Font cambiato in Merriweather + articolo Midsommar

content/about/_index.md

@@ -9,8 +9,5 @@ Also, since I am a nerd, this website is part of the [512KB Club](https://512kb.
 # Did you design that awesome logo?
 No, I just used a free template by [Hyperpix](https://hyperpix.net/) – _ain't nobody got time for that_!
 
-# Why do all the Wikipedia links are from the mobile version?
-Because the mobile version of Wiki is _so much better_ for readability, in my opinion. I highly recommend browser extensions like [this one for Firefox](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/mobile-wikipedia-webextension/), which allows to redirect all the links automatically.
-
 # Is the _gossip_ pun intended?
 Yes. 😔

content/articles/iron-and-blood.md

@@ -23,14 +23,14 @@ For the Celts, it was the **beginning of the year**. In the Island of Man, one o
 Hallowe'en night is also the transition from autumn to winter, the night when the souls of the departed come back to their old homes to _comfort themselves_ with the warmth of the fireplace.
 Perhaps it was natural to imagine poor, shivering ghosts out there in the fields, wishing for some comfort.
 It was instinctive then, for humans, to greet them and celebrate them.
-We cannot be sure, but probably Hallowe'en night, for Celts, was more important than [Beltane](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltane), which was the beginning of the summer, on May 1st.
+We cannot be sure, but probably Hallowe'en night, for Celts, was more important than [Beltane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beltane), which was the beginning of the summer, on May 1st.
 
 {{< figure src="/img/halloween-card.jpg" caption="This is what we have reduced Hallowe'en to. 🙈" >}}
 
 
 # Music When The Lights Go Out
 Another very interesting concept in Celtic myths is _music_.
-According to the legend, it was brought to Ireland by the [Danaan](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatha_D%C3%A9_Danann) race, which were beings "coming from the sky", described as gods.
+According to the legend, it was brought to Ireland by the [Danaan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatha_D%C3%A9_Danann) race, which were beings "coming from the sky", described as gods.
 All of their characters were associated to fertility and prosperity, but in a pre-Christian era they were probably linked to _science_ and _music_.
 This is the intriguing part: music, science, and _poetry_ were all **deeply connected**.[^1]
 From the book cited before:
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ From the book cited before:
 > Some of the most beautiful of the antique Irish folk-melodies, –e.g. the _Coulin_– are traditionally supposed to have been overheard by mortal harpers at the revels of the Fairy Folk.
 
 The Folk here is the same I already [mentioned](/articles/better-shut-your-mouth/#the-little-people-not-_those-ones_), thus the _Little People_ or _Hidden People_.
-They're the same Danaans, who went to exile in a concealed world parallel of ours because of the war with the [Milesians](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milesians_(Irish)).
+They're the same Danaans, who went to exile in a concealed world parallel of ours because of the war with the [Milesians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milesians_(Irish)).
 Since then, they usually avoid contact with humans, but they are still part of modern folklore as _fairies_.
 
 This is a very poetic story of the origin of the music, which is seen as a form of art given to us from the gods, as a gift.
@@ -54,14 +54,14 @@ Then we made those gods run away from our world, but that's another story.
 Fun fact: fairies indeed do love music, but _they hate metal_.
 No, not the genre.
 More precisely, they hate **iron**: they hate it so much it can _hurt_ them.
-In fact, it is said they can't withstand music coming from a [Jew's harp](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jew%27s_harp).
+In fact, it is said they can't withstand music coming from a [Jew's harp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jew%27s_harp).
 How... _ironic_. 🥁
 
 {{< figure src="/img/sabbath-bloody-sabbath.jpg" caption="Many people agree on this: metal hurts. But they also like it because of that. 🤷" >}}
 
 Ok, seriously: why should a metal hurt an immortal being who can die only of violent death?
 There are various hypotheses.
-Maybe the first person who gave us a written answer of something similar has been [Pliny the Elder](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder) in his _Naturalis Historia_, the first encyclopedia of the world.
+Maybe the first person who gave us a written answer of something similar has been [Pliny the Elder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder) in his _Naturalis Historia_, the first encyclopedia of the world.
 Unfortunately, it is the only of his books that survived to this day.
 In there, he explained that iron nails in tombs can _repel nocturnal spirits_.
 Iron also has fascinating properties as **magnetism** that could make it look supernatural.

