Category: British
Yuletide: The Viking Origins of Santa Claus
The word “yuletide,” referring to the Christmas season, was passed to the British through the Vikings. The word originated with the Viking god Odin, whose persona associated with the month of December was Jul, and the month of December was called “Jultid.” The Vikings believed that Odin would come to earth during the [...] Read More »
BBC to Link School Children Around the World on December 6
On December 6, 2006, BBC News 24 plans to link and facilitate discussions among school children across various troubled and conflicting regions around the world. The children will be entirely responsible for driving the discussion and asking questions of their counterparts. Areas to be linked include:
Baghdad, Iraq - London, UK
Urban - rural China
Abuja, [...] Read More »
The Legend of the White Stag, or, Why Rudolph Has a Red Nose
The legend of the white stag is part of the mythology of many cultures, originating with early European and Asian cultures who depended on hunting for their survival.
Star Mythology
The most ancient legend of the stag revolves around the "great hunter" (the constellation of stars known as Orion), who hunts the heavenly stag (Ursa Major), [...] Read More »
Remembrance Day and the Poppy
On Remembrance Day -- November 11 -- also known as Armistice Day or Veteran's Day, it is traditional to wear a poppy flower to commemorate those killed in World War 1 and other wars. The Flanders poppy (Papaver rhoeas) grew profusely in the trenches and craters of the war zone. Artillery shells and shrapnel [...] Read More »
Veteran’s Day, Remembrance Day, Armistice Day, Poppy Day
The U.S. holiday of Veteran’s Day is known as Remembrance Day in Australia, Canada, Colombia, UK and Ireland, as Poppy Day in South Africa and Malta, and as Armistice Day in the U.K., New Zealand and many other Commonwealth countries. It is observed on November 11 to recall the end of World War I [...] Read More »
