The cherry blossom festival has been an important part of the Japanese culture for centuries, but it has also captured the imagination of many outside
Background: Christmas and Epiphany Frankincense and myrrh are known to many because of their appearance in the Christmas story. According to St Matthew’s gospel (2:2-11),
What are the twelve days of Christmas? Is it a modern invention or an old tradition? And, most importantly, is Christmas entirely over now in
New Year is a strange festival. It is celebrated very widely and on a large scale, both privately and publicly, with parties requiring glittery outfits,
Late autumn and winter is a season for storms in northern Europe. Week after week they bring gale-force winds, snow, torrential rain and flooding. Such
Christmas food traditions evoke the Middle Ages due to the style of cooking and ceremonies associated with various dishes. The lavish use of spices and
Like several other evergreen plants, mistletoe is used to decorate homes at Christmas. It has a very long history of use in medicine, and there
What is the meaning of the winter solstice and why was it celebrated? Is there a connection between the pagan winter solstice traditions and Christmas?
When we think of a Christmas tree we usually imagine it to be a conifer – a fir, a spruce or a pine. And indeed
Since the custom of decorating a tree at Christmas has its roots in medieval liturgy and biblical drama, the earliest decorations were religious symbols. A
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