RVO Staff Writer

Heart-shaped boxes of creamy chocolates, bouquets of roses, and lovey-dovey cards are some of the ways lovers celebrate Valentineâ€s Day here in the U.S. And February 14^th isnâ€t just a happy day for lovers. In a survey published last month by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, companies producing Valentine candy, cards, flowers and novelties are swooning like teenage sweethearts because Valentineâ€s Day generates more than $13 Billion in revenue.

Thatâ€s a whole lotta love!

 Okay, so we all know people in the U.S. throw down some serious dough on Valentineâ€s Day, but how do people in other countries celebrate? What are their customs, traditions?

Hereâ€s a peek.

FRANCE

Itâ€s been said the first Valentineâ€s Day card originated in France in the 1400s when Charles, Duke of Orleans, sent love letters to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Back in the day, the French followed the tradition “une loterie dâ€amour” (drawing for love) that matched lovers by the sound of their voice. Single men and women would enter houses facing each other and take turns calling out to one another until they were paired off. If the men didnâ€t like their match, they left the woman for another man to call. As part of the tradition, the women that didnâ€t get matched up, got together afterward for a big ceremonial bonfire where they tossed pictures and objects of the men who rejected them, and cursed their names. French officials banned the tradition when the women got too rowdy and out of control. Today, the French take their lovers out for some fine French cuisine and champagne, and itâ€s the most popular day for men to get down on that bended knee and propose.

ITALY

Celebrating Valentineâ€s Day more as a spring festival, centuries ago Italian lovers gathered in gardens and parks for poetry readings and long strolls. Today, Italians prefer romantic dinners and exchanging gifts. Also, the Italians have a tradition of giving chocolate to their lovers and the bigger the chocolates, the stronger the bond.

CANADA

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Canadians throughout the country organize balls and parties where people express love for their spouses and sweethearts. Roses, chocolates, candies and cards are the most popular gifts. Canadian kids exchange gifts with their friends and just like in the U.S. in many schools, children enjoy classroom parties where they put all the Valentines in a decorated box to be distributed to other kids in class.

BRAZIL

Since Brazilâ€s Carnival usually takes place in February it overlaps with Valentineâ€s Day, and the city adds that extra hint of love to its big party day. The local equivalent to Valentineâ€s Day is “Dia dos enamorados” (Lovers Day) which is June 12. On this day, Brazilians exchange chocolates, flowers, and cards and musical performances are held throughout the country. Brazilians also celebrate “Saint Anthonyâ€s Day,” which commemorates the patron saint of marriage. On this day, single Brazilians looking for a husband or wife perform certain rituals to increase their chances of meeting their soul-mate.

SOUTH AFRICA

Valentineâ€s Day is huge in South Africa. Shopkeepers adorn their shops with fragrant flowers, and love symbols like cupid, love birds, and hearts. The countryâ€s most typical tradition includes taking your valentine out on the town or to one of South Africaâ€s beautiful beaches. Young women celebrate Valentineâ€s Day by following ‘Lupercalia’ where she pins her loverâ€s name on her sleeve. Some men also follow this custom.

TAIWAN

The Taiwanese celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14 and again on July 7; both dates are equally important. Men like to purchase beautiful bouquets of roses for their sweethearts, and according to tradition, the color and number of roses is significant. One red rose signifies ‘my only loveâ€, 11 roses ‘my favoriteâ€, 99 roses ‘forever†and 108 roses means ‘marry me.â€

JAPAN

Japanese men are the ones courted on Valentineâ€s Day with lots of delicious chocolate. This custom of gifting chocolate on February 14 was first introduced in 1936 by a Kobe-based confectioner ‘Morozoff Ltdâ€. The company ran the first ever Valentineâ€s Day ad in Japan in a local English newspaper that attracted foreigners who celebrated Valentineâ€s Day. By the 1950â€s other Japanese chocolate manufacturers joined in, and in the 1970s, Japanese people began giving Valentineâ€s chocolates that expressed the nature of their relationship. A woman would gift ‘giri-choko†which means ‘obligation chocolate†to men she was not interested in romantically like her boss and colleagues. ‘Chō-giri choko†which means “ultra-obligatory” is chocolate given to people the woman may not even like, but feels obligated to give something. ‘Honmei-choko†which means ‘favorite or true feeling chocolate†is gifted to boyfriends, lovers or husbands. And for an extra show of love, a woman will give ‘honmei-choko†or home-made chocolate. A more recent type of chocolate has popped up, the ‘tomo-choko†which means ‘friend†and is gifted to a womanâ€s female friends.

DENMARK

The Danes celebrate Valentineâ€s Day with ‘Gaekkebrev†which are funny little poems or rhyming love notes that men send to women anonymously, giving them only one clue to the senderâ€s identity: the number of letters in the senderâ€s name represented by a dot for each letter. The recipient must then guess who sent her the card. If she guesses correctly she wins an Easter egg on Easter and if sheâ€s stumped, she owes her admirer an Easter egg.

