Multiculturalvote.com is the site that brings various cultures together and helps us all to better understand our fellow man. This site is dedicated to examining the celebrations and traditions of multiple cultures and sharing some similarities and exploring the unique differences. The site itself is a celebration of the peoples of the world and how when one gets down to the very roots of most cultures, we can see that we are all devoted to our families and our own personal pursuit of happiness.

Whether we’re discussing a self-isolated tribe in the rainforests of the Amazon, or a clan in the Mid East desert, or a family living in the American Midwest…..often the core values are quite similar: dedication to family, personal and spiritual growth, being a provider and contributing to the good of our loved ones, contributing to the community, respecting the environment around us, etc.

At multiculturalvote.com we will explore wedding customs and ceremonies, birthday celebrations, holidays, and raising children. We may compare the schooling practices of one culture as compared to another. We may celebrate the dress customs of several different cultures.

There is no judgment made at multiculturalvote.com

There are no comparisons to be made of a competitive nature. Our hope is to educate and enlighten our audience. Perhaps get someone to explore another culture much deeper after having been enamored by a tradition or custom they were previously unaware of. Maybe get a family to try a meal they wouldn’t have considered (or thought of) before. At the least, develop a desire to read about another group of people to better understand them.

Come to multiculturalvote.com to broaden your global outlook. To learn about some of the other people that you share the planet with. And to realize that we’re all not as different as government and media lead you to believe.

We have made these realizations, and as a result have abandoned our generalizations.
Join us !

But when one gets right down to it, even the most advanced cultures still survive by similar methods. Every culture is dependent on the raw materials and natural products of the land they live on. The most industrialized cultures are still dependent on the most basic components of the elements chart. Without precious metals like aluminum, nickel, and tin, or other naturally occurring elements such as sodium, fluorine, and of course oxygen, even the most advanced society would come to a halt. The biggest difference between these cultures is the amount of waste they are willing to allow.

So even when we consider a huge metropolis with many factories and the mass manufacturing of non-natural goods versus an isolated tribe in the Amazon, both are completely dependent on the natural world around them. Despite what we see on television these days about the threat of meteors, black holes, and severe climate change, man’s biggest challenge may very likely be securing fresh drinking water. The President of the manufacturing plant will have the same challenge to survive as the adolescent boy in the Amazonian tribe. That’s how basic life can be. Multiculturalvote.com and its readers know this.

What the tribes of the Amazon and many other parts of the world share is a policy of non-waste. The hides of fallen animals are used for clothing. The teeth, claws, and bones of the animals are used for tools or defensive weapons. The sap from the trees is used for healing mixtures or decorative ink. The tree bark, leaves, and branches are used for baskets, the walls and roofs of domiciles, and firewood.

These traits are very similar in nature to the people commonly referred to as Native Americans in North America. The philosophy that all tribes share when living directly off of the land is to only use as much of a resource as is required to survive. No gluttony. No waste. The taking of an animal’s life is typically regretted.

When the buffalo of the North American plains began to disappear due to the new skinning trade introduced by another culture, Native American tribes began to starve. They had only hunted what was necessary to feed and sustain themselves. When a different culture didn’t adhere to this accepted law of the land, it in essence destroyed the population of the original culture.

It is for this reason why a global respect for one another, the cultures of other peoples, and the planet itself is so absolutely necessary. Without a basic, human respect for differing cultures, one society is capable of genocide; whether they realize it is occurring or not.

At multiculturalvote.com we can’t stress it enough to love the land. Work toward preserving the environment. And respect your fellow man.
It’s the human thing to do.

Many of us on the staff have been fortunate enough to either observe/experience, or in some cases, even participate in the wedding ceremony of non-American cultures. That’s actually not too odd when one considers that the staff at multiculturalvote is highly diversified (as one might suspect). Seven different countries are represented in our humble, little office.

We thought we’d examine marriage in three different concepts.

First, we wanted to identify the concept that applies to the most cultures. And after much discussion, it came down to the “basic needs” principle. Man has a basic need for companionship. The one, single concept that we thought applies to the most cultures on the planet is that both males and females in the group seek a life-long mate. Very few people want to live solitary existences without sex, love, friendship, and general companionship.

