FOLKLORE, FAIRY TALES, MYTHOLOGY, AND CUSTOMS

Interesting web sites that give background information and links to folklore, folk tales, social customs, holidays, urban legends, fairy tales, and mythology

• Best of Legends
  Links to primary source material, scholarship, essays, and historical surveys - romance, adventure, and panache. Inlcludes legendary tales of Robin Hood and King Arthur, and Fairy Tales.

• Faery Tales of Ireland
  Several fairy tales and links to book collections.

• Grimm's Fairy Tales
  Contains 209 tales collected by the brothers Grimm. The exact print source is unknown. The etext appears to be based on the translation by Margaret Hunt called Grimm's Household Tales, but it is not identical to her edition. Some of the translations are slightly different, the arrangement also differs, and the Grimm's scholarly notes are not included.

• Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales and Stories
  Includes a chronological list of all 168 stories, with access to 128 of these in full-text. 127 of the stories are in a hypertext rendition of Mrs. Paull's nineteenth century (1872) translation into English. Includes links to biographical and bibliographical information about Andersen and his work, an index of translations, etc.

• Leprechauns and Other Trickster Tales Unit
  M. Tonnessen presents an interdisciplinary unit for 1st grade students based on children's books featuring trickster tales, especially tales about leprechauns and Anansi, an African trickster. Tonnessen lists recommended books, provides the words for several related songs, and suggests reading extension activities, as well as mathematics, art, and writing activities.

• Russian Fairy Tales
  Russian tales also pictured on lacquerboxes you can buy (but you don't have to buy one to enjoy the story); includes Ruslan and Ludmilla and the Golden Cockerel.

• Snow White
  Kay Vandergrift presents information on the fairy tale "Snow White." Offers access to the story itself, as well as information on films, videos, and recordings of the story. Contains illustrations from different versions and offers information on teaching the story. Provides access to criticism on the story and a bibliography of its various versions. Links to other resources on fairy tales and folklore.

• SurLaLune Fairy Tale Pages
  Annotated fairy tales, including information about their histories, similarities with various tales, alternate tales, bibliographies, illustrations, art work and other information. Tales include Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and Sleeping Beauty--all the usual suspects

• Truth About Sleeping Beauty
  Altered Dimensions.net presents the history of Sleeping Beauty and other fairy tales.

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FOLKLORE AND URBAN LEGENDS

• AFU and Urban Legends Archive
  Topics include animals, celebrities, death, Disney, movies, religion, science, sex, and television.

• American Folklore
  This folklore site contains retellings of American folktales, Native American myths and legends, tall tales, weather folklore and ghost stories from each and every one of the 50 United States. You can read about all sorts of famous characters like Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Jesse James, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, and many more. Check the Story Index if you need it.

• Archive X: Ghost Stories and Folklore
  Portion of the Virtual Library with "personal experience" narratives of ghost stories and urban legends.

• At the Edge
  Sponsored by the Heart of Albion Press, this site contains an archive of articles originally published in At the Edge and its predecessor, Mercian Mysteries, between 1989 and 1998. In 1998 At the Edge merged with 3rd Stone magazine, which in turn ceased publication at the end of 2003. Exploring new interpretations of past and place in archaeology, folklore and mythology, this archive includes about 90 online articles.

• British Columbia Folklore Society
  Folklore, folk songs, some social customs, with tips on how to collect your own family folklore.

• Columbus Mythbusters
  Features a collection of myths and facts about Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) by Joseph M. Laufer; originally published by the International Columbian Quincentenary Alliance, provided online by Millersville University of Pennsylvania.

• Ethnographic Resources related to Folklore, Anthropology, Ethnomusicology, and the Humanities
  A Collection of Resources in Anthropology, Ethnomusicology, Folklore, and Folklife: presents resources in ethnographic studies, which includes anthropology, ethnomusicology, folklore, and folklife. Includes links to directories, scholarly programs, archives and archival collections, grant information, journals and newsletters, societies, fieldwork information, indigenous peoples' resources, folksongs, and mythology and narrative sites. Links to the home pages of the U.S. Library of Congress and the American Folklife Center, which is a component of the Library.

