In Ghana, newly married couples jump over a broom to ward off evil and welcome new beginnings

Ancient Chinese marriages began with an elaborate marriage proposal and acceptance between families

The chief objectives of early Chinese marriages involved joining and enhancing the two families and ensuring succession with numerous descendants. Chinese couples still compare astrological signs, although some of the more elaborate rituals of betrothal gifts and sleeping in the “cock loft” are far less common.

Anthropologists have found that, across the globe, nearly every culture embraces marriage customs

Despite these commonalities, different cultures have distinct customs, such as the number of people who can be married at one time, the types of marriage partners allowed, and whether elaborate ceremonies are observed. Families can range from the smaller nuclear unit to extensive multi-generation families and households.

Ghost weddings used to be more common

Ghost weddings are marriages between two deceased parties, or one living and one dead partner. They satisfy departed family members’ needs for companionship and peace in the afterlife, according to Chinese spiritual beliefs. Unfortunately, since ghost marriages are pricey and can include the mingling of mortal remains, murderers and grave robbers have, at times, sought to supply spouses through nefarious means.

Firework-related celebrations include an annual summer celebration in El Salvador, where residents throw kerosene-soaked balls to commemorate a 1658 volcanic eruption

Another memorable tradition takes place in Vrontados, Greece, with people in two rival churches firing bottle rockets at each other's bell towers in an event known as the Rocket War. Yet another tradition occurs in Tainan City, Taiwan, fifteen days into the Chinese lunar calendar, with celebrants donning protective gear and attempting to get hit by fireworks—a tradition dating back to the late 1800s when residents asked the god of war for help with a raging cholera epidemic, with a similar display.

Each state has its own regulations regarding marriage

Some states don’t even require a ceremony or license, opting to allow “common law” marriages. Prenuptial agreements and other legal matters will likely require an attorney’s help. And marriages can offer benefits, like tax breaks.

The wedding industry is a roughly $200B global market

That market is shaped by both tradition and commercial influence. In the US, couples spend an average of $35K on a wedding, while Indian weddings range from $5K to more than $100K. Despite rising costs, weddings remain a deeply emotional tradition, celebrating love and human connection.

Variations of marriage existed in ancient West Africa

The enormous landmass of Africa has been home to numerous cultures and countries, and there’s been no singular way to get married. One striking aspect has been the matrilineal belt across central Africa, where wealth was passed down through the female, rather than the male, line. In some regions, it was also acceptable for a woman to take more than one husband.

Some people smash Champagne bottles on ships for good luck

Long before Champagne existed, people performed good-luck rituals before setting sail. But since animal sacrifice is generally frowned upon these days, a new tradition developed before a ship’s maiden voyage: smashing a bottle of Champagne against the hull.

Day of the Dead is celebrated across the world

While almost all celebrations involve cemeteries and altars, many countries also have their own unique traditions, including Bolivia’s staircase-shaped bread to help lead souls to heaven, and Haiti’s voodoo-influenced rituals.

A clean house is essential for celebrating the Lunar New Year

The earliest recorded instance of this cleaning ritual is from 241 B.C.E. By sweeping out dust and dirt and getting rid of clutter and unwanted items, it’s believed that you won’t carry extra burdens into the new year and will have space for the prosperity and fortune coming your way.

Why art history is filled with miserable brides

Paintings from the 19th century are filled with unhappy brides. The women are often visibly disturbed by their pending nuptials, sometimes even during the wedding ceremony. This Artnet article unpacks four famous examples of this trend, analyzing how and why the respective artists portrayed these disappointed figures.

Identical twin brothers marry twin sisters in double wedding—and honeymoon together

The couples exchanged vows back-to-back, allowing the brothers to serve as each other's best men, and the sisters to jump in as the maids of honor for one another. The pairs all met in a church youth group while students.Following their wedding, the couples planned to live in neighboring apartments.

In 1924, the department store Marshall Field's invented the first modern 'wedding registry'

However, there were many traditions around wedding gifts before the wedding registry was invented, too—from dowries to marriage chests. Read about the history of the wedding registry in this article.

Pennsylvania's traditions of dropping foods for New Year's

Pennsylvania towns celebrate New Year's Eve with unique, food-themed drop (or raise) events that showcase local culinary pride. The town of Lebanon drops 250 pounds of bologna attached to a disco ball, with a crane, in a celebration of their local smoked sausage tradition. Find out several more wild traditions in this quick article.

Photobombing bird nabs best wedding photo of the year

Just as groom-to-be started in on his vows in the beautiful setting of wild Whistler, Canada, a curious bird alighted upon his dear love's head, and photographer Tara Lilly captured what would become the year's best wedding photograph. See the shot and read the story here.

