It’s October, Halloween’s month. You can’t say October without thinking of pumpkins, witches, ghosts, and all the other words connected to Halloween. In this blog post, we’d like to explore the relationship between Halloween and religion around the world. So, where does Halloween come from? About 2,000 years ago, the Celts who lived in England and Ireland introduced this festivity. They celebrated it on October 31st. This day marked the end of the summer and the beginning of the cold winter. Halloween was associated with their religion. Indeed, the Celts believed that, on this day, the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. Their return made it easier for the Druids, the Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. However, at that time, this day was known as “Samhain” (a Gaelic word pronounced sow-win). The word “Halloween”, instead, has Christian origins. In fact, it comes from the Scottish word “Hallowe’en” which means “All Hallows’ Eve”, and in Western Churches, on November 1st, it is All Hallows Day. In the 1800s, thanks to Scottish and Irish migrants, this celebration spread to America, where it is still hugely celebrated today. Halloween in Europe As much as Halloween seems to be an international festivity, people around the world have different ways to commemorate their beloved dead. Starting in Ireland and England, Halloween is especially celebrated by kids. They love dressing up in Halloween outfits and knocking on doors asking for “trick- or-treat”. In England, on November 5th, there’s another celebration: Guy Fawkes Day. This day commemorates the execution of an English traitor, Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up the Houses...
How many New Year’s traditions do you know? Obviously, we are sure you know at least two or three New Year’s traditions from different cultures. Alternatively, we would like to share with you some of the most unique New Year’s traditions that we know from around the world. And, if it wasn’t enough, take a look at this amazing page containing 50 New Year’s Traditions from around the world! Canada Firstly, we are going to mention something about Canada. A tradition started in 1920 involves jumping into the freezing waters of English Bay on New Year’s Day. This is called the Polar Bear Swim. Do you dare to? 😉 Italy In Italy, it’s a very strong New Year’s tradition to spend New Year’s Eve with friends or family, at home for dinner or at parties. In fact, they usually eat lentils for good luck, together with zampone, a typical salami from Emilia-Romagna. After that, they countdown to midnight and toast with sparkling wine. Moreover, wearing red underwear is thought to bring love, prosperity and good luck! Czech Republic The Czechs believe that, as a New Year’s tradition, it is possible to predict what is going to happen in the coming year by cutting an apple in half and looking at the shape of its core. New Year’s Traditions in Argentina and Bolivia Argentinians believe that wearing pink underwear will attract love in the new year. Moreover, eating beans will help people to keep their current job or find a better one. Different from Argentinians and Italians, Bolivians believe that wearing yellow underwear will increase their fortune for the new year....
How many Christmas traditions exist in the world? Is it possible to know all the Christmas traditions of the world? We know it’s almost impossible, but we will try to tell you about some. And, if you want to know more, please take a look at this interesting article about Christmas traditions all around the world. Christmas traditions in Canada Canadians love to adorn their houses with lights and decorations. This nation is particularly fond of Santa Claus. This might be because his home in the North Pole is so close to Canada! The Santa Claus Parade in Toronto is one of the oldest and largest Santa parades in the world: more than 2500 people take part in it! The traditional Canadian Christmas meal is roast turkey with vegetables and potatoes. But, Canada is a very large country, full of people with many different cultural backgrounds. For example, the Ukrainian community in Canada is one of the largest in the world, and they will have their traditional 12-dish meal for Christmas. Christmas traditions in Italy Italians love the Nativity scene. In fact, St. Francis, a Saint from Italy, made it very popular in 1223. It can be recreated in several ways: using handmade figures (waterfalls, food, animals, people), with a background made of paper or painted glass. Additionally, the set is different: you can use a hollowed-out wooden trunk, a “trullo” (a typical building of the South of Italy made with dry stone) or within the same dry stones one finds in Matera. Every year in Matera, the locals put on a play that recounts the story of the...
Who was Saint Patrick and what he did. What is the day of Saint Patrick? The day of Saint Patrick is a religious and cultural Irish celebration, held annually on March 17th. Saint Patrick is Ireland’s patron saint. On this day, people in Ireland, as well as around the globe, celebrate Saint Patrick’s traditional death date (AD 385–461). He was a Christian bishop, missionary and apostle in Ireland during the 5th century. Believe it or not, he was not Irish. He was probably born in Scotland, but nobody knows for sure. Why was Saint Patrick famous? Saint Patrick was kidnapped and enslaved by Irish marauders when he was 16. He worked as a herder for the next 6 years. This experience made him very religious. But, one night he had a revealing dream: a mysterious voice asked him to go back to Great Britain, and he did. Once there, he had another revealing dream. In this one, he received a letter titled “The Voice of the Irish”. As he read it, he seemed to hear Irish people claiming his return to their land. He studied to become a priest and then he was appointed as a bishop. What did Saint Patrick do? After becoming a bishop, Saint Patrick went back to Ireland to preach the gospel. He converted thousands of people and built churches. It also said that Saint Patrick baptized hundreds of people in just one day. The three-leaf clover became his symbol as he used one to describe the Holy Trinity. He died in poverty on March 17th, 1461 in a city called Saul. This is the city where...
2018 Resolutions Did you make your list of New Year’s Resolutions? New Year’s is here, and we cannot yet believe it! The magic of Christmas is still in our hearts, but we are already thinking about what we are going to accomplish in this 2018. A new year always comes with lots of wishes, opportunities and the optimism of a fresh start. Are you ready to take advantage of it? What are New Year’s Resolutions? New Year’s Resolutions are things people want to accomplish in the new year. They go from simple activities like planning a trip to more complex ones like changing a personality trait or losing weight. They are meant to help you improve your life. Why can’t we stick to our New Year’s Resolutions? Only about 8% of people stick to their New Year’s Resolutions. There are many reasons why, but the main one might be making too many changes at the same time. For instance, a lot of people want to stop eating sugar, but they don’t start cutting it down a bit at a time so the change is progressive. It is a matter of being realistic and knowing ourselves: what we like, what we can do, and what we can achieve. To help you with this, we came up with a list of 5 popular New Year’s Resolutions and some useful tips to actually achieve them. Losing weight: Stay focused. This is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. People always want to be in good shape but it seems to be really difficult for everybody to make it happen....
This time of year is all about food! Yes! Because Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are full of traditional meals, desserts, and drinks to enjoy with family and friends and to celebrate the happiness of being together, we decided to come up with a list of 7 New Year’s Eve Foods That Give You Luck. Around the world, there is a common belief that certain foods can give you luck if you eat them at the right time. Also, there are many superstitions around New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Eve, people believe that eating certain in a specific order will bring some luck, or help you to earn more money, travel or even find your soul mate. If you are the type of person that likes to do things for luck or if you are just curious about these superstitions. What do you want for the New Year? 1. Do you want to have one wish for each month of the new year? Eat grapes: In countries like Spain, Mexico, and Venezuela, people believe that you should eat one grape for each of the 12 strikes during the final countdown on New Year’s Eve. If you do so, you will have one wish per month. Don’t miss the opportunity to receive one wish for each month of the coming new year! 2. Do you need good luck and positivity? Eat black-eyed peas: It is a believe that Hoppin’ John, as these peas are also referred to, bring prosperity in the New Year. The ingredients that you use to prepare them represent money, positivity, and...
