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A Lucky 8 Places to Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit

Hop into the Lunar New Year with some furry friends.
Jonathan Carey January 20, 2023
A devil mask rests on a table inside the workshop of the Minga Tunguipamba, a collective of rural performers, as dancers put the finishing touches on their masks and costumes ahead of the Diablada de Píllaro. The artists spend weeks and sometimes months creating and personalizing their masks. Many utilize horns, teeth, and furs from animals such as deer, boars, and llamas.
festivals

Every January, This City in Ecuador Fills With Dancing Devils

Diablada de Píllaro is a rebellious but festive answer to a much older tradition begun by Spanish colonizers.
Sarah Durn January 13, 2023
Píllaro, Ecuador

Casa El Pacto

The devil masks on display at this small museum are part of an annual festival that has been taking place for centuries.
A local version of a colonial tradition, the Winneba Fancy Dress Festival rings in the new year in Ghana.
festivals

In Ghana, the New Year Starts With a Fancy Dress Masquerade

Once a colonial tradition, a creative festival has been elevated to new heights.
Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing January 11, 2023
monks

At a Festival in Bhutan, Some Dancers Bare All to Ward Off Evil Spirits

One of the many traditional dances at the annual Jambay Lhakhang Drup involves performers in masks—and nothing else.
Erika Fatland January 11, 2023
Geneva, Switzerland

Mère Royaume

On the side of a building, a depiction of the woman who became a local legend by tossing soup out her window.
Kobe Luminarie
List

9 Winter Traditions You Might Not Have Heard Of

From a beautiful light memorial in Japan to a massive ice pillar in Sweden.
Jonathan Carey December 16, 2022
holiday

Podcast: Trailing of the Sheep

What happens when thousands of ovids take over an Idaho town.
Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Honfleur, France

Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

This mountaintop mariner’s church is packed with model ships and nautical art while hosting an annual maritime festivity for the townsfolk below.
Eloína was the first queen of the drums, leading the Beija-Flor samba school to victory in 1976.
festivals

The First Brazilian Carnival Queen Was a Groundbreaking Transgender Woman

Eloína pioneered the role in 1976.
André Aram July 8, 2022
Madi Dermé performs dressage with his horse Toubab at the equestrian club Cheval Mandingue in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Dermé hopes to revive cavalier traditions in the country and introduce modern European equestrian arts.
festivals

The Horseman Fighting to Preserve Burkina Faso's Equestrian Culture

Madi Dermé doesn't want to be the last of the country’s legendary cavaliers.
Clair MacDougall April 6, 2022
monuments

Podcast: Possum Monument

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team March 10, 2022
The creative costumes might be made of assortments of household or farm trash such as old feed bags, lampshades, bottle caps, and spent shotgun shells.
festivals

A Short Drive From New Orleans, Cajun Mardi Gras Is a Different Animal

Colorful costumes and alcohol, sure, but also chasing chickens.
Fletcher Moore March 4, 2022
Papier-mâché masks are the centerpiece of Carnival in Guinea-Bissau.
festivals

Carnival in Guinea-Bissau Represents Resistance and Possibility

In the small West African Nation, the festival is history.
Ashawnta Jackson March 3, 2022
In the 1950s, Carnival was a chance for Rio to display its growth and artistic flair.
festivals

Take a Parade Down Memory Lane to Rio's 1953 Carnival

Images of a city and culture showing itself off to the world.
Ashawnta Jackson March 2, 2022
Nine teams of battlers take part in Ivrea's Battle of the Oranges.
festivals

Ivrea's Battle of the Oranges Is Raucous, Sticky Fun

The Italian Carnival celebration involves one town, nine teams, and three tons of citrus.
Ashawnta Jackson March 1, 2022
The Diablada dance pits the Archangel Saint Michael, in the uniform of the Roman legions, against the servants of the devil.
music

Bolivia's Dance of the Devils Is a Party and a Battle Between Good and Evil

Heaven and hell, music and dance at the Carnaval de Oruro.
Matthew Taub February 28, 2022
A Kurent and the devil behind him received handkerchiefs at homes they visited in the village of Zabovci.
unesco

The Supernatural Sheep of Slovenia's Door-to-Door Carnival

To bring spring, hundreds of hirsute revelers roam the country's villages.
Matthew Taub February 24, 2022