by Kate Dolan | Sep 30, 2025 | 19th Century America, Colonial America, Faith, Latest Posts, Living History, Religion and Magic
I went to secular public schools from pre-K through grade 12, so religion was not regularly addressed in school at all. Christmas was about Santa Claus and decorated trees. Easter focused on bunnies and eggs. Yet there was one religious event that managed to make it...
by Kate Dolan | Mar 9, 2024 | Holidays, Religion and Magic, The Irish
Soon we will be celebrating the feast day of Maewyn Succat. Don’t recognize the name? You might be more familiar with the Roman version, Magonus Saccatus. Still doesn’t ring a bell? Here’s a hint: he added “Patricius” to his name when he was ordained a priest, and...
by Kate Dolan | Oct 31, 2023 | Holidays, Religion and Magic, The Irish
Last year, my daughter decided to dress as the legendary Celtic leader Boudicca for Halloween, and she asked if that meant she was celebrating Samhain rather than Halloween. I wondered if Samhain really dated back to Boudicca’s last stand against the Romans in CE 43....
by Kate Dolan | May 4, 2023 | Faith, Kate Dolan, Latest Posts, Living History, Religion and Magic, Romans
Last week when I was working on a craft project with kids at church, I offered them the choice of using white paper or card stock with a tan swirl pattern designed to look like parchment. I was guessing that in in the time of Jesus, paper hadn’t been invented yet. But...
by Kate Dolan | Jan 7, 2022 | Holidays, Latest Posts, Living History, Religion and Magic
Today we celebrate Epiphany, commemorating the moment when the three kings/wise men/magi knelt before the manger to pay homage to baby Jesus. The message of the story is tremendously important, even if most of the historical details are questionable. Were There Three...
by Kate Dolan | Oct 29, 2021 | Holidays, Religion and Magic, Romans, Travel
Halloween originated with the Celtic pagan rituals of Samhain, so it is not a Roman holiday. However, Romans celebrated two days in honor of the dead, and when the Catholic Church started imposing their own holidays on top of existing pagan holidays, they ended up...
