MICHAEL WALSH MUSIC CORRESPONDENT: Musically nothing evokes the Spanish experience as does Richard Harvey’s melody Concerto Antico; especially when it is played by John Williams, the internationally acclaimed guitarist. The sincerest form of flattery being imitation, this guitar concerto is adorned in a rich filigree of Spanish lace. […]
MICHAEL WALSH EX-MARINER: The U.S. space agency NASA once spent millions developing a pen that would write upside down or in a non-atmosphere environment. The Russians replied; ‘we use a pencil.’ A friend once boasted that if you pressed a little button on his new watch the hands […]
Princess Leonor of Spain, 17, swaps royal glamour for military uniform as she takes a major step as queen-in-training according to the Tatler periodical. As part of her training as the future queen of Spain, Princess Leonor will spend time with all three branches of the armed forces. […]
MICHAEL WALSH has been putting pen to paper for over 60 years during which time he has earned awards and international recognition for his media columns, news stories – and his poetry. Until his poetry – and other literary works were banned by Amazon and LULU online publishers, […]
Apart from traditional festive church services, Russians also have a tradition of Epiphany dips, when people cut cross-shaped holes in the ice of water bodies, the churchmen bless the water, and on the eve of the Epiphany, after going to a church, people dip thrice into the freezing water, crossing themselves before each dip.
The Brotherhood of the Rosary Virgin is the herald of the Resurrection of Christ celebration with a procession, the “Meeting”, which is the oldest in Almoradí and which becomes the perfect closing of our Holy Week. The origin is certainly in the birth of the Brotherhood in the seventeenth century. The Virgin, covered with a thin tulle veil, in mourning for the death of her Son, is carried in a run by her brothers and, after three reverences, she stops next to the Custody of the Blessed Sacrament, carried under a pallium in the center of the square.
A person visiting Poland for the first time may spot an unfamiliar inscription in white chalk on doors they pass – ‘K+M+B’ or ‘C+M+B’. The tradition of writing these letters has its origin in the 18th century. During the communist regime, many Poles continued this tradition as a demonstration of their own beliefs.
The Fêtes de Saint-Nicolas return to Nancy from November 19, 2021, to January 2, 2022. 40 days of festivities with, as a highlight, the Saint-Nicolas Weekend on December 4 and 5.
The summer solstice, known also as midsummer, will be celebrated on 20 June. It marks both the longest day and the shortest night of the year and is technically the official start of summer. It’s also one of Europe’s most celebrated and magical evenings, associated with St. John the Baptist but also with Pagan rituals.
More than one million people and close to one hundred different religious associations enjoy the wonderful festive atmosphere of this pilgrimage to the village of El Rocío.
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