• Foamy Custard
  A British site which aims to explore the areas where folklore, mytholology, cultural studies and related disciplines come together. Drawing on their different strengths helps us to understand better popular culture, politics, religion, and many other aspects of modern life. Sponsored by Heart of Albion Press, authored by Bob Trubshaw.

• Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts
  D. L. Ashliman from the University of Pittsburgh has created a fast-loading, full-text electronic collection that is international in scope but especially impressive in Nordic/Germanic selections. It includes around 800 original texts with other collections, plus Aarne-Thompson tale types for individual stories. Links are included to Folk & Fairy Tales and Germanic Myths, Legends, & Sagas.

• Moonlit Road
  Ghost stories and folktales of the American South, told by the region's most celebrated storytellers.

• Official Darwin Awards: Urban Legends
  Features a collection of fictitious urban legends, compiled as part of DarwinAwards.com. The Darwin Awards commemorate individuals that die in an humorous and unevolutionary-wise manner.

• Religion, Mythology and Folklore
  Also includes fairy tales and fables, from a Japanese point of view.

• Snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference Pages
  Urban legends and hoaxes covering Top 15 Legends; What's New; Hot 25; and Submit a Rumor. If someone tells you something that seems too good, bad, or goofy to be true, check here first before passing it on!

• Urban Folklore
  Covers urban legends and FAQ from the alt.folklore.urban newsgroup (AFU)

• Urban Legends and Folklore
  About.com's page contains top urban legends, urban legends in the news, rumors, and some folklore. Not all articles deal with urban legends--some information listing company legends also include company history and sites. The commercialism of this site can be annoying, however.

• Asdizookaanag: Traditional Stories, Legends, and Myths
  Features a collection of traditional stories, legends, and myths of Native Americas, compiled by Paula Giese. Includes stories from the Southeaster, Plains, Woodland, and Southwest tribes, as well as the Northwest Coast Inuit and the California Indians.

• Aztec Civilization
  Ellie Crystal presents information about the Aztecs, an indigenous civilization that was based in the Valley of Mexico and flourished from the 14th to the 16th centuries. Crystal highlights the Aztec calendar, folklore, culture, rulers, religion, and history.

• Center for World Indigenous Studies
  A non-profit organization devoted to research and education about indigenous peoples. The site includes photographs, video and audio media, and newspapers.

• Dine (Navaho) Literature
  Presents a collection of Dine stories by Native Americans compiled by Glenn Welker with links to Indigenous Peoples' Literature.

• Indigenous Australia
  The Australian Museum offers access to the online version of its indigenous studies research collection. The museum provides background material on indigenous Australia and stories from the cultures of indigenous Australians. There are also resources for children and teachers.

• Maya Culture
  Presents details on Maya culture, provided by Paula Giese. Includes stories, cautionary tales, a Maya calendar, pronunciation guide of the Yucatec Mayan language, and a table of Maya numbers. Discusses the origins of Mayan traditional storyteller's tales.

• Native American Lore Index Page
  Features stories of Native American Indian lore from several tribes across Turtle Island, provided by StoneE Productions. Includes the origin of light, magic arrows, the origin of the buffalo dance, the origin of the Earth, and an Apache creation lore.

• Origins of Death and Suffering
  Richard Hooker presents a sample of Native American origin of death stories, including stories from the Native American languages of Alsea, Carib, and Zuni.

• Rio Grande Folklore Archive
  Presents the Rio Grande Folklore Archive, a collection of Mexican American folklore at the University of Texas-Pan American Library in Edinburg. Notes the number of each category of holdings and links to related folklore resources, such as the Chupacabra page.

  

  

• Monstropedia
  The ultimate online encyclopedia of monsters in myth, magick and legend, at least according to this site. "Welcome to Monstropedia, the original open-source bestiary! The mission of Monstropedia is to create the ultimate online media library about monsters, gathering information and documents from the earliest myths onwards to the present day, developing a coherent set of methods to analyse each creature and attaching current theories about their existence." Sort of a Wikipedia with attitude.

• Monstrous.com
  Monsters from movies and mythology, including Aliens, Cryptids, Death, Demons, Dragons, Fairies, Frankenstein, Freaks, Ghouls, Ghosts, Godzilla, Mythology, Mummies, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, and Zombies, oh my!

