Thanksgiving 2023 – History of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2023 occurs on Thursday, November 23. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists from England and the Native American Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days

Jack-o’-Lantern Magic

IF you celebrate Halloween or its coinciding pagan festival Samhain (pronounced sow-in), you probably associate this time of year with traditional macabre symbols, like witches in black garb with pointy hats, ghosts and skeletons, black cats and spiders, bubbling cauldrons and broomsticks, and perhaps most famously, the jack-o’-lantern. For many folks, the jack-o’-lantern is the

How Rare Is a Full Moon on Halloween?

Ever noticed that Halloween pictures always show a full Moon? How rare is a full Moon on Halloween, exactly? Let’s learn more about the mythical Moon on this rather mystical night! How Rare Is a Halloween Full Moon?Despite all the creative Halloween full Moon pictures, a full Moon occurring on Halloween is not a common

Halloween traditions and their history

Halloween is a special holiday filled with many fun aspects and traditions. Carving pumpkins, dressing up in costumes, trick-or-treating, witches and black cats are some of the first things that come to mind when one thinks about Halloween. But, the history of Halloween is one that is broad, mysterious and full of lore. The origins

Full moon names for 2023 (and how they came to be)

Full moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. Those tribes of a few hundred years ago kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. To be sure,

Witches and Walpurgis Night

In modern British and American popular culture, Halloween is the night most associated with the nocturnal activities of witches and the souls of the dead. But in much of Europe the 30 April or May Eve, otherwise known as Walpurgis Night, was another moment when spirits and witches were thought to roam abroad. The life

The Ancient Origins of the Easter Bunny

A scholar traces the folk figure’s history from the Neolithic era to today The Easter bunny is a much-celebrated character in American Easter celebrations. On Easter Sunday, children look for hidden special treats, often chocolate Easter eggs, that the Easter bunny might have left behind. As a folklorist, I’m aware of the origins of the

‘Lost golden city of Luxor’ discovered by archaeologists in Egypt

The 3,400-year-old royal city was built by Amenhotep III, abandoned by his heretic son, Akhenaten, and contains stunningly preserved remains. Three thousand four hundred years ago, a contentious ancient Egyptian king abandoned his name, his religion, and his capital in Thebes (modern Luxor). Archaeologists know what happened next: The pharaoh Akhenaten built the short-lived city

Fasnachts were more than sweet treats in past centuries

When Bradley K. Smith bites into a fasnacht slathered with butter and dripping with syrup, he isn’t doing it for religious reasons. “I just eat them because they taste good,” said Smith, archivist and assistant director of the Berks History Center. For Smith and many in the surrounding counties, the deep-fried doughnuts are requisite eating

The History of 9 St. Patrick’s Day Traditions

St. Patrick’s Day is filled with its own unique traditions. If you don’t wear something green, you can expect to be pinched. You might take part in a traditional St. Patrick’s day dinner by eating corned beef and cabbage, or head to the bar to down some green beer. But where did these practices come