Traditional stories

A Slovenian-led project on the role of death in the lives of individuals in modern society has won a European Research Council (ERC) advanced grant. Led by folklore researcher Mirjam Mencej, the €2 million effort will launch in September and last 5 years.

Celebrations are a joyous time of reuniting with family and friends. But afterward, people can sometimes be left uneasily mulling over their relationships. Annual returns home can induce an uncomfortable nostalgia in the tension between how the past is remembered and how the present is experienced.

In the fairy tale of "The Traveling Princess," the heroine is granted three wishes: to travel through foreign lands, meet new friends and share her riches with the people she meets.

Members of a Greek folk-dancing group perform during the International Folklore Festival in Bautzen, Germany, in this photograph published on Friday. The festival, which ends on Sunday, brings together groups from around the world showcasing their customs and traditions. This is the 12th installment of the biennial festival and it will culminate with a big party. [Filip Singer/EPA]

A Greek theater troop has created a unique fairytale based on traditional Syrian folk tales in a production aimed at entertaining thousands of refugee children stranded in the country.

A new edition of the annual East in the Park festival is due this Sunday afternoon in downtown Sofia.

At the Summer Scene One More ???? ("One More Cinema"), singing lessons, storytelling, dancing, yoga, and Eastern fairy tales will all be part of the event scheduled between 15:00 and 19:00.