ESTONIA

More a celebration of friendship than romantic love, Valentineâ€s Day in Estonia is called ‘Sõbrapäev†which means ‘Friendâ€s Day†where people exchange cards and gifts and greet each other with “Happy Friends Day”. That doesnâ€t mean romance isnâ€t in the air. February 14 is still the most popular day for marriage proposals.

WALES

On Valentineâ€s Day, it is customary for the Welsh to give love-spoons, an old tradition that began when Welsh men (possibly sailors) carved intricate designs into wooden spoons and presented them to the women they wanted to date or marry. The designs they carved on the spoonâ€s handles were also symbolic: a key would signify a manâ€s heart, a wheel his hard work and beads represented the number of kids he wanted. This tradition is still carried out today.

ENGLAND

In the 1700s, on the night before Valentineâ€s Day single women pinned five bay leaves to each corner of their pillows and one in the center hoping they would conjure dreams of their future husbands. Another variation of this tradition was to sprinkle bay leaves and rose water and lay them across their pillows saying “Good Valentine, be kind to me; in dreams let me my true love see.” Now considered folklore, this tradition is rarely practiced. In parts of England, the character ‘Jack Valentine†also known as Old Father Valentine or even Old Mother Valentine, is a lovable and mysterious character who knocks on childrenâ€s doors on the night before Valentineâ€s Day and leaves treats and presents under their pillows.

SCOTLAND

In Scotland, Valentine’s Day is celebrated with a festival where unmarried men and women write their names on paper which is folded and placed into a hat: one hat for women; one for men. The women draw a name and vice versa and the two are then matched. Women then pin the name of their partner over their hearts or on their sleeves. A dance often follows and, at the end of the festival, it is not unusual for marriages to take place. According to another Scottish custom, the first young man or woman encountered by chance on the street – or anywhere – will become that personâ€s valentine.

 Happy Valentineâ€s Day!

The post Valentine’s Day Attracts Lovers All Over the World first appeared on River View Observer.

By Sally Deering

 It may seem like an adventurous task – presenting 5,000 years of Chinese culture in one show – and thatâ€s exactly what Shen Yun 2012 sets out to do on Wednesday Jan. 11^th –to – Sun, Jan. 15^th, at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center. Prepare to be dazzled!

 Told through dance, music and song and performed in more than 100 cities around the world, Shen Yun is a collection of short performance pieces that interpret the legends of Chinese cultureâ€s creation and history over 5,000 years.

One of the writers and Master of Ceremonies is Leeshai Lemish, who has been with the Shen Yun Performing Arts troupe, based in Orange County, New York, since its inception in 2006. Lemish has emceed more than 400 Shen Yun performances in English and Chinese, has traveled with the show all over the world and calls Jersey City home.

 “We have 90 performers and that includes a dance company – 40 to 50 dancers – a full orchestra, vocalists, technical crew and we have three companies that size that tour at the same time in the states and all over the world, ” Lemish says.

 Shen Yun features traditional Chinese culture and each year itâ€s a brand new show of dancers in beautiful costumes; singers and an orchestra that blends the sounds of East and West with thunderous drums and classical Chinese instruments. Shen Yun is a visual spectacle of music and dance performed in front of spectacularly vivid and colorful backdrops.

 “One of the themes in the show is the ancient belief that Chinese culture was divinely inspired and passed down from the heavens,” Lemish says. “You see it through the ethnic and folk dances – loyalty and courage, compassion and tolerance – and all the themes that run through folk tales. This culture has five thousand years of history and since the Cultural Revolution a lot of this has been destroyed.”

Although Shen Yun performs all over the world – this year Shen Yun performs at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco and Le Palais Des Congres in Paris, France – China has banned it.

“The company is not allowed to perform in China,” Lemish says. “The Regime, there 60 years, is trying to destroy Chinese culture. In the Cultural Revolution they were targeting traditional culture and thousands of years have been wiped out.”

Shen Yun preserves Chinese heritage through the traditional dance, music, costumes and storytelling. The folk tales and legends; the idea of self-refinement where people in their daily lives try to align themselves in a higher purpose and connect the human realm with the heavenly realm, this is the spiritual side to the performance Lemish says. And those stories are told through Classical Chinese dance and music with traditional Chinese instruments and costumes like imperial dragon robes, warriors†armor and attire worn by the Manchurian, Tibetan, Dai, Mongol, and Uyghur groups.

