“We try to follow the footsteps of our elders, who cleared the way for us with their clean minds, hearts, and bodies. They walked in clean land, drank clean water, breathed clean air, and ate clean food provided by Mother Earth. This is the Red Road.” The powwow is an integral part of Native American life, offering the opportunity for peoples to gather and celebrate their spiritual connections to their ancestors, the earth, community, and traditions through drum, song, and dance. The photography of Ben Marra.
posted on Apr 26, 2008 - View this thread

Easter postcards from 1898 until today. See also Russian Easter postcards and the history of the Easter postcard tradition.
posted on Apr 6, 2007 - View this thread

Since the Middle Ages, German craftsmen have gone 'auf der Walz' (taken to the road) as part of a kind of working-pilgrimage that artisans make after completing an apprenticeship with a master craftsman. These travels are meant to teach them about work and life and takes precisely three years and one day; they are not allowed to return home before this time. The trip can take these young craftsmen and women (all must be under the age of 30) halfway around the world (and often does) and they are allowed only a small rucksack. Other than that, they can bring along their uniform (a simple black and white affair that almost defies description), their tools, undergarments, a sleeping bag, a book and their trademark walking stick.

Although today this is a dying tradition, and is often more traditionally known as being a Journeyman today, it still exists and has inspired some to write about the strage travellers they see on the road. Indeed, perhaps the most famous work this tradition inspired is Australian poet Banjo Patterson, whose work Walzing Matilda is believed to have been inspired by this fascinating yet waning custom.
posted on Dec 14, 2006 - View this thread

Mexican Day of the Dead, only with a twist: in Pomuch, in the Mayan area in Southeastern Mexico, Mayans celebrate their dead by digging out their remains, and cleaning them. Photos here. The regular Day of the Dead of the dead festivities have been discussed previously on MetaFilter here, here, and here. For those of you who may want to practice, this is a story en español. The link to the pictures might be NSFW.
posted on Nov 2, 2006 - View this thread

A look at arranged marriages for Indian-Americans.
posted on Mar 30, 2005 - View this thread

The history of the Christmas tree began in Germany. They are a fairly recent tradition in America, a country which first shunned any "frivolity" over the sacred holidays until Queen Victoria made Christmas trees cool. The American addition of electric Christmas lights, on the other hand, is a fairly recent tradition in Germany, a country where Christmas tree candles are still in use. Even in 2004, electric Christmas lights are used far less extensively in Europe than America... but maybe someday they'll want to be cool like us, too.
posted on Dec 24, 2004 - View this thread

Sinterklaas is coming to town. Christmas comes early for Dutch children. Or rather, Sinterklaas does, having brought his gifts this weekend. While many Anglo-American Christmas traditions owe much to marketing schemes, the Dutch attachment to mulled wine and spiced biscuits harks back to earlier times. Perhaps too much so: with ongoing racial tensions following the murder of Theo van Gogh, the annual debate over 'zwarte piet', Santa's blackfaced little helper, has been especially heated. (One advantage of artificial traditions is that they tend to avoid such messy questions.) Nevertheless, here's the motherlode of Sinterklaas links, including songs, recipes and background.
posted on Dec 5, 2004 - View this thread

Polar Bear Clubs have become a traditional way to greet the new year. The original US club seems to be in Atlantic City, NJ, where winter bathers have been taking the plunge on New Years Day for over 100 years. Some say that the plunges are rooted in the Nordic tradition of saunas and cold water bathing, but today most clubs focus on fundraising, taking a sponsored dip for charity. On Jan 1, 2003 Ivy Granstrom took the plunge in Vancouver BC at the age of 91 -- her 75th New Years dip. New clubs are popping up all the time - everywhere from Hampton, NH to Busan, Korea to Kirov, Russia -- even Gainesville, GA boasts some Polar Bears.
posted on Jan 2, 2004 - View this thread

Black-eyed peas before noontime is a good luck custom in the U.S. southern states, often served in Hoppin John. Spaniards favor twelve grapes at midnight, Greeks munch on a slice of vasilopita bread baked with a foil-wrapped coin, the Dutch breakfast on hot oliebollen, while the intrepid Japanese defy death by snacking down on mochi rice cakes. Every culture seems to have a traditional food or beverage to celebrate the New Year - do you have a gastronomical favorite to mark the occasion?
posted on Dec 27, 2002 - View this thread

Advent Calendars are those paper cards with 25 doors that you open for each day leading up to Christmas. Though they began as a religious custom, many today are just for fun, and they've made their way online. They can be created by web designers, design firms or illustrators to display their talent, by newspapers or hand-drawn by a 7 year old Norwegian kid. They can have a theme like a holiday cookie recipe, a Bengal cat, a perl script, an international custom, a charity or a not safe for work nude babe of the day. They can even tell a story as in the charming Tate the Cat. Download a template to modify your own. Have you spotted any good ones in your web travels?
posted on Dec 2, 2002 - View this thread

Mmmmm. Pancakes. Called by many names - Blintz, Palascinta, Flensjes, Pannkuchen, Po-Ping - yes, you know they're yummy, but what do you know about their history or their religious significance? For instance, Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day and for the past 53 years, women in Olney, England and Liberal, Kansas race down the streets of their towns flipping pancakes, continuing an English tradition that goes back more than 500 years. (Melbourne, Australia has a Pancake Day race, too! ) The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Shrovetide with a type of pancake called Blini, and I think most of us know that Latkes (potato pancakes) are a traditional part of the Hanukah feast. (Although apparently there is some debate on the virtues of Latkes over Hamentashen.) On a more secular note, we've just missed the 2002 Fall Flapjack Festival, held every year in Land O'Lakes, Florida. Glenn, Michigan has an annual Pancake Festival, too (since 1938). Hey! I'm getting hungry ... somebody pass the Maple Syrup!
posted on Nov 12, 2002 - View this thread

The Sunday Funday Blues: This is supposed to be on of the worst Nintendo games ever. Heh. No wonder. Yet it seems appropriate. As does Storman' Norman's Sunday Blues radio programme. What is it about Sundays anyway? And what's the best way to survive them? What are the local traditions? Here in Portugal, it's the Sunday papers; not going to Church; feeling guilty; drinking too many Bloody Marys; late, enormous lunches; lazy love-making, listening to football on the radio and naps...
posted on Feb 24, 2002 - View this thread

Tonight is Silvesterabend, the last night of the year. While some feel that champagne and huge, rollicking parties are in order, others feel that quieter times with family and friends are the way to go. Of course, you must also have your pork and sauerkraut for good luck (my mother always asks to make sure I have) and a little Bleigiessen, or fortune telling by pouring molten lead into a liquid, for entertainment. Personally I think champagne tastes like ass so I'll be drinking bottled Gluhwein from my friend's winery.
posted on Dec 31, 2001 - View this thread