• Vampires and Werewolves
  Characteristics and attributes, prevention, defects, and stories.

• Werewolf
  Includes History, Becoming a Werewolf, Theories of Origin, and Werewolves in Modern Fiction. The History also includes a valuable list of alternative werewolf names in other languages.

• Werewolf Legends from Germany
  Around 30 werewolf legends translated and edited by D.L. Ashliman.

• Werewolves: the Myths and the Truths
  Origin of the legend, Greek mythology and werewolves, explanations for the phenomenon, modern werewolves, and werewolves in literature.

  

• Bulfinch's Mythology
  Thomas Bulfinch's classic text on Greek and Roman mythology, including some Norse and Druid mythology.

• Camelot Project
  The Camelot Project from the University of Rochester is designed to make available a database of Arthurian texts, images, bibliographies, and basic information. The main menu lists characters, symbols, and sites dealing with the King Arthur legends.

• Classical Mythology
  A gold mine of useful information, thorough coverage of Greek mythology and an impressive overview of Roman lore. Created by Temple University's Robin Mitchell-Boyask. Particularly useful to beginners who need to identify mythic figures, both gods and humans.

  

• Cornish Myths and Legends
  A collection of legends and mythical stories about Cornwall, England, provided by Cornish ConneXions. Includes ghost stories, folktales, and legends about mermaids, fairies, and more.

• Dictionary of Symbolism
  This site is in the process of moving, so use the SEARCH function under the dictionary title until further notice. Presents a reference dictionary on symbolism, which endeavors to provide some possible cultural significances of various symbols. Includes ways that symbolic words may be used in context. Provides a searchable index and an alphabetical listing of the entries. Discusses symbolism in literature and art.

• Encyclopedia Mythica
  Brief definitions for gods and supernatural beings of many mythologies. Articles can be retrieved by browsing one of the content areas: Mythology, Folklore, Bestiary, Heroes, Image Gallery, and Genealogy Tables. Not a scholarly site because in many cases there is no authorship or documentation, but a popular site.

• Golden Bough
  Searchable database of Sir James George Frazer's monumental Study in Magic and Religion.

• Hero's Journey
  Interactive web site that helps the viewer to create their own legends using essential plots/patterns to emulate ancient storytelling patterns.

• India Parenting: Famous Indian Legends
  DataMagic Websolutions Pvt. Ltd. offers a collection of Indian legends as part of IndiaParenting.com. The collection includes stories of Krishna, stories from the Ramayana, and stories from the Mahabharata.

• Magic Web: Mythology and Folklore
  Presents a collection of Internet resources on mythology and folklore, compiled by John Adcox. Includes resources on classical mythology, Arthurian legends, women in myth, myth in literature and the arts, Norse and European myth, Celtic myth, and Robin Hood.

• Myth and Legend from Ancient Times to the Space Age
  A myth is a sacred story from the past. It may explain the origin of the universe and of life, or it may express its culture's moral values in human terms. A folktale is a story that, in its plot, is pure fiction and that has no particular location in either time or space. A legend is a story from the past about a subject that was, or is believed to have been, historical. This site includes Cryptozoology, Legendary creatures, Mythology & Folklore, Pirates, Vampires, UFOs, and Vampires, Werewolves & other Nasties.

• Mything Links
  An annotated & illustrated collection of worldwide links to mythologies, fairy tales & folklore, sacred arts & traditions by Kathleen Jenks, Ph.D., Presents an annotated, illustrated directory of Web sites relating to fairy tales, folklore, and mythology. Includes links to educational and reference resources, as well as to sites on specific themes, regions and peoples. Includes a site-specific search engine.

• Mythology
  Annotated guide from Digital Librarian to links of many aspects of mythology, from bestiaries to Aesop. Has several full-text sites as well.

• Mythology and Folklore
  Accesses New Age Esoteric Web's links with short commentaries on Celtic, Egyptian, and Greek myths, and to wicca, witchcraft, shamanism, voodoo, and women in classical mythology.

• Names of Gods and Goddesses
  Massive lists of names from every pantheon. Assembled by a dog lover known as 'ChinaRoad' and that's all I know about 'em.

