Originally recorded as January, Janaway, Jenery, Jennery, Jennardy, in England, Janvier (France) Janer and Jane in Spain, Januario in Portugal, Gennaro and Zannari (Italy) and many others, and recorded throughout Europe, this is a name of truly ancient origins. It has…

This beloved carol, believed to be originally of Welsh origin, had already been around for quite a while when Mozart used it for a piano duet in the 18th century. You can read more about its interesting history in …

The Irish have only a few Christmas traditions that stand out as traditionally Irish and not borrowed from other cultures in recent times. Perhaps the oldest of these traditions is ... housecleaning!  And it may, too, have been borrowed from other cultures, although it was as long ago as before the birth of Christ.

This is not your typical housecleaning. Traditional Irish "whitewashing the…

It seems to me people start Halloween the first of October. They claim it has overtaken Christmas as the best holiday of the year. Approximately 100 countries celebrate Halloween but just what are we actually celebrating?…

There are 12 months in a year, 12 inches in a foot, 12 signs of the Zodiac, and most multiplication tables go up to 12; and so one more of any of these would make 13. The modern day fear of 13 is based on Norse mythology: 12 gods were dining at Valhalla (where gods go when they…