Here’s the poem, Poet To His Love by Maxwell Bodenheim (1892-1954) with an mp3 recording… MP3 of Poet to His Love 2nd Recording of Poet to His Love Poet to His Love An old silver church in a forest Is my love for you. The trees around it ...

Maryann Serra was kind enough to contribute her recipe for Anise Cookies… Anise cookies are a popular tradition for Italians and other families around the world, especially during the holidays. This light fluffy cookie tastes much like licorice cake, so people who like the flavor licorice especially enjoy them. Making Italian anise cookies is fun and...

I found this article about wedding superstitions in a very unlikely place:  an American journal from 1906 called, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.  It was written by Memphis Scimiter… Wedding Superstitions The old rhyme that had to do with the days of the week still holds considerable power in the choice of the wedding day in some...

There are different theories about where the American Red Velvet Cake is originally from, ranging from the South (perhaps the time of the Civil War?) to a creation of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. No one seems to really know for sure!  What’s certain is that this cake feels special, and in fact,...

Kourabiedes are Greek shortbread cookies that are eaten for Christmas, Easter and Christenings.  Sometimes at Christmastime, they’re made with a clove in the middle to represent the spices the three magi brought to Jesus as a gift.        There are many variations of these cookies – so feel free to tinker with the recipe.  Here’s how...

There are traditional Filipino Catholic wedding customs that involve candles, coins, a veil and cord.  Here’s what each means… The Candles – The lighting of the candles usually takes place at the beginning of the ceremony.  One person from each side of the family lights a candle symbolizing God’s presence at the union.  Sometimes the couple...

Monique, who’s from France, went to a wedding party in China when she visited friends there last year.  Here’s what she wrote about the party and about weddings in China in general… Marriage formalities consist of filling out some forms and bringing them to some office, then you go back to get them back some days...

In Japan, people traditionally make displays in their houses for special holidays.  The displays often include flowers, branches of trees and symbolic food. My friend Ayako Egawa in Japan sent the photo below of a floral arrangement she made for the New Year.  She wrote, "The berries are ’senryo’, lucky plants for the New Year in...

It’s the day after Easter and I’m still thinking of eggs!  That’s because we’re having work done on our house, so we didn’t have time to dye eggs this year.  Yet I have 3 dozen eggs sitting in my fridge.  We can’t forgo this Springtime custom!  So, we’re going to hollow out many of...

Dedy Dowo sent me this photo of young Indonesians dressed for a traditional dance. Dedy said: "They do a dance of traditional java that’s called Jaranan or Jatilan (Horse dance)." I asked if it was performed for any specific event and Dedy wrote: "Yes it is, usually in a traditional ceremony or to celebrate a birthday...

A while ago, we asked about gift giving traditions around the world. Nicola Holdsworth wrote to us from the UK telling us about British holiday and gift-giving traditions. Here’s what she wrote… We give horseshoes for marriage, oranges form part of the Christingle celebration, usually with candles and ribbon. 21st birthdays are sometimes...