DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   As spooky sights go, a glimpse of the Grim Reaper is enough to send a shiver down most spines. He is Death personified, and his scythe is legendary for severing our souls from our bodies at the appointed time.  The Grim Reaper is very popular on Halloween, but he also figures prominently in historical tales and popular culture throughout the year. Get to know the Grim Reaper with these thirteen thrilling facts. (Most people don't get to know him until it's too late!) 1. It is believed that the Grim Reaper is based on the Greek god Chronos, also known as Father Time. Chronos' ties to time and the harvest spawned the symbolism of the Reaper's hourglass and scythe. 2. In the Biblical Book of Revelations, Death is personified as one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He is the third to ride, and his mount is a pale horse. 3. Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics portray Death as a teenaged girl. 4. The Showtime series Dead Like Me features an ass...

COSTUMED WITH A MEDIEVAL AIR    A sport for all times, the Calcio Storico or traditional football played in costume, in Florence, Italy, dates back to the 15th century. Woven with Italian brain, brawn and passion, the Calcio Storico was played by the aristocratic young noble men in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce and some times in the areas of Via Il Prato, Piazza della Signoria or Piazza Santa Maria Novella in celebration of the Feast of St. John. Held every year on June 24th, the awesome pageant of the Calcio Storico takes you to its ancient origins where ‘calcio in costume’ or ‘costume football’ was played for over 500 years. The playing field    With traditional districts to identify each of the four teams, the Calcio Storico, ‘calcio livrea’ or ‘football in livery’, colors the spirited pageant with the teams dressed in different colors, blue for St. Croce, red for St. Maria Novella, white for St. Spirito and green for St. Giovanni....

  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 ...

  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 unacc...