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Rituals

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A river winds along paved banks lined with pilgrims.
Haridwar, India

Har Ki Pauri

The Hindu god Vishnu is said to have walked at this Hindu pilgrimage site.
Glasgow, Scotland

Blackstone Chair

The 18th-century inspiration behind Harry Potter's Sorting Hat.
Wander into our forest of blood-chilling spring tales—if you dare.
cryptozoology

Spring Is for Monsters, Ancient Rituals, and Scary Stories

From haunting tales of the Bell Witch to child-eating swamp monsters, the season is full of frights.
Sarah Durn May 8, 2023
A Hindu priest holds a lit coconut oil lamp in front of statues of Prince Vijaya (left) and Kuweni (right) at the Sri Subramaniam temple in the southern Sri Lankan town of Matara.
music

How This Demon Dance Banishes Illnesses in Sri Lanka's Remote Jungles

The kankariya dance all started with a legendary demon queen named Kuweni.
Zinara Rathnayake May 4, 2023
In 2015, this effigy of the Pagan goddess Marzanna met a fiery end.
witchcraft

In Poland, Drowning the Pagan Goddess Marzanna Ushers in Spring

A straw effigy of the winter goddess is burned and then submerged in chilly waters.
Sarah Laskow May 3, 2023
However long this snowman effigy, known as the Bӧӧgg, takes to burn will determine the remaining length of winter.
ancient

To Banish Winter in This Tiny Wisconsin Town, Burn a Swiss Snowman

The burning of the Bӧӧgg is like a fiery version of Groundhog’s Day, but with fireworks and sausages.
Tea Krulos May 2, 2023
The bonfire and procession at the Beltane Fire Society's 2019 event.
festivals

Why 18th-Century Scots Performed Mock Human Sacrifices Over Cake

This May Day, make Beltane bannock, a simple snack with a long history of superstition and divination.
Sam O'Brien May 1, 2023
Metal guitarist and paper effigy artisan Koh Eng Keat sits on his motorcycle in front of a seven-foot-tall paper mansion. Keat runs 358 Custom Effigies Workshop with his father Koh Ah Bah where building elaborate papier-mâché effigies like this are just part of a normal workday.
funeral art

Meet the Punk Rocker Building Life-Sized Paper Effigies for Malaysia’s Ghosts

The doom metal guitarist builds papier-mâché BMWs, iPhones, and mansions—then it all goes up in smoke.
Marco Ferrarese February 24, 2023
All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura
puzzles

Puzzle Monday: Living With the Dead in Madagascar

Alex Bellos October 10, 2022
Actor and director Sujata Day is obsessed with her homemade chai and doesn't go a day without it.
gardens

Discovering the Modern South Asian Ritual of Making Chai

Remember the history, practice, and be creative.
Sujata Day July 13, 2022
Mithraeum elements included a tauroctony, or depiction of Mithras sacrificing a bull.
cults

An Ancient Roman Cult's Rituals Included Feasting, Fire, and Floor Cleaning

To uncover new clues about the secretive world of Mithraism, scientists considered evidence right at their feet.
Nathaniel Scharping May 13, 2022
A traditional Burundian drum ceremony.
Gishora, Burundi

Gishora Drum Sanctuary

This century-old site established by King Mwezi Gisabo preserves the art of Burundi's ancient drum rituals.
A lumpy dumb cake on its way to be baked.
food

The Historical Halloween Cake That Reveals Your Future Spouse

Can a "dumb cake" help you discover your fate?
Anne Ewbank November 6, 2021
Earlier this year, excavations at Wolseong Palace unearthed more evidence of human sacrifice during its construction.
palaces

Why Were Human Sacrifices Buried Beneath Ancient Korea's 'Moon Castle'?

Remains sealed in the foundations suggest builders would do anything to protect the heart of a fledgling kingdom.
Bridget Alex October 15, 2021
Offerings are given before dawn during Pchum Ben.
festivals

It Takes a Village to Feed Cambodia’s Ravenous Ghosts

When the gates of hell open on Pchum Ben, communities gather to feed returning ancestors with sweet and savory rice cakes.
Diana Hubbell October 14, 2021
Team members have found the bones of more than 50 animals sacrificed in a courtyard at Casas del Turuñuelo.
ancient technology

The Ancient People Who Burned Their Culture to the Ground

At a site in Spain, archaeologists piece together the last days of Tartessos, an advanced society that vanished 2,500 years ago.
Blair Mastbaum September 23, 2021
One of the main cave entrances
Duffus, Scotland

Sculptor's Cave

A beachside cave filled with Bronze Age metalwork, pottery, and human remains.
Offerings on the tree's trunk and fence
Chalma, Mexico

Ahuehuete de Chalma

This specimen of Mexico's national tree is now central to religious pilgrimage and rituals.