content/articles/midsommar.md

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+---
+title: "Midsommar"
+date: 2023-06-15
+tags: [Folklore, Christianity, Celts, Golden Bough, Central Europe, Sun, Slavic]
+draft: false
+---
+
+TL;DR: in Europe, not all the Midsummer rites are like in the [movie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsommar). Or that [other one](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsommer). Or the [TV series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsomer_Murders) _strangely_ full of weird homicides. In general: Is there fire? Yup. Are animals involved? Often. Is there sacrifice? Sometimes. Wait… Darn.
+
+---
+
+It is common knowledge that the solstices are very special days: the time when the day or the night are the longest in the whole year. It always fascinated humankind… There has always been some kind of mystic feeling about it.
+Across the world, many different rites are performed in these days and nights, but some are very similar, especially in the European continent.
+Sadly, as always happens, many traditions are lost as time passes; but luckily others keep living in the present – mostly because of oral tradition.
+
+# Fire Walk With Me
+Frazier, in his [_Golden Bough_](/articles/the-golden-bough/), often tells about **Fire Festivals** in Europe, which mostly occured during [Quarter Days](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter_days).
+Of course, Celtic ones are the most famous worldwide – I bet everyone heard about _Beltane_ at least once.
+Analyzing the past Summer solstice celebrations, we can find three main topics:
+- The large bonfires [we already saw](/articles/if-trees-could-talk/#let-me-stand-next-to-your-fire)
+- Large wheels set on fire and let roll down a hill (we'll talk about that in a minute)
+- A procession through the fields with torches in hand
+
+Among European and North African countries, the festivities were _a lot_, but they often had one of these three points in common.
+Some of them were kept alive until 1800s in rural areas.
+
+The fire has a **purifying role**, but also embodies the power of **life**.
+Usually, with bonfires, animals were led through the flames to cure them and prevent illness; for the Summer solstice, though, a wooden wheel was also set on fire.
+It is said it could have several meanings: it symbolizes the sun, which from that moment (the solstice) starts its descent because of the shorter days.
+It may also be the cycle of the seasons.
+Here is a good an explanation (and its [source](https://oldeuropeanculture.blogspot.com/2017/10/burning-rolling-wheel.html), with several examples):
+> The idea was for it to roll all the way to the bottom, into the water if any; if it did not roll all the way down, the harvest would be bad.
+
+{{< figure src="/img/firing-fire-wheel.webp" caption="Firing the wheel (via Wikimedia Commons)" >}}
+
+Another custom was to throw wooden disks –on fire, of course– in the air, which symbolyzed the sun even more clearly.
+It was also common to look at the fire through bunches of larkspur to keep the eyes healthy the whole year.
+Also, as a good luck ritual, it was propitious to jump three or seven times on the fire.[^1]
+We don't have much info about Scottish summer bonfires, but herdsmen used to walk three times around stables and folds holding torches to purify the animals.
+In Lower Brittany, people threw a pebble into the midsummer fire as a good omen.
+
+In Norway, the fires were called _[Balder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldr)'s Bälar_, to recall the Norse god's funeral pyre. 
+Finally, a curiosity about Islamic countries in Northern Africa: usually their festivities follow the **lunar calendar**, but the solstice bonfires are a tradition too.
+It could be a remanence of some pagan custom.
+
+# God Is in the House
+Irish farmers used to commemorate the Danaan goddess [Áine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81ine) by walking in procession on Kockainey Hill ([Kock Aine](https://voicesfromthedawn.com/knock-aine/)) with torches.
+Some tales warn that people shouldn't linger too much, though: she might appear to whose getting late to demand the hill only for the danaan people, in order to celebrate.
+
+In Sweden, interestingly, the Summer solstice is also a festivity about **water**: people used to walk to springs, which gained healing properties for the occasion.