• Timeless Myths: Norse Mythology
  The pages devoted to Norse and Teutonic mythology, has been divided into three section: Asgard contains information of Norse and Teutonic deities, including the Aesir and Vanir, giants and monsters; Valhalla contains information of Norse and German characters, particular heroes and heroines, rulers and dwarfs; Norse Sagas contains Norse and Germanic stories of the Creation and Ragnarök, as well as the Völsunga Saga and the Nibelungenlied. Authored by a Chinese-Australian named Jimmy Joe.

• Windows to the Universe
  Although this site is devoted to the space sciences, it also hosts beautiful artwork and sizeable definitions of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. Click on Myths, Stories, & Art to access this valuable resource.

• Xena Online Resources
  Contains information about Amazons and sources for classical myths and legends used in the popular television shows, Xena and Hercules.

• BusinessCulture.com
  A series of reports on business customs, etiquette, cross-cultural communication, proper gifts, negotiating tactics, business culture, manners, business entertainment and much more, covering Argentina to Yemen.

• Dutch Social Customs
  An extremely impressive genealogy site with a section on Dutch customs of the 17th century.

• Executive Planet
  Executive Planet (TM) provides valuable tips on business etiquette, customs and protocol for doing business worldwide, from Argentina to Venezuela. The Czech Republic has recently been added.

• International Business Etiquette and Manners
  Each country's page has an Introduction, Fun Facts, Analysis, Appearance, Behavior, Communication, and Resources.

• International Dining Etiquette
  "You've got your tickets, your money and your passport and all that is lacking is the social polish that will allow you to enter the higher echelons of whatever foreign clime you're visiting. This entry provides some of the essential rules that will make you an exemplary dinner diplomat"--web site.

• Japanese Etiquette
  U.S. Dept. of State tips on Greetings, Communication, Tips (don't!), Shoes, Dining, and Useful Phrases.

• Saudi Network: Business Etiquette
  Includes social customs, such as it is considered impolite to show the soles of your shoes while sitting.

• WorldBiz.com
  A series of country-specific reports on international business practices, business customs and protocol, cross-cultural communication, negotiating, international etiquette, business entertainment and much more. Worldwide Business Reports were developed by Worldwide Business Practices Report together with the leading experts in international business from around the world, from Algeria to Yemen.

WORLDWIDE HOLIDAYS
• Calculation of the Ecclesiastical Calender
  Marcos J. Montes shows calculations for movable holidays.

• Calendars: A Guide to Locating Events for Each Day of the Year
  Directory of online resources pertaining to current and historical worldwide calendars which allow users to identify astronomical events, famous historical events, and the birthdays of famous individuals by date and subject. Provides information on holidays and festivals. Offers the current date in Hebrew, Mayan, Islamic and Julian years....

• History of Holidays
  Bill Petro offers a collection of histories on American holidays, Christmas, Jewish holidays, Easter, and more. Petro arranges the American holiday histories by month. The essays on the history of Christmas and Easter highlight specific aspects of each holiday.

• Holidays on the Net
  A fun site which lists all the holidays we look forward to, plus many unknown holidays. Samples: November 18, Teddy Bears Day and New Buffalo on the Block Day.

• MothersDayCentral
  Surprised to find that Mother's Day is celebrated worldwide? Wherever a mother cooks, cleans, encourages, and/or brings home the dough, there is a day in her honor. Anxious gift-givers may consult the countdown clock to the American Mother's Day on this home page.

• Seasonal Holidays and History
  Presents a collection of Internet resources on seasonal holidays and the history of the holidays, compiled by the Department of History at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville.

• Valuating Our Differences: Celebrating Diversity
  University of Kansas provides this diversity calendar including National Women's Heritage Month. Review holidays and celebrations by religion, ethic, national holidays and other.

• Wilstar.com's Holiday World
  History of holidays, traditions, customs, and holiday trivia. Includes countdowns to and trivia about New Year's, Valentine's, April's Fool, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Groundhog Day, St. Patrick's, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Columbus Day, and Thanksgiving.

