Deep in the jungles of Belize, less than a mile from the Guatemala border, Xunantunich is an ancient Mayan ruin that has sat abandoned for the past millennium. One of the few, well preserved time capsules that the ancient Mayans left behind, Xunantunich has lied abandoned since around 1000 AD since an earthquake caused the original civilization to crumble. But the complex was rediscovered by explorers in the 1890s. It is thought that a devastating event, such as an earthquake, caused a sudden evacuation of the large Mayan city around 700 AD. This disaster caused extensive damage to the main pyramid of Xunantunich (El Castillo).  Although the city was re-occupied some time after, it only remained active for another 300 years before it was abandoned completely. After abandonment, the site remained empty, eventually being hidden and consumed by the surrounding jungle until it was rediscovered by explorers in the early 1890s.

Since then, Xunantunich has served as an important archaeological site, under-the-radar tourist attraction, and hotbed of ghostly sightings. Before the abandonment of this large and populous city, Xunantunich was a thriving metropolis. The first construction at the site dates back to sometime in 200 AD, with growth continuing until its final days functioning as a city. The ancient city is said to be haunted by one female ghost: a black-haired lady with red, glowing eyes. She was first spotted by one of the earliest research teams in 1893 and has been seen near El Castillo (the tallest building in the complex) many times since then. No one knows exactly who the so-called “Stone Lady” is, but many speculate that she may have been a human sacrifice whose death ritual was performed on the top of the El Castillo pyramid.

The ghost story of Xunantunich came to life in 1893 after the first sighting was made. Early one morning a man who was part of research teams working on the site, saw what he described as a Mayan Maiden ascending the staircase of Xunantunich’s main pyramid. This vision caught him by surprise so he continued to watch as the woman walked further up the stairs. She wore a flowing white gown and had long, thick, dark hair which cascaded down her sleek back. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to look at the man with glowing red eyes that pierced through his soul. She then turned to continue her climb to the top of the pyramid where she disappeared in amongst its stone columns. The shocked man quickly assembled a team to search for this woman, yet no trace of her was ever found.

Since this sighting, countless more have claimed to also spot the ghostly maiden who haunts Xunantunich. She is always described in the same way and is always ascending El Castillo’s stair case. To this day, the sightings continue. Their frequency is what gives Xunantunich its name, translating to ‘The Stone Lady’ in Maya language. Some believe that this Maya Maiden may have formerly lived within the city many years ago. Others believe that she was a human sacrifice victim, trapped to re-live her last moments of ascending to the top of the pyramid where her death ritual would have been conducted. Then, there are a few who believe her to be some sort of ancient Godly spirit linked to the site and Mayan culture. Though many have speculated, no one truly knows the identity of The Stone Woman that haunts Xunantunich.

Did you know that Wisconsin banned the sale and use of margarine from 1895 to 1967? Moreover, despite a 2011 effort to remove them, some notorious margarine-related restrictions remain in Wisconsin It is illegal for a restaurant to serve margarine as a butter substitute unless specifically requested. The law also  prohibits servers from providing margarine to schoolchildren, prisoners, and hospital patients unless a doctor has ordered otherwise.

Under Wisconsin Statutes Section 146.085, the “owner or manager of any public building” may not allow “an admission fee to be charged for the use of any toilet compartment.”

The state has expressly forbidden any Wisconsin business to operation on Eastern, Mountain, or Pacific Time and violators may incur a fine between $25 and $500 (as well as 10 to 30 days in prison).

You cannot throw a snow ball fight! No person shall throw or shoot any object, arrow, stone, snowball or other missile or projectile, by hand or by any other means, at any other person or at, in or into any building, street, sidewalk, alley, highway, park, playground or other public place within the city.

Sheboygan City Code states that “no persons shall, with purpose or intent, sprinkle their property in any manner to the distress or annoyance of others.” Go ahead and water your lawn, but make sure your sprinkler doesn’t cause your neighbor “distress or annoyance.”

3. South Africa with 117 serial killers are in third position globally. Moses Sithole has the reputation of being one of the most brutal serial killers of South Africa. He committed 38 murders and 40 rapes.

2. England sit at number 2 with 166 serial killers. In England, the worst serial killer in history is a woman serial killer, Angel Maker. She killed nearly 400 babies in the 19th century under the impression of running foster care for children born to unwed mothers.