+This festivity also combines [Maypole](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maypole) dances, which elsewhere usually take place on May.
+They still happen nowadays, but their origin is very remote.
+The pole is a very tall tree, often a birch, placed in the middle of a square; all its branches are removed, and then it is adorned and with colored garlands.
+Sausages or bread loafs are hanged to it too, and boys try to catch them.
+Then, dances start all around it, until late night.
+The purpose of this ritual was to welcome the spirit of the woods in the village.
+In other countries, though, this being had a human form, as [Jack o' the Green](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_in_the_Green) in England or, more in general, the [Green Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Man).
+
+{{< figure src="/img/maypole-sweden.jpg" caption="Dance around the maypole during the Midsummer celebration in 2003, Åmmeberg, Sweden (via Wikimedia Commons)" >}}
+
+Let's not lose focus, we were talking about the summer solstice and there is still so much to say!
+Another legend says that [Cadbury Castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadbury_Castle,_Somerset) was the one where King Arthur ruled.
+Every seven years, on the Summer solstice, a door opens on the side of the hill and a parade of knights comes out to water the horses to the spring next to the church of Sutton Montis.
+It is said to be their resting place until England will call them back to fight.
+
+# Till the Morning Comes
+There are many plants that grow magnificently in June, but the parasitic [mistletoe](/articles/if-trees-could-talk/#youve-been-thunderstruck) was picked up also on the eve of the Summer solstice, not only in the Winter one, even if it is much harder to see because of the flourishing foliage.
+As we saw, it symbolizes the life that leaves the tree, so, if gathered, it encloses some kind of vital power, linked to the Sun.
+
+In Eastern Europe, the Slavic deities were deeply connected with all these concepts: the [_summer form_](/articles/pagan-gods-trinity/) of the gods was often celebrated on the solstice.
+This day is one of those when they _shift_ into their next form.
+**Kupala**, "Lady Midsummer", is called Marena from there on because at that point of the year she transforms from the goddess of spring-to-summer (Kupala) into autumn-thru-winter one (Marena).
+She also has a very famous [festivity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kupala_Night) dedicated to her – I'll let you guess when it's celebrated.
+[St. Agrippina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agrippina_of_Mineo) is the figure who inherited her lore, and her feast day is June, 23rd.
+
+[Vit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svetovit), also known as _Svetovid_, another slavic god related to Summer (but not the last one, at all!), is often associated with the crowing rooster, and then consequently with the sunlight: he is also called "The Radiant God".
+In Serbia, the Summer solstice is _Vidovdan_, "the day of Sveti Vid", and a rooster is placed onto a wreath made of the newly harvested grains; if it remains silent, a bad harvest is predicted.
+Finally, on top of [St. Vitus' Cathedral](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Vitus_Cathedral) in Prague, there is a rooster: could it mean that, on that site, was there once a pagan temple of Svetovid?
+
+{{< figure src="/img/st-vitus-rooster.webp" caption="Could the weathercock be linked with the cult of Svetovid? (via PackingLightTravel.com)" >}}
+
+Moving away from Europe, the few customs we know about change a lot.
+[Zuñi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuni_people) people, for example, used to sacrifice turtles because they believe that, every year, their relatives' souls come back to visit them,[^2] reincarnated in those animals.
+They killed them to send the spirits home.
+
+But _**that**_ is the only example of animal violence I cited in the whole article![^3]
+So, as I was saying at the beginning, European customs are always exaggerated in American movies.
+Pfft.
+You can come visit us with no worries!
+Just… Maybe avoid the solstices, just to be sure.
+
+
+[^1]: Maybe it was good, but not very safe indeed.
+[^2]: It's not something new [at all](/articles/monster-mash/#were-in-this-together).
+[^3]: It doesn't mean it was the only one 👀

