The Mid-Winter month of February is famous for the holidays of Groundhog's Day, Valentine's Day and President's Day. But lots of other unusual, different, strange or wacky days occur in February to give us lots to celebrate.
Chopsticks Day
National Chopsticks Day is celebrated each year on February 6. It is not a recognized 'national' holiday, but somehow the national name was tacked onto the day. No one really knows why this holiday was begun as the creator is anonymous, but it can be a fun day to celebrate.
Approximately one-fourth of the world's population use chopsticks for every meal. In fact, Asian children quickly learn to use them and think forks are an 'odd' utensil.
My son's wife is from South Korea and the family uses chopsticks for most every meal. In fact, last night my darling daughter-in-law was even using chopsticks to feed leftover dinner tidbits to their poodle one bite at a time. A new-to-me use for chopsticks! LOL.
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| Image Source: Pixabay |
Chopsticks come in many forms. They can be made of wood, bamboo, plastic, bone, fine china, or metal. Wooden or bamboo chopsticks are the choice in my son's family.
- In China, chopsticks are called “Kuaizi”, which means “quick little bamboo fellows”.
- In Korea, the word for chopsticks is “jeosgalag”.
- In Japan, chopsticks are known as “Hashi”.
A Bit of Chopsticks History
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| Image Source: Pixabay |
Definition: A pair of slender sticks held between thumb and fingers and used chiefly in Asian countries to lift food to the mouth.
According to research, chopsticks were developed in China about 5,000 years ago. The earliest versions were probably twigs used to retrieve food from cooking pots.
In China, chopsticks symbolize heaven and earth. The round end is the eating end (heaven) and the square end symbolizes earth. This came about because the greatest concern between heaven and earth is maintaining an adequate food supply.
Cultural hint: Never use chopsticks the wrong way round, i.e., invert them, to avoid losing face.
How to Use Chopsticks
Summary
So, on February 6, be sure and use chopsticks ~ perhaps for a Chinese meal.
National Chopstick Day
February 6
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| Bamboo Chopsticks available on Amazon |
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*National Chopsticks Day Review written by Wednesday Elf
