This home cook uses food to blend both of her two rich cultural backgrounds. By Francesca Dabecco...
Christmas
Traditions many of us associate with Christmas get their own cultural spin in different countries around the...
All around us are celebrations in the making – centered around beliefs that we don’t share. What’s...
After Pearl Harbor, the British prime minister insisted on visiting President Roosevelt in Washington. On a cold...
The famous Knickerbocker was all about Saint Nick. Thanks to “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” his creepy...
Christmas Pudding as we know it is a Victorian innovation. Introduction Christmas Pudding is when the British...
Pepys was a rising star in the administration of the royal navy, and life for the sailors...
It was less about their asceticism and more about rejecting the world they had fled. Introduction When...
The origin of the mince pies can be traced back to the thirteenth century during the Crusades....
Christmas gifts were a well-established part of the medieval year. The traditions of giving to the less...
How the Romans celebrated Saturnalia. Happy Saturnalia! This ancient Roman holiday honors Saturn, the god of seed-sowing,...
Do you struggle to decide what gifts to get for friends, relatives, office pals, and other important...
Appreciation of the quality and the artistry of the cards grew in the late 1800s. By John...
Exploring family gift giving and other holiday traditions, old and new. Happy, happy Christmas, that can win...
Sadly, Follen’s Christmas tree has gone largely forgotten. Karl Follen came to America from Germany in 1825...
Washington’s crossing of the Delaware on Christmas night 1776 led to victory, but terrible weather led to...
Nativity scenes first originated in the small Italian town of Greccio. Introduction Around the Christmas season, it...
The pagans paved the way for our modern festivities. Introduction The idea of hanging up decorations in...
The greatest gift one can give is food to a starving person. The Santa Claus we know...
Ginger root was first cultivated in ancient China, where it was commonly used as a medical treatment....
Each season in medieval europe had its own special Christian celebration, often based on older pagan traditions....
Whenever a folk tradition becomes popular, you can be sure that a large company will try to...
Debunking some long-held false notions of the holiday. #1 Myth Retailers Have Ruined Christmas By Commercializing It...
Several of Santa’s modern features, such as his generosity, miracle-working, and focus on morality (being ‘naughty or nice’), were part of his image from the very...
Behind today’s mythical Santa Claus from the North Pole, is a real saint – St. Nicholas. How he came to be today’s gift-giving...
How did a religious celebration turn into a holiday that is all about home, family, and Christmas...
Virgin birth was not a new story in the ancient world. At the centre of the annual...
Christmas trees are fairly moden, but parts of the traditional Christmas pre-date Jesus. By Dr. Peter GlavesEnterprise FellowNorthumbria University, Newcastle Every year,...