85 Items Tagged

Rituals

Metal guitarist and paper effigy artisan Koh Eng Keat sits on his motorcycle in front of a seven-foot-tall paper mansion. Keat runs 358 Custom Effigies Workshop with his father Koh Ah Bah where building elaborate papier-mâché effigies like this are just part of a normal workday.

Meet the Punk Rocker Building Life-Sized Paper Effigies for Malaysia’s Ghosts

The doom metal guitarist builds papier-mâché BMWs, iPhones, and mansions—then it all goes up in smoke.

Marco Ferrarese February 24, 2023

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: Living With the Dead in Madagascar

Alex Bellos October 10, 2022

Actor and director Sujata Day is obsessed with her homemade chai and doesn't go a day without it.

Discovering the Modern South Asian Ritual of Making Chai

Remember the history, practice, and be creative.

Sujata Day July 13, 2022

Mithraeum elements included a tauroctony, or depiction of Mithras sacrificing a bull.

An Ancient Roman Cult's Rituals Included Feasting, Fire, and Floor Cleaning

To uncover new clues about the secretive world of Mithraism, scientists considered evidence right at their feet.

Nathaniel Scharping May 13, 2022

A traditional Burundian drum ceremony.

Gishora, Burundi

Gishora Drum Sanctuary

This century-old site established by King Mwezi Gisabo preserves the art of Burundi's ancient drum rituals.

A lumpy dumb cake on its way to be baked.

The Historical Halloween Cake That Reveals Your Future Spouse

Can a "dumb cake" help you discover your fate?

Anne Ewbank November 6, 2021

Earlier this year, excavations at Wolseong Palace unearthed more evidence of human sacrifice during its construction.

Why Were Human Sacrifices Buried Beneath Ancient Korea's 'Moon Castle'?

Remains sealed in the foundations suggest builders would do anything to protect the heart of a fledgling kingdom.

Bridget Alex October 15, 2021

Offerings are given before dawn during Pchum Ben.

Hurl Rice Balls Into a Graveyard to Appease the Hungry Ghosts

Then make these bone-shaped sticky rice cakes with spirit-soothing associations.

Diana Hubbell October 14, 2021

Team members have found the bones of more than 50 animals sacrificed in a courtyard at Casas del Turuñuelo.

ancient technology

The Ancient People Who Burned Their Culture to the Ground

At a site in Spain, archaeologists piece together the last days of Tartessos, an advanced society that vanished 2,500 years ago.

Blair Mastbaum September 23, 2021

One of the main cave entrances

Duffus, Scotland

Sculptor's Cave

A beachside cave filled with Bronze Age metalwork, pottery, and human remains.

Offerings on the tree's trunk and fence

Ahuehuete de Chalma

This specimen of Mexico's national tree is now central to religious pilgrimage and rituals.

Shiva Statue

Shankharapur, Nepal

Shiva Statue

The spot where Parvati convinced Shiva to marry her, has become a pilgrimage site for married and unmarried women.

The Libation Ceremony began in 2015, but carries on a long local tradition of remembrance.

Local Emancipation Commemorations Bring Black Communities Closer to the Past

Events like Tennessee’s Libation Ceremony offer a chance “to finally start grabbing the pieces that have been scattered and lost.”

Nicole Rasul August 14, 2020

The Anchorage in Beaufort

Beaufort, South Carolina

Haint Blue Porch Ceilings

The Lowcountry color with the power to stop evil from entering a home.

Madron, England

Madron Well

Legend says this ancient pagan site can cure all ailments.

The chapel.

Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán, Mexico

Capilla del Calvario (Chapel of the Calvary)

This dome-topped chapel houses the most-venerated religious figure in Yanhuitlán.

The Chief Warden's lantern and Queen Elizabeth's keys.

London, England

Tower of London's Ceremony of the Keys

The ritual has been performed uninterrupted for nearly 700 years.

Manchester, Tennessee

Old Stone Fort

This limestone outcropping was once a ceremonial site for ancient Native Americans.