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Millions of postcards made a mockery of Leap Day traditions which gave women the opportunity to propose to men once every four years on the 29th February. Source: Public domain

Women Have Proposed Marriage to Men on Leap Day for Hundreds of Years

Welcome to February 29th, the Leap day that comes around but once every four years! In the age of viral marriage proposals, the persistence of outdated traditions whereby men inevitably go down on...
Traditional Christmas tree. Source: Asad / Adobe Stock

From Mithraic Mysteries to Modern Mirth: Unraveling the Evergreen Christmas Tree Tradition

The Christmas tree is probably one of the most recognizable symbols of Christmas, seen on greeting cards, advertisements, cookies, wrapping paper and in the homes of millions of people around the...
Traditional cremation ceremony in Bali. Source: Victoria Boroda / Adobe Stock

From India and Taiwan to Tibet, the Living Assist the Dead in their Passage

Many people see death as a rite of a passage : a journey to some new place, or a threshold between two kinds of being. Zoroastrians believe that there is a bridge of judgment that each person who...
Ancient Roman funeral and mourning. Source: Erica Guilane-Nachez / Adobe Stock.

Watch the Reenactment of a Traditional Roman Funeral (Video)

The ancient Romans had a unique relationship with death and dying, and their burial practices were no exception. When someone passed away, their loved ones would gather around the dying person's bed...
A traditional burial site in Tana Toraja, whose culture is known for elaborate funeral rituals. Source: fabio lamanna / Adobe Stock

Elaborate Funeral Rituals and Exhumation of the Dead in Toraja Culture

The unforgettable Tana Toraja is a regency located in the picturesque mountains of South Sulawesi in Indonesia. This region is home to the indigenous Torajan people, whose way of life is deeply...
Fireworks are popular in New Year's traditions around the world

Amazing New Year’s Traditions Around the World

In many countries around the world, New Year’s Day is celebrated on January 1st with fireworks and festivities the evening before. But this is not the only type of New Year’s celebration and not...
Close up of an ancient crying angel statue with tears as a symbol of the end of human life. According to the latest research burial customs in Iron Age Britain frequently involved the keeping and burial of everyday objects associated with the deceased. Source: zwiebackesser / Adobe Stock

Mementos for the Dead: Surprising Burial Customs in Iron Age Britain

A University of York researcher has developed a new framework for interpreting collections of everyday objects found during archaeological excavations, specifically at sites linked to Iron Age...
Papua New Guinean. There has been an increase in recent years in attacks aimed against Papua New Guinea witchcraft.

Papua New Guinea Witchcraft: Ancient Spirits and Deadly Modern Witch Hunts Live On

Papua New Guinea is one of the few places in the world where literal witch hunts still take place on a regular basis. Witch hunts continue to be practiced, even though engaging in a witch hunt was...
Lockdown Looting: Massive Hoard of Stolen Serbian Artifacts Seized

Lockdown Looting: Massive Hoard of Stolen Serbian Artifacts Seized

Described as a discovery of “great historical and archaeological value,” Serbian customs officials have seized a hoard of over 2,000 ancient artifacts. According to Archaeology News Network , on the...
Origins of Popular Christmas symbols

The Holly and the Mistletoe: Ancient Roots of Christmas Symbols

Christmas is a very popular holiday tradition that is celebrated by some 2 billion people worldwide. This popular celebration is of course linked closely to Christianity and is intended to honor the...
St. Mary’s Church, the medieval church that was slated for restoration until Brexit politics nixed the project, despite huge public protests.            Source: Josh Tilley / CC BY-SA 4.0

Medieval Church Restoration Project Sidelined By Truck Park Takeover

A historic English medieval church site has been overtaken by a Brexit overflow lorry park and plans to restore the Grade-1 sacred site have been scrapped, in a controversial government move...
The Hanging Coffins of Sagada, Philippines

Unique and Unsettling: The Hanging Coffins of Sagada, Philippines

The Igorots are an indigenous tribe living in Sagada, Luzon Island, Philippines. The Igorots practice unique funerary customs, in which the dead are buried in coffins which are tied or nailed to the...
One of the oddly shaped human skulls discovered in northeastern China. Source: Q Wang / Fair Use.

Possibly the Earliest Deliberate Cranial Deformations Found In China

Our ancestors had many practices that we may find inexplicable, one of these being the intentional reshaping of skulls until they were egg-shaped. In China, archaeologists have found elongated skulls...
The Marriage of St. Ursula and Prince Conan, 1522

Marriage: Is the Sacred Bond a Result of Social Evolution or Deliberate Design?

Getting married is an age-old celebration, which commemorates the joining of two individuals together in matrimony. For many in today’s society it represents picking out invitations, dresses,...
Hanging coffins of the Bo people in China

More than One Hundred Ancient Hanging Coffins Discovered in China

A cluster of 113 hanging coffins dating back 1,200 years have been discovered on cliff-faces and in caves in Zigui county, Hubei province, close to the site of the Three Gorges Dam in China. The...
Defleshed human bones in ancient religious complex in Bolivia

Archaeologist finds defleshed human bones in ancient religious complex in Bolivia

Archaeologists investigating a religious complex in Bolivia have discovered an ancient mortuary where human body parts were boiled, stripped of their flesh, and cleaned. Experts believe the practice...
Cliffside tombs of the Tana Toraja

Five incredible funerary practices from the ancient world

Evidence for burial rituals has been found dating back 100,000 years and since then numerous examples of funerary customs have been from the ancient world, from Egyptian mummification to bodies...
Mongolia Nomadic Life

Spectacular photographs shed light on the ancient nomadic lifestyle of Mongolia‏

Amid the stark beauty of Mongolia’s varied landscapes lives one of the world's last surviving nomadic cultures, whose customs pre-date the age of Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire (1162 –...
Caherconnell in Ireland

Burials uncovered in Ireland reflect fusion of Paganism and Christianity

Excavations at Caherconnell in County Clare, Ireland, have uncovered ancient burials that reflect a fusion of Pagan practices with Christianity . Although it was initially believed that Christianity...
Dolphin Masacre in Japan

Ancient customs used to justify dolphin slaughter

Most of the articles published on Ancient Origins advocate for the preservation of ancient cultures and customs around the world. But what happens when ancient customs conflict with modern-day...
Neanderthal Graves

Neanderthals Buried Their Dead in Ancient Ritual

In yet another revealing study showing that Neanderthals were not that different from modern humans, researchers have found proof that our ancient relatives buried their dead intentionally . Evidence...
Prehistoric Man - Haifa Israel

Prehistoric man in Israel held ritual meals to honour the dead

A new study published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology has found evidence that prehistoric man who lived in the Carmel Mountains region in Haifa, Israel, held ritual meals following the...