Rituals and celebrations

A rustic log sauna by a lake. Warm orange glow from inside contrasts with the serene lakeside view.
RITUALS AND CELEBRATIONS

The sauna life

Each cycle of steam and cold brought me closer to the land, my mother, and the version of myself I’d left behind

by Katja Pettinen

A red bin overflowing with paper coffee cups next to a wall with powerpoints in an office setting.
FOOD AND DRINK

Why we should treat caffeine like the brain-altering drug it is

Like billions of people, I use caffeine. But there is a glaring double standard in the drugs we stigmatise or celebrate

by Jonathan Simone

A cremation ceremony at night on a riverbank, surrounded by fires, people and historical buildings.
RITUALS AND CELEBRATIONS

They keep the Hindu funeral pyres burning, but at what cost?

For the men and boys of the Dom community in Varanasi, sacred cremations demand a lifetime of exhausting, dangerous labour

by Radhika Iyengar

A person wearing a red jacket and a backpack walking on a winding path through lush green fields with hills and trees in the background.
SACRED PLACES

How to plan a pilgrimage

Whether religious or not, you can undertake a special, meaningful kind of journey that could leave you changed forever

by Oliver Smith

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

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.
DEATH AND DYING

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