Explore 328 Tradition Collections - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

328 Items Tagged

Tradition

Share
Bath Market Pillar
Bath, England

Bath Market Pillar

Since 1768, the pillar at Guildhall Market in Bath has been a hub of economic transactions.
Okavango Delta, Botswana - August 2, 2022. Western Tourists travelling in a mokoro, along the delta. This type of travel is traditional among the locals of the delta.
museums

Wonder Is Everywhere: Harlem Renaissance, the Return of the Ruby Slippers, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
April White March 29, 2024
The Easter egg tree custom, pictured here in Saalfeld, Germany, has gained some ground in the United States.
graveyards

7 Unexpected Easter Traditions

Why hide eggs when you can hang them on a tree?
April White March 22, 2024
In some Indigenous traditions in North America, people run toward solar eclipses, chasing away the Sun's attackers; others stay inside and avoid the event.
native americans

Indigenous Solar Eclipse Stories From Across Turtle Island

From rodents of unusual size to flaming arrows, communities across North America share solar eclipse traditions.
Roxanne Hoorn March 14, 2024
Alpine, Texas

Sul Ross Desk

A group of college students hauled a desk up a mountain more than 40 years ago. The notebooks inside have become a makeshift time capsule.
An Arctic tern in flight; the seabirds were a critical source of food for the Beothuk people of Newfoundland, and also likely inspired some of their funerary traditions.
islands

In Newfoundland, a Bird Spirit May Have Guided a Lost Culture's Dead

For centuries, the Beothuk people relied on seabirds to survive—and likely to find their way to the afterlife.
Nicky Nielsen February 7, 2024
dinosaurs

As the Year of the Dragon Looms, We See Dragons Everywhere

This Lunar New Year welcomes the Wood Dragon, but these mythic animals never go out of style.
Gemma Tarlach January 29, 2024
Punxsutawney Phil has predicted a longer winter nearly every Groundhog Day.
holiday

A Primer on Both Groundhogs and Hedgehogs

Just in time for their moment in the sun (or not).
April White January 26, 2024
Looming over the people he visits, clacking his jaws and dancing wildly, Turoń may look terrifiying, but he just wants to deliver blessings.
ancient

Meet Turoń, Poland's Dancing Bull-Beast of Winter

The ancient tradition of Turoń bestowing blessings has faded but, like the creature itself, it may be resurrected.
Emma Cieslik December 15, 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
art

Nativity Scenes Celebrate Diverse Christmas Culture Around the World

Featuring devils, yurts, and Yule Lads, traditional crèche sets can tell unique stories about their communities.
Kayla Harris and Neomi De Anda December 4, 2023
trees

Podcast: The Wishing Tree

Portland's hopes and dreams can be found hanging from its branches.
The Podcast Team October 19, 2023
By the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), both royals and non-royals were buried with dozens of figurines known as shabti, which would serve them in the afterlife.
ancient

In Ancient Egypt, Human Sacrifice and Shabti Figures Ensured an Afterlife of Servitude

Clay figurines and murdered retainers provided plenty of company—and a workforce—for the dead.
Nicky Nielsen October 17, 2023
Wisconsin's Wolf River, which flows through the Menominee Indian Reservation, where Indigenous traditions guide sustainable forestry.
forests

In Wisconsin, the Menominee Tribe's Sustainable Forestry Is Visible From Space

The Menominee Tribe's tradition of doing "what's best for the forest" has become a global model for sustainability.
Fred Pearce September 11, 2023
These industrious beetles can live up to a few years without food, and rarely need water, making them unfortunately easy pets.
objects of intrigue

The Living, Breathing Brooches of the Yucatán

The live, jewel-encrusted beetles called maquechs are tied to an ancient legend, but some worry for their future.
Roxanne Hoorn September 7, 2023
Costa Rican designs for oxcarts are iconic and can be spotted throughout the country. The intricate patterns represent birds and foliage found in the dense forests, as well as spear tips from Indigenous and Aztec designs, and colors represent different regions.
art

A Look Inside the Last Colorful Oxcart Factory in Costa Rica

Uriel Alfaro Castro shows his handmade Aztec wheels, which outperformed European designs.
Sarah Yeoman September 5, 2023
Children play in the monsoon rains that pour down on the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh every year from late July till September.
perfume

How Indian Perfumers Capture the Smell of Rain

In Kannauj, perfumers have been making monsoon-infused mitti attar for centuries.
Zinara Rathnayake August 2, 2023
Glasgow, Scotland

Blackstone Chair

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