A Californian Krampus

St. Nicholas play produced by Krampus Los Angeles. Photo: Paul Koudounaris

Relentlessly sunny and known for a love of trend over tradition, Los Angeles is an unlikely home to a new incarnation of the old Alpine devil. It helps, perhaps, that make-believe is serious business in my town, and that it’s filled with creative people prone to see in an old tradition of folk Catholicism a revolutionary way to shake up the holidays.

A Treasury of British Folklore: Maypoles, Mandrakes and Mistletoe

From Maypoles, Mandrakes and Mistletoe: A Treasury of British Folklore, written by Dee Dee Chainey and illustrated by Joe McLaren

I began writing ‘Maypoles, Mandrakes and Mistletoe: A Treasury of British Folklore’ back in April last year.

Dreaming Bread and Skyrie Stanes: Scottish Folk Magic and Community Traditions

Lavender. From Pixabay -- creative commons licence

‘Dreaming Bread and Skyrie Stanes: A Celebration of Scottish Folk Magic and Community Traditions’ is a day-long symposium organised by researcher Scott Richardson-Read, storyteller Amanda Edmiston, and musician Debbie Armour, which will celebrate Scottish folk magic and traditions.

May Day, Weddings and Births – Folklore Trees and Traditions in Bavaria

Kindsbaum detail © Steve Toase

Maypoles are often seen as a quintessentially English tradition, yet in Bavaria the raising of the Maibaum (or May Tree) is also an important event, and it is not the only time a tree is hefted aloft in celebration.

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