Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – Most of us would think twice before placing this little pooping guy known as Caganer at home during Christmas. Our friends and family might think we have an odd sense of humor, and there seems
Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – Today, we associate mistletoe with Christmas. We decorate with mistletoe and don’t think much about how this wonderful plant entered our homes. To many of us, mistletoe is simply one of many Christmas traditions, but the
A. Sutherland – AncientPages.com – Ancient legends of Perchta (also known as Berchta or Berta) are native to Austria, especially Salzburg, the Alpine regions of Switzerland, and southern Germany. Perchta is a very old mythological figure, which remembers pre-Christian times.
Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – On December 13, the Feast of Saint Lucy is celebrated in some countries. This memorable Christmas holiday is of great importance, mainly in Scandinavia and Italy. It’s called St. Lucy Day (also known as St.
Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – The Wild Hunt is a well-known folklore story in Northern Europe. It is said that seeing the Wild Hunt is dangerous because it warns of a coming disaster or the death of the person who witnessed
Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – It may sound somewhat surprising, but the celebration of Christmas, Easter, Midsummer, and Saint’s Day was forbidden in Scotland for a very long time. Most Scots are Christians, but Christmas has been considered un-Christian. This
Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – If you ever visit Sweden during Christmas, make sure to go to the city of Gävle, where you can see a colossal goat made of straw standing at Slottstorget (Castle Square). The giant goat is
Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – Advent is a Christian season of celebration that begins on a Sunday and continues for three other Sundays leading up to Christmas. The candles in the Advent wreath are lit every night during Advent. The first
Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – Are you going to celebrate Halloween on October 31? If so, you may already know it originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. During Samhain, lighting bonfires and wearing costumes were essential to ward
Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – When fall approaches, we remember that darker and colder days are heading our way. Ancient people honored the changing of seasons through several festivals. One of them is the Mabon festival, celebrated between September 21 and
Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – Archaeological investigations in the ancient Maya city of Yaxnohcah, conducted by scholars from the University of Cincinnati have uncovered compelling evidence of ceremonial rituals involving plant offerings within their renowned ballcourts. Ball court in ancient Coba.
AncientPages.com – We’re all familiar with the jolly, white-haired and bearded overweight man who sneaks down chimneys on Christmas Eve delivering presents to children. But where did this come from? With roots in Christianity, the origins of the world’s most
AncientPages.com – On December 18, 1941, it was forbidden to use the Norwegian flag and its colours in a way that offended national sentiment. The ban was issued by Vidkun Quisling’s fascist party, National Gathering. Using the flag in that manner
Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – Showing your face at dinners and parties at court: it was the way to get noticed by the king in William I’s time. Joost Welten’s latest book reveals how, during the reign of William I,
A. Sutherland – AncientPages.com – Bread has been known for millennia, though its authentic history is lost in time. It is the primary food of man in almost all cultures worldwide. The folklore surrounding bread was passed down through oral
AncientPages.com – On Jan. 22, 2023, more than a billion people globally will welcome the Year of the Rabbit – or the Year of Cat, depending on which cultural traditions they follow – as the start of the Lunar New
