Emily Ratajkowski, who’s of Polish descendant, is one of those women who turn heads when they walk down the street and just can’t go unnoticed when they enter the room, that’s why she’s been called the hottest model around.
She made a bang in 2013, with her saucy appearance in Robert Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” video and became a household name after her equally sexy role in the “Gone Girl” thriller one year later, alongside Ben Affleck. From then on, it’s onwards and upwards for the 25-year-old model and actress, but we bet there are things you still don’t know about her.
She almost turned down the “Blurred Lines” job.
Surprising Facts About The Hottest Model Right Now
You can’t judge a book by its cover and you shouldn’t judge a lady just by her looks. Emily may be smoking hot, but there’s more about her that makes her irresistible. Here’s a taste.
She was signed by Ford Models at just 14. While for most of us early adolescence is an awkward mess, Emily Ratajkowski was so pretty she was scouted as young as 14 years old. The modeling agency Ford Models signed her and she started out as a catalog model at once. Since then, she’s modeled for the biggest fashion houses, like Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu, and featured in the biggest fashion magazines in the world, like Marie Claire and Vogue.
She doesn’t like playing the pretty girl roles. Emily hates being typecasted, so she aims to play more diverse roles that are not based on her looks, but her acting talents. This has led to her being rejected for specific roles, one of which being the lead in Ewan McGregor’s 2016 film “American Pastoral”.
She originally rejected the offer to play in the “Blurred Lines” video. Despite the fact it is what catapulted her to fame, Emily was at first skeptical about taking part in Robert Thicke’s daring music video. Apparently, it was a meeting with the director himself that convinced her to finally say that significant “yes”.
Her parents wanted her to become a neurosurgeon. With both of her parents being in academia, the entertainment industry would have lost Emily to science had her parents’ wish for her to become a brain surgeon come true. The beautiful girl attended the University of California, Los Angeles for one year in 2009, but found that the way art was taught there was not in agreement with her views and decided to pursue her modeling career instead.
Emily Ratajkowski is, without a doubt, the hottest model today.
If you didn’t know these facts about the hottest model right now, you are welcome. We sure hope to see a lot more of the ravishing brunette in future, both in fashion and cinema.
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The beautiful country of Lithuania has had a long and interesting history, which is also evident in its cuisine, as it has been influenced by those of Poland, Germany, and Hungary, among others. The country’s cold climate and its fertile ground mean that it is rich in root vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, and beetroots; while berries and mushrooms also grow abundantly. Lithuania also has a big production of meat and dairy products. Most Lithuanian dishes are rich and heartwarming, and well worth a try.
The Lithuanian Dishes To Try At Least Once
If we had to describe Lithuanian cuisine in one sentence, we’d probably call it “food for the soul”. Made with natural ingredients that aim to keep you warm from the inside, it is delicious with its rich flavors and aromas. These are the Lithuanian dishes anyone should try at least once.
Cepelinai (Zeppelins)
There was no other way we’d start but with Lithuania’s national dish: Cepelinai. The dish was originally called didzkukuliai, but it was aptly changed to cepelinai in the 20th century thanks to its shape that resembles a zeppelin airship. Cepelinai are big dumplings whose shell is made with a potato mix and the filling with pork meat. They are doused in a delicious sauce made of sour cream and bacon.
Cepelinai is the most traditional of all Lithuanian dishes, the country’s national dish.
Kibinai (hand pies)
The Lithuanian equivalent to Cornish pasties, these flaky hand-made pasties are the national dish of an ethnic minority that lives in Lithuania, the Karaite. The delicious pastries are usually filled with onion and mutton meat, but they can be found in different variations containing cheese, vegetables or even berry jam.
Kibinai are hand-made pasties you can find in different variations.
Saltibarsciai (cold borscht)
One of the most famous dishes in Eastern Europe, the borscht is a soup made with a variety of vegetables, such as carrots, onions, and potatoes. In Lithuania, the basic ingredient of cold borscht (or Saltibarsciai) is the beetroot. It is served as the weather starts to get hotter, and it is accompanied by sour cream, boiled eggs, and potatoes.
Saltibarciai is a cold and sour soup whose basic ingredient is the beetroot.
Raguolis / Sakotis
Lithuanians also have a sweet tooth. When it comes to special occasions, they go above and beyond to prepare a special cake that looks like a tree – hence the name Raguolis, which means ‘spiked’ and Sakotis, which means ‘branched’. To make the cake take its final shape, bakers put a hollow cake on a spit and close to a heat source, pouring successive layers of batter as it turns. This is how the ‘spikes’ or ‘branches’ are formed. When ready, the cake is cut and served as is, or together with cream and fruit, such as berries.
