folk customs Archives - Bone and Sickle

Born with a Veil

August 15, 2026 boneandsickle anomalies, Benandanti, birthing, cauls, curiosities, EPISODE, folk customs, folk magic, folklore, Friuli, history, legends, medicine, superstition, witch trials, witchcraft, witches

To be “born with a veil” (or caul) was once regarded as far more than an unusual circumstance of birth.[…]

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Christmas is Carnival: Carols and Calendars

December 18, 2025 boneandsickle A Season of Madness, calendar, Carnival, Carol of the Bells, carols, Catholicism, Christmas, EPISODE, folk customs, history, holidays, Kalends, Krampus, Perchten, Slavs, Twelfth Night, Twelve Days of Christmas

Historically, the celebration of Christmas and Carnival could overlap, and there is some reason to believe that customs associated with[…]

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The Unknown Carnival

April 21, 2025 boneandsickle A Season of Madness, antiquity, books, Carnival, EPISODE, folk customs, folk horror, folklore, history, holidays, Middle Ages, pagan, paganism

Mr. Ridenour introduces his new book “A Season of Madness: Fools, Monsters, and Marvels of the Old-World Carnival,” explaining how[…]

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