Category: Finnish

Expat: American in Finland

Published October 1, 2007 in American, CULTURES, EXPATS, Finnish | Comments [0]
We see many great blogs written by expatriates living in other cultures. When we find ones that we like, we will create a post and then list them on our Expats page. Phil has been living in Finland for four years and blogging about political and cultural topics since 2004. Recent posts include [...] Read More »

The Maypole and other May Day Traditions

Published April 30, 2007 in Austrian, British, CULTURES, CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS, Celtic, Czech, Finnish, French, German, HOLIDAYS, Hungarian, Slovak, Swedish | Comments [0]
The beginning of May was an important feast day in many ancient cultures, a time to celebrate the coming of summer. The Druids of the British Isles thought that May 1, the Feast of Beltane, divided the year in half, with the other half ending on Samhain on November 1. Both days were celebrated by [...] Read More »

The Easter Egg

Published April 4, 2007 in British, CULTURES, CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS, Celtic, Christian, Egyptian, Estonian, European, Fertility, Finnish, German, Good Luck, Greek, HOLIDAYS, Indian, Iranian, LEGENDS, Latin American, Latvian, New Year Celebrations, Origin Legends, Persian, Polynesian, Roman, Spring | Comments [1]
Easter celebrations are filled with many traditions, but nothing has come to symbolize the Easter holiday as much as the colored or painted Easter egg. Many children spend their Easter Sunday hunting for Easter eggs, rolling them, or running races while carrying their eggs in spoons. Across Eastern and Western cultures, eggs have long symbolized [...] Read More »

The Legend of the White Stag, or, Why Rudolph Has a Red Nose

Published November 21, 2006 in American, British, CULTURES, Celtic, Chinese, Christian, Christmas Traditions, Finnish, French, Hungarian, Iranian, Irish, Japanese, LEGENDS, Persian, Winter | Comments [0]
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 »