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Rituals and Traditions

Elizabeth Streb’s troupe is part of a new wave of circus performers. “The drama is in danger,” says Streb. “I’m trying to make people wonder, What’s going to happen next?”

Step Right Up! See the Reinvention of the Great American Circus!

As Ringling Bros. packs up its tent for good, all sorts of newfangled spectacles have sprung up to take its place

A 50-pound batch at Shriver’s makes about 2,000 pieces.

What Makes Salt Water Taffy the Perfect Summer Candy?

The first families of the sugary treat stir up another season of making history by the bite

Wearing white with a white headscarf to St. John's Eve is an important part of the celebration.

American South

Voodoo Priestess Marie Laveau Created New Orleans’ Midsummer Festival

Mardi Gras may be the city’s biggest party, but St. John’s Eve is its most important religious festival

French American Music and Dance, 1983

Commentary

After 50 Years of Song, Dance, Food, Even Hog Calling, at the Folklife Festival, Is It Still Worthwhile?

Recognizing traditional culture in the information age is ever more important argues the director of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

The advantages of coins as currency were clear.

Making Cents of Currency’s Ancient Rise

Cash has been king for over 40,000 years

Aerial view of the wooden circle site

New Research

Massive Wooden Fire Monument Is Older Than Stonehenge

Carbon dating shows that the site dates back to 3300 B.C.

Why Does Every American Graduation Play ‘Pomp and Circumstance’?

The song was written for a British king’s coronation and its name is a Shakespeare reference. What gives?

The Reason This South American Tribe Shrunk Their Enemies’ Heads

The Shuar of South America is the only tribe to have never been conquered by the Spanish Empire

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

Fifth-Century Remains May Be Evidence of Human Sacrifice in Ancient Korea

Two bodies were found under the walls of a castle, leading some experts to believe that they were sacrificed to ensure the building did not crumble

The original 1967 cover illustration of The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

The True Story Behind Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Her Mixed-Up Files

Fifty years ago, author E.L. Konigsburg wrote her children’s literature classic that highlighted the wonder of museums

Any faithful recreation of elephant ivory must be hard, strong and tough—three qualities that are difficult to engineer in any one material.

Future of Conservation

Appalled by the Illegal Trade in Elephant Ivory, a Biologist Decided to Make His Own

Faking the stuff of elephant tusks could benefit wildlife conservation and engineering—yet many technical hurdles remain

What a Broom Tied to a Periscope Means in the U.S. Navy

On February 7, 1943, the USS Wahoo sailed proudly into Pearl Harbor, a broom tied to her periscope. It was a wink to an old Naval tradition

Many Chinese restaurant names with words like golden, fortune, luck and garden are chosen for their auspiciousness—out of the owners’ desire for success.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Why Do Chinese Restaurants Have Such Similar Names?

Consistency and familiarity is the tradition

As his ancestors have done for generations, Icelander Árni Hilmarsson catches an Atlantic puffin in a net called a háfur.

Disappearing Puffins Bring an Icelandic Hunting Tradition Under Scrutiny

Historically, hunting seabirds has been a distinctive feature of Nordic coastal culture. Should it still be?

Why the Templar Secret Rituals Were So Controversial

From spitting on the Christian cross to strange sexual acts, the Knights Templar’s secret rituals were controversial

Was This Hidden Tunnel Used by the Knights Templar?

It’s unclear if the Knights Templar created the secret tunnel in Acre, Israel, as an escape route or a way to secretly export valuable items

How the Knights Templar Came to Be

After a group of pilgrims were murdered in 1119, nine crusaders formed a pact to protect any others like them from harm

A woman smashes her laptop at Good Riddance Day in 2015

Trending Today

2016 Got You Down? Trash All Your Woes on Good Riddance Day

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

Native Americans Saw Buffalo as More Than Just Food

The relationship between some Native American tribes and the American buffalo was a sacred one

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