• Worldtime
  A service of HAB Software GmbH Co. KG in Hamburg, Germany. Features an interactive world atlas, which allows users to rotate the globe; view daylight, twilight, and night zones; zoom in on certain areas; and display national borders. Gives the local time and sunrise and sunset times for several hundred cities. Contains details on public holidays for numerous countries.

  AMERICAN HOLIDAYS

• About Mardi Gras
  To be precise, Mardi Gras is just one day - Mardi Gras Day - and is always the day before Ash Wednesday. The exact date changes each year, based on the date of Easter. When folks say they are coming to New Orleans for Mardi Gras though, they don't usually mean they are coming for one day but for many days to see the parades and party. Lots of ads on this site, though.

• American Secular Holidays Calendar
  Marcos J. Montes provides listings of holidays from 1777 on.

• Fourth of July Celebrations Database
  James R. Heintze highlights examples of Fourth of July celebrations throughout the history of the United States. The examples are arranged chronologically and there is one celebration highlighted each year from 1776-2002.

• Happy Father's Day
  In the United States, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June because that is the birth month of the father of Sonora Smart Dodd, who thought up the holiday.

• History of Labor Day
  From the U.S. Department of Labor, the history of Labor Day, from its inception in the late 1800's to today.

• History of Thanksgiving
  From History.com, watch the origins of Thanksgiving, how football became such a huge tradition, and the history of turducken.

• History of Veterans Day
  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) highlights the history of Veterans' Day, a holiday observed in the United States on the second Monday in November. The holiday was first known as Armistice Day, but changed to Veterans' Day in order to honor all veterans. VA notes that Veteran's Day has been celebrated on several different dates and provides the full text of several proclamations regarding the observance of the holiday

• Independence Day
  Describes Independence Day, celebrated in the United States on July 4th. Notes that the holiday commemorates the formal adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Provides access to the text of the declaration and highlights various ways in which the holiday is celebrated.

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
  The Corporation for National and Community Service in Washington, D.C. offers information about the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, which is celebrated each January. The Martin Luther King holiday honors the life and work of African-American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968). The corporation encourages American to celebrate the holiday by serving their communities.

• Memorial Day
  As part of Patriotism.org, Miami-Dade County Public Schools provides a brief history of Memorial Day, a U.S. national holiday commemorating members of the armed forces who died serving their country. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day and officially began in 1868 as a way to honor members of the armed forces who were killed during the Civil War.

• Memorial Day Every Day
  From a business site peddling urns, comes an interesting history of Memorial Day throughout American war remembrances. It also includes the origins of taps, plus poems and songs.

• Official Kwanzaa Web Site
  Features information on and by Maulana Karenga, the creator of Kwanzaa. Discusses the roots and branches, the seven principles, symbols, gifts, and decorations of Kwanzaa, the African American holiday that celebrates African family, community, and culture, provided by RABERWEB.

• Mother's Day.Net: the Story of Mother's Day
  The National Women's History Project (NWHP), a nonprofit educational institution, provides an overview of the history of Mother's Day. Mother's Day is a holiday that is celebrated annually on the second Sunday in May.

• Pilgrims' 1621 Thanksgiving
  Presents information about the first Thanksgiving Day, celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621. Notes that Thanksgiving was not an annual or national holiday in the United States until Abraham Lincoln issued the 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation. Explains that Thanksgiving Day was designated to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Includes Foods Available to the Pilgrims for Their 1621 Thanksgiving.

• Presidents' Day
  The Miami-Dade Public School system in Florida highlights the history of the celebration of Presidents' Day, which is now observed on the third Monday in February. Although the holiday is meant to honor all men who have served as president, it is usually observed in honor of U.S. Presidents George Washington (1732-1799) and Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865).

  BAHA'I HOLIDAYS

• Summary of Bahá'í Holy Days
  Features a summary of the nine holy days of the Baha'i Faith. Includes brief descriptions of the Feast of Naw-Ruz, the Festival of Ridvan, the declaration of the Bab, the ascension of Baha'u'llah, the martyrdom of the Bab, the birth of the Bab, the birth of Baha'u'llah, the ascension of Abdul'Baha, Ayyam-i-Ha, and the Period of Fasting.

