Amechuweek is set to take place July 7th- July 13th.
Thank you all for your patience with us! We’ve organized your favorite themes and set them for the event!
July 7th: Magic
July 8th: History
July 9th: Gods
July 10th: Spies/Secret Agents
July 11th: Aliens
July 12th: Flexing
July 13th: Family/Domestic
If you don’t know what to do for a theme, please don’t hesitate to ask for suggestions! Vice versa, if you have ideas, feel free to send them in for others. We want this to be fun for everyone!
Feel free to create any type of fan work for each day: be that edits, art, fanfics, whatever! We want to see what you can do!!
Please clearly mark any and all NSFW materials.
When making works, please tag make sure to tag #amechuweek, @amechuweek, and if you write a fanfic, please add it to the AmeChuWeek 2019 collection on Ao3!
hey there! not sure you will get this as your blog is under renovation but i was wondering ... whats the equivalent of Believe in yourself and Love yourself first in russian? thanks
Hello! I have to admit, this question stumped me. I can give you the translation for those phrases (That would be “Верь в себя” and “Прежде всего, полюби себя“), but I can’t remember any common Russian phrase that has the same message! The closest I can think of is “Люби себя и тебя полюбят другие” (Love yourself and others will fall in love with you) and “Сам не похвалишь - никто не похвалит“ (Nobody will praise [you] if you don’t do it yourself).
Russian culture is not big on self-affirmation, you see. But boy oh boy, if you'd like some stuff about the virtue of modesty and temperance tho, we’ve got proverbs, quotes and sayings aplenty! ;P
Hey! I know this is a bit short notice bUt I was wondering if you could tell us about the origins of the word for 'Finland' in Finnish? (and why is some variation of 'Finland' used everywhere *except Finland* lol).Its something i've always wondered and what a better opportunity to find out than here! (I hope this makes sense aah) Thanks! ☆
Thank you very much for the ask! It makes sense, don’t worry, and it is also a very good question!
Finland in Finnish is Suomi, and indeed, it is used for Finland only in most of the Baltic-Finnic languages, like Karelian suomi, Estonian soome and Votic soomi.
The origin of the name Suomi is… unclear, to say the least. Actually, nobody knows where it comes from, but many theories exist! Some say that Suomi comes from the word suo or suomu, meaning swamp and a scale (like on a fish) respectively. We do have quite a lot of swamps here, according to some sources as much as a third of the whole land area (which would make Finland the most… swampiest country in the world), and fish has been quite a common source of food here, thanks to all those lakes and the sea and also rivers.
Others say that the word Suomi is a loan from somewhere, perhaps the Baltic šama-, which comes from proto-Baltic žeme, both essentially meaning land (the word zemlja/ земля in Russian is a descendant of this word, too), which would mean that Suomi means… land. Just plain land. A bit anticlimactic, isn’t it?
Well, there are also other theories, none of which have been and probably never will be proven right (or wrong for that matter). Suomi used to mean the part of Finland that nowadays is called Proper Finland, this area here.
By Pera7 - karttapohja Care, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8954505
Why the name of Finland is Finland or a variation of the word almost everywhere else, that’s quite easy to answer.
Finland is also the Swedish name for Finland. Finland was a part of Sweden for around 600 years, from the 1200′s to 1809. Before that Finland had never been a unified country, or any kind of an organized society. Since Finnish wasn’t an official language, and was looked down upon by the Swedish-speaking upper class as a language of the commoners, the name that ended up being used in all the official contexts was the Swedish one.
Oh, but the origin of the name Finland is just as unknown as the origin of Suomi. The -land in Finland means, well, land, but the Fin-part is a bit more complicated.
Some say it comes from the Scandinavian male name Finn. Others say it comes form the Swedish adjective fin, which means the same as fine (though grammatically it should then be Fintland (unless it’s just been shortened) because land in Swedish is ett land and the adjective should be in the correct form or whatever), and others say it comes from the Swedish noun fiende, meaning an enemy. Funnily enough, among the theories there is the Germanic word fen, meaning swamp, and also the word fin, as in the fin on a fish.
Some have suggested that it comes from the Swedish verb finna, to find, referring to the way the ancient Finns gathered their food like ye olden hunter-gatherers from the youth of our species (Finland has always been a little behind on these hip new things like hunting and agriculture). Some have also suggested the old Scandinavian word finnr, meaning a human, that has been used to refer to both, Finns and the Sami people.
Wherever the fin- comes from, it’s been around for a loooong time, since a people named the Fenns far in the north were mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus, and that Greek guy Ptolemaios told about the folk called phinnoi who lived in the northern parts of the Island of Scandia. However, it is unsure whether they’re talking about Finnish or Sami people. But yeah.