content/articles/monster-mash.md

@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ draft: false
 
 In Autumn, as days get shorter and colder, men have always tended to be more... sensitive. And long nights are the perfect time for (spooky) storytelling! Many myths and traditions, in fact, take place during the first of November and in the Winter solstice. Today, we can mostly feel the reminiscence of the past Halloween lore. But where does it come from?
 
-This is a complicated question and surely it will cover several articles in this blog. However, we can start with its name: Halloween is simply _All Hallow's Eve_, so the day before [All Saints' Day](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints%27_Day). _Hallow_ is an archaic term to denote a Saint or a holy person, similar to Old Norse _helga_.[^1] It is the first day of the _triduum_ [Hallowtide](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allhallowtide), a set of three days that goes from October 31st to November 2nd.
+This is a complicated question and surely it will cover several articles in this blog. However, we can start with its name: Halloween is simply _All Hallow's Eve_, so the day before [All Saints' Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints%27_Day). _Hallow_ is an archaic term to denote a Saint or a holy person, similar to Old Norse _helga_.[^1] It is the first day of the _triduum_ [Hallowtide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allhallowtide), a set of three days that goes from October 31st to November 2nd.
 
-All Saints' Day, in Roman times, was held on May 13th, then Pope Gregory III changed its day to the 1st of November. The day originally matched the pagan festival of [Lemuria](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemuria_(festival)), which was also connected to the dead. It lasted three days too[^2] and its purpose was to please the agitated spirits of the ancestors. It was common to cook a salted cake and, at midnight, _walking backwards_ while tossing black beans over the shoulder. Nope, nothing weird here.
+All Saints' Day, in Roman times, was held on May 13th, then Pope Gregory III changed its day to the 1st of November. The day originally matched the pagan festival of [Lemuria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemuria_(festival)), which was also connected to the dead. It lasted three days too[^2] and its purpose was to please the agitated spirits of the ancestors. It was common to cook a salted cake and, at midnight, _walking backwards_ while tossing black beans over the shoulder. Nope, nothing weird here.
 
-According to Ovid, the festival was started by Romulus to  soothe his Remus's ghost, the brother he had killed. And, in general, the whole month of May was considered unlucky, so brides tended to not marry during it. From [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemures):
+According to Ovid, the festival was started by Romulus to  soothe his Remus's ghost, the brother he had killed. And, in general, the whole month of May was considered unlucky, so brides tended to not marry during it. From [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemures):
 > _Lemures_ may represent the wandering and vengeful spirits of those not afforded proper burial, funeral rites or affectionate cult by the living: they are thus not attested by tomb or votive inscriptions.
 
 Nowadays, the significance of the festivity is deeply connected to Christianity, but it's interesting to note that many civilizations have celebrations with the same meaning.
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ I... I'm just glad to be born a few thousands kilometers away.
 So, the costumes may be used to personificate either the spirits or the "guardians" that should cast them out. 
 Nowadays we tend to wear just the monster masks to be scary.
 In the past, one dressed up as a supernatural being to _disguise_ among the ones, during the night: that is probably the origin of the term "[guising](https://www.wordreference.com/definition/guising)", which is the Scottish name of the tradition.
-It was the role of a _[mummer](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummers%27_play)_.
+It was the role of a _[mummer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummers%27_play)_.
 Somehow, then, this practice arrived to the New World.
 
 {{< figure src="/img/mummers-poland.jpg" caption="\"Mummers Play in Poland\" (Wikimedia Commons). There are also modern days mummers." >}}
@@ -61,18 +61,18 @@ They could either depict the ghosts or, in modern times, it was told they repres
 
 {{< figure src="/img/turntip-lantern.jpg" caption="Definetely scarier than a pumpkin." >}}
 
-About the name "Jack O' Lantern", it comes from English folklore: at first, it was referred to [Will-o'-the-wisp](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp), a ghostly light mostly seen on moors or graveyards (yes, definitely spooky).
+About the name "Jack O' Lantern", it comes from English folklore: at first, it was referred to [Will-o'-the-wisp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp), a ghostly light mostly seen on moors or graveyards (yes, definitely spooky).
 It is about old folk tales, spread across all Europe[^4], about young men –often called Will– that are doomed to haunt mortals or to wander on Earth.
 When, during All Hallows' Night, the otherworld gets closer to ours, they become visible as faint lights.
 
