Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 July 9

= July 9 =

Celebrating national holidays from other cultures (outside the U.S.)
This year, as part of our family activities, we observed both Cinco de Mayo and the 4th of July. For Cinco de Mayo we prepared some platanos and set up a pinata for the kids. For the 4th we had a BBQ and shot fireworks. When I asked my son how he like the 4th of July celebration, he said he like Cinco de Mayo better because we "did something different." That got me thinking: What other type of "nationalistic" holidays from around the world could we observe, and what kind of activities would be involved? I think this would be fun for the kids, while also being educational about other cultures. It would also be nice to have more holidays to look forward to throughout the year. Any suggestions or resources that would be helpful with this? Quinn &#10048; BEAUTIFUL DAY 19:49, 9 July 2011 (UTC)


 * How about Guy Fawkes Night from England on 5 November. Have a big bonfire. Make an effigy (of Guy Fawkes) out of old clothes stuffed with newspaper and chuck it on the fire at an appropriate moment. Eat jacket potatoes and sausage rolls. And (if local legislation allows) lots of fireworks. Apparently it's celebrated in New Zealand too, although I have no idea why. Probably best to avoid making an effigy of the Pope as they do in Lewes though. Alansplodge (talk) 20:54, 9 July 2011 (UTC)


 * It is a shame that that GFN article says nothing anout how GFN is currently celebrated in Britain, as Alansplodge rightly describes. (I've never heard of fireworks being restricted - unless you live near an airport perhaps). 2.101.12.198 (talk) 11:33, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * "In the United States, the laws governing consumer fireworks vary widely from state to state, or from county to county. It is common for consumers to cross state and county lines in order to purchase types of fireworks which are outlawed in their home-jurisdictions. Fireworks laws in urban areas typically limit sales or use by dates or seasons. Municipalities may have stricter laws than their counties or states do." Alansplodge (talk) 21:34, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Indeed. Perhaps you'd be interested in the discussion (archived) at Talk:Guy Fawkes Night/Archive 3, and the current one at Articles for deletion/Bonfire Night.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:58, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * It is a pity that the GFN article appears to have been hijacked by people with an anti-catholic religious agenda. The seperate Bonfire night article says nothing about how GFN is celebrated in Britain - its British history after all - and is therefore a bad article. I see that the "Parrott of Doom", who is blamed for all this on the talk pages, states that he (PoD) was "one of the primary contributors" to the "Nick Griffin" article. Nick Griffin is the head of the National Front, a notorious fascist organisation. 92.28.241.211 (talk) 10:44, 11 July 2011 (UTC)


 * This isn't the relevant place to air an article dispute. Just on one basic fact in your text, Nick Griffin is a former member of the National Front, but he is the leader of the entirely separate British National Party. Warofdreams talk 12:49, 11 July 2011 (UTC)


 * "Parrot Of Doom", "War Of Dreams". What's the connection? 92.24.187.78 (talk) 15:09, 11 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Same connection as with Catherine of Aragon. Three words with "of" in the middle.  Never heard of this editor you mention; your dispute, whatever it may be, is not relevant to this question. Warofdreams talk 00:53, 12 July 2011 (UTC)
 * I've heard that Tom of Finland is very popular among members of the BNP, I thought it was in-group code for that. 92.28.244.254 (talk) 11:45, 12 July 2011 (UTC)
 * You've both got similar names and you both are knowledgeable about fascist politics. Sock puppet? Using home computer and work or library computer to get different ISP numbers? 92.28.244.254 (talk) 11:39, 12 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Amazing the bizarre things you can be accused of sometimes! This clearly doesn't merit a response; I'll not remove it, as it concerns me, but given it's entirely off-topic, I wouldn't be surprised if it disappears. Warofdreams talk 16:03, 12 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Guy Fawkes Night was a big event in Australia when I was a kid around 50 years ago. It's faded a lot since then with personal safety concerns about fireworks dramatically limiting their sale, and concerns about bushfire dramatically restricting their use. HiLo48 (talk) 12:23, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Toffee and parkin is more traditional (in the "heritage" sense of the word) for Guy Fawkes', and researching how to make it may be educational. Although I wouldn't be surprised to find that you can't get black treacle in the States... Tevildo (talk) 11:28, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Being from the sunny south of the Kingdom, I had no idea what "parkin" is until about 30 seconds ago! Alansplodge (talk) 21:34, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Children's Day (Japan) - you can make your own paper carp. Rmhermen (talk) 22:23, 9 July 2011 (UTC)


