For example, a newspaper article back in July explained that Americans celebrate Independence Day (July 4) by gathering to eat traditional American dishes and sing American folk songs.
Reading it, one could feel that they had been missing out on a major cultural experience all their life, despite regular attendance at July 4 picnics and firework displays.
The American Cultural Center's showing of the Bill Murray movie "Groundhog Day" with a group of Russian teachers of English offered fruitful ground for cultural exchange.
The movie was the first in a series designed to introduce Russians to different American holidays.
Of all US holidays, Groundhog Day is perhaps the hardest to explain. It isn't a real holiday; it's just there.
You see, folk legend has it that once a year, on February 2, the little groundhog (a rodent similar to a woodchuck) crawls from out of his hole where he's been hibernating and takes a look around. If he sees his shadow, he gets frightened and runs back inside and, the story goes, we're all in for another six weeks of winter.
It's really not a big deal, except if you live in Pennsylvania, home of the official groundhog day groundhog, called Pete. There, the day is turned into a local festival.
Elsewhere, weather reporters will throw it into their daily report and some
people may ask, "So, is Spring on the way?"