can take a half day off from work on March 8th, so only men are seen at workplaces. Women play significant roles at workplaces in China, so a half-day absence of women on “International Women’s Day” makes a huge difference. It underscores their importance at workplaces in China.
What do you think of “UNIVA CAPITAL Group, the World Holiday Calendar”? What we introduced to you in this issue is only a fraction of world holidays. Now that you know a little more about world holidays, are you interested in visiting countries/regions where your NAKAMA work? Now, here is a quiz for you. Which country in which UNIVA CAPITAL Group operates has the most holidays in the year 2022? This country has 23 holidays in 2022. For your information, the United States has the least number of holidays with only 11 holidays in 2022. Please share your holiday stories, unique customs and traditions with us. We look forward to hearing from you.
Please “Like” and add “Comment”. Let’s make our “UNI-SQUARE” a vibrant virtual gathering place! The answer of the quiz is “Thailand”.
※Our colleagues from various parts of the world provided information for this story.
Thank you everyone for your contribution!