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Rituals and Traditions

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A Hip Tradition

The age-old art of hula is still moving and shaking

Saffron-robed monks enter the Bayon, which stands in the precise center of the King Jayavarman VII's temple city of Angkor Thom.

Jewel of the Jungle

Traveling through Cambodia, our writer details the history and archaeology of Angkor’s ancient temples

The Gullah Geechee perform an ancestral ceremony on Sullivan's Island.

Summertime for Gershwin

In the South, the Gullah struggle to keep their traditions alive

Around the world (above, Halabja, Iraq), an array of rich and varied wedding rituals exists, full of symbolism intended to reinforce a couple's marital bond and ensure their lasting happiness.

Global Weddings

How “I do” is done around the world

Wimbledon has been more than a site for the greatest players to shine; often, it has shaped the entire sport.

A Brief History of Wimbledon

From a 19th century garden-party event to today’s international spectacle, the storied tournament has defined tennis

A Hindu monk offers a morning prayer along the Ganges River.

India’s Holiest City

At Varanasi, Hindu pilgrims come to pray—and to die—along the sacred Ganges River

Ancient meditation might have strengthened the mind's ability to connect symbols and meanings, eventually causing gene mutations that favored modern memory.

Meditate on It

Could ancient campfire rituals have separated us from Neanderthals?

Bahb trains in the ring at Saktaywan Boxing Gym with the head trainer, Ajarn Sit (Ajarn means "teacher").

Thailand’s Fight Club

Inside the little-known, action-packed world of Muay Thai boxing

Damon Conklin uses the body, from head to feet, as his canvas.

Today’s Tattoos

Making your mark

The new removable inks are made from safe pigments and trapped in nano-sized, harmless polymer shells.

The Tattoo Eraser

A new type of body art ink promises freedom from forever

Mullet is a regional specialty along the lines of Kentucky burgoo or Louisiana gator tail.

Fish Are Jumpin’

A coastal community struggles to preserve the North Carolina “mullet blow”

The entrance to the new found tomb was hidden for more than 3,000 years beneath the remains of ancient workmen's huts.

A Mystery Fit For A Pharaoh

The first tomb to be discovered in the Valley of the Kings since King Tut’s is raising questions for archaeologists about ancient Egypt’s burial practices

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Land of the Wee

Where else can you decorate the bordello and exercise godlike powers?

The warts and all approach of obituarists such as Andrew McKie of the Telegraph (left) and the Denver Post's Claire Martin (right) gives an "accurate portrait of those who have embellished and undermined our society," says obits scholar Nigel Starck (center).

Dead Lines

Today’s obituary writers sum up lives famous and not with pans as well as paeans

The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt

Egypt’s Crowning Glory

New Kingdom customs rise triumphantly from the dead in “The Quest for Immortality,” a dazzling display of treasures from the tombs of the pharaohs

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Living a Tradition

At Sabbathday Lake in Maine, the eight members of the only surviving Shaker community carry on the old ways

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When I Was Your Age…

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If a Mustache Becomes You, Don’t Cut It Off

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Bang! Bang! You’re Dead

Dueling at the drop of a hat was as European as truffles, and as American as mom’s apple pie

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“She Said Yes! She Said Yes! She Said Yes!”

How a few brave and smitten souls got up the courage to declare their love and propose in public, and then lived to tell about it

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