Holidays Around the World
Posted on Mon, Jan 18, 2010
From Tracey today, some thoughts on appreciating global holidays...
As we in the United States officially observe Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday today, it makes me again appreciate the influence his vision had (and continues to have) on our country, and the rich diversity of our communities. So when I sat down to write today's post, I started thinking about the diversity of the Lionbridge global teams.
One of the most fascinating aspects of my job is interacting with colleagues from other cultures and countries. With offices in 26 countries, I get plenty of opportunities to experience the breadth of Lionbridge's cultural diversity. In fact, in our US offices alone, we have more than 23 nationalities represented.
Because all of our offices work together to deliver localization projects for our clients, we are very interdependent on one another and good communication is so important. One very simple example: any time a country has a holiday coming up, the offices in that country send out a global reminder to the rest of the team, so that we can properly plan around holidays. Planning around global holidays can be really tough because our clients' business does not stop for every global holiday. So sometimes, when I get these emails, I cannot help thinking "What, yet another holiday somewhere?"
But as I was thinking about what to write in the blog, it occurred to me that the emails give us another chance to experience the depth of the cultural diversity at Lionbridge. Just this week, one of those emails came in. This one was from Brazil, where Carnival will be celebrated February 15-17. This infamous celebration just prior to Lent is known for rowdy partying with dancing in the streets. Find out some more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Carnival.
And this year, by coincidence, at about the same time, China, Taiwan and other places with ethnic Chinese will be celebrating Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. New Year's Day this year is Sunday, February 14, but China will celebrate The Year of the Tiger from the 13th to 19th. Spring Festival celebrations include the important reunion dinner, where families feast together on wonderful traditional foods and celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year and the coming of Spring. Of course, Spring Festival would not be the same without Lion Dancing and fireworks. Learn more at http://wiki.china.org.cn/wiki/index.php/Spring_Festival.
Another really fascinating holiday that I've had the chance to learn about recently is Deepavali (Diwali, for short) which is India's festival of lights, which falls in October or November. The Hindu festival lasts five days, with each day having a different significance. The first day is for decorating the home, while the fifth day is for family visits. Gifts, candy and good wishes are exchanged. Read more about it at http://festivals.iloveindia.com/diwali/index.html.
Of course, these are just a few of the holidays that Lionbridge colleagues celebrate... as the many emails each year remind me. Next time I get one of the holiday emails, I am going to think not just about the planning that needs to be done to keep projects on track, but also the richness that our cultural diversity brings to my work life.