Illuminating chinese l anterns

One of the four major festivals on the Gaelic calendar (along with Samhain, Imbolc and Beltane), Lughnasadh is an ancient celebration of the first harvest, traditionally taking place at the end of Jul

Graceful and practical in equal measure, the parasol has a long and colourful history when it comes to creating shade. Deborah Nicholls-Lee takes cover

FT has covered these a number of times, with one of the earliest and most disastrous examples taking place in Hammersmith in 1804 (see FT296:42-45, 310:30-35, 452:16-18). Then a semi-rural village on

Decorating the home in cobwebs, pumpkins and novelty skeleton bones always adds to the Halloween spirit, and who can say no to some more fun things to furnish the house with for the spooky festivities

Ecuador’s festivities are not just a chance to party; they offer visitors incredible insights into local culture too, writes Sinead Mulhern

Cuenca’s many layers of history are never more visible than during the winter solstice, writes George Kipouros