284 Items Tagged

Holidays

Rovaniemi, Finland

Santa Claus's Main Post Office

Roughly 17 million letters to Santa have found their way to this Arctic Circle post office.

Oliebollen

These Dutch doughnuts are classic New Year's treats.

Pizza Ebraica

This cookie is found only in Rome's Jewish quarter.

Irish Potato Candy

This sweet spud is neither made with tubers, nor of Irish origin.

The John & Sonora Dodd House.

Spokane, Washington

Dodd House

The former home of the "Mother of Father's Day."

Young women, with blinis, and Lady Maslenitsa burning in the background.

Maslenitsa

Russian Mardi Gras features blinis, fistfights, and burning effigies.

Tejocote

On Day of the Dead, garlands of the tiny, apple-flavored fruit serve as offerings to the deceased.

Barmbrack from Imen Mcdonnell's 'The Farmette Cookbook'

Barmbrack

The Irish bread comes with raisins and omens.

Huesos de Santo

These “saint's bones” taste like heaven.

Some wassail ready to be sipped.

Wassail

This spiced, warming drink may have helped broker peace between warring tribes.

Pet de Soeur

French Canadians find “nun’s farts” addictively delicious.

No one knows how to lie like a mom.

The Ultimate Guide to Bizarre Lies Your Mom Told You

Turns out mothers all over the world are telling a lot of the same outrageous fibs.

Eric Grundhauser May 11, 2018

Pista Burfi

The pistachio fudge makes a vibrant accompaniment to celebrations in Northern India.

Saint Agatha's Breasts

This ricotta and marzipan pastry honors the Sicilian saint's most noteworthy body part.

Moms have the best advice.

What Harmless Lies Did Your Mother Convince You to Believe?

In honor of Mother's Day, we're collecting the best false wisdom of moms everywhere.

Eric Grundhauser May 2, 2018

A perfect doggo at the UC San Diego Bookstore, a powerful mural outside Ken Sanders Books, and love at Housing Works.

62 of the World's Best Independent Bookstores

As recommended by Atlas Obscura readers.

Eric Grundhauser April 27, 2018

A 16th-century painting shows a family enjoying pancakes and waffles.

Remembering the Tansy, the Forgotten Easter Pancake of Centuries Past

Green, herbal, and slightly toxic.

Natasha Frost March 30, 2018

Medieval clergy played ball in labyrinths, such as the one at Chartres Cathedral.

The Lost Tradition of Playing Ball in Church to Celebrate Easter

Priests danced around a labyrinth and played a symbolic, ritual game of catch.

Sarah Laskow March 29, 2018