1. The USA has a staggering figure of 3,204 serial killers. That is approximately 19 times more serial killers than the next country on list England. In the US, serial killers are mostly White (73%), with a large minority of Black(22%), and some Hispanic(3%), with an average age of 33.44 years. The most common method used by serial killers in the US is shooting, strangulation, poisoning, and stabbing. Some of the notable serial killers in the US are John Wayne Gacy is known to have murdered a minimum of 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978, 26 of whom he buried in the crawl space of his Chicago home. Samuel Little – the FBI later confirmed a total of 60 murders linked to Little.

Ted Bundy as an American serial killer known for his charisma and good looks. He officially confessed to 30 homicides, but had confessed to killing 35–36 women in the past, and some estimates run upwards of 100 or more. Gary Ridgway was a truck painter who confessed to killing 71 women. He was also known as The “Green River Killer”. He almost exclusively targeted sex workers from Seattle and was convicted of killing 49. Juan Corona was convicted of murdering ranch laborers and burying them in orchards. He was sentenced to 25 terms life imprisonment convicted of killing 25.

1. “I work at the largest lingerie retailer in the country,” wrote Redditor @kittykatie0629 in 2017. “We had a security guard last night for the beginning of Black Friday. A Southern belle mother decided she didn’t want to wait in a 50-person line and was going to cut.” As you can imagine, that kind of behavior did not go over too well with the crowd, or the retailers. “Our security guard asked her multiple times to step to the back of the line or leave,” Katie wrote. “She proceeded to ream him with every curse word in the book. … This will be my last holiday in retail.”

2. Black Friday is scary enough for the employees who unlock the doors and let in the crowd of people who have already been waiting in line since the early morning hours. But what if you had to prepare for the big day at Walmart while the crowd gathered? “Because Walmart keeps the store open unlike, say, Target or other stores, we are setting up the merchandise right in front of the customers,” wrote Reddit user @LikeMike2224. “It’s literally like setting up a buffet in front of hungry bears or something.”

And once the products are set out, things can get messy. “When it came time to release the video games, a guy literally jumped over the crowd of people and into the game display, knocking it over,” he recalled. “Games went everywhere and it turned into a mob trying to get the games. No one was hurt except for the guy and a couple of COD games.”

3. It’s not just the violence and aggression that cause chaos on Black Friday; it’s the shameless behavior of shoppers who will do whatever it takes for the item they have their heart set on. “On Black Friday at ASDA (the U.K. version of Walmart) there were these microwaves that were like 70 percent off, but the store was so busy, you couldn’t move,” wrote Reddit user @VeryLazyLewis. “There were empty shelves all along the aisle up to where these microwaves were and a guy laid down, army crawled along the shelves, grabbed a microwave, and army crawled back with it.”

4. Black Friday is hard enough to manage when customers know what sales are being offered. But it’s even more difficult when shoppers don’t really understand the store’s deals. One Old Navy worker described such a situation—and the meltdown that ensued. “We would usually have several items on a table, but only one would be on sale,” wrote Reddit user @CeeDeee2. “It was clear though, there would be like T-shirts, skirts, and sweaters and the sign would say ‘T-shirts $5.'” Well, when one customer learned everything on the table wasn’t on sale, he “started flipping out about false advertising,” the employee recalled. “We wore lanyards and he grabbed my manager’s lanyard and started choking her.”

5. “I work at the largest lingerie retailer in the country,” wrote Redditor @kittykatie0629 in 2017. “We had a security guard last night for the beginning of Black Friday. A Southern belle mother decided she didn’t want to wait in a 50-person line and was going to cut.” As you can imagine, that kind of behavior did not go over too well with the crowd, or the retailers. “Our security guard asked her multiple times to step to the back of the line or leave,” Katie wrote. “She proceeded to ream him with every curse word in the book. … This will be my last holiday in retail.”

6. Black Friday is scary enough for the employees who unlock the doors and let in the crowd of people who have already been waiting in line since the early morning hours. But what if you had to prepare for the big day at Walmart while the crowd gathered? “Because Walmart keeps the store open unlike, say, Target or other stores, we are setting up the merchandise right in front of the customers,” wrote Reddit user @LikeMike2224. “It’s literally like setting up a buffet in front of hungry bears or something.”

