Four of Europe's most fascinating pre-Christian winter festivals Getty Images Folklore in the European Alps tells of the Krampus, a demonic figure that's half-man, half-goat Christmas has become the dominant festival in the Western cultural calendar, but echoes of the pre-Christian past can still be found across the continent. Getty Images The Befana is celebrated each January at the Festa …
Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Krampus: Germany and Austria open image in gallery Krampusnacht revellers in the town of Bad Tolz in Germany In …
Bowen Yang pulled off another one of his surreal, peering-into-the soul characterizations of a fantasy creature as he stared down the abomination of Krampus on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend. He’s just not feeling it this year, Yang’s Krampus told Colin Jost on “Weekend Update.” “What am I doing? “Then I think about my dad at my age, and he …
Konbi Ni After years operating as a takeout-only, walk-up window for Japanese sandos, croissants and other pastries that garnered national praise, Echo Park’s Konbi has reopened as Konbi Ni — the “Ni” translating to “two” — with a return to a dine-in format, new items, and what owners Akira Akuto and Nick Montgomery see as a more sustainable business model. …
Norwegians have a pagan belief according to which evil and naughty witches come out on Christmas Eve and ride on brooms. So they hide all the brooms in the household at the safest possible place to keep the wizards from flying about As Christmas nears, people usher in a climate of joviality and love. Here are some strange traditions intricately …
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