Christmas is usually seen as a time of joy and celebration, and in many traditions Santa Claus rewards all children who have been good throughout the year with gifts, while those who haven’t been nice can receive a lump of coal instead. However, in Alpine folklore, bad children get an even harsher punishment: a visit…
Vampires are among the most common and popular creatures in the modern horror genre, but similar figures have been recorded in several cultures across the world for a long time. The typical trait that defines vampires is that they feed on the blood of living creatures, or another kind of vital essence. Other characteristics might
For thousands of years, the ancient pre-Columbian people of Central America used to play a peculiar sport with ritual connotations, which was an important aspect of their culture. This sport is commonly known today as Mesoamerican ballgame, and it is called ōllamalīztli in Nahuatl languages and pitz in Mayan languages. Other names for the game…
Opera is an art form that combines acting and music, and sometimes also dance, with performers taking on dramatic roles. Its name comes from the Latin and Italian word “opera”, meaning work, and indeed this form of theater originated in Italy and it is a key aspect of Italian tradition. Over time, opera evolved to…
While the world in the 21st century is extremely interconnected, and we can easily talk with someone on the other side of the world, there are still numerous tribes of indigenous peoples who remain completely outside our society. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations and the non-profit group Survival International estimate…
Italian is a Romance language spoken by about 85 million people around the world, with 67 million native speakers. Most of these of course live in Italy, where it is spoken by most of the population, and other European countries such as Switzerland and San Marino, where Italian is an official language, as well as…
All over the world, April 1 is a day in which pranks and hoaxes are common, a custom known as April Fools’ Day. While this celebration only originated in modern times in the Western world, similar customs can be found since ancient times, mostly in Europe. Maybe the oldest instance of a similar tradition is…
According to the traditional Chinese calendar, 2024 is the year of the dragon, which is one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. While very prominent in Chinese tradition, dragons appear in many different forms in several cultures across the world. From the serpentine creatures of East Asia to the fire-breathing flying reptiles of…
Harbin is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang, the northernmost province of China, part of the historical region of Manchuria. With a population of over five million people, and ten million in its metropolitan area, Harbin is one of the main centers in Northeast China. Founded in 1898 by the Russians when they were…
A new year has just started, and 2024 is going to be special, as it is a leap year in the Gregorian calendar, the most used calendar around the world. To understand why this calendar is the de facto international standard, and why 2024 is a leap year, we need to go through the history…