And once the products are set out, things can get messy. “When it came time to release the video games, a guy literally jumped over the crowd of people and into the game display, knocking it over,” he recalled. “Games went everywhere and it turned into a mob trying to get the games. No one was hurt except for the guy and a couple of COD games.”

7. It’s not just the violence and aggression that cause chaos on Black Friday; it’s the shameless behavior of shoppers who will do whatever it takes for the item they have their heart set on. “On Black Friday at ASDA (the U.K. version of Walmart) there were these microwaves that were like 70 percent off, but the store was so busy, you couldn’t move,” wrote Reddit user @VeryLazyLewis. “There were empty shelves all along the aisle up to where these microwaves were and a guy laid down, army crawled along the shelves, grabbed a microwave, and army crawled back with it.”

8. Black Friday is hard enough to manage when customers know what sales are being offered. But it’s even more difficult when shoppers don’t really understand the store’s deals. One Old Navy worker described such a situation—and the meltdown that ensued. “We would usually have several items on a table, but only one would be on sale,” wrote Reddit user @CeeDeee2. “It was clear though, there would be like T-shirts, skirts, and sweaters and the sign would say ‘T-shirts $5.'” Well, when one customer learned everything on the table wasn’t on sale, he “started flipping out about false advertising,” the employee recalled. “We wore lanyards and he grabbed my manager’s lanyard and started choking her.”

1. What do you do when you’ve been waiting for a sale for hours but your kid needs to use the bathroom? Well, one customer made an unsavory choice at a GameStop, leaving the store manager to deal with the repercussions. “Kid pooped on our floor because his mom didn’t want to leave and have to stand in line again,” the anonymous GameStop employee wrote on Reddit.

2. Black Friday inevitably involves disappointment. And when you don’t get the item you want, who are you going to call? One woman apparently thought the police were the right choice. “We had a lady call the police on our store because we sold out of a TV,” wrote Reddit user @thebootydiaries. “I really wish I was lying… they came, too.”

3. In some cases, the police are, as it turns out, definitely the right choice. As the following story proves, Black Friday shoppers can get violent! “My dad was a police officer when the toy of the year was Tickle Me Elmo,” recalled Redditor @jennyanydots711. “He responded to a call at Walmart or Target (I can’t remember which one exactly) about two women beating each other up over one. When he went to break up the fight, one of the women bit his arm so hard that she actually spit some of his skin and blood out onto the floor. He had to get his blood tested every six months for two years after the incident to make sure he didn’t get any diseases from her.”

4. Best Buy employee and Redditor @preternaturous worked on Black Friday in the early 2010s and has a story to prove it. “A gentleman grabbed one of the chairs from the Geek Squad counter and threw it at my coworker, because my coworker informed the man that we sold out of the iPad 2 four to five hours prior,” he wrote. “It was the worst 15-hour shift I’ve ever had to work; the blackest of Fridays.”

5. It’s not always HD TVs, tablets, and gaming units that set off Black Friday shoppers. “At Staples, I watched two grown men get into a brawling fist fight over a $30 label maker,” wrote Redditor @awsnapitsrachel. “It wasn’t even the last one.”

1) It’s illegal to leave the house without your underwear on.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m not accustomed to strolling the streets sans pants, so this particular law isn’t exactly something I feel like I really need to think about. That said, if you do have a penchant for airy nethers, I don’t really see how this law can be checked or enforced, so you’re probably safe. Just don’t head out without your trousers, too – that’d be a dead giveaway.

2) It’s a crime to step on any Thai currency.

Again, this isn’t one I think is particularly difficult to avoid. Personally, I don’t go to the trouble of switching my currency only to fling it on the pavement and start trampling it, but just in case it’s a hobby of yours, consider your time in Thailand an enforced detox from it.

3) It’s a punishable offence to throw (used) chewing gum on the pavement.

I wouldn’t really class this one as silly – unusual, perhaps, but not an out-and-out silly one of the laws in Thailand. Plus, it’s one that’s definitely worth bearing in mind because there’s a pretty hefty fine if you get caught (nearly £400). The penalty for skipping that fine? Jail. That’s one costly piece of litter.

4) You mustn’t drive a car shirtless.

Clearly, this is only something to think about if you’re planning on hiring a car, but since us Brits do tend to be keen to whip off as many clothes as possible as soon as the temperature becomes mildly warm, it’s probably one that’s worth bearing in mind.

