The term culture comes from the Latin "cultura" meaning "processing, care, agriculture" and, in the broadest sense, describes everything that humans create themselves, in contrast to nature that they have not created or changed. Cultural achievements are all formative transformations of a given material, as in technology or the fine arts, but also intellectual structures such as languages, morals, religion, law, economics and science.
Another custom, the origins of which are only partially clear, are the fires, which are mainly lit on the Saturday evening before Easter.
Of course, during our visits to Thessaloniki and Halkidiki we also discussed the monasteries of Athos, the way of life of the monks and a possible visit to the monastery complex several times. Ultimately, this is still pending, but has already been applied for.
Everyone knows the morning ritual when the children become impatient on Easter Sunday and crowd around the breakfast table to go into the garden in search of brightly painted eggs and small presents.
15 Years ago: Whether it is pure coincidence or even conscious scheduling at the same time, the Salafists have achieved at least one partial goal, namely media-effective publicity and topic of conversation, in time for the beginning of the Islamic conference in Germany with the free distribution of copies of the Koran.
Now it's back, the pre-Christmas season with the Advent wreath made of fir green and the four candles, whose light enchants the Sunday breakfast table so romantically. First one, then two, then three, then four... that's what the popular saying goes.
St. Nicholas Day on December 6, 2013 has long been a thing of the past in Germany. However, it is still expected in other countries such as Italy and Greece.
Today there are around 20,000 Arameans living in Turkey, the majority of this ethnic group living in Istanbul. The members of this ethnic minority still speak Aramaic, which is considered the language of Jesus Christ.
There are different theories and basic views in science about the origin of Alevism. One opinion tends to be that it is a religious movement within the Shia (Arabic: party, in the sense of Ali's party).
A few weeks ago, we reported in an article about the founding of the first atheist association in Istanbul. In the meantime, a broader public has become aware of the association, especially since Tolga Inci, co-founder and chairman of the first "Ateizm Dernegi" in Turkey, has also addressed the press directly several times.
In the Turkish city of Izmir, restoration and reconstruction work on the synagogue Beit Hillel began about a year ago, which averted the danger of it collapsing.
An atheist is someone who doesn't believe in God. He's not necessarily someone who believes there is no God. However, according to a common misconception, an atheist is someone who believes that there is no God.
When people of different worldviews or religions meet, language is often a problem. Even if both sides agree on a foreign language in their communication, the concepts and meanings of the words are often so different that the resulting misunderstandings can easily lead to conflicts.
Kader means fate and "fate" wasn't just her name. In the meantime, the young mother of an 18-month-old child, who herself only turned 14, has long since been buried. And again Turkey is in turmoil.
The club building, which also houses the prayer rooms of the Turkish "Cultural and Educational Association" Ingolstadt, was cleared by the police early this morning.
You have certainly noticed the small prayer chains that are used by a large number of believers when practicing their prayers for deep reflection during your vacation or at home with Catholic, Protestant or Turkish neighbours.
Even in the earliest history of human development, there were so-called holy places to which people migrated because of their belief in one god, their gods, or because of other cults.
In almost all houses and apartments in Europe, the residents enjoy the Advent wreaths, which can be admired as a decorative table element or hanging in the apartment entrances during the pre-Christmas period.
During our visit to Heldrungen Castle, we came across traces of Thomas Müntzer, who as a priest was initially a committed supporter and admirer of Martin Luther.
The end of the fasting month Ramadan (Sugar Holiday) is a holiday comparable to the European Christmas with family visits, celebrations and presents. The date of this holiday always changes because the starting point for the next year will always be 10 - 11 days earlier than for the year before.
In the meantime, we have seen Christmas markets in many countries and regions, they all have in common that the Christmas story about the messiahs Jesus occupies an important position at many stands.