271 Items Tagged

Holidays

Cougnole de Noel.

Cougnou

This Christmas bread is formed in the shape of the baby Jesus.

To Sua Ocean Trench in Samoa.

As the Year Winds Down, Let Us Help You Dream About Your Next Adventure

Through the new year, Atlas Obscura will highlight our staff’s favorite places of the moment.

Samir S. Patel December 20, 2019

The tree in London's Trafalgar Square is already the butt of jokes.

Don't Blame Cities' Giant Christmas Trees for Being Droopy and Bald

If they're Norway spruce, that's just their nature.

Jessica Leigh Hester December 17, 2019

Mr. Snowball.

Kaukauna, Wisconsin

The North Pole of Kaukauna

This animatronic Christmas village within an industrial park creates a whimsical juxtaposition.

First Lady Grace Coolidge in 1926 with what was meant to be dinner.

Why President Coolidge Never Ate His Thanksgiving Raccoon

A tradition as American as apple pie, and older than the Constitution.

Luke Fater November 26, 2019

Yemas de San Leandro

Hidden behind a wall, Spanish nuns distribute their signature sweets on a revolving tray.

Gata

Outside chapels carved from cliffs and caves, elderly women sell sweet, beautiful breads rooted in Armenia’s Christian traditions.

Inside the National Speleotherapy Clinic in Belarus, where treatments are carried out in an active salt mine nearly 1,400 feet underground.

soviet architecture

On Vacation in Soviet-Era Sanatoriums

The treatments are no longer mandatory, but they're still available.

Anika Burgess August 19, 2019

First Official 4th of July Celebration Plaque

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

First Official 4th of July Celebration Plaque

This metal disk commemorates the birth of a historic American holiday.

The Easter egg tree custom, pictured here in Saalfeld, Germany, gained some ground in the United States.

How Easter Egg Trees Almost Became an American Tradition

Like the Christmas tree, they were probably a German import.

Anne Ewbank April 17, 2019

A medieval illustration of the bitter herbs traditionally eaten at the Passover Seder.

Look Inside a Precious Passover Haggadah From Medieval Italy

It's on public view for the first time since 1900.

Matthew Taub April 10, 2019

Fesikh

On Sham el-Nessim, Egyptians celebrate spring by gathering around picnic spreads of fermented fish.

The Gnome gnows!!

Silverado, California

Modjeska Shakespeare

This 75-year-old Shakespearean sculpture is painted by a local artist for every season.

Squirrel hunting in Ville Platte, Louisiana.

The Cajun Town That Shuts Down for 'Squirrel Day'

Hunting season starts with a mass migration to the woods.

Jordan LaHaye March 11, 2019

Jjajang Myeon

On April 14, lonely South Korean singles are encouraged to drown their sorrows in black noodles.

Shahi Tukda

This sugar-soaked South Asian sweet isn’t your basic bread pudding.

Khapse

On Tibetan New Year, deep-fried cookies take the form of auspicious symbols and festive snacks.

15 Glorious Hangover 'Cures' From Around the World

Atlas Obscura readers share their tried-and-true favorites.

Eric Grundhauser December 31, 2018