Showing titles in Customs & Traditions

Don’t just see the sights―get to know the people. A land of mountains, hills, and fertile plains, Romania is a tourist destination waiting to be discovered. It is a rich and complex country: a place whose cities are home to beautiful parks and vibrant cultural scenes; whose people welcome...

A tour of global practices that will inspire American parents to expand their horizons (and geographical borders) and learn that there’s more than one way to diaper a baby. Mei-Ling Hopgood, a first-time mom from suburban Michigan - now living in Buenos Aires - was shocked that Argentine parents allow their children to stay up until all hours of the night. Could there really be social and developmental advantages to this custom?

From mal de ojo to milagros, lucky charms to forbidden foods, Mexican culture is filled with vibrant superstitions and powerful traditions that shape daily life. Whether you’re planning a trip, building relationships, or just curious about the unseen rules that guide behavior in Mexico, this friendly and fascinating guide offers an honest look at the customs locals live by—but rarely explain.

Mining information from mythology, folklore, religious texts, and fairy tales from around the world, a foremost expert on symbols explains word origins and their meanings. The ultimate symbols are the letters and words in language as Bayley moves beyond mere pictures to understand the vital messages that have been ignored or lost across the centuries.

This definitive and magnificent 10-volume unabridged translation is one of the rare English translations in full of the epic. Bibek Debroy makes the Mahabharata marvellously accessible to contemporary readers. Dispute over land and kingdom may lie at the heart of this story of war...

A thorough reference to the many deities, magical beings, mythical places, and ancient customs of the Norse and Germanic regions of Europe Explores the legends and origins of well-known gods and figures such as Odin, Thor, Krampus, and the Valkyries, as well as a broad range of magical...

A rollicking, enlightening examination of humanity’s changing relationship to creativity, written from the perspectives of the Greek Muses. The thing that sets humans apart from other animals is our ability to create, to imagine how one thing could become something else. For millennia, art and...

A five-day travel guide to unforgettable French travel! Have no idea where to start? Or maybe you have an idea but could use some great insider tips? Well, listen on! You see, we know your trip begins before you even book your flight, and this guide is chock full of dynamite tips on everything you need to know before you go and much, much more!

Journey into the dark recesses of the wilderness with terrifying and true tales of horrific encounters and unexplained phenomena. From bone-chilling run-ins with Bigfoot and elusive cryptozoological creatures, to mind-bending UFOs and ghost sightings, this collection of first-hand stories from park rangers, police officers, hunters, campers, hikers, and more will leave you wondering what really lurks beyond the safety of civilization.

In a May 2019 countrywide referendum, Ireland voted overwhelmingly to make abortion legal; three years earlier, it had done the same with same-sex marriage. With help from prominent Irish and Irish American voices like historian and best-selling author Tim Pat Coogan and the New York Times' Maureen Dowd, A New Ireland tells the story of a modern revolution against all odds.  

The mythologies of the world are collective cultural dreams, and as such should be analyzed first from cultural perspectives. How do myths of the ancient Egyptians or Greeks, for instance, reflect the realities of the Egyptian and Greek cultures? When compared, however, mythologies reveal certain universal themes or motifs that point to larger trans-cultural issues such as the place of the human species in creation or the nature of deity as a concept. World Mythology: A Very Short Introduction is organized around the universal motifs.

Journey to the center of Naples and the Amalfi Coast! Oh, the magnificent beauty of the south of Italy - what are you waiting for? Passport to European Travel Guides offers this comprehensive, yet quick and concise, five-day guide to Naples and the Amalfi Coast - one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world!

The Holy Grail, the kingdom of Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table, and the magical sword Excalibur are all key ingredients of the legends surrounding King Arthur. But who was he really, where did he come from, and how much of what we read about him in stories that date back to the Dark Ages is true? So far, historians have failed to show that King Arthur really existed at all, and for a good reason—they have been looking in the wrong place. In this book, Alistair Moffat shatters all existing assumptions about Britain's most enigmatic hero.

As you begin to listen to this book, you will become familiar with all the gods and goddesses of Chinese culture. The historical context will become clear, as well as the institutions, the law, the rules about sexuality, marriage, and children, and so much more. Understanding these aspects of their society before fully becoming engaged in the folklore that was the popular belief at the time is essential to your comprehension of the cultural anecdotes in those tales.

Atlantis: The Antediluvian World explores the mysteries and possibilities of a lost civilization that may have shaped ancient history. Originally written by Ignatius Donnelly, this groundbreaking work pieces together mythological, geological, and historical clues that suggest Atlantis was once a thriving, technologically advanced society destroyed by a cataclysm. Through compelling arguments and fascinating insights, Donnelly's work has inspired generations to question what we know about human history and what might lie hidden beneath the waves.

From one of our preeminent neuroscientists: a landmark reflection that spans the biological and social sciences, offering a new way of understanding the origins of life, feeling, and culture. The Strange Order of Things is a pathbreaking investigation into homeostasis, the condition of that...

Each story reveals a piece of the Japanese spirit and shows how these old tales still matter today. Download this audiobook to start your journey into the world of Japanese folktales and legends!

More Strange Scotland is a collection of anecdotes, facts, folklore, and legends about the strangeness of that little nation on the western fringe of Europe. From fairies to witches and the frightening water horses, Scotland has a host of legends. Add haunted castles, strange pub names, and devilish people to the mix, sprinkle with Aberlour spirits and the mists of Skye and then start listening to the audiobook. If ghostly bagpipers and unseen river monsters don’t scare you off, then you may revel in the stories from this most strange of all countries.

Container spells are used for all sorts of purposes and, despite their antiquity, are an increasingly popular style of spellcasting. Ingredients are generally found in the home and are personal to the creator. Containers may be portable, such as mojo hands or charm bags. They may also be stationary, such as honey jar spells, which involve placing items into a jar, covering them with honey, closing the lid, and then burning a candle on top of the jar.

Journey into the dark recesses of the wilderness with terrifying and true tales of horrific encounters and unexplained phenomena. From bone-chilling run-ins with Bigfoot and elusive cryptozoological creatures, to mind-bending UFO and ghost sightings, and run ins with horrible humans. This collection of first-hand stories from park rangers, police officers, hunters, campers, hikers, and more will leave you wondering what really lurks beyond the safety of civilization.