 * The kids might not enjoy that carp, and carp about it all day long. StuRat (talk) 19:16, 11 July 2011 (UTC)


 * The article National Day should help. I'm in Australia. We have Australia Day on 26th January, the height of summer, so there's lots of BBQs and picnics. Sausages, lamb chops, steak, prawns (we don't call them shrimps - that has another meaning here). HiLo48 (talk) 23:10, 9 July 2011 (UTC)


 * If you don't mind another Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead is fun, but something like Halloween. StuRat (talk) 00:09, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Hanukkah has a small gift each day, instead of one day packed with gifts at Christmas (although the Twelve Days of Christmas is similar). StuRat (talk) 00:33, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * On the tenth day of Hanukkah my true love gave to me ten adonai a-leaping... ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 08:30, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * adonim. ._. Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie &#124; Say Shalom! 12:59, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Thanks. I knew I had it wrong, and was counting on a Hebrew student to correct it. :) ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:17, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

As a student studying French at high school I was introduced to celebration of Quatorze Juillet or Bastille Day. (14th July, in case translation is needed.) It seemed to involve lots of hot croissants with heaps of butter and strawberry jam. HiLo48 (talk) 08:42, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Canada Day is July 1, although it's not much different than the 4th of July (barbecue, hot dogs, fireworks, beer...) Adam Bishop (talk) 09:41, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Q: Does Canada have a Fourth of July? A: Yes, only it comes on the First. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 12:24, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

Give 67 minutes of your time to a humanitarian cause in your community on Mandela Day (18 July). I'm going to read to some of the residents at a nearby home for the aged. It's not a national holiday as such but it is officially endorsed by the United Nations. Roger (talk) 12:12, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Surely it should be 69 minutes now? 85.210.113.229 (talk) 19:12, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Why? The 67 minutes is based on his 67 year career - read the article. Roger (talk) 20:58, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Norwegians are delighted to tell about their National Day May 17th e.g. their children's parades, greeting the king, costumes, anthem etc. The article Mardi Gras describes a host of celebrations in various countries. Also look around locally for neighbours with non-US cultural connections, even if distant. Those who run restaurants are easy to identify, such as Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese etc. You can find out the dates celebrated in their homelands from Wikipedia and tourist guides. Then express a friendly interest to them in knowing more and you will not be disapointed. Use discretion with the sensitivity of refugees who must have mixed feelings about government sponsored days of the type "Day of Glorious Birthday of Beloved Dictator". Cuddlyable3 (talk) 14:25, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

The only real nationalistic holiday in Finland is the Independence Day, which is on 6 December. It is a very solemn holiday with next to none partying. It has been established as more of a celebration of Finland surviving the Winter War and the Continuation War instead of an actual celebration of independence, although Finland has been continuously independent ever since the Finnish Parliament accepted the proposal for independence on 6 December 1917. In practice, the real Finnish holidays are on Midsummer and Christmas. Midsummer is the holiday where people party, on Christmas they get together with their families to receive presents and eat Christmas dinner. J I P &#124; Talk 20:45, 10 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Diwali and Chinese New Year are among the holidays often commemorated in UK schools; they can be occasions to cook and eat excellent food. Itsmejudith (talk) 07:35, 11 July 2011 (UTC)


