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festivals

11 Hyper-Local, Unique Summer Activities From Around the World

From trying a pawpaw fruit to attending Minnesota’s gopher count.
Sarah Durn June 2, 2023
festivals

Why 18th-Century Scots Performed Mock Human Sacrifices Over Cake

This May Day, make Beltane bannock, a simple snack with a long history of superstition and divination.
Sam O'Brien May 1, 2023
astronomy

Beltane Is About More Than Fire and Fertility

The ancient “Celtic” start of summer is rooted in animal husbandry—and it’s not on May 1.
Gemma Tarlach April 28, 2023
Ojai, California

Trimpin Sound Arch

Make sweet music as you walk through this interactive sonic sculpture.
List

9 Places to Enjoy The Bloom

Welcome in the spring season at these flowering hotspots.
Jonathan Carey March 17, 2023
Osaka, Japan

Sakura no Tōrinuke

Every spring, this walkway outside the Japan Mint turns into a cherry blossom tunnel.
festivals

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
List

11 Deliciously Decadent Carnival Traditions

From King cake to Pennsylvania's potato donuts.
Sam Lin-Sommer January 20, 2023
List

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
festivals

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.
festivals

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
monks

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.
List

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
holiday

Podcast: Trailing of the Sheep

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

The First Brazilian Carnival Queen Was a Groundbreaking Transgender Woman

Eloína pioneered the role in 1976.
André Aram July 8, 2022