5) It’s a criminal offence to be critical of the king or other members of the Thai royal family.

I had a little trouble deciding whether this one should fall into the ‘unusual’ or ‘serious’ category because, in my opinion, it fits both. But as you can see, the weirdness of it won in the end. The sentence for being caught making defamatory comments – known as Lese Majeste – is usually three to 15 years (sometimes more!) in prison, though, making it no laughing matter – so mind your Ps and Qs.

If you descend beneath the streets of Paris you will discover one of the city’s most unique attractions. The final resting place of six million Parisians, the catacombs are not for the faint of heart! Sixty-five feet beneath the streets, its narrow subterranean passageways date back to the 13th century, when they were used to mine the limestone that helped build the city. By the late 18th century, these old quarries were beginning to collapse under the weight of a rapidly expanding Paris. At the same time, the cemeteries at the center French capital were faced with overcrowding. The catacombs were seen as a solution that would solve both problems. Moving old remains underground into the mines prevented them from collapse and eased crowding at the cemeteries. The catacombs have been a site of fascination ever since they opened in the early 19th century and remain open today as one of the city’s most unique attractions.

The expanse and depth of the catacombs are unimaginable. Some swear they’re 300 km (185 miles) long, but others suggest they might be 500 km (310 miles). It is also believed that they cover a total area of 11, 000 square metres. Some Parts Of The Catacombs Are Not Open To Visitors

Due to their extensive depth, the catacombs cannot be fully explored. In fact, many areas within it have restricted access and are difficult to get to. The part open to the public is called the Denfert-Rochereau Ossuary, which forms a small area of the entire catacomb network. However, there is a community of enthusiasts who like exploring the catacombs called cataphiles. They frequently traverse them as much as they can, sometimes even exploring the parts blocked off/not open to the public. Please note that these parts are not safe and should not be explored.

At the last count is said to be over 6 million bodies which is much more than the 2 million people living in Paris. Hence, there are more dead people below the city than alive above ground. If this isn’t one of the eeriest Paris catacombs facts, then I don’t know what else is. If you’re ready for another one of the Paris catacombs’ scary facts, here it is. Paris has a pair of tollhouses on its outskirts that were former city gates called Barrière d’Enfer (Gate of Hell). The structures remain, although they are no longer used for their intended purpose. Some say the gates were named after the street Rue d’Enfer, infamous for nefarious activities. Others say it could be because of the material used to build them (en fer which translates to “of iron”).

During World War II when Germany occupied France, the French Resistance took advantage of the Catacombs below their capital and used them as hideouts since the underground tunnels and hidden pathways made for the perfect hiding spot. However, the French Resistance was not the only one to see the Catacombs as good hiding spots. The Germans too used them, evident from the German bunkers found there. At one point, it was discovered that tents from both parties were not so far away from one another. Part of the Tunnels of The Catacomb is still unmapped. Since the catacombs were mines earlier, miners kept digging further in different directions to unearth more stones but no one kept track of how far they dug or how much was being dug. Slowly, it became a maze of unmapped tunnels.

During the French revolution, Philibert Aspairt, a doorman/porter at the Val-de-Grâce military hospital accidentally entered the Catacombs through the staircase that was in the hospital’s courtyard and got lost below. He couldn’t be found for years until a group of cataphiles found him 11 years later, albeit dead. In fact, tragically, his body was found near an exit which proves that Philibert was close to escaping from the tunnels. He was buried in the same place he was found with the tombstone inscription describing the tragic incident. And while you can’t see his burial place since it’s in the restricted area of the catacombs, it’s still important to know about this tragic incident.

BIKINI-CLAD LADIES NEED POLICE PROTECTION

Until this law (KRS 436.140) was recently repealed, bikini-wearing women weighing between 90-199 pounds could not walk down a Kentucky highway without an officer or other professional guarding them. The weight restrictions seem a bit odd, but we’re sure lawmakers’ intentions were in the right place and focused on the women’s protection.

KEEP YOUR ICE CREAM CONES IN YOUR POCKET

Before automobiles changed the way we traveled, most of our ancestors got around on horseback. Along the way, some would-be travelers would spot someone else’s horse, and try to lure it away by putting an empty ice cream cone in their back pocket. True story. Because of that, a law was written – one that still applies today – that forbids you to carry an ice cream cone in your pocket.

