Christmas eve: Did you mean...?

The Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) on the border between Germany and the Czech Republic is a region rich in history and culture connected to the mining industry. For centuries the cities on both sides of the...

In this collection of resources we look at the origins of Christmas and the story of the Nativity, the pagan traditions that have influenced how the holiday has been celebrated ever since, and how different eras...

Scandinavia has a rich cultural heritage and Norse Mythology, which was once simply their religious belief system, has continually fascinated and influenced others for centuries. The Norse beliefs and traditions...

Eve Bewailing the Death of Abel, terracotta sculpture by Joseph Nollekens, between 1800-1810. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. According to Bible, Abel was murdered by his own brother Cain who was jealous of...

In the ancient world, human sexuality was crucial for the survival of the tribe and clan as well as pleasurable, a gift from the gods. Thousands of native cults emphasized fertility through rituals and...

Three traditional dishes eaten during a British Christmas holiday. Left: Roast turkey Top Right: Christmas pudding Bottom right: Christmas cake (the cake and pudding were made by Ruth Cartwright)

The Russian Empire on the eve of World War I (1914) represented the largest contiguous empire in modern history, stretching from Eastern Europe across Siberia to the Pacific...

Adam and Eve, a print engraving by the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528). 1504 CE. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

Adam and Eve by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640 CE). (Prado Museum, Madrid)

The French camp on the eve of the Battle of Austerlitz, 1 December 1805. Oil on canvas painting by Louis Albert Guislain Bacler d'Albe, 1808.