6# Samichlaus, the beer from Austria brewed only on Saint Nicholas’s Day.
Like Santa Claus, the brewers of Samichlaus beer carry out a very special task each December, when Austria’s Schloss Eggenberg brewery prepares a batch of Samichlaus on Saint Nicholas’s Day, […]
5# Sinterklaas Pepernoten – Netherlands
Pepernoten (literally pepper nuts) are little, brown spice cookies very popular before and during the Dutch holiday Sinterklaasavond, or Saint Nicholas’s Eve. Sinterklaasavond occurs on the night of December 5 […]
4# Christmas Cake and Cheese: a big deal in Yorkshire – England!
Yorkshire, a historic county of Northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom, has its a curious variety of weird and wonderful traditions often unknown on the rest of […]
3# From the bathtub to the table: Christmas Eve Carp!
There are many ways to ensure your meal is fresh: first, you can grow it yourself, or you can buy it directly from the farm. Or you can take it […]
2# Gata at Geghard Monastery – Armenia
We are in the rugged Upper Azat Valley in Armenia, around the entrance to the rock-carved Geghard Monastery. Here you’ll notice elderly ladies clustered around roadside stalls leading to the […]
1# Christmas Risengrød, the Danish rice pudding that appeases wicked elves!
In Denmark, the tradition of eating rice pudding, or risengrød, on Christmas starts with a mischievous elf. In many European countries, traditions linked to Christmastime feature magical creatures who are […]
25# Merry Christmas to everybody!
Thanks to everyone for the many visits and appreciation to our advent calendar. Next year we will try to invent something new. Keep following us!!! Merry Christmas and a happy […]
24# The true story of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer~
24 December! We now know that Christmas is associated with various legends and mythical and unusual characters since time immemorial. Among these, we have not yet speak about Rudolph, popularly […]
23# Christmas around the world: traditions and customs from Canada~
Yes, it seems that today is my turn! Even if I come from different countries, and you don’t ask me the reason, today I’ll talk you about Christmas in Canada, […]
22# Silent Night and the Christmas truce.
This story is probably another chapter in the book of the countless Christmas legend, and another checkbox in our advent calendar! It was 1914 ,and soldiers on both sides of […]
21# I tell you the very first American Christmas!
Once upon a time, in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean…..but not only all historians are really agree upon when it comes to the character of Christopher Columbus! There are really […]
20# The Halifax Christmas Disaster of 1917
The northern seaport city of Halifax, Nova Scotia on the eastern Canadian sea board, was recently in the news for the commemorative events surrounding the 100th anniversary of the sinking […]
19# I Saw three ships….
When thinking of Christmas, we think of Santa Claus, nativity, Christmas trees, lights….but when thinking of Christmas at sea, we probably immediately think of the traditional carol “I Saw Three […]
18# Why Christmas is celebrated on 25th December?
According to popular tradition, Christmas is celebrated on 25th December to celebrate the birth of Jesus. However, no records exist in the Bible or elsewhere to suggest that Jesus was […]
17# Christmas Around the World: Czech traditions and Superstitions.
Christmas is coming, and today is already December 17th! We are very happy because our advent calendar is truly appreciated by readers from all over the world, and every day […]
16# Rare Vintage Photos of Christmas From the Victorian Era
It’s hard to imagine now, but at the beginning of the 19th century Christmas was hardly celebrated. However by the end of the century it had become the biggest annual […]
15# Christmas around the world: Bulgaria.
Many countries in Eastern Europe celebrate Christmas on January 7th because most Orthodox Churches use still today the old Julian Calendar, but the Bulgarian Orthodox Church uses the Gregorian calendar, […]
14# The Christmas Spectre of Clarence Street.
There is an old house in Liverpool’s Clarence Street that is the theater of supernatural unrest every time the festive season is upon us. Here are heard the sounds of […]
13# Saint Lucy’s Day: traditions of the world
Today 13 December is celebrate Saint Lucy’s Day, a Christian feast day commemorating Saint Lucy, a 3rd-century martyr under the Diocletianic Persecution, who according to the legend brought food and […]
12# The dark side of Christmas: The Christmas monsters That Will Give You Nightmares!
Times ago Christmas was not dominated only by gifts and good intentions as we know it today. Many of the pagan myths regarding this specific period of the year often […]
11# Christmas around the world: Oh Bej! Oh Bej! Christmas Market in Milan, Italy.
In Milan, the most traditional and most popular of all the events in the Christmas time is the Oh Bej! Oh Bej! Christmas market which, for five centuries, has rung […]
10# The dark side of Christmas: In Iceland, Gryla is the most renowned figures associated with Christmas.
If in Iceland there is a well-known museum of witchcraft, you probably do not know yet these bizarre characters related to the Icelandic Christmas tradition. A few days ago, I […]
9# The ancient origins of Christmas tree.
The Christmas tree is probably one of the most traditional symbols of Christmas, and evert year we see it on greeting cards, advertisements, cookies, wrapping paper, and, of course, in […]
8# Christmas around the world: Slovenian traditions.
After the legend of Sunken Bell in Bled, today, I’d like to share with you some of the most common Slovenian traditions and customs, celebrated around the Christmas time. All […]
7# The Dark Side of Christmas: Krampus, Santa’s horned helper!
In ancient times, a dark, hairy, horned beast was said to show up at the door to kidnap children. The Krampus could be heard in the night by the sound […]
6# St.Nicholas: the man behind Santa Claus.
Today, on 6 December, the Church celebrates the feast day of one of the most popular saints throughout the world, St. Nicholas. In the United States, St. Nicholas is typically […]
5# Milanese Panettone: history, legends and traditions.
If at Christmas, Americans enjoy pumpkin pie, the English have plum or Christmas pudding, all the Italians celebrate with panettone. Just the mention of this sweet Milanese speciality conjures up […]
4# The Legend of Sunken Bell
Every year at Lake Bled, Slovenia, divers go on a quest to recover the bell that ended up on the bottom of the lake, in front of a crowd of […]
2# Thomas Nast: the cartoonist who invented the Modern Icon of Santa Claus.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Santa Claus was still a character to be defined. What could he wear? In magazines people did not know how to draw him, […]