 * And it's not Chinese New Year without a Chinese dragon dance. StuRat (talk) 19:07, 11 July 2011 (UTC)


 * Actually dragon dances are relatively rare in Malaysia during Chinese New Year. The Lion dance is far more common. I think it's the same in NZ and Singapore. Nil Einne (talk) 22:41, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

Insurance questions
My camera was stolen in Stockholm during my InterRail trip. I have valid travel insurance, so I will have to contact the insurance company and file a claim. I can provide my InterRail tickets and a copy of the report I filed for the Swedish police along with the claim, but will the insurance company be satisfied with that? They don't actually have proof that the camera even existed in the first place. It was even originally bought with my mother's credit card, so I don't have the receipt, and I don't know if my mother has it either. Would the camera shop have it on their records? I do have the warranty cards for the camera and the lenses with the shop's stamp and sales date, but no price. Will that help? Will the insurance company reimburse me for the original cost of the camera or its current value? J I P &#124; Talk 21:46, 9 July 2011 (UTC)
 * You should read the fine print of your insurance contract. Many companies will recognise a police lost property report. They may fund a replacement, or what value they think it would be after depreciation.  If you have saved some pictures from the camera, eg on commons, you may be able to show that the camera existed based on the EXIF data. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 03:43, 10 July 2011 (UTC)
 * It sounds like you have good documentation except only the price of the camera. You don't say the camera model but if it is a well known system camera with interchangeable lenses there are the manufacturer's price list and advertisements that show the price when new. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 13:52, 10 July 2011 (UTC)
 * It was an Olympus E-520. Olympus is not nearly as popular for its DSLRs as Canon or Nikon but still popular enough to be known to most people. I will telephone the camera shop tomorrow and ask if they can give the receipt information to me or to my mother. J I P  &#124; Talk 19:19, 10 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Is there a reason why you can't telephone your insurance company and just ask them what documentation they require (or will settle for)? TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:02, 11 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes, there was. I originally posted my question during the weekend and the insurance company was closed. I've telephoned them now and they answered that the InterRail tickets, the police report, and the warranty cards should be sufficient, as long as I provide a value estimate on the claim form itself. J I P  &#124; Talk 20:55, 11 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Surely the credit card company has a record of the price paid. Comet Tuttle (talk) 21:15, 11 July 2011 (UTC)
 * I think so too, but I'm fairly sure they will only give it to my mother, as it was she who paid for the camera. (I paid her in return later.) She has currently been too busy to contact the credit card company. J I P  &#124; Talk 18:45, 12 July 2011 (UTC)

sangalingali bigeared creature of vanuatu
An account of the apparent capture of one of these creatures appears in a Missionary's account of life in Vanuatu in the 1930s. Reverent Basil Nottage of New Zealand in his book "Break of Day Islands", published by the Presbyterian Church of NZ, describes it on page 68. Can I find out more of the tales of this creature? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.239.25.22 (talk) 22:36, 9 July 2011 (UTC)
 * That book is unlikely to be readily available to anybody who watches this page, so without more information there is probably not much to say. Sources that are available online translate the word sangalingali (also spelled sangalangal) as "bush spirit" or "spirit of the bush".  Apparently "bush spirits" are mythological entities that haunt waterholes, sort of like the nymphs and fairies of European mythology.  Obviously one cannot capture a mythological entity. Looie496 (talk) 00:43, 10 July 2011 (UTC)
 * As our article notes Vanuatu, there are no large indigenous animals on Vanuatu. I'd suspect that if the 'creature' existed at all, it was a bat - though this is pure conjecture. Then again, Missionaries in the region seem to have had a propensity for misunderstanding the locals, and vice versa (I'll find a source for this if someone really insists, but our Cargo Cult article is a good place to start if you want to see how unsuccessful the Missionaries were at imposing their own world-view - though this article needs a lot of work), so what exactly occurred is anyone's guess. AndyTheGrump (talk) 02:26, 10 July 2011 (UTC)