As everyone in England knows, April 23rd is St George’s Day, when we celebrate the cross-wearing dragon-slayer’s bravery and Christian values. What could be more English that Saint George, the patron saint of England? Quite a lot, as it turns out.
Cultures & traditions
5 very unusual sports from around the world
Welcome, sports fans, to a trip round some of the world’s most unusual games. Whatever it is you look for in a sport (athletic ability, fierce competition, dead goats), you’ll find plenty of it here. Some of these sports may seem crazy to us in Britain, but as our national sport is just an unnecessarily complicated version of kicking a ball around the park, we’re really in no position to judge.
5 Easter traditions from around the world
Spring has sprung, apparently, and Easter is on its way. In the UK, we know the Christian festival of Easter is coming because there are Creme Eggs in the shops, and it becomes socially acceptable to gorge yourself on chocolate, provided it’s in the shape of an egg, a rabbit or a chick. However, other countries have some more interesting Easter traditions and customs.
8 wedding traditions from around the world
In the UK, we have loads of wedding traditions, such as the bride wearing something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, the throwing of the bouquet and the playing of Come on Eileen during the reception. We did a little bit of research and found out that other countries had some interesting wedding customs too.
Strange currencies from around the world
Foreign money’s a funny thing. I’ve recently returned from Iceland, where I had to hand over hundreds and hundreds of krona just for a small bottle of orange Fanta. On the plus side, however, I was for the first time in my life able to claim I had “several grand” in my wallet… My experience with the Icelandic krona inspired me to research other, far more unusual currencies, so here are some of my favourite finds.
Chinese New Year: The 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac
Happy new year! No, this isn’t a post that we forgot to publish early last month; I’m talking about the Chinese New Year, which was yesterday. You might have seen lots of colourful costumes, dancing dragons and fireworks on the news. Or, if you’ve got a Chinatown nearby you, just round the corner. According to the Chinese calendar, we’re no longer in the year of the Dragon. We’re now in the year of the Snake. But why are the animals in the order they’re in? Well, gather round and I’ll tell you…
Tinsel | 7 Christmas traditions
Christmas is a time of tradition and ritual, such as singing “We wish you a merry Christmas” to the Christmas pudding as it emerges, alight, into the dining room… (OK, so that’s a personal tradition, but I have only just found this out. I thought everyone did this up until last year!)
Mistletoe | 7 Christmas traditions
Christmas is a time of tradition and ritual, such as singing “We wish you a merry Christmas” to the Christmas pudding as it emerges, alight, into the dining room… (OK, so that’s a personal tradition, but I have only just found this out. I thought everyone did this up until last year!)
Holly | 7 Christmas traditions
Christmas is a time of tradition and ritual, such as singing “We wish you a merry Christmas” to the Christmas pudding as it emerges, alight, into the dining room… (OK, so that’s a personal tradition, but I have only just found this out. I thought everyone did this up until last year!)
Sugar plums | 7 Christmas traditions
Christmas is a time of tradition and ritual, such as singing “We wish you a merry Christmas” to the Christmas pudding as it emerges, alight, into the dining room… (OK, so that’s a personal tradition, but I have only just found this out. I thought everyone did this up until last year!)