Here’s an Irish Blessing just in time for St. Patrick’s Day… Irish Blessing   May your pockets be heavy And your heart be light.   May good luck pursue you Each morning and night. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! -Mama Lisa

When my son was born, my husband’s grandmother asked if she could tie a red ribbon to the bottom of his crib.  This was to ward off the "evil eye" and keep away bad luck. Some people wear a red string or bracelet on their left hand to ward off the "evil eye" too.  The red...

Barmbrack is an Irish fruit bread that’s served for Halloween and for Samhain, a similar holiday celebrated on November 1st. Barmbrack has traditionally been cooked with objects inside that are used for “fortune-telling”.  Below are some objects used.  Whoever receives the slice with that object is supposed to have the corresponding fortune in the upcoming...

Recently, we talked about the French good luck charm dolls called Nénette and Rintintin that are made out of yarn.  In a second post we explained how to make the yarn dolls.  Here we present a 2nd way to make them. This version of the Nénette and Rintintin dolls won’t have a tuft of hair at...

Recently, we talked about the French good luck charm dolls called Nénette and Rintintin that are made out of yarn.  Here you can learn how to make them. Supplies Some Yarn (including a piece of red or pink yarn for the mouth)  5 inch...

Nénette et Rintintin were originally toy dolls for children that were first produced in France in 1913.  The boy doll is Nénette and the girl doll is Rintintin. In the tradition of romance in France, they’re seen as a couple! When WWI came, people started making little Nénette et Rintintin dolls out of yarn.  They were...

Ayako Egawa wrote from Japan about Kamaboko, a sort of gelled fish cake that’s eaten there.  The one pictured below was made for the New Year.  The character on these Kamaboko is called Kizuna (meaning bond) which is the symbol for 2011.  (A character is chosen annually in Japan that best symbolizes the year that...

Here’s how you play the Greek Easter Egg Game… 1. Hard boil eggs and dye them red.  In Greece, it’s traditional to dye eggs red for Easter. 2. Two players pick an egg.  Player one clacks (taps) her egg on the top of player two’s egg.  3.  Both players turn over their eggs.  4.  Player 2 clacks...

Yesterday, I helped at a Chinese New Year event at my daughter’s school.  Red is a lucky color in China. Nane, the mother who ran it, had all of the helping Mom’s wear red. The tables were all decorated with red tablecloths. Oranges were placed around the room for decorations – like centerpieces on the...

Last month a ship from the 1700’s was found in the Ground Zero construction site in New York. The ship was probably sunk at the site in an effort to extend the land in Manhattan in the early 19th century. It’s called The Mystery Ship and it’s now being studied at a lab...