The Romans were very good at spreading their Empire; part of their efficacy was in allowing their new occupied territories to retain their own cultural and spiritual… Read more “Gods of the Week: Pax Romana”
Category: Holidays and Customs
Happy New Years! From Sumeria to Lemon Pigs
Looking for some age-old traditions to ring in the (Western) New Year on Jan 1st? Many people don’t realize that the Jan 1st date is a relatively… Read more “Happy New Years! From Sumeria to Lemon Pigs”
The Magi: Bones and All
Christian or not, it’s hard to escape the imagery of the Three Magi coming to anoint the baby Jesus. From nativity scenes to the Feast of the… Read more “The Magi: Bones and All”
The Rounder the Belly, the Harder it is to Slit! Beware Frau Perchta
Frau Perchta is a folkloric figure from the Alpine region, one that rewards the good and punishes the bad around Winter festival time. Like most folkloric figures,… Read more “The Rounder the Belly, the Harder it is to Slit! Beware Frau Perchta”
Greeting from Krampus!
For every Yin, there is a Yang. Every time the Beatles sang that they ‘want(ed) to hold your hand’, there was a Mick Jagger swaggering on a… Read more “Greeting from Krampus!”
Sarah Josepha Hale: Visualizing a Peaceful Thanksgiving
Imagine this: You’re the biggest influencer in America. You’ve got more reach than Oprah and Martha Stewart combined. When you address Presidents, they listen. In fact, one… Read more “Sarah Josepha Hale: Visualizing a Peaceful Thanksgiving”
Cotton Mather, Bridgette Bishop and the Witches of Salem: Give a God Man Power…
Imagine this: the year is 1692 A.D., and you are a very spry 60 year old who goes by the name of Bridgette. Along with your third… Read more “Cotton Mather, Bridgette Bishop and the Witches of Salem: Give a God Man Power…”
In the Dead of Winter, Come the Kallikantzaros: The Tree Will Stand
This post deals with the Kallikantzaros, mythical creatures who are determined to cut down the Tree of Life, and harass humans for 12 long Winter days and nights.
Chief of Chiefs and the Mardi Gras Indians: Art Trumps Violence
Imagine this: generations ago, your ancestors were bought and sold into slavery and sent to a new world, a new world where all memories of the past… Read more “Chief of Chiefs and the Mardi Gras Indians: Art Trumps Violence”
With Teeth: Festival of the Steel Phallus
Kanamara Matsuri (Festival of the Steel Phallus) is a Shinto festival held in the town of Kawasaki. Every year, on the first Sunday of April, the town… Read more “With Teeth: Festival of the Steel Phallus”