389 Items Tagged

Rites and Rituals

Teakettle Junction.

Inyo County, California

Teakettle Junction

Travelers leave tea kettles in a remote part of Death Valley as part of a mysterious, decades-old tradition.

The peyote cactus is cute as a button.

Peyote

Mexican and American Indians have a long history with this powerful cactus.

A pile of crispy borsok.

Borsok

Kyrgyzstan’s fried dough marks special occasions and "feeds" the dead.

Peach buns symbolize longevity.

Longevity Peach

These buns artfully resemble peaches and represent immortality.

Sheikh Hamad-al Nil Tomb.

Omdurman, Sudan

Sheikh Hamad-al Nil Tomb

Every Friday, Sufi dervishes whirl around the tomb in a trance-like state as part of a sacred ritual called dhikr.

The knives are inscribed with musical notes and a prayer.

objects of intrigue

The Renaissance Knives That Will Have You Singing for Your Supper

Sweeney Todd would approve.

Jim Clarke November 16, 2017

Yasui Kompira-gu Shrine.

Yasui Kompira-gu Shrine

Crawl through the hole in the middle of this stone to break off a bad relationship or initiate a good one.

Maror in three forms: a mixture of grated horseradish, beets, and sugar; endive lettuce; and horseradish root.

Maror

The bitter herb served on Passover can be anything from horseradish to lettuce.

Watch the road!

Réttir

Iceland's annual tradition of rounding up 800,000 sheep.

Sumalak, also known as samanu, is one of the seven traditional dishes of Nowruz.

Sumalak

A sweet and simple pudding traditionally made in a joyous, spring ritual.

Kava

The South Pacific's shrub-based drink causes relaxation, euphoria, and a tingling sensation.

Ul boov's layers symbolize age and status.

Ul Boov

Mongolia's "shoe sole cake" has the ritual significance of a Christmas tree or family shrine.

The frosting on Yule log cakes is combed to resemble bark.

Yule Log Cake

These holiday cakes link Christmas to the Norse god of lightning.

Whole, organic iboga root bark.

Iboga

The psychedelic root used in a sacred Bwiti ritual may also treat heroin withdrawal.

The ceremonial South Pole marker.

The Ceremonial South Pole

Naked scientists race around the pole in the frigid cold to try to join Antarctica's exclusive 300 Club.

One of the successful couples, sitting in the ceremonial chair (with dog).

Dunmow Flitch Trials

Only the happiest married couples can win this huge piece of bacon.

An Asturian cider pour in action.

Asturian Cider Pouring

A Spanish ritual meant to inject effervescence into a flat drink.

A spread of traditional foods for Þorrablót, including sour rams' testicles.

Sour Rams' Testicles

This Icelandic delicacy is served at the coldest time of the year.