• A look at the diamond trade in Antwerp, Belgium
  
• Street performers in Dublin, Ireland
  
• A flamboyant "welcome dance" in a Malian village
  
• How to make an authentic Spanish tortilla

• What country is famous for textiles such as kente-cloth, which have colorful geometric patterns and are considered to be among the most beautiful in Africa?
  
  
• In Niger, sharing three rounds of what drink is considered an essential part of a social visit?
  
  
• What island near Dakar, Senegal, was a major auction site for the colonial-era slave trade and is protected today as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO?

World Holidays
Holidays provide a great way to introduce students to the culture and history of a country. "Observe" a world holiday in your classroom by asking students to research the holiday's origins or learn more about a particular aspect of the country.

• Legend says that Manitoba got its name from the Cree words Manitou bou, meaning the "narrows of the Great Spirit." At the narrows of Lake Manitoba, crashing waves make a unique, bell-like sound that is said to come from a huge drum beaten by the Manitou, or the Great Spirit.
  
  
• The famous storybook bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, was named after a black bear cub in the London Zoo. The bear's owner was Lieutenant Harry Colbourn, a Canadian soldier and veterinarian serving in Britain during World War I. He named the bear Winnie because he missed his hometown of Winnipeg.
  
  
• Learn more.

January Podcast

Photo Gallery Pick


Djenné, Mali, January 2005
Malian Boubou: Most men in Mali wear long, flowing garments called boubous and wrap approximately six meters of thin cotton around their heads and faces. This wardrobe protects the locals from the burning sun and frequent sandstorms.

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