85 Items Tagged

Rituals

Each year, thousands gather to watch the burning of Zozobra.

How Zozobra Set Alight the Hearts of Santa Fe Residents

Each year on the Friday before Labor Day, this community gathers to let go of its worries—by burning a 50-foot puppet.

Sponsored By Visit Santa Fe

Hammam Seffarine

This historic bathhouse that likely dates back to the 1300s.

Kabupaten Sragen, Indonesia

Gunung Kemukus

This hilltop shrine is colloquially known as "Sex Mountain" for the ritual practices once conducted there.

Native Americans have a longstanding, rich, and vibrant culture in Wyoming.

Wyoming’s Sacred Landscapes: A Journey Through Native American History

High-spirited powwows, wild horses, ancient carvings, and figures that changed the course of history.

Sponsored By Travel Wyoming

In the Strickland family chapel, turkeys take center stage.

This Turkey Church Is Just One Way People Celebrate the Humble Bird

The ceremonial significance of the turkey goes back much further than Thanksgiving.

Sam O'Brien November 11, 2024

One of the Peabody's pampered ducks descends the red-carpeted stairs from the lobby fountain.

What It Takes To Be This Luxury Memphis Hotel’s ‘Duckmaster’

Every duck march needs its duckmaster.

Lorraine Gibson July 18, 2024

An Elvis impersonator officiates a wedding at Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.

How Elvis Became the King of Las Vegas Weddings

Overcoming threats to cease-and-desist, Las Vegas’s iconic Elvis weddings live on.

Shoshi Parks July 17, 2024

The Easter egg tree custom, pictured here in Saalfeld, Germany, has gained some ground in the United States.

7 Unexpected Easter Traditions

Why hide eggs when you can hang them on a tree?

April White March 22, 2024

It's the oldest unintentionally preserved egg in history.

This 1,700 Year Old Egg Never Broke—And Now It’s Further Stunning Scientists

They still can’t fully crack the mystery.

Colleen Kelly February 23, 2024

Kava is regarded as the national beverage of Fiji, where it is often served to welcome visitors.

Why Kava Laws Choose Tradition Over Commercialization

New Zealand regulations prevent the sacred beverage of the Pacific Islands from being watered down.

Andrew Coletti February 8, 2024

The Cailleach shrine can determine if locals have a good year or not.

Moving Stones Has a Magical Effect at This Secret Shrine in Scotland

Don't let the Cailleach curse your autumn.

Daniela Castillo Gómez October 17, 2023

A river winds along paved banks lined with pilgrims.

Haridwar, India

Har Ki Pauri

The Hindu god Vishnu is said to have walked at this Hindu pilgrimage site.

Glasgow, Scotland

Blackstone Chair

The 18th-century inspiration behind Harry Potter's Sorting Hat.

Wander into our forest of blood-chilling spring tales—if you dare.

Spring Is for Monsters, Ancient Rituals, and Scary Stories

From haunting tales of the Bell Witch to child-eating swamp monsters, the season is full of frights.

Sarah Durn May 8, 2023

A Hindu priest holds a lit coconut oil lamp in front of statues of Prince Vijaya (left) and Kuweni (right) at the Sri Subramaniam temple in the southern Sri Lankan town of Matara.

How This Demon Dance Banishes Illnesses in Sri Lanka's Remote Jungles

The kankariya dance all started with a legendary demon queen named Kuweni.

Zinara Rathnayake May 4, 2023

In 2015, this effigy of the Pagan goddess Marzanna met a fiery end.

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

However long this snowman effigy, known as the Bӧӧgg, takes to burn will determine the remaining length of winter.

To Banish Winter in This Tiny Wisconsin Town, Burn a Swiss Snowman

The burning of the Bӧӧgg is like a fiery version of Groundhog’s Day, but with fireworks and sausages.

Tea Krulos May 2, 2023

Every May, an ancient Celtic festival, known as Beltane, is held atop Calton Hill in Edinburgh, where participants eat a mysterious Beltane bannock cake.

Why 18th-Century Scots Performed Mock Human Sacrifices Over Cake

This May Day, make Beltane bannock, a simple snack with a long history of superstition and divination.

Sam O'Brien May 1, 2023