 There is a lot more to say on this special day, which has been undoubtedly too commercialized, and soon we'll cover other aspects.
 For now, speaking about new Halloween customs, I'll just leave you here Rob Sheridan's amazing work with house decorating: [check it out](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgMmxH2_FyE).
-Also, last week, on vacation in Normandy, I found an ancient [thatched](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thatching) house full of "American" Halloween adornments. I love these contrasts.
+Also, last week, on vacation in Normandy, I found an ancient [thatched](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thatching) house full of "American" Halloween adornments. I love these contrasts.
 
 {{< figure src="/img/halloween-thatched-house.jpg" caption="Speaking about traditions that go back and forth. Sorry for the poor quality of the photo." >}}
 
 
 [^1]: It may be a curious coincidence, but in Icelandic tales, _Helga_ is often a girl who is kidnapped by trolls, and commonly the less loved among her sisters, too. Poor Helga. 😢
 [^2]: It was held on May 9, 11, and 13, all odd days. Well, that's _definitely_ odd. 🥁
-[^3]: See all the [_cryptids_](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cryptids), which are –strangely– found in the U.S. nine times out of ten. 👀
-[^4]: There are eerie lights phenomenons all over the world, see Wikipedia's page of [Will-o'-the-wisp](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp). It's fascinating to see how different civilizations give them contrasting meanings.
+[^3]: See all the [_cryptids_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cryptids), which are –strangely– found in the U.S. nine times out of ten. 👀
+[^4]: There are eerie lights phenomenons all over the world, see Wikipedia's page of [Will-o'-the-wisp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp). It's fascinating to see how different civilizations give them contrasting meanings.

content/articles/yokai.md

@@ -6,20 +6,20 @@ draft: false
 ---
 
 This December, my girlfriend and I took a brief holiday and went to southern Germany. We wanted to visit _weihnachtsmärkte_, the famous Christmas markets, and go snow hiking.
-While walking some trails around [Oberreute](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberreute), more than once, we noticed two intertwined trees, already quite tall and grown up. It is a shame we did not take a picture, but it was interesting to see these two thin trunks, born one next to the other, rising in a spiral-like shape.
+While walking some trails around [Oberreute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberreute), more than once, we noticed two intertwined trees, already quite tall and grown up. It is a shame we did not take a picture, but it was interesting to see these two thin trunks, born one next to the other, rising in a spiral-like shape.
 
 {{< figure src="/img/intertwined-trees-adobe.jpg" caption="I didn't take a picture, but the trees we found were twined like these ones. (Photo by Adobe Stock)" >}}
 
-In the same days, we were also reading [Shigeru Mizuki](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Mizuki)'s _Yōkai Encyclopedia_, a list of common Japanese monsters and spirits. Reading about the [Yama no Kami](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yama-no-Kami), the _mountain spirits_, the book says that those twisted trees are left by them during the _Kikazoe_ (the counting of the plants), in the last days of the year. During this period, it was forbidden to take a stroll on the mountains around Iwate prefecture, otherwise one would risk being transformed into a tree.
+In the same days, we were also reading [Shigeru Mizuki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Mizuki)'s _Yōkai Encyclopedia_, a list of common Japanese monsters and spirits. Reading about the [Yama no Kami](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yama-no-Kami), the _mountain spirits_, the book says that those twisted trees are left by them during the _Kikazoe_ (the counting of the plants), in the last days of the year. During this period, it was forbidden to take a stroll on the mountains around Iwate prefecture, otherwise one would risk being transformed into a tree.
 
 # Gotta Catch 'em All!
 
-That strange Japanese encyclopedia is filled with incredible curiosities. There are some interesting connections with popular culture and, sometimes, even occidental folklore. First, it is no secret that [Pokémon](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon), known worldwide, are often based on Japanese mythological creatures.
+That strange Japanese encyclopedia is filled with incredible curiosities. There are some interesting connections with popular culture and, sometimes, even occidental folklore. First, it is no secret that [Pokémon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon), known worldwide, are often based on Japanese mythological creatures.
 
