DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

    You would be forgiven for being curious about the title of this article because even though Spain boasts some of the most unusual and bizarre festivals compared to the rest of the world, throwing tomatoes over each other as they do in Valencia or being chased down the street by a herd of bulls in Pamplona does not come close to the excitement aroused by the Baby Jumping Festival held each year in Castrillo de Murcia near Burgos.     Baby jumping (El Colacho) is a traditional Spanish practice dating back to 1620 that takes place annually to celebrate the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi in the village of Castrillo de Murcia near Burgos . During the act - known as El Salto del Colacho (the devil's jump) or simply El Colacho – men dressed as the Devil (known as the Colacho) jump over babies born during the previous twelve months of the year who lie on mattresses in the street.     Anyone who has a newborn ad...

    There is a point in some people's lives that it becomes obvious that there's something in the world besides the physical, everyday world that we all experience. This is almost always in the form of first-hand experience, and the experiences range from touching, good experiences, to terrifying, almost dangerous ones.     For those that are plagued, not blessed, by paranormal entities, it's stressful and frightening, and people almost always look for ways to make it stop. Unfortunately, when people look for ways to make the bad things go away, they only hurt themselves most of the time. This is because of scam artists who promise that all problems will cease if a large sum of money is handed over to them, but all that happens is that those people are left with less in their pockets and left to live off of and things that still go booo! and aaarrrr! in the night.     If people don't go the route of lining the pockets of snake oil s...

    The annual airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas has become as much a part of Christmas as Santa and Rudolph.     Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, Snoopy's decorated doghouse and Linus' classic recitation on the true meaning the season have become true baby-boomer Christmas icons. Throw in Vince Guaraldi's classic soundtrack, and you have an animated special that has defined a generation. A Charlie Brown Christmas was not the first time the Peanuts characters were animated. In the early 1960's they appeared in a series of commercials for the Ford Motor Company. A Charlie Brown Chirstmas was conceived, written, animated and produced in only six months, and was finished only a week before the air date. The first airing, on December 9, 1965, was sponsored by Coke. A CBS executive who watched a preview was disappointed and declared the program, "A little flat....a little slow", and said he thought Peanuts was better suited for the comics p...

    Lets face it, everyone likes to be appreciated. Whether it is friends, couples, parents and children, an encouragement of gratitude, even a "Thank You", certainly brightens up the day. Some of us may not be used to it or even if we are, it certainly doesn't get heard or said enough. Perhaps we don't quite know how. Here are 10 great ideas that will get you started in the right direction. Say it with a Smile - Smile more! We are endowed with a powerful and contagious gift. Everyone can do it, and yet we tend not to do it enough. Remind yourself. The more often you smile, the brighter your thank-you becomes. Write a Note - For a moment, remember your middle school years. What did half the classes do behind the teacher's back? Write and pass notes, of course! It was fun. Write thank you notes even for the small things that people do. Be specific and authentic. A thank you note is a very special way to show your gratitude. Give a Gift - To ...

    Trumpets blare, women weep and a giddy crowd roars as burly men carrying towering wooden pillars charge through narrow streets in a medieval tradition of pride and devotion to their patron saint.     For more than 800 years, the ancient central Italian town of Gubbio has erupted in a riot of yellow, blue and black each May for the " Festa dei Ceri" ( Festival of the Candles) to honor patron saint Ubaldo Baldassini , a 12th century bishop. one of the teams grimacing with the heavy candle     In a day filled with feverish festivities that include hurling jugs of water onto a crowd, the highlight is a strenuous race where three teams tear through the town and up a mountain with 400-kg wooden pillars balanced on their shoulders.     The festival taps into a deep-rooted sense of local pride and tradition -- the sort of fierce identity tied to their town or region that Italians are famous for. Gubbio'...

    There are many locations throughout the world that are considered to be one of the scariest places on Earth. However, there is one road that is approximately 200 miles in length that has many individuals frightened to travel on. This is Highway 666. While the U.S. officially renamed this haunted highway "U.S. Route 491" in 2003, those that have traveled upon it, live near it, and have heard or directly experienced its horrors, continue to refer to it as the ominous 666. There are many different types of unexplained phenomenon that have occurred and continues to occur on this desolate road. Throughout this guide on the scariest places in the U.S., you will learn why it instills fear in so many individuals. Historical Notes     Throughout the entire nation of the United States, Highway 666 is considered to be one of the top haunted highways. This particular highway is so large that it is found in 4 individual states-Arizona, Colorado, New Me...