Category: Blog

Krampus

Krampus

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Have you heard of Krampus? He is a complex figure, a bringer of punishment and a guardian of a tradition that helps keep children in line at Christmastime.. But at the same time, he’s also a terrifying monster that can whip children with branches. In one sense, Krampus is the stuff of nightmares: a half-goat/ half-demon creature that beats the naughty and even sometimes takes them away. But Krampus is also said to be a good friend of Santa and is still celebrated in some areas of Germany, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Northern Italy, and Slovenia. He is really the devilish…

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Christmas Origins

Christmas Origins

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So, it is almost Christmas again, and time for the mad panic that it always causes as we rush around for cards and presents. That means it’s also time for my Christmas blog, all about the origins of the special day. The word ‘Christmas’ comes from the Old English term ‘Cristes Mæsse’, meaning the ‘Mass of Christ’. The story of Christmas, as we all know, begins with the birth of a baby in Bethlehem. Many believe that Christ was born on the 25th, although the exact month is unknown. December could well have been chosen so the Catholic Church could…

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Thanksgiving 23rd November 2023

Thanksgiving 23rd November 2023

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Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on varied dates of the year in the United States and Canada celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Americans generally believe their Thanksgiving is modelled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people. The Pilgrims travelled from Europe to the New World, a continent they had never known before, in hopes of creating a community free to worship God away from the strict rules of their old government. For many hard months they journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean enduring vicious storms,…

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Origins of the Christmas Tree.

Origins of the Christmas Tree.

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The use of greenery and lights at Christmas goes back to the celebration of the Kalends of January in ancient Rome. Kalends was a celebration of the Roman New Year when people gave each other gifts of green boughs, honey treats, lamps for light and warmth, and silver and gold objects (The latter probably being the most popular.) They also trimmed trees with trinkets and toys during Saturnalia, and put candles on them to indicate the sun’s return to earth.             The Druids honoured Odin by tying golden apples and other offerings to tree branches, and set lighted candles on…

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The First Christmas Card.

The First Christmas Card.

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Have you written all your Christmas cards yet? No, neither have I. We all will be soon though won’t we, but why? Where and how did this tradition begin? The first Christmas card designed for sale was by London artist John Calcott Horsley and commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, a wealthy British businessman of the 1800’s, who found himself too busy in the festive season to send individual messages to all his friends. Yes, I know the feeling. Being a man who liked to be prepared therefore, in the summer of 1843 Sir Henry commissioned Horsley to design an impressive…

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Professor Marvel by Nkosi Ife Bandele

Professor Marvel by Nkosi Ife Bandele

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Dubbed “Professor Marvel,” a popular black male professor at a predominantly white women’s college stresses over the comparison made between him and the Kansas charlatan turned Wizard of Oz. His dubiousness is confirmed when he succumbs to the charms of a student, an aspiring fashion model. Meanwhile, he keeps a secret affair with an older feminist colleague. The she-it hits the fan when her estranged husband becomes jealous and challenges him to a fistfight. Certain he’ll be blamed when the man’s pacemaker explodes, Professor Marvel takes flight. His prior indiscretion catches up to him when he discovers the fashion model…

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A light-hearted history of Bonfire Night  

A light-hearted history of Bonfire Night  

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Bonfire Night will soon be with us all again. Would you like to know the origins of this eventful night? The historic origins of Bonfire Night date to the conflict between virtually outlawed Catholics and the Protestant establishment of the 16th and early 17th century. On November 5, 1605, Guy Fawkes (the real one, not the stuffed variety) and a group of Catholic conspirators who felt badly treated by the King put 36 barrels of gunpowder in a cellar underneath the Houses of Parliament. (Not a bad idea, do I hear you say?) Some of those involved in the plot…

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Halloween

Halloween

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It will soon be Halloween everyone. I’m sure my book character ‘Gertie’ will enjoy this important day in all witches calendars!             Though we celebrate Halloween on 31st October each year, do you know why?             Well, here is a brief explanation!             Halloween seems to have its roots in the Celtic celebration of Samhain, the last day of the Celtic calendar. Samhain was a Pagan harvest festival celebrated by huge sacred bonfires in honour of the dead, marking the end of the Celtic year and the beginning of a new one. Fire often symbolised the power of the sun,…

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