A Brief Tour of European Wedding Cake Traditions
The cutting of a couple’s wedding cake is often the highlight of a wedding reception with newlyweds making their first ceremonial slice into the cake.
Swan Folklore: Hope Is the Thing with Feathers
What is it about swans? They feature heavily in Western European folklore, a graceful animal for a human to be transformed into as a curse, or shapeshifting into humans at will.
Women on a Quest: The Hawaiian Saga of Pele the Volcano Goddess and Hiiaka
The saga of Pele’s youngest sister Hiiaka is a heroic quest across the Hawaiian archipelago. It conveys a perspective of women throughout Hawaiian culture.
Flower Folklore: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart
In the Victorian tradition, every Australian native flower has a meaning and, as she settles into her new life, Alice uses this language of flowers to say the things that are too hard to speak.
The Human Heart in the Middle Ages and the Practice of Ablation – or Treatment of the Dead for Valentine’s Day
As Valentine’s Day comes around, spare a passing thought for that ubiquitous red heart that has come to symbolize the event. Historically speaking, there is a lot more than is at the surface for that emblem of love.