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 Monitor4 min readWorld
    On Rare Visit, Xi Jinping Tries To Rescue China’s Relationship With Europe
    The visual contrast was striking: Spring sunshine bathed Paris when Chinese leader Xi Jinping last visited Europe five years ago. This week, he touched down for summit talks with President Emmanuel Macron under a cloak of gray cloud and drizzle. But
    The Christian Science Monitor6 min readInternational Relations
    Negotiate Or Attack: In Rafah, Israel’s Options Conflict In Real Time
    The Israel-Hamas war and the lives of Israeli hostages and 2 million Palestinians in Gaza were in a state of whiplash Tuesday. Back-and-forth diplomatic and military brinkmanship by Israel and Hamas teetered the conflict between a cease-fire and an a
    The Christian Science Monitor3 min read
    Audubon’s Exquisite Bird Paintings Owe A Debt To Classical European Art
    When John James Audubon immigrated to the United States from France in 1803, his timing was fortuitous. That same year, the Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of U.S. territory, deepening national curiosity about what lay in the vastness. Audubon (1

    Related Books & Audiobooks