Tag: family

Some fascinating facts you probably don’t know about the Day of the Dead

Leo S

First: did you know that the Day of the Dead has a history older than Christmas? Historically, Jesus of Nazareth was born in the year 1 A.D., despite some the scholars argue Jesus’ birthday was closer to 5 B.C. Well, while Mary and Joseph were bickering over baby names, Mesoamerican cultures like the Maya were already about 1,000 years deep into an annual festival of death and rebirth, honoring their departed ancestors and something like the afterlife. To many indigenous Americans, death was seen as a continuance of life, a…

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Singapore: couple divorce after wife becomes obsessed with pet cats

Robin

Singaporean media recently reported the bizarre divorce case of a couple whose separation was largely caused by the wife’s obsession with cats, which eventually drove her husband out of their house. It is not another fake news: in a sentence issued on May 21, Judge Sheik Mustafa Abu Hassan pronounced the official divorce of a couple that been married for 45 years, but separated for the last 14 years. The couple, named during the court proceedings to protect their identities, had reportedly married in 1975 and had three children over…

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How “Taco Friday” became a popular Swedish tradition

Nathan

Fredagsmys, or “Cozy Friday”, is a popular beloved Swedish tradition. In the Scandinavian country, families stay home on Friday night, watch TV, and eat Tex-Mex-style tacos. This dinner choice is so common that, for most Swedes, the so called Cozy Friday is also know as Taco Fredag, in english Taco Friday. However, the cultural classic that is Swedish taco doesn’t actually have that much heritage behind it and was born out of a successful marketing campaign. In 1990, the country was emerging from a financial crisis, and Swedes were eager…

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#April 7, 1832: Joseph Thompson – the man who sold his wife

Robin

Nagging wives needed to be careful in 19th Century England, for, as Joseph Thompson did, her husband might put her up for sale. That’s just what happened on this day, April 7 1832, to Mary Thompson, according to this local newspaper report: SALE OF A WIFE BY HER HUSBAND AT CARLISLE On Saturday the 7th instant, the inhabitants of this city witnessed the sale of a wife by her husband, Joseph Thompson, a local farmer who was married in the year 1829, to his present wife. She is a spruce,…

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17# Lussekatter – Swedish saffron buns

Nathan

Julbord, a three course meal, is served come Christmas in Sweden. The first dish is usually fish, often pickled herring. As second, cold cuts (including Christmas ham) along with sausages are served and the third course is often meatballs and a potato casserole called Janssons frestelse. For dessert, rice pudding is popular, but there’s another treat for which the Swedes are known to make around this time: Lussekatter. Light and fluffy, these saffron buns are a fun to make treat for St. Lucia’s Day and beyond! Sweet yeast rolls are…

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