Tagged: History

Latkes? Check. Chanukah gifts? Check.

Brandy-soaked sugar cubes to set afire…What’s that? You’ve never taken part in a Flaming Tea Ceremony for Chanukah?

Neither had I, nor anyone I knew, not in all our years of celebrating the Jewish holiday known as the "Festival of Lights."

It goes like this: Everyone at the table soaks a sugar cube in brandy, places it in a teaspoon, lights it with a candle, sings a holiday song, then drops the little fireball into a glass of tea, which puts out the flame. Then everyone drinks their tea.

There has perhaps been more conversation about the end of our world in the last decade than ever before in world history. From Y2K to an American preacher twice predicting the world's end, to a minor asteroid scare, we’ve heard a lot about the Earth’s demise. But no "end days" announcement has captured our attention more than the Mayans. The ancient Central American civilization lived by a calendar that predicted the world's end on December 21st, 2012. Recent reports regarding this prediction have ranged from hysteria to disdain. Even officials of the Mayan Cultural Festival are already planning next year’s event. But, just in case the Mayans are right, we’re talking about their end of time prediction before December 21st. Join us for a fascinating look at the Mayans with a local expert when Charlotte Talks - for perhaps the last time.

There is a storied part of Southern Culture that some revere and others ridicule: debutante society. The holiday season is also one of debutante balls where young women of the upper crust make their debut as legitimate members of grown-up society. The practice dates back to earlier times and - despite the changes wrought by modern times - continues. A closer look at why debutante society was important in the past and why it continues when Charlotte Talks.