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Culture

Essays and videos on the arts, literature, travel, rituals and celebrations
ArchitectureArtBiography and memoirDance and theatreDesign and fashionFilm and visual cultureFood and drinkHomeMusicNature and landscapeRituals and celebrationsSports and gamesStories and literatureSubculturesTravel
Aerial view of concentric snow tracks around a phone booth and street light. The artist walks in circles away from the center, dragging a suitcase behind her.
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video

Home

An artist endeavours to bring the Moon down to Earth in a ritual of yearning

5 minutes

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

Rituals 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.
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video

Rituals 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.
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video

Rituals 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.
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video

Rituals 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.
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video

Rituals 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.”
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essay

Subcultures

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.
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video

Food 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.
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video

Sports 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.
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essay

Archaeology

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.
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essay

Religion

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.
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essay

Food 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.
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essay

Anthropology

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

A girl in a dress is swinging with the Sagrada Família towers in the background.
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essay

History of ideas

Disorient yourself

Now associated with childhood fun, the swing has a near-universal history of ritual transgression and transformation

Javier Moscoso

A scary figure in a fur-lined hood with a skeletal face and sharp teeth, in black and white against a dark background.
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video

Rituals and celebrations

Beware the Nalujuit! A rare glimpse into a chilling Labrador Inuit tradition

13 minutes

Large poster with Hindu deity and male portraits being carried by two people in a street. Text is in Hindi. Bicycle and table in the background.
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video

Politics and government

‘Without a poster, you don’t exist!’ – on the curious political banners of Mumbai

20 minutes

A man in a rural setting wraps his hands and prepares for physical work or training, with a focused expression and a rustic tin roof in the background.
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Sports and games

The brutality and beauty of the West African martial art of ‘dambe’

15 minutes

Golden Egyptian statue with intricate details, holding a staff, is displayed in a dark room.
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Archaeology

The pharaoh’s trumpet

The truly wondrous treasures of Tutankhamun’s tomb are not made of gold. They are the mundane things of everyday life

Toby Wilkinson

A close-up of two hands exchanging a piece of bread, symbolising sharing or giving, with a blurred background. Black and white photograph.
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Anthropology

Keeping the score

The gifts we exchange are both generous and yet fraught with social rules and obligations. Marcel Mauss explained why

Gili Kliger

Overhead view of a bustling outdoor market with red and white striped umbrellas, various fruits and vegetables on display, and shoppers browsing stalls.
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video

Food and drink

From set-up to close, a day at the farmers market is a whirlwind sensory feast

10 minutes

Cyclists in colourful jerseys compete in a road race, surrounded by blurred cars and spectators in the background.
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video

Sports and games

Bodies, bikes and groovy music propel this stylish classic film from 1965

17 minutes

Person holding molten metal with tongs near a furnace at night.
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video

Rituals and celebrations

From roaring fire and molten glass an artist creates a healing ritual

13 minutes

A narrow alley with a shrine featuring a lit statue of the Virgin Mary nearby parked motorbikes and a person is standing beside one. Street lamps light the scene.
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essay

Religion

The meaning of Purgatory

Think less of a holding pen for Heaven and more as a flow of love from the living, and the weirdness starts making sense

Magnus Course

Abstract painting with swirling blue tones and a bright yellow centre, resembling a starry night sky. A dark form lies to the left.
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video

Rituals and celebrations

In a Mongolian wind burial, a body falls on land before getting swept up to the heavens

6 minutes