Global Arts

There are a few basic things we all seem to know: our name and age. Ask almost any toddler how old they are and you will have a fistful of fingers, cookie crumbs and all, depicting their years on earth. What if you went to another country and you were suddenly 1 or 2 years older? How could that be? Travel to Korea with Little Passports to find out. Like Little Passports on Facebook and get fun updates on your world. Inspiring quotes, reasons to celebrate, and travel stories are all shared on the Little Passports Facebook page. Join today! If your favorite little explorer is not signed up for Little Passports yet, give them the gift that shows up at their doorstep every month! Find out more here.        Age Reckoning in Korea Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul Everyday life in Korea is a fascinating blend of our modern world and ancient traditions. Age reckoning is one of these traditions that strongly lives on in Korean culture. Here's how it works: a child is considered one year old at birth and with each New Year (not birthday) one more year is added. This means EVERYONE turns one year older on the same day! So a child who is 8 in the United States, might be considered 9 or 10 in  Korea. If your child just can't wait to boast double digits, tell them to head to "The Land of the Morning Calm"!            Important Age Celebrations  Korean Soup While most of us have moved beyond childhood (at least on the books) our little ones have many special age rites ahead of them. In Korea, the 100th day of a child's life, Baek-il, is a promising sign that they will grow to become a healthy child. On the other end of the age spectrum, an important age in Korea is 60. Reaching 10 years beyond your bicentennial is a reason to celebrate. Hwan-gap marks the complete 60 year cycle of the zodiac and is commemorated by celebrating with family and eating yummy food such as the soup pictured above. Notice the raw meat and raw egg waiting to be topped with boiling water and cooked before your eyes. What do you think? How old are you? Little Passports is going to side with Mark Twain: "Age is an issue of mind over matter.  If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." Activities   1) How Old Are You? Discover your age according to Korean age reckoning. Do this by using the dates of Seolnal (Korean New Year). Example:                  * August 15th, 2001 (Amy is born!) = Amy is 1 year old (1 day in US)      * February 12th, 2002 (Seolnal) = Amy is 2 years old (6 months in US)      * February 1st, 2003 (Seolnal) = Amy is 3 years old (1.5 years in US)      * February 3rd, 2011 (Seolnal) = Amy is 11 years old (9.5 years in US) In the United States Amy would be considered 9 years old, but in Korea she would be considered 11 years old. 2) Make Kimchi Click  here for a yummy kimchi recipe. Be sure to also check out our other international dishes! 3) Re-think Birthday with Little Passports Either way you count the years, most of us missed out on counting year number one while we were still warm in the belly. Let's make up for it with a celebration! The entire family can celebrate together over a traditional Korean dinner. Some of us may not have the experience in the kitchen to pull off ALL the bells and whistles of an authentic Korean meal, so, let's improvise. A proper Korean meal includes numerous side dishes called banchan. Get creative and make your favorite side dishes to accompany your steamed rice. Soup (guk or tang) is also a common dish to be served WITH the meal, not before. Many Koreans do not consider a meal complete unless kimchi is involved. Get the Basics Down! 4) Map Activity   Can you find these countries on the map?      * South Korea      * North Korea      * Singapore      * Nepal 5a) Bonus Questions 1) What vegetable is typically used in kimchi? 2) Are BBQ's popular in Korea? 3) What is the capitol of South Korea? What is the capitol of North Korea? 4) Do you know why Hibiscus is important in South Korea? 5b) Bonus Answers 1) Napa cabbage 2) Yes! Korean BBQ is a fun and interactive way to enjoy traditional Korean food. Scissors are often used to cut meat and the BBQ takes place right in the middle of the table. Plenty banchan accompanies a BBQ, so come hungry! 3) South Korea: Seoul, North Korea: Pyongyang 4) Hibiscus, or mugunghwa in Korean, is South Korea's National Flower. The word mugunghwa stems from the Korean word mugung, meaning "immortality."

Little Passports loves our Facebook community. Join Little Passports on Facebook today to get inspiring and interesting updates on your world! Don't forget about our Brazil Contest. For details check out the "Notes" section on their Facebook page.