YOU SHAN’T STINK

Ok, this is a law everyone should agree with. All Kentucky citizens are required to shower at least once per year. While today’s dermatologists say a shower every other day is best for your skin, many people make it part of their daily routine, easily meeting the annual requirement.

THREE TIMES IS THE LIMIT ON MARRIAGES

No word on why anyone would even consider doing so, but it’s against the law for a woman to marry the same man more than three times. One may think the relationship would be punishment enough.

YOU’RE SOBER UNLESS YOU CAN’T STAND UP

That’s right, no matter how much you’ve had to drink, an old law says you’re still considered to be sober unless you cannot stand up. This law is even weirder when you consider Kentucky’s current drinking and driving laws.

YOU CAN’T THROW FLOWERS AT A PUBLIC SPEAKER

No matter how captivating their speech may be, Kentucky law says you cannot throw flowers at a public speaker. You can stand, you can applaud, you can even shout “Amen!,” but apparently tossing a fragrant rose is a step too far. You also can’t throw rotten eggs or tomatoes at speakers – no matter how bad their jokes are. Everyone knows tomatoes are best when slathered with mayo between two slices of bread, anyway.

FANCY A HAT? GET YOUR HUSBAND’S PERMISSION FIRST!

Women in Owensboro may be fashion experts, but if they find a hat they particularly like, they need to obtain their husband’s say-so before making the purchase.

NO SERPENT HANDLING IN CHURCH

If you worship a higher power, you have to keep snakes, lizards, crocodiles, and turtles out of it. Kentucky law KRS 437.060 says if you use a reptile of any kind during a religious service, you could be fined up to $100.

STOP THE CAR BEFORE YOU HUNT!

This has to be among the weirdest laws in Kentucky. Let’s say you’re riding along minding your own business, and you spot a 10-point buck grazing in a field. Before taking aim at your next big meal, you must first stop your vehicle. The same applies if you’re flying in a helicopter, riding on a scooter, or hitching a ride on a semi. You simply cannot hunt from a moving vehicle. Unless, of course, you’ve spotted a whale. That’s right, the only exception to this law is if the elusive game animal you’re after is a whale. Think about it; someone actually made the exception for whales. Kentucky hasn’t been underwater since the Devonian period – roughly 419.2 million years ago.

WHAT YOU DO ON SUNDAY IS NOW YOUR OWN BUSINESS

While this law has since been repealed, in the past you could be fined $50 if you were found to be working on Sunday. Clergy members, athletic game officials, and certain businesses were excluded from the law.

1. It’s illegal for someone under the age of 15 to be outside without a guardian between the hours of 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. in St. Paul, Alberta. Well I guess this is somewhat sensible. I wouldn’t want my teenager roaming the streets past 9pm if possible.

2. According to iHeartRadio, it’s against the law in Alberta to paint a wooden ladder. Why? I mean, it doesn’t seem like something that should be anyone else’s concern except for the owner of said ladder.

3. In Calgary, it is illegal to buy or sell non-prescription contact lenses at costume shops. Why? I mean, what if I want yellow contact lenses to go with my costume? Or red ones?

4. In Alberta it’s apparently illegal to “set fire to the leg of a wooden-legged man.” I guess this should be a law. Unless he no longer needs it and is getting a replacement. I should then be allowed to set fire to it and place it on my fireplace, right?

5. All businesses in Alberta technically must provide rails to tie horses to.

1. Yemen: A woman is considered only half a witness. That’s the policy on legal testimony in Yemen, where a woman is not, to quote a 2005 Freedom House report, “recognized as a full person before the court.” In general, a single woman’s testimony isn’t taken seriously unless it’s backed by a man’s testimony or concerns a place or situation where a man would not be. And women can’t testify at all in cases of adultery, libel, theft or sodomy.

2. Ecuador: Abortion is illegal, unless you’re an “idiot.” Begum says this is the policy in Ecuador, where abortions have long been outlawed for everyone but “idiots” and the “demented.” Politicians are considering a policy with the more politely worded term “mentally ill,” but that won’t change abortion’s legal status in Ecuador — or, more importantly, the fact that the law is frequently used to criminalize miscarriages.

