What is First-footing and Can It Improve Your Year?
First-footing as a New Year custom is most common in Scotland and the north of England, but it does have regional, and international, variations.
Top 5 Winter Solstice Celebrations Around the World
The winter solstice has been celebrated in some form all around the world for centuries. Individual human cultures often mixed magic with religion in acknowledgement and celebration of this important astronomical event. Here we briefly look at five of these festivities from around the world, before discussing why they were so important to our ancestors and concluding with what science has to say today.
Italy’s Pagan Santa Claus: The Story of La Befana, the Christmas Witch
Who is la Befana, the Italian Christmas witch?
Winter Folklore: The Creatures of Christmas
From the animals that witnessed the Nativity, to the robins on our greetings cards and Santa’s reindeer, the creatures of Christmas truly animate the magic of the festive season.
Kissing under the Mistletoe? Not in Medieval Herefordshire
Mistletoe is the stuff of folklore. It is found in Norse, Greek and Roman mythology, a plant of power and magic.