-[Raichu](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_generation_I_Pok%C3%A9mon#Raichu), for example, #26 of the first generation of the Pocket Monsters —_amarcord_, Italians would say— is based on [Raijū](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raij%C5%AB), the _thunder beast_. It may be depicted as a wolf or another animal[^1], and its cry is a thunder. It is said that trees struck by lighting have been scratched by Raijū's claws.
+[Raichu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_generation_I_Pok%C3%A9mon#Raichu), for example, #26 of the first generation of the Pocket Monsters —_amarcord_, Italians would say— is based on [Raijū](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raij%C5%AB), the _thunder beast_. It may be depicted as a wolf or another animal[^1], and its cry is a thunder. It is said that trees struck by lighting have been scratched by Raijū's claws.
 Another curious legend about this creature tells that it sleeps in traveler's navels and, during bad weather, stomach ache is given by this beast.
 
-About transforming creatures (and maybe Pokémon evolution!), the term _Shussebora_ depicts a [shell](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strombus) which, in a time span of 3.000 years, moves from the mountains to the plans, then finally to the sea, and turns into a mighty dragon. 
+About transforming creatures (and maybe Pokémon evolution!), the term _Shussebora_ depicts a [shell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strombus) which, in a time span of 3.000 years, moves from the mountains to the plans, then finally to the sea, and turns into a mighty dragon. 
 {{< figure src="/img/shussebora.jpg" caption="Shussebora illustration (via Yokai.com)" >}}
 
 There are so many examples of Pokémon based on yōkai monsters, but that's not what I want to point out. There are also many deeply scary creatures, whom purpose remains unknown: when reading their description, the reader can just ask: "Why should this thing exist?"
@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ Let's take the _Kurodama_: it is a black, smoky globe that appears next to us wh
 
 {{< figure src="/img/fuseli-nightmare.jpg" caption="\"The Nightmare\" by John Henry Fuseli, 1781. Inspired by Holiday's heavy dinners." >}}
 
-No wonder that the _Kurodama_ is said to be linked to the _kanashibari_, the [sleep paralysis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis): the state in which a person is unable to move or speak, but often _sees something –or someone– observing them_. In Europe, we have [mares](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mare_(folklore)) that cause night*mares*. They could be related to the Japanese belief.
+No wonder that the _Kurodama_ is said to be linked to the _kanashibari_, the [sleep paralysis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis): the state in which a person is unable to move or speak, but often _sees something –or someone– observing them_. In Europe, we have [mares](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mare_(folklore)) that cause night*mares*. They could be related to the Japanese belief.
 
-Maybe it's better to talk about some "cuter" creatures. 😅 One of my personal favorites is the [Moon rabbit](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rabbit): in many Asian countries, _a rabbit_ is seen on the Moon's surface. In Japan, it is said to be pounding rice for the _mochi_; in China, it is preparing the elixir of immortality.
+Maybe it's better to talk about some "cuter" creatures. 😅 One of my personal favorites is the [Moon rabbit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rabbit): in many Asian countries, _a rabbit_ is seen on the Moon's surface. In Japan, it is said to be pounding rice for the _mochi_; in China, it is preparing the elixir of immortality.
 
 {{< figure src="/img/moon-rabbit.webp" caption="You can figure out the rabbit and the \"bowl\" it is working with. Personally, on the Moon, I see a face. 🌝 (via Wikipedia.org)" >}}
 
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@ Spiders, too, were often not seen positively, or better said: they were a bad om
 As a common rule, we can say that in Japan, _every object_ "gains a spirit" when it becomes old enough[^4]. As Mizuki explains in the book, many of the spirits are created by human suggestion. Try to imagine living in the countryside, in the middle of the silence. As Guy de Maupassant wrote in _La Horla_:
 > Solitude is indeed dangerous for a working intelligence. We need to have around us people who think and speak. When we are alone for a long time we people the void with phantoms.
 
-In the latest decades, as people tend to live in large urban centers, those old spirits are just... dying. As in  Neil Gaiman's [American Gods](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gods), where divinities disappeared when no more people believed in them, also Japanese _yōkai_ risk to be forgotten—and our traditions too, if we don't preserve them. 
+In the latest decades, as people tend to live in large urban centers, those old spirits are just... dying. As in  Neil Gaiman's [American Gods](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gods), where divinities disappeared when no more people believed in them, also Japanese _yōkai_ risk to be forgotten—and our traditions too, if we don't preserve them. 
 
