The Dunmow Flitch Trials
Kaushik Patowary
Mar 30, 2026
Every four years, couples from all over the United Kingdom, and sometimes beyond, come to the little Essex village of Great Dunmow to take ...
Showing posts with the label Culture
Japan's Shortest Festival Lasts Only 20 Seconds
Kaushik Patowary
Mar 16, 2026
Among the countless local celebrations held across Japan each year, one of the most unusual is the Enrei Onodachi Memorial Festival, often d...
Japan's Forbidden Colours
Kaushik Patowary
Mar 9, 2026
Before the modern period, in Japan, certain colours were strictly regulated by law and custom, and wearing them without permission could be ...
The 100 Soundscapes of Japan
Kaushik Patowary
Sep 22, 2025
Most travellers to Japan come prepared to see. They expect to be dazzled by cherry blossoms, the neon swirl of Tokyo’s Shinjuku, or the tran...
The Knife Makers of Thiers
Kaushik Patowary
Jul 31, 2025
In the Puy-de-Dôme department of Auvergne, in the heart of France, lies Thiers—a city renowned throughout the country as the historic capita...
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 ...
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...