Of course there are a few cultures where most of the members do indeed live platonic lives and there is no true form of marriage or permanent unions. The Mosuo , a Chinese minority group in the Himalaya region near the border of Tibet, have no recognized form of marriage. Of course, in cultures such as this, that by no means suggests there aren’t sexual relationships. A culture wouldn’t last very long in the annals of time if they weren’t procreating new generations. There just aren’t lifelong unions in the group.

But aside from the Mosuo and perhaps a few other cultures, we feel it is safe to say that a good 99% of the world culture recognize a form of marriage—or at least a lifetime bonding or pairing of two people.

The second concept about marriage that we agreed applied to most cultures was the existence of a ceremony or a celebration when two people form a union. This idea came in second place because there are more than just a few cultures that do not have a ceremony, unlike our first concept. Not too many; but a few. In many cases, these cultures adhere to pre-arranged marriages. It is agreed upon by the parents of a child, sometimes as early as the birth, that they will form a union with the child of another couple. Often a specific age is determined when the union will take place.

In many of the cultures that practice pre-arranged marriages, there is still a ceremony of some type. But in others, there is simply a delivery of the betrothed from one family to the other. This occurs with no religious or civic ceremony taking place.

Finally, the third concept we thought should be included in any discussion of marriage is the vast differences in the actual married life from one culture to another. After two people have agreed to form a union (as is the most common concept) or the pre-arranged time has come for a couple to unite—-and there has been a ceremony officially joining the couple (as in our second most common concept), we come to the part where most cultures tend to differentiate the most.

In some cultures, the couple does not cohabitate. In some cultures, like the Minangkabau of West Sumatra, the husband moves in to the house of his wife’s mother. In some cultures, marriage imposes an obligation on the women to bear children. In others, it is the couple’s freedom of choice on whether to bear children.

Some cultures allow a man to take on many wives. Some Amazon tribes allow a woman to take on younger husbands to help with hunting and protection when her first husband grows too old or is injured and no longer capable of performing all of his previous duties.
The wide range of cultural differences within the structure of marriage is a topic we will explore further in the coming days. The differences are neither good nor bad. They are simply one of the many ways we are different as peoples of the world.

Who knows? Maybe at your next wedding in New Delhi or Tokyo or Bogota, a member of the staff from multiculturalvote.com will be there to celebrate with you. Maybe it will even be their wedding ceremony !!

This includes everything from how an expectant mother gives birth to how people honor the deceased, and everything in-between: marriage ceremonies, how to punish law breakers, the laws themselves, housing styles, how children are educated, religious practices, work habits, and so much more.

All of these elements of a culture are the type of subjects that can cause great debate and sometimes heated disagreement when comparing one culture to another. And as we made clear in our mission statement at multiculturalvote.com , we aim to celebrate the similarities as well as the differences in various cultures. We strongly abide by the notion that different does not equate to negative.

We identified what we feel are the four components of a culture that should always be celebrated even when they may not quite be your ‘cup of tea’. These are the elements that usually celebrate life and the individual. They are often working in combination at festive events and gala occasions. Even if one culture finds these creative expressions too excessive or too pedestrian, one should realize that without these ingredients, a culture would be in serious decline until its probable demise.

After much debate and several votes amongst the multiculturalvote staff, we propose these as the most valuable key elements of a culture/society:
1) language:   obviously a culture can exist without an established, formal language. All the peoples of the world today are descendents of people who did not communicate thru words. Hand gestures, facial expressions, and grunts eventually were transformed into the spoken word. And today, language is often the first thing we observe to realize we are in a different culture. Many languages have died out over the centuries, which is a true travesty. This component of a culture is perhaps the most valuable, and at the same time, the most beautiful component. When a language is lost, half of the culture is lost with it.

2) food:   the various food and drink prominent in a culture are the next most valuable asset. What a quest it would be to try and sample as many dishes from various cultures in one’s lifetime ! It’s hard enough to try every restaurant in your own area. But this might also be the component that most people can agree is a celebration of the people and the region in which they live. Everyone loves food. Many people do not have enough food. They can survive without the next two elements, but not sustenance.

