Lesson 6 Use of the Gale Virtual Reference Library

A.  Spring festivals from around the world:
The first article I read was the "Mimouna Festival."  This article was found in the Encyclopedia of Modern Middle East and North Africa.  The festival is a Jewish festival which begins the evening Passover ends.  The ladies set tables adorned with green stalks, dried fruits and nuts, fava beans, wheat, honey, sweets, milk, fish, and crepes.  The families go visiting each other, some go on a picnic.
I found this information by searching "spring celebrations" in the top search section.  Next, I used the left side to search in a specific book.

B.  The next article I found was labeled "China."  It was found in the Junior World Mark Encyclopedia of Holidays. The Ching or Qing Ming Spring Festival is held on April 5 or 6.  It means "pure and bright, or clear and bright."  They have feasts, fairs, parades, hunts, play games, fly kites, and plant trees.  They wear a willow sprig to attract good spirits and drive away sickness.  They have a "Cold Food" day to remember a leader who suffocated in a cave because he did not understand why the top leader wanted him to come out, so he wouldn't come out.  The top leader wanted him to come out so badly, he started a fire to smoke him out, and the person died in the cave.

C.  Another part of the assignment was to find recipes that are used for the celebrations.
I found recipes in the Algeria Foods and Recipes Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia.  I also read about 2 local festivals in Algeria every spring.  One is the "Cherry Mousse" in Tlemcen, and the "Tomato Mousseam" in Adrar.

I also found that the Western Region of the United States has a practice of some spring festivals.  Recipes were also found in site under the Foods and Recipes.

The last part of the assignment was to find articles listed in 2012.  The "Algeria Foods and Recipes" in the Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia was one listed in 2012.  The other most common articles that had information about spring festivals or celebrations were colleges.  Several of these colleges listed a "spring fling" as one of their college activities to entertain the college students.