New Year’s Eve –Polish traditions and superstitions
The end of the year is definitely considered to be special time of the year. It’s the time of reflection, setting resolutions, plans and…
Hidden meanings behind Christmas Eve traditions in Poland
Christmas traditions aren’t only about mindlessly repeating the same patterns – there is often deeper meaning hidden behind them – and I would like…
The Galician Father-Christmas
In the mountains of Lugo, mainly in the valleys of O Cebreiro, Courel, Louzara and Ancares, is where the figure of a strong old…
THE CHRISTMAS CAROLING TRADITION IN POLAND
“An old Slavic ritual of caroling (kolędowanie) was once a widespread custom in the Polish countryside. The tradition involved dressing up (usually as animal…
December 8th: the official start of the holiday season in Italy
By Francesca Politi – JUMP Team (Italy) The 8th December is an important Italian national holiday which kicks off the holiday season. The Immacolata…
Roberto Giglio: The ghost whisperer from Badolato, Southern Italy
By Sonia Simpatico – JUMP Team (Italy) Each of the small historical centres located on the Ionian coast of Calabria has been affected by…
«Magosto»: Autumn Legends and Sayings
Autumn has its things; it is a time of changes and its smells are deeply kept in the memory of every Galician. One of…
‘Catamisi’ & ‘Catamisicchj’: The weather report of Calabrian farmers
By Francesco Tirinato – JUMP Team The approach of the Christmas festivities evokes characteristic moments of a life that also belongs to the past.…
The Origins of Anglican Choral Tradition
With the Anglican church originating in the wake of the English Reformation (the split from Rome famously orchestrated by Henry VIII), it is no…
The Citron from Calabria, a symbol between sacred and profane
By Francesca Politi – JUMP Team Was the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden really an apple? It might have been a citron,…