St. David's Day 2023

 Today’s Doodle celebrates St. David’s Day in Wales, or Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant in Welsh. On this day in the year 589, St. David was canonized and became the patron saint of Wales. 

Each year on March 1st,  a national St. David’s Day Parade is held in the city of Cardiff, where schoolchildren and bands march in traditional Welsh costumes. They wear bright red gowns and dark tall hats and carry the Welsh flag.

The flag of Wales features a red dragon atop a green and white background. According to the legend of Dinas Emrys, a Celtic king’s castle repeatedly collapsed due to two dragons fighting in a lair below its foundation. Eventually, a red dragon prevailed and became a symbol of Welsh pride. Today, the flag decorates buildings and homes throughout the country. 

Today’s colourful Doodle was inspired by items found in Wales. The artwork was hand-crafted with cut acrylic glass inspired by traditional stained glass windows and prominently features Wales' National flower — the daffodil! 

Happy St. David’s Day Wales!

Celebrating Mickey Chen

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Taiwan-based guest artist Dyin Li, celebrates Taiwanese filmmaker and activist Mickey Chen, who focused on telling stories from people that belonged to disenfranchised communities. On this day in 1999, her film Boys for Beauty became the first LGBTQ-themed documentary to be screened at a movie theater in Taiwan.

Chen, fascinated by cameras from a young age, started creating movies in college. At 30, she made her directorial debut with Not Simply a Wedding Banquet (1997), a documentary about the first gay couple to have a public wedding in Taipei. It explored the struggles that members of the LGBTQ+ community faced in Taiwan.

In 1999, Chen released Boys for Beauty, an eye-opening exposé that followed the lives of three gay teenagers from Taipei. The film took a bold stance against gender norms and showcased the societal pressures each subjects’ relatives endured. It was a box office success and a pivotal achievement for Taiwanese cinema.

Boys for Beauty won countless awards and film festival placements, most notably the Audience Award at the 2000 Taiwan International Documentary Festival. Chen gave an inspiring acceptance speech that praised the LGBTQ+ movement and invited several directors to join her on stage in an act of solidarity.

Chen wrote and directed many more documentaries such as Memorandum on Happiness (2003), Scars on Memory (2005), and Fragile in Love (2007). She also published Taipei Father, New York Mother in 2011, a book about family tragedies that occurred during her youth. Throughout her career, Chen documented significant moments of LGBTQ+ history in Taiwan and opened the eyes of the public to them and Taiwan’s progressive LGBTQ+ societal views are a result of trailblazers like her.

 

Celebrating Sương Nguyệt Anh

 

Today’s Doodle celebrates Sương Nguyệt Anh, the first female newspaper editor of the first women’s newspaper in Vietnam. On this day in 1918, the first publication of Nu Gioi Chung  (Women's Bell) was published — the newspaper where Nguyệt Anh was editor in chief. Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Hanoi-based guest artist, Camelia Phạm.

Nguyệt Anh was born on March 8, 1864 in An Binh Dong village of the Ben Tre province. Her father, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, was a poet and teacher who taught her how to read and write in both Chinese and Chữ Nôm, a form of Vietnamese language that uses Chinese characters. Nguyệt Anh started writing her own poetry. In honor of one of her most well known poems centered around apricot blossoms, the Doodle artwork incorporates apricot blossoms and an apricot color palette.

The next few decades were a tragic time for Nguyệt Anh. Her father died when she was 24, and she and her brother took over his school to teach the locals. She then moved to Rach Mieu in My Tho City, married, and gave birth to a daughter. Two years later, her husband passed.

She became the first female editor in chief in Vietnam when she started writing for the Nu Gioi Chung newspaper in Saigon under the pen name Sương Nguyệt Anh, meaning “Widowed Nguyệt Anh.” Many of the newspaper’s issues spoke about women’s roles in Vietnamese culture and society.

Sương Nguyệt Anh is remembered for her bright mind and personality, as well as her resilience through adversity. She was a pioneer for women writers and editors in Vietnam and paved the way for generations to come. She had connections with people from all walks of life and treated everyone with respect. There are several streets named after Nguyệt Anh in cities like Ho Chi Minh, Da Lat and Vung Tau.

 

 

India Republic Day 2023

Today’s Doodle celebrating India Republic Day was illustrated by Ahmedabad, Gujarat-based guest-artist Parth Kothekar. On this day in 1950, India declared itself a sovereign, democratic, and republic state with the adoption of the constitution.

India gained its freedom from the British Empire in 1947 and began drafting its constitution soon after. The India Constituent Assembly took two years to discuss, modify, and approve the governing document, and when adopted, India became the country with the longest constitution. The adoption of this document paved the way for democracy and empowered Indian citizens to elect their own representatives. 

To celebrate the national holiday, there are various parades around the country, with the largest one taking place at Rajpath, a ceremonial boulevard in New Delhi. After a ceremonial wreath laying to honor fallen soldiers, regiments of India’s armed forces and tableaus representing cultural and historical heritage march through the street. To conclude the festivities, the Beating Retreat ceremony takes place on the evening of January 29th. The saffron, white, and green Indian flag is flown as the Indian National Anthem plays. 

Today’s Doodle artwork is crafted from intricately hand-cut paper. Many elements of the Republic Day parade  are represented in the artwork including the Rashtrapati Bhavan (where the president resides), the India Gate, the CRFP marching contingent, and motorcycle riders.

Happy Republic Day, India! 

 

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Check out the behind-the-scenes process for today’s Doodle artwork

 

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Guest Artist Q&A with Parth Kothekar

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Ahmedabad, Gujarat-based guest artist Parth Kothekar. Below, he shares his thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:

Q. What were your first thoughts when you were approached about working on this Doodle?

A: I had goosebumps! I reread the email multiple times as I couldn’t believe it and with joy I informed my mother and sister about it. I’d never thought that I would get such an opportunity!

Q. Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle? 

A: My inspiration was to create a portrait of India. The exhibition that takes place during the Republic Day parade is vast and humbling! I wished to weave various strands and elements of it together.

Q. Why was this topic meaningful to you personally?

A: During my school days, every year I would be mesmerized by the Republic Day parade. Receiving this opportunity enlivened that fascination and I thoroughly enjoyed diving into it as I went into details of every facet displayed on the papercut. I learned a lot through this process.

Q. What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?

A: This papercut took me 4 days to complete — 6 hours a day. I wanted to demonstrate the complexity of India, with all of its interconnected facets! I'm hoping that the complexity of this artwork allows the viewer to get a glimpse of that.

New Year's Day 2023

 Happy New Year! 

However you choose to ring in the new year, here’s to good fortune in 2023!

 

Celebrating Indigenous North American Stickball

 

Denmark General Elections 2022