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Rituals and Traditions

Here is the finished Last Supper float, carried by members of the Brotherhood of the Turchinis, one of the confraternities that traditionally participates in the procession.

Good Friday Festivities on Procida

The Mysteries of the Dead Christ procession begins at Terra Murata on the island of Procida

Starchy staple of the tropics, the breadfruit is often fried or baked and eaten like potatoes.

Exotic Fruits to Eat Locally When Traveling Globally

The crimson fruits occur by the millions, and fishermen, tequila-sipping cowboys, and even a few tourists take to the desert to pursue the pitahaya

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Sicilian Easter Sweets

On the Italian island, marzipan figures—pears, plums, Paschal lambs—are a favorite holiday treat

In northern Spain, pouring apple cider from bottle to glass is a sport requiring dexterity and skill, as demonstrated by this barman in La Calzada, Asturias.

More Brews and Booze from Around the Globe

Ignore everyone and beware of liquid that looks like water—because it’s probably chacha, and in the Republic of Georgia, locals will make you drink it

If you figure out a way to politely turn down baijiu, China's favorite hard liquor, please let us know.

Booze Cruise: The Best Local Liquors to Try While Traveling

Fermentation has been replicated independently in nearly every region of earth, and many of the drinks various cultures brew are well worth a journey

This scene from Lake Wanaka captures much that is great about New Zealand, like the Southern Alps and the country's many gleaming lakes.

New Zealand: What’s Hot and What’s Not

From Stewart Island in the south to the Surville Cliffs in the north, New Zealand is a country almost as geographically diverse as the United States

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Is New Zealand Too Dangerous for Cycling?

A Christchurch gentleman claimed to have knocked two cyclists off the road with his black H-2 Hummer and threatened to “nail” more

Would you attend Europe's biggest singles event?

Romance Against the Odds

Where marriage is a form of defiance and matchmaking is a game of chance

Two lovers at the canal St-Martin

Is Paris Really for Lovers?

Give Paris its due, but the place has at least its share of unromantic features

Top Ten Demonstrations of Love

The inventor, the celebrity and the royal highness couldn’t resist the draw of making a grand gesture to the love of their life

What's tougher: Rugby or American football?

Football or Rugby: Whose Players are Tougher?

Could football players last 80 minutes in a rugby match? The great debate continues

Andrew, bundled against the blazing sun, releases a big brown trout.

Catch and Release: A Wicked Game?

Fishing is an effective means of bringing people to the water’s edge o admire the ecosystem and consider the value in preserving it

Brushtailed possums, shown here in their native Australia, are among the most destructive pests in New Zealand.

Waging War on Mammals in New Zealand

The family spent days in a cabin eating food, provided by the New Zealand Department of Conservation, which requested to stomp on kiwi-killing vermin

An olive tree in Italy

Italy: Where the Olive Oil is the Most Flavorful

An organic farming network gave my niece the opportunity. Then she gave me the nectar of the gods

Pitcairn Island provided the mutineers of the Bounty a haven from the world in the 18th century. Today, it offers much the same—along with a general store, a cafe and 50 permanent residents.

Seven Islands to Visit in 2012

Pitcairn Island is populated by 50 people, has a handful of hostels, a general store and a café and, frankly, could really use a few visitors

Lamps at the Chiang Mai market

Christmas Shopping Around the World

There are valuable discoveries, but at a German Christmas market all I could find was Third World junk that only looks good if you drink a lot of gluhwein

Mistletoes evolved the ability to grow not on the roots of trees, but instead on their branches.

Mistletoe: The Evolution of a Christmas Tradition

Why does this parasitic plant remind us of romance?

Don’t be caught drinking until this Georgian man is done toasting.

Faux Pas: Mortifying Missteps of the Innocent Abroad

It was only weeks later that I learned what a klutz I’d been. It’s a miracle I wasn’t thrown to the bears

In Nepal, the Lambrecht family of Sebastopol, California is loving life and local transport.

Have Kids, Will Travel

“We were travelers. It was in our blood, and the idea that we would ever stop traveling just because we had kids never sat well with us”

Lutefisk is both a delicacy and a tradition among Scandinavian-Americans.

Scandinavians’ Strange Holiday Lutefisk Tradition

People in the Old Country won’t touch the stuff, but immigrants to the American Midwest have celebrated it for generations

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