The name “Kwanzaa” comes from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza”, which means “first fruits.” Though the holiday wasn’t created until 1965, it has ties to the first fruits celebrations throughout ancient Africa. In fact, Dr. Maulana Karenga, the professor who created Kwanzaa, researched the festivals of several African cultures such as the Ashanti and Zulu in order to “form the basis of Kwanzaa.”[1] Continue reading
Category Archives: Holidays
Happy Kwanzaa from AntiquityNOW
Posted in Blog, Culture, Holidays, Public Life, Religion
Tagged ancient harvest, ancient holidays, AntiquityNOW, aparche, Dr. Maulana Karenga, first fruits, harvest celebration, Kwanzaa, Swahili
Merry Christmas from AntiquityNOW
The image above is one of the oldest mass produced Christmas cards. Published in England in 1843, approximately 1,000 copies were originally made, but only ten have survived in modern times. It was a scandal in Victorian England because it features a child drinking wine.[1]
Here’s hoping your holidays will be devoid of scandal and filled with feasting, family and friends!
Click here to learn more about this card and visit our posts below to discover some ancient connections to the holiday season.
- The History of the Holiday Evergreen
- Merry Christmas! The History—and Neuroscience—of Christmas Caroling
- The Pagan Origins of Christmas
- Bon Appetit Wednesday! Hot Spiced Apple Cider
- Bon Appetit Wednesday! Slow-Cooked, Mustard-Crusted Pork Loin
- Bon Appetit Wednesday! St. Nicholas or Santa Claus? A Cookie Is Still As Sweet….
[1] World’s oldest mass-produced Christmas card in SMU collection. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from http://www.smu.edu/News/NewsIssues/OldestChristmasCard
Posted in Blog, Communications, Culture, Holidays, Public Life
Tagged ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Christmas, Christmas cards, history of Christmas cards
2014 Recipes With a Past and the Art of Being Human
AntiquityNOW is pleased to announce the launch of the 2014 Recipes With a Past, a compendium of dishes derived from our weekly Bon Appetit Wednesday! blog posts. Embracing more than 25 countries and cuisines, this e-book has two new designations for this year’s menus: gluten-free and vegan. Meals in Recipes With a Past are taken from historical recipes or are modern repasts that include ingredients with roots in antiquity. Continue reading
Bon Appetit Wednesday! Hot Spiced Apple Cider
This time of year there’s nothing better than cozying up in front of the fireplace and enjoying a comforting mug of hot mulled apple cider. You can feel the warmth and cheer spread through your bones as the spices mix to make the perfect holiday drink. Continue reading
Happy Thanksgiving from AntiquityNOW!
In between feasting and football, check out our previous posts on Thanksgiving and the foods we enjoy on this holiday!
Bon Appetit Wednesday: Celebrating Germany’s National Soup Day!
It’s National Soup Day in Germany. Time to break out your best potato, cabbage or lentil soup, cozy up to a toasty fire and warm your bones. But of course, soup isn’t just appreciated in Germany. It’s a dish enjoyed all over the world in thousands of variations. And it has been a food staple in many ancient civilizations. In honor of Germany’s holiday we’re bringing you a recipe for hearty Kartoffelsuppe (German Potato Soup) and offering a brief ancient history of soup. So sit back, grab a spoon and enjoy! Continue reading
Halloween, “The War of the Worlds” and Why We Love Flying Machines
“War-of-the-worlds-tripod” by Henrique Alvim Correa,1906
Happy Halloween! AntiquityNOW has been celebrating Halloween this year with blog posts about doppelgangers, the origins of tricks and treats, modern and 2,000 year old ghost stories, and now, an original short story by author Victoria Weisfeld.
For inspiration Weisfeld draws from the legend of the events of October 31, 1938 when American producer, playwright and actor Orson Welles presented the CBS radio play, The War of the Worlds, adapted from the 1898 novel of the same name penned by British author H.G. Wells. The play centers around what happens when a Martian craft lands in the small, rural community of Grover’s Mill, New Jersey, which is the setting of Weisfeld’s short story. Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Celebrities, Culture, Holidays, Literature, Meteorology, Public Life, Religion, Science and Technology, Science Fiction
Tagged ancient aliens, ancient science fiction, ancient space ships, AntiquityNOW, H.G. Wells, Halloween, Mahabharata, Orson Welles, Ramayana, The War of the Worlds
The Colorful Past of Halloween Treats
Lads, look at yourselves. Why are you, boy, wearing that Skull face? And you, boy, carrying a scythe, and you, lad, made up like a Witch? And you, you, you!” He thrust his bony finger at each mask. “You don’t know, do you? You just put on those faces and old mothball clothes and jump out, but you don’t really know, do you? – Ray Bradbury (The Halloween Tree)
Remember the sweet satisfaction of a pillowcase, paper bag or plastic pumpkin-head swelling with the weight of Halloween candy? Think of the candy bars, lollipops and bubble gum mingling together in the monstrous payload you’ve been waiting all year to collect and consume in one riotous night of excitement. It’s so exciting in fact, that you may never pause to ponder why on earth you do it. What happy trick of fate empowered you to don a disguise and march up to strange doorways demanding treats? Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Crime, Culture, Holidays, Public Life, Recreation
Tagged All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, Ancient Egypt, ancient history, AntiquityNOW, Aztecs, Celts, Dio de Los Muertos, guising, Guy Fawkes Day, Halloween, mumming, souling, trick-or-treat
Double Trouble: Doppelgangers and the Mythology of Spirit Doubles
It’s almost Halloween! In our recent posts we’ve been delving into why some of us are so drawn to the supernatural, the paranormal and the scaring the pants off terrifying. In today’s post we hurl ourselves once more into the realm of the supernatural. A twice look at terror, as it were. Continue reading
Posted in Ancient Origins, Blog, Culture, Holidays, Literature, Psychology, Public Life, Religion, Science and Technology
Tagged ancient doppelgangers, ancient folklore, Ancient Origins, AntiquityNOW, doppelgangers, Egyptian mythology, Halloween, Native American mythology, Norse mythology, spirit doubles
A Frightful History: Author P J Hodge Presents “The Ghost Hunter”
Last Tuesday’s blog explored the neurology of fear and introduced a 2000 year old horror story from Pliny the Younger. Despite its antiquity, this story (actually contained in a missive to an acquaintance by the prolific letter writer) exhibited remarkable 21st century elements. Today’s post is a short story titled “The Ghost Hunter.” Written by Paul Hodge, it is a modern take on storytelling in the gothic style. Notice the common elements with Pliny’s tale: the abandoned residence, unexplained occurrences and a man of doughty character determined to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. Continue reading
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