St. Patrick’s Day – March 17
St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in Ireland for more than a millennium. It was a time to cut loose during the Catholic Lent season, and as such it quickly became synonymous with Irish food and drink.
Russian Soldiers, Athletes Are Turning to Paganism, Top Church Leader Says
Russia’s top Christian leader has warned that athletes and soldiers in the country are turning to pagan traditions.
The Russians end the Butter Week with ancient traditions, tasting pancakes and burning effigies.
March 14, 2021, Maslenitsa is finally seen off in Russia with pancakes, round dances and bonfires.
Due to the pandemic, many Russians stayed at home and celebrate the wide Maslenitsa with their families. Nevertheless, many Russians went to parks and city squares to take part in the traditional burning of the effigy.
Spectacular Slavic Carnivals before Easter
Slavic carnivals are known under different names in various Slavic countries: [Macedonian language: ‘Прочка’ (Prochka)], Bulgarian: Сирни заговезни, Прошка (Sirni zagovezni, Proska), Russian: Масленица, Мясопуст (Maslenitsa, Miasopust), Polish: Ostatki, Mięsopust, Zapusty, Czech: Masopust, Šibřinky, Ostatky, Slovak: Fašiangy, Slovene: Mesopȗst, Pust, Pustni teden, Fašnk, Serbian: Покладе, Poklade, Croatian: Pust, Poklade, Mesopust, Fašnik. They are traditional Slavic festivals related to the period of carnival.
Saint David’s Day – March 1
Saint David’s Day (Welsh: Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant or Dydd Gŵyl Dewi or the Feast of Saint David, is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on 1 March, the date of Saint David’s death in 589 AD. The feast has been regularly celebrated since the canonisation of David in the 12th century, by Pope Callixtus II, though it is not a public holiday in the UK.
Bulgarian Kukeri
It’s related to the late winter festival cycle. According to pagan beliefs, the winter was a time of evil, so the Kukeri had the task to chase away everything evil the winter represented with their scary masques. Therefore it’s not a counterpart of Halloween. It’s rather related to the traditions that came to be associated with the Lent, even though there is no sanctioned carnival tradition in the Orthodox Church. The Lent celebrations, like Kukeri or jumping over fires, were and are very much frowned upon by the Church. The only similarity to Halloween are the scary masques.
The Most Amazing World Events Killed by Covid Fanatics
The second month of the year traditionally plays host to some really interesting events, festival and happenings all across the globe. Here is a list of some of the most interesting events that should have taken place in February 2020 and 2021. However, we only mention the ones that start during the month so you may find some events like the Sundance Film Festival, and the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival missing from the list.
Kurentovanje. A Carnival to Banish Winter
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
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
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.
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