'It's Amazing Tatau's Persisted': How Samoan Tattooing Withstood Colonialism
As missionaries spread across the South Pacific, they attempted to wipe out local tattooing traditions—but they failed in Samoa.
Tradition
Viewfinder: Celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans
A member of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club marches down St. Charles Avenue during a Mardi Gras parade on March 5th, 2019, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Viewfinder: Elephants Arrive in Sri Lanka's Capital for an Annual Festival
Commuters interact with an elephant as he rests on a public road ahead of the annual Navam Maha Perahera festival of the historic Buddhist Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 18th, 2019.
Viewfinder: Fishing for Ayu in Japan
Cormorant fishermen use sea cormorants to catch sweetfish on October 9th, 2018, in Gifu, Japan.
Racism and Xenophobia in 'War on Christmas' Rhetoric
For some, the so-called War on Christmas is about much more than a competition between religious and secular forces.
Q&A With Unitarian Universalist Senior Pastor, Galen Guengerich
Paul Hiebert speaks to the Unitarian Universalist senior pastor about religion in America.
Dear Santa, All I Want for Christmas Is the Truth
Our resident skeptic takes a look at some of the mythologizing that has arisen around the West's winter holidays, from poison plants to phantom Der Bingles.
The Lure of Tradition: Longevity Bias Proves Persistent
If something has been around longer, it must be better. New research suggests we hold onto that bias even in instances where quality has nothing to do with longevity.
The Evolution of Mardi Gras Rituals
In this 'Wonks Gone Wild,' researchers say the hierarchical role-playing in Mardi Gras parades gave way to a free marketplace for beads, which included 'negotiated transactions.'