Raguolis or Sakotis is a special cake that is not the easiest dish to prepare.
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Is there anything in life more beautiful than love? Probably not, that’s why it makes perfect sense to celebrate it in every opportunity. You may not have heard of them before, but these are some of the coolest Eastern European love festivals.
The Beauty of Eastern European Love Festivals
From the colorful traditions of each place to their deep roots in religion and folk legends, Eastern European love festivals are so much fun.
Romania
10 days after the Western holiday of love, Valentine’s Day, Romanian’s have their very own traditional celebration of love and fertility: Dragobete. Demi-god Dragobete comes from pagan tales and signals the arrival of spring and the rebirth of nature. He was supposedly a very kind man who was chosen by Virgin Mary to be a guardian of love. Many liken him to the Greek god Eros or the Roman Cupid because his mission is to make sure there is love everywhere.
On the 24th of February, a day that was regarded as the first day of spring and the day birds mate, you’re not supposed to cry because it is considered very bad luck. Men must not annoy women if they want to have a good and loved-up year and everyone should spend the day celebrating and having fun, showing affection and love for each other. Moreover, tradition says that people shouldn’t sew or work, but they may clean their house. It is also forbidden to kill animals, as they also partake in the celebration of love and mating. If you are single you’re supposed to be around friends and hug at least one person of the opposite gender. There are many different traditions in different parts of Romania, all of which are very interesting and have to do with spreading and celebrating love.
The Czech Republic
The Czechs have been celebrating May for centuries. On the first day of the month, They visit their famous romantic poet Karel Hynek Mácha’s (who wrote a poem named “May”, dedicated to the beautiful spring month) monument in Prague and leave flowers in his memory. On the day, couples are supposed to kiss under a tree – preferably a birch or a blooming cherry tree. Legend has it that if a girl isn’t kissed, she will wither and perish in a year (there is no evidence this has actually happened, though).
Another tradition related to the 1st of May wants the single men going into the woods on the last evening of April and cutting down a tall tree, whose branches they then remove so that only its top remains. Then they decorate its trunk with flowers and ribbons to create a maypole. They place the maypole in the center of the village square, where it is guarded all night. Some of the men will secretly visit the villages nearby with the aim of stealing their maypoles. Their goal is to steal as many maypoles as they can. Then, on the first Sunday of May, those who manages to guard their maypole from ‘thieves’ go around the village and visit the houses of unmarried girls where they receive small presents as a reward. In the same evening, they all gather to celebrate May in one big ball.
Slovenia
Unlike Western Europe who considers St. Valentine the patron saint of love, Slovenia’s love saint is St. Gregory. Tradition has it that on March 12, St. Gregory’s Day, birds are joined in wedlock. Folk legend has it that when single women look up in the sky on St. Gregory’s day, the first bird they see will have the characteristics of the man they’ll marry.
Estonia
If you happen to be in Estonia on Valentine’s Day, expect to be very pleasantly surprised whether you are in a relationship or not. In Estonia, Valentine’s Day is not only a celebration of romantic love but every kind of love. Therefore, Estonian’s take the opportunity to give presents and show their love and appreciation to any person they love, whether it is in a romantic fashion or not.
People even adorn their houses with ornaments and bright colors, and they invite their loved ones for dinner over at their place. It all makes sense, as St. Valentine is said to have been a person who never hesitated to offer his help and support to those in need.
These Eastern European love festivals may be a fantastic chance to express our love and affection, but we should remember to do so every day, in every opportunity, wherever we are.
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For travelers, Easter is one of the most interesting times of the year to visit a new country. The Eastern European countries are an excellent choice for this time of year, as they largely regard Easter as the most important religious holiday (yes, even more than Christmas), and celebrate it in various interesting ways. Read about the ways Easter in Eastern Europe can be a unique experience.
Celebrating Easter in Eastern Europe
Most of the population in Eastern Europe is either Orthodox or Catholic Christian. Usually, their Easters don’t fall on exactly the same day (as the former follow the Julian calendar and the latter tend to follow the Gregorian), but sometimes they overlap. This is the case this year when both Orthodox and Catholic Easter is celebrated on the 16th of April. Let’s have a look at the fun (and strange) traditions that make Easter in Eastern Europe unique.
Poland And Wet Monday The Polish use the week before Easter to do their spring cleaning. People may decide to paint their houses or barns in the countryside, as this is a time for renewal and rebirth.