3. Saudi Arabia and Morocco: Rape victims can be charged with crimes. Many, many countries fail to protect the victims of rape, but some go a step further — punishing women for leaving the house without a male companion, for being alone with an unrelated man, or for getting pregnant afterwards. The most infamous case may be Saudi Arabia’s “Qatif girl,” but a recent suicide in Morocco also made headlines — 16-year-old Amina Filali killed herself after a judge forced her to marry her alleged rapist, in keeping with a policy that invalidates statutory rape charges if the parties marry.

4. Yemen: Women can’t leave the house without their husbands’ permission. Yemen, where this law remains in force, does allow for a few emergency exceptions, Begum says: if the woman must rush out to care for her ailing parents, for instance.

5. Taliban restrictions on women : Women have been banned from going to parks, gyms, and public bathing houses. They have been stopped from pursuing education beyond the sixth grade. Their ability to work outside of health and education is all but prohibited.

6. Male Guardian in Saudi Arabia : Being a patriarchal society, Saudi Arabia enforces a repressive guardianship system which requires women to get the permission of a male guardian (typically a father, brother, husband, or uncle) for almost everything. Some of the things women need approval from their guardian for include: marriage and divorce, travel, education, employment, opening a bank account, and elective surgery, particularly when sexual in nature.

Vermont, USA It doesn’t get any more scenic than Vermont in autumn. Sign us up for all the foliage and all the syrup, please and thank you.

Vancouver, Canada It may be known for its beaches and parks, but Vancouver is a great place to see fall foliage if you love walking with a spectacular view.

Bulgarian Countryside Devil’s Bridge in the Bulgarian countryside truly looks like something out of a storybook. Nestled in the Rhodope Mountains over the Arda river, it dates all the way back to the ancient Ottoman Empire. It’s pretty remote but worth the trek if you’re staying in Plovdiv. It got its name from dark lore, which to this day prevents many locals from crossing it at night (the perfect Halloween dare, if you ask us).

Alberta, Canada Alberta, Canada’s Banff National Park is full of natural treasures. For vibrant colors, go check out Emerald Lake during the fall. And don’t forget to pack a suit for the hot springs.

Queenstown, New Zealand Craving the fall scenery during springtime in the U.S.? It’s the perfect time to plan a trip to explore Queenstown, New Zealand. There are tons of incredible vistas and outdoor adventures to be had nearby, from visiting Lake Wakatipu to exploring Skipper’s Canyon

Kyoto, Japan Kyoto may be know for its bamboo forrest and cherry blossoms, but its Diago Ji temple is also a beautiful sight to see when shrouded in yellow, orange, and red leaves.

Prompt from 85 Blog Post Ideas For Fall at Wandernity.com

For 16 states and American Samoa, Columbus Day is an official holiday that’s observed. In Maine, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington, D.C., there is a holiday, but it’s known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In South Dakota, a holiday is observed, but it’s known as Native Americans’ Day. More than half of the states — 26 to be exact — don’t observe a holiday at all on the second Monday of October. Why is it so inconsistent and a source of controversy in the United States?

Christopher Columbus was an Italian who never set foot in the new world (he made it to the Bahamas), however has been incorrectly credited with discovery America. President Benjamin Harrison created Columbus Day as not only a way to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ journey in 1492, but also to highlight the sacrifice and positive contributions of Italian-Americans throughout the country. Columbus Day was first observed as a federal holiday in 1937 before being moved from Oct. 12 to the second Monday of October in 1971.

However, after further research of Columbus’ life in recent decades and alleged cruel behavior toward native people, many states have backtracked on celebrating Columbus Day. California and Delaware were two states that dropped the holiday entirely in 2009, and even Columbus, Ohio, renamed the holiday Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2020. States such as Nebraska and Rhode Island now celebrate the second Monday of October as both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Texas in 2021 declared the second week of October as Indigenous Peoples’ Week.

The second Monday of October has arguably become the most divisive and controversial day of holiday observations — or non-observations — during the year. Biden declared proclamations for both Columbus Day and Indigenous People’s Day. So you will see a different set of celebrations and remembrance tomorrow.

• Quebec calls Thanksgiving “Action de grâce.”

• Canadians have celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada for 140 years, starting in November 6, 1879

• Prior to 1957, Canada celebrated Thanksgiving on the third Monday of October. It officially moved to the second Monday of October via an announcement on January 31, 1957 by the Governor General of Canada.

