Celebrations | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/celebrations/RSS feed for CelebrationsenThu, 03 Jul 2025 11:15:00 +0000How a Deadly Circus Fire on the 'Day the Clowns Cried' Traumatized a Community—and Led to Lasting Safety Reformshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-a-deadly-circus-fire-on-the-day-the-clowns-cried-traumatized-a-community-and-led-to-lasting-safety-reforms-180986888/On July 6, 1944, a blaze broke out at a Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey show in Hartford, Connecticut. At least 167 people died, and hundreds were injuredThu, 03 Jul 2025 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-a-deadly-circus-fire-on-the-day-the-clowns-cried-traumatized-a-community-and-led-to-lasting-safety-reforms-180986888/Would You Wear a Wedding Dress Made of Disposable Paper? These 1960s Brides Donned Them to Save Money—and Make a Daring Fashion Statementhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/would-you-wear-a-wedding-dress-made-of-disposable-paper-these-1960s-brides-donned-them-to-save-moneyand-make-a-daring-fashion-statement-180986663/Created with synthetic textiles, the "nonwoven" gowns could be shortened for the reception or easily packed away for the honeymoonTue, 27 May 2025 13:19:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/would-you-wear-a-wedding-dress-made-of-disposable-paper-these-1960s-brides-donned-them-to-save-moneyand-make-a-daring-fashion-statement-180986663/See Charles Dickens' Rare Manuscripts, Teenage Love Letters and a Copy of 'David Copperfield' That Traveled to Antarcticahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-charles-dickens-rare-manuscripts-teenage-love-letters-and-a-copy-of-david-copperfield-that-traveled-to-antarctica-180985811/To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Charles Dickens Museum in London is staging an exhibition of historic objects that shed light on the writer’s life and legacyMon, 13 Jan 2025 21:42:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-charles-dickens-rare-manuscripts-teenage-love-letters-and-a-copy-of-david-copperfield-that-traveled-to-antarctica-180985811/Before the Yule Lads Evolved Into Icelandic Versions of Santa Claus, They Terrorized Children Into Following the Ruleshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/before-the-yule-lads-evolved-into-icelandic-versions-santa-claus-they-terrorized-children-into-following-rules-180948162/Today, the 13 brothers are said to leave presents in well-behaved youngsters’ shoes. But they used to be depicted as frightening monstersTue, 17 Dec 2013 15:38:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/before-the-yule-lads-evolved-into-icelandic-versions-santa-claus-they-terrorized-children-into-following-rules-180948162/'A Christmas Carol' Marvelously Captured the Holiday's Victorian Spirit and Inspired New Traditions for Centuries to Comehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-christmas-carol-marvelously-captured-the-holidays-victorian-spirit-and-inspired-new-traditions-for-centuries-to-come-180985649/Published on this day in 1843, at a time when Christmas was undergoing great transformation, Charles Dickens' novel centered the virtues of kindness, charity and reformThu, 19 Dec 2024 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-christmas-carol-marvelously-captured-the-holidays-victorian-spirit-and-inspired-new-traditions-for-centuries-to-come-180985649/New Yorkers Step Into Life-Size Replicas of Iconic Edward Hopper Paintingshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-yorkers-hop-into-iconic-hopper-paintings-for-the-artists-142nd-birthday-180984746/Three of the realist painter's most famous artworks came to life in an interactive installation in ManhattanTue, 23 Jul 2024 15:59:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-yorkers-hop-into-iconic-hopper-paintings-for-the-artists-142nd-birthday-180984746/How Jewish Soldiers Celebrated Passover in the Midst of the Civil Warhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-jewish-soldiers-celebrated-passover-in-the-midst-of-the-civil-war-180984183/A group of Union men from Ohio held a makeshift Seder in the western Virginia woods in 1862Mon, 22 Apr 2024 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-jewish-soldiers-celebrated-passover-in-the-midst-of-the-civil-war-180984183/This Is When Washington, D.C.'s Cherry Trees Are Predicted to Bloom This Yearhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-when-washington-dcs-cherry-trees-are-predicted-to-bloom-this-year-180983892/"Peak bloom," which typically falls in late March or early April, refers to the day when at least 70 percent of the trees have blossomedTue, 05 Mar 2024 18:42:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-when-washington-dcs-cherry-trees-are-predicted-to-bloom-this-year-180983892/A Brief History of How Carnival Is Celebrated Around the Worldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-how-carnival-is-celebrated-around-the-world-180983771/Here’s how Venice, Rio de Janeiro, Trinidad and Tobago, New Orleans, and Quebec City mark the pre-Lenten seasonMon, 12 Feb 2024 12:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-how-carnival-is-celebrated-around-the-world-180983771/The Surprisingly Radical Roots of the Renaissance Fairhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-surprisingly-radical-roots-of-the-renaissance-fair-180982918/The first of these festivals debuted in the early 1960s, serving as a prime example of the United States' burgeoning countercultureThu, 28 Sep 2023 15:21:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-surprisingly-radical-roots-of-the-renaissance-fair-180982918/