On Easter Saturday, they prepare Easter baskets containing a variety of Easter foods: “pisanki” (dyed eggs), some sausage or ham, salt and pepper, bread, butter, a piece of cake and an Easter Lamb made of either sugar or plastic. They are then taken to church in order to be blessed.
The Monday after Easter is called Wet Monday (Śmigus-dyngus). During the whole day, groups of young boys carrying water guns or buckets of water wait to make girls wet while they sing rhymes to them. Girls exchange the favor the next day, by doing the exact same thing to boys.
If you’re a woman in Poland on Wet Monday, expect water to be thrown at you.
Croatia And The Huge Bonfires Croatia is yet another Eastern European country attaching importance to Easter. What is special about it is that the remains of the food Croatians have taken to church for a blessing in special baskets, are either burnt or kept to place in the first furrow when ploughing.
On Easter evening, Croatians make huge bonfires that burn all through the night and scatter their ashes in their fields and gardens in the morning, in the belief they will be made more fertile.
The Easter bonfires are kept going all night long in Croatia.
Here, too, it is customary to paint and decorate eggs. What is unique in Croatia, though, is that apart from the red and other brightly colored eggs, people may also paint eggs black. Decorated Easter eggs (“pisanice”) are offered as presents, showing affection and love. They are given to relatives and friends, but there is also something special about them – pisanice are traditionally offered by young men to the girl they like.
Greece And The Rocket War Greeks take Easter very seriously. On Holy Saturday they go to church holding candles that are lit up with the holy fire that travels on a special plane from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where it is believed to light up miraculously every year.
There are various traditions for Easter Sunday, depending on which part of it you’re in. The most impressive is the custom of pot breaking in Corfu, where the resurrection service in the morning is followed by the words “Christós Anésti” (meaning “Christ has risen”) against a background of loudly pealing bells and the joyful sounds of the island’s best philharmonic bands as they parade through the streets. People then hurl clay pots from their balconies and windows, as a symbolism of the way death was beaten when Christ resurrected.
The famous rocket war taking place in Chios at Easter.
In another island, Chios, the Rocket War traditionally takes place between two rival parish churches, St. Mark and Virgin Mary, located on opposite hillsides about 400m away from one another. On the eve of Easter Sunday, around 70,000 rockets are fired between the two camps with one aim: to hit the bell tower of the opposite church. The weirdest thing about it? All this takes place during the Holy Liturgy when both churches are full.
The Czech RepublicAnd The Leg Whipping. Czech girls pay extra attention to their Easter eggs. That’s because they are meant to give them to boys on Easter Monday. There are many Easter egg decorating techniques and different materials used, such as bee’s wax, straw, watercolors, onion peels, and stickers. The most common designs are geometrical patterns and flowers, but there is really no limit to Czech girls’ creativity.
Men, on the other hand, go caroling on Easter Monday carrying braided pussy-willow twigs (called pomlázka) they use to softly whip girls’ legs. The custom symbolizes youth and health, as the fresh twigs are believed to make those hit with them stay young and healthy.
Lightly whipping girls’ legs with a willow stick is good luck in the Czech Republic at Easter.
Bulgaria And The Painted Egg War In Bulgaria, eggs are decorated on the Maundy Thursday. Then, it is customary to hold a big (boiled) egg fight at church, known as the “choukane s yaitsa”. The person who has the last surviving (uncracked) egg (which is called “borak”, meaning “fighter”) has to keep his egg until next Easter. It is believed that the blessed egg won’t spoil during that time.
Decorated egg fights are one of the greatest Easter traditions in Bulgaria.
Russia And The Butter Lamb Russia is considered to be one of the countries that celebrate Easter with great piousness. They also have the traditions of painted eggs and food baskets, as well as some pretty hard to make (but well worth the effort) special Easter cakes.
A strange tradition, however, among the strangest on Easter in Eastern Europe is that of the butter lamb. In Russia, as in other European countries celebrating Easter, the Easter meal is exceptionally rich. Here, however, it is accompanied by a knob of butter that is shaped as a lamb. The tradition dates back to ancient times, when people considered coming across a lamb during these days to be a lucky omen. Christians take the lamb to be a symbol of their faith and they are certain it can never be Satan in disguise (even though he is believed to take the form of every other animal there is).
No Easter table is complete in Russia without the butter lamb.
With so many customs and against such a beautiful spring backdrop, not spending Easter in Eastern Europe would be a sin.
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