  BRITISH HOLIDAYS

• Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night
  Sonja Hyde presents information on Bonfire Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day. This British holiday involves the lighting of bonfires and is celebrated on November 5th in commemoration of the failure of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot--an attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in retaliation for the harsh treatment of the Catholics....

• Happy Boxing Day
  Boxing Day is a holiday that is celebrated on December 26 in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Boxing Day is also Saint Stephen's Day. Elaine (no last name given) compiled this information and recounts the history and traditions of the holiday.

  CHRISTMAS

• Celebrating Christmas in Mexico--Las Posadas
  Presents a discussion of the celebration on Christmas in Mexico, prepared by Marvin H. Perton, and provided online by Mexico Online. Discusses the regional differences in the festivities. Explains the posada, a traditional procession, with regional differences.

• Christmas--The Story, Customs and Traditions
  Presents information about the Christmas story, customs, and traditions, compiled by Carol Rainbow. Features the Biblical Christmas story and other Christmas stories and tales. Offers access to cards, carols, plays, and recipes. Discusses the traditions associated with Santa Claus, the poinsettia, and country specific customs.

• Christmas Traditions Around the World
  Features information about the celebration of Christmas in different countries around the world, presented by Net Ezy. Discusses customs and religious observances.

• Christmas Traditions in France and Canada
  Presents information on Christmas traditions of France and Canada. Describes various family celebrations, communal festivities, and religious ceremonies. Examines the origins of the nativity. Details Christmas in the Middle Ages. Highlights midnight mass, carols, the 12 days of Christmas, and other traditions. Offers access to a bibliography and a French version of the site.

• Saint Nicholas
  Pat Umberger offers a biographical sketch about Saint Nicholas, also known as Nicholas of Myra (4th century), a Christian saint who was the bishop of Myra. Nicholas became associated with the giving of gifts at Christmas, due to his own generosity and custom of giving unexpected gifts anonymously to individuals. December 6 is the feast day of Saint Nicholas; he is the national saint of Russia and Greece.

• Holiday Traditions of Spain
  Offers information on the Christmas holiday season in Spain, provided by California Mall. Discusses the traditions of Christmas and Christmas Eve in Spain, Christmas dinner, and the Three Wise Men. Highlights recipes for traditional dishes from Spain.

• Welcome to Christmas on the Net
  Features information on Christmas provided by Studio Melizo. Includes the story of Christmas, the religious meaning of Christmas, the many faces of Santa Claus, the legend of the Christmas stocking, the Christmas tree, and recipes. Links to other sites on Christmas. Lots of ads, however.

  EASTER

• Hoppy Easter
  Presents resources on the Easter holiday, part of the Holidays on the Net site published by Studio Melizo. Features a history of the holiday and discusses the symbolism behind Easter eggs and the Easter rabbit.

• Traditions Around Easter
  Describes the Easter festivities carried out in Sweden. Gives detailed descriptions of activities and events held during the Easter week which starts with Palm Sunday, commemorating Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Details the various superstitions, customs and traditions of old and present times.

  FRENCH HOLIDAYS

• Celebrate Bastille Day
  Features information about the Bastille, a notorious prison in Paris, which the people stormed and seized in 1789, starting the French Revolution that toppled the French king and the aristocracy. Lists tips on how to celebrate this day, wherever you may reside.

  GERMAN HOLIDAYS

• Holidays in German Speaking Europe
  Each holiday contains a description of local customs and a short history of the holiday.

  HALLOWEEN

• Halloween: the Real Story of Halloween
  Learn about the history of Halloween including information on jack o lanterns, Halloween vampires and superstitions from Halloween night all on History.com.

  INDIAN HOLIDAYS

• Indian Festivals
  Festivals listed include Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Muslim, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, National, and General, plus Recipes!

  IRISH HOLIDAYS

• St. Patrick's Day
  Provides information on Saint Patrick's Day, celebrated on March 17th. Recounts the legend of Saint Patrick (385-461), an apostle and the patron saint of Ireland and examines the significance of the shamrock. Describes parades held to honor the holiday in Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the United States.

• St. Stephen's Day
  Offers information on Saint Stephen's Day, a national Irish holiday, presented by the North of Boston Library Exchange, Inc., which honors Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, who was stoned to death shortly after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

  

  JAPANESE HOLIDAYS

• Annual Events
  List of Japanese holidays and their significance from Japan-Guide.com.

