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The American Tradition of Christmas
Christmas is not exclusively an American holiday. I don’t need to tell you this, but there are a fair number of traditions that, based on the founding principals of this great nation, SHOULD NOT have carried over. The original colonies of the United States left their homeland to seek religious freedom and worship God in their own way, but the Puritans really didn’t put too much stock in celebration. Christmas was made illegal to celebrate, and all of its various accouterments were considered unholy. As the Founding Fathers almost exclusively came from these colonies, it is a wonder some of these traditions survived the turning of the years. And between…
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Christmas Traditions
A question I am often asked, is about Christmas traditions; I don’t mean Grandad starting food fights with the mashed potatoes when Nana isn’t looking. Nor do I mean your Aunty having one too many Babychams with her turkey, then hanging her spectacles off the tree while she dances badly around the room to Cliff Richard before passing out in the armchair, where she proceeds to snore while you play “get the hazelnut in her mouth” with your cousins. Although these were very much the annual Christmas events in the Rufus household, I am fully aware that this is not the kind of thing people have in mind when they…
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Thanksgiving
So, you all got the turkey ready to put in the oven? Bit of pumpkin pie for after? Well hang on a minute…. Step back from those mashed potatoes!!! Did you ever stop to think about the origins of Thanksgiving? Yeah yeah we all know about the Mayflower and the Natives etc etc…. is that right? No. Its not! Well, not really. So put down the cranberry sauce and pull up a seat, and lets delve into the real origins of why you get together to eat and fight and it all starts with a fat ginger king of England…… In the 16th century, in the heady days of the…
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Day of the Dead
When many think of Day of the Dead they might picture the George Romero Zombie flick but in actuality it is one of the most celebrated holidays is Mexico. Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions, and acknowledged around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. Prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the celebration took place at the beginning of summer. It was moved to October 31, November 1 and November 2…
