(VOVWORLD) - “Eid al-Adha,” the "Sacrifice Feast," is the second Muslim holiday celebrated in Oman each year. The festival marks the end of the traditional pilgrimage season to Mecca. A large number of animals are slaughtered during the festival. No alcohol is served on the day of the festival or on the day before. In this week’s Cultural Rendezvous, Dr. Khalfan Hamed Alharrasi, an Assistant Professor at the University of Nizwa, will be with us to introduce “Eid al-Adha”, one of Oman’s most beautiful celebrations.

(VOVWORLD) - In many western countries, including Germany, the time from December 1st to December 24th is called Advent, which means before Christmas Eve. Parents give their children calendars counting down the days. Each day in December they open one of the doors and receive a small chocolate in the shape of a star, tree, or a little toy. These calendars make the wait to Christmas Eve a little easier. In today’s program, we’ll have Quynh Le Becker of Wiesbaden, Germany, tell us more about this special tradition.

(VOVWORLD) - Pakistani weddings epitomise the richness of the culture. A single wedding contains many elements of local traditions. Pakistani weddings are explosions of colour, beautifully embroidered flowing fabrics in silks and chiffon, tantalizing food, traditionally decorated stages, and a lot of music and dancing. In this week’s “Cultural Rendezvous”, Najam Ul Hassan, a reporter with the Associated Press of Pakistan, will tell us all about Pakistani weddings.

(VOVWORLD) - Many Vietnamese people know Oman only as the home of mythical characters whose stories continue to be told around the globe. But the Sultanate of Oman is a veritable kaleidoscope of history, culture, heritage, modernisation, and progress. In this week’s “Cultural Rendezvous”, Dr. Khalfan Hamed Alharrasi, an Assistant Professor at the University of Nizwa, will give us an overview of Oman and its culture.

(VOVWORLD) - Bhutan is a country unlike any other, a land where monks still meditate for years in the sacred caves to the East. A country ruled by a monarch who freely gave up his absolute power to usher in democracy. A place where progress is officially measured by happiness, rather than Gross National Product, using the government’s pioneering Gross National Happiness system. The first carbon-negative country in the world, Bhutan has preserved its mountains, forests and people on its journey to modernise, a feat that is totally unique in the history of this world. Needrup Zangpo, Executive Director of the Bhutan Media Foundation shares more interesting Bhutan’s facts.

(VOVWORLD) - Bhutan is not just a country, but a concept that has been fascinating to many. The Kingdom of Bhutan is caught between China and India, in the Eastern Himalayas. It has a population of roughly 750,000 people, and Thimphu, the capital, sits in the west. Never colonized, and isolated due to its geography, Bhutan developed a strong national identity and culture. In today’s program, we’ll have Needrup Zangpo, Executive Director of Bhutan Media Foundation, to share with us some interesting facts about the country.

(VOVWORLD) - Poya is the name given to the lunar monthly Buddhist holiday of Uposatha in Sri Lanka. Full moon day is normally considered as the poya day in every month. In this week’s Cultural Rendezvous, Vajira Perera, a reporter of the ITN Sri Lanka, a Sri Lankan state governed television and radio broadcaster, will tell us about the special event.

(VOVWORLD) - Halloween has officially arrived, and there’s so much to look forward to, from brainstorming dark, spooky costumes to trying out pumpkin carving ideas with the kids and, of course, eating huge amounts of Halloween treats, candy, and chocolate and indulging in everything pumpkin spice flavoured. No matter how old you are, the holiday simply never gets old. But in the midst of the Halloween party games and sugar rushes, have you ever stopped to wonder about the origin and history of Halloween? In today’s program, we’ll have the Larson’s from Des Moines, Iowa, USA, to tell us more about this special holiday.

(VOVWORLD) - Germany’s long, rich history contains many strange cultural anomalies. One of them is Closed Sundays. In this week’s Cultural Rendezvous, Christian Oster, a former German journalist, will tell us about this custom.

(VOVWORLD) - Far too much rubbish is produced all over the world. Every German produces around 450 kilograms of garbage per year. Germans are known for being particularly careful in separating and recycling their waste. Is that really true? Today we’ll talk to Hoai Vu Bender, a freelance photographer, who has been living in Burgschwalbach, Germany, for the past decade, to find out more.