Kimono

    

 







   What can be more beautiful than to wore a kimono as a geisha do?! 







    Well, first of all, kimono is a Japanese traditional type of clothing worn by women, children and men,which literally means a "thing to wear" (ki "wear" and mono "thing"). Kimonos can be made of silk, wool, cotton, linen or synthetic material.     
    Nowadays, the kimono it is used on special occasions. Is it beautiful and unique in the world.
   There are different types of kimono, in different colors and models.
Geisha can't be a geisha without a kimono, but men, women, children, even manga and anime character wore it too.

Married couple

Parts:

• Dōura: upper lining on a woman's kimono.
• Eri : collar.
• Fuki: hem guard.
• Furi: sleeve below the armhole.
• Maemigoro : front main panel, excluding sleeves. The covering portion of the other side of the back, maemigoro is divided into "right maemigoro" and "left maemigoro".
• Miyatsukuchi: opening under the sleeve.
• Okumi: front inside panel situated on the front edge of the left and right, excluding the sleeve of a kimono. Until the collar, down to the bottom of the dress goes, up and down part of the strip of cloth. Have sewn the front body.
• Sode: sleeve.
• Sodeguchi: sleeve opening.
• Sodetsuke: kimono armhole.
• Susomawashi: lower lining.
• Tamoto: sleeve pouch.
• Tomoeri: over-collar (collar protector).
• Uraeri: inner collar.
• Ushiromigoro: back main panel, excluding sleeves, covering the back portion. They are basically sewn back-centered and consist of "right ushiromigoro" and "left ushiromigoro", but for wool fabric, the ushiromigoro consists of one piece.

Some accessories:

Geta are wooden sandals worn by men and women with yukata. One unique style is worn solely by geisha.

Obi is the sash worn with kimono.

Tabi are ankle-high, divided-toe socks usually worn with zōri or geta. There also exist sturdier, boot-like jikatabi, which are used for example to fieldwork.

Yukata is an unlined kimono-like garment for summer use, usually made of cotton, linen, or hemp. Yukata are strictly informal, most often worn to outdoor festivals, by men and women of all ages. They are also worn at onsen (hot spring) resorts, where they are often provided for the guests in the resort's own pattern.

Zōri are traditional sandals worn by both men and women.Their formality ranges from strictly informal to fully formal. They are made of many materials, including cloth, leather, vinyl and woven grass, and can be highly decorated or very simple.

When choosing and wearing kimono, one must take a several things to account. This is often the reason why modern Japanese women don't feel comfortable to wear kimono, since they are worried of breaking the multidimensional kimono etiquette. Several things matter:

• Wearer's Age
• Quality and Formality of Occasion
• Season
• Wearer's taste
• One's Class

You want more to know?

Pasari - Măcăleandrul

    Imi face placere de fiecare data cand zaresc aceasta minunata pasare, parca observandu-ma la randul ei. Nu ai cum sa nu zambesti in fata macaleandrului, iar cel mai important lucru este faptul ca il poti intalni in Romania tot timpul anului.

      Macaleandru ( Erithacus rubecula ) este o pasare foarte mica, sedentara si care este specifica padurilor, parcurilor si gradinilor foarte bogate in vegetatie.

Se spune despre macaleandu ca urmareste animalele salbatice mari care starnesc insectele si care devin o prada usoara pentru macaleandru.

 Este o pasare sedentara in Europa Centrala si de V si oaspete de vara pentru partea nordica a Europei. La noi ramane peste iarna doar daca temperaturile nu scad foarte mult. Macaleandru este o pasare care ne incanta cu infatisarea ei si cu cantecele deosebit de frumoase. Coloritul general al penajului este maroniu, cu gusa si parte frontala de un rosu caramiziu, marginit de nuante gri-maslinii. Pe burta este de nuante mai deschise. 

Ciocul si picioarele sunt maronii iar ochii sunt mari si negri. Lungimea corpului este de 14 cm, anvergura aripilor de 22 cm iar greutatea de 16-22g. 

 Macaleandru isi construieste cuibul in tufisurile dese in care femela depune cate 4-6 oua in doua serii pe an. Ouale sunt de culoare albastrui cu puncte maronii. Perioada de incubatie este de 14 zile.

Mugunghwa - Rose of Sharon - Korea national flower

   More than a symbol, Rose of Sharon is for south korean people their national flower. The name comes from "mugung" and means immortality. As a symbol appears on many documents and on the National Emblem of South Korea.
    Mugunghwa is mentioned about 1,400 years ago.
    
Some photos that I've found:

In the Bible, the Rose of Sharon symbolizes beauty.

This plant grows in Asia, including India, Korea and much of China. Is also cultivated in Europe, U.S.A, Latin America, Australia and northern Africa.

Tanabata

Well, first of all tanabata is a Japanese star festival, and as I know is original from China. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi ( the stars Vega and Altair ), and there are some legends about them.  The date of Tanabata varies by region of the country, but the first festivities begin on July 7 of the Gregorian calendar.
 

Legend  Tanabata was inspired by the famous Chinese folklore story, "The Princess and the Cowherd".
The most popular version is:
Orihime (is the Weaving Princess), daughter of the Tentei (is the Sky King, or the universe itself), wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the Amanogawa (天の川 Milky Way, lit. "heavenly river"). Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard every day to weave it. However, Orihime was sad that because of her hard work she could never meet and fall in love with anyone. Concerned about his daughter, Tentei arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (彦星 Cow Herder Star) (also referred to as Kengyuu (牽牛)) who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa. When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and married shortly thereafter. However, once married, Orihime no longer would weave cloth for Tentei and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to stray all over Heaven. In anger, Tentei separated the two lovers across the Amanogawa and forbade them to meet. Orihime became despondent at the loss of her husband and asked her father to let them meet again. Tentei was moved by his daughter’s tears and allowed the two to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month if she worked hard and finished her weaving. The first time they tried to meet, however, they found that they could not cross the river because there was no bridge. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies came and promised to make a bridge with their wings so that she could cross the river. It is said that if it rains on Tanabata, the magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait until another year to meet.

 

The Gregorian dates of "the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the Japanese lunisolar calendar" for the coming years are:

• 2012-08-24

• 2013-08-13

• 2014-08-02

• 2015-08-20

• 2016-08-09

• 2017-08-28

• 2018-08-17

• 2019-08-07

• 2020-08-25