-One last note about this Encyclopedia: it contains some unique information that I couldn't find anywhere else. One example of all: about the [Jubokko](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubokko), a tree that is said to _drink human blood_. On the internet, I've read that, when cut, it spills red blood—and the book agrees on that. But there's also a short _weird_ story from a Chinese collection of tales called **Soshinki**. I'll translate it here:
+One last note about this Encyclopedia: it contains some unique information that I couldn't find anywhere else. One example of all: about the [Jubokko](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubokko), a tree that is said to _drink human blood_. On the internet, I've read that, when cut, it spills red blood—and the book agrees on that. But there's also a short _weird_ story from a Chinese collection of tales called **Soshinki**. I'll translate it here:
 
 _Once upon a time, a man moved to the Kanan region, and bought a vegetable garden. In its center there was a massive tree with extremely long branches which grew in every direction, not allowing the light to pass; nothing could grow beneath it. So, the man ordered his crew to cut it down. When they hit the trunk with the axe, a huge amount of blood started spilling out – from 110 to 120 liters. "It's a very old tree, it's normal if it seems to bleed", said the man._
 
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ _As the blood kept flowing out, the workers started cutting down the branches. T
 
 [Little people](/articles/better-shut-your-mouth/#the-little-people-not-_those-ones_)? Enough for today! 🙉
 
-[^1]: In Japanese tales, many animals are believed to be quite mischievous. Among them, foxes and [tanuki](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_raccoon_dog) are the worst! 🦊🦝
-[^2]: It is also said that, before a ghostly vision, a _white globe_ called [Hitodama](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitodama) appears. Could it be related to the evil black globe?
+[^1]: In Japanese tales, many animals are believed to be quite mischievous. Among them, foxes and [tanuki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_raccoon_dog) are the worst! 🦊🦝
+[^2]: It is also said that, before a ghostly vision, a _white globe_ called [Hitodama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitodama) appears. Could it be related to the evil black globe?
 [^3]: To be fair, the original text specifies that insects may lay on "the hand of a middle-aged woman".
 [^4]: Even toilets have their own spirits – [Kanbari Nyūdō](https://yokai.com/kanbarinyuudou/) 👀 

static/css/style.css

@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ html[theme='dark-mode'] {
 body {
   line-height: 1;
   /* font: normal 15px/1.5em 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; */
-  font-family: 'Lato', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
+  font-family: 'Merriweather', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
+  font-weight: 300;
   font-size: 1.1em;
   color: #01eaa9;
   line-height: 1.75;
@@ -515,7 +516,7 @@ nav.navigation a.button {
   background: #f640c1;
   padding: 4px 7px;
   color: #181518;
-  font-size: 14px;
+  font-size: .85rem;
   margin-right: 3px;
 }
 #archive .group .value .tags a:hover {
@@ -696,46 +697,46 @@ nav.navigation a.button:hover {
   font-display: swap;
 }
 
-@font-face {
-  font-family: 'Lato';
-  src: url('../fonts/Lato-BoldItalic.woff2') format('woff2'),
-      url('../fonts/Lato-BoldItalic.woff') format('woff'),
-      url('../fonts/Lato-BoldItalic.ttf') format('truetype'),
-      url('../fonts/Lato-BoldItalic.svg#Lato-BoldItalic') format('svg');
-  font-weight: bold;
-  font-style: italic;
-  font-display: swap;
-}
 
 @font-face {
-  font-family: 'Lato';
-  src: url('../fonts/Lato-Bold.woff2') format('woff2'),
-      url('../fonts/Lato-Bold.woff') format('woff'),
-      url('../fonts/Lato-Bold.ttf') format('truetype'),
-      url('../fonts/Lato-Bold.svg#Lato-Bold') format('svg');
-  font-weight: bold;
-  font-style: normal;
-  font-display: swap;
+  font-family: 'Merriweather';
+  src: url('../fonts/MerriweatherSans-Regular.woff2') format('woff2'),
+       url('../fonts/MerriweatherSans-Regular.woff') format('woff'),
+       url('../fonts/MerriweatherSans-Regular.ttf') format('truetype');
+       font-weight: 400;
+       font-display: swap;
+       font-style: normal;
 }
 