  KOREAN HOLIDAYS

• Korean Holidays
  Life in Korea presents Solar and Lunar holidays.

  JEWISH HOLIDAYS

• Haggadah for Passover
  Features information on Passover, presented by Valley Beth Shalom. Discusses the Seder, lighting the candles, and the Four Questions. Also includes songs.

• Happy Chanukah!
  Jerold H. Feinstein presents information related to Chanukah, also known as Hanukkah, an eight day Jewish holiday commemorating the victory of the Maccabees against the persecution of the Greek Syrians and the miracle during the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

• Jewish Calendar
  A fascinating account of the Jewish Calendar, which does not correspond to the solar year represented by the Gregorian calendar.

  MEXICAN HOLIDAYS

• Days of the Dead
  Describes the Days of the Dead, a traditional holiday honoring the dead, observed in Mexico from October 31 to November 2. Includes photographs, descriptions of customs, and audio files of music, compiled by Studio Melizo as part of the Holidays on the Internet resource. Beware, though, a very 'ad-heavy' site.

• Cinco de Mayo
  Offers information on Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday celebrated on the 5th of May. The holiday commemorates the victory of the Mexican army over the French in the battle of Puebla. The battle took place near Puebla, a city in Mexico on May 5, 1862 and this victory is celebrated every year. .

• Mexico Connect: Day of the Dead
  Day of the Dead articles from the Mexican point of view.

• Official and Religious Mexican Holidays
  Mexico Online highlights the official and religious holidays of Mexico. These holidays include the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), Carnival, Holy Week, Christmas, Cinco de Mayo, and Flag Day.

  NEW YEAR

• Chinese New Year: The History
  Features a history of the Chinese New Year, celebrated by the Chinese, Vietnamese, and many others in East Asia. Notes that the origin of the Chinese New Year is centuries old and that preparations tend to begin a month from the date of the Chinese New Year, when people start buying presents, decoration materials, food, and clothing.

• Happy New Year
  Presents information on the New Year's Day holiday, including a history of the holiday, examining its celebration from ancient Babylon to modern times.

• Home of Hogmanay
  Hogmanay.net provides information on Hogmanay, the traditional Scottish celebration of the New Year. The information includes a FAQ and details on Hogmanay celebrations throughout Scotland.

• Taboos and Superstitions of Chinese New Year
  Discusses taboos and superstitions of the Chinese New Year. Includes information on superstitions on topics, such as house cleaning, New Year activities set precedent for the rest of the year, personal appearance and cleanliness, and other new year superstitions.

  RAMADAN

• Ramadan on the Net
  Studio Melizo presents information on Ramadan as part of Holidays on the Net. Ramadan is celebrated during the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. For the entire month, Muslims fast during the daylight hours. In the evening, the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. Muslims believe that the Holy Koran was sent from Allah during the month of Ramadan.

  TAIWANESE HOLIDAYS

• Festivals
  Features a collection of articles on festivals in Taiwan from the travel magazine "Travel in Taiwan," which is published monthly by Vision International Publishing Co. Includes articles on Christmas, festivals involving ghosts, the new year, decorations, and more.

• Holidays and Festivals in Taiwan
  Presents holidays in Taiwan, including traditional holidays (lunar calendar), and official holidays (western calendar). Provides access to holiday's name, origin, celebration, and meaning.

  

  VALENTINES

• Amore on the Net
  Offers information on Saint Valentine's Day, provided by Studio Melizo. Includes the story of Saint Valentine, Cupid, the history of the Valentine's Day card, and Valentine's Day recipes.

• Valentine's Day History
  British view of the romantic origins of this day.

• If you liked this site, you may want to look at another of my sites:

• The Paranormal
  This author's site looks at the rich literature in areas which often intermingle with folklore, fairy tales, urban legends, and mythology.

  Consult the MLA Styles: Citing Electronic Sources site for examples of bibliographic citation formats.

  
  

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  "Folklore, Fairy Tales, Mythology, and Customs" is best viewed with the Internet Explorer browser. Comments on this document may be emailed to Christina Petimezas.