Rites and Rituals

Yamaboko Festival in Kyoto

Japan's largest and oldest annual procession of floats, begun in 869

In 869 Kyoto was struck by an massive epidemic. In order to end the plague and appease the gods, Emperor Seiwa requested the head priest of the Yasaka Shrine to hold a procession to remove the... »

Cultures and Civilizations , Wondrous Performances, Rites and Rituals | Edited by spinkk and Dylan

Beverley Sanctuary Stones

Marking the ancient boundaries of asylum around Beverley Minster

A haven for criminals of all stripes, the sanctuary stones of Beverley marked an ancient boundary inside of which thieves and brigands could escape the law. Legend has it that King Athelstan... »

Strange Statues, Rites and Rituals | Edited by Annetta, Dylan and others

pagan art

messages from extinct tribes

petroglyphs at Basse Terre, Guadeloupe »

Rites and Rituals | Edited by

Fields of the Woods

The world's largest set of the ten commandments lay nestled in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains

Most people have heard of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, but far fewer are familiar with Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson, the Smokey Mountains very own (non-Mormon) 'latter day saint.'... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues, Cultures and Civilizations , Rites and Rituals, Curious Places of Worship | Edited by

Igreja de Vera Cruz de Marmelar

A chunk of the 'true cross' is held in this small Portuguese church where modern day exorcisms are said to be common place

Relics of the true cross are a strange thing, and carry with them a Christian legend most Christians have never heard of. Known as the "Golden Legend," it begins as Adam - as in Adam and Eve -... »

Relics and Reliquaries, Rites and Rituals, Curious Places of Worship | Edited by

Bighorn Medicine Wheel

Native American circle of stones used to predict astronomical events

A mysterious pattern of stones sits at the summit of Medicine Mountain, nearly 10,000 feet above the Bighorn Range in Wyoming. Covered by heavy snows for most of the year, the stone configuration... »

Instruments of Science, Retro-Tech, Rites and Rituals, Curious Places of Worship, Incredible Ruins | Edited by Trevor

"El Gigante" and the stone Moai of Easter Island

The largest stone Moai on Easter Island

One of the first realizations one has about Easter Island is, it's not an archipelago. There are no other islands surrounding it. No, in all directions there is nothing but empty ocean for greater... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues, Retro-Tech, Intriguing Environs, Disaster Areas, Rites and Rituals, Lost Tribes, Long Now Locations, Curious Places of Worship, Incredible Ruins, Outsider Architecture, Repositories of Knowledge | Edited by LongNow, re_nakaba and others

Bohemian Club

Longtime headquarters of controversial boys' club for the world's wealthiest and most powerful.

At its founding in 1872, the Bohemian Club was founded as an official regular meeting of journalists, artists, and musicians. The building's exterior is adorned with plaques bearing owls and the... »

Rites and Rituals, Bizarre Restaurants and Bars | Edited by littlebrumble and Annetta

Gävle Goat

If there is one thing you don't want to be in Sweden during Christmas, it's a Yule Goat

The small Swedish town of Gavle harbors a history of repeated sustained vandalism, unexpected in the polite mild-mannered Nordic country. Making of Yule Goats, straw goat figures are an ancient... »

Rites and Rituals | Edited by stanestane

Voodoo Doughnut and Wedding Chapel

The magic's in the hole!

The notorious doughnut shop was founded by Kenneth "Cat Daddy" Pogson and Tres Shannon to fill a void in Portland's late night dining scene. Apparently there was a spiritual void as well as the... »

Rites and Rituals, Bizarre Restaurants and Bars, Curious Places of Worship | Edited by littlebrumble

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