376 Items Tagged

Rites and Rituals

Get Over Here, Man: Decoding the Bro-Hug

Claire Landsbaum January 27, 2016

Tinku

A giant, bloody battle rages throughout the Bolivian Andes each year.

Tourists Love to Rub the Bronze Balls of Wall Street's Charging Bull Statue. Why?

Tao Tao Holmes January 19, 2016

Binche, Belgium

Carnival of Binche

The tiny Belgian town's ancient version of Mardi Gras involves eerie wax masks, sticks for warding off evil, and ostrich plume hats.

Mohács, Hungary

Busójárás

Festival of Perpetual Life and Rebirth.

Barcelona, Spain

Tió de Nadal

Catalonia Tradition: Beating the hollow Christmas log until it defecates in your fireplace.

Golden Pigs, Jesus-Shaped Bread, and 5 Other Delightful European Christmas Customs

Sarah Laskow December 21, 2015

Cranberries Are the Only Thanksgiving Food That Actually Came From the United States

Anyone up for some mashed sunchokes?

Sarah Laskow November 25, 2015

rites and rituals

Exploring the Over-the-Top Texas Tradition of Homecoming Mums

Sarah Baird November 3, 2015

rites and rituals

Part Spectacle, Part Controversy: the First International Indigenous Games

Tao Tao Holmes October 29, 2015

Huaca Pucllana

This stone complex marks the urban center of a lost civilization.

FOUND: A Super-Sized Stonehenge

Sarah Laskow September 8, 2015

space exploration

Why Russian Astronauts Pee on a Bus Tire Before Launching Into Space, and Other Pre-Flight Rituals

Ella Morton July 29, 2015

essential guide

Corpse Brides and Ghost Grooms: A Guide to Marrying the Dead

Ella Morton May 29, 2015

St. Jude's Souls: Competing with the Skeleton Saint for Mexico's Faithful

Andrew Chesnut January 26, 2015

objects of intrigue

Objects of Intrigue: The Tiny Photo Album of a "Fairy Wedding"

Allison Meier January 9, 2015

Last Midnight of the Steam Whistles

Allison Meier January 7, 2015

rites and rituals

The New Year's Ritual of Plunging Into Frigid Waters Started with a Strongman at Coney Island

Mark Roberts December 31, 2014