The Carmentalia
The name “Carmentalia” indicates the festivals in honor of Carmenta and her nymphs, the Camene, called Antevorta and Postvorta, in reference to their ability to see the past and the […]
January 12th: the feast day of Saint Benedict Biscop
January 12th marks the feast day of Saint Benedict Biscop (born about 628, Northumbria, died on Jan 12th 689/690). He was the founder and first abbot of the monasteries of […]
Gleann Cholm Cille and St. Columba’s trail
We are in Ireland. The remote valley of Gleann Cholm Cille, in western Donegal, was already a holy site when Stonehenge was but a vision taking shape. Named after Columba, […]
Gummatapura: the Indian village that ends Diwali with massive cow dung battle
The small Indian village of Gummatapura is famous all over the world for its unique way of ending the annual Diwali celebrations: a massive cow dung battle called “Gorehabba”. If […]
January 2: Berchtoldstag
In some areas of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Berchtold Day, or locally Berchtoldstag, is celebrated on this day, January 2. The name of the Alemannic tradition does not refer to a […]
Celebrate the New Year with a Good Luck Pig!
Around the world, lucky foods for the new year range from collard greens (representing green cash) to long noodles (representing a lengthy lifespan), or lentils (representing money and luck). However, […]
Why do Japanese slurp Toshikoshi Soba 年越し蕎麦 on New Year’s Eve 大晦日?
Toshikoshi soba (年越し蕎麦), delicious buckwheat noodles, is one of Japan’s unique New Year’s customs. The history of this curious tradition dates back around 800 years, to the Kamakura period, and […]
Twelve Grapes: a New Year’s Eve tradition of scarfing down 12 grapes for good luck
When clocks strike midnight on New Year’s Eve many revelers are engaged to pop champagne, set off fireworks, or kiss their partner. Others, instead, in Spain and parts of Latin […]
Greece’s New Year tradition: Vasilopita and the Golden Coin
We are in Greece where, on New Year’s Day, a centuries-old tradition is observed in almost every household, that of Vasilopita (meaning St. Basil’s Cake), a sweet-tasting lucky treat. Across […]
Rakfisk: Norway’s notorious fermented trout is a tangy Christmas tradition.
The Rakfisk dates back to the ancient Scandinavian culturem when peoples needed to store food over a considerable period of time. The first record of rakfisk probably dates back to […]
How the wren became the King of the Birds
Many years ago, all the birds of the world gathered to decide which of them would be their king. After many days of debate, they decided that they would hold […]
How to play a hot victorian Christmas game without get burned
In the 19th century, a regular Christmas was a little different. For holiday fun, revelers in the United States, Canada and England scared their friends with ghost stories, fortune-telling, and […]
The Lord of Misrule
In some areas of England, during the late medieval and early Tudor periods, especially through the reign of King Edward VI, a custom emerged in which the lord of a […]
The day they banned Christmas
Happy and excited, millions children (and not only) across the world will tonight have one eye on the clock as the countdown to Christmas Day and their visit from Santa […]
24# The Neapolitan nativity scene: a combination of history, art and tradition
Every year during the Christmas holidays there are two categories of people, those who prefer the nativity scene and those who prefer the Christmas tree. However, in Neapolitan culture this […]
23# The curious story of the Swedish Yule goat
In Sweden there is a town that every year celebrates the start of the Christmas season by putting up a giant straw statue of a goat. Then folks wait (and […]
22# History of the tradition of Christmas Elves
Uncertain, lost in fantasy and popular tales, is the concept of Christmas elves. Most modern folks think of elves as Santa’s helpers, often in the form of little people who […]
21# Caganer: the best Christmas souvenir from Spain
The so-called Caganer is a figurine depicted in the act of defecation appearing in nativity scenes in Catalonia and neighbouring areas with Catalan culture such as Andorra, Valencia, despite you […]
20# The true story of Silent Night
It was 1914 when soldiers on both sides of the battlefield somewhere in France were enduring a dark and frozen Christmas Eve night. World War I, or the Great War, […]
19# Why we leave oranges in Christmas stockings?
A modern child would probably be disappointed by the goodies found in the Christmas stockings of the past. In the past, stocking stuffers were more like candies, nuts, and fresh […]
18# Animals in the story of Christmas
Animals play a prominent role a Christmas, regardless of whether or not religious beliefs are behind it. The story of Rudolph, the red nosed reinder, is probably the most popular […]
Io, Saturnalia!
Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, whatever your holiday, most of the December holiday traditions that we celebrate today can be traced back to the Ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia (with a healthy […]
17# The curious story of Zwarte Piet
Before elves and reindeer, St. Nicholas had a much more eerie assistant, such a Black Peter and, interestingly, the physical opposite of St. Nicholas himself! Tall and gaunt with a […]
16# The legend of Christmas Bells
Bells, especially Church Bells, have traditionally been associated with Christmas for a long time. In some churches it is traditional that the largest bell in the church is rung four […]
15# Mumming: another unusual Christmas tradition
Just as Wassailing, Mumming is an ancient pagan custom too, and basically an excuse for people to have a party at Christmas. It means literally “making diversion in disguise” and […]
14# Iceland’s Yule Lads: like 13 small amazing Santas
If you arent’t lucky enough to have been born in Iceland, or not have visited the island through a Christmas season, you probably won’t have never heard of the Yule […]
13# The terrifying tradition of the Mari Lwyd
Wales is often known for having a rich and interesting history, full of iconic folklore and strange traditions. However, one the weirdest part of the regional tradition involves a creepy […]
12# Wassailing: a very ancient custom in past centuries
The tradition of wassailing is a very ancient custom: in centuries past, so-called wassailers went from door to door, singing (and drinking) to the health of their neighbors. This concept […]
11# What’s behind the holiday tradition of hanging socks on the fireplace?
Of course, the history of Christmas stockings is based in myth and legend. Exactly where the custom came from is debatable, but cultures around the world include the stocking in […]