-@font-face {
-  font-family: 'Lato';
-  src: url('../fonts/Lato-Italic.woff2') format('woff2'),
-      url('../fonts/Lato-Italic.woff') format('woff'),
-      url('../fonts/Lato-Italic.ttf') format('truetype'),
-      url('../fonts/Lato-Italic.svg#Lato-Italic') format('svg');
-  font-weight: normal;
-  font-style: italic;
-  font-display: swap;
-}
 
 @font-face {
-  font-family: 'Lato';
-  src: url('../fonts/Lato-Regular.woff2') format('woff2'),
-      url('../fonts/Lato-Regular.woff') format('woff'),
-      url('../fonts/Lato-Regular.ttf') format('truetype'),
-      url('../fonts/Lato-Regular.svg#Lato-Regular') format('svg');
-  font-weight: normal;
-  font-style: normal;
-  font-display: swap;
+  font-family: 'Merriweather';
+  src: url('../fonts/MerriweatherSans-Italic.woff2') format('woff2'),
+       url('../fonts/MerriweatherSans-Italic.woff') format('woff'),
+       url('../fonts/MerriweatherSans-Italic.ttf') format('truetype');
+       font-weight: 400;
+       font-display: swap;
+       font-style: italic;
+}
+
+
+@font-face {
+  font-family: 'Merriweather';
+  src: url('../fonts/MerriweatherSans-Bold.woff2') format('woff2'),
+       url('../fonts/MerriweatherSans-Bold.woff') format('woff'),
+       url('../fonts/MerriweatherSans-Bold.ttf') format('truetype');
+       font-weight: 700;
+       font-display: swap;
+       font-style: normal;
+}
+
+
+@font-face {
+  font-family: 'Merriweather';
+  src: url('../fonts/MerriweatherSans-BoldItalic.woff2') format('woff2'),
+       url('../fonts/MerriweatherSans-BoldItalic.woff') format('woff'),
+       url('../fonts/MerriweatherSans-BoldItalic.ttf') format('truetype');
+       font-weight: 700;
+       font-display: swap;
+       font-style: italic;
 }

themes/mini/i18n/en.yaml

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ readMore:
   other: Read more
 
 minuteRead:
+  one: "One minute read"
   other: "{{ .ReadingTime }} minutes read"
 
 publishDate:

themes/mini/layouts/_default/list.html

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
                       <a href="{{ .Permalink }}">
                           {{ .Title }}
                       </a>
-
+                      <br>
                       {{ with .Params.tags }}
                           <div class="tags">
                               {{ range . }}

themes/mini/layouts/_default/taxonomy.html

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
                       <a href="{{ .Permalink }}">
                           {{ .Title }}
                       </a>
-
+                      <br>
                       {{ with .Params.tags }}
                           <div class="tags">
                               {{ range . }}

themes/mini/layouts/partials/head.html

@@ -30,11 +30,16 @@
   {{ partial "math.html" . }}
 {{ end }}
 
-{{ if .OutputFormats.Get "RSS" }}
+<!-- {{ if .OutputFormats.Get "RSS" }}
   {{ with .OutputFormats.Get "RSS" }}
     <link href="{{ .RelPermalink }}" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="{{ $.Site.Title }}" />
     <link href="{{ .RelPermalink }}" rel="feed" type="application/rss+xml" title="{{ $.Site.Title }}" />
   {{ end }}
-{{ end }}
+{{ end }} -->
+
+{{ with .OutputFormats.Get "rss" -}}
+    {{ printf `<link rel="%s" type="%s" href="%s" title="%s" />` .Rel .MediaType.Type .Permalink $.Site.Title | safeHTML }}
+{{ end -}}
+
 <script data-goatcounter="https://godsip-club.goatcounter.com/count"
         async src="//gc.zgo.at/count.js"></script>