Rituals and Traditions
Established practices around weddings, funerals and celebrations
Capturing Appalachia's "Mountain People"
Shelby Lee Adams' 1990 photograph of life in the eastern Kentucky mountains captured a poignant tradition
March 2010 |
By Abigail Tucker
Eat up—It's National Something Day
Happy Chocolate Mint Day, everyone. I know, you're still recovering from Drink Wine Day and Crab-Stuffed Flounder Day yesterday. But don't forget about National Margarita Day on Monday (or tomorrow, depending on which sources you consult). That is one I definitely plan to observe.If you're looking ...
February 19, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
Ten Out-of-the-Ordinary Valentine’s Day Customs
From the festivals of ancient Rome to modern campaigns, the holiday hasn’t always been about roses and candy
February 08, 2010 |
By Mark Strauss
Contemporary Aboriginal Art
Rare artworks from an unsurpassed collection evoke the inner lives and secret rites of Australia’s indigenous people
January 2010 |
By Arthur Lubow
Christmas Dinner on the International Space Station
Ever wondered what astronauts might be eating for Christmas dinner? I found out recently when I had the chance to speak with NASA's Vickie Kloeris, who manages the food system for the International Space Station.Q: What goes into managing the space station's food system?A: We have a food lab here o...
December 24, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Hanukkah Gelt, and Guilt
In a telephone conversation last night with my mother, who lives on the opposite coast from me, she confided that she was thinking of serving frozen latkes—potato pancakes—at the Hanukkah dinner she was preparing for my brother's family this weekend. "I think they taste as good as the ones I make f...
December 11, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
Ancient Pyramids Around the World
No matter if the civilization was Mesopotamian, Egyptian, or Mayan, its legacy today is in part marked by towering pyramids
November 20, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
From Brooklyn to Worthington, Minnesota
Novelist Tim O'Brien revisits his past to come to terms with his rural hometown
November 2009 |
By Tim O'Brien
Emmett Till's Casket Goes to the Smithsonian
Simeon Wright recalls the events surrounding his cousin's murder and the importance of having the casket on public display
November 2009 |
By Abby Callard
Darwin for Dads
A daughter tries to help one member of an endangered species survive
August 2009 |
By Joe Queenan
Terra Cotta Soldiers on the March
A traveling exhibition of China's terra cotta warriors sheds new light on the ruler whose tomb they guarded
July 2009 |
By Arthur Lubow
Forget Edgar Allan Poe? Nevermore!
Cities up and down the East Coast claim author Edgar Allan Poe as their own and and celebrate his 200th birthday
June 11, 2009 |
By Abigail Tucker
For General Patton's Family, Recovered Ground
Famed World War II Gen. George S. Patton's grandson finds his calling in the ashes of his fathers journals
June 2009 |
By Benjamin W. Patton
The Legends Behind the Dragon Boat Festival
Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, Duanwu Jie honors storied history with culinary treats
May 15, 2009 |
By Jeninne Lee-St. John
Unusual St. Patrick's Day Celebrations
Leprechauns and green shamrocks are only a part of celebrating St. Patrick's Day for Irish communities around the world
March 13, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
The Surprising Satisfactions of a Home Funeral
When his father and father-in-law died within days of each other, author Max Alexander learned much about the funeral industry
March 2009 |
By Max Alexander
The Tomb of Queen Sesheshet
A recently discovered pyramid and tomb in Egypt may shed light on a dark episode in a pharaonic tradition of court intrigue
February 03, 2009 |
By Stephen Glain
Up Close at Trinidad's Carnival
What’s behind the raucous pre-Lenten rite? An intrepid scholar hits the streets of Trinidad to find out
February 2009 |
By Barbara Ehrenreich
The Journey to Elsewhere, U.S.A.
A professor explains how new technology drastically altered the modern American family unit
January 29, 2009 |
By Abigail Tucker
Indians on the Inaugural March
At the invitation of Theodore Roosevelt, six Indian chiefs marched in his inaugural parade as representatives of their tribes
January 14, 2009 |
By Jesse Rhodes
