Articles tagged as Celebrations | Smithsonian Magazine

This famous Capitol Hill painting shows the June 28, 1776 moment when the first draft of the Declaration of Independence was brought to the Second Continental Congress. Its painter, John Turnbull, was trying to capture the drama of the moment, but the painting isn't historically accurate.

The reason Independence Day is on July 4 isn’t very robust

July 3, 2017

A statue "is the most efficient and courteous way yet discovered of ensuring a lasting oblivion of the deceased," Joyce said in 1907. Hardly the words of someone who wanted to be remembered long after his death.

Happy Bloomsday! Too Bad James Joyce Would Have Hated This

Joyce infamously disliked the idea of being memorialized

June 16, 2017

President Truman receives a birthday cake in the Oval Office in 1951. Six years earlier, his birthday coincided with V-E Day.

No U.S. President Has Ever Died in May and Other Weird Trivia About Presidential Lives

Presidential lives are scrutinized for meaning, even when none is readily apparent

May 31, 2017

The doge's barge, called the Bucentaur, returning to Venice after the "wedding" ceremony. This painting is by eighteenth-century Venetian artist Giovanni Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto.

Venice Has Been Married to the Sea for Over a Thousand Years

Happy anniversary, you crazy kids

May 26, 2017

A quarter of the U.S. population (including a girl in Moline, Illinois) turned out for the Liberty Bell.

World War I: 100 Years Later

How the Liberty Bell Won the Great War

As it entered World War I, the United States was politically torn and financially challenged. An American icon came to the rescue

April 2017

A Photographer Captures Papier-Mâché and Politics on Parade in Haiti’s Jacmel

Michael Magers photographs high art and cutting cultural critiques during the annual Kanaval celebration

March 20, 2017

Beginning as a religious feast day, Saint Patrick's Day has become an international celebration of Irish heritage.

The Origins of Chicago’s Green River, Shamrock Shakes and Other Surprising Trivia About St. Patrick’s Day

From colonial patriots to mass-marketed milkshakes, the Irish religious holiday has morphed into a worldwide celebration

March 16, 2017

Flame retardants and lead in Mardi Gras beads may pose a danger to people and the environment.

The Toxic Truth Behind Mardi Gras Beads

Every year, 25 million pounds of plastic beads made by Chinese factory workers get dumped on the streets of New Orleans

March 8, 2017

The 2017 Harbin Ice and Snow World began trial operations December 21, which has attracted tens of thousands of tourists to take pictures here.

This Ice Festival in China Is a Rainbow-Colored Dream

January 24, 2017

A woman smashes her laptop at Good Riddance Day in 2015

Inspired by a Latin American tradition, Good Riddance Day is one way to say goodbye to this year’s bad memories

December 28, 2016

Cool Finds

For 50 Years, This Swedish City Has Celebrated Christmas Season With a Giant Straw Goat

And most of the time it meets a fiery end

December 5, 2016

Visitors on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. arrive to see the grand opening ceremonies.

Breaking Ground

Thousands Converge on the National Mall For Music, Family, Remembrance and Celebration

Families from all over the country arrive to celebrate the grand opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture

September 24, 2016

The Voice of Tomorrow Choir on the front porch of the new National Museum of African American History and Culture

Breaking Ground

What You Need to Know About the September 24 NMAAHC Grand Opening

Entry Passes are all gone for today, but there is plenty to see and do on the National Mall

September 24, 2016

From color to sound, the next-gen fireworks are sure to wow

July 1, 2016

A Little Free Library in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

Cool Finds

Build Your Own Library at the First-Ever Little Library Festival

The book-sharing stations have popped up all across the United States

May 6, 2016

For the first time in hundreds of years, some seders might include rice and beans.

The Jewish Conservative movement relaxes a 13th-century ban on rice, corn and beans during Passover

April 21, 2016

The Swiss have a tradition for predicting spring: the Böögg.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, an Exploding Snowman Helps Predict Spring

Think Groundhog Day—but with fire

April 12, 2016

$Just a fraction of the nearly 25,000 pounds of diamondback rattlesnakes displayed at the 2016 Rattlesnake Roundup in Sweetwater, Texas.$

One of the world’s largest rattlesnake roundup bagged nearly 25,000 pounds of rattlers this year

March 25, 2016

Cool Finds

A Saturated Snapshot of This Year’s Holi Celebrations

Revelers are already soaking in shades of the spring festival

March 22, 2016

Cool Finds

This French Town Is Covered in Citrus Sculptures

Ten-foot-tall lemon sculptures herald the Fête du Citron

February 19, 2016