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Let Us Know about Gifts Given for Special Occasions in Your Culture!

Online Knitting, Crocheting and Embroidery Books

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Let Us Know about Gifts Given for Special Occasions in Your Culture!

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

I’ve been asked… “about gift customs around the world like the one of the temari balls in Japan. Which gifts do people around the world traditionally give for special events such as marriages, births, etc.?”

FYI Temari balls are fancy balls with colorful, intricate patterns on them. They originally come from China, but are also found in Japan. They were traditionally made out of silk, often from old kimonos. Now they’re made with embroidery covering the balls.

They’re thought to bring good luck to whoever owns them. They’re given for births, birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. They’re also given by parents to kids on New Years Day.

Mama Lisa

I asked Ayako in Japan about the Temari balls. Here’s what she wrote:

“Hi Lisa,

Temari balls are beautiful. Their embroidery is fancy. We don’t play with them now. We just enjoy looking at them.

By the way, one of the traditional gifts is “Otoshidama”. It is special money given to children from their parents or relatives on New Year. It may sound dry to give money, but it is traditional heart-warming gift.

On Valentine’s day, women give chocolates to the men whom they love in Japan. It is called “true heart chocolate”. Sometimes working women give chocolates to their male coworkers. It is called “obligation chocolate”. Recently, it’s also common to give chocolate to one’s friend. That’s called “friendly chocolate”.

Usually men give gifts to the women in return on the 14th of March.

Ayako

Please join the discussion and let us know about any special gifts given for special events in your culture by commenting below…

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Posted in Arts and Crafts, Birthdays, Countries & Cultures, Customs, Embroidery, Gift Giving, Holidays Around the World, Japan, Mama Lisa, Marshmallow Day, New Years, Questions, St. Valentine's Day, Temari Balls, USA, Valentine's Day | 2 Comments »

Online Knitting, Crocheting and Embroidery Books

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

Project Gutenberg has some great books that are in the public domain that you can enjoy online or download for free. Most of them are older, but many are as fresh today as when they were first written.

Today I found some on crocheting, knitting and embroidery. If you’re interested in any of these art forms you may enjoy looking at these books.

But first, here’s a poem called “The Praise of the Needle”, by John Taylor, that I thought you might enjoy. It was in one of the books:

Flowers, Plants and Fishes, Birds, Beasts, Flies, and Bees,
Hills, Dales, Plains, Pastures, Skies, Seas, Rivers, Trees,
There’s nothing near at hand, or farthest sought,
But with the needle may be shap’d and wrought.

Here are some of the books with links to their download urls at Gutenberg:

Exercises in Knitting
Knitting, Crochet, Point-Lace, etc.
Beeton’s Book of Needlework
Encyclopedia of Needlework
The Development of Embroidery in America
Jacobean Embroidery
Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving
The Art of Modern Lace Making

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Posted in Arts and Crafts, Book Sites, Books, Crafts, Crocheting, Embroidery, English, Knitting, Languages, Learning, Recommendations, Teaching | 5 Comments »

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