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We would like to wish a happy new year to all of our friends in the east. We hope the year of the pig will be a prosperous one for you all.

To learn more about the Luna New Year you can read our blog from last year here.

As spring starts to unfurl now is the perfect time to get out into your garden (before summer really hits and you risk exchanging that deathly pallor for a sun kissed shade of orange). And we all know goths secretly love being outdoors even the less witchy types will skulk around in mother nature’s bounty, just check out “Goths up trees” if you have any doubt! While I’m partial to the juxtaposition pretty pink and white flowers can make against beautiful black velvets – there are a number of ways you can bring a bit of darkness into your alfresco living space. The queen of goth gardening is undoubtedly Kat von D whose black garden is awash with… well, black. From black sunflowers to black heart vines, her Hollywood garden shrieks goth. But what of our slightly less clement climes? Dark plants were in vogue in Victorian and Edwardian times with plant breeders eager to pursue a rarity and bring out the black. Below is a list of some of my favourite black and dark purple plants.

In the western world the new year may seem to have been and gone an age ago but in the east it is only just arriving…

When you feel like you’ve reached the pinnacle of your gothdom, there’s still an avenue to eke out those extra goth points – goth food and drink! Dark hues of substance to make sure you’re also black on the inside!

Christmas is coming…as much as we hate to admit it. The fake joy and forced laughers are just around the corner.

Do not worry!

We have our own way of coping with all of this.

The last few Christmases have seen the Krampus making his presence felt far beyond his snowy Alpine homelands. For the benefit of the uninitiated, the Krampus is a hairy, horned devil who carries a sack and a switch. He accompanies Saint Nicholas on his Yuletide rounds in early December, and while Nicholas gives gifts to good children, Krampus whips the naughty ones, and pops the really bad little boys and girls in his sack to take away.

Alchemy have been settled into their new premises for less than a year, but already various members of staff have whispered of their unnerving experiences and their awareness of inexplicable company, of the sound of footsteps from an empty floor above, in short, of early brushes with possible entities from the past.

MY EXPERIENCE

I discovered the brand when I was a kid, about 13 or 14. I don’t remember what was the first product I bought but it might have been the Catafalque, a gorgeous necklace with a skull that I had to sell a few years ago because I needed money :(.

A friend recently shared with me a surprisingly beautiful Romanian tradition that takes place in the Maramures region. This tradition gave me inspiration to do a little more research on the subject and to write this article. The tradition or the ritual as some might say was performed in order to save a severely sick child from death.

Warning: Some of the information below is based on facts others are merely fiction…for the time being.

1835. England, the Parliament outlawed bull-baiting and bear-baiting sports in which dogs fought to death against other animals. Gamblers turned their interest to dog fighting, a popular and profitable sport. British dog-fighters created crosses between the English Bulldog and various types of Terriers. This led to the best fighting dogs: Bull Terriers. They had the size, strength, aggression and ferocity to fight to the death.

Alchemy England are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. The alternative jewellery and gift brand is known all around the world for its high quality gothic, steampunk and metal wear, but did you know that it was born in a small bedsit in Leicester?

Weddings for goths, steampunks, rockers and punks have never been more popular. Never mind conventional white gowns and traditional hymns, if you’re planning an alternative wedding, you’ll want to do things a little differently from the norm.

Ostara is the one of the eight pagan festivals throughout the Wheel of the Year. Each season is celebrated and regarded as equally important. It is also a way to understand the natural world and its changes and become more in-tune with the environment. This is one of my favourite times of the year – if I could choose!

Photo by Marija Buljeta
Clothing from The Gothic Shop

While black is the obvious staple of any discerning Goth’s wardrobe – it’s best viewed as the starting point. The canvas on which to adorn with striking flashes of different hues to bring in your unique meaning and personality to the fore. While every colour on this great earth can be woven in to your dark attire, there are a collection of essentials that are quintessentially Goth. Have a read below what each colour represents and choose to weave these meanings into your outward attire.

It’s time for Vikings fans, devotees of the Dark Age era and history buffs to break out the battleaxes and launch the longships, as, starting on the 20th of February, the historic English city of York will be playing host to the 33rd annual Jorvik Viking Festival. The largest event of its kind in Europe, the Jorvik Festival attracts re-enactors, experts and traders from all over the world. Jorvik is the Norse name for York, back when it was the Viking capital of England. It’s also the name of the interactive museum and archeological attraction who run the festival.