Da Shuhua: Fireworks of Molten Iron
Kaushik Patowary
Feb 16, 2024
For five centuries, the inhabitants of Nuanquan village in Yu County, in the northwestern reaches of Hebei province, China, have marked the ...
Showing posts with the label Culture
Bottle Kicking in Hallaton
Kaushik Patowary
Dec 18, 2023
In the village of Hallaton in Leicestershire, England, a unique tradition unfolds every Easter Monday. The residents of Hallaton and the nea...
The Strange Burial Customs of Trunyan Village
Kaushik Patowary
Aug 29, 2023
On the eastern shore of Lake Batur, on the island of Bali, Indonesia, lies the village of Trunyan—home to the culturally isolated Bali Aga p...
Pidakala War: The Cow Dung Fight
Kaushik Patowary
Jul 12, 2023
The Hindu new year or Baisakhi is celebrated throughout India in mid-April. The celebrations vary across states and from culture to culture,...
The 72 Seasons of Japan
Kaushik Patowary
Jul 11, 2023
We are all familiar with the four seasons of the year—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—based on the changes in weather, ecology, and the n...
Jimmy The Raven
Kaushik Patowary
Jun 19, 2023
One of the most prolific actors of Hollywood has over six hundred acting credits to his name, but you haven’t even heard of him. Yet, if you...
Mokomokai: Tattooed Maori Heads And The Musket Wars
Kaushik Patowary
Nov 11, 2022
In the early 19th century, a deplorable trade developed in New Zealand between the indigenous Maori people and the European merchants. The w...
The Cults That Worship Cargo
Anonymous
Jun 13, 2022
Picture this: the second World War is unleashing upon the world, but in a far corner across the seas from America, patches of land remain un...
The Peculiar Locks of Dindigul
Anonymous
May 5, 2022
In India’s Tamil Nadu, some 420km south of Chennai, sits Dindigul. In this city of over two million people, families have slept without a wo...
The Pacific Island Where Prince Philip is God
Anonymous
Apr 4, 2022
At the other end of the sea from where Queen Elizabeth sits on her throne in England, photos of her husband holding a unique club rest safel...
What the Megaliths of Jharkhand Reveal About Tribal India
Anonymous
Mar 23, 2022
In 2016, a cluster of over 300 megaliths were discovered under a maze of shrubs and garbage near Ranchi. The tombstones of Yamuna Nagar had ...
Mensur And Bragging Scars
Kaushik Patowary
Feb 25, 2022
This is Otto Skorzeny, often regarded as Hitler’s deadliest general. An Obersturmbannführer (lieutenant colonel) in the SS during World W...
Weighing The Mayor of High Wycombe
Kaushik Patowary
Feb 4, 2022
Every year at the Annual Meeting of the Charter Trustees of the town of High Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire, England, a new mayor is elected. T...
Bring Home The Bacon at The Dunmow Flitch Trials
Kaushik Patowary
Dec 20, 2021
Married couples who can prove their undying love for each other can take home half a pig in a tradition that dates back to at least the 12th...
Before Pumpkins People Carved Turnips on Halloween
Kaushik Patowary
Nov 18, 2021
The yearly Halloween tradition of carving pumpkins into Jack-o-lanterns was originally an Irish ritual, but instead of pumpkins, the folks a...
Afghanistan’s War Rugs
Kaushik Patowary
Aug 9, 2021
Turkmen weavers in northern Afghanistan have been weaving rugs for thousands of years. This heavy textile, made for a wide variety of utilit...
Japan’s Acrobatic Noodle Delivery Cyclists
Kaushik Patowary
Jul 19, 2021
These photographs taken in the middle of the 20th century on the streets of Tokyo show how food delivery looked like before the onslaught of...
Vinkensport: Belgium’s Competitive Bird Calling
Kaushik Patowary
Sep 4, 2020
In the Flanders region of Belgium, a favorite pastime among the old Dutch-speaking folks is raising and training the common chaffinch ( Frin...
A Licence to Watch Television
Kaushik Patowary
Aug 5, 2020
In many countries, owing a television involves more than one type of cost. First the device itself, which may cost, depending on your taste,...
The Masked Women of Iran
Kaushik Patowary
Jul 4, 2020
Head covering, veils and burqas are common sight among many Muslim communities around the world. There are a lot of different styles and ea...
