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Rituals

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In the Strickland family chapel, turkeys take center stage.
thanksgiving

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.
hotels

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.
churches

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.
graveyards

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.
ancient

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.
food

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.
rocks

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.
cryptozoology

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.
music

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

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.
festivals

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
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.
funeral art

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
puzzles

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.
gardens

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.
cults

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