Cultures & traditions
Categories
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The origins of Halloween
The first record of what we now know as Halloween dates back to the ancient Celts, who called it “Samhain”. The ancient civilisation would don their scariest outfits to ward off spirits. They did this in preparation for their new year, which began on November 1st, when they believed the cold dark winter to begin.…
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Autumn traditions from around the world
Autumn is here and we all have our own traditions, be it the first pumpkin spice latte of the season, or the ceremonial Changing of the Coats. But what about the rest of the world? What do they do when the leaves start to fall from the tree and the nights get darker? Let’s find…
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Mother’s day traditions from around the world
Mothering Sunday is when we all take a day to celebrate the wonderful mums out there, as well as the ones who are no longer with us. We all have our traditions when it comes to acknowledging our mums, usually involving a bunch of flowers and a Sunday roast, but how do they recognise hard-working…
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Unusual Valentine’s day traditions from around the world
In the UK, Valentine’s day is a pretty normal affair – you might get a card and, if you’re very lucky, some flowers and an M&S meal deal. However, there are many other weird Valentine’s traditions that you might like to try instead.
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The history of wind in Japan
From wind chimes to Samurai fart battles, the history of wind in Japan engages all the senses (except taste).
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The love market of Vietnam
What is Vietnam’s love market? Does it sell romantic gifts, or aphrodisiacs maybe? Nope, this love market is different…
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Vietnamese Water Puppets
Water puppetry is a Vietnamese tradition that dates back almost a thousand years. Think of it as a more refined Punch & Judy show with less shouting and a lot more water!
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Wintery myths and legends
We know that spring will soon be here, but in the past people couldn’t be so sure. So what did folk around the world think caused the cold conditions and long nights?
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Unusual races from around the world
Running on a treadmill, or pounding the same old streets, can be a bit repetitive. So why not enter one of these unusual races instead?
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Legends and folklore from around Poland
Poland is a country with beautiful cities, mountains and forests. But, beneath the beauty, it has a strange history of kings being eaten by mice, musicians being hit by arrows and dragons drinking so much that they pop.