Georgian feasts are hosted by a 'tamada,' who offer toasts

The country's dinner celebrations, called "supras," are emceed by the tamada, a traditional role responsible for keeping the events entertaining. The tamada is so ingrained in Georgian culture that a statue of the figure can be found in the city of Tbilsi, which is based on a similar statue dating back to the 7th century BCE.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

Colonial America imported brides for their beer brewing skills

Life in the New World's English colonies was hard, so it's easy to see how these colonizers might've wanted to reach for a cold one more often than not. This article explains how beer brewing became one of the most critical skills expected in imported English wives.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones have hampered Ebola responses in West Africa

Awareness of local burial and grieving traditions eventually helped healthcare workers fight the spread of the virus. As healthcare workers and burial teams altered their procedures during the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, and as community leaders pressed people to adapt traditional ceremonies, the spread of Ebola began to slow.

Anglo-Saxons toasted the new year

The lord of a manor toasted his subjects at the start of a new year with the Old English phrase “waes hael,” which roughly translates to “be well.” “Wassailing” involved traveling from house to house, singing songs, and continuing to drink, a practice that eventually influenced caroling.

Breaking eye contact during a toast is supposedly bad luck

Superstitious types throughout Europe claim that toast participants must maintain eye contact for the duration of the toast. Failing to do so results in seven years of bad luck. Others are more specific, saying it will result in seven years of bad sex.

A group of 88 kindergarteners creates heartfelt centerpieces defining what love is for their teacher's wedding

Ahead of her big day, a kindergarten teacher came up with an idea to have her students help decorate her wedding tables. Teachers prompted their students to fill out the prompt "love is…" and found that the children shared a variety of heartfelt responses.

The benefits of extreme pain rituals, explained

We naturally avoid pain and see it as a negative experience. But many traditional cultures incorporate extremely painful rituals into their religious ceremonies, claiming they, in fact, provide ample benefits. Researchers were able to observe boosts in happiness and a sense of belonging in a tribe of Mauritians after they undertook a rigorously painful religious ritual. Read about the study here.

Actor Keanu Reeves appears at a random wedding

During her wedding reception, bride Nikki Roadnight was surprised when Keanu Reeves showed up as a special guest. Her husband had secretly invited him after learning that Keanu was staying at the same hotel. Keanu was down to earth, chatted with...

Why young people in the UK are hanging out at saunas

In the UK, Finnish-style saunas doubled from 45 to over 100 in 2024. This recent surge is driven by young people seeking healthy and affordable spaces to meet others and socialize. While Gen Z also turns to sobriety more due to costs and health concerns, these rejuvenating leisure spots are providing a perfect home to alcohol-free gatherings. Read more about the rising trend here.

Why South Korean women are having fewer babies

For decades, Asian countries have been combating dwindling birth rates by basically bribing families into having more children: offering government-subsidized housing, free IVF treatments, and even straight-up cash handouts. It hasn’t worked. In this BBC video, a TV producer, a cartoonist, and a private-school teacher explain their views on having children in 21st-century Korea.

Learn more about the history of fireworks, which dates back to an accidental invention during an alchemist's quest for information about immortality.

Hotels in Cannes, the glamorous city on the French Riviera, hire hawks to ward off seagulls during the city's famous film festival.

The Brothers Grimm were lawyers before they were storytellers, but became interested in fairy tales as they began investigating how rules and customs had been passed down through cultures.

Take a 3D tour of the Hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken by over 1.5 million Muslims.

Double world record holder Hunter Ewen helped conquer his fear of balloons, called globophobia, by training to win Guinness World Record titles for balloon inflation.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

American short story writer Flannery O'Connor raised 40 peacocks, which became potent symbols for her fiction's elegant violence

American dance legend Martha Graham, sometimes called 'the Picasso of dance,' refused to perform at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and conceived the piece 'Chronicle' in response to the experience.

A small portion of The Winstons' 'Amen, Brother,' an obscure '60s gospel record, is the basis for thousands of hip-hop tracks, making it one of the most sampled records ever that's informally known as 'the Amen break.'

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

Before the current East Wing ballroom project, only two White House renovations in the past 100 years cost more than $10M.

Apollo astronauts left items in the moon's 'toss zone,' including golf balls, family photos, and bags of human waste, to make room for lunar rocks.

See how Budweiser's famous Clydesdales spend their days at Warm Springs Ranch, where roughly 70 to 80 of the beer brand's giant horses can be found at any given time.

Coral polyps reproduce via broadcast spawning, where entire reefs simultaneously release reproductive cells for about one hour, once a year.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

Power lines are dotted with large, brightly colored balls to improve the visibility of these thin wires to helicopters and small planes and help prevent potential crashes.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

Explore chaos in this simulation of two double pendulums, where small differences in the release angles produce wildly different outcomes.

In 2026, Finland was named the world's happiest country for the ninth consecutive year based on its wealth, social safety network, and high life expectancy, among other factors.

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.