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Rituals and Traditions

Reservations "are strongholds of community," says Chris Eyre.

A Youth Renaissance for Native Americans

Filmmaker Chris Eyre says Native pride will embolden the next generation of first Americans

Hanamikoji street, Geisha district, Gion, Kyoto

In Kyoto, Feeling Forever Foreign

Travel writer Pico Iyer remains both fascinated and puzzled by the ancient Japanese city

Isolation allowed the Kurds to survive for thousands of years while other cultures faded from history.

Kurdish Heritage Reclaimed

After years of conflict, Turkey’s tradition-rich Kurdish minority is experiencing a joyous cultural reawakening

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Cinco Non-Alcoholic Mexican Beverages

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Model Moralist

Wayne Wheeler had a mission

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May Day Fritters and Beltane Cakes

The first bite into the bunny tells all.

Why Are Chocolate Easter Bunnies Hollow?

Isn’t it cruel to disappoint kids, who bite into what looks like solid chocolate and are confronted with emptiness?

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Cooking with Easter Candy

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Homesick for Passover

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Easter Eggs Dyed the Natural Way

A how-to guide to making Easter egg dyes from the leftovers in your refrigerator

Is It Safe to Drink Green Milk?

What to know about food coloring

Eat up—It’s National Something Day

Admirers present valentines to a girl who is pretending to be sleeping, c. 1900s. In the 18th and 19th centuries, British children celebrated Valentine's Day by going door to door, singing songs.

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

In 1972, with assistance from an art teacher, 11 men formed a cooperative called Papunya Tula Artists. By 1974 the group had grown to 40.

Contemporary Aboriginal Art

Rare artworks from an unsurpassed collection evoke the inner lives and secret rites of Australia’s indigenous people

Christmas Dinner on the International Space Station

The tradition of giving chocolate coins at Hanukkah is much more recent.

Hanukkah Gelt, and Guilt

The author reflects on traditions new and old

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

"In the bad old days, when medical life was more free-wheeling, "MASH"-style humor was commonplace."

UBI in the Knife and Gun Club

The secret language of doctors and nurses

A Sufi pilgrim dances at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, in Sehwan Sharif, Pakistan, in 2006.

Pakistan’s Sufis Preach Faith and Ecstasy

The believers in Islamic mysticism embrace a personal approach to their faith and a different outlook on how to run their government

Now seen as early evidence of prehistoric worship, the hilltop site was previously shunned by researchers as nothing more than a medieval cemetery.

Gobekli Tepe: The World’s First Temple?

Predating Stonehenge by 6,000 years, Turkey’s stunning Gobekli Tepe upends the conventional view of the rise of civilization

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