"tradition" news and stories

There are definitely some odd (to those on the outside) rituals that have developed throughout the world. There's one ritual in Galaxidi, Greece that really takes the cake, or perhaps could make the cake.

In that Greek town, to celebrate the end of Carnival and the beginning of Lent, the citizens get together for a giant flour fight. According to Spiegel, the villagers go through roughly 3000 pounds of flour, and each one dyes his or her lot. The historic buildings are all covered in tarps, and by the end of the day the town is "covered in sticky, brightly colored flour." Goggles, windbreakers, and face masks are all popular apparel choices, and a lot of people take a dip in the ocean afterwards to clean off a bit before an evening of tavern-hopping.

This actually sounds like a lot of fun. I wouldn't be up for running with the bulls, but I would definitely throw some flour around. The tradition started at the beginning of the 19th century, but no one is really sure why except it had something to do with rebelling against the Turks (who were in charge at the time). Whatever the reason, this is my kind of party. What are some odd community traditions that you know about?

[via Coldmud]

In the US, Valentine's Day celebrations are generally geared towards couples, with a slight bias towards women when it comes to the marketing of chocolates, flowers and other gifts - a bias that is meant to have women encourage men to buy gifts for them. In Japan, things are a little different. The chocolates and other Valentine's Day items are marketed towards women, but they're marketed for them to buy and give to men, rather than the other way around. Barentain Dei calls for gifts to be given to boyfriends and husbands, as well as for giri-choco, or obligation chocolates, to be given to male bosses, coworkers, classmates and friends. About 80% of Japanese women participate in the tradition, spending an average of $20 on their most chocolate important purchase and $6 on each of their other chocolate gifts, averaging $56 per woman for a total of over $400 million countrywide on the holiday. This doesn't include additional gifts or fancy dinners.

If this all seems a bit unfair, as it is more one-sided than the US version of Valentine's, not to worry. On March 14th, the Japanese celebrate "White Day" as in reciprocation for Valentine's Day, where men buy gifts, from chocolates to expensive jewelry, as a sign of affection

Source

Radishes are a nice, crunchy addition to salads, lending a peppery flavor and some color to whatever they're combined with. In Oaxaca, they take full advantage of the versatility of the vegetable by celebrating la Noche de Rabanos, or "the night of radishes," on December 23rd. The annual festival showcases the radish carvings, made from extremely large radishes (up to 10lbs). The carvings are often extremely elaborate, shaped as dancers, animals, village scenes and parts of folk stories, as well as religious images (like Nacimiento, the nativity scene).

The Radish festival began in the late 19th century when the mayor of Oaxaca "inaugurated the first exhibition of radish art." Now, tourists come in, "snapping pictures like radish paparazzi" and enjoying the carnival-like atmosphere. Cash and other prizes are given to the best pieces and lots of food and drinks (only some of which involve more radishes) are enjoyed.

Click here to see a flickr photo gallery of some of the really intricate radish entries from this year's festival.

[via neatorama]

Source

Mendiants are small disks of chocolate that are studded with dried or candied fruits and nuts. Traditionally, they are part of the Christmas celebration in France, where the fruits and nuts on top of the chocolates were chosen to represent "the four mendicant monastic orders and the color of their robes." The original toppings were raisins for the Dominicans, hazelnuts for the Augustins, dried figs for the Franciscans and almonds for the Carmelites. Now, chocolatiers are just as likely to get creative with the toppings for these bite-sized treats as they are with any other confection.

You can always buy a batch that is already made, but making mendiants is a simple process. Start by assembling a selection of toppings, such as cacao nibs, nuts (pistachios, walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts), dried fruits (cranberries, raisins, cherries, candied orange peel) and anything else that pairs well with chocolate, like small chunks of butter cookies or fleur de sel , as recommended by Clotilde. Melt some good quality chocolate and drop spoonfuls of it onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper to make circles. Place a small assortment of toppings on each disc and set aside to harden. Peel off when ready to serve.

A mince pie is the quintessential food of Christmas - at least, it is if you're British. A mince pie is a small, sweet pastry that contains a mixture of dried fruits, spices, nuts, suet (beef fat) and alcohol. Some versions of mince pies, especially in older or very traditional settings, use a meat filling, but it is the boozy fruit one that is popular during the holidays. In their quest to find the best mince pies, Custom PC went around to the shops and picked some out for their mince pie megatest. If you're in the UK, their guide will definitely help prepare you for the holidays. Read their post for the full details (and some laughs, because these guys are hilarious), but here are their very abridged results, from worst to best:

• Sainsbury's Basics Mince Pies - "tasted only marginally better than said serrated ninja projectile"
• Mr Kipling's Mince Pies - "the pastry and the filling failed to impress, though thankfully nobody died"
• Sainsbury Deep Filled Mince Pies - "left a nasty chemical aftertaste in the palates of our review squad"
• Duchy Originals Mince Pies - "slightly fragile and curiously salty"
• Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Mince Pies - "a good filling, a nice crispy crust and a boozy, Christmassy taste"
• Marks and Spencer Deep Filled Mince Pies - "full of goodness, like grandma used to bake."
• Waitrose Mince Pies - "tasted really good, with lots of strong, boozy filling."
• Harrods Mince Pies - "Definitely too good to be left out for Santa Claus."

If,like me, you don't live where there is a ready supply of mince pies available, making your own is a good idea. This recipe from Nigella Lawson uses butter instead of suet, though you should try to track down some premade mincemeat, as most recipes call for letting it sit for several weeks before use.

Source