Explore 284 Holidays Collections - Atlas Obscura
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The Wonderful World of Christmas Trees

From a particularly festive smokestack to a tannenbaum made out of tumbleweeds.
Jonathan Carey 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
Written by Amelia Parenteau
food

How a Midnight Feast Became a Month-Long Dining Extravaganza in New Orleans

Revel in Réveillon all December long in the Crescent City.
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
A holiday gift guide for wonderfully weird individuals.
science

A Curious Collection of Weird Gift Ideas

May your holidays dazzle and bewilder.
Danielle Hallock December 1, 2023
List

7 Real-Life Locations From Christmas Movies

From an iconic leg lamp to an antique escalator in a New York department store.
Jonathan Carey December 1, 2023
Clear winter skies offer exhilarating sights for stargazers, from auroras to the Milky Way; the right gear makes viewing them cozy and comfortable.
astronomy

A Holiday Gift Guide for Winter Stargazing and More

From telescopes to fun and functional hats, we've got ideas for every astro-enthusiast in your life this giving season.
Rebecca Boyle November 29, 2023
This year, celebrate the Icelandic <em>Jólabókaflóðið</em>, which means “Christmas book flood.”
mystery

Bookish Gifts for Literature Lovers

A giving guide from the Atlas Obscura team.
Gemma Tarlach November 27, 2023
A Calabrian citron in Michele Cirelli's orchard. A perfect etrog like this one, with its characteristic bumps and ridges and a skin free from blemishes, can fetch hundreds of dollars in New York or Montreal.
food

Every Year, Rabbis Search Calabria for the Perfect Etrog

An ideal fruit can go for as much as $300.
John Last September 26, 2023
A towering maypole surrounded by trees
Oregon, Ohio

Der Maibaum (The Maypole)

A focal point for the German American Festival-Society symbolizing the "Spirit of Unity' and fellowship for the Toledo area.
Emporia, Kansas

All Veterans Memorial Park

A park to honor all U.S. Armed Forces veterans, and Emporia's status as the founding city of Veterans Day.
In 2015, this effigy of the Pagan goddess Marzanna met a fiery end.
witchcraft

In Poland, Drowning the Pagan Goddess Marzanna Ushers in Spring

A straw effigy of the winter goddess is burned and then submerged in chilly waters.
Sarah Laskow May 3, 2023
The cover of this Red Haggadah from the National Library of Russia, features a search for leavened bread, which is forbidden on Passover.
food

The Soviet 'Red Passovers' Where Jews Gave Thanks for Communism

Instead of celebrating freedom from Egypt, people celebrated liberation from capitalism.
Sam Lin-Sommer March 28, 2023
Fresh-pressed pandan leaf adds a limey glow to this refresher.
List

13 Great Green Foods to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

From pandan crepes to minty cocktails, there are better options than dyed beer.
Sam O'Brien March 16, 2023
Before artist Courtney Senior launched International Art and Found Day in 2020, she would regularly leave packages with this message around Toronto.
paintings

Inside the World of 'Art Dropping'

Why you should be on the lookout for free paintings this March 12th.
Hannah Steinkopf-Frank March 9, 2023
Churches from Poland to Missouri claim to possess some of Saint Valentine's remains. This, from the Basilica di Santa Maria in Rome, is supposed to be his skull.
relics

4 Truly Unexpected Ways to Express Your Feelings on February 14th

What does Valentine's Day have to do with wounding insults, bone relics, and meat juice?
April White February 9, 2023