• The United States celebrates their Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November and ours is in October as it gets colder earlier and therefore, our harvest season is earlier.

• It was originally celebrated as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.

• The first Canadian Thanksgiving is said to have traced back to 1578 with explorer Martin Frobisher. He had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean and held his Thanksgiving celebration not for harvest but in thanks for surviving the long journey from England through the perils of storms and icebergs. On his final voyage to the far north, Frobisher held a formal ceremony in Frobisher Bay in Baffin Island (present-day Nunavut) to give thanks to God and in a service ministered by the preacher Robert Wolfall they celebrated Communion.

• Alternatively, some say that the origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are also sometimes traced to the French settlers who came to New France with explorer Samuel de Champlain in the early 17th century, who celebrated their successful harvests. The French settlers in the area typically had feasts at the end of the harvest season and continued throughout the winter season, even sharing food with the indigenous peoples of the area.

• Columbus Day in the US and Thanksgiving in Canada have fallen around the same time since 1971.

• With the exception of the Atlantic provinces of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Thanksgiving is now a statutory holiday in most jurisdictions of Canada.
• The cornucopia, also known as the horn of plenty, represents abundance and nourishment. It is particularly associated with the Thanksgiving holiday in North America.
• About an hour west of us, our friends in Kitchener-Waterloo hold their “The Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest parade” on Thanksgiving Monday.
• Turkey consumption can cause tiredness due to its tryptophan, a naturally occurring amino acid used by the human body to create serotonin, which promotes slow-wave sleep.
• The breaking of the wishbone tradition originated when the ancient Romans pulled apart chicken bones looking for good luck. The English adopted it in the 16th century and then In the New World, Pilgrims played tug-of-war with wild turkey bones . The actual “wishbone” term emerged in the 1800’s.

1. Running ‘violently’

Next time you get the sudden urge to run down Republic Street, think again. In Malta, it’s a crime to “run violently” in any street or public space with the risk of injuring others. Considering Malta’s obesity problem, maybe future amendments should make it a crime not to run.

2. Don’t cut the grass

Maltese love a good fort, some might say to an unhealthy obsession, with the criminal code expressly stating that it is illegal to cut any grass in any fortification without a permit. It’s also illegal to dump your rubbish in or by a fort. You’d think it would be obvious, but it surprisingly isn’t for some.

3. Leaving your ladder on the street

Well, not just a ladder. It’s illegal in Malta to leave any instrument, be it a ladder, iron bar, or weapon, unattended that might be improperly used by “thieves or other wrong-doers”.

4. Pigeon protection

Considering Malta’s love for pigeon-culling, those little rats of the sky enjoy a level of protection most birds rarely enjoy on our trigger-happy island, at least if they’re domesticated. The law makes it expressly illegal to shoot “doves or pigeons, other than wild doves or pigeons, belonging to any other person”. So if you really hate your neighbour’s pigeons, proceed with caution, unless you’re up for a visit to court.

5. Fruit-picking

Ever been on an incredible walk in Malta’s countryside (well what’s left of it) and picked a fantastic looking fruit hanging off a tree in a field nearby? Well, congratulations, you’re a criminal. It’s illegal to “pluck or eat” fruit or any other produce for that matter from a privately owned field. So if that juicy fig is hanging precariously over a rubble wall, turn away.

6. Being indecently dressed

Topless bathing in pearl-clutching Malta remains illegal, even if you’ve found you’re own little private part coastline. But hey, the law doesn’t limit it to popular beaches. It is a crime for anyone “to go naked or be indecently dressed” in “the harbours, on the seashore or in any other public place”. Indecently dressed, however, leaves a lot open for interpretation, unlike several Paceville club goers.

7. Don’t be “idle and vagrant”

The ever-so humble Maltese make it a point to make sure everyone knows how generous we are, rolling out the charity red carpet every time Peppi Azzopardi asks people to donate from the comfort of their own homes. But if you’re begging on the street, you’re going to land yourself in prison, because nothing screams caring about an issue than throwing money at it when it’s behind the black mirror.

