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.
What's With Germany's Strict Burial Regulations?
Grave Matters: Why Are Caskets So Expensive?
Indians Forced to Change Death Rituals as COVID-19 Rages
Try a Tattoo Without the Commitment
Ways to Keep Your Old Tattoos Looking Fresh and New
The Nose Knows: 5 Questions to Ask Before a Septum Piercing
Chautauqua Has Promoted Free Speech and Learning for Nearly 150 Years
Visit London's Little-known Postman's Park Memorial to Heroic Self-sacrifice
The Hamsa Symbol Is Found in Many Cultures, But What Does It Mean?
New Oxford Dictionary Will Document African American English Lexicon
How Are Words Removed From a Dictionary?
Has COVID-19 Killed the Handshake?
Celebratory Yard Signs Are Having a Major Moment
Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia! You Know the Jingle, Now Hear the Chia Pet Story
Has Guinness World Records Set Any World Records?
5 Family Traditions for New Babies
5 Family Anniversary Traditions
5 Family Traditions for Daughters
When You Wish Upon a Stone ... Make It a Striped One
What's the Significance of the Flower of Life?
What Is Smudging? Can It Purify a Space of Negative Energy?
The Firm vs. the Family: How Does the British Monarchy Really Work?
What's the Difference Between a Duke and an Earl?
Having a Cherokee Ancestor Doesn’t Necessarily Make You Cherokee Too
How the Millennial Generation Works
Millennials Are Making Birthday Cards a Thing Again
Nope, Boomers and Xers Don’t Work Harder Than Millennials
The 'X' Factor: Why Some Advocates Prefer 'Latine' to 'Latinx'
Why Do We Say White Collar and Blue Collar?
Why Do We Call It a Piggyback Ride?
Oh Chrismon Tree, Oh Chrismon Tree?
For Goodness' Sake, It's a Mrs. Claus Quiz!
Tree or No Tree? How Interfaith Families Navigate the Holidays
What Are the Most Common Last Names in the World?
A Look at the White House's Most Memorable Weddings
The Immigrant Paradox: Why Acculturation Should Not Mean Assimilation
There's More Than One Way to Be Monogamous
Hey Dad! The Famous Fathers Quiz
Famous Mothers Quiz
What Does 'Shana Tova' Mean?
Even Non-Wiccans Can Celebrate Mabon, the 'Pagan Thanksgiving'
How Zen Koans Unlock the (Gateless) Gate of Enlightenment
Reading the Rails: What Was the Hobo Code?
Afrofuturism: Where Technology, Culture and the Black Experience Meet
Who Is Karen and Why Is She So Mad?
Quiz: Finish That Jingle!
How One Woman Unexpectedly Became the Voice of Siri
There's a Healthier Way to Consume Your Media
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Shabbat is the holiday that is central to Jewish life, occurring every Friday at sunset to Saturday night. But what is it and how is it observed?
By Dave Roos
You've surely heard it in the movies even if you've never used it. So who came up with the phonetic alphabet and why is it used?
The Jewish High Holy Days commemorate concepts such as renewal, forgiveness, freedom and joy.
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The roots of the Taliban's religious beliefs – Deobandi Islam – can be traced to 19th century colonial India.
By Sohel Rana & Sumit Ganguly
Dr. Anthony Fauci has famously said he hopes the handshake never comes back. If it doesn't, is the elbow bump the most logical greeting to replace it? If it's not, what is?
Sharia, which is Islamic law, can strike some people in the West as draconian and harsh. Is this an accurate portrayal?
By Dave Roos
Victorian etiquette wasn't just about sending a thank you note or holding a door open. There were a jillion rules of propriety to observe. How many of these do you know?
By Alia Hoyt
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Whether these people knew it or not, their famous last words made a real statement. How many can you figure out?
By Alia Hoyt
A scholar of religion explains why the Islamic New Year never falls on the same date and depends on the sighting of the moon.
By Igbal Akhtar
In both Hebrew and Greek, letters have numerical values, so many people, both in the past and today, saw hidden meanings in words as well as numbers found in the Bible. Here are just a few examples.
By Dave Roos
You might think it's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. But you're wrong. And anyway, that's a song, not a word.
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Some words are extra important. Enter capitalization, the perfect way to show just why such words are special. How adept are you at knowing what to capitalize? Take this quiz and find out!
By Alia Hoyt
He makes just one brief appearance in Genesis, yet he's been seen as a precursor of Jesus Christ. What was he really and how did he become associated with Jesus?
By Dave Roos
Afrofuturism isn't just about placing a Black person in a futuristic landscape. It takes into account the challenges Black people face and allows them to imagine futures of their own making.
The New Testament is full of tense exchanges between Jesus and the Pharisees, who often tried to trip him up in legalistic debates. But who were the Pharisees really and what did they believe?
By Dave Roos
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There are some 50 Chinatowns in America and hundreds more in other countries. What led to their creation and will they survive into the next century?
In this age of electronic communication, the art of letter writing has all but been lost, but the knowledge necessary to address an envelope is something we all should certainly possess.
It's one of the largest religions on Earth but little-known in the West, where its practitioners are often mistaken for Muslims or Hindus. What else should we know about the Sikh faith?
By Dave Roos
Many Jewish people will affix a mezuzah, a decorative case, to the doorframe of their houses. What's the significance of this?
By Dave Roos
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Some words, like "cat" or "dog" are easy enough to spell. Others, however, cause quite the spelling frakas. Or is it fracas? Take the quiz to determine your spelling IQ!
By Alia Hoyt
Lao-tzu was the legendary Taoist philosopher whose words sound profoundly modern. They help us maintain a sense of harmony in an often-chaotic world. Here are five of his sayings to ponder.
By Dave Roos
Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs have been forced to abandon their long-standing practices around mourning the dead as COVID-19 overwhelms the country. What are they doing now?
Asian Americans continue to challenge injustice and a rising tide of hate crimes directed at them, while mainstream narratives fail to address their bravery, history and struggles.
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An obscure passage in Genesis mentions a group of superhumans who were the offspring of angels and women. Why was this included and what does that have to do with the Watchers?
By Dave Roos
AAPI Month commemorates two important dates in Asian American history, but it wouldn't have become a reality without the efforts of one determined woman with some Congressional backing.