392 Items Tagged

Rites and Rituals

Joseph Heintz, "Competition on the Ponte dei Pugni in Venice" (1673)

Ponte dei Pugni (Bridge of Fists)

100 year tradition of fist fights, marked by marble footsteps.

Chios Rocket War

Two churches shoot bottle rockets at each others' bell towers in an unusual Easter celebration.

Runners carry the Olympic Flame from Greece to Germany in 1936.

The Weirdest Things We’ve Done to the Olympic Torch

Well before Rio, people have made a point of torturing the torch.

Cara Giaimo August 5, 2016

How I Learned to Keep the Peace at a Hippie Festival With No Rules

When 10,000 people camp out together at the Rainbow Gathering, staying groovy can be a challenge.

Livia Gershon July 11, 2016

Why Grooms Get Their Own Manly Cakes at Southern Weddings

Victorians came up with the idea.

Natalie Zarrelli June 14, 2016

Stone Circle at Castlerigg with the mountain Blencathra in the background

Keswick, England

Castlerigg Stone Circle

Stonehenge has nothing on Castlerigg’s views.

Hare Krishna Tree in Tompkins Square Park main plaza

New York, New York

Hare Krishna Tree

One of the few remaining American elm trees in New York’s Tompkins Square Park was the birthplace of a new religion.

Let Them Eat Corn! The New Rules of Passover

The eons-old fight over whether eating bread should be punishable by death.

Dan Nosowitz April 20, 2016

Who Invented Eggs Benedict–a Traitor, a Pope, or a Hungover Dude?

You eat brunch today because British fox hunting parties thought it grand.

Katherine Spiers April 19, 2016

rites and rituals

The Self-Sacrificing Japanese Pilgrims Who Chose to be Swallowed by the Sea

For 1,000 years, Buddhists in Japan sealed themselves into boats and let the waves carry them.

Jacob Mikanowski April 12, 2016

Sheep lined up for the main event.

New Zealand's Biggest Sheep Race Was Led By a Black Goat

The most difficult part of the race, it turns out, can be getting the sheep to start running.

Cara Giaimo April 11, 2016

rites and rituals

How To Drink Vodka Like a Russian

Never drink alone, for starters.

Dan Nosowitz April 7, 2016

Paulilatino, Italy

Well of Santa Cristina

This elaborate hole in the ground was built as a sacred site for an ancient civilization.

Göttingen, Germany

Gänseliesel

The Goose Girl of Göttingen, Germany might well be the most kissed girl in the world.

rites and rituals

The Positive and Negative Sides of Japan's Obsession with Dating by Blood Type

According to blood type personality theory, type O's are selfish warriors, and type B's are passionate nomads.

Natalie Zarrelli March 10, 2016

rites and rituals

The Balinese Cremation Ceremony Admired by David Bowie

Jessie Guy-Ryan January 31, 2016

Get Over Here, Man: Decoding the Bro-Hug

Claire Landsbaum January 27, 2016

Live shot, mid-tinku

Tinku

A giant, bloody battle rages throughout the Bolivian Andes each year.