The Forbidden City is the world’s largest imperial palace. The Forbidden City occupies 720,000 sq m (7,750,000 sq ft), over three times larger than the Louvre Palace in France. An estimated 1 million laborers worked to complete the structure. It has more than 90 palace quarters and courtyards, 980 buildings and over 8,728 rooms. (A common myth states that there are 9,999.5 rooms, but it is not supported by survey evidence.) For a size comparison, the Vatican measures 440,000 square meters, and the Kremlin measures 275,000 square meters. The impressiveness of the size and scale of this ancient fortified palace is not to be missed.

The stories of hauntings vary and cover at least decades, but most of them lack much detail. Orbs and mists in the backgrounds of photos from visitors. A feeling of being watched or followed. A ghostly touch on some visitor’s arms. Ghost dogs run the halls, charging and pouncing at some people—disappearing right before impact. Hushed voices from concubine quarters. Headless or gruesomely wounded apparitions dressed in garb spanning various centuries. Phantom animal sounds scurrying around. Flute music from the palace walls. Disembodied footsteps in empty rooms. Doors that open and close on their own. A woman in white sobbing, wandering the grounds. Some who have seen her say she vanished before their eyes, while others say she shrieked and chased them.

One of the clearest stories we have is, supposedly, in 1995, a guard at the Forbidden City was watching TV in the guard’s room when two colleagues burst into the room looking scared. The two claimed to have seen a woman dressed in all black walking away from them. The guards chased her, yelling at her to stop. They finally cornered her at a locked door and ordered her to turn around. When she did so, she had no face. The men dropped their flashlights and ran back to the guard’s room. The three guards took guns and returned to the location, only to find the flashlights on the floor, still on. The woman was nowhere to be found.

6. Exterior security bars are banned

The city of Ridgeland in Madison County does not allow security/burglar bars on doors and windows within the city on buildings used for commercial or industrial purposes which would be visible from the street or adjacent structures. Any person who violates this law, upon conviction, shall be fined in an amount not to exceed $1,000.00. Any continuous violation will be treated as a separate offense.

When starting a business in Mississippi, you need to understand the rules that the state imposes on businesses. Perhaps these guides on how to start an LLC in Mississippi and how to find a great registered agent in Mississippi can help you avoid any legal issues when opening or doing business in the state.

7. Cohabitation is prohibited

According to Mississippi Code Title 97, any man and woman who unlawfully cohabits, whether in adultery or fornication, they’ll be arrested and fined not more than $500 each and be imprisoned in the county jail for not more than six months.

8. Seducing women by falsely claiming to marry them is outlawed

Any man who sleeps with a woman who is over the age of 18 years by virtue of any feigned or pretended marriage or any false or feigned promise of marriage, shall, upon conviction be imprisoned in the penitentiary for not more than five years. However, the testimony of the seduced woman will not, in itself, warrant a conviction.

1. You’ll be fined $100 for cursing in public

Anyone who profanely swears, or uses vulgar and indecent language, or is drunk in any public place in the presence of two or more individuals will be arrested and when convicted will pay a fine of $100 or be imprisoned in the county jail for not more than 30 days or both.

2. $10,000 fine for ‘abominable’ acts

Any person who shall be convicted of a detestable and abominable crime against nature, committed with mankind or with a beast, will pay a fine of $10,000 or will be imprisoned in a state penitentiary for not less than 10 years.

3. Teaching polygamy is against the law

According to Chapter 29 of Mississippi law on crimes against public morals and decency, “If any person shall teach another the doctrines, principles, or tenets, or any of them, of polygamy; or shall endeavor so to do; or shall induce or persuade another by words or acts, or otherwise, to embrace or adopt polygamy, or to emigrate to any other state, territory, district, or country for the purpose of embracing, adopting, or practicing polygamy, or shall endeavor so to do, he shall, on conviction, be fined not less than $25 nor more than $500, or be imprisoned in the county jail not less than one month nor more than six months, or both.”

4. Having more than one illegitimate child is punishable by law

If you have an illegitimate child in Mississippi, it’s okay, it happens. But, if you have another, you’ve officially crossed the line into immorality. You’ll be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for not less than 30 days nor more than ninety 90 days or pay a fine of not more than $250, or both. If you subsequently have another illegitimate child, you will then be subject to no less than three and no more than six months in county jail, and you might have to pay a $500 fine.

5. Being homeless is illegal

Vagrancy is prohibited in Mississippi. Anyone who’ll be caught wandering aimlessly without any visible means of support will be arrested and sent to jail for not less than 10 nor more than 30 days.