Philosophy Science Psychology Society Culture

DonateNewsletterSIGN IN

Rituals and celebrations

Essays and videos on the arts, literature, travel, rituals and celebrations

Architecture Art Biography and memoir Dance and theatre Design and fashion Film and visual culture Food and drink Home Music Nature and landscape Rituals and celebrations Sports and games Stories and literature Subcultures Travel

Explore more Culture

Photo of three people in traditional robes, two holding wooden staffs, standing outside a wooden building in sunlight.

essayRituals and celebrations

A life in Zen

Growing up in countercultural California, ‘enlightenment’ had real glamour. But decades of practice have changed my mind

Anshi Zachary Smith

A round pot encircles a hole in the soil, around the hole are dried leaves, a stone and a stick.

essayAnthropology

Spider divination

Life is complicated. In Cameroon, initiated diviners read the messages of spiders to untangle possible futures

David Zeitlyn

Blurry photo of a townscape with unfocused colourful lights strung across buildings in the evening.

videoAgeing and death

Memories of friends and neighbours light the streets of a seaside village in England

11 minutes

Photo of a woman meditating by a fire in a dimly lit room with artwork on the walls and others seated in the background.

videoAnthropology

For an Amazonian female shaman, ayahuasca ceremonies are a rite and a business

30 minutes

Illustration of hands typing on a keyboard with handwritten notes and a man in a sequence of frames.

essayComputing and artificial intelligence

Chatbots of the dead

We can now create compelling experiences of talking with our dead. Is this ghoulish, therapeutic or something else again?

Amy Kurzweil & Daniel Story

Photo of a man in a red shirt praying on a church pew, hands clasped, with a notebook beside him in dim lighting.

essayCognition and intelligence

The power of prayer

Praying is a cognitive practice full of problem-solving resources. You can learn from it even if you don’t want to do it

Eleanor Schille-Hudson

Ancient fresco showing two figures in flowing robes dancing against a dark blue background, one holding a tambourine.

essayDance and theatre

Why the old man dances

Religious ritual to appease the gods or free expression of human agency? For the ancient Romans, dance could be both

Karin Schlapbach

Blurry photo of a person lying back with head tilted, set against a red and dark background.

essaySex and sexuality

Sex and death

Our culture works hard to keep sex and death separate but recharging the libido might provide the release that grief needs

Cody Delistraty

A child peeking over the back of a horse in a grassy open field with a distant horizon and a slightly cloudy sky.

videoAnthropology

Does Mogi’s future lie with her horses on the Mongolian steppe, or in the city?

16 minutes

Photo of a doll with curly red hair, blue eyes, and a large maroon hat, wearing a double string of pearls and a red dress.

essayRituals and celebrations

Tender, yet creepy

Dolls help children create wonderfully vivid and imaginative worlds, while also serving as unsettling reminders of the abyss

Tishani Doshi

Photo of two young Asian women wearing sunglasses sitting in the back of a pickup truck at an outdoor event with American flags and mountains.

videoMeaning and the good life

A Japanese religious community makes an unlikely home in the mountains of Colorado

9 minutes

Aerial photo of a beach at dusk with a spotlight illuminating sand tracks seagulls waves and a person walking with luggage.

videoHome

Tracing circles with her suitcase, Yuge mourns seasons of separation from family

5 minutes

Open books arranged in a grid with pages featuring bright, hand-painted floral designs, around a drawing of a loaf of bread.

videoRituals and celebrations

Flirtation, negotiation and vodka – or how to couple up in 1950s rural Poland

5 minutes

A line of people in winter clothing stand pulling on a thick rope anchored in the snowy landscape. The ocean and a cloudy sky are in the background.

videoRituals and celebrations

A whale hunt is an act of prayer for an Inuit community north of the Arctic Circle

8 minutes

A smiling family group stands in a living room posing for a photo. The table is adorned with red candles, a mirror, apples, and a green plant.

videoRituals and celebrations

A beginner’s guide to a joyful Persian tradition of spring renewal and rebirth

3 minutes

A person in glasses smiles amid colourful confetti in the air, with blurry, illuminated urban background and celebratory atmosphere.

videoRituals and celebrations

Meet the entrepreneur whose business is crafting perfect peak experiences

12 minutes

Detailed beaded artwork depicting two figures with dark hair and cheerful expressions, adorned with vibrant blue and gold beads.

videoRituals and celebrations

The spectacular Mardi Gras artworks born of a unique New Orleans tradition

16 minutes

Blended images of a historical figure in traditional attire and two women with on-screen text: “POV you in September…” and “Bestie… manifesting will come in 30 minutes.”

essaySubcultures

Of memes and magick

Bending a mysterious world to your will was the goal of esoteric practices. Now it’s the unashamed aim of the tech titans

Tara Isabella Burton

A group of men in formal attire sit at a long table, eating from bowls in a patterned room with numerous empty wine glasses.

videoFood and drink

Is a ‘gastronomic society’ dinner the height of decadence, or an act of artistry?

11 minutes

A football player is celebrating in front of an enthusiastic crowd, including a marching band and cheerleaders holding red pom-poms.

videoSports and games

A unique project frames college football as an intricately choreographed mass ritual

7 minutes

Painting of four solemn figures wearing ornate and colourful robes, holding items like shields and staffs, with animals in the foreground.

essayArchaeology

The secret life of Druids

The Greeks and Romans portrayed these elusive priests as bogeymen who bathed in their victims’ blood. Who were they really?

Miranda Aldhouse-Green

Surreal painting of fantastical creatures engaged in various activities, including playing a musical instrument, riding animals, and interacting with each other.

essayReligion

Miracles not magic

It took a tremendous effort to distinguish early Christianity from the finely tuned world of pagan beliefs and rituals

Martha Rampton

A group of people socialising at a restaurant, seated around a table adorned with flowers, wine glasses, and menus, with a bartender in the background.

essayFood and drink

Crème de la crème

How French cuisine became beloved among status-hungry diners in the United States, from Thomas Jefferson to Kanye West

Kelly Alexander & Claire Bunschoten

Photograph of a dead black bird lying on brown soil with its head turned to the side.

essayAnthropology

How to mourn a forest

The Marind people of West Papua deploy mourning not only to grieve their animal and plant kin but as political resistance

Sophie Chao