Rituals and celebrations

Illustration of a hedgehog in a hat pulling a cart with flowers and fruit. Russian text says “Happy Birthday”

The birthday gift

In the Soviet Union, you’d never wish someone ‘S dnem rozhdeniya!’ without a proper present

by Margarita Gokun Silver

Ancient mosaic depicting a lounging skeleton with Greek text, an amphora, a loaf of bread and a platter on a dark background.

Reflections on mortality can help you live well now – here’s how

For me and many others, contemplating death has clarified what matters. These curiosity-based exercises will get you started

by Joanna Ebenstein

Painting of a cafe interior with a person sitting alone holding a cup tables stacked chairs on checkered floor.

EMOTION REGULATION

Solitude can be profoundly restorative. Here’s how to savour it

Time alone offers unique psychological benefits, once you learn to embrace these quiet moments rather than escape them

by Thuy-vy Nguyen

Ancient Greek marble relief showing three figures in a carved scene.

RITUALS AND CELEBRATIONS

For Plato, rationalists and mystics can walk the same path

Why did such a keen proponent of reason turn to the Eleusinian Mysteries to explain his ideas about knowledge?

by Sam Woodward

Photo of a crowded street dinner with blue flags, people sitting at long tables amid warm lights in a historic setting.

COMMUNITY

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While some consider the long, shared dining table outdated or inconvenient, it is actually a powerful social tool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

Illustration of a blue-colored woman balancing on one leg surrounded by plants, flowers, a crab, berries, mushrooms, and a turtle.

DANCE

Every culture dances. So why did humans evolve to get down?

Directed by Rosanna Wan and Andrew Khosravani

Sepia-toned photo of a woman outdoors with eyes closed and hands clasped, wearing a dark shawl against a blurred landscape.

GRIEF

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

Photo of a rural landscape with two traditional Asian pavilions, green fields and a cloudy sky in the background.

RITUALS AND CELEBRATIONS

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

Painting of a woman in 18th-century attire holding flowers by a window with a small dog on a bench.

POETRY

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

Photo of a dinosaur fossil embedded in rock and soil, with visible bone structures partially exposed.

RITUALS AND CELEBRATIONS

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

Photo of ancient clay sculptures of human heads partially buried in dirt, showing worn and textured surfaces.

DEATH AND DYING

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 group of people in white attire and backpacks walk along a wooden path through green fields under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

RITUALS AND CELEBRATIONS

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

Painting of an outdoor community gathering, with people dancing and playing music near a house with a thatched roof. Many onlookers are seated.

RITUALS AND CELEBRATIONS

Come on this painterly journey to Madagascar’s ‘turning of the dead’

Directed by Bastien Dubois

People in traditional costumes and masks dance while musicians play instruments in an outdoor setting.

SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION

An ancient ritual is a window to Mayan culture’s deep past and vibrant present

Directed by Ricky Lopez Bruni

Photo of people holding signs supporting Kennedy on Franklin Rd surrounded by trees.

CIVIC LIFE

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

Photo of eight varied stone doughnut-shaped artefacts on a blue background with a 5 cm scale bar.

RITUALS AND CELEBRATIONS

Far-flung ancient communities forged bonds through broken rings

What can the fragments of Neolithic slate rings found in Finland tell us about social relationships 6,000 years ago?

by Marja Ahola, Elisabeth Holmqvist & Petro Pesonen