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is here! This larger than life holiday is the biggest annual migration of humans IN THE WORLD! Chunyun, or Spring Festival travel season,  brings families from around the world together to celebrate culture, history, and yummy eats! Little Passports wants to share with you the fun, the story, the family, and the magic that are all part of Chinese New Year!  Year of the Rabbit      2011 is hopping right along and on February 3rd the tiger takes a 12 year rest while the rabbit hops on to center stage. For some, this is simply entertaining. For others, it determines  a lot more than just house decoration. Each  year a reputable Asian investment firm publishes the feng shui report on the stock  market. According to the report, this lunar year will be  best for investing in things associated with  water and metal while avoiding investments associated with wood and earth.    Red Envelope    Children across the Asian world are being given pocket money nestled in red envelopes (Hóng Bāo in Mandarin). It's a Lunar New Year tradition for adults to give red pocket money to children. Numbers in Chinese culture are very important and can represent meaning far beyond the number itself. The number four sounds like the word "death", while the number eight sounds like the word "prosperity".    Open-Air Markets Lunar New Year is not simply a 24-hour event. Weeks prior to the big day,  Open-Air Markets fill with food, themed decorations, and symbolic plants. Pictured below, a Chinese girl laughs as she explains the significance of her peach blossom and Solanum mammosum (5 generation plant) that she purchased at the Open-Air Market in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.      "The peach blossom symbolizes romance and love. Girls usually buy it to keep their hopes high for the chance of love in the coming year.The other plant represents that 5 generations of the family can be united together. There are usually 5 buds for one single fruit."                    - Marron Wong, Hong Kong Reunion  With all the hype, colors, and noise (fireworks galore) an outsider may forget the most important part of Lunar New Year: family!  At the New Year's Eve reunion dinner a whole fish is served and NOT finished. The  leftover fish is a symbol of abundance for the coming year. The Chunyun travel season isn't just about getting a taste of Grandma's yu-wan (fish balls)--though we're sure it motivates many! The greatest meaning of the New Year is being surrounded by those you love!   Activities   1) Red Pocket Money If you don't have a red envelope, how will you get red pocket money? Follow these simple steps to create a homemade envelope. Tell your family what it represents and give them a few hints about what goes inside! Supplies: Piece of Square Paper Double Sided Tape Ruler (or something to flatten the folded paper to make a crisp fold) Red Paint (or red paper for less mess) Gold Paint or Thick Gold Marker Instructions: Mark the center of the square paper with a small dot. Fold in two opposite corners of the paper so that corner points meet the center dot. Use the ruler to make your folds crisp. Choose which side of the paper will be the "bottom" of your envelope. Now fold this side up so that the corner is about 1/2 an inch above the dot. Use the ruler to make your new fold crisp. Use double sided tape to attach this new fold to the first folds. Now you should have a secure pouch (this is where the money goes!) Fold down the free portion of the paper, but don't seal it yet (there's still no money in it)   Use the red and gold paint to decorate your envelope. Paint the envelope red and use the gold to draw a Chinese symbol. Here are a few characters in simplified Chinese that you might like.   Lucky: 幸运 Love: 爱 Friend: 朋友 If you need some visual assistance with this craft, check it out here: http://rubberstamping.about.com/od/projects/ss/EasyEnvelope.htm 2) What is your animal?   According to popular Chinese belief, a person born under a certain animal year will have characteristics of that animal. Find out what animal you are according to the date of your birth! Here are some of the highlights. Rat: Charming, innovative, intelligent Ox: Dependable, calm, methodical Tiger: A rebellious, colorful and unpredictable character Rabbit: Very fortunate, good manners, artistic and possess good judgment Dragon: Full of vitality and strength, positive person, powerful Snake: Endowed with a personal wisdom, skeptical, graceful Horse: Cheerful, popular, and quick-witted Sheep: Righteous, sincere, generous, pessimist Monkey: Inventor, improviser, motivator, clever Rooster: Meticulous, organized, decisive, talkative Dog: Honest, intelligent, straightforward Pig: Simplicity, courageous, thoughtful   3) Remember the story There are 12 animals that rotate in the Chinese zodiac calendar. Sometimes it can be hard to remember them all, and in what order! Invent a cute story to help you remember the animal cycle. Check out the "Notes" section of our facebook to read the story Sam and Sofia made up. Map Activity Chinese New Year is celebrated far and wide by people across the world. We know our little travelers are smart, so we are going to challenge them with this newsletter map activity. Prove us right by finding these countries!   Mozambique Paraguay Kazakhstan New Zealand    Bonus Questions 1) Many countries celebrate the Lunar New Year along with China. What country's holiday is called "Tet"? 2) What is something you should not do on New Year's Day? 3) Chinese New Year is called by many names. Do you know them? 4) What does the color red represent for Chinese New Year? Bonus Answers  1) Vietnam calls the Lunar New Year "Tet." Tell your friends, "Chuc Mung Nam Moi" (Happy New Year). 2) Don't sweep the house! According to the Chinese, sweeping the house can sweep away your good fortune for the year. When you do sweep (after the big day) you must sweep inward to the middle of the house and carry the dust and rubbish out the back door.   3) Chinese New Year is also commonly called Spring Festival and Lunar New Year. 4) Red is a very important color for Chinese New Year. The color red is said to ward off evil spirits. An ancient legend tells of an evil spirit or monster that was tormenting villagers. They discovered that red scared off this evil spirit, so today everything is covered in red for the New Year to keep evil away.