Culture & Traditions
Cultures and Traditions takes a look at how people interact with each other. This might be through sub-cultures, relationships, fads or religion and spirituality.
The People of Martha's Vineyard Once Shared a Sign Language
And everyone used it, not just the local deaf community.
How has this Twitter subculture brought about social change?
Are you over-ingesting on media? Perhaps an overhaul of your "media diet" is in order.
How did spring break become a booze-fueled rite of passage for American college students? Can we blame this one on the ancient Greeks?
Mansplain, Dumpster Fire: The Dictionary Just Got (850 Words) Bigger
Merriam-Webster added 850 new words to its popular online dictionary. Learn which words the dictionary added for 2018.
Rudeness is not just a personal annoyance. It can actually affect health and safety. Why is that? And why do we replay a rude interaction over and over in our heads?
Mohammed bin Salman seems to be modernizing the Middle Eastern country, but is it for real, or is it just for show?
Been together for years and assume you are common-law married? Better check the law in your state.
How could we run out of trademarked words? It sounds impossible, but it's growing more and more likely.
State-funded Funerals: What Happens to the Unclaimed Dead?
Cities have protocols for making sure everyone — even the nameless — has an eternal resting place.
Cake, Candles and Check: Who Pays the Birthday Dinner Bill?
It doesn't get more awkward than the check arriving and no one knows who's paying for what. Is it rude to expect birthday guests to pay for their own meal?
Is your heart broken? There is a place that will house its souvenirs.
The prosperity gospel is one of the most popular forms of Christianity in the entire world. But where did it come from and how did it get so big? And why do critics say it gives a false picture of Christianity?
Sex Abuse in Catholic Church Blamed on Money, Power Dynamics
Are Catholic priests more prone to becoming sexual predators because they take a vow of chastity? Or was the sexual abuse scandal that rocked the church not unique to the religious institution at all?
6 Punctuation Marks That Don't Exist But Totally Should
Which of these would you like to see on your computer keyboard?
Times Square may be iconic for ringing in the new year by dropping its ball, but plenty of other locales drop stuff, too, like, say, a giant bologna. Or an opossum.
Parson Brown? Yuletide? Do you have a clue what the lyrics of Christmas carols are talking about?
The legendary jolly figure isn't exactly the same across cultures. In China, Santa totally plays the saxophone.
Until now, it would be difficult to find a tattoo artist willing to ink your loved one's DNA into your skin. But times are changing in the tattoo world.
What’s the Relationship Between Chubby Checker and Fats Domino?
Although there's no official record that the late Fats Domino and Chubby Checker ever met, these music legends have common ground.
Throughout the world, Christmas celebrations reflect local culture and traditions, and they all share in the wonder of the season. Learn more about the various Christmas traditions you'll find in countries around the world.
How Megachurches Blurred the Line Between Religion and Riches
Megachurches and prosperity gospel teach parishioners if you pray for it ... it will come.
Middle names aren't a purely modern invention, so why do we still have them?
Hazing is traditionally associated with college pranks, but it's gotten deadlier over the past two decades. It's also spread to high schools and other institutions. What accounts for this increase and why do people allow themselves to be hazed?
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in New York City may be an iconic symbol of the holidays, but how well do you know this tree-dition?
