Why do we give gifts?

Right now, Christmas is all the rage on HubPages.com. Hubbers are sharing entertaining and decorating advice, complaining about rampant consumerism, delving into religious holidays that crop up around the end of the year, and writing lots and lots of gift guides. But why? Why do we give gifts on holidays? For how long have we been exchanging presents,…

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Mass Hysteria

What do fan deaths, koro, and the monkey man of New Delhi have in common? They are all associated with mass hysteria! Mass hysteria has plagued the human race of centuries, and as advanced as we might be, we still fall prey to this odd collective behavior.  One might even argue that thanks to the…

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The Origins of Halloween

With Halloween approaching, we are morally obligated to do a seasonal podcast. When poking around the fabulous October-related Hubs on HubPages, we found an excellent Hub titled Where Did Halloween Originate? Halloween’s Pagan Origins by kittythedreamer. Did you know that many of the roots of modern day Halloween lie in Samhain, a Celtic harvest festival?…

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Daring Female Pirates

ARRR you a fan of pirates?  ARRR you a bonnie lass or in favor of rambunctious women? If ye answer’d AYE to these questions, ye’ll love this podcast. For this week’s Weekly Advice from Everyday Experts podcast (Daring Female Pirates), we discuss four of history’s most famous female pirates: Mary Read, Anne Bonne, Ching Shih,…

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