[APH] On Spain’s extreme approach to Food disrespect →
( — Translation credit to @hetascanlations)
So in World Stars #266, that talks about the countries’ reaction to their food being disrespected, we get this scene. It’s kinda undermining how mild it looks and I can assure you Spain’s collective reaction to this “food butchering phenomenon” borders on psychotic:
Because no, you don’t understand it guys-
WE.DO.NOT.FUCK.AROUND. When it comes to our food! (ง •̀_•́)ง
Like, you can innovate and explore, but there are invisible, unspoken rules. Lines you don’t cross. I don’t even know how to explain it, but it’s something that is just known, felt. It’s the line that separates a paella from “rice with things”. It’s the line that separates a praise from a threat. It’s something that is embedded deep into the very soul of this country. Spanish Food is sacred.
Lol, I’m pretty sure more people are ready to rip a new one to a stranger for disrespecting traditional food than for disrespecting religion or their family!
You don’t fuck with our food or things may get very ugly. Specially, not with your omelette... no bro, just no 😂
(exhibit one) (exhibit two) (exhibit three was deleted by OP out of sheer shock)
Hello everybody and happy Easter! Today is a special season for the Greek nation as well as the Orthodox Christian community since it was Easter Sunday and we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Thus no one could miss posting about the local traditions and speaking about general customs.
This week we are talking about Greek Easter
As I mentioned before, the other day was the Orthodox Easter (8th April 2018). It is a movable date, just like the Catholic/Protestant Easter and it is always at the end of the Holy Week.
To begin with, traditionally in the Orthodox Church and the Greek community, the Easter is a much more meaningful date than Christmas. In result, it is celebrated more intensively and friskily than 25th December. The reason behind this change isn't just because of the different churches but also because of the meaning of Easter. In Greece, the resurrection of Christ has a meaning of hope and victory since Jesus won over Death and Devil and could go through all tortures to finally take it all. What an allegory.
Of course and it needs a great psychological preparation. So since Clean Monday (an also movable date) until Easter Sunday (48 days) all devoted Christians fast, do not eat any meat, just to be emotionally connected to Jesus. Of course and dates vary between churches and it includes dates such as the Lazarus Saturday.
But all Greek traditions exist in the last week of fasting, the Holy Week (Palm Sunday until Holy Saturday). To summarise everything, I have decided to list everything~
Palm Sunday (Κυριακή των ΒαΪων): Decoration of Churches with Palm Leaves. Local traditions in several areas occur (further use of the leaves)
Holy Monday (Μεγάλη Δευτέρα): Dedicated to Joseph, son of Jacob. The Christians go to church to listen to hymns.
Holy Tuesday (Μεγάλη Τρίτη): Dedicated to the Troparion of Kassiani (Τροπάριο της Κασσιανής)
Spy Wednesday (Μεγάλη Τετάρτη): Dedicated to sinful women that followed Jesus. The day Judas agreed to betray Jesus
Maundy Thursday (Μεγάλη Πέμπτη): The Last Supper takes place. Christians paint eggs red and bake biscuits. Girls decorate the epitaph (Επιτάφιος)
Good Friday (Μεγάλη Παρασκευή): Jesus is crucified. Strict fasting (drinking is prohibited). Deposition of the Cross and the representation of Christ’s tomb is carried. Important local churches might gather to a central point.
Holy Saturday (Μεγάλο Σάββατο): Jesus’ journey in the afterlife. Last day of fasting.
Easter Sunday (Κυριακή του Πάσχα): Jesus is resurrected, Big feast.
All you need to know is the fun details below! Do not worry about any Christianity-related points which require Bible extracts. The fun has just begun!
~Everyone knows it is Easter time on Palm Sunday. Greeks don’t do much themselves, but it is the only date they are allowed to start fasting (in case they didn’t the previous 40 days due to health/age reasons).
~Only a few really care about Holy Monday- Holy Wednesday. They are working dates for everyone so the holidays haven’t even started.
~On Maundy Tuesday we have the painting eggs tradition! We paint eggs red to symbolize a myriad of things that no one really knows! The truth is red is an important colour for Christianity as it symbolises the blood of Jesus and His Royalty. It could be connected to other Biblical events including Virgin Mary and Maria Magdalena.
(Here is the process of painting eggs. Photos taken by me, process done by my mother)
~Traditionally girls would decorate the Epitaph (Επιτάφιος) but now it is done by professional florists just so it looks presentable.
~There is a special tradition concerning godparents and their godchild. Every Easter, they have to present the child with a λαμπάδα (lampada- candle) and a gift, as well as a big chocolate egg. This special decorated candle will be lit on Holy Saturday night.
(Here is mine this year. Photo taken by me~)
These candles come in all shapes and colours with every imaginable motifs, patterns and decorative pieces.
(Here are a few handmade chocolate eggs taken from this site)
~During the Holy Saturday night everyone gathers up at the church with their λαμπάδα and wait for it to be precisely midnight and be given the Holy Light, by the priests. As soon as the light is given to everyone, inside and outside the church, the priests and all Christians sing the same song said in the scripts:
Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν Christ is risen from the dead
θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας having beaten Death by death
καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι and to those in the graves
ζωὴν χαρισάμενος having given the gift of life.