3) dress:   while the dress customs of a culture are also a true celebration of the people and the region they are from, it is not quite as vital as food and drink. No one should go unclothed unless they choose to. And many cultures do wear very little or no clothing. Hence, its place behind language and food on the list. But the various styles and fashions in a culture’s dress habits are one of the best ways for people to express themselves. And self-expression is one of our greatest gifts. No matter where you are from.

4) music:  finally, we come to the gift of music and song. Some cultures do indeed forbid music or singing. But since the beginning of mankind, pleasurable sounds have pacified in times of distress. It has helped people to celebrate achievement. It has even helped to make aggression subside. Music is one of the greatest gifts the world has ever seen. Exploring the music of various cultures is one of the greatest journeys an individual can take.

So when you are travelling or submerged in another culture, be sure to take the time to learn about these four invaluable components. Whether you admire the ways of the people or still prefer your own, these are the attributes of a culture to be celebrated and appreciated. You may find that you want to learn substantially more about that culture’s music, food or dress.

Which is exactly what this planet could use just a little bit more of.

As American children (and adults) and other children from all over the world get ready to celebrate Halloween in a few days, multiculturalvote.com thought it would be interesting to look at some of the “holidays” from other cultures that we don’t hear a lot about. In today’s discussion, we will examine the months of January thru June. The latter months will be studied in a future article.

 Solnal:    Korean New Year’s Day. This is the biggest festive event of the year for Korean community. This is usually celebrated on January 1. However some Koreans celebrate on the lunar New Year, later in the winter. Christian Koreans attend church on Solnal, while Buddhists make offerings to their ancestors at their temples.

Pongal:   In parts of India, January is the season for the rice harvest. Pongal is a three-day-long harvest festival celebrating the new crop. Newly harvested rice is cooked in a special ceremony and fed to the local cows and bullocks, which are painted for the festival.

Burns Night:    In many parts of the world, Burns Night is the most celebrated Scottish event. Scots gather to celebrate Robert (Robbie) Burns honored Scottish poet born on this day in 1759. The traditional Scottish dish of Haggis is piped in and the Master of Ceremonies reads Burn’s poem To a Haggis.
Ceremonies wind down with the famous Robert Burns song Auld Lang Syne. Burns Night is celebrated on January 25.

Purim:   Purim is a Jewish holiday, sometimes called Feast of Lots. The Hebrew word Purim means lots.
Drawing or casting lots is similar to rolling a dice. The origin of Purim is from the story about casting lots for the lives of the Jews, from the Book of Esther in the Bible. Purim is held to celebrate the historic victory and is a day for Jews to remember that evil can be defeated if people of good faith work together. This is celebrated in February or March.

Holi:   An ancient East Indian Festival held at the time of the full moon in March. In northern India, March is when the winter grain is harvested, and Holi is a harvest festival. It is also connected with the equinox, when the days begin to get longer, marking the end of winter. It is celebrated in March.

Anzac Day:    Anzac Day, a public holiday in Australia and New Zealand, commemorates the landing at Gallipoli in 1915 of the two countries’ fighting men, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, during World War I. In the early hours of April 25, at various Shrines of Remembrance, cenotaphs and war memorials everywhere in Australia and New Zealand, there is a gathering of the men and women who have gone to war and returned, and with their families and friends gather for a dawn service that heralds the start of another Anzac Day. This is celebrated on April 25.

Cinco de Mayo:    Cinco de Mayo celebrates a victory by the Mexican Army over the French Army in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Today, people celebrate Cinco de Mayo in a big way. They have festivals, dance special dances and eat special foods. Music and sporting events are a big part of the day. They make piñatas. People wear clothes of red and green, the colors of the Mexican flag. This is celebrated on May 5.

Ratha Yatra:   Ratha Yatra is the Hindu chariot festival that represents the travels of Lord Krishna. In India, a decorated chariot or huge cart is taken on a symbolic journey. Indians from Bengal and Orissa and many members of the Hari Krishna movement celebrate Rath Yatra. It occurs on the second day of the new moon of the third Hindu month.

In a future article, we will cover the months of July thru December.