Tag: Christianity

Family Friendly Hungary doubles marriages

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Hungary’s pro-family policies are getting results and could help dramatically boost the country’s birth rate over the coming years. The rate of marriages has risen sharply in Hungary since the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán assumed office in 2010, according to the figures published by the European Union’s statistical agency Eurostat. The figures, going back to 1960, break down the number of marriages per 1,000 people in the EU.
According to the data, the European Union average is 4.5 marriages per 1,000 people per year, and those numbers have not shown significant changes in the past 20 years.

Kurentovanje. A Carnival to Banish Winter

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Kurentovanje is a Slovenian meat-and-mouth folk ritual in honour of spring and fertility, which is a carnival to banish winter. An analogue of Maslenitsa. The origins of Kurentovanje are doubtful, but it is likely associated with Slavic paganism. Typical dances from the month of March take place in […]

BASEL CARNIVAL 2021

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Basel Carnival is part of the city’s identity culturally speaking, it is at the heart of its creative energies and represents three days when the city goes wild. Owing to its uniqueness and quality, it has been added to the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. In 2021, the Carnival in Basel (Fasnacht) will not take place as usual and will be a little different from the major event that we know and love. More information

Valentine’s Day: unusual facts about this holiday

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Traditions, records and extraordinary ‘valentines.’
The oldest valentine in the world.
There is a legend that the very first Valentine card in the world was written by Saint Valentine before his execution. But the officially registered love note, dated February 14, 1415, belongs to the Charles, Duke of Orléans, who wrote love letters to his wife while he was in the Tower of London. This Valentine is now kept in the British Museum.

Alaaf! Carnival in Cologne

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Carnival in Cologne is almost as old as the history of the city itself. But it has been celebrated in the organized fashion we know today for only about 190 years. The Greeks and the Romans celebrated joyous spring festivals in honor of Dionysus and Saturn with wine, women and song. The ancient Germans celebrated the winter solstice in order to pay homage to the gods and drive out the evil demons of winter. In later times, the Christians adopted these heathen customs. Lent, the period of fasting before Easter, was ushered in by carnival (carne vale = Farewell to meat!).