Tradition

Jason Suttie displays his pe'a, a traditional Samoan tattoo in Auckland, New Zealand.
Social Justice

'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.

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. Mardi Gras, also called Shrove Tuesday, Carnival Tuesday, or Pancake Day, is associated with Carnival celebrations in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, and around the world.
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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.

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. Some 50 elephants, most of them from the central area of Kandy, along with thousands of traditional drummers, dancers, and monks, have gathered in the Sri Lankan capital to participate in the city's biggest two-day annual procession, scheduled for February 18th and 19th.
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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.

Cormorant fishermen use sea cormorants to catch sweetfish on October 9th, 2018 in Gifu, Japan. In this traditional fishing art, 'ukai,' a cormorant master called 'usho' manages the birds to capture ayu, or sweetfish. The ushos of River Nagara have been the official staff of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan since 1890. Currently, six fishermen of the Nagara River conduct special fishing for the Imperial family eight times a year, on top of daily fishing from mid-May to mid-October.
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Viewfinder: Fishing for Ayu in Japan

Cormorant fishermen use sea cormorants to catch sweetfish on October 9th, 2018, in Gifu, Japan.

christmas-xenophobia
Social Justice

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.

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Social Justice

Q&A With Unitarian Universalist Senior Pastor, Galen Guengerich

Paul Hiebert speaks to the Unitarian Universalist senior pastor about religion in America.

Young Rudolph (right) and Hermey the Elf as seen in the 1964 television special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Social Justice

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.

Social Justice

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.

Economics

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.'