284 Items Tagged

Holidays

Pynchon in Public Day is May 8, the author's birthday.

Get in on the Conspiracy: Celebrate Pynchon in Public Day

Today is the author's 80th birthday.

Sarah Laskow May 8, 2017

Mother of Peeps

Westminster, Maryland

Peep Show at Carroll Arts Council

Easter in Westminster may be the only time and place to behold Edgar Allen Poe made entirely of Marshmallow Peeps.

Oh dear lord...

Canadian Bar Annoys Ireland With Its 'Sacrilegious' Guinness Pour

If you are going to use Guinness in your ad, you'd better do it right.

Eric Grundhauser March 16, 2017

St. Louis in the 1800s.

The Day St. Louis Went From Spanish to French to American in Just 24 Hours

This year is the 213th anniversary of "Three Flags Day."

Cara Giaimo March 10, 2017

New York, New York

Holiday Nostalgia Train

During the holidays, a vintage subway train whisks New Yorkers back in time.

A 1915 cartoon demonstrating how Phil's image has been co-opted for various rhetorical purposes.

Punxsutawney Phil's Greatest Hits

The famous groundhog has gone through some weird times.

Cara Giaimo February 2, 2017

Celebrations in the town of Marietta, Georgia, in 2016 involved an eight-foot cube opening to reveal a trapeze artist.

rites and rituals

A Giant Ball Isn’t The Only Thing Being Dropped On New Year’s Eve

Here are 8 of America's strangest New Year's traditions.

Tucker Leighty-Phillips December 30, 2016

A red-footed booby approaches the Baker Island shoreline, which sports a crumbling day beacon.

The Last Place to Experience 2016 Will Be an Abandoned Island Full of Bird Poop

Baker Island, in the middle of the Pacific, is one of two islands in the world in time zone UTC-12:00.

Cara Giaimo December 29, 2016

A miniature New York

Bronx, New York

Holiday Train Show at New York Botanical Garden

Every year model trains zip through a miniature New York City that's now 150 landmarks strong.

A family plays a game of Snapdragon, from the December 25,1858 issue of the <em>Illustrated London News</em>.

Victorians' Christmas Parlor Games Will Leave You Burned, Bruised, And Puking

Do not try them at home.

George Pendle December 22, 2016

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Tumbleweed Snowman

Albuquerque found the perfect use for tumbleweeds at Christmastime.

First-Ever Public Christmas Tree Marker

A stone marker and sculpture in the city of Riga stake a claim for the very first community Christmas tree.

Take a Virtual Tour of One of the World's Largest Gingerbread Cities

There's a lake, a Ferris wheel, and an operating train.

Lauren Young December 19, 2016

Eleanor Robson Belmont in 1916.

In 1912, Thousands of Women Rallied Against 'Useless' Christmas Giving

Members of The Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving were known as Spugs.

Erik Shilling December 15, 2016

A Christmas tree.

How a Former Cheney Aide Nearly Killed the Christmas Tree Industry

The National Christmas Tree Board was supposed to protect American tree growers, until one man intervened.

Muira McCammon December 13, 2016

Mummers in St. John's.

rites and rituals

The Long-Banned Tradition of Mummering in Newfoundland Is Making a Comeback

Resurrecting a centuries-old Christmas ritual with creepy masks, horse heads, and bras worn on the outside.

Sarah Laskow December 13, 2016

Sweden Has Won The Annual Santa Olympics

This year's events included present-wrapping, tree-decorating, lasso-throwing, and a dance-off.

Cara Giaimo December 12, 2016

Gold coins turns up in Salvation Army buckets across the country.

Found: Two Gold Coins From 1947, Dropped in a Salvation Army Bucket

Each one is worth $1,400.

Sarah Laskow December 6, 2016