331 Items Tagged

Festivals

This 22-foot-long, papier-mâché rat known as Pantegana helps to kick off Carnival. For centuries, rats were blamed for carrying diseases to port cities, making the rodent an unlikely emblem for Venice, but Pantegana is beloved in the city where rats, which can be surprisingly strong swimmers, are one of the city’s most plentiful, non-human residents.

In Venice, Carnival Is a Visual Feast of 18th-Century Splendor

Every February, millions of people flock to Venice for Carnival, but few know the festival’s true origins.

Sarah Durn February 16, 2023

11 Deliciously Decadent Carnival Traditions

From King cake to Pennsylvania's potato donuts.

Sam Lin-Sommer January 20, 2023

A Lucky 8 Places to Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit

Hop into the Lunar New Year with some furry friends.

Jonathan Carey January 20, 2023

A devil mask rests on a table inside the workshop of the Minga Tunguipamba, a collective of rural performers, as dancers put the finishing touches on their masks and costumes ahead of the Diablada de Píllaro. The artists spend weeks and sometimes months creating and personalizing their masks. Many utilize horns, teeth, and furs from animals such as deer, boars, and llamas.

Every January, This City in Ecuador Fills With Dancing Devils

Diablada de Píllaro is a rebellious but festive answer to a much older tradition begun by Spanish colonizers.

Sarah Durn January 13, 2023

Píllaro, Ecuador

Casa El Pacto

The devil masks on display at this small museum are part of an annual festival that has been taking place for centuries.

A local version of a colonial tradition, the Winneba Fancy Dress Festival rings in the new year in Ghana.

In Ghana, the New Year Starts With a Fancy Dress Masquerade

Once a colonial tradition, a creative festival has been elevated to new heights.

Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing January 11, 2023

At a Festival in Bhutan, Some Dancers Bare All to Ward Off Evil Spirits

One of the many traditional dances at the annual Jambay Lhakhang Drup involves performers in masks—and nothing else.

Erika Fatland January 11, 2023

Geneva, Switzerland

Mère Royaume

On the side of a building, a depiction of the woman who became a local legend by tossing soup out her window.

Kobe Luminarie

9 Winter Traditions You Might Not Have Heard Of

From a beautiful light memorial in Japan to a massive ice pillar in Sweden.

Jonathan Carey December 16, 2022

Podcast: Trailing of the Sheep

What happens when thousands of ovids take over an Idaho town.

Sponsored by GoUSA TV

Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

Honfleur, France

Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

This mountaintop mariner’s church is packed with model ships and nautical art while hosting an annual maritime festivity for the townsfolk below.

Eloína was the first queen of the drums, leading the Beija-Flor samba school to victory in 1976.

The First Brazilian Carnival Queen Was a Groundbreaking Transgender Woman

Eloína pioneered the role in 1976.

André Aram July 8, 2022

Madi Dermé performs dressage with his horse Toubab at the equestrian club Cheval Mandingue in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Dermé hopes to revive cavalier traditions in the country and introduce modern European equestrian arts.

The Horseman Fighting to Preserve Burkina Faso's Equestrian Culture

Madi Dermé doesn't want to be the last of the country’s legendary cavaliers.

Clair MacDougall April 6, 2022

Podcast: Possum Monument

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

The Podcast Team March 10, 2022

The creative costumes might be made of assortments of household or farm trash such as old feed bags, lampshades, bottle caps, and spent shotgun shells.

A Short Drive From New Orleans, Cajun Mardi Gras Is a Different Animal

Colorful costumes and alcohol, sure, but also chasing chickens.

Fletcher Moore March 4, 2022

Papier-mâché masks are the centerpiece of Carnival in Guinea-Bissau.

Carnival in Guinea-Bissau Represents Resistance and Possibility

In the small West African Nation, the festival is history.

Ashawnta Jackson March 3, 2022

In the 1950s, Carnival was a chance for Rio to display its growth and artistic flair.

Take a Parade Down Memory Lane to Rio's 1953 Carnival

Images of a city and culture showing itself off to the world.

Ashawnta Jackson March 2, 2022

Nine teams of battlers take part in Ivrea's Battle of the Oranges.

Ivrea's Battle of the Oranges Is Raucous, Sticky Fun

The Italian Carnival celebration involves one town, nine teams, and three tons of citrus.

Ashawnta Jackson March 1, 2022