Cuy, is part of the culture, history, mythology, folklore and every day life, of Peruvians from time immemorial. This small rodent is identified with the life and customs of the local communities, cuyes are also used in medicine and even in magical-religious rituals. Currently the guinea pig has multiple purposes (pets, experimental animals), although in Peru it is a traditional food.
… PERU: On the Cuy – Guinea pig – in history, mythology, folklore & everyday life
Saint Nicholas with his long white beard, bishop’s miter and crosier rewards the well-behaved with gifts each year on 6th December. His scary counterpart Krampus wears fur, horns and a hand-carved mask with a lolling tongue. During the Christmas season, he comes to warn and punish naughty children (and adults). Discover Saint Nicholas and the Krampus in Tyrol. … AUSTRIA | SOUTH TYROL: On Saint Nicholas and the Krampus in Tyrol
Discover India’s cow and bull in History and Mythology and it’s use in traditional Indian medicine. Explore the varied meanings of the Sanskrit word Go गो … INDIA: On cow and bull in History & Mythology
Along roadsides throughout Argentina we notice mystical shrines with red flags flying around them. Discover the folk saint Gauchito Gil. … ARGENTINA: El Gauchito Gil
Throughout Argentina, we notice roadside shrines amid of water bottles and a statuette of a lactating mother. Discover the folk saint Difunta Correa or Decreased Correa. … ARGENTINA: La Difunta Correa
Narak Chaturdasi is celebrated for Diwali in Goa. Huge effigies of Narkasur, made of grass and hay, dressed in colorful paper clothes and armed with swords and other armaments, are erected in the days preceding Diwali. Narkasur is paraded in the neighborhood accompanied by drums and songs. After dawn with taunts and insults, Narkasur is beheaded and cremated. Discover Mythology and Diwali rituals of Narakasur in Goa.
Discover mythology, history and traditional medicinal use of Omani Frankincense Hojari, once and today.
Traveling and discovering is sometimes about being in the right place on the right day, for us that day was today, when India celebrates Ganesha Chaturthi. This festival is also popularly called Vinayaka Cavithi or Vinayaka Chaturthi. It’s celebrated in honor of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, remover of obstacles, the god of beginnings and wisdom. Discover Mythology, rituals and history of Ganesh Chaturthi in India.
Discover Myths and Legends of the Mool Mahunag Annual fair of Karsog, where devotees pray, play music, carry the murtis (god statues) and feast.
Discover Myths and Legends of the Thaipusam – Lord Murugan festival at Palani, where devotees pray, carry the kavadi and dance at the festival.
Rapa Nui offers a world of inquiry that have remained unanswered for centuries. Questions abound surrounding the origins of the people and their culture, the Moai statues, the Tangata manu – Birdman cult and the history of the Islands racial extermination, ecological and natural disasters. Discover Myths and Legends of the Moai on Rapa Nui-The Easter Island.
… CHILE: Myths and Legends of the Moai on Rapa Nui-The Easter Island
The Gotipua folk dance tradition from Odisha is practiced in the heritage village of Raghurajpur on the banks of the river Bhargabi. Here young dancers are trained from the age of five to sing and dance to praise Lord Jagannath and tell the story of Radha and Krishna.
Rasagola, or rasgulla, as many call it, is a traditional sweet from east India; Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The main ingredient is Chena – cottage cheese, obtained by heat and acid coagulation of milk and cooked and caramelized in sugar juice. Discover history, myth and folklore of Rasgulla in Odisha, India.
The Maha Bodhi Tree, world’s most famous pilgrim tree, marks the location where the Buddha attained enlightenment, and is the destination for the Buddhism’s pilgrimage. Discover Myths and Legends of the ancient sacred fig tree at the Maha Bodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya where Buddha sat for enlightenment under the Maha Bodhi Tree.
… INDIA : TREELORE – Bodh Gaya where Buddha sat for enlightenment under the Maha Bodhi Tree
In the month of Shravan, cities and towns of the Gangetic plains are inundated with people, dressed in orange, bearing saffron flags, marching to loud music, and carrying a stick sling with pots or bottles tied to either end. They are fetching Ganga water and bringing to the local Shiva temple, a ritual that marks the end of summer and beginning of monsoon. They are the Kanwariyas. Discover the Kanwar Yatra – Mythology of the pilgrimage of Lord Shiva’s Kanwariyas.
Harela is celebrated for welcoming the rainy season, the new harvest and to commemorate the wedding anniversary of goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva. Discover Myth and Folklore of Harela or the day of green – Festival of the Kumaoni people of Uttarakhand.
Kites have their own place in History, Myth & Folklore of Bali. Especially during the Bali Kite Festival the people show their art of flying kites- Layangan.
… INDONESIA: Bali Kite Festival – History, Myth & Folklore of the kites in Bali
The river Ganges meanders through various northern and eastern states of India, streams through Bangladesh, and vanishes into the Bay of Bengal. Ganga is a river and a goddess indivisible from each other. Her water has the power to cleanse — as most Hindus believe — every kind of sin. Bathing in Ganga liberates the soul as does dying in it reaffirming the Hindu notion of Moksha – salvation. Discover the Mythology of the Ganges river or Mother Ganga.
Discover Myth and Folklore of the beauty Padmavati, the siege of Chittorgarh and human sacrifices – Jauhar and Shaka done by the Rajputs in war time.
Discover Myths and Legends of Lumbini Buddhas birthplace, the birth story of Gotama Buddha and Lumbini in historical travel accounts. Lumbini is a Pilgrims nirvana.
Aphrodite Αφροδιτη was the Olympian goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation. The pomegranate, the myrtle and the apple are trees associated with Aphrodite on Cyprus, discover treelore and mythology.
… CYPRUS: TREELORE – Trees associated with Aphrodite on Cyprus
Myth has it that Aphrodite, the Olympian goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation, arose from the sea foam on the south-western coast of Cyprus. References in ancient authors and archaeological evidence may prove that Aphrodite and her cult originated on this island. What is certain is that throughout antiquity the Great Goddess, in different aspects was worshiped on Cyprus. There were several sanctuaries on the island dedicated to her, the most famous in Paphos. Discover Myth and Cult of Aphrodite on Cyprus.
Read about sacred Rituals done by Taoist priests and spirit mediums, caught in meditative trance, during the festival. It starts with the welcoming of the gods into the temple where they are worshiped for nine days, and ends when the gods are sent off on the ninth day. The festival is known for the temple processions that take place during the celebrations. Discover Myths and Folklore of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival in Georgetown – Penang.
… MALAYSIA: The Nine Emperor Gods Festival in Georgetown – Penang
Across the Himalayas the yeti is known by many names and was seen as real, familiar for generations in a half-dozen countries from Tibet to Pakistan. A region flush with wildlife, where tigers, bears and wild dogs roamed thick mountain forests, icy mountaintops and remote river valleys. Here, if nowhere else, the yeti was simply one more creature. Discover Myth and Folklore of the Yeti.
Discover Myth and Folklore of Buddhas Tooth Relic and the Kandy Esala Perahera Festival
