24# Feast of the Seven Fishes
On the night before Christmas, some people are preparing and decorating Christmas cookies, while others are readying a delicious roast beast for the oven. But for Italian-Americans, the traditional dinner […]
#13 Cuccía: a Sicilian tradition on Saint Lucy’s day
On the calendar, December 13th appears a day like any other, but in Sicily many are waiting for this date. The day of Saint Lucy (also celebrated in other parts […]
7# Ul Boov: the Mongolian “shoe sole cake“
We are in Mongolia. Tsagaan Sar, arguably Mongolia’s most important holiday, is the celebration of the Lunar New Year, held a month after the first new moon following the Winter […]
Armenia: the architectural beauty of the Geghard monastery
We are in Armenia’s Upper Azat Valley, east of Yerevan. At the turn of the fourth century, only this nation in the world had accepted Christianity as its official religion, […]
Joan of Leeds: the nun who faked her own death to escape convent
Being a nun and living in a convent is one that requires extreme commitment, particularly in the 14th century. For Joan of Leeds, a rather rebellious English nun at St. […]
The Lucifer of Liège – Belgium
Even though the original structure of St. Paul Cathédrale de Liège goes back to the 10th century, it’s been built over a few times, and today it is mostly comprised […]
God, Science and Philanthropy: the strange story of Sir John Templeton and his library
Sir John Templeton was a bright, vigorous guy, born in Winchester, TN, with no indication that he would be someday become the sort of man to stumble out of a […]
The beautiful tiny church of St. Andrew on the Vuoksa River – Russia
Although it is an unusual custom, it is technically possible to built a church in an area of only 100 square meters, and this small church on an island in […]
The incredible Chinese Ghost Festival (Ghost Month) in Taiwan~
If you’ve ever been to China or Taiwan or read about Chinese society, you’ve probably come to realize that Chinese culture abounds with the most unusual and macabre customs and […]
“Sokushinbutsu”: the self-mummification ritual and the myth of non-death
Although the Japanese climate is not exactly conducive to mummification, somehow a group of Buddhist monks from the Shingon sect discovered a way to mummify themselves through rigorous ascetic training […]
The Lost Town of Newtown Jerpoint, Ireland. Santa Claus is buried here?
We are just outside the Irish town of Thomastown, in Kilkenny. According to a local legend, the remains of Father Christmas lie within the medieval grounds of what’s left of […]
The Neapolitan Cult of the Dead at the ossuary of Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco.
In 1274 Purgatory was formally accepted as Catholic doctrine and defined by the Church as the place of purification through which souls pass on their way to paradise. Some decades […]
The cult of “Santa Muerte”: pre-Columbian deity venerated even today
“El que apura su vida, apura su muerte” “Who accelerates his life, accelerates his death“. This Mexican proverb describes the death, common and certain destiny of every living being. Yet, […]
Basilica of Saint Bernardino da Siena: the Saint is guarded here.
This church was built, with the adjacent cloister, between 1454 and 1472 in honor of St Bernardino of Siena…. In the year 1400, a twenty-year-old man came to the door […]
