Judaism

Judaism is an important religion in the world today and in world history. Jesus was known to be a Jew, and Hitler was known to kill the Jews. I would like to know more about the Judaism Religion and where is started and what traditions they still practice today. I have always wanted to go to a Bar Mitzvah and would love to know more of how they celebrate! How many Jews are there in the world today?

Mazel Tov!

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Judaism is the religion, philosophy and way of life of the Jewish people. It is originated from the Hebrew Bible and is one of the oldest monotheistic religions and oldest surviving religions in the world. It's texts, traditions and values have inspired later religions including Christianity. According to traditional Judaism, God revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. Judaism claims a historical continuity spanning 3000 years. Many aspects of Judaism have also directly or indirectly influenced secular Western ethics and civil law.

It is hard to access how many Jewish people there are in the world but in 2007 it was estimated to be around 13 million. Of whom about 40% reside in Israel and about 40% reside in the United States. The largest Jewish religious movements are Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism. A major source of difference between these groups is their approach to Jewish law. Orthodox and Conservative Judaism maintain that Jewish law should be followed, with Conservative Judaism promoting a more "modern" interpretation of it's requirements. Reform Judaism is generally more liberal than the other two movements, and its typical position is that the Jewish law should be viewed as a set of general guidelines rather than restrictions and rules.

According to Jewish law, when Jewish children reach 13 years old for boys and 12 years old of girls they become responsible for their actions, and become a "Bar or Bat Mitzvah" (meaning: Son (Bar) or Daughter (Bat) of the commandments). The purpose of the commandments are to keep ones life focused on the important things like family, community and their relationship with God. There is a ceremony which is usually followed by a party also called a bar mitzvah. For the bar mitzvah it usually requires a lot of planning and preparing for the children who will study with a Rabbi for months (or years) before hand. It is customary to give a gift to the Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Common gifts are usually religious books or college savings bonds in multiples of 18 since that number is considered to be favorable in the Jewish religion.

day of the dead

Riel,

We know that the Day of the Dead is a holiday in Mexico, but what is it celebrating? How do they celebrate and what are some traditions from this holiday?

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Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)

November 2

In Mexico the Day of the Dead is a very popular tradition. But all over Latin America it is celebrated as well. Even in Canada and the US, since there are serveral Latin Americans who live in both countries.

The Day of the Dead is a holiday to gather friends and families to remember there loved ones who have died. Traditions for this holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds and the favourite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting the graves with these as gifts. Toys are also brought for children and tequila for adults.

Day of the Dead originated with the Olmecs, the first Mesoamerican civilization centred in Veracruz, whose origins remain mysterious.

In Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, they celebrate the day of the dead for a whole week. The festival is decorated all over the streets, with altars, skulls, marigolds and candles. They believe that the dead return on this day to be with their families and friends to eat, drink and be merry and relive the good memories.

red and white

Maj,

We love Wine and I would consider us Wine-o's, Can you tell me more in detail about wine, like the types of grapes that are common in Red, and White. Maybe name the best regions in the world and your favourite type of wine and which wineries you love best! Be creative just tell me what you feel like telling me about wine!

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Ohhhh I love wine. GOOD ONE! I'm sure I can talk about this for hours. (Thankfully I have my Wine for Dummies book on hand...)

Ok, so I'll try to make this simple and easy to understand....

History

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grape juice. Wine is thought to have originated in 6000BC in the area that is now the border of Georgia and Iran. Wine first appeared in Europe in 4500BC and was very common in ancient Greece and Rome. Wine also played an important role in religion throughout history.

Types of varietals - WHITE

Chardonnay - known as being the greatest dry white wine in the world. Also one of the main grapes in Champagne. Chardonnay is generally an oaked wine (aged in oak barrels). Medium to high acidity and is generally full-bodied. Words to describe: spicy, toasty, vanilla, fruity such as apple, tropical fruits especially pineapple.

Riesling - Often light-bodied, crisp and refreshing. The Germans made rieslings popular and still do it the best.

Sauvignon Blanc - Light to medium bodied and usually dry. Words to describe: Herbs, mineral aromas, fruity such as melon, figs or passion fruit.

Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio - Usually deeper in colour than other white wines. Medium to full bodied, usually not oaky. Usually fruity such as peach or orange. Pinot Grigio is Italian and it is the same thing as Pinot Gris.

Gewurztraminer - A wonderful exotic grape that makes fairly deep-colored, full bodied, soft white wines with aromas and flavors of roses and lychee fruit.

Viognier (vee-ohn-yay) - A grape originally from France's Rhone Valley. Floral aroma, delicately apricot-like, medium to full bodied with low acidity.

Semillon (seh-mee-yohn) - Often blended with Sauvignon Blancs. It is low in acidity and has attractive but subtle aromas.

Pinot Blanc - Fairly neutral in aroma and flavors. Low sugar levels translate into dry, crisp and medium bodied.

Types of varietals - RED

Cabernet Sauvignon - Makes a wine that is high in tannin and are medium to full bodied. Often flavour or black currant or cassis. Cabs come at all price and quality levels. The least expensive are often soft and fruity. The best are rich and firm with great depth.

Merlot - Deep color, full body, high alcohol and low tannin. A good wine for blending with other grapes.

Pinot Noir - The lightest red wine in color. Flavors can be fruity - often red berries, or earthy and woodsy. Relatively high alcohol and medium to low tannin.

Syrah/Shiraz - Deeply colored wine with full body, firm tannin and aromas/flavours that can suggest berries, smoked meat, black pepper, tar or even burnt rubber.

Zinfandel - Rich, dark wines that are high in alcohol and medium to low tannin. They can have blackberry or raspberry aroma, a spicy or tarry character or even a jammy flavor. It is one of the oldest grapes in California.

Old World vs New World

Old World wine is from Europe and it's all about the REGION that the wine comes from. You may notice when you buy European wine that there is not always a grape varietal on the bottle. That is because it doesn't really matter what grape was used so much as the region the wine comes from. Wine-making is about tradition and winemaking resembles an art. The vineyard that the wine comes from gets the credit for the wine. The most popular wine regions in Europe are:

France - Bordeaux, Burgundy, Cotes du Rhone, Rhine Valley, Champagne, Loire, Alsace

Spain - Rioja, Sherry

Italy - Chianti, Soave

Portugal - Porto

New World wine is from anywhere besides Europe. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, North America and South America. Wines are named after the grape varietal and are often more flavorful and fruity. New World wine is more about innovation and the winemaker gets the credit for the wine. Popular wine regions are:

Australia - Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, Limstone Coast

New Zealand - Marlborough

United States - Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Mendocino and Lake Counties,

South Africa - Constantia, Setellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek Valley, Robertson

Canada - Okanagan Valley, Niagara Peninsula

Argentina - Mendoza

Chile - Maipo Valley, Curico Valley, Maule

I really don't know what my favorite wines are! I like so many and it's really hard to just pick a few as being my favorites.