Ireland is celebrating 100 years of independence in 2023. This St Patrick’s Day video from the Irish government looks back at a hundred years of peacebuilding milestones to the background of the beautiful traditional song “Danny Boy” sung by Tolü Makay. The video covers Irish membership of the League of Nations and then the United … Continue reading “Peacebuilding for St Patrick’s”
St Patrick’s Day, 17 March, is the Irish national day. But there are many communities of Irish origin around the world and on St Paddy’s Day, everyone is Irish! There is a large Irish community in the U.S. and the parades in Chicago and New York are famous. The Chicago River, and the Liffey in … Continue reading “Happy St Patrick’s!”
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York City is almost 100 years old, and is an integral part of the annual holiday for millions of Americans. Celebrating Thanksgiving and launching Christmas celebrations, it includes giant balloon figures, floats, and marching bands from schools around the country. This year it will take place on 24 November. Macy’s … Continue reading “Thanksgiving Parade”
The highpoint of the cultural calendar in the Shetlands, Scotland, is a spectacular Viking fire festival in January: Up Helly Aa. This video and photo galleries are useful for discussing the festival. Find out more about the celebration in our article. In this video, an American man with Shetland roots describes discovering Up Helly Aa … Continue reading “Up Helly Aa Webpicks”
The Shetland Islands are the northernmost part of the U.K., and belonged to Norway until 1468. So it’s no surprise that the highpoint in the Shetland cultural calendar is a spectacular Viking fire festival in January: Up Helly Aa. On the last Tuesday of January, a thousand costumed men pull a Viking longship through Lerwick … Continue reading “Shetland Viking Fire Festival”
