Explore 131 Holidays with a twist Collections - Atlas Obscura
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Holidays With A Twist

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<em>Gingerbread</em> is a word applied to cookies, cake, and a number of other treats.
food

What Is Gingerbread? The Answer Is Complicated

Historically, gingerbread didn't always include ginger.
Anne Ewbank December 18, 2023
Ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg are so-called warm spices and the quintessential flavors of winter holidays.
holidays

How Ginger, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg Became Winter Spices

These tropical "warm spices," which flavor many Christmas cookies and other holiday favorites, are mainstays of traditional medicine.
Serina DeSalvio December 18, 2023
Published in the January 4, 1957, edition of <em>Collier's</em> magazine, "Christmas Party" was a murder mystery novella written by Rex Stout where oddball detective Nero Wolfe has to figure out who killed an esteemed furniture designer.
murder

How Christmas Murder Mysteries Became a U.K. Holiday Tradition

In these Christmas tales, Santa has a very low survival rate.
Eleanor Davis December 15, 2023
Slivered almonds optionally add dragon-like spikes to the serpentone.
snakes

Make Italy’s Christmas Snake Cake

In Umbria, the holidays mean a piece of sweet, almondy serpentone.
Andrew Coletti December 15, 2023
Looming over the people he visits, clacking his jaws and dancing wildly, Turoń may look terrifiying, but he just wants to deliver blessings.
ancient

Meet Turoń, Poland's Dancing Bull-Beast of Winter

The ancient tradition of Turoń bestowing blessings has faded but, like the creature itself, it may be resurrected.
Emma Cieslik December 15, 2023
A charming selection of gifts to inspire wonder and curiosity for any age.
food

Atlas Obscura’s Beautifully Bizarre 2023 Wishlist

A series of gift guides for the inquisitive individuals in your life.
Atlas Obscura December 14, 2023
Nicknamed the "Christmas Tree Boat," the evergreen-laden <em>Rouse Simmons</em> disappeared beneath Lake Michigan waters in November 1912.
ships

The ‘Christmas Tree Boat’ Shipwreck That Devastated 1912 Chicagoans

Marine archaeologists are beginning to understand what really happened to Captain Santa's ill-fated ship.
Jonathan Feakins December 13, 2023
Turtle doves are two of the many birdy gifts bestowed by a true love during "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
astronomy

Where Did the 12 Days of Christmas Come From?

The answer is the Moon.
Rebecca Boyle December 13, 2023
Torches are made from trees that were sick, dying, or were felled during winter storms.
festivals

The Italian Town That Welcomes Winter With a Procession of Fire

Every December, thousands of torches transform Agnone into the fire capital of the world.
Asia London Palomba December 13, 2023
nature

The Whimsical, Nostalgic Appeal of Becorns

A former Lego worker moved away from plastic and towards chipmunks.
Margherita Bassi December 11, 2023
My Thanksgiving apple cake had some unconventional ingredients.
food

Try These West African Spices in Your Holiday Baking

Have some fun with fusion.
Andrew Coletti December 11, 2023
Véronique and Anaëlle Fontanel hold their Hello Kitty set of fèves.
collections

The Weird, Wonderful World of Collecting French Cake Figurines

Porcelain or plastic, Harry Potter or copulating couple, fèves come in all shapes and sizes.
Emily Monaco December 8, 2023
A fast gift doesn't have to be a sloppy gift.
victorian

Last-Minute Gifts for Curious People

It’s never too late to inspire fascination about the world.
Danielle Hallock December 7, 2023
There’s a gruesome twist to these St. Nicholas Day celebrations.
cannibals

Beware the Christmas Cannibal of France

How a whip-wielding butcher became St. Nick's sidekick.
Anna Richards December 6, 2023
Pulsnitz, Germany

Pfefferkuchenmuseum Pulsnitz

An aromatic exploration of the rich history and flavors of this German town's famous gingerbread.
Honeypot ants feed on sweet nectar and death.
medicine

All Winter, These Ants Make the Ultimate Sweet Sacrifice to Their Colony

Their syrupy death is medicinal for humans, too.
Shoshi Parks December 5, 2023
We've all seen traditional glass orbs on Christmas trees. But have you ever noticed a Santa centaur or floating alien head?
trees

Unusual Christmas Ornaments Make the Holidays Weird and Wonderful

From a homemade Harry Potter garden gnome to a vintage scary clown ornament, readers share their favorites.
Sarah Durn December 5, 2023
Traditional wooden nutcrackers await the finishing touches at the Füchtner family workshop in Germany, where the iconic style is said to have originated.
toys

The Family Behind the First Traditional Nutcracker Is Still Making Them

Wilhelm Füchtner's iconic 1870s design began a legacy that continues in the same small workshop in Germany's Ore Mountains.
Carole Rosenblat December 5, 2023