Kosmos

The Christmas markets are over, carnival -season is not here yet. These winter celebrations will help to keep boredom at bay.

Dancing firebrands

At the Up Helly Aa celebrations in Lerwick, the Shetland Islands’ capital, a flaming torch parade is followed by a Viking ship being set alight, then drinking and dancing till dawn, which arrives very late up there on January 29.

uphellyyaa.org

Reindeer Revels

The 400-year-old Sami winter market in Jokkmokk, nothern Sweden (February 7 through 9) celebrates everything reindeer, including pelts, meat, racesand parades.

jokkmokksmarknad.se

Furry Fun

Originally a big fur traders’ market, the Fur Rendezvous, aka Rondy, is now Alaska’s biggest winter party. Held in Anchorage from February 22 through March 3, the event ends on a climax with the legendary Iditarod dogsled race.

furrondy.net

The world in a bowl of soup: Some soups are revered as miracle cures, others are shrouded in mystery and legend.

Heavenly grub

Borscht is the classic beet soup of Slavic Christmas parties and funerals. At the latter, the soul of the deceased is said to ascend to heaven with the steam. Speaking of heaven: While in orbit, cosmonauts can even eat borscht from a tube.

Fiery potage

Ancient dish? Not exactly. City dwellers across the world happily tuck into their pho, but the Vietnamese rice-noodle soup was only invented around 100 years ago. Rumor has it that the name comes from pot-au-feu, the classic French beef stew.

Wonder worker

Chicken soup is universally held to be good for a cold, but scientists claim that Japan’s miso is the real wonder soup. It eases stomach and menopausal complaints, and possibly even helps prevent cancer. Here’s a New Year’s recipe: miso with sweet mochi rice cakes.

In Caracas at Christmas, city streets are blocked off so that people can safely inline skate to mass. How the tradition began is something of a mystery, but it has to be the most athletic way of getting to church.

Images like this can make you dizzy! Op art is good at deceiving the eye. It’s the subject of the Vertigo exhibition opening at Stuttgart Art Museum on April 19, 2020. Can you see the two zebras?

kunstmuseum-stuttgart.de