An excerpt posted from the companyâ€s website, www.shenyunperformingarts.org explains the history of the stories told in Shen Yun: “Shen Yunâ€s mini-drama pieces draw upon stories and legends that span Chinaâ€s history from the Yellow Emperor and through the Tan and Song dynasties and all the way to the modern day. A unique feature of Chinese civilization is that its history has been documented and passed down uninterrupted for 5,000 years, sometimes in vivid detail. This provides Shen Yun with vast source material, making it possible to revive this ancient culture on a present-stage.

In less than ten minutes, Shen Yun dances recount ancient myths, bygone heroes, or celestial paradises. Whether set in the past or in contemporary China, every dance embodies traditional Chinese values. Ideals of loyalty, filial piety and veneration for the divine are cherished and celebrated. Heroes are extolled for their compassion and tolerance as much as (for) their courage or determination when facing adversity.”

“China is a big part of all consciousness, ”  Lemish says.  “Few people in the west know much about it.  We may know about the human rights issues, but go all the way back to the traditions. If you understand the history and background, you have a much stronger context to understand. ” 

 Lemish, who was born in Ohio and grew up in Israel – co-hosted the kids†TV show “Learning Chinese is Fun,” produced in Taiwan, and has published articles on China in English and Chinese. He holds a Bachelorâ€s Degree in Asian Studies from Pomona College in Claremont, California and a Masterâ€s Degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Lemish says his passion for Chinese culture goes back to his college days playing baseball.

 “I was a pitcher and I was getting into the mental side of the game, ” Lemish says.  “All top atheletes in any sport say itâ€s 90 percent mental. I tried guided imagery and meditation, yoga, Zen and Tai Chi, I became interested in Chinese philosophy, religion and culture. ”

In 2011, Shen Yun performed for Royals in London and to packed houses in Asia, and received standing ovations at Lincoln Center in New York. Visit the website and youâ€ll read reviews by stars like Cate Blanchett: “…it was exquisitely beautiful,”  and fashion designer Donna Karen who said, “Shen Yun is like taking a journey to China.”

Shen Yun performs at Lincoln Center Jan 11^th through the 15^th and then the show travels on to Washington D.C., San Francisco and Paris, France. It may not be welcome in China, yet, but Shen Yun  has a loyal following here in the states and around the world, offering us westerners a glimpse into a culture whose calendar dates back 3,000 years from ours. That, in itself, is interesting — add music, dance, costumes and sets – and thatâ€s Shen Yun.

Wed. Jan, 11th – Sun. 15, 2012

Shen Yun 2012

Lincoln Center The David H. Koch Theater

20 Lincoln Center New York, NY 10023

For more info : 1-888-974-3698

www.shenyunperformingarts.org

 

The post RARE CHINA-Shen Yun 2012 presents 5,000 years of Chinese Culture at Lincoln Center – 5 Nights Only! first appeared on River View Observer.

Who is the Artist?

When was it painted ?

Does it have any financial Value?

 Who else has a print? Only 250 prints were made Number 80 is in my posession.

By Joe Calamito

Many years ago while rummaging through the downtown Jersey City Salvation Army on 14th Street I came across the above print. I was intrigued by its subject matter-a little girl with blonde hair pulling a toy duck on a string while her mother or guardian stares at a fountain, perhaps in France. My own mother had passed away a few years earlier in 1994 and the print reminded me of how she would always take me to Hamilton Park in Jersey City. I paid $20 dollars for the print and it has shared a prominent place on the walls of our homes for the past 15 years or more. I love it!

On the right as you can see by the above photo are rows of trees, and in the background stands a statue, and a arge building. The original painting is done in pen and watercolor, the colors the artist chose to use are beige, and blue, and brown for the trees.

It is beautifully done. And the angle of perception gives it a 3D effect.

My best questimate is that the print size is 27″ w x 30″h.

What I believe I have is a serigraph of the painting clearly marked on the right side it reads 80/250. I have tried for years to establish who the artist is but with no success. I have shown it to Art Dealers and artist alike.

Of late, finding out who this artist is or was has become an obsession. On any given day I might snatch it off my wall, and walk around with it asking people in the Hudson County art community, “Do you know who the artist is”?

So now I am asking you the reader. Do you know who the artist is? If I have 80 of 250 prints there has to be another 249  out there and like long lost estranged siblings I am eager to reunite with other owners of this print.

Whoever painted it has a very distinct signature; to the left, it looks like the mouth of a Seagull, and to the right, the caricature of Jerry Lewis the comedians head, and for a while I actually thought he was the artist of the painting.

An idea I havenâ€t entirely given up. I told you I was obsessed with this print.

If anyone has this same print or any idea who the artist is and date it was painted, email me at jcalobserver@aol.com

I need an answer. Now! And no itâ€s not for sale!

Well that is unless Jerry Lewis is the artist of the original painting.

Didnâ€t he spend a lot of time in France?

Please email this story to all your art friend afficiados to help me find an anwer- Thanks if you do.

The post Unraveling An Art Mystery… first appeared on River View Observer.