DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   The ancient Celts had hundreds of deities, but as with most cultures, they had their demons as well. Some of the Celtic “monsters” were originally gods, but were later demonized as pagan creatures when many of the Celts became Christians. But the Celtic culture has always feared an array of evil forces.    IrishCentral has hunted down the 10 most frightening of these Celtic and Irish demons and monsters. 1. Dearg Due – The Irish Vampire    Yes, Dracula himself is an Irish creation (Irishman Bram Stoker created the modern image of the monster in his masterpiece novel), but there’s also a vampire that resides right smack in the middle of Ireland.    Dearg-due, an Irish name meaning “red blood sucker,” is a female demon that seduces men and then drains them of their blood.    According to the Celtic legend, an Irish woman who was known throughout the country for her beauty, fell in love with a local peasant, which was unaccepta...

  The Boi Bumbá Festival presents myths, tales and legends using characters, parade carts and giant puppets followed by the words of a master of ceremonies who describes in detail every bit of the action.    It is an incredible musical and theatrical experience, a religious procession, a tribal ritual, a giant puppet show, a fairy tale of powerful villains and brave heroes, a folk art presentation, a major party for the audience and an energizing choreography of the galera (gah-le-rah), all at once. The characters in the performance come from the Boi Bumbá tale. There are two teams called Bois (plural of Boi). Each one tells the same story in all three night of the festival, amounting to 6 different performances of the same show. But every night is different because legends, rituals, dances, puppets, garments, alegorias, they all change and create the show anew.    There are many similar festivities in Brazil, but Parintins is the home of the bi...