Category: CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS
St. Patrick’s Day
Irish communities around the world celebrate their patron saint on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17. It is the Irish national holiday, and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, the territory of Montserrat, and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The holiday is also widely celebrated in the United States, and [...] Read More »
Karbala and the Arbeen Celebrations
Karbala, also spelled Kerbala, Kerbela or Karbila, is a city in Iraq, located about 60 miles (100 km) southwest of Baghdad. It is one of the holiest cities for Shi’a Muslims because it holds the shrine of the martyred Imam Husayn ibn Ali. Husayn’s death in the Battle of Karbala in 680, and [...] Read More »
Old Dochia, or Why March Weather is so Changeable
Have you ever wondered why early March weather is can change from spring to freezing and back again, all in a day? The answer is Old Dochia--a Romanian figure that personifies mankind's impatience in waiting for the return of spring. Her holiday is celebrated in Romania from March 1 to March 9, which [...] Read More »
Irish Wedding Traditions
St. Patrick’s Day – March 17th – is one of the luckiest days on which to be married. “Marry in May and Rue the Day” says one Irish proverb.
Before the wedding, the groom was invited for a traditional meal of stuffed goose at the bride's house cooked a goose in his honor. After [...] Read More »
The Irish Claddagh Ring
The Claddagh ring symbolizes the motto “let love and friendship reign.” Two hands, representing faith, hold a heart. The crown above the heart symbolizes honor.
Single women wear the Claddagh Ring on their right hand, with the heart pointing outward toward the end of her finger. When a woman is engaged, she turns [...] Read More »
Martisor: Celebrate Spring
The first of March is Martisor, a celebration of Spring in Romania, with some similar traditions in Macedonia and Albania, too. On Martisor, people exchange small amulets made of red and white string braided together – often given by men to women. The amulets symbolize the coming spring, joy and good luck in [...] Read More »
Valentine’s Day
Valentine's Day is a holiday dedicated to love and romance in many cultures. It is a good day to get engaged, plan a specially romantic date, buy chocolates or flowers for your sweetheart, or simply “give a valentine” to your friends. Many schoolchildren exchange Valentines with their class mates, which can be home-made cards or [...] Read More »
Ashura
Ashura, which falls on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar, is a recommended day of fasting for Sunni Muslims, and a day of mourning for Shi’ites. The word “ashura” means “tenth” in Arabic. The holiday marks several historical events, including the day that Moses fasted to thank [...] Read More »
Up-Helly-Aa
Scene from a video posted on YouTube by Gary13579, showing the burning galley at the 2006 Up-Helly-Aa festival:
If you’d like to dress as a Viking, carry a burning torch in a procession through villages and towns, and then throw the torch into a replica of a Viking longship to set it alight before sending it [...] Read More »
Hispanic Wedding Traditions: The Lasso (El lazo)
In many Hispanic cultures, a rope is used to symbolically tie the couple together.
In Guatemala, the couple binds themselves together with a silver rope. Mexican couples use a white rope tied in a figure eight. The rope may also be made of braided orange blossoms, which symbolize fertility and happiness. A double rosary lasso [...] Read More »