I took a video of the church I went to, but unfortunately due to the bells ringing the quality wasn’t good enough to be posted! Here you can have a better sample of how the night looks like and how the song is pronounced! I repeat that the video isn’t mine.
(Triggers: Christianity, loud noises?)
~ After the ritual mentioned above families gather up at home and usually burn a bit the entrance of their house, always entering by their right food for luck! Do not worry, no accidents are made and no one burns their door! Since everyone values their properties this tradition has started to fade away but a whole bunch of people still keep up with it!
What matters most about what happens after though...Did you forget already? It is past midnight! It is Sunday! Fasting has ended!
As soon as the Christians return home, they eat a traditional dish called μαγειρίτσα (mageiritsa) which mostly consists of different internals of lamb (συκωταριά), onions, wine, olive oil and lettuce in a soup form!
(Here is the μαγειρίτσα we ate~)
Of course and people don’t enjoy such tastes at the moment so we have a normal feast along with the traditional dish! This is the time we crack the eggs we had painted on Holy Thursday!
How to crack the Eggs: Top 10 Anime Battles
Step 1. Choose your Egg
Step 2. Find an opponent. You track them down by seeing them holding an untouched red egg.
Step 3. Give them the death glare.
Step 4. Hold your egg with the pointy edge facing to the ceiling. Your opponent is about to attack, you have to be patient.
Step 5. They attacked. Has your fighter cracked? Or did your opponent’s hit return back? Either way, you both have a second chance.
Step 6. It is your time to respond. Hold your egg so its butt (round part) is faced to the floor. Hit, gently, your opponent’s butt.
Step 7. The battle is over. Who won? You decide!
(Here is a slow motion video of the process! It doesn’t belong to me)
~ But the fun doesn’t end here! We are Greeks and the fun never ends!
Later in the day, friends and family gather at houses and start an even bigger feast. In this feast, it is tradition that we roast lamb and yet two other traditional dishes, κοκορέτσι (kokoretsi) and κοντοσούβλι (kontosouvli). Both of them are cooked all over the Balkan peninsula and sometimes Turkey. The first one is made by several internals of the lamb while the second is made by pork.
The feast always includes drinking, dancing and a lot of gossiping.
(This is κοκορέτσι & some sausages made by Grandma Eleftheria)
That was my endless post about Greek Easter! ANY Questions you have, please ask (My Inbox is empty 24/7). ANYTHING you want to learn about Greek culture, please ask. ANYTIME you want, please ask. Please ask!
I said this on my askblog but really should have mentioned it on here,
If you're looking for an acceptable date to post content for APH Australia, use the date "May 8".
If you're interested in this, there's a site set up for the change of date - including petitions and reasonings - accessible here.
To put it basically - "Australia Day" this 26th is also widely known as "Invasion Day." It's the day that commemorates the start of the genocides of Australia's indigenous people. Clearly not an event to get piss-drunk over, right? It's been years and years of protests, and down-right ugly fights. It's not a day to be proud an Australian, whatsoever. It's not a day to be proud of this gorgeous land.
Hi! It's derp, your asker for the APH Ask Event :D I'd like to know what's the significance of flowers in Ukrainian culture? Since it shows up a lot as flower crowns, patterns, embroidery and the like. Thanks in advance :D
Hello Derp and thank you for an interesting question!
Yes, flowers are indeed significant in our culture. They were often used during various rituals, especially those that were connected with family and marriage. Flowers were an important part of different ancient cults that worshipped life, motherhood and life-giving properties of earth. Nowadays flowers are also significant, but in a slightly different way. They are considered to be a good gift for almost every occasion.
And now let’s talk about some flowers - symbols of Ukraine!
Волошка (centaurea) symbolizes love, politeness, kindness, beauty and youth. The blue plant has a strong scent and is also considered to be a medical herb. Centaurea was used to decorate churches and crosses. If a young girl died, people would make flower crowns with them and put those on her head.
Барвінок (periwinkle) is another traditional flower, which stands for happiness, eternity and the undying memories. People often associated it with the beginning of spring. Soon it became a symbol of life and people started to grow these flowers in their gardens. Periwinkle was used to provide protection to everyone that needs it.
Мальва (malva, mallow) means love for your Motherland. They served as a reminder about home for people who left their native place. A lot of people decorated their houses with these flowers.
Even though it is not a flower, калина (viburnum) is an important plant that symbolizes Ukraine itself. There is even a saying: “Без верби та калини нема України” (There is no Ukraine without willow and viburnum). The viburnum and its vibrant colours symbolize life, fire, blood. It also represents home, family, a special bond between different generations and everything that is dear to us. There are a lot of beautiful legends about this plant, so it is clear why Ukrainians love the viburnum so much! :D
And that’s it for today! I hope that the information was helpful. If you have any questions about my country, make sure to ask them! I will be glad to answer. Goodbye!
P. S. This post is brought to you by @aphaskevent ! There you can find a lot of interesting answers about various countries of the world. Thank you for organizing this wonderful event!
