検索キーワード： 慣習・伝統

The people of this land of white summer nights and pristine lakes are famous for their sisu, a form of enterprising stoicism. They are survivors: if you were stranded on a desert island, your ideal companion would be a Finn. Culture Smart! Finland describes the historical, geographical, and cultural influences that have shaped the Finnish psyche, and guides you through the working and social lives of the Finns today, offering you a deeper, more rewarding experience of this beautiful land.

Malaysia presents visitors with an exciting and fascinating medley of cultures—Malay, Chinese, Indian, Arab, Eurasian, Dayak, and Aboriginal. Though very much a modern nation state, its diverse communities retain a considerable amount of their unique heritage and, in its customs, religions, festivals, costume, cuisine, languages, and architecture, Malaysian society perfectly illustrates the virtues of a vibrant pluralism.

Fairies, Banshees, Changelings, Brownies, Kelpies, enchanted livestock, and more are investigated by a renowned folklorist and minister in 19th-century Scotland. Superstitions regarding subjects like funerals, suicides, and murders are explored, as are tales of augury, premonitions, divination, dreams, prophecies, spells, and the Devil—all collected entirely from testimonials made directly to the author by residents of places like the isles of Mull and Skye, Islay, Kintyre, the Hebrides and the Highlands.

Though it was one of the most advanced civilizations of its time and responsible for the most ancient prehistoric urban sites across the Indian subcontinent, the Indus Valley Civilization was forgotten for millennia, until 20th century archaeologists rediscovered and began excavations at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa.

Neue Ausgrabungen weisen auf eine Besiedlung des Elbtals durch die Slawen im 7. Jahrhundert hin. Dabei geht der Name auf das slawische Wort für Sumpfwald zurück. Um 929 von der Burg Meißen unterworfen, entwickelte sich die Stadtbevölkerung so geschwind, dass es zur Germanisierung und 1206 schließlich zur ersten urkundlichen Erwähnung von Dresden kam.

Freemasonry is one of the oldest and most widespread voluntary organizations in the world. Over the course of three centuries, men (and women) have organized themselves socially and voluntarily under its name. This Very Short Introduction introduces the inner activities of freemasonry, and the rituals, symbols, and practices. Looking at the development of the organizational structure of masonry from the local to the global level, Andreas Önnerfors considers perceptions of freemasonry from the outside world and navigates through the prevalent fictions and conspiracy theories.

In a magisterial work, Jaan Puhvel unravels the prehistoric Indo-European origins of the traditions of India and Iran, Greece and Rome, of the Celts, Germans, Balts, and Slavs. Utilizing the methodologies of historical linguistics and archaeology, he reconstructs a shared religious, mythological, and cultural heritage. Separate chapters on individual traditions as well as on recurrent themes—god and warrior, king and virgin, fire and water—give life to Comparative Mythology as both a general introduction and a detailed reference.

For much of its history Cyprus was regarded as the Cinderella of empires—beautiful, abused, isolated. Today, the island is divided between the Greek-Cypriot south and the Turkish occupied north. However, both sides take pride in a shared "Cypriotness," and are united in their common hopes, pain, memories, music, excellent cuisine, rich history, and majestic landscape. Culture Smart! Cyprus equips you with essential information on the history, values, and attitudes of the people you will meet, their customs and traditions, and offers tips on etiquette and socializing.

Still considered one of the best books ever written about bullfighting, Death in the Afternoon reflects Hemingway's belief that bullfighting was more than mere sport. Here he describes and explains the technical aspects of this dangerous ritual, and "the emotional and spiritual intensity and pure classic beauty that can be produced by a man, an animal, and a piece of scarlet serge draped on a stick."

Tales about the great heroes of mythology. The labours of Hercules, the greatest hero of all times; the struggles of Theseus and the slaying of Minotaur; Jason and the Argonauts; and the fascinating adventures of Odysseus.

A quick and fun way to learn the gist about Zeus, king of gods and mortals; Hera, his jealous wife and goddess of marriage and family life; Poseidon, god of the seas; Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love; and the other great gods who dwelt on Olympus. Their squabbles and their dealings with men and women.

The Amazons, a fascinating exploration of the legendary women-warriors who captured the Greek imagination. Rothery draws on classical texts, folklore, anthropology, and comparative histories to trace the myth’s evolution—and to ask: how much of the legend is rooted in fact?

An expat's witty and insightful exploration of English and American cultural differences through the lens of language that will leave listeners gobsmacked. In That's Not English, the seemingly superficial differences between British and American English open the door to a deeper exploration of a historic and fascinating cultural divide. In each of the 30 chapters, Erin Moore explains a different word we use that says more about us than we think.

Living Conjure is a beginner's guide to Conjure written by an authentic Conjure woman with over four decades of working experience. Starr Casas learned Conjure the old-fashioned way: at home, from her relatives and ancestors. She would like to share that knowledge with a new generation of practitioners.

In this strange and wonderful book, thirty elders of the ancient Hopi tribe of Northern Arizona—a people who regard themselves as the first inhabitants of America—freely reveal the Hopi worldview for the first time in written form. The Hopi kept this view a secret for countless centuries, and anthropologists have long struggled to understand it. Now they record their myths and legends, and the meaning of their religious rituals and ceremonies as a gift to future generations.

The Strange Order of Things is a pathbreaking investigation into homeostasis, the condition that regulates human physiology within the range that makes possible not only the survival but also the flourishing of life. Antonio Damasio makes clear that we descend biologically, psychologically, and even socially from a long lineage that begins with single living cells; that our minds and cultures are linked by an invisible thread to the ways and means of ancient unicellular life and other primitive life-forms.

Not so very long ago, Yuletide was as much a chilling season of ghosts and witches as it was a festival of goodwill. In The Old Magic of Christmas, you'll rub elbows with veiled spirits, learn the true perils of elves, and discover a bestiary of enchanted creatures. Rife with the more frightful characters from folklore and the season's most petulant ghosts, this book takes you on a spooky sleigh ride from the silvered firs of a winter forest to the mirrored halls of the Snow Queen.

This imaginative and stimulating Very Short Introduction audiobook goes beyond a simple retelling of the stories to explore the rich history and diverse interpretations of classical mythology. It is a wide-ranging account, examining how classical myths are used and understood in both high art and popular culture, taking the listener from the temples of Crete to skyscrapers in New York, and finding classical myths in a variety of unexpected places: from Arabic poetry and Hollywood films, to psychoanalysis, the Bible, and New Age spiritualism.

Myths about the more important individuals in ancient Greek Mythology. Included are the love of Orpheus for Euridice, the sad fate of Narcissus, the allegory of Daedalus and Icarus, and the greed of king Midas, who wished to turn into gold everything he touched.

Tales of the Elders of Ireland (Acallam na Senórach) represents the largest literary text surviving from 12th-century Ireland, the most comprehensive early collection of Fenian stories and poetry. Three parallel worlds interact: the contemporary Christian world of Saint Patrick with his scribes, clerics, occasional angels, and souls rescued from Hell; the earlier pagan world of the ancient, giant Fenians and an array of Irish kings; and the timeless Otherworld, peopled by ever-young shape-shifting fairies.