Tag: Christmas
An anthropologist explains why we love holiday rituals and traditions
Dimitris Xygalatas, University of Connecticut
The mere thought of holiday traditions brings smiles to most people’s faces and elicits feelings of sweet anticipation and nostalgia....
Puerto Ricans aren’t giving up on Christmas
Evelyn Milagros Rodriguez, University of Puerto Rico - Humacao
Leer en español.
Some say Puerto Rico has the longest Christmas in the world.
For Puerto Ricans,...
During the holidays, giving gifts to the dead can help you...
Jenna Drenten, Loyola University Chicago
Every December, my family decorates two Christmas trees: one for our living room and one for the cemetery, where my...
Feeling guilty about drinking? Well, ask the saints
Michael Foley, Baylor University
Each year the holidays bring with them an increase in both the consumption of alcohol and concern about drinking’s harmful effects....
How the Nazis co-opted Christmas
Joe Perry, Georgia State University
In 1921, in a Munich beer hall, newly appointed Nazi party leader Adolf Hitler gave a Christmas speech to an...
Gift-giving taboos that aren’t as bad as you think
Mary Steffel, Northeastern University and Elanor Williams, University of California, San Diego
There are many social norms that dictate gift-giving, including when, how and what...
What stories should you be telling kids this holiday season?
Marshall Duke, Emory University
In every culture that anthropologists have ever studied, people tell stories.
Families most frequently tell stories around the time of vacations, family...
EXPLORING NATURE
The battle over a global energy transition is on between petro-states...
Jennifer Morgan, Tufts University
Two years ago, countries around the world set a goal of “transitioning away from fossil...
