Why bonfires blaze across Ireland on June 23rd

Since the distant past, bonfires lit by humans at midsummer greeted the sun at the height of its powers in the sky. The accompanying ritual celebrations were primal, restorative, linked with fertility and growth. Midsummer and the time around St John’s Day have been traditionally celebrated throughout Europe. In Ireland, we’ve had a dual tradition

What Did Ancient Egyptians Believe About Ghosts?

Ghosts have always been with us. They may seem to be denizens of modern horror movies and ghost-hunting reality TV now, but stories of phantoms date back thousands of years. In fact, what may be the oldest image of a ghost is well over 3,000 years old. According to Smithsonian Magazine, it was found on

Secret chamber beneath a home reveals Iron Age mysteries

An unexpected discovery has revealed ancient artwork that was once part of an Iron Age complex beneath a house in southeastern Turkey. The unfinished work shows a procession of deities that depicts how different cultures came together. Looters initially broke into the subterranean complex in 2017 by creating an opening in the ground floor of

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

How the Puritans Banned Christmas

In 1659 the Puritans banned Christmas in Massachusetts. But why? A short, easily-overlooked paragraph from an early law book of the Massachusetts Bay Colony reads as follows: “For preventing disorders arising in several places within this jurisdiction, by reason of some still observing such festivals as were superstitiously kept in other countries, to the great

Naples: saints, spirits, and superstition in Italy’s most enigmatic city

Naples is a place like no other. Few cities can boast an archaeological museum containing Pompeiian pornography, a church where the blood of a saint is said to liquefy three times a year, and a subterranean cemetery said to be inhabited purely by spirits. Nestled between Mount Vesuvius to the east and the wide Mediterranean

Before America Had Witch Trials, Europe Had Werewolf Trials

Some 200 years before the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, courts in Europe were convicting men—and some women—of transforming into werewolves and mutilating and eating children. The punishments were sometimes as gruesome as the alleged crimes. In Germany in 1589, executioners strapped accused werewolf Peter Stumpp to a cart wheel, removed his skin with hot