Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • The Christian Science Monitor

    Trolls, ogres, and giant cats: How Iceland celebrates Christmas

    Dec 19, 2017 4 minutes
    Auður Ösp explains Icelandic holiday traditions during a Christmas tour at her home.

    Dozens of red and white-wax candles flicker in the home of Auður Ösp, in a bright red dress, her Christmas best, as she seats 10 strangers around her dining room table.

    There are old-fashioned Christmas cards hung across a string by Santa clips. The table is set with reindeer figurines and snow-dusted pine trees, as our tour group sits down to learn about the many Icelandic traditions at Christmas, called Jól in Icelandic.

    But lest anyone be confused, this isn’t the twinkling wonderland of a German Christmas, nor are the Christmas characters anything like jolly Santa Claus, we are about

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from The Christian Science Monitor

    The Christian Science Monitor2 min readPolitical Ideologies
    Civic Joy In South Africa’s Vote
    Thirty years after South Africa ended its violent system of racial segregation called apartheid through peaceful elections, it may be poised for another watershed moment: a transition from one-party rule to pluralism and power-sharing. For the first
    The Christian Science Monitor4 min readPolitical Ideologies
    Young Poles Led A Political Revolution. Now They Need To Learn Patience.
    Life in Poland is finally moving in the right direction, says Łukasz Dryżałowski. The Warsaw-based engineer-turned-filmmaker helped rally friends and strategize how and where to vote six months ago, in an election that saw 69% of Poles under 30 turn
    The Christian Science Monitor5 min readInternational Relations
    Historic Israeli Desire To ‘Go It Alone’ Is Tested By Gaza And Iran
    As the world grows increasingly critical of the war in Gaza and pressure builds for a permanent cease-fire, Israel finds itself torn between two inclinations: cooperate with the international community that rallied to its side after Hamas’ attack in

    Related Books & Audiobooks