Religion

At about 10 a.m. Wayan walks out of her family’s house with sarong neatly wrapped around her thin adolescent waist balancing a woven basket abundantly full of offerings to the gods, perfumed and smoking gracefully. She looks natural, and her movements are as deliberate as anyone who is relaxed with their tasks. On her face [...]

Even as China modernizes at a pedal to the metal pace, certain elements of its old traditions and beliefs remain relevant and important throughout the society. Though formal religion took a major hit during the Mao era which it will probably never recover from, ancestor veneration is still alive and well. It’s purpose is to [...]

Religion is virtually ubiquitous on Taiwan’s Kinmen Island, and it is an interesting mix of beliefs and faiths.

A Russian magazine says they’re going to publish a culturally sensitive comic about Muhammad. We’ll see how well this goes over.

…no – seriously. I’m not kidding. With holy water yet. By a priest. When I came back to my hotel room today I noticed as I walked down the short hall to my room that I was following a trail of water droplets. Then I looked up. At the end of the trail was the [...]

The Sagrada Familia. Angkor Wat. The Acropolis. Westminster Abbey. The Sistine Chapel. Wherever in the world you find yourself, you are likely to be drawn into some of the most elaborate and breathtaking structures you will ever see, most of them created with divinity in mind. More than 20% of UNESCO’s world heritage cultural sites [...]

“Do you have posadas for Christmas in the United States?” a friend of mine ask while we were at a Christmas party in San Cristobal de las Casas. I hesitated before replying. My knowledge of Spanish is that the word “posada” is the equivalent “inn” or a homely type of hotel. My mind raced to determine how [...]

The church of Saint John the Baptist in Chamula, an autonomous indigenous municipality in the central highlands of Chiapas, is one of the prime locations in the world to observe elements of the traditional Maya beliefs combined with Catholicism. These practices include chanting, prayer, and, occasionally, the sacrifice of animals. While mostly chickens are made as offerings, [...]

A live chicken with its feet bound was removed from a burlap sack and laid down upon the church’s floor. Three rows of perhaps a dozen candles each were placed in front of the chicken, all were fully blazing. A bottle of Coca-Cola sat to the right. A heavy set matured woman in a long dress emblazoned with a purple flower pattern was kneeling behind the offerings, sitting on her heels. A young man was kneeling next to the woman, and an older man with a mustache took up the same position on the other side. All three adults were rocking back and forth, chanting prayers in Tzotzil. The woman then withdrew a kitchen knife, and with a quick flick of her wrist the chicken was sacrificed.