Culture & Traditions

Avoid the holiday shopping rush with these tips for starting your shopping early -- preferably before Black Friday.

By Maria Trimarchi

Time is a precious commodity around the holidays, but while you're making your lists and checking them twice, don't forget that you're doing more than shopping, decorating, wrapping and cooking. You're also helping make memories for your family.

By Sara Elliott

Much like a Christmas tree and a jolly Santa Claus, the tradition of hanging up stockings signals that the Christmas season has arrived. So, what's popular to stuff in them?

By Jessica Brown & Melanie Radzicki McManus

Time for family visits, chestnuts roasting on an open fire and that other holiday tradition -- receiving a glut of boring, boastful newsletters from distant friends, co-workers and long-lost family. So, make yours stand out from the pack.

By Emilie Sennebogen

On the first Thanksgiving, the pilgrims wore buckles, the Native Americans brought corn and everyone made merry until the sun went down. Right? That's not the most accurate portrayal of the historical event.

By Candace Keener

Why do children don ridiculous costumes and bang down doors demanding candy once a year? And what do the ancient Celtic clans of Britain have to do with it?

By Cristen Conger

What do a man named Stingy Jack, the devil and a cross have to do with carving Halloween pumpkins? Everything, it turns out. This long-standing tradition is steeped in folklore and superstition.

By Emilie Sennebogen

April 1 gives the sneakiest ones among us an excuse for some shenanigans. Out of ideas for this year's springtime skulduggery? HowStuffWorks has 10 gags to completely confuse someone's day.

By Cristen Conger

Whether you're carving, stenciling or painting your pumpkin, we've collected five easy ways to create out-of-this-world pumpkin designs.

By Maria Trimarchi

Halloween is for tricks and treats... and partying! We have 10 cool party ideas for kids, teens and parents alike.

By Maria Trimarchi

To get to the bottom of why black cats got a bad rap and where revelers can catch glimpse of a ghost, treat yourself to these 10 frighteningly fun Halloween facts.

By Cristen Conger

We have five tricks to making Halloween noise that has you covered whether you're a digital music downloader or a do-it-yourselfer.

By Maria Trimarchi

You don't need to be a pumpkin-carving Picasso to think outside the typical jack-o'-lantern box, you just need a little spark to get you going.

By Maria Trimarchi

At its core, feminism is the belief in equality. It's a movement and a philosophy that seeks to eliminate the social, cultural and legal barriers between men and women. Its goal is to create a truly egalitarian society.

By Cristen Conger

Not every woman whose head scrapes the glass ceiling responds by burning her bra. These five feminist movements highlight proactive efforts to change gender stereotypes and claim equality for women in the boardroom, bedroom and voting booth.

By Cristen Conger

Snip, snip -- that's the sound of a baby losing his foreskin. Circumcision is a common medical practice in many parts of the world. Where did this tradition come from? And is it something we should stop?

By Tom Scheve

A lie grows until it's as plain as the nose on your face, says Pinocchio's fairy friend. But if you don't see a long nose (or pants on fire), how do you spot a fib?

By Tom Scheve

Between 1910 and 1970, nearly 100,000 Aboriginal children were taken from their birth parents and placed in white foster homes as part of a government plan to phase out the Aboriginal race. So where are these children today?

By Alia Hoyt

Money for admission? Check. Willing companion to hold onto during your visit? Check. Second set of pants in case yours are scared off? Check. You're now ready to enter a haunted house.

By Cristen Conger

One piece of diet advice is not to snack until you're hungry enough to eat an apple. But what about consuming human flesh? Is cannibalism about hunger, power or desperation? And is it alive and well in our modern world?

By Josh Clark

Potatoes. Moles. Time capsules. Some things just belong underground and thrive in that dark, airless environment. Humans have long preferred topsoil to the subterranean, but some designers are looking to change that.

By Josh Clark

Before you board the crab boat for your first fishing gig, the captain tells you to ditch the suitcase and the banana. This is deadly work. Are you really going to argue with superstition?

By Debra Ronca

It might be called flavor tripping, but there are no drugs involved. People pop a berry known as miracle fruit and marvel as sweet becomes sour and savory becomes sweet. What is this magical berry? How does this "miracle" happen?

By Molly Edmonds

From exchanging rings to saving the top layer of the cake, weddings are full of quirky traditions. When it comes to the custom of carrying the bride over the threshold, it's less about chivalry than it is about chastity and spirit intrusion.

By Josh Clark

At the end of the day, do you like to unwind with a cold drink? Perhaps a bubble bath or a nice, long walk? If beating someone to a bloody pulp is more your style, you may be in luck: A real-life fight club could be just a Web search away.

By Josh Clark