Rituals and celebrations
![People dining at long tables adorned with blue tablecloths in a narrow, lantern-lit street lined with old buildings and blue-and-white flags.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/c66d7bed-5e64-4603-b4ce-93c9e6f7c193/rt-rtx119pd.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Community
idea
Take a seat: the long table is an antidote to loneliness
While some consider the long, shared dining table outdated or inconvenient, it is actually a powerful social tool
by Antone Martinho-Truswell
![Two traditional-style pagodas in a grassy field under a blue sky with scattered clouds, with mist and mountains in the background.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/14a51c28-5518-4408-9f5d-62056bf187a4/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Rituals and celebrations
idea
Together forever: ‘at-home burial’ in southern Vietnam
What might a traveller along the Mekong Delta learn about the beliefs and traditions behind the country’s elevated tombs?
by Gina Elia
![Sepia-toned, blurred image of a woman in a dark dress with a white blouse, sitting outdoors on a cloudy day, hands clasped on her lap.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/562ae7a0-d74f-420b-8f41-9e694a569003/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Grief
guide
How to express your grief
The initial shock might be over. But you need time and space to ‘ride the wave’ of grief if you are to find a sense of peace
by Sue Morris
![Illustration of a blue-colored woman balancing on one leg surrounded by plants, flowers, a crab, berries, mushrooms, and a turtle.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/1e5970ce-3280-417e-a49a-25304e3442a9/dance-dance-evolution-psyche-landscape-1.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Dance
film
Every culture dances. So why did humans evolve to get down?
Directed by Rosanna Wan and Andrew Khosravani
![The bone outline of a skull is seen in relief where excavated on a cave floor](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/9ed85d80-8a3d-44e1-a3db-128c02bb1398/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Rituals and celebrations
idea
Digging for answers in a cave filled with Neanderthal skeletons
When a team of researchers returned to an Iraqi cave believed to be a Neanderthal burial site, here’s what they found
by Shayla Love
![Archaeological dig showing three weathered stone head sculptures, partially buried in the ground.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/fe6e12ce-4b33-4373-8a7e-8de72713a4de/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Death and dying
idea
Why ancient Mesopotamians buried their dead beneath the floor
In an age before photos or audio recordings, people found other ways to stay sensorially connected to their deceased
by Nicola Laneri
![A young woman in her bedroom sits at her desk holding flowers and a letter and looks back at us over her shoulder and smiles](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/6e0fd35f-e4be-4f01-afc7-5f88a9da7980/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Poetry
guide
How to write a love poem
Flirtatious texts are soon forgotten. Learn to express your feelings in a beautiful way that will make a lasting impression
by Dan Simpson
![Painting of an outdoor community gathering, with people dancing and playing music near a house with a thatched roof. Many onlookers are seated.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/cdf8da5c-fa21-4520-8b71-1cc88b7341e8/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Rituals and celebrations
film
Come on this painterly journey to Madagascar’s ‘turning of the dead’
Directed by Bastien Dubois
![A group of people in white attire and backpacks walk along a wooden path through green fields under a blue sky with scattered clouds.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/2d62b3fc-6961-43c7-a414-36d0d0887465/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Rituals and celebrations
idea
More radical and practical than Stoicism – discover Shugendō
As they train for their own deaths, Japan’s mountain priests develop a form of acceptance that goes beyond the Stoics
by Tim Bunting
![People holding signs supporting Kennedy outdoors near Franklin Road, smiling and waving.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/c6d4596b-a3b9-4567-9b53-1ecabff948cd/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Civic life
idea
Voting in person brings democracy to momentous life
Elections are about more than tallying votes – they offer voters a deeply felt connection to democracy and their role in it
by Emilee Booth Chapman
![Man in blue suit sitting on steps, holding a coffee cup and reading a book, with a brown leather bag beside him, in sunlight next to a white wall.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/3e345f10-9659-43d0-8770-f0509a1b079e/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Rituals and celebrations
guide
How to set yourself free with ritual
For a life of harmonious ease, find the rhythm in the everyday: make your world your temple and submit to its sacred ritual
by Alan Jay Levinovitz
![People in traditional costumes and masks dance while musicians play instruments in an outdoor setting.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/3e1cef07-8333-4eee-8c3c-31df21e92271/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Spirituality and religion
film
An ancient ritual is a window to Mayan culture’s deep past and vibrant present
Directed by Ricky Lopez Bruni