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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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effigies

Papier mache masks on sale for making effigies or “monigotes” to burn during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Ecuador. Source: Iryna / Adobe Stock

Ecuadorian Effigies Share Last Will and Testament on New Year's Eve

In Ecuador, New Year’s celebrations are steeped in unique traditions and peculiar rituals. One such eccentric custom is the creation and burning of Año Viejo effigies on the night of the 31st...
Canoti: The Sioux’s Malevolent Little Tree Dwellers

Canoti: The Sioux’s Malevolent Little Tree Dwellers

The canoti (or canotila) are small creatures found in Sioux culture , canoti meaning “tree-dweller” and canotila signifying “small tree-dweller.” Considered tiny messengers of beings who exist in the...
The Great Serpent Mound in Ohio

New Theory Links Serpent Mound Cults, Impact Craters and High Science

Within the lush Ohio River Valley lies the famous Serpent Mound effigy. It is an earthen mound aligned with the solstices, which rests on the ridge of a meteorite impact crater. This ancient,...
Effigies of witches are burned on Witches Night.       Source: diter / Adobe Stock

Witches Night Celebrations Curbed For Czechs

A traditional night of celebrations known as Čarodějnice, which translates to ‘Witches Night’ in English has been severely curtailed this year in the Czech Republic. The Czech government has...
Image of the North America Nebula, an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to Deneb

Northern Cross and the Birth of Shamanism: A Southeastern Mystery Story - Part II

Solving the Riddle of the Rock Piles: The first layers author Jim Willis and his wife removed from rock piles on their property seemed to consist of large stones piled on top of one another roughly...
Image of the North America Nebula, an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to Deneb (the tail of the swan and its brightest star)

The Riddle of the Rock Piles—Effigies and Enigmas: A Southeastern Mystery Story – Part I

Southeastern United States: 2000 years ago | For hundreds of years, people had been accustomed to gathering in this special place near the great river at the sacred time of the winter solstice...