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Amurdak

Amurdak is an Aboriginal language from the area of the Van Diemen Gulf, in Australia’s Northern Territory. 

In 2007, only one person, a man called Charlie Mungulda, was recorded as still speaking Amurdak. He worked with Australian linguists to record his tongue, which was featured in a documentary about endangered languages. 

At the time of writing, official documentation does not record whether or not Charlie has passed away, so it’s not yet clear whether the language is completely extinct. 

Amurdak is one of many Australian languages that have either died out, or are critically endangered. 

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Gurning Festival

Numerous activities take place at the Egremont Crab Fair, which has been held in England’s Lake District since 1267. One of them is the Gurning Festival, in which people compete to see who can pull the most hideous faces. Contestants place their face through a horse-collar and make the most awful faces they can. There are women’s and men’s events, and the competition is fierce!

Photo Source:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/41282197

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Rusyn

Rusyn is an East Slavic language spoken by the Rusyn people in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, and written in the Cyrillic script. Rusyns live in several different countries, including Poland, Hungary, Croatia, and Romania.

Rusyn is recognised as a minority language in most countries where it exists, but this sparked a linguistic controversy, as some linguists consider it a language and others a dialect of Ukrainian, with which it is largely mutually comprehensible, while others again consider it a variant of Russian.

One example among hundreds, if not thousands, of cases where the boundaries between dialects and languages are wafer-thin!

Photo Source: https://ie.pinterest.com/pin/336644140866057229/

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Cheese-rolling Festival

The annual cheese-rolling festival at Cooper’s Hill near Gloucester, England has been held since at least the early nineteenth century but possibly dates back six hundred years or more. Competitors race down a hill chasing a wheel of Double Gloucester Cheese, a local delicacy. The first person to cross the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese. 

Cheese-rolling might sound like a fairly benign pastime, but injuries are common. In 2023, six competitors were injured so badly they had to be transported to hospital by ambulance and a competitor in the woman’s event finished unconscious and only learned of her victory when she woke up under medical treatment!

Photo Source: https://www.mashed.com/889886/why-britains-cheese-rolling-contest-just-made-history/

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La Tomatina

Ever fancied joining a massive tomato fight in the streets of Spain? 

La Tomatina is a festival celebrated in the small town of Buñol, Spain since the 1940s. Every year on the last Wednesday of August, it attracts thousands of participants who throw tomatoes at one another until everyone is wallowing in a red tide of tomato pulp. 

Briefly banned by General Franco during the fascist period because of its lack of religious significance, La Tomatina is now a wildly popular event and tourist attraction, so successful that some other communities in tomato-producing regions around the world have started holding their own tomato-throwing festivities! 

Olé!

Photo Source : https://www.travelturtle.world/blog/paint-it-red-at-la-tomatina-festival/ 

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Kuş Dili

Did you know that…

Around the world there are over 50 different languages that use the medium of whistling to communicate.

In Turkey, “kuş dili” is traditionally used by farmers from the northern village of Kuşköy to communicate over large distances by using whistles and melodies to express the Turkish language. Since 1997, the area has celebrated a ‘bird language’ festival, and since 2017, it’s been recognised by UNESCO as a unique example of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Today, the language is in rapid decline because of the ubiquity of cell phones, but local people are trying to keep it alive, and even teaching it in primary schools.


Check out this great TRT video to learn more (or at least to hear more) about Kuş dili here

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Winter Solstice

As December 21st brings the shortest day of the year, cultures around the world mark the Winter Solstice in fascinating ways. 

 

In Ireland, the ancient site of Newgrange, built over 5,000 years ago, aligns perfectly with the Sun on the day of the solstice. Only on this day, a ray of the rising sun penetrates through an opening and illuminates its inner chamber, thus celebrating the return of light.

 

In China, ‘Dongzhi’ (冬至) festival (21-23 December)  brings families together to enjoy dumplings, a tradition that symbolises unity, warmth and the promise of longer days ahead.

 

In Northern Europe, Yule is celebrated by feasting and lighting yule logs, a symbol of hope during winter’s darkest day.



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Etruscan language

The Etruscan language, spoken in ancient Italy, remains largely a mystery. While it influenced Latin, it was eventually replaced by it. 

 

The Etruscan alphabet, based on the Greek script, is known, but the language itself is not fully understood. Some scholars believe it’s a Pre-Indo European language, related to other ancient languages like Raetic and Lemnian. 

 

Despite the challenges in understanding it, Estrucan has left a lasting impact, influencing Latin words such as ‘military’ and ‘person’.



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Greek words for Love

Love is a universal language, but it’s expressed in countless ways across cultures. Ancient Greek in particular offered a sophisticated understanding of different types of love:

 

‘Agápe’ (ἀγάπη) refers to selfless, unconditional love, which is often associated with divine love and love of humanity.

 

‘Éros’ (ἔρως)  denotes passionate, romantic love, often associated with physical attraction and desire.

 

‘Philia’ (φιλία) signifies affectionate love, typically between friends or family, and is based on respect and admiration.

 

Storgē (στοργή) represents familial love, particularly the love between parents and children. 



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December Etymology

Did you know that December once marked the tenth month of the year? Its name comes from the Latin word ‘decem’ (ten), a reminder of the Roman calendar which started in March. January and February